“Look mommy! I twirled it like Nonni!” Here’s hoping my # 1 Granddaughter learns from this … there are much better days ahead!
Archive for the ‘Living Life’ Category
Ever Had A Day Like This? 2 comments
The Trouble With Success 2 comments
Mrs Ms Handmade set a one-day sales record yesterday. My retail persona, Mr M, sold more wooden objects in a day than ever before … 13 pieces were sold.
Yes, for you numerologists out there, that good number occurs again in our lives. I love 13. Link below.
So, back to the success thing.
I’ve been building a number of cutting boards, cheese boards and serving pieces, as you know. Have to be ready for the big push for the holidays! And in our first big event of the 4th quarter … we sold 1/6 of the inventory.
One sixth.
Here’s the problem: we have 14 days of sales left. Oh, and we added another retail location last week, and that will require pieces to sell. And display pieces. In three weeks.
So, as much as I enjoyed having that nice lady pick apart Mrs. M’s lotion display so she could buy the display pieces for Christmas presents … and then hand me more money when she saw another piece when she began to walk away … it meant that more pieces were walking away.
Success means I have a LOT LOT LOT of work to do in order to be ready for November’s events.
Success. And since when does success mean you have to work harder?
Perhaps I would be happier as a lazy bum.
Nah. Never going to happen.
So here’s a visual goodbye to some of the pieces I loved that served to remind me that there’s a lot of work required of me … and I couldn’t be happier.
Hickory end grain board. 14″ diameter x 1-1/4″ thick. 20 degree cant on the edge.
# 62 Cutting Board, $150. Hard Maple, Walnut, Yellowheart and Cherry. 22-1/8″ x 14-3/8″ x 1-5/8″. Edge grain.
# 70 Cutting Board, $125. Hard Maple end grain cutting board. 12″ x 14″ x 1-1/2″.
Three pieces were made from some walnut I got from a contractor doing home restorations. There are 3 slightly different sizes. # 1 is 11-3/8″ x 10-3/4″ x 1-1/8″. # 2 is 10-5/8″ x 10-1/2″ x 1-1/8″. # 3 is 10-7/8″ x 9-1/4″ x 1-1/8″. End Grain. Black Walnut.
# 10 Cheese Board, $30. Walnut, Padauk, Hard Maple, Red Oak.
#27: Purpleheart, Walnut, Red Oak, Hard Maple.
More
Selecting & Maintaining Great Knives Leave a comment
The corollary to a great cutting board is a great knife, and Bon Appetit’s article, linked below, provides a nice resource about how to select your knife set.
And of course, with great knives, you need a great cutting board (or two). Here’s what the article says:
Where to Cut
A common mistake is using the wrong type of cutting board. You don’t want to cut on a surface that’s harder then your knife. This will cause the edge to roll and become dull and even damaged. Don’t cut on your granite countertop—and, please, if you have a glass cutting board, throw it away and pretend that chapter in your life never happened. Super hard glass is one of the worst materials you can use to chop on.Â
An end-grain wooden cutting board is ideal, but any hardwood board is good. Snyder says to stay away from plastic as your “everyday” board because cuts in the surface will harbor bacteria. Bamboo will dull your blade because of its fibrous makeup. A more traditional hardwood is softer then metal and will keep your knife sharp and provide a better cutting surface. The end grain receives the blade, and minor cuts in the surface of an end-grain board will seal up, keeping the cutting surface clean. A quality wood cutting board should last you plenty of years.
More
2Cellos: Thunderstruck Leave a comment
You need to watch this video.
You need to watch this video.
You need to watch this video.
A tip o’ the bow to Dr. Sarah for sharing this video. It is wonderful!
More
September – December Events Leave a comment
If you need Mrs M’s, come see us!
Mrs. Fleming Taught Me Well 5 comments
IBM Selectric. Note that there is no manual return … you just press a button to start a new line of typing! SUCH an innovation.
We are all a product of our education. Sometimes, technology moves past where we were educated … and such is the case with me. You see, I use my right thumb too much.
I blame Mrs. Fleming. She taught typing when I attended Nodaway Holt High School. Typing. A class that is no longer offered … and when it is offered, it’s taught to elementary students. Today, the class is called “keyboarding.”
So what’s my point? I was taught on an Olivetti typewriter … which means I was a good typist. I got an electric typewriter. I even got to move up to use an IBM Selectric on some days (we only had 4 of those). Not all students were so fortunate. Some had to learn on manual typewriters. If you’ve never had the pleasure, please, trust me. Today’s keyboards are an improvement.
This ball had the font for the IBM Selectric. Want to use a different font? Just put in a different ball. SUCH an innovation.
As I was learning to type, one thing I learned was that after every period, you spaced twice before starting the next sentence. It was a visual cue to the reader that a new thought was starting with the new sentence. It’s how I was taught, and it’s how I’ve written this post up until this point.
It’s old school – really, old school.
Today, no one puts 2 spaces between sentences. Today, the smart machines we all use have variable width fonts and know to put a wider space after a period than after a word. So, the spacing is done automatically, and the typist keyboardist operator only needs to press the space bar once after a period. The computer does the rest.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Fleming taught me so well, that I continue to put 2 spaces between every sentence in every email, letter and blog post that I write. I try to remember to insert one space only, but I’m not as good at remembering to change as I might be.
After all, I still remember Mrs. Fleming’s lessons about spacing from 40+ years ago. I remember her teaching the class to strike the typewriter’s keys like a cat striking it with its paw. That visual will never leave me, no matter how much technology may advance.
More
Cult Of Pedagogy: Nothing Says Over 40 Like Two Spaces After A Period!
He Said, She Said 2 comments
This weekend is Mrs M’s Handmade’s first event in a couple of months. The ladies have been working to develop some new formulations and new products … and I’ve been busy in the garage workshop, too.
One of today’s assignments: make business card holders for our new, uh, business cards.
Which brings us to today’s conversation.
He: I think the business card holders turned out well.
She: I really like them. I think you can sell them. How many did you make?
He: I made three. (editor’s note: there are 2 Mrs M’s and one Mr M, so there are three of us. Three.)
She: Three? You should have made more. I wanted one for my office.
He: You should have said something. I only made three.
She: You can make more. I want one for my office.
Sometimes, Labor Day is the gift that keeps giving.
Â
M I Z 2 comments
0:41 – Run on/Missouri Fanfare
1:44 – Missouri Waltz
3:15 – Tiger Rag
4:12 – Eye of the Tiger
5:34 – Give a Cheer
7:17 – Treasure by Bruno Mars (arr. by Matt Schmitz)
9:29 – Locked out of Heaven by Bruno Mars (arr. by Matt Schmitz)
11:52 – Marry You by Bruno Mars (arr. by Matt Schmitz)
15:20 – Mizzou Drumline
21:38 – Hey Baby
23:42 – Every True Son/Fight Tiger
25:15 – Old Missouri
Concert on the Quad
Francis Quadrangle, Columbia MO
August 24th, 2014
Drum Majors:
Sean Hayes
Adam Spirk
John Stahl
Directed by:
Dr. Brad Snow
Dr. Fuller Lyon
Six Things I Just Don’t Understand Leave a comment
And they all came up this week! It’s a very confusing time:
1. Luis Suarez was the big news from the World Cup. He bit an opposing player in his last match … and it will be his last match in this World Cup, as he was suspended by FIFA for 8 matches.
Mr. Suarez explained that it was all a misunderstanding … he fell against the player with his mouth open and hit his teeth on the other guy’s shoulder. That’s too bad. It’s also too bad that this is the 3rd time this particular professional soccer player has fallen against opponents with his teeth leading the charge.
Mr. Suarez needs to go back to kindergarten for re-education.
2. Mom had to call for help this week because her house was filling with smoke. Come to find out, the smoke was there because her city was testing the sewer system by filling it with smoke. Which went into my mother’s home.
Smoke testing, which fills some homes. Really?
3. Tattoos are bad. Come to find out, having tattoos can keep you out of the military. Apparently, having what Uncle Sam believes to be an excess of tattoos, or simply tattoos in the wrong places, means that you won’t work out as a trained killer and protector of our freedom. My stand against tattoos of all kinds is well established, but … really, Uncle Sam?
4. Obama isn’t doing his job? The hypocrisy of the House leadership reached a new level this week, as
This is not a left/right issue for me. It’s an ARE YOU KIDDING ME? issue. Think what you will of the Republicans and Democrats, but when they start suing each other instead of taking care of the people’s business, then we’re just log-rolling until the next election. Throw the bums out.
5. Soccer is hot right now. Everybody roots for their country in the World Cup … just like in the Olympics. And that’s great. What’s confusing is the number of people complaining about the bandwagon fans that are only now noticing the sport. Doesn’t matter to me: enjoy the Cup, and root for your country. Sounds perfect. Ann Coulter had her 5 minutes of attention this week by disparaging the sport while everyone else was cheering on her country’s team. And that’s the last bit of attention Ms. Coulter will have from me.
6. Political correctness extends to plants now. It’s not enough to include people in every category (because we’re all special), now we have to do so with plants. There’s a movement to classify all plants that can grow in an area “native” to that area. In the case of Southern California, some would have any “drought tolerant” plant called “native.” Thank you, no. Just because a plant can grow here, that doesn’t make it a native. That just makes it a plant that can grow here. Native means it’s a plant that belongs in our ecosystem, and a plant that will feed the other living things that call Southern California home.
More
My Favorite Posts From Year 2 3 comments
Wild Mushroom Cobbler
MowryJournal.com sprang to life on June 22, 2012. Happy Anniversary!
Here are my favorite posts from the 2nd year of MowryJournal.com. Please, enjoy those you missed, or revisit your own favorites.
I do note that of these 16 posts, only one also appeared on yesterday’s most read posts … meaning that you, dear reader, are often not reading what I’m liking. It’s OK. I forgive you.
Have fun … it’s what I’m doing!
Creating An Eagle Court Of Honor
My Other Blog: Radio Broadcasters
Eagle Court of Honor’s Gathering Of Eagles
That Horrible Need To Talk To Salespeople
More
I Married A City Girl
