Monday, September 2, 2013

Multi Tasking Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

At a conference on aging awhile back, Fred and I learned that multi tasking is not something seniors should do.   As we age, apparently, our brains can cope well with only  one task at a time. More than that and most likely something will go wrong.

Saturday morning provided me with irrefutable proof.    Task One for the day was to can the year's supply of  chili sauce. This involves blanching, peeling and chopping almost a  half bushel of tomatoes. Chopping celery, peppers and  onions.  Placing it all in a large pot, adding vinegar and spices and letting it cook until thickened.  About 3 hours.

Task Two was Focaccia Bread.  We had been invited to a pot luck 'Italian Dinner' for Saturday night and  I had decided to  take home made Focaccia Bread along with an antipasto platter.  

The Focaccia bread recipe called for sea salt.  While at the  marked last week, stocking up on all  my canning veggies, I had purchased  a bag of Sea Salt from the Watkins dealer.  On Saturday morning, after a couple of hours of work,  Task One was bubbling on the stove.  Task Two had just been mixed - flour, oil, yeast AND sea salt -  and set aside to rise when Fred came into the kitchen to change a light bulb.   

Trying to keep out of the way while Fred worked, I stepped aside and for no reason except good fortune, picked up the bag of sea salt.  There I saw the word  'Directions'.
"Why the heck would there be directions on a bag of salt?"  I asked myself. 
The directions read "Mix with water." 
"Why the heck would one need to mix the salt with water?" I asked myself.

I turned the bag over and in fancy script it read
 
Bath
Sea Salts

Obviously I missed the part about the  bath.  I squealed, grabbed the rising dough and the bag of bath salts and threw them both in the garbage.   
 
Task Two, take two.  Plain salt will do.  

I could just see  the kids.  After the funeral.  Bewildered, puzzled, shaking their heads.  "Mixed up bath salts with regular salt?"  

5 comments:

Linda said...

So happy you saw it in time, Brenda! Your post made me HUNGRY!

Christy said...

Priceless! My husband made some delicious focaccia bread while my Mom was visiting last week. I think he used regular salt though.
Personally I give you full credit for undertaking two ambitious tasks. My retirement version of not multitasking amounts to only doing one job per day.

Anonymous said...

Who would have thought?! And Watkins mostly does sell food-related items. I'll bet you weren't the only person to have sprinkled that into some food :)

Also like Christy's way of avoiding multitasking!

Cheers, Brenda...

GinaC

Jan said...

Oops! I can so see me doing exactly the same thing!

Sel and Poivre said...

I had a bit of a crazy day yesterday and I I thought of this cautionary tale several times amid the melee! Priceless!