Ring the bells. Crack the champagne. Cue the ticker tape. Timm returned home safely, and we are so very thankful. Our children are basking in the emotional warmth of having their dad back, and I am thrilled to be reunited with my favorite human in the world.
Here is what we talked about this week….
ONE.
Let’s be clear about one thing. I do not make hummus. I file hummus under the category of things that are best left to the professionals, and I will gladly support the endeavors of other businesses when it comes to hummus. Until this week. Prompted by a post by Broma Bakery on Instagram that claimed this recipe was “so creamy…and easy to whip up, you’ll never want store bought hummus again” I clicked on the link. Then I was further sold on the idea when I discovered this hummus is made sans raw garlic. Raw garlic is a no-no when your line of work requires you to speak with other humans in person. So I gave it a go. Verdict? Obsessed. I used my new Vitamix, and whipped up a batch of hummus so perfectly creamy, I am now stockpiling chickpeas and tahini in my pantry at all times. The recipe can be found here.
TWO.
Every single morning at Hurley House, we receive three to five solicitation calls. In the two plus years that we have been in this space, the sales calls have evolved significantly. These cats have really upped their game. In the beginning, it was obvious in less than one second that the call was not worth staying on the line. The static, or beeps, or just dead air were an instant give-away to hang up and move on. Then about a year ago, they started using pre-recorded voices. It took about five seconds to figure out we could hang up and move on. But now? Now they have real people, and they say things that make them sound like a potential client. These people are good. Sneaky, but good. It goes something like this.
“Hurely House, this is Ada.”
“Hi Ada, this is Stephanie from Bob Smith’s office. Can I speak to Katherine?”
“Well, what is this regarding?”
“Well, Mr. Smith asked me to call and touch base with her about some potential business.” At this point, we legitimately assume that Bob might be a client, and his assistant Stephanie wants to place an order, or discuss something meaningful. So I get on the phone, excited.
“Hi Stephanie, this is Katherine. How can I help you?”
“Hi Katherine. We are in the area giving quotes on credit card processing.”
Fooled again. But then it gets better. They won’t even concede to being a solicitor.
“Hey Stephanie. Is this a sales call?”
Long pause.
“Well, Katherine, that’s not how I like to think about it.”
“Stephanie, I appreciate your view point, but that really doesn’t change the facts. Are you selling something?”
“We are here providing a service to your business.”
“But, I will have to pay for this service, correct?”
“Correct.”
“Then this is in fact a sales call, and I am not interested. Have a lovely day.”
THREE.
This past week was the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On the ride home from school, I asked my kids if they had done anything at school to commererate the day. Norah chimed in and said, “Well, kind of. My journal prompt for the day asked ‘If you could undo one historical event, what would it be?’” So we went around the car and everyone chose one historical event they wish they could undo. I chose the holocaust. Annie and Norah both chose the Great Depression. Jake chose the Civil War, but then quickly changed his answer to the JFK assassination once he realized a war to end slavery was not the kind of thing you ultimately want to see undone. And Lillian abstained…because baby girl hasn’t quite learned enough history to get it. We discussed this question at Hurley House. It’s hard, with the benefit of hindsight, to look back and know the positive results that come out of hard things, and then wish for those hard things to not happen. Would the same good still occur if the bad was erased?
FOUR.
I am on the hunt for a loafer. Something to slip on with jeans and white shirt to make my wardrobe look a bit more seasonally appropriate. Classic. Comfortable. Made to last. I have my eye on a couple of options (no surprise, JCrew is the front runner). Have you seen any loafers that look promising?
FIVE.
On Monday I am going to be posting some before and after shots of the work done in our home over the past two weeks. It’s nothing major, but we did replace two chandeliers. I really wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with the old fixtures, which were in perfectly good condition, but just not something I wanted to use. A friend clued me into the Habitat for Humanity Restore program. They accept donations of all sorts of large residential pieces. Things like kitchen sinks, cabinets, countertops, and yes, light fixtures. I went online, filled out a form, and scheduled a pick up. They came to my home and carried away the fixtures, and we get to write off the donation. Check this out next time you are doing a remodel!
SIX.
William Shatner, of Star Trek fame, is also a recording artist. He has several CDs. He has a Christmas CD. It is called…Shatner Claus. I’m done.
Have a lovely weekend!
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