Mom was Right

I must admit that I am a slave to my timer.  I use it for everything.  Years ago when we had a swing set for the boys and their friends would come over, I would tell them that they could have a certain amount of time on a favorite swing, then they would have to let someone else have a chance.  I would set the timer and they know that when it went off, someone else had a chance.

I also used a timer on the light in my son's room.  As a child, he would get so involved in reading that he would lose track of time and stay up way past his bedtime.  I would give him an hour to read, then the light would go off and he would have to go to sleep.

I even use it when I want to sit and read for an hour.  That way I'm not distracted by checking my watch.  Unfortunately, that is the time when my phone always rings, but I digress.

Years ago, when I was first married and my mother was visiting while I was baking a cake, I set my timer for the recommended minutes.  My mother, who was a terrific baker, commented that she never timed a cake.  I asked how she knew when it was done and she replied that she knew when she could smell the cake.  I was shocked and couldn't believe she could really tell just by the small.

Last week I was baking a cake and puttering around the house while it baked.  I was in my office at the other end of the house when I smelled something - it was the cake.  About 30 seconds later, the timer went off.  I checked and sure enough, the cake was perfectly done.

I guess mom was really right about this.