1. I think, when I've actually been here on a Friday, that I've been showing up lately with flowers. I've been so drawn to them these days, and I've felt such joy photographing them in the studio. I've been casting about for some flower arranging classes (seriously, I'm lousy at this), and I have some possibilities out there, and I remain hopeful. What bright possibilities in these vivid petals.

2. I think this was one of the best, most fascinating blog posts I've read in ages. My friend and cook book author Jeanne linked to it on Facebook, and I was mesmerized. I've you've read David Lebovitz's work about living (and eating) in Paris, this is great fun. I'll be buying his cook book, for sure.

3. I think I'm curious. How many of you have had a bad customer service experience? Rooth, you can count your insurance company, if you want! I had a really lousy customer service experience this week, one of those things that felt like to took all of my energy, all my attention and all of my time. And this from a company that has treated me well in the past. Very little makes you feel more impotent than being at the mercy of customer service, I think. I was not happy. It's resolved now, although I should hold my breath until I sign for the package, but I've been left with a bad taste in my mouth. When I see their logo, I feel yucky.

4. I think sometimes it's hard to be the only woman in a houseful of boys. And perhaps I shouldn't make Great Northern Beans for dinner again.

5. I think for the first time in weeks I can hear my kid's happy noises from the other room as he (gently) tosses himself a baseball. Maybe things are starting to look up.

I'll confess, I'm having some trouble knowing just what to say in this space these days. We've been in the weeds around here with some stuff, all manageable, but still. It's kind of one-foot-in-front-of-the-other time. I'm sapped.

Neel and I sneaked out to run some errands a few weeks back, and I'm still thinking about our stop at a newish Norfolk spot called Savor the Olive. Wall to wall olive oils and vinegars. We went in to look around, and came out with two oils and two vinegars. Hello. Totally delightful. We were the only ones in the shop, and we got a tour of flavors. Neel even went to the dark, infused-with-chili-pepper side. (I was willing to try the hot. He tried the very hot.)

We brought them home, and I was immediately mindful of something my friend Seamane once said to me. She'd made it a New Year's Resolution: to use her stuff. A lot of us fall into that trap, don't we? We get something we really like, maybe special bath salts or a fine chocolate and we dribble it out to ourselves, holding back. Neel and I are notorious for doing this with our souvenirs from our travels. But! But! If we use the last of the olive oil from Greece (or the tea from London or the candle from Paris, and on and on), it's GONE. But if we never use the stuff, then what we really lose is the joy of having it.

So I decided to savor my olive oil. We've been using it all the time. We got two pairings, essentially. A robust Spanish oil called Melgarejo/Frantoio that we've paired with a lavender-infused balsamic. I've been using that as a basic vinaigrette on salads or to dip our pretzels in. The other pairing? Persian Lime infused olive oil paired with a coconut infused white balsamic.

Last Saturday, we had a late lunch because of Cal's game (boy deserved some chicken wings after a stellar outing), so rather than fix the heavy dinner we were planning, we picked up some shrimp to throw on the grill. Marinated in Persian Lime infused olive oil, coconut infused white balsamic with a dash of red pepper flakes and some lime zest, THIS is why you use your stuff. This is how to savor.

I'm trying to get better at a lot of things, and this is one.

five things, april 11

savor the olive {life}