Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Gifts and Gadgets
Happy Mothers Day!!
I got to celebrate a week early last weekend by taking my Mom and her sisters out to brunch on a beautiful spring morning in the sculpture garden of the BMA, so I got by with a phone call this weekend.
So, other than a nice brunch and a card, what do you get for the woman who has everything? Well, how about a bright orange kayak? Yep, my soon to be 70 year old mum got herself a bright orange kayak this Mothers Day to use at our cottage, and my brother promised to improve the access and stability of the dock as his gift to Mom to help make all of our floatable toys easier to use. We already have a rowboat and an old wood frame kayak that my father built when I was a little kid - remember Folbots? The new kayak will be a great addition to gliding up the creek and sneaking up on the beavers and herons.
Speaking of toys, I now have two kitchen gadgets that I bought on a complete whim through Amazon.com's "Gold Box" offers. The first was a $12 George Foreman grill which I use all the time for paninis, and grilling chicken breasts or fish, but mostly for paninis. I used it a lot when I was unemployed over the winter enjoying a lot of yummy soup and sandwich combos.
Another daily treat I liked when I was "retired" for 4 months was a homemade "Egg McMuffin" every day before I went to the gym, consisting of a split English Muffin, an egg, and a piece of low fat Canadian Bacon. I don't own a toaster. I toasted the bread in my convection toaster oven, which was fine, but I need to watch it closely to make sure it doesn't burn, and it only toasts one side at a time.
Amazon.com Gold Box offered me this for $20: This thing works brilliantly.... I get a perfectly poached egg, hot Canadian bacon and perfectly toasted muffin. And the best part? I don't have to babysit it. Lock and load. I can fire it up and go dry my hair in the morning, and 4 minutes later = breakfast.
