Started gathering items for our upcoming trip to the Southern Hemisphere summer. The currency is left over from a trip in 2020. We use the detergent sheets both at home and while traveling; there’s enough here for 14 loads. The Japanese coffee filters have become an essential part of our gear. Our entire packing system relies on Ziploc freezer bags ranging from one pint to two gallons.
Category: Home Living
Nordic themes
Hygge was clearly a theme as we walked into Orchestra Hall for a Nordic chamber music concert performed by members of the Minnesota Orchestra. The program featured works by three Scandinavian composers: Valborg Aulin, Otto Mortensen (I had to Google both), and Jean Sibelius. The current music director, Thomas Søndergård, is from Denmark and his predecessor, Osmo Vänskä, is from Finland, reflecting the Nordic roots of many Minnesotans.
‘Twas on a Monday morning*
It’s Monday morning, time to get to work. My goals for the day are to pack away the Christmas decorations (since it’s Twelfth Night) and hopefully finish the jigsaw puzzle. I’ll also be “a-washing”* four loads of laundry. Meanwhile, “my darling”* has gone to visit his mom for the day, about an hour’s drive away; later, he’ll be “dashing away with the smoothing iron,”* as that is strictly his job. *English folk song.
One in, one out
This beauty arrived from Williams-Sonoma today: a Le Creuset cast iron gratin dish, my online Black Friday purchase. I generally do the bakes, so I’ll be making good use of this. The dish is made in France, so I will have missed the more extreme tariff placed on China. Our household rules dictate that an old kitchen item must now go to Goodwill.
Gasket secret revealed
Who knew? Our washing machine’s door gasket has hidden drain holes. We noticed water accumulating and causing mold growth, but Dwight found the solution on YouTube: remove the gunk from the hidden drain holes. Unblocking them motivated me to clean the air and water filters in the TOTOs, which I do periodically, having read the manual. Such is our pursuit of excitement this quiet Sunday.
The ripple effect of travel: pourovers and TOTOs
In Japan, we buy packs of these pourover single-serve coffee filters prefilled with coffee to use in hotel rooms. On Amazon, I buy boxes of empty single-serve filters to bring when traveling, filling them with locally bought ground coffee. Here, I’m using one left over from our recent trip. Just one example of how travel changes behavior. A more significant example is the ubiquitous washlets in Japan. We liked them so much, we installed TOTO washlets in our home.
Deconstructed turkey served with gratitude
We’re quietly celebrating this Thanksgiving, and the centerpiece of our meal is Dwight’s stuffed turkey thigh (minus the bone), finished with a rich gravy. The stuffing is equally rich, with about a dozen ingredients, including meaty porcini mushrooms. And we have plenty left over for another meal.
At least Google’s still on speaking terms with the dishwasher
The GE app on my phone had forgotten our appliances, so I spent too much time unsuccessfully trying to reconnect the oven via Wi-Fi. Oddly, Google Assistant still recognizes the dishwasher, allowing me to ask Google about the wash cycle status, a feature we use two or three times a year. As for the oven, not only had the app forgotten about its “smart” access, but I had, too.
A reluctant trip to temples of consumption
Dwight had delicately suggested my dress shirts were getting a little ratty, so I visited Nordstrom Rack at the Mall of America but left empty-handed, resolving to buy them online. I recovered from my shopping fail by picking up Japanese Kit Kats from Ebisu, exercising unusual restraint around the LEGO store, and greatly enjoying the Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam, mash, and veggies at IKEA, on special for $2.99.
Harvest moon setting over Minneapolis
This was my view from bed this morning: sipping coffee, reading the news (the NYT and the Minnesota Star Tribune), and doing a side of doomscrolling where I like to challenge misinformation.