Favorite Things – Page 10 – Let's Face the Music

Priority Spanish for Charlie

Charlie and I have never been anyplace that coffee doesn’t figure large in our travels both foreign and domestic.

A cappuccino at Caffe Peru on via Guilia in Rome was a daily treat.

When we were in Rome about 13 years ago he took most of the trip to master caffe doppio so that baristas could understand him. Soon we’ll be traveling to Cuba so I want Charlie to focus on ordering coffee.

At home we use a Rancilio Silvia espresso machine.

The choices are as follows:

Cafecito: Espresso mixed with sugar. Brew espresso, mix in a small amount of sugar in a metal cup to form a paste, add in the rest of the espresso, then pour it all into a cup.

Uno coradito por favor. This photo of Liberty Market is courtesy of TripAdvisor.

Cortadito: Espresso topped with steamed milk.

Cafe con leche is at least half warmed milk.

Café con leche: Coffee and hot milk.

I’m not sure Charlie will want to share this larger coffee called colado. (This photo of Hola! Cuban Cafe is courtesy of TripAdvisor)

Colado: The typical Cuban espresso that is made in larger portions and served in a larger cup; it comes with smaller cups to share with friends.

I’ll probably settle on cortadito or, if I can’t remember that, café con leche. Knowing Charlie he should start with colado, coffee for two.

Are you a coffee drinker?

Getting Ready to Travel

Charlie and I have traveled both long and short distances.

Most often we find ourselves on road trips.

When we are planning a trip I like to have a checklist so we don’t forget something important.

We always make time for coffee — some places have better coffee than others.

Transportation details — sometimes we fly or drive or go by boat.
Airports are often part of the travel story.
Accommodation details — we’d rather not stay at a traditional hotel.
We often stay at private homes offered on AirBnB.
Activity details — riding animals, boating, haircuts, music lessons are a few choices we have made.
We have ridden mules.
Passports, visas, IDs, and travel cards — we photo copy these essential documents and leave a copy with a friend at home.
Charlie and I have our travel documents in order.
Money — Some money can be purchased at home and some can only be bought in their native countries.
Sometimes we exchange currency here in the US and sometimes we wait.
Clothes and sundries
I always try to take sufficient clean clothes for a week in one suitcase.

We try to think of everything which, of course, is impossible.

Any suggestions?

ABC’s of Me

Here’s my A to Z list of things I like and don’t, including some personal insights.

Age: Old enough to know better
Bed size: King
Love a king-sized bed.
Chore you hate: Cleaning bathroom
Dogs: No animals yet but if I had one it would be a dog, actually a long-haired dachshund
Essential start to your day: doppio cappuccino
Cappuccini
Favorite color: Blue
Gold or silver: Silver (the color, not the metal)
Height: 5’ 5”
Instruments: Alas, no longer. Once upon a time cello, guitar, banjo, piano and bells
Still my favorite instrument.
Job title: Executive Administrator
Kids: 1
Live: Maryland
Mom’s name: Betty June
left to right: me, grandmother, mother.
Nicknames: Jo Jo, Babe
Overnight hospital stays: Surgery
Pet peeve: The phrase “I feel badly.” It’s grammatically incorrect.
Quote from a movie: “Do or do not, there is no try.” Yoda
Jedi Master
Right or left handed: Left. That’s right, I’m cool.
Siblings: 1 sister
Time you wake up: around 5:15 a.m.
Underwear: Jockey or Victoria’s Secret
A load of new lingerie
Vegetables you dislike: Coconut, is that a veggie?
What makes you run late: Charlie is my only hold-up.
X-Rays you’ve had: Left and right knee, left and right shoulder
Yummy food you make: Baked mac and cheese
Zoo- favorite animal: Don’t like animals in the zoo.

What’s on your list?

Musical Gifts

My sister is a wonderful gift-giver. She always seems to give the perfect thing.

The tacky little lamp was our only music light over the piano and the bench cushion was not very attractive.

We have a piano between the dining room and the living room that can be seen from almost every room on the first floor.

Charlie received this piano bench cushion in 2016 for Christmas.

In 2016 my sister gave Charlie a tapestry cushion for his piano bench. It was a huge improvement and he really appreciated it.

19-inch piano map illuminates at least two music sheets.

This year she sent a beautiful piano lamp. (We had been using a lamp from WalMart that I had spray painted.)

Sometimes the lamp might want to be dimmed.

Her research had led her to a dimmable model. When the lamp arrived it worked but wouldn’t dim.

Since the dimmer was an extra little box with a dial that fit between the power cord and the lamp base, we were hoping that replacing it would fix the issue.

The new piano lamp is sleek, functional, and dimmable.

The Cocoweb company replaced the dimmer for free and now it works. Tra la.

Do you have dimming lights?

My Style Profile

I took a quiz about my style and here are the results.

I am a traditionalist at heart with an eye towards more eclectic looks.

I have furniture including two Bergère chairs from the 1950s that have been passed down in my family.

I like classic looks and coordinated pieces in my home but like to add some energy and personality with a few more eclectic pieces. I may like a more antique look or gilded accents or just tailored lines, but I prefer a look that is mostly uniform and balanced.

I . . .

want my home to be stylish and that is a reflection of me and my overall tastes.
like to include pieces with a classic look such as antiques or items with a sense of history to them.
The kitchen island was made from my mother’s antique breakfront.
want my home to be comfortable and inviting and that is a reflection of me and my lifestyle.
want my home to have a bright, cheerful look.
I love the brightness of the conservatory.
see my home as an expression of my personal style.
like classic modern pieces.
I like the cleans lines of a glass coffee table.
like ethnic accents and a “worldly” look.
like your space to look somewhat dramatic.
like cool colors.
The master bedroom is the coolest of blues.
like bright pops of color or colorful accents.
I like bright pops of color in the usually cool rooms.
like to use some traditional gilded or wood accents in my home to give it a sense of timelessness.
like the look of natural materials in my home.
Rattan bench adds a casual touch to the more conservative furniture.

This is definitely my style.

What’s yours?

Galette des Rois

After looking at a few here is the recipe I chose to make a Galette des Rois, Kings’ Cake.

Sug and I worked together to make 2 Kings’ Cakes.

Sug rolled out puff pastry that I bought frozen.

We used frozen puff pastry and had to roll it out just a little to make it large enough to cut a round using a large frying pan lid as a pattern.

In addition to almond flour, butter, eggs, and sugar the seasoning included almond extract, vanilla extract (instead of the recipe’s suggestion of rum) and orange zest.

The filling is fluffy and holds its shape.

Filling is put on the bottom round with a margin which is them brushed with water so the top and bottom pastries will stick together.

The top pastry is carefully fit over the filling.

We put the cakes together with the filling inside and refrigerated them overnight so we could serve them warm the next day at our party. I cut a design into the unbaked dough with a sharp knife.

Both Sug and I tried our hands at crimping the edges as described in the recipe. Nothing leaked out.

Just before baking I glazed the pastry with egg yolk/milk carefully avoiding the edges so they would puff up.

The top is glazed with an egg yolk and mixture.

This recipe is subtly delicious. I could eat it every day with coffee if I had to. Delicious. Like an almond croissant in Paris.

We made 2 galettes and only have a few pieces remaining. I’ll make this again.

Do you have a favorite pastry? Do you buy it or make it?

Forcing Quince

Last week I brought in a few quince branches from our large bush in the yard.

When this bush blooms in spring the flowers are pink.

Branches from the same bush are blooming white this winter.

The flowers that bloomed inside this week were white.

Flowering quince are a nice reminder of spring on frigid winter days.

What is your reminder of warmer weather?

Number 1 on my 101 in 1001

When I was a teenager I had a long-haired dachshund named Princess. As a young married I had a miniature long-haired dachshund name Max.

I have been talking about getting a dog for awhile now so I finally contacted a breeder and put my name on a waiting list for a red-haired miniature long-haired dachshund expected to be born early in February. I’ll take either a boy or a girl.

My favorite breed: long-haired dachshund.

I hope to get one of a litter whose mother looks a lot like my former dogs. The take home date will be early in April.

Do you like big or little dogs?

Colorful Birds Like the Bird Tree

We put our bare Christmas tree out in the yard to attract birds with some homemade edible ornaments.

Charlie is admiring the bird tree. We’re still waiting for the birds.

Charlie is home during the day and saw birds around and near the tree before I did. He sent me a fuzzy photo.

There were both male and female cardinals in a flock of about 10.

Today I finally saw some birds for myself. There was a flock of cardinals feeding on the ground near the tree. I saw one fly into the branches but not feed on the seeded pine cones.

A downy woodpecker perched on the seed bell.

The big attraction for me was a downy woodpecker on the seed bell we had placed on the top of the tree. I watched for a long time while he hammered away at the bell.

The downy woodpecker is smallest woodpecker in North America, common and widespread. In the east this is the most familiar member of the family coming to backyard bird feeders. In winter it often joins roving mixed flocks of chickadees, nuthatches, and other birds in the woods.

Do you have a favorite feathered friend?

Hanging Loose Ends

I received a small original watercolor as a gift.

I’m walking from the pool house toward the main house where my office is.

I was given a painting of the grounds of the house where I work featuring me walking into the picture.

The painting might look nice on the wallpaper above the piano.

We decided to hang the picture in the dining room over the piano.

I eyeballed the middle of the wall and then cut a small v-shaped flap in the wallpaper.

The space is a little tricky due to the header notching the wall at the top.

Then I nailed in a picture hanging hook and hung the picture on it.

The colors in the picture complement the denim wallpaper and brighten the space.

Do you have a compact system for listening to music?