My New Desk

Last Sunday I received a wonderful Mother’s day gift from my husband and kids.

Other than the sweet handmade cards I’ve received over the years, I think this may be my favorite.

They gave me a desk with 20 odd shaped drawers.

It is not new, in fact it appears well used. It is not decorative – whoever built this did not worry too much about the aesthetics of the project. It is not even well cared for – the bottom shows distinct evidence of having been left in water for a long time. I am pretty sure it cost them very little.

I love this desk. This desk is perfect. It is well built, functional, unique, and perfectly suited to solve the problem of trying to keep my jewelry making tools and supplies organized while giving me a great place to work.

I had never complained about the little card table that was home to my jewelry making crafts. I didn't even realize how inadequate it was. But Mark and the kids knew - and they found this for me.

It does nothing for anyone else in the house. There is no benefit, no secondary gain in this for anyone. It will be tucked away in my craft room, making my life better, and reminding me I am loved.

A Shortcut to Mushrooms

Mark brought home a couple pounds of fresh morels picked by an acquaintance. We don’t go hunting mushrooms, and this is the first time we’ve had a large bunch of them to cook and eat as we please. What a delicious and generous gift.

Looking at them I was reminded of Tolkien’s book the Fellowship of the Ring, where the hobbit’s love for mushrooms is described in one of the early chapters. Hobbits adore mushrooms; they gorge on them whenever possible. The fact that hobbits are crazy for mushrooms has nothing to do with the larger story, it does not advance the plot, it is just one of the numerous details that Tolkien gives us in his books to help us more fully appreciate the world he created. It’s been a few years since I last read those books, and the details of the mushroom feast at Farmer Maggot’s are slipping away from me.

So – I need to do two things. Find the best recipes I can to use this generous gift, and second, I need to reread LOTR.

Any recipe suggestions?