Treasures

Recently, my husband came into the house from the garage and announced, “Well, this is it.” He was tenderly clutching a small cellophane package and had a look of somber resolution on his face. He then proceeded toward the kitchen table and settled in with his morning cup of coffee. When I asked him what the occasion was, he replied, “This is my last Hostess streusel cake and I’m going to eat it today.” Knowing how long it’s been since Hostess went out of business, I asked him about the expiration date on his treasured lump of sugary goodness. He gave me a puzzled look and said, “Streusel cakes never get old.” He’s probably right about that, given the list of ingredients and preservatives listed on the box. I decided to leave him alone so he could enjoy the moment in peace. Just a man and his streusel cake.

All this pomp and circumstance reminded me that I, too, have treasures that I cling to. But, unlike my husband, I often don’t enjoy them because they seem too precious to be used. For instance, I have a small (very small) cache of saffron in my cupboard. Saffron is a spice that comes from the dried stigmas of the crocus plant. Needless to say, it is an expensive seasoning. All that value has made me afraid to use it and it is probably way past its time of viability due to my hesitancy.

Another flavoring I have in my cupboard is a vial of 3 whole vanilla beans. They are not as expensive as saffron, but my Dutchness makes it difficult for me to purchase them very often. Because my crème brulee recipe cries out for vanilla, I respectfully sacrifice a bean for the punch of flavor it provides. I am never sorry I used the bean after I taste the final dessert, but you can be sure, I don’t take the use of the bean lightly.

One of the wedding gifts we received many years ago was a set of cups with matching serving plates. These, of course, seemed too fancy for everyday use so they stayed safely tucked away in a cupboard, awaiting just the right moment and just the right company for their service. Well, the right moment and the right company never seemed to arrive and I finally gave the set away so someone else could use them, rather than just the dust bunnies.  

Over the years, I have received other gifts such as fancy towels, pretty serving bowls and elegant stationery. Sad to say, most of them were not enjoyed to their fullest extent as I parsimoniously determined the best time for their utilization. The everyday always seemed to demand less finery and “just the right moment” never seemed to arrive often enough to really enjoy a little goodness.

At my age, it makes no sense to be stingy with the pleasantries of life. Come to think of it, miserliness is probably not the best policy at any age. So, my advice to you is to unleash the treasures chained up in your closets. Unlike streusel cakes, some of them might have an expiration date and it’s time to enjoy the moments.

Victory

I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Not really. But that is how I feel every time I go into the ring with a new piece of technology and win a round. Most of my technological accomplishments would be nothing more than flipping a pancake for the average twelve year old. For me, any victory with a gidgy gadget is worth a celebratory moment.

It all started with the slow death of my printer. I should have suspected that I was in for a terminal experience when the only color it would print was a dirty pink. Yet, I continued to have hope. Maybe I had used the wrong color cartridge. Two expensive cartridges later, not the problem. Maybe I could just print in black and white and call it good. Every other page was spitting out in a grayish ink color, not going to work. Maybe I could use my husband’s fix-it method. Hit it a few times and let it rest. Working even less after that intervention. After months of unrequited love, it was time to say goodbye. I unplugged it and moved it to the what-am-I-going-to-do-with-this pile. Buying a new printer means new cables, cords, ink cartridges and instructions that are clear only to the techno wizards of the world.

Alas, I finally broke down one day and impulsively bought the first printer I saw in a store that is not known for its technology department. I should have heeded the warning signs that were written all over the experience. First, the box looked a bit shabby and had more tape holding it together than carton. Secondly, the contents looked like a re-packaging event had occurred. And finally, the fourth step in the set-up wizard involved inserting ink cartridges into an area that involved some exertion on my part. After turning the power on, an ominous message scrolled across the display screen: Cartridge jam, remove foam.

I’m not going to go into the sour details of what happened next. Let me just say that there was never any foam in the printer and I had my own re-packaging event with the beast.

Technology: 1    Me: 0

After recovering from that loss, I worked up the nerve to buy another printer. This time I went to a store with an official printer department. Maybe it was the smell of all that packaging, but I decided I should probably buy a router, too. The helpful young lad assured me that I could EASILY hook up a router as it was as simple as connecting it to ...... I was already four vocabulary words behind him, but I felt a surge of hopefulness and purchased the router and a new printer.

The router box was smallest so I made the decision to connect it first. The task involved crawling around behind my computer desk, trying to decipher the spaghetti plate of cords and cables, and making a mental note to dust someday in the future.

The EASY start-up wizard started spitting out instructions that were senseless to me. What is an Ethernet cable??? What gadget is my modem?? Where do I go to poke my eyes out??

After an hour of plugging any cable I could find into any port that would accept it, the impossible happened. A connection was made.

Technology: 0   Me: 1

My office looks like a war zone, but the ugly beast of failure has been tamed. Well, at least for now. I still have a printer that needs to meet me at O.K. corral.

Wish me luck!