Alphabets, Epiphanies and Cutting Boards

Celtic alphabets appear to be engraved in stone of several kinds, from granite (shown here) to marbles of various colors. I've used one of my favorite fonts of all time, Patrick, which to me is the most evocative of Celtic tradition and tones. Available on pillows, prints, tiles, boxes and mugs - but if you want it on something else, all you need to do is say the word.

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Once in awhile, I'll have a flash of inspiration that is usually accompanied by that special 'DOH' feeling, as in 'why didn't I think of this years ago!' One of those hit me this morning while I was struggling to wrap my arthritic hands around the lid of a pickle jar. Mind you, this flash had absolutely nothing with opening difficult jars - if I have a tough time with one, I take the logical route and toss it to my dearly beloved, who can open the toughest jar with a flick of his wrist. If he's not around, I take the next logical step and thwap the jar on the floor until the lid loosens or the jar breaks.

No. This was an entirely separate epiphany, and it focused on getting the last holdout coffee grounds out of these newfangled cans with the dopey rims. Twist and turn, stand it on edge, shake it like mad, and at least an eighth of a cup (1/6th of a pot of coffee!) will remain inside. I am the consummate pack rat, and I just know that someday I will need 3517 coffee cans, so I always hesitate to wreck the top by hacksawing it off just to get that last bit of grounds out. Buying whole bean is too logical. So that's out.

A few days ago, I received an order from a catalog company, including four flexible cutting boards. One for meat, one for fish, one for onion, one for something else. I fished them out of the precious storage spot where they'd landed on arrival and been promptly ignored, tore open the package and bent one experimentally. Perfect. I advanced warily on the recalcitrant coffee can, quiet as I could so as not to alert it into further defense mechanisms. Curled up the yellow board into a coffee can opening size tube, and attacked, sticking the curled board down its metallic throat and tapping it gently into place. Upended the whole affair, and out came all the stuck coffee grounds!

Needless to say, the yellow board is now known as the 'one for coffee' and occupies an honored spot in my coffee corner, right next to the stack of empty (!) coffee cans that I know I will need someday.