in the news – Page 3 – This Old House 2

Couch sitting

Mom and I went couch sitting yesterday. That is, we went to a furniture store where I proceeded to covet so much stuff , I just wanted to redecorate my entire home. While doing the coveting we also sat on a bunch of couches to determine which would be a good fit in MOM’s home.

When you’re short like us, (5’4″ – ish) it’s important not to have a couch that’s too deep, or you end up looking like Shirley Temple swinging your legs in the distance between your feet and the actual floor. Either that or your feet are touching the floor but you’re all slouched back, gazing at the ceiling. When you nap on it frequently, it’s important that the arms aren’t too thin and hard or thick and high, so that you don’t snap your neck in the process of the napping. When you’re indecisive like my mom, (hi mom! Love you lots!) it’s important that the couch in question be not too different than what you’ve had before, but maybe very different, yes, maybe, no, not sure, I don’t know, I don’t want to think about it now. Also, there’s the issue of the color. In mom’s case, a neutral color is far more scary than, say… LIME GREEN COUCHES and PINK WALLS AND CARPET. That actually sounds scary, doesn’t it… and yet mom did this with vigor, and admittedly… it was a relative success in her home for a long while. But now.. with the prospect of NEUTRAL… well, we’re all aquiver.

We did find what I believe will be a lovely couch in a neutral shade, and I hope that is what she believes when it eventually lands in her living room. I’m especially hoping there was no perception of BULLYING whilst we made the neutrality decision. We then had a lovely lunch in a nearby restaurant – the drinks exotic, the food divine, a perfect ending to our couch sitting experience.

Meanwhile, the President gets his 30 million dollar military parade. All the debt and all the issues we currently have, and this is where he chooses to spend thirty million dollars. If the intention was to commend the military, how about putting that money toward Veteran mental health and regular health care, housing(so many homeless vets) the Wounded Warrior Project? Instead, he chooses a parade to feed his all consuming ego. But.. if the constant lies and juvenile twitter rants and constant unethical-to-the-office-he holds- slamming of everything and everyone who doesn’t applaud him and really.. really poor judgement of having unprotected sex with porn stars doesn’t bother you enough, a parade is just a parade, right?

Man, you couldn’t make this shit up. It wouldn’t fly in a sitcom because no one would believe it could ever actually happen. Then again, I’ve been binge watching Homeland… those folks live through being blown up, poisoned, beaten to a pulp, betrayed, shot, fired, rehired and blown up again more often than we change the sheets on our bed around here. ..and that’s once a week!

After all that heavy –

I’ll leave you with this …

A Rambler

I joined Weight Watchers yesterday after a good friend told me how much success she’s had with it so far. Menopause hit me last year and the ensuing ten pounds plus the extra 15 I was already carrying have been miserable to get off. As in.. despite my regular exercise efforts and all the barn work I do, it hasn’t budged. Having been newly diagnosed with fibromyalgia last year too, I think the extra weight isn’t doing me any favors in that department either.

Part of the problem is I’m definitely a) a grazer and b) I LOVE FOOD. I mean I LOOOOOVE food. And I like making and baking it for others too. I’m not much of a drinker, an occasional glass of wine or Gin andTonic at a social gathering is about all I might have, so that’s not a piece of the equation. So far I’m finding WW is easy to follow, the phone app that helps you keep track of the points system is extremely useful. I’ve already cut gluten out of my diet and now I’m cutting out as much sugar and salt as is humanely possible. Yep, I meant humane… because ME. I’ll let you know how it goes – day 2, so far, so good. My mission is to lose 25 lbs and no, I’m not going to share my starting weight because OMFG. Pardon the profanity. It fits.

*ahem.

Netflix is new to the husband and I this winter, and although we aren’t big TV watchers, it’s been so darn cold here in New England we’ve had plenty of time at night sitting by the fire to catch up on all those series others have recommended.

Grace & Frankie – I absolutely love it. I’ve seen all kinds of hate posts in reviews of the show about Jane Fonda, she’s anti American, blah blah blah… and although I was too young to fully have a grasp of the Vietnam horrors until reading about them after the fact, I’ve read the stories of her protests of the war and some behavior I’m sure she wishes now she never engaged in. Actually she has said that very thing. And the most basic truth here – can anyone blame her for being against that atrocity of a war? Anyway, she and Lily Tomlin along with the rest of the cast are hilarious and the show does tackle real life issues and gives that podium to our older generation.

Homeland – Well, what should I say – there’s some tremendously good acting here – and you come to really care about some of the characters – but after a while, the constant high pitch intensity and how many times can one person be kidnapped or blown up and survive and move on to the next crisis, like immediately… is exhausting. In the series, Claire Danes’ character, Carrie, suffers from bipolar disorder. I give the show and Claire credit for what I believe is handling the difficult road of managing that illness well. I can’t help but feel the entire show is trying to handle it’s own version of a difficult illness, though, because of the constant hyperactive loop it and she runs through over and over. The series is so good in other ways I keep returning to watch the next episode.

Game of Thrones – The first time I tuned in, years ago, I thought it looked like nonsense and I didn’t bother finishing the episode. Well, hell.. I was wrong. If you watch from the beginning, it is amazing to me how much of it can be applied to real life circumstances of today, real struggles in our societies, leadership, governing law.. and lawlessness, good versus evil, power, greed, corruption, redemption and love. There’s some eye candy, of course, and dragons – always a good thing – and the period dress and sets/scenery are beautiful. My favorite character? Surprised me! – Tyrion Lannister played by the remarkable Peter Dinklage. His character in my opinion is one of the most intelligent and intriguing of all. Some of the lines in the show, and many by him… are priceless.

I ‘ve seen some pretty hateful posts on some of my friends FB feeds lately and I’m trying to just leave it. That in itself is a miracle for me, I admit it .

I said this on my own page, though, and I’ll say it here … it’s possible to express concerns and opinions without hateful comments, without sharing false information, without trying to shame people, without cruelty. The current President would cheer us on and uses that brand of behavior himself… and that’s a damned shame… but we don’t have to feed off of it.

We are better than this ugliness and I’m getting tired of seeing it in my own feed. We don’t all agree on some big issues, but that’s life. Whether we agree with each other on any current issue or not, let’s debate it,or not, with the respect we would display if face to face. I wish folks would stop sharing fake news, seriously – spend the moments it takes to verify. Can’t we leave the hate out of comments and stop share hateful material just because it lines up with one’s beliefs.

It’s possible to get the ear of someone who may think differently if we can all do it respectfully. That kind of communication builds roads instead of blowing them up. The only way to fix this clusterf*ck we have now is to come together instead of encouraging divide and hate. Pardon the profanity again – it still fits.

Are you still with me? If you’ve trudged through all the above, you deserve a great cake recipe I found on another blog. I’m making this for my son’s birthday next week – will let you know how it turns out. Looks delicious and a Spring kind of refreshing, doesn’ t it? (Just Hush)

Orange Cake 🍊

– recipe found HERE.

We’re all in this together

Opinions – I certainly express mine here, everyone’s got them and they’re nothing new. Back in the day, it was prudent to express them with some level of respect for whomever might be in earshot and might think differently, because more likely than not, you were in their presence or you felt responsible for your words and their impact. What we have now with facebook and other forms of social media is a free for all of opinion, attitude, respect or disrespect within the relative safety of being behind the screen and even anonymous if we so choose. Much easier to bully and degrade from that vantage point. The things I see posted on some of those feeds are just horrible communication between people who would never dream of talking that way to each other in person. Also much easier to spread false information and have folks buy it hook, line and sinker.

While I have been riveted to the news surrounding this last election of the 45th President of the United States because of the very nature of it, I’m finding it’s no longer accomplishing anything good. I’ve done what little I can to support what I feel is just and decent. Following the circus now just feels futile. Not my circus, not my monkeys. That’s what I want to say, anyway…. and yet it’s not completely true. What discourages me most is that it feels like we are all being dragged down the rabbit hole in this ever worsening political climate as we feed off the various sources of spin, the biased news sources (all of them at this point, and if you’ve found an unbiased news source, please share it here in the comments) the back biting, the name calling, the lies and deceit, the arrogance…among ourselves. And it is being promoted by all the moving parts of our government, not just one party, either.

It’s no secret I am appalled by Tr*mp for a myriad of reasons, although I don’t disagree with him on certain key points, like the need to fix our health care system, our infrastructure, immigration policy and practice, tax overhaul, fair trade. Those are big ticket items and he is right, they’re broken. For that reason I understand to an extent why people stood behind him, those issues and our lack of ability to fix them were real. What’s a crying shame is this man, after pulling off a truly remarkable election win, had a huge opportunity. If it were his intention, he could have used it to bring a divided nation back together, he could have attempted to heal the gaping rifts, uniting the parties on some basic level, at the very least, so that they can work together and apart for the GOOD of the country. He could have used language in his rallies, his speeches, his demeanor, that encouraged unity despite differences, because any intelligent being knows there will always always be differences. He repeatedly does the opposite. He cried Drain The Swamp…. and many rallied to the call – they’re still rallying while the swamp bubbles over with more lies and deceit and rifts that grow ever wider on all fronts. It’s amazing and disheartening and even horrifying to see… he can’t get out of his own way with his arrogant Twitter feed and bold lies and egotistical speeches and slamming of anyone and everyone who doesn’t see things exactly as he does. The FIRED and LEAVING POSITION list goes on and on and on partly because those with integrity that find themselves under his thumb can’t stand the wrongness of it all and they finally break from it, whether by choice or the President’s ax for non-compliance. The simple fact that hate groups feel emboldened in recent months is very telling. They are being given permission by the powers that be. Sad deal for all of us.

So many things I have typed and untyped here… but it really comes down to this – I hope, I pray and I wish on every star in the universe that something good comes of all of this…. That we find our way through this discord and the weaknesses of these people in power and realize that we’re all in this together and unity is the only way we are going to come out of it alive. Most of us with a thread of decency running through our souls want the same things – freedom, peace, prosperity, good health, good will toward all. I’m gonna hold on to that, and try like hell to let go of the rest.

Thank you for lending an eye and your time to my opinion expressed here today. Onward…

Because I care

I’m teased often because of my open expression of opinion on Facebook and I’ve received criticism for it here on this blog via e-mail. I’m not bothered by that because it’s based solely on the fact that I care, and that care encompasses all. I care about my country, the safety of our children, our impoverished, our diversity, our rights, our freedoms, our hard working citizens on all economic levels, our struggling population on so many levels, and our decency in our government and toward each other. If the fact that I care bothers you, that’s your issue, not mine.

That being said- a piece I agree with whole heartedly, and believe it encompasses much of what we are dealing with in this deeply troubling divide of the people of this country…

One of the biggest sources of bullshit today is the proliferation of “If you’re this then you’re automatically that” and “You’re either with us or you’re against us” politics. These are emotional lines that we hear invoked by everyone from elected officials and lobbyists to movie heroes and villains on a regular basis. They’re effective political moves; however, 95 percent of the time it’s an emotional and passionate rendering of bullshit.

No matter where we stand in any given issue, let’s all stop the bullshit. Let’s be honest, let’s be real, let’s share what we know to be true, not just things that align with what we want to believe.

Let’s be decent to each other, regardless.

When is enough, enough?

I’m not anti-gun. We own guns.

I am for a government that is not bought by the NRA. The NRA used to be an organization of integrity, concerned with safety issues. Not so today, run by a wingnut who’s main concern is whipping everyone into a frenzy over their rights, buying politicians to protect their sales, under the disguise of protecting the Second Amendment. No one is trying to take away your second amendment rights, to be clear. Just adding common sense to the equation, really, that’s it.

I am for stricter gun laws, and many who agree with me are not looking to take your guns away if you are a responsible individual who passes a background check and are mentally sound.

Now, you might say mental health is the issue, not the gun. All the more reason to have more restrictions. There is no sound reason for a 19 year old with a disturbing digital history to be able to buy an assault rifle capable of killing many people quickly.

Trump blamed the tragedy on mental health, although he himself signed last year’s bill to relax vetting of mentally unstable gun purchasers.

So far in 2018, we have numerous school shootings in less than two months, 30 mass shootings all together. All conducted with the assault rifle.

That’s terrorism, the home grown variety. More restrictions won’t fix the whole problem, but it’s a step in the right direction. Doing nothing isn’t the answer. When is enough, enough? Do we have to wait for the bought politicians children to be massacred? Then will it matter enough?

Drain the Swamp.

Heavy and Light

For lemon lovers, here’s a cupcake frosting recipe I found on Pinterest, the recipe and photo originated at rosebakes.com.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks of real (salted) butter, at room temperature
4 ounces of shortening
4 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
8-9 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 Tablespoons milk

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and cream cheese until very smooth. Add in the vanilla and mix again.
Begin adding powdered sugar, one cup at a time up to 8 cups.
Your frosting will be very stiff at this point – now add in the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of milk.
Mix and check the consistency.
From here, I had to add a little more powdered sugar (it was too soft) but then I went too far, so I added a little more milk. Just play with it until you get a consistency you’re happy with! I made mine on the softer side so it was silky smooth …

And since we started with a sugary treat, let’s balance it with something healthy. Oh the struggle is real, a balance I don’t always get right. This recipe and photo courtesy Wellplated.com

Tomato Eggplant Zucchini Bake with Garlic and Parmesan.

Produce

1/4 cup Basil, fresh
1 pint Cherry or grape tomatoes
1 Eggplant, small medium
4 large cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Parsley, fresh
3 Zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds), medium

Spices

1/4 tsp Black pepper, ground
1/4 tsp Kosher salt

1 tbsp Olive oil, extra-virgin

2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a deep 9×9-inch baking dish or similar 3 1/2-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Quarter the zucchini then cut into 1/2-inch slices and place in a large mixing bowl (each piece of zucchini should be roughly 1/2 to 3/4 inches in size). Next, slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch rounds, then stack the rounds and cut into roughly 3/4-inch pieces. Add to the bowl with the zucchini. Halve the cherry tomatoes and add them to the bowl. Drizzle the cut vegetables with the olive oil, then add the garlic, salt, pepper, 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese, and half of the basil and parsley. Toss gently to combine.

Transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes, cover the pan with aluminum foil, then continue baking for 10 to 20 additional minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley. Serve warm.

As for this government shut down – 45 once said it is the President’s fault when the government shuts down – He also said it would never happen on his watch because he is the great deal maker. There is actually a documentary about his first year in office – consisting of his 2000 lies told in this first year. He’s since added at least 50. That this is OK with ANYONE, for any reason and on any level.. is flabbergasting.

Women are marching again this weekend – I’m not attending but I’ve donated to the cause once again and bought the tee shirt too, because I think it’s so important to call this blossoming bullshit what it is. None of it’s new.. but it’s found a stronger foothold thanks to 45, hard to imagine in these “enlightened” times. We’ve gone backward as a society, not forward, and at an alarming speed.

I’m convinced it will be women who save humanity eventually. Men have been in charge till now and look how they’ve managed to f*ck it all up. *** TO BE CLEAR – there are many, many decent men out there. Many. Just not the ones who currently wield all the power… and if you look at our world history – it’s man’s ego and greed that dragged us through the ugliest times. I think it’s women who will eventually make this world a more humane place in every aspect. Not as superiors to men, but as equals. We have certainly earned our place.

On the fitness front – I’ve stopped beating myself up over failed attempts to achieve my best body weight. Life hands you enough insults, no? I’m tired of adding to the heap, so I’ve been working on my interior voice – the one that shouts when I look in the mirror “You’re still fat! WTF! Stop the nonsense! Girl, where’s your will power?”… have you heard that interior voice too? She sucks.. she’s sapping the joy right out of everything and it truly doesn’t help the cause.

So this is what I’m working on…the new dialogue from the inside – OK – today’s a new day – so far you’ve managed a good intake of water and you’ve been out for that hike with the dogs. Most of your food choices were healthy. You need to work on the portion sizes, and you know you didn’t need the cupcake, but it’s done. Let’s do better tomorrow, but you got some good stuff in there today. Onward.

So much better, right?

I’m walking every day that it’s not absolutely frigid – a few miles anyway, up and down hills and some nice straightaways. I’m drinking more water – these two things are so important for all of us, mild exercise regularly and hydration. I have found that filling up a favorite large mug of water and leaving it out on the counter at room temperature has been a successful habit to form. I’m drinking more water and I’m not using all that plastic from refrigerated bottles. Room temperature water is easier to drink, too.

I take Vitamin B12, D3 and Biotin daily. I’m finding sticking to the combination of all these things is helping the Fibromyalgia and I am feeling better and stronger over all. As we get older, any significant slacking off comes home to roost quickly. It’s important to keep moving, keep striving to gain or keep better health. Doesn’t have to be an obsession, just a gentle daily process with a little wiggle room and forgiveness when you don’t get it perfect.

*That word shouldn’t exist, truth be told. Nothing.. is perfect, ever.

What steps do you take for your well being, emotionally and physically? Feel free to share them in the comments below – and I’ll leave you with a little gem a friend shared on her page..

Till soon, friends –

Ice jam and a close encounter of the very best kind

After hours of editing work at the computer yesterday, I needed to get up from the desk and out for some fresh air. Several friends and news channels were talking about the massive ice floes on the Connecticut River and the images were incredible. I grabbed my camera and drove down to what I thought would be a good reference spot…the Chester Ferry dock. This is what I found before reaching the river…

The road to the ferry dock was flooded. We’ve had extreme cold temps lately and that big, long, rolling river actually froze in places. Then we experienced milder temps and rain, which melted the snow and some of the ice, hence flood. Up and down the river, docks are under water. Some residents have had to evacuate their homes, others have been stranded in place, waiting for the water to recede.

A little info about the CT River – It’s the longest river in the New England region of the United States and is approximately 406 miles long. It runs through four US states, rising at the border with Quebec, Canada and emptying into Long Island Sound here in CT.

I gave the Jeep a job to do- drove her through that mess to see if I could get closer to water’s edge. On the other side of the flooded section of road stood a lovely couple who live on a beautiful panoramic rise above the river. The gentleman waved me through the best angle to proceed and I stopped to thank him. Noting my camera and that monstrous lens, they invited me up to take advantage of their view, and oh what a view they have. Bald eagles are regular visitors, can you imagine…

For me, our interaction amounted to much more than access to a stunning panorama. I’ve been letting world news drag me down, been feeling disheartened by the evidence of lack of empathy and the assault on humanity I see in some of our society’s response to 45’s behaviors. I took a few shots with my camera and was invited inside their home, where we talked about gardens, wildlife, wonderful books of which they have authored, good bread baking and home making. Such good and kind and generous people.. our brief encounter was soul soothing, life affirming, a huge comfort. A friend of mind calls this kind of exchange a God wink.

Indeed, this is their view across the river. For more information on Gillette Castle State Park, click HERE.

Docks and wetlands under water ….

Now, from where we were at this vantage point, the water was flowing freely without much ice. Just up river at the East Haddam Bridge, however, there is what they call an Ice Jam. The photo below was taken yesterday by another photographer ….

Ice jams occur when ice covered rivers warm up after a rain and/or snowmelt. They rise quickly and the ice breaks up in big chunks. A jam occurs where the river narrow or goes under a bridge – in this case, the East Haddam Bridge. The ice chunks accumulate and clog. This is not a frequent occurence, and in my 30-plus years in CT I don’t remember it happening before. The Coast Guard is in the process of trying to break through it to get the flow going…

After our visit I left their oasis with a lighter heart and a delicious loaf of bread. I headed up river to the bridge to see what I could see…

Just under the bridge you can see the clog line. The Goodspeed Opera House is on the right.

The blue hues in the ice make it look like gemstone, or an iguana! Fun fact (googled) – Ice only appears blue when it is sufficiently consolidated that bubbles do not interfere with the passage of light. Without the scattering effect of air bubbles, light can penetrate ice undisturbed. In ice, the absorption of light at the red end of the spectrum is six times greater than at the blue end. Thus the deeper light energy travels, the more photons from the red end of the spectrum it loses along the way. Basically, as the air bubbles are squeezed out, the ice becomes denser and bubbles are replaced by more ice crystals. This, along with other optical tricks mentioned above, makes the ice appear blue or turquoise.

Finally I stopped another mile up river at a favorite riverfront marina and dining spot.. the Blue Oar. This area is above the bridge and as of yesterday the jammed ice floe is up in the parking lot and around the seating area. Crazy.

A report from a friend says she spies large junks of ice heading downstream, hopefully evidence that the jam is clearing.

Till soon –

One of those ramblers

Did you watch the Golden Globes? I’m not big on award shows but this one caught my attention, because indeed, this is a year of change. Bigly and Yuge. If you read here often, you know I’m thoroughly horrified at the idea that enough of the people of this country elected such a bullying egotistical mentally unfit sociopathic self absorbed and self obsessed idiot that he actually got elected. I say this and I’m not a Republican hater – I just really believe in the importance of decency and respect in general from a world leader. I paid attention to what all the candidates had to say in 2016. I felt Dems were missing the mark on a few important issues so I was open to a Rep candidate that might speak to all the issues we have before us. As for Republicans – The old guard is showing their true colors lately. I hope “new” republicans will change the ugly face of the old in the near future.

( Note: I’ve already lost 45 supporting readers for the most part, and that’s OK, I get it…In all fairness, a lot of the reasons he was elected were legitimate.. people were tired of the same old that wasn’t working….. and it’s kind of offensive to hear someone talk about your guy or your brand as I do here. I’m kind of offended that they’re not offended, but the beauty of this country is we can all have an opinion and no one is forced to read mine.)

Some good things might come of this turmoil, though. Take that award ceremony. For one thing – women have decided after a self admitting p*ssy grabber was elected President that Enough is Enough. Look how many sleezes have been flushed out of the woodwork in recent months. The sea of black attire at the Globes was a show of support for women everywhere. The message was clear – we will not tolerate abuse, we demand equality on all fronts, once and for all. I commend the men, and there are many many truly good and decent men in this world… I commend them for standing with women on this.

Oprah’s speech- Wow. While there is some noise about her run for the Presidency in 2020 – and the Orange Scream had no more experience than she does so that’s a moot (thank you, anonymous, for the grammar correction) point, I hope she doesn’t take that idea to the mat. Why? Truly she doesn’t have the experience in the political world – I do still think that matters, even though she is far more capable of critical thinking than 45. And we all know now, what a life it is. Would you choose to live under such scrutiny? I sure wouldn’t, no matter what the perks. The meanness in our society plays a full court press in politics. It’s ugly and disheartening and after all she’s accomplished, why do that to yourself?

I wouldn’t be surprised if 45 isn’t thinking that very thing at this point in time – and his whole family, even more so… What the hell did we do? Because their lives are forever changed, and I don’t believe for one minute it’s for the better. Think of the freedoms and the ways they ran their lives under the radar in important ways before, ways in which they can’t now and never will again. After watching his outrageous behavior unbecoming of a world leader on a daily basis, I take comfort in that small piece of knowledge. He’s suffering too. For every cringeworthy tweet and speech he vomits on all of us, for every environmentally unfriendly policy change, for every white supr*macy encouraging move he makes, he deserves what he’s asked for.

Truly, he’s his own worst enemy.

By the way, I bought that book. Not that I’m going to read it – simply because it’s a vote. A vote against all the crap he’s unleashed on us all. I hope it reaches the best seller list and my little purchase is a drop in that sea – because he does pay attention to his numbers. Then again, he lies about them too.

I don’t like my blog to be about the negatives, though. We all have enough of that in our lives, why visit someone else’s site for more of it, right? Most of my posts this year will not encourage this sort of environment. Sometimes it just feels irresponsible to ignore it completely.

So let’s get up out of the swamp, shall we? Until recently I was intimidated by the thought of baking bread from scratch. Something about the active yeast, the kneading, the rising, the possibility of flopping.. it all seemed too risky. I’m a decent cook for cripes sake, so that’s a little ridiculous, no? I decided to try a recipe shared by a fellow blogger, and it came out pretty darn good. But I knew I still wasn’t getting it quite right. Then I asked another blogger friend what her tips were, as she is a master bread baker.

Her tips? Hot water used with the kind of Yeast that is kept in the fridge, even sold that way at health food stores. She also buys her flour at a local mill where there is no crap added to it… and she shared this very very simple recipe with me. Within two hours I had a delicious loaf on the counter yesterday. My guys devoured it and the house smelled delicious. I think what makes this really simple french bread extra special is the touch of honey added to the mix. Yum!

Easy Peasy French Bread

Ingredients

1½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon honey
1½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
3½ – 4½ cups flour

Instruction

Combine water, honey, salt and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 mins until there is a foam on top.
Knead in flour until no longer sticky.
Cover with a towel and let it sit for 20 mins. while preheating the oven at 400*
Cut slits in the top and bake for 15-20 mins.

I bought these little bulb vases at the grocery store yesterday – There’s a little patch in my garden just outside my kitchen sliders that contains a variety of hyacinth planted from winters past – the smell of a hyacinth is delicious, isn’t it? I do this every year when winter is it’s most ferocious to remind me that spring is coming. These bulbs will join that little gathering outside the door come spring, but for now, I have a little bloom on my kitchen window sill.

I’ve been decluttering and de Christmasing this old house while the temps have been in the single digits, feels a bit like spring cleaning, lifts the spirits.

Now that I’ve purged on this post, and I thank you for getting this far (!) it’s time to head out for barn and coop chores on this almost balmy! morning at 28 degrees.

Till soon, friends –

Snapshots from the future

With each new decade of my life, my perspective on various issues changes. Have you found this to be true as well? The things we focus on and fret over when we’re younger seem so frivolous, and the things we didn’t realize were so important, really are. Kinda makes me wish I could have sent my younger self a note or two or 100. I sit here now and wonder – if I am lucky enough to live to be 85, what notes would I send myself now?

About eleven years ago when my daughter had been lying in a hospital bed in a coma for about two weeks. I took a half hour break from searching for any signs of her coming back, the whirring of the machines, the reading of the respiration and heart rate numbers, the squeeze of a hand. I left her room in the ICU and sat on a low wall outside, watching people come and go as they bought food from the trucks parked in front of Yale in New Haven. I couldn’t ever imagine life to be “good” again for any of us. I was horrified, I was angry, I was absolutely in some form of shock. I remember my whole body feeling as if it were in fight or flight mode every second of every day. Besides the hundreds of silent prayers I recited over and over again for a restoration of my daughters health, the one recurring thought was – if only I could have a snapshot of our life five years from now… with my daughter in it, whatever that would mean.. I would be OK, we would be ok.

Thankfully, thankfully… everything would be ok in the long run. We are not exactly what we were before, but in some ways perhaps we’re better for the hard work and triumphs we’ve achieved as a result of that horrific accident.

With the Orange Scream in office, on a different level I am once again absolutely horrified at this place we have come to in our political environment. I find myself sitting on the proverbial wall looking out over the sea of people, wondering how we could have possibly elected a man with his history and temperament and wild ego to such a position of power. His latest tweets in the new year (just three days in!) are so alarming, he could be destroying a 70 year era of relative peace. That he doesn’t see how destructive his words are, that his supporters don’t see how erosive on so many levels his mentality is, well…. Once again I long to see that snapshot five years from now.

I mentioned the HBO series, Game of Thrones, in my previous post. Throughout the series, there has been a distant threat to the known world of the seven kingdoms. The threat has become more prominent as the series progressed. They are called white walkers – dead people reanimated by their ruler – the Night King. They were initially created as a means of protection by well meaning creatures, but with their numbers now in the millions, they are a significant threat. They show no emotion, they have no goals or apparent motives other than destroying what lives. They are simply a force of nature, the equivalent of a natural disaster. How many countless threats do we face in the real world, how many could we overcome through mutual cooperation? Think about it – Two big threats to all of our well being – we could collaborate to stop climate change or nuclear proliferation, which has the potential to destroy us all. This is absolutely obtainable. The problem lies in our own petty squabbles. We lose sight of the big picture as we’re consumed with our various greeds.

Right now, as season 8 is filmed for Game of Thrones, the setting is a version of this conflict where the characters will have to work past their deep-seated grudges and work together to defeat their common enemies or they’ll die. I believe we are coming to this place in our history. If you don’t think what’s going on out there is that serious, then you haven’t truly been paying attention or you’re blinded by a party affiliation, whatever that may be.

Oh, for that snapshot five years from now… or even 20.. to know that we will be OK. Not exactly what we were before, but in some ways perhaps better. I pray the good people will keep doing the hard work it will take to get us to that better place across all party lines. I’ll do my little tiny part to contribute to the betterment of our society – each salty drop of water contributes to the vast sea, after all. I hope you’ll join me in doing the same.

It’s a new year, folks. Let’s make it a good one.

Decency Matters ….and a few more holiday recipes

Lately I’ve tried not to dive daily headfirst into the current political mess we’re all in. There’s no question the stress flares the fibromyalgia, and it’s so not worth it over something I have little control over (like zero). What I can say today is that I was so happy when I woke up a few mornings ago to the news that a pedophiliac racist bigot who so hypocritically hides behind a religion like R*y More-or-Less was sent a very clear message – Decency Matters. I want to shout out to the world so that Alabama can hear – THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU ALABAMA.

Onward! I’ve got all my shopping done and wrapped, been trying some new recipes too. It’s hell trying to avoid gluten at this time of year, and although I’ve given it a sincere effort, baking those favorite recipes with gluten free substitutes just.. sucks. SO… I’m making and baking as I always do, and I’m not eating it myself. Have you ANY idea how difficult that is? But I have to acknowledge my truth – while I am not a celiac, gluten makes me feel yuck and flares the fibro. *sigh.