Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Small Treasures

Our garden was a little slow to take off this year, but the sungolds are coming on hot and heavy now, the cucumbers seem to be getting the idea, and the last of our onions are ready for something tasty. I'm trying to focus(literally) on the small treasures in my life right now, as I'm still throwing a fit over not being able to wear contacts. I've been trying unsuccessfully over the last two years to find a pair that I can wear for more than half an hour without wanting to gouge my eyes out. No luck. I'm going to ask my eye doctor if there's any such thing as a "contact specialist" who might be able to help me out, but more than likely I'll be stuck with glasses until Lasik, which isn't happening anytime soon. It's partially a vanity thing; I'm not crazy about the way I look with glasses, or the way my glasses go(or don't) with certain outfits. But mostly, it's about being able to engage with life the way I want to: without having to push my glasses up my nose every few minutes, or protect my face from a charging toddler, or to be able to go running without anything touching my face. I've worn glasses for eleven years, and I'm still not used to the way they restrict my vision; beautiful landscapes really bum me out. I feel like I have tunnel vision all the time. So instead of throwing a fit like I just did, I'm trying to appreciate even having glasses. Without them, I wouldn't be able to read. Or drive. Or take pictures. Or draw. Or find super darling teacups like this to bring home and stuff in my cupboard of already mismatched cups. I'm really into cups of a certain size, so whenever I see some cute ones I buy them. That big pink mug in the lower right corner isn't one of them, but, like an ugly younger sister, is still part of the family. Every morning I get up and make a pot of French press. It has to be French press because drip coffee is never strong or hot enough, and I like my coffee thick and scalding. I think I get this from my mother, who would pour herself a cup of just-brewed coffee and then heat it in the microwave before drinking it. I wrap a hand towel around the press to keep the coffee hot longer, and then I drink it from a small cup with lots of cream. I do this because big cups cool my coffee off too quickly, and while I have been known to reheat the same mug of tea five or six times, I cannot bring myself to microwave coffee. It robs it of something. Not just romance, it flattens the flavor and makes it taste like plastic and metal. I realize I'm a little on the picky side, but no one ever achieved culinary greatness by settling. And now, I'm going to go make a salad with my garden fresh vegetables which I will be able to safely chop by looking carefully through the focused lenses of my glasses.

1 comment:

Kayleen said...

I know what you mean about coffee - I like mine the same way: hot, bold, and creamy (hold the sugar!) I have succumbed to re-heating my coffee in the mornings, though. I never thought I would, because my mom also used to do that and I always thought - jeez mom just drink your coffee in one sitting! Now I know that is pretty darn impossible when you have a household to run :)