I recently had to shave off my covid beard- slip of the razor.
So I dug out my old badger shave brush, shave soap, etc.
This is obviously mostly for the men, but hey maybe it works great for the ladies too>
Best done after your shower.
So, get the water HOT. fill the sink with 1-2 quarts/liters. Put a quality razor with new blades (use the blades only 5-6 times?)into the water. get out your quality shave cream- not that stuff that comes in an aerosol can. Good soap comes in a jar or a small bar to use in a bowl. Dip the brush in HOT water, Mush it around in the soap until you get some suds.
Apply to face, Enjoy the luxury. Hot lather is wonderful. Take out the hot razor, apply to whiskers. Then splash face with COLD water, rub with towel- then apply a good aftershave- nothing too scented- I like Lilac Vegetal Lime Sec. Royal Lyme is great, but not cheap. Hell even Old spice isnt a bad choice.
Enjoy.
So, other easy, not too expensive, in home, simple pleasures?
I’ve only ever experienced this once in my life, at a barbershop. It indeed felt very nice! I’ve never been pampered like that before or since. I never did splurge on it again (just not a spending priority), so I guess that’s as close to a proper facial as I’ll ever get…
I remember thinking, “Wow, is this what it’s like to be rich? Do business execs just get this all the time?”
It’s hard to beat a nice afternoon on the lawn, on the patio swinging chair (maybe $200? think it was less than that), with a nice glass of scotch/mezcal/gin on the rocks (usually <$50 a bottle for us, and lasts many many months) for me and a fancy homemade cocktail for her.
It’s even better when the cat hops on and relaxes with us, though he’s not particularly simple or cheap…
Ideally by the fire on a cold winter’s night. A good book, a Smithwick’s or a Guinness, and a pipeful of tasty tobacco. Lately, that’s been Mr. B’s Muskoka Mixture; but Peterson’s University Flake or Gawith’s 1792 Flake are just as good.
Oh yes: curtains drawn against the dark, a pot of tea and hot buttered crumpets, a not too demanding murder mystery to read, and some jolly music on the radio.
Rising before the sun comes up and lighting the woodstove in the dark, on a cold, snowy winter morning. Watching the flames catch and light up the dark room.
Also, snuggled together, cat included, in the window seat, on the enclosed front porch while thunder and lightening, clap and flash, and the rain pounds against the glass.
Rise before sunrise, sit outside on the balcony with good coffee and enjoy the sights and sounds of twilight then dawn over the ocean in the lush tropical air.
Where do you get those crumpets? Hard to find in American stores, and I’ve had no success making them myself, even equipped with crumpet rings. They just stick and make a horrible mess.
I relay many of our convos to mine. Though, admittedly, one of us tends to enjoy that more than the other…
I’ve never had a proper British one (if that’s where they’re from?), but Trader Joe’s sells cheap imported ones that are pretty tasty. I air fry them for a few minutes and they come out kinda like nicer hotel waffles… probably not how they’re supposed to be, lol, but darn yummy nonetheless.
@PatrickLondon lives in London England so I suspect he just nips down to the corner market for his.
For us Colonials it’s harder. I’ve occasionally seen them in ordinary grocery stores over the years. I think at one time Thomas Bros made them. But I just checked, and neither Thomas nor Bay, the two big national-scale US bakeries for English Muffins ("EM"s), make them now.
Ordinary grocery store EMs are a bit under $1 each around here. These online folks will sell you US-made crumpets for about $2 ea. So a bit spendy percentagewise, but a cheap luxury for darn near anyone with any spare budget. They’re in Oregon, so folks living in the PNW might be able to find them cheaper locally.
A search at Ttrader Joe’s turns up these things. Which are most decidedly NOT crumpets:
Not as of a few months ago, when I last got them. I only stopped because they were addictively good, and I’d go through an entire bag in one sitting…
They’re explicitly labeled crumpets, though I don’t know how authentic they are. And — my bad — they’re made in the US in the British style, not actually imported.
(PS: There’s a lot they sell in store, both permanently and seasonally or temporarily, that aren’t on their website. Their website is notoriously bad and incomplete… always worth a trip down to the local store to see what’s new, if there’s one near ya.)
Yeah. Though I do burgers pretty often in the warmer months, something that takes longer is even better- like ribs or a whole chicken or two. Got to sit outside and ‘babysit’ the grill.
That’s an annoying bit of news. Not your fault of course.
My working assumption for any website offering a catalog is that the online version will be more, not less, complete than the selection at any store. They don’t have to sell everything online, but the searchable catalog should contain absolutely any/everything they do sell via online, B&M, or both.
Because if I don’t see it online, I’m sure not driving to a store to see if by off chance it’s somehow on a shelf someplace.
The good news as to TJ’s crumpets specifically, now that I know they provisionally exist, is that the nearest TJs is about a 100 yard walk from my front door. And I’m in there about weekly for something else anyhow.
If I had a dime… but anyway, this thread is about simple pleasures, not idiosyncratic rants, so I’ll shut up
Speaking of simple pleasures, Trader Joe’s always has a lot of rotating goodies! Every aisle will frequently have a few new things every time I go in (and old favorites will disappear, sadly). Try 'em & enjoy 'em while you can!
Trader Joe’s is literally how I discovered crumpets. I’d only ever heard of them in British fantasy before that, and lol, I thought it was something that only existed in Narnia.
Anyway, maybe their Fearless Flyer showcases the new items for that month, I dunno? I just like the sense of mystery and adventure every time I go in. It’s like thrift store shopping for cheap peasant foods. Or maybe like online dating, except I swipe right on TJ’s goodies way more often.
A warm summer day (at least 70 degrees) on the patio with a good book or crosswords sitting in my gravity chair or Adirondack chair. Add in a good snack - maybe chips and a Diet Coke and a bowl of watermelon. That’s a perfect summer day at home for me.
