May I Join You?

Anymore, that's a phrase I rarely use, however, it does sound so nice, making me wish I had more occasion to use it. The weekend past, I spent in Winter Garden at the, ahem, art festival, such as it was. You know how much I love Winter Garden, their art festival, not so much. One of my friends from the WG market, a young woman who lost her job as a pharmaceutical rep selling Viagra, is now doing her darndest to sell art at the farmer's market. Beginning in the summer, I cautioned her how slow it would be, and how easy it is to get discouraged. However, as the weather has cooled, or at least the Florida version of cooling, sales have still been hard to come by. It must have been Saturday evening, and I mean evening, as we stayed open until 8PM, she remarked how most of the people attending the show were the very same ones who come to the market and don't buy anything. She had a point.

Before leaving Saturday morning, I was so thrilled to see sunshine that I had to take a photo of my kitchen window. Before long, those black lines will be a thing of the past, replaced by white and a grid pattern matching our entry doors. Woo hoo! I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I don't know how people survive with gray weather!

Bruce left much earlier with the loaded Pilot to begin the set up. The event, held on Plant Street, was to begin loading at 6AM. Was to is the operative word here, as they kept folks waiting until nearly 6:30, only then taking them to their spot. This year I was on the opposite side of the street facing the Edgewater Hotel which was nice as they have a restroom in their lobby, always a plus when you don't have to use the portable ones. Before doing this gig, I avoided portable toilets like the plague, however, most shows that is what I have to resort to, a reason in itself for not wanting to do them!

The weather was lovely and every now and again someone would come into my booth. When they do so, I typically say hello, and leave it at that. If they want to chat, I am more than willing to do so.

Which brings me to my next point. A young woman, really Bill and David's age, had her booth next to me. A first-timer, both Bruce and I were happy to pass along any knowledge we've learned in nearly seven years doing this. One of those things I mentioned is the greeting, to which she replied, she didn't like that sort of thing, instead letting folks visit in silence. My theory is, if you want to touch my things, the least you can do is say hello! It is only good manners.

She worked with glass, making trays and wall hangings, all very nice. As well, she had three life-sized mannequins she'd painted; although they were outstanding, it would take a very large house to accommodate one as art. Nonetheless, I was very impressed.

In the foreground of the above photograph, is a group of folks visiting the show to get crowd reaction to their outfits. The lady on the right, with her back to you, told me they were a "steam punk and costumers group" who dress for fun. In particular I loved the children's outfits. You can just make out her son in my neighbor's booth.

The street looked like this most of the evening hours:

My word, the clock reads nearly 8:00. Around 7, my sides came down with only the front to release the minute the clock struck 8, and I was out of there! The photo below is so Winter Garden.

In some regards, it could be from another era, don't you think? If you care about such things, here's a little history lesson regarding Christmas lights which began with one of my favorite men, Thomas Edison.

Bruce and Baxter were anxiously awaiting my return, laying in the grass, gazing at the stars. Except there were not so many, as the clouds, once again, were rolling in. Sunday, with a dire weather prediction, was incredibly slow and chilly, the temperature having dropped 20 degrees from Saturday's sunny high of 84. I spent time chatting with other artists, and my friends the Goldsmiths came to see me. The girls are growing up so quickly, or so it seems to me.

Moving to Winter Garden two years ago from Long Island, one day they came to the market and we just clicked. Earlier in the week, TJ, their dad, called me about framers, as they'd purchased a print from me for a gift, and wanted to give it on Thanksgiving. Having no luck finding a frame to their liking, I told them about Sam Flax, which is a bit of a drive from their home, but they went, and loved it. During their visit, he told me that every place they went looking, people asked them where they got the print. Nice.

Nicer still is the tomato basil soup they brought me, along with some wonderful artisan bread and butter! Imagine if I'd never said hello to them when they first visited my space. At the market, particularly Meghan, dressed in the blue sweat shirt, loves to write sales in my book, get bags out and handle the money. All of that makes me happy as it won't be long before they will have no interest in coming to the market to see Miss Gail.

I mentioned a dire weather report, and for someone in a tent, 25 mph winds can be pretty dire. That said, although it was occasionally gusty, nothing much came of it. Around 4PM, we were told that the show was closing early, and nothing could have made me happier. Fortunately, my project manager had just arrived, and when it was all packed up for another day, we headed back to our cozy home, spending a few hours together before he left Monday morning for Miami. In, I don't know how long, this is the first holiday season when his work schedule has been manageable, for which we are both very, very grateful.

Yesterday was a grocery shopping day, with the turkey now thawing in the refrigerator. I'm thinking of brining this year, something I've never tried. Did you know it was Cook's Illustrated that popularized that method? Now you do. Later in the day I met Bill at a home he is perhaps interested in buying. Very preliminary, however, we both saw potential. He'll wait on a verdict from his Dad.

Despite my grousing, I absolutely know the truth of this plaque I saw perched outside someone's home.

As I hope you do too.

Parchment Paper, Where Have You Been All My Life?

Staying up late the other night, I finished "52 Loaves" and in doing so, it left me with an intense desire to bake bread. Not, of course, going to the extremes he went to, as in, growing his own wheat, threshing it, and if that weren't enough, a week long bread baking course at The Ritz in Paris. Did I mention he baked bread in a Normandy monastery? Yes he did that, as well as, making a clay oven in his backyard! So, no, all of that is too much for me, unless of course I am getting paid to write a book about those experiences, a far fetched idea if ever there were one.

What it did do, however, is get me thinking about my cooking and baking skills, or lack thereof. Although I have cooked a lot in my lifetime, there's always room for improvement. Because I was wanting to get it on, I did not use a sponge for my baguettes, instead opting for a recipe from Bon Appetit, using the usual ingredients as well as 1 T of white vinegar, which now that I've been reading the Cook's Illustrated with explanations for every ingredient, I sure wish I knew what that vinegar was supposed to do. Anyway, the dough was gloppy as all get out, partly because I stopped in the middle of adding the flour to weigh it on my digital scale. That too, is something "real" bakers do. I measured my flour in two ways, one using a scoop and leveling it off, followed by simply scooping the measuring cup in the flour. While Tom was baking during one of their visits, he told me he always used the later method. Turns out that's the way they do it at CI. Anyway, then I wondered just what does a cup of flour weigh, 8 ounces? Nope, the answer is anywhere, according to who you believe, between 4.4 and 4.6 ounces, all of which sounds perhaps a little silly, but when baking it helps to be accurate. Nonetheless, I did not hold out much hope for the bread.

While it was in the first rise phase, I decided to make some granola, and here's where the parchment paper really shone. My goodness, I love the stuff. No more sticking to the pan for me! First though, when I measured the 3 T of brown sugar, I thought it looked so cute, I had to take a photo.

Adorable, right? Here's what the finished product looked like on the parchment, which I later used to make a cone to pour it into my container.

Pecans, coconut and dried cherries! Yum, yum.

While in the kitchen I snuck in a batch of pickles which now I know is easy as can be. Mix a cup of water, and white vinegar, along with salt, a fair amount, and bring to a boil while you are stuffing the pickling cucumbers into the jar. Chop up a bunch of garlic and put it, along with a tablespoon or so of red pepper flakes into the jar, pour the vinegar mix over, and refrigerate. If you can, wait for about a week before eating although sometimes that is just not possible.

Back to the bread, I did my best to shape the baguettes but I'm just not very good at it. Because I'd read somewhere about a french bread pan, and I had a gift certificate to William Sonoma, I bought one last year, however, I'm not all that impressed. In any case, the bread came out looking not too terrible.

Another thing I can't do is make the slashes-impossible! Not long after they came out of the oven, Angela arrived wanting to know what smelled so good, so that was promising. When she saw the bread on the cooling rack, she immediately wanted to try it, thus the cut loaf. Her response? "There's nothing wrong with this bread, it is fantastic!" She is my friend though so what else could she say?

Because I wanted to try the bread myself, for dinner I had some leftover spaghetti and meat sauce that I'd made a day or so before. Following the recipe to a tee, when browning the onion and garlic, I added the spices to enrich the flavor. Bruce was in heaven as he LOVES pasta. Another little trick I've learned, and it makes so much sense, is to freeze the leftovers in a zip-loc bag so it doesn't take up much room in the freezer, as well as there is very little room for air which inevitably ruins frozen food.

Pretty neat, huh? Oh yeah, the bread wasn't half bad.

The week has been gloomy as can be so instead of moping around like I want to, I head into the kitchen. Yesterday afternoon I made a recipe for Apple Pandowdy. Never heard of it? Neither had I. More accurately it is an apple pie in a skillet. Obviously no bottom crust. Now, I've made a lot of pie crusts in my day, but never with butter. Every technique I've ever used to mix the crust went out the window. Maybe all this will be good for my old mind, keeping me engaged and learning? After mashing the shortening into the flour with a fork, I grated 6 T of butter into the mix.

I wish the photo had turned out better because those little curls were so cute. Instead of my pastry blender, I used two knives to cut it all in, learning in the process that I'm not so great using both hands at once! After an hour in the fridge, I rolled it out and it STUCK to the pastry sheet. Well, I just scooped it all back into a disc, and started over. Good thing the pandowdy got it's name from looking rather dowdy. While the dough was chilling, I prepared the apples, another revelation which I'll explain further.

To the left you can see all the peels, eight apples in all! Here's the thing, I always used to guess when the recipe called for 2 1/2 pounds. No more, I am a convert to the digital scale! Instead of dotting with butter and sugar, following the recipe I reduced a cup of apple juice down to 1/2 cup, mixing it with maple syrup, lemon juice, and a bit of cinnamon. Oh, I nearly forgot--I sauteed the apples for about ten minutes as well, covering them with the syrup mix, followed by the crust. Finally it was ready to go into the oven.

The logic behind sautéing the apples is not having to cook the "pie" as long. Hot dog it worked like a charm, especially when the oven is set to 500 degrees, a temperature I have NEVER used before. 20 minutes later it came out of the oven looking like this:

The recipe called for an ovenproof 12" skillet which I do not own. The best I could do is this 11'' cast iron skillet that belong to my Mother. How old it is I can't say. What I can say is no kitchen should be without one in my humble opinion.

Bruce loves apple pie so I was making it for him, and lo and behold, not long after it came out of the oven he called telling me he was at the airport. Silly me, I thought he was coming home today! I am happy to report that he deemed it wonderful, worth every bit of effort! My only quibble is that there is a lot of juice on the bottom of the pan; perhaps my apples were juicier than theirs? In any case, the crust is delicious! The apples, nicely cooked.

Parchment paper, that's what I should have used to roll the crust on. Plastic wrap works well but it is not nearly wide enough unless you put two pieces together which is what I eventually did. It was parchment paper that would have saved the day! Where have you been all my life?

Moving on Up: Part Two

I've never been to a soccer game before. Well, that's not entirely true as I did attend every single game Jonathan played in middle school for the tiny Conway Christian. Our family of boys either played baseball, volleyball, or swam. With fours sons involved from the time they were very, very young, you can imagine how many sporting events I've attended. None of that prepared me for the scene I witnessed on Tuesday night at the Cheyenne Saloon on Church Street.

I followed this little family, heading to the big announcement that the Orlando City Lions are to become part of Major League Soccer. According to Shannon, one of Dana's employees, Orlando City spent three days decorating both the street and the saloon. You'll see in a moment how well they succeeded!

Purple and red, the team colors, were everywhere! Typically, when there is a big event on Church Street, Dana asks me to document the affair for the owners of the property. Well, I hadn't heard from her about this so I called her on Sunday, asking if she needed my services. "Thank you for reminding me to hire you!" was her response. Truth is, I didn't want any money, my interest was access. Wait a minute Gail, you said you had no experience with soccer? 

Because you know me only as an empty nester, or some of you anyway, you can't know that I would, make that will, do just about anything for my sons. Jonathan has been following this story since the beginning, and I knew it would thrill him to think that I was there for the big news. And it did.

The event was scheduled for 6 or 6:30, however, that did not stop people from lining up by 4:30 when I arrived. No clue how early they really got there. Apparently soccer fans are, what you might call, passionate, which if you were there you might think that word is not strong enough!

I don't know who these guys are, but they look pretty official. Plus, I love their expressions:

Little did I know what part these folks would soon play:

Balloons galore, 

and banners of all the teams in the leagues flew from the balconies:

Ahem, Orlando Health, my former employer is "part of something MAJOR," with naming rights or some such thing. I'm not so sure how I feel about a "non-profit" being involved but obviously, no one cares what I think.

Although I did not have an official badge, I followed Shannon inside and pretty much had the run of the place, taking shots of all levels and trying to figure out how best to use my camera in the purple light.

The shot above is off limits to us commoners, reserved for the bevy of political big-wigs and their ilk. 

If it has been a long time since you've seen the inside of CS, you may have forgotten that there are three levels from which to watch the dance floor and stage.

Once inside, there was no doubt about the results of the "exciting announcement," as it was billed. It was really all very exciting as I still remember when the Magic announcement was made in this very same building nearly 30 years ago. There's just something about sports teams that gets people excited. Hope maybe? So after taking my test shots, I perched on the second level, on the right, pretty much where the number symbol is. I had a little bar area to place my bag, and more importantly my reading glasses so that I might every now and again, check my shots. And I waited. Pretty soon a man and woman came to perch next to me. 

Now when telling Angela this story during her afternoon visit for tea yesterday, she claimed that I am like a magnet for interesting things. Well, I don't know if that is true or not, but I do get lucky sometimes. In this case, the man was the director of Wide World of Sports at Disney! His wife was chatty, having him get me a drink and telling me over and over again, how big a deal this is for Orlando. Furthermore, he knew everyone involved, telling me the story of the Brazilian man who put up $70 million for the franchise. Turns out, he owned about 300 English as a Second Language schools in South America before selling them for an astronomical figure. 70 million, as it turns out, is pretty much chump change to him. After moving to Orlando, he hatched this idea and here we are. Did I mention he was raised in a barrio? That is some success story.

Finally around 6, the doors opened, letting in the crowd to fill the area in front of the stage. It was then that they began chanting and singing, with drumbeats filling the air.

I've never heard anything quite like it to say the least. In the foreground you see the journalists waiting to finish their stories, or so I presume. It was wild and crazy to say the least. Finally, the big moment arrived with the hosts introducing Governor Rick Scott to a smattering of boos which I thought was pretty rude, but hey, this was a rowdy crowd.

This is him smiling before being introduced. I took this hanging over the railing, so not the best photo you'll ever see, but I'm including it because of the policeman behind  the Governor. It is none other than our market policeman, a very, very big guy with the sweetest personality ever. Talking to him the other day, I learned that as a young man he played professional basketball in, of all places, London.  He also serves as the policeman to the Orlando Magic. I suspect he's doing the market gig for extra money for his upcoming trip to revisit London after all these years. 

Following the booing, Governor Scott put on a different face, maybe bemused is the word for it? Every shot of him I took later has the same expression as this one:

This photo is of some of the most powerful and influential people in our area, including none other than Mayor Dyer! Want more of him?

Although Mayor Dyer gets a lot of press, Theresa Jacobs, pictured in the middle (see above) is the Mayor of Orange County which is way, way bigger than the city.

Mayor Jacobs is on the right, that's Daisy Lynum in the middle, a city councilwoman who represents the district where the stadium is to be built, and Commissioner Patty Sheehan on the left, who one day may very well become the Mayor if my instincts tell me anything. Since her election, she has been a tireless supporter of downtown, as well as being instrumental in the SODO project near our home. Did I mention she is super nice? How about that she is the first openly gay person to hold an elected office in our area? 

Everyone got a few minutes on the mike, including the owner, the President of Orlando City, the coach, the team doctors, and finally the Commissioner of Major League Soccer. To say that it was loud is an understatement. I believe this article from the Orlando Sentinel called it a boisterous crowd. Now, why didn't I think of that? 

All those purple balloons in the earlier shot, they fell, as did confetti, and then the crowd really took the celebrating to a whole 'nother level. Flags waving, chanting, and the continuous drumming. Who are these people is what I want to know?

My, oh my! 

What I only just noticed in the above photo is that it seems as if the Mayors are shaking hands. It is widely rumored that they are not so fond of one another. Do you remember how I was so struck by the display of the Texas flag everywhere we went while visiting Jonathan and Alissa in Austin? Telling folks that, some said they had no idea what the Florida flag even looks like. Well, it sort of looks like the one flying above the Iron Lion one below, only instead of it being purple, it is white. 

The party continued outside in the street until who knows how late. 

After thanking the folks beside me for all their inside knowledge, I made my way back to the car, before most of the crowd left the building. Arriving earlier, I figured four hours on the meter would be enough, and as it was just about that, it was time to get myself home. 

David went to the championship game for Orlando City in the Citrus Bowl a few months ago, leaving with the impression that soccer is going to be big in the States, sooner, rather than later. After what I witnessed at this event, I feel inclined to agree. Orlando is indeed moving on up!

We're Moving on Up!

Not to be confused with Mr. and Mrs. Peck, the moving on up I'm referring to is our city, Orlando. Great cities have great public art and that's all there is to it. We now join that list.

Remember last week when I posted the sculpture photos as a sneak peek? As well, I included the email invitation regarding the "official unveiling" scheduled for this past Monday night. Well, Mr. Bruce was in town, we went, and was it ever special. Oh my word!

Beginning the night meeting at the corner of Church Street and Orange Avenue, we were so pleased to see a great crowd awaiting dusk when the lights would go on. I shared an album on fb of the sculptures which I'll include here in the interest of not going crazy with photo overload. So, they are in the order of how we saw them. That said, there are always more to share. As we approached the plaza, I finally saw the Lynx bus advertising the market.

I can't remember who told me about it, but I wouldn't be surprised if that were one of the gazillion photos I've taken there each and every week for six years. Super good.

After the official lighting we made our way to the History Center, one of the sculptures I didn't show you before. All of them have been outfitted with LED lighting, making them really special. To put this one into scale, Bruce is inspecting the materials.

I must say, the city did a beautiful job with everything, providing water and live entertainment at each stop, ranging from a harpist, to none other than our Joseph from the market!

And who do you see joining in with Joseph and Jesse, his new bride? Why, it's none other than Mayor Dyer. Anyone who knows Joseph would not be surprised that he was stationed at the site sponsored by Anheuser Busch with free beer for all. While we were chatting with J & J, I mentioned the Mayor was coming up. Immediately they broke into Luckenbach, Texas, knowing MD would love that one as he's known for his love of country and blues.

Along with the music and refreshments, the artists were there to answer questions and of course, receive praise for their work. I suppose one of the things about being mayor is having your photo taken by everyone. Here he shows up again with artist Meg White,

whom we chatted with briefly. We wanted to know what the "Muse" is made of, and how long it takes to make something that large. The answers? Two years is the normal time, however, with help she made it in eight months. Indiana sandstone is the answer to question number one.

Moving along, we came to another of my favorites, purchased by none other than Darden Restaurants!

It must be the trend because changing lights seems to be the thing; the colors ran the gamut while we watched in awe. This piece is made of aluminum.

Visiting last week, this one was still in the finishing stages of installation.

To the left of the photo you'll notice, if you are looking, a man and woman, he wearing a suit and tie, while she is in a jacket. That would be Mr. and Mrs. Massey, the donors of this spectacular piece. Discovering that through an overheard conversation, we too took the opportunity to thank them for their generosity. Graciously he deflected the praise, spreading it to his wife and employees. We thought they were the owners of the Massey Cadillac dealership here in town, only to discover they own Massey Services, a pest control company. How about that? Bugs, as it turns out, are a big business.

We stopped next at the Park Services Open House, and what should I see upon entering? Lying on the reception desk was the calendar! That, of course, made me happy. Next up, the two sculptures adjacent to the market. Well, look who was there!

No, I'm not trying to overload you with pictures of Mayor Dyer, instead the woman to his right is the force behind the project, Jennifer Quigley, whom I know nothing about. She, obviously is so excited to see her vision of the last two years come to fruition. As well, she's dancing to the New Orleans Dixieland band!

You've seen the big tree just behind my market booth space, but what you do not know is the donor of that sculpture, "Cedars of Lebanon" was the gift of a man David worked for long ago. He owns several gun ranges in the area. Guns, as it turns out, are also big business. I don't know if he also provided the food at this area, but it was rocking with a big crowd and Lebanese music. Unfortunately we got there after all the food was consumed. This young woman told me she had to remain where she was for the next hour!

Apparently this whole dress as a tablecloth thing is not new, but it was to us! I suspect these performers were from Universal Studios. Wherever they came from, they looked amazing!

For the record, we did not ask anyone to photograph us in front. :)

It was all so darn exciting to see the enthusiasm for the arts. We left beaming, finishing the night up at one of our old favorites, Dexter's in Thorton Park.

Years ago we spent considerable time and money at this place! If it were up to Bruce we would have still made it part of our date nights, but yours truly complained about the food. Surprisingly, and in a good way, I can no longer make that case.

Well, that was some night, and if that weren't enough, Tuesday night I was privileged to attend a big deal event at the Cheyenne Saloon, taking photographs for Dana, the manager of the property. Let's do that story tomorrow as I want you to digest this exciting evening first. In our fast-paced world it is easy to be thrilled one moment, and then almost immediately be ready to move on to the next big thing isn't it?

It's Not Everyday I See a Kangaroo Out for Lunch!

Bet that title caught your attention!

Over the years I've seen more than my fair share of oddities during the market day at Lake Eola, however, when Kathy came back from a bathroom run telling me she saw some folks eating lunch with a kangaroo, I had to see it for myself. Sure enough, sitting outside of Spice, a family of about six were having lunch with their pet kangaroo under the table. More specifically, with the man of the group who was hand feeding said kangaroo.

When I got there another gentleman was photographing the kangaroo with his iPad which looks so crazy to me. Anyway, when I asked the man how long they'd had a kangaroo for a pet, he replied matter of factly, two years.

Because he seemed a bit put out, I did not get the name. As to him being put out, what did he expect? It is only natural that most folks are going to be pretty much stopped in their tracks when they see someone casually dining with a kangaroo!!! I'd say this is taking the new "pet" friendly rules to an entirely new level. Talking to a young woman later she told me she'd seen the man carrying the kangaroo in his arms wrapped in a blanket. Furthermore, although she'd only moved downtown a week ago, she determined very quickly it's like a zoo down there. Yup.

Heather, from the Historic Preservation Board, sent me this photo on Friday.

Our mayor, Buddy Dyer is in the gold tie. That dress, practically the only color in a sea of dark. I should have removed my sweater....

Friday, late morning, just as Bruce returned from Houston, the window guy came, and we've done the deal. Double-hung, double paned, energy efficient windows from Simonton will be gracing our home in the next eight weeks. Did I already tell you the business about lead based paint? If I did forgive me, if not, read on. When replacing windows in a home built before 1970, the installers must test for lead based paint before the installation. If found, special installation methods must be used, and with that comes a price to the tune of $127 from Pella, while Father and Sons charges $50 per opening. Thank goodness when Dave returned on Saturday, while I was in Winter Garden, he tested the mandatory four windows and we passed. Obviously when there are 11 openings, this is very good news. The wait begins.

I hemmed and hawed about going to Winter Garden because of the threat of rain. Turns out I should have listened to my hemming because it did rain, and it was no fun. No complaints when someone gives you a tent like I received from my friends Jim and Ken, however, over time, a hole opened up in the top. As well, one of the ribs which helps the tent keep its' shape collapsed. The bottom line is the tent is now in the dumpster in Winter Garden. Rain poured down onto my prints, which thankfully are fine, but they had a drying out time once I got home.

Friday was icky weather as well. About a week after we returned from England I saw the sign for a new pub nearby with darts. I'm sure I mentioned the dart tournament we watched on the telly while in England, and I was a bit intrigued to come across a place near our home where such things happen. Friday evening we visited Rogue Pub, located in the old shopping center that once housed an A&P grocery store where my brother Pat was a bag boy. I'm talking forever ago, but its worth mentioning!

Not many folks yet as I mentioned we were here about 6 although it did get busier in the hour or so we were there. While chatting with our bartender, we discovered that she is the owner, and get this, went to school with Bill and Dave! Orlando remains a small town to me.

What have I been cooking lately? Well, a roast chicken in a skillet for starters:

Fantastic, I might add. A little recipe from my new favorite people, the folks at Cook's Illustrated. Then, of course, there are the sugar cookies,

that are so delicious if you are not careful you could eat this entire stack at one sitting! For now they are in the freezer to keep them fresh. If you haven't tried frozen cookies, you are really missing out.

After the window guy left, I went to our downtown library to both return books, and check out new ones. Taking the elevator to the third floor to look at cookbooks I made a detour into the used book store, and am I glad I did. For $1.50 I picked up one of the most enjoyable, not to mention highly interesting books I've read in a while--"52 Loaves" is the name. I've included a link to an interview with the author on NPR. If you like good food writing, and love bread, and who doesn't?, read it!

Finally, as I want to be done so I can read or cook, do you see what I see? (as seen this morning)

I told you they are everywhere!