I Bought Too Many Dishtowels and Other Horror Stories

I admit it: buying housewares is a weakness. I should just avoid stores like Fishs Eddy (and the occasional foray to Williams-Sonoma) altogether. But Gail finally agreed to go to Fishs Eddy and see what all the fuss was about. She bought a few juice glasses and a lasagna baker; everything in her basket was on sale so she spent less than $20. Meanwhile I bought two small Central Park-themed oval dishes, a little bowl that should be perfect for mixing small batches of vinaigrette or other dressings, and six new Hall bakers (this adds to those that I bought back in May). For the sake of pot pie enthusiasts everywhere I will evaluate all the bakers (there are four different styles) when the weather turns crisp enough to make a long hot day in the kitchen seem like a treat.

The bakeware was on sale and a bargain compared to the four dishtowels I bought. I couldn't help it though: one was Alice in Wonderland themed (like a platter I already have), another was blue (matching my kitchen) and had the alphabet printed on it, and the other two were topical and instructive: one lists "Cooking Temperatures" and "Measurements" and the other "Cold Storage" temperatures for foods in the fridge and freezer. The Alice towel and the blue alphabet towel were super soft--suprisingly so because they're made of bamboo fiber. For those keeping track of my spending (people like Gail) they were $10.95 each. The other two towels were more pricey, but they're educational...so they're entirely worth it.

A car accident, a missed CSA shipment, plus some wrestling with the Russian Consulate and my Accounts Payable Department rounded out this week quite nicely. Because it's related to work, the Russia-AP story has no real bearing on this blog (except for my availablity and mood), but suffice it to say: even after all the problems I went through to get my Russian visa this week, my trip is still up in the air because of the current political situation between Russia and Georgia. As always, I'm praying for world peace, but at this point, my prayers are primarily for selfish reasons; with peace, I get to go to Russia, without it I have to miss the trip entirely.

The car accident: Poor "Bob." This is his second accident this summer. Both were within a mile of home (at least he's statistically correct) and both were not his fault. Our next car should be a bumper car at this rate. Because "Bob" was on his way to pick up the CSA share when it happened, he never made it. He called our organizer and left a message telling her that he'd been in an accident and that they should put aside our share so we could pick it up later (this is standard operating procedure of the CSA). Well, we drove by the organizer's house, and no shipment awaited us. They didn't even call to see how he was after the accident. I bet there was more corn this week. Darn.

So, this week's menu, which I will get to tomorrow, will not involve any new produce from the CSA. We have a few squash to eat--no surprise there--and some carrots and beets and a few soon-to-be pickles. We might even get through some of those chicken pot pies still in the freezer.