accentuate the positive

how much it warms my heart to visit 43T and see that folks have been thinking of me and cheering me on!

This morning, for example, I see that six different people (on three different continents!) have cheered one of my goals since the last time I was online. Not that I’m bragging, just feeling and celebrating the warm glow of being part of the 43T (Virtual) Community that we all create and share.

And that’s A Good Thing! Accentuate the positive, indeed!

All best wishes to 43T-folks! smile

Little things can make such a big difference, Part 4: “it’s really astonishing to me how strongly memory can be linked to the sense of taste”....

Yes, I seem to have a theme going here: wonderful things I found to eat Over There—and brought back a taste of to savor Over Here. grin

These most wonderful olives in the world are the unique type called “Lucques de Bize.” I like them best in their unpasteurized form, as taste-tested at the Co-Op in Bize-Minervois, but to be imported they must be pasteurized. This year we brought back two jars of olives, one of green Lucques traditionally made, and one of green Lucques flavoured by wild fennel, placed into the jar along with the olives. Both are really wonderful, and, alas, already half gone!

The French site of the Olive Cooperative: http://www.loulibo.com/

The site of a U.S. importer of L’Oulibo products (the photo comes from this URL): http://www.klkellerimports.com/suppliers_loulibo.html

Little things can make such a big difference, Part 3: “it’s really astonishing to me how strongly memory can be linked to the sense of taste”....

Today I’m thinking of the sweet-sharp pungency of the Curry-Ketchup that I “import”—and not just how terrific it tastes on pan-fried potatoes-and-onions here at home, but also how amazed I was to fall in love with it the first time I tried it in the “traditional German fast food,” Curry-wurst! grin

(Photo from: http://www.ketchupworld.com/hecugekescg.html)

Little things can make such a big difference, Part 2: “it’s really astonishing to me how strongly memory can be linked to the sense of taste”….

This time it was sharing a splurge of a dessert, French creme de marrons on vanilla ice cream!

The rich, earthily pungent, unique taste of chestnut cream sauce over light, cool vanilla takes me back to the many times this past vacation I ate creme de marrons – in crepes, over waffles, on ice cream – in little outdoor cafes or restaurants in the South of France (and again, the memories of my travels sustain me through less interesting times).

(Photo from: http://v7ndotcom-elursrebmem.grocodile.com/marron-elursrebmem.php)

I like to stir a spoonful of jam or preserves into plain or vanilla joghurt, to create whatever flavour of yoghurt I’m in the mood for; lately I’ve been using the organically-grown fig preserves that I got at the quirky little market in Castelnou in June…(see comments for additional photo).

It’s really astonishing to me how strongly memory can be linked to the sense of taste: the figs are a distillation of the brilliant sunlight in the South of France (and the memories of my travels a way to sustain myself in less interesting times).

Little things can make such a big difference….

(Photo - not the same brand, but a similar product - from: http://www.lifeinprovence.com/provencal_fig_jam.htm)

So, it’s raining, hard; and it’s very humid, so much so that there’s a mist hanging in the air in the trees just across the street; and the sky is grey and it’s much too dark for this early in the evening (not quite 7:45pm).... The weather-guessers say we’re in between the cells of a major storm system, carrying thunder, lightning, and more moisture our way.

But the good news is that this cool damp air holds and carries - even seems to intensify - the wonderful scent of my all-time favorite flowering plant. I planted it, with its profusion of lush greenery and lacy white blooms, right next to the (downstairs) bedroom window, so we would get the full benefit of its fragrance in the evenings. smile

It’s an “old-fashioned” thing called “Mock Orange,” somewhat hard to find at the local garden stores, but well worth looking for! I love this stuff…. (I only wish it lasted longer!) It’s too bad I can’t somehow upload a hint of this terrific scent for all of you to savour!

Photo from:

http://www.bentler.us/eastern-washington/plants/mock-orange.aspx

Although it has been hot and humid all day - all weekend, actually - it’s nice that the evenings are still (relatively) cool. In fact, it has cooled off to the point where we can now open the windows upstairs to let the fresh air in overnight.

(My favorite seasons in Central Ohio are always those times of Spring and Fall when you can have your windows open, needing neither A/C nor heat to be comfortable; when we’re really lucky, we get about six weeks of such weather, twice each year.)

And so, off to bed…. Sleep well and dream sweetly, All!

Photo from:

http://www.stanice.com/uploaded_images/seasons-787195.jpg

This holiday weekend, the weather’s gotten beastly hot (as much too hot as the Spring had been too cold!) and we’re under “Air Quality Alert” status already(!)—but at least I have air conditioning in my car (“Cherry,” a 1999 Nissan Altima) to make the twice-weekly job-trips happier.

While I’m accentuating the positive, I might as well add:

• she gets 30mpg (combined city-highway miles)
• and she’s almost paid for!

“Go, Go, Cherry, Go!” (with apologies to Inspector Gadget)

GRIN

Things I really really really like about my “new” job (at the end of the 7th week of the contract already!):

• having my own nameplate on the door! (yeah, sure, it’s just a plastic sign, but it’s My Name grin)

• a great office-mate (means I don’t mind at all sharing time in our “cube”)

• technical equipment available in the next room (self-serve) as well as an on-call tech support person in the media center one floor down

• administrative support services in the office two floors down

• fantastic staffers!!! smile

I should start by saying I’m not much of a shopper - particularly I don’t enjoy shopping for clothes: the hassle of try-ons(!) - so, what a pleasure to be able to relate a very positive experience Sunday evening.

I was at the local Meijer’s, very late since it’s a 24-hour store and therefore convenient to my schedule, and I found not only some nice outfits for my new job, but also, a very nice sales clerk. She seemed to share my tastes, as she first came to my attention by admiring my cape(!), and gave me great feedback about colors, lengths, and general “goodness of fit.” (She was able to do this because it was late enough that there weren’t very many people in the store: I got personal customer service.)

All of which made my clothes shopping a much more pleasant experience than usual, and for this I am truly grateful! smile