Up In the Clouds

Often, that's where we find Rosalind's head.

Yes, she is a dreamer and it's wonderful that she hasn't learned to shut out all of life's vast possibilities. In fact, she still entertains the prospect of receiving a letter from Hogwarts School of Wizardry when she turns eleven. Her imagination is amazingly active. As doting parents, we find it adorable, most of the time. Sometimes it makes us want to pull our hair out.

Often, we find her nose stuck in a book. She is very good at shutting out the rest of the world when she is reading. Try talking to her when she is engrossed in a story! It's wonderful to see how much enjoyment she gets from reading, but after repeating for the sixth time whatever it is you are trying to communicate to her, it doesn't seem very cute anymore.

Often, she is lost in thought, out in space, forgetful, and absent minded. The worst part is that I can't really complain about it because as some of my friends will point out, I too am a space cadet. Although, I can confidently claim that I am less so this past few years. I think I can credit my profession for keeping me grounded.

To be an effective baker/pastry chef, I always need to have a game plan. Speed is of the essence and efficiency is what I need to gain speed. In short, I can't go on in my scatterbrained ways. When I get to the restaurant in the morning, my first task is to take inventory so I can make a list of what needs to be done for the day. In organizing this list, I have to take into account what equipment I need for each task, how long I need it, and when I have access to it. For example, in the spirit of camaraderie, I refrain from using our big mixer an hour or so before lunch service because that's when the prep cooks need it to mash up their potatoes. Also around this time, I make sure that there's an oven free for them to roast their red potatoes and cook their bacon and croutons. I don't put "bake apple pies" at the end of my list because it takes over an hour to bake them and it's nice to be able to accomplish other tasks while waiting for the pies to bake. Organization not only allows me to do two, three, or four things at the same time, it limits the use of unnecessary resources. Being organized allows me to use just one bowl!

When Rosalind starts a baking project, I ask her to read the recipe from start to end so she can form a plan of approach. I am hoping that baking will give her practice in staying focused and organized when needed and being able to look at the big picture while scrutinizing the details.

Since she apparently inherited her tendency to obliviousness from me, it falls upon me to find an antidote for it.