5 things:
1. In the past week or so, I have received at least half a dozen emails asking me to "chip in $80" for this or that laudable campaign against the GOP's drive to abomish ACA, etc.
2. That's almost $500, and if I include all the requests for lesser amounts ($5, e.g.), it's over $500.
3. Do these people think I'm made of money?
4. No matter how important I think this cause is, I thought I had done my job by voting for sensible
democratic candidates (SDCs)--(or supporting the SDCs running for office in other places by making small contributions to their campaigns).
5. I'm not kidding these people or holding out $$ that they say they need to....whatever. I just don't have it.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Twice a day for worries.....
5 things:
1. Devote 15 minutes twice a day (morning and evening?) to your WORRIES.*
2. Write them down--or just the one that's giving you the biggest fits.
3. Include any ideas or suggestions for dealing with whatever's driving you nuts.
4. When the time's up, stop worrying and think of something pleasant.
5. If a worry pops up, you can consider it during the next worry period, but not right then.
*Found this online, thanks be to the source. I googled for the source today and found half a dozen sites that mention this. Dunno who started it, but it's spread all over. Brain Injury Blog has it in a lovely post on overcoming "compassion fatigue," but that's not where I saw it yesterday......
1. Devote 15 minutes twice a day (morning and evening?) to your WORRIES.*
2. Write them down--or just the one that's giving you the biggest fits.
3. Include any ideas or suggestions for dealing with whatever's driving you nuts.
4. When the time's up, stop worrying and think of something pleasant.
5. If a worry pops up, you can consider it during the next worry period, but not right then.
*Found this online, thanks be to the source. I googled for the source today and found half a dozen sites that mention this. Dunno who started it, but it's spread all over. Brain Injury Blog has it in a lovely post on overcoming "compassion fatigue," but that's not where I saw it yesterday......
Monday, July 29, 2013
The Iron Cage of Expectations
5 things:
1. Own a car
2. Have a lot of money
3. Be tastefully dressed
4. Belong to a church
5. Get married to a member of the opposite sex
1. Own a car
2. Have a lot of money
3. Be tastefully dressed
4. Belong to a church
5. Get married to a member of the opposite sex
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Huckleberry Friends *6 things today....
6 things:
1. SHS: Jane, Jim, Judy, Marilyn, Mary K.Z., Mary E. O'B.
2. IA: Debbie, Erda & Kay; Ann, Jane, Jesse, Lisa, Tracy
3. FNM: Andrea, Craig, Marilyn
4. NYC: Mary Lou, Nan
5. DC: Cathy, Cynthia, Juliana, Linda, Mary K., Mary T., Peggy
6. RIP: Father Durkin, Dad, Murray, Mom, Sarah, Helen, Trudy, Julia, John, Dorothy, Gemma, Carmel, Bob DeJ., Martha, Connie, Gene, Bob
1. SHS: Jane, Jim, Judy, Marilyn, Mary K.Z., Mary E. O'B.
2. IA: Debbie, Erda & Kay; Ann, Jane, Jesse, Lisa, Tracy
3. FNM: Andrea, Craig, Marilyn
4. NYC: Mary Lou, Nan
5. DC: Cathy, Cynthia, Juliana, Linda, Mary K., Mary T., Peggy
6. RIP: Father Durkin, Dad, Murray, Mom, Sarah, Helen, Trudy, Julia, John, Dorothy, Gemma, Carmel, Bob DeJ., Martha, Connie, Gene, Bob
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Feelings Vs. Thoughts
5 things:
1. Ask someone how s/he feels, and you get a verbal thought.
2. Try to talk your way out of that.
3. Can you feel your heart beat?
4. Can you feel your pulse?
5. I'm reading Martha Beck's Finding Your Way in a Wild New World
1. Ask someone how s/he feels, and you get a verbal thought.
2. Try to talk your way out of that.
3. Can you feel your heart beat?
4. Can you feel your pulse?
5. I'm reading Martha Beck's Finding Your Way in a Wild New World
Monday, July 22, 2013
Dining Out...and In
5 things:
1. Finally I've finished the yellow squash! Jaysus. Makes a pretty substantial breakfast, but ta ta....
2. Strawberries. I have finally learned how to eat these: with whipped cream. Also good for breakfast.
3. Crow. Steady diet thereof, over the years.
4. Poppy seeds scattered on a reading table at the public library yesterday. I didn't eat them, but....
5. Read that cooked blueberries are more nutritious than raw. A blueberry pie at WF was $16! WTF
1. Finally I've finished the yellow squash! Jaysus. Makes a pretty substantial breakfast, but ta ta....
2. Strawberries. I have finally learned how to eat these: with whipped cream. Also good for breakfast.
3. Crow. Steady diet thereof, over the years.
4. Poppy seeds scattered on a reading table at the public library yesterday. I didn't eat them, but....
5. Read that cooked blueberries are more nutritious than raw. A blueberry pie at WF was $16! WTF
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Questionz for today...
5 things:
1. Where did my old blog pictures go?
2. What's to stop me from moving back to the state of my birth and running for senator?
3. Other than megabuckets of money, that is....
4. Are they rerunning weather reports here?
5. How do you tell a short person not to put shoes on top of the refrigerator?
1. Where did my old blog pictures go?
2. What's to stop me from moving back to the state of my birth and running for senator?
3. Other than megabuckets of money, that is....
4. Are they rerunning weather reports here?
5. How do you tell a short person not to put shoes on top of the refrigerator?
Friday, July 19, 2013
TGIF!! Household things I want/need to buy
5 things:
1. Some of those great big square ice cube molds so I can make gin & tonics like the Jose Andres' special at Jaleo. Great big m-fs. i already have the gin and the juniper berries, and i can lay in a supply of tonic water and shave lemon peel with the best....
2. two round cake pans so I can make a round cake of two layers.
3. Do I NEED a two-layer cake in any shape?
4. No, but I'd like one.
5. Liquid laundry detergent from WF in BASIL scent. The powdered stuff is shite.
1. Some of those great big square ice cube molds so I can make gin & tonics like the Jose Andres' special at Jaleo. Great big m-fs. i already have the gin and the juniper berries, and i can lay in a supply of tonic water and shave lemon peel with the best....
2. two round cake pans so I can make a round cake of two layers.
3. Do I NEED a two-layer cake in any shape?
4. No, but I'd like one.
5. Liquid laundry detergent from WF in BASIL scent. The powdered stuff is shite.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
What'll I Do?
5 Things:
1. Find an art studio to share.
2. Mail gifts.
3. Redesign my space.
4. Mail photos to relatives!!
5. Cut hair.
1. Find an art studio to share.
2. Mail gifts.
3. Redesign my space.
4. Mail photos to relatives!!
5. Cut hair.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Just one of the Reasons Why I Hate Going to the Dentist
Five things:
1. I have had problem teeth for 70 years. (I am 76, which means my first six years of having teeth were problem-free.)
2. Then my baby teeth fell out, and the ones with problems grew in.
3. When I was about 7, I made my first trip to the dentist one hot summer afternoon, and the dentist's light practically fried my hair. I was hotter than hell, and my head ached fiercely.
4. I crawled into bed when I got home for a rest. When my dad came home from work a little later
I told him I had a bad headache and when I got up to go to the bathroom, my head felt as heavy
as a bowling ball--and my neck wouldn't support it. My mom took my temperature, and it was pretty hot. So they called the doctor, who came out, examined me, and said I had polio.
5. So my first visit to the dentist ended up with me riding in an ambulance to the hospital.
1. I have had problem teeth for 70 years. (I am 76, which means my first six years of having teeth were problem-free.)
2. Then my baby teeth fell out, and the ones with problems grew in.
3. When I was about 7, I made my first trip to the dentist one hot summer afternoon, and the dentist's light practically fried my hair. I was hotter than hell, and my head ached fiercely.
4. I crawled into bed when I got home for a rest. When my dad came home from work a little later
I told him I had a bad headache and when I got up to go to the bathroom, my head felt as heavy
as a bowling ball--and my neck wouldn't support it. My mom took my temperature, and it was pretty hot. So they called the doctor, who came out, examined me, and said I had polio.
5. So my first visit to the dentist ended up with me riding in an ambulance to the hospital.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Crime in the City 2
5 things:
1. He came back....right across the driveway, and three people watched him try to open the interior doors with a credit card. Fail.
2. He is short, slim, black, impeccably dressed in a snowy white t-shirt, jeans, and a cap.
3. "Probably a teenager" although that was noted the last time he was here.
4. After he got nothing here, he moved to a different residence just down the hill. He has a master key, which means he got into three separate buildings, all of which have their own outdoor entrance key.
5. At the last place, he again used his credit card on the interior doors and got into an apartment only to meet the occupant, who grabbed him, but he got away and ran off. More police....
1. He came back....right across the driveway, and three people watched him try to open the interior doors with a credit card. Fail.
2. He is short, slim, black, impeccably dressed in a snowy white t-shirt, jeans, and a cap.
3. "Probably a teenager" although that was noted the last time he was here.
4. After he got nothing here, he moved to a different residence just down the hill. He has a master key, which means he got into three separate buildings, all of which have their own outdoor entrance key.
5. At the last place, he again used his credit card on the interior doors and got into an apartment only to meet the occupant, who grabbed him, but he got away and ran off. More police....
Monday, July 1, 2013
Crime in the city.....
5 things:
1. A burglary is not a home invasion.
2. If you wanna know what a home invasion is like, read Elmore Leonard's Out of Sight. (Also a movie starring George Clooney & Jennifer Lopez.) The book, at least, is violent and ugly.
3. There are only 6 states that have laws against a "home invasion." and outside
of the U.S., it's not mentioned in the lawbooks at all. The states with laws against home invasions
include Illinois, Michigan, and Nevada. (Think Chicago, Detroit, and Las Vegas.)
4. Also, a burglary is not a robbery.
5. I don't know who did it, but somebody stole a bunch of flowers from our front yard and then went down the hill to the adjoining yard and stole 7 bushes and about 6 of those spiky grass things. I have my suspicion, but nobody seems to be exercised about it.
1. A burglary is not a home invasion.
2. If you wanna know what a home invasion is like, read Elmore Leonard's Out of Sight. (Also a movie starring George Clooney & Jennifer Lopez.) The book, at least, is violent and ugly.
3. There are only 6 states that have laws against a "home invasion." and outside
of the U.S., it's not mentioned in the lawbooks at all. The states with laws against home invasions
include Illinois, Michigan, and Nevada. (Think Chicago, Detroit, and Las Vegas.)
4. Also, a burglary is not a robbery.
5. I don't know who did it, but somebody stole a bunch of flowers from our front yard and then went down the hill to the adjoining yard and stole 7 bushes and about 6 of those spiky grass things. I have my suspicion, but nobody seems to be exercised about it.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Peanut butter & jelly oatmeal--food of the gods!
5 things:
1. Make a bowlful of old-fashioned oats: maybe 1/2 cup of oats, and a generous cup of water....I don't measure oatmeal anymore. The real recipe for two cups of cooked oatmeal is 1 cup of oats and 2 cups of water, so one bowlful is half of that.
2. I put the oats into a saucepan, add cold water (it turns out creamier), then bring it to a boil, simmering and stirring until it looks done. Turn off the heat.
3. Stir in 1 tablespoon of peanut butter--for me, this is always organic and creamy, not crunchy, but to each her own.
4. Add 1 teaspoon of jelly--and here's the chance for me to use up the jelly that's hardly enough to serve on the table for guests but too good to throw out, so it sits in the fridge. This morning i used
the last spoonful of gooseberry jelly from El's Kitchen in Winterport, ME. Yowzah!!
5. I wish I had made a full recipe, but maybe this is built-in portion control. So....from the oatmeal part I get 3 grams of fat, .05g of which is saturated; NO SODIUM!!; 5 grams of dietary fiber; and 6 grams of protein. From the peanut butter part, I got 4 grams of saturated fat, 62.5mg of sodium; 0g cholesterol; 1g sugar; and 4g of protein. Not so bad, particularly compared with my usual breakfast these days of 2 fried eggs on toast with lots of butter.
1. Make a bowlful of old-fashioned oats: maybe 1/2 cup of oats, and a generous cup of water....I don't measure oatmeal anymore. The real recipe for two cups of cooked oatmeal is 1 cup of oats and 2 cups of water, so one bowlful is half of that.
2. I put the oats into a saucepan, add cold water (it turns out creamier), then bring it to a boil, simmering and stirring until it looks done. Turn off the heat.
3. Stir in 1 tablespoon of peanut butter--for me, this is always organic and creamy, not crunchy, but to each her own.
4. Add 1 teaspoon of jelly--and here's the chance for me to use up the jelly that's hardly enough to serve on the table for guests but too good to throw out, so it sits in the fridge. This morning i used
the last spoonful of gooseberry jelly from El's Kitchen in Winterport, ME. Yowzah!!
5. I wish I had made a full recipe, but maybe this is built-in portion control. So....from the oatmeal part I get 3 grams of fat, .05g of which is saturated; NO SODIUM!!; 5 grams of dietary fiber; and 6 grams of protein. From the peanut butter part, I got 4 grams of saturated fat, 62.5mg of sodium; 0g cholesterol; 1g sugar; and 4g of protein. Not so bad, particularly compared with my usual breakfast these days of 2 fried eggs on toast with lots of butter.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Loafing: June 4, 2013
5 Things:
1. I'm glad I quit my freelance job. I got one more file back for the final once-over, and it's so full of crap--missing or additional apostrophes, that kind of nonsense. Some writers never make the changes I suggest, or when they rewrite it, they use the same old tired syntax. Bleah.
2. I was going to walk two miles today, but I didn't. Didn't feel like it once I got out there.
3. One of my friends is working way too hard and doing far too much to take care of her grandchildren. She's having bouts of a-fib, and she's had a pacemaker for 12 years or so. She is a precious, talented, wonderful person, and I'd like to think she'll be around for a long time.
4. I hardly ever dream, now that I'm retired. But I had a good one last night. Was so disappointed when I woke up to realize it was just that--a dream.
5. I went to Whole Foods and passed up the pork chops and the steak. Just can't bring myself to eat anything but vegetables or eggs. One of my vegan friends has a t-shirt that says "I'm not vegetarian because I love animals. I'm vegetarian because I hate vegetables!!" Well....
1. I'm glad I quit my freelance job. I got one more file back for the final once-over, and it's so full of crap--missing or additional apostrophes, that kind of nonsense. Some writers never make the changes I suggest, or when they rewrite it, they use the same old tired syntax. Bleah.
2. I was going to walk two miles today, but I didn't. Didn't feel like it once I got out there.
3. One of my friends is working way too hard and doing far too much to take care of her grandchildren. She's having bouts of a-fib, and she's had a pacemaker for 12 years or so. She is a precious, talented, wonderful person, and I'd like to think she'll be around for a long time.
4. I hardly ever dream, now that I'm retired. But I had a good one last night. Was so disappointed when I woke up to realize it was just that--a dream.
5. I went to Whole Foods and passed up the pork chops and the steak. Just can't bring myself to eat anything but vegetables or eggs. One of my vegan friends has a t-shirt that says "I'm not vegetarian because I love animals. I'm vegetarian because I hate vegetables!!" Well....
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Happy birthday, Mama!
5 things:
1. Today would be my mother's 116th birthday. She was born in Altengeseke, Westphalen, Germany, on this day in 1897. Her mother died almost 3 years later. She came to this country at age 6 with her father and six siblings: Joseph, Anna, Anton, Teresia, Henry, and Adam. The family settled in Cherokee, Iowa. (Well, the farm actually was in Meriden, Iowa, which is like 7 miles from Cherokee, the "big" county seat.)
2. I have been meditating twice a day for about a month or even two. And I have learned that my mind has its own Fox News commentary on everything.
3. Transcending means to separate oneself from these thoughts and live in the present moment.
4. At this stage in my life, I have almost 80 years of commentary to deal with.
5. Thanks be, I am still breathing and experiencing my life. Thank you for giving me life, Mom.
1. Today would be my mother's 116th birthday. She was born in Altengeseke, Westphalen, Germany, on this day in 1897. Her mother died almost 3 years later. She came to this country at age 6 with her father and six siblings: Joseph, Anna, Anton, Teresia, Henry, and Adam. The family settled in Cherokee, Iowa. (Well, the farm actually was in Meriden, Iowa, which is like 7 miles from Cherokee, the "big" county seat.)
2. I have been meditating twice a day for about a month or even two. And I have learned that my mind has its own Fox News commentary on everything.
3. Transcending means to separate oneself from these thoughts and live in the present moment.
4. At this stage in my life, I have almost 80 years of commentary to deal with.
5. Thanks be, I am still breathing and experiencing my life. Thank you for giving me life, Mom.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Strawberries & Cream
5 things:
1. I know you should never try to wear more than one hat, health regimen-wise.
2. That is, don't try to give up sugar at the same time you're trying to give up drinking.
3. Ditto giving up white flour (what they make shortcakes out of....)
4. But I've come up with a good thing for my craving for sweets:
5. Strawberries (fresh, local, organic, RIPE) and cream (whipped with *gasp* two spoons of sugar added)...well, it's better than a bag of oreos or peanut M&Ms--my usual sweets indulgences. and I just happened to have half a pint of HEAVY cream just begging to be whipped. I left out the baking powder biscuits, though. So now I'm eating a pint of strawberries with a big softball of whipped cream. ooooh. 'tis verra good!! and good for me, too, if the cream doesn't clog things up!!
1. I know you should never try to wear more than one hat, health regimen-wise.
2. That is, don't try to give up sugar at the same time you're trying to give up drinking.
3. Ditto giving up white flour (what they make shortcakes out of....)
4. But I've come up with a good thing for my craving for sweets:
5. Strawberries (fresh, local, organic, RIPE) and cream (whipped with *gasp* two spoons of sugar added)...well, it's better than a bag of oreos or peanut M&Ms--my usual sweets indulgences. and I just happened to have half a pint of HEAVY cream just begging to be whipped. I left out the baking powder biscuits, though. So now I'm eating a pint of strawberries with a big softball of whipped cream. ooooh. 'tis verra good!! and good for me, too, if the cream doesn't clog things up!!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Good Stuff from the Interwebs....
5 things:
1. "Quoting geneticists, Guy Murchie says we're all family. You have at least a million relatives as close as tenth cousin, and no one on Earth is any farther removed than your 50th cousin.
Murchie also describes our kinship through an analysis of how deeply we share the air. With each breath, you take into your body 10 sextillion atoms, and--owing to the wind's ceaseless circulation--over a year's time you have intimate relations with oxygen molecules exhaled by every person alive, as well as by everyone who ever lived. Right now you may be carrying atoms that were once inside the lungs of Malcolm X, Christopher Columbus, Joan of Arc, and Cleopatra."-- from PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings by Rob Breszny.
2. Found on Facebook: http://www.youngandraw.com/. Go to our website for raw, cooked and plant based recipes! 21 Day Raw Food Reset Cleanse now available! So I had a wonderful salad for breakfast: fresh organic greens, organic raspberries, organic avocado slices, and homemade lemon-mint dressing (using olio santo!!)
3. Found on "The Writers Almanac" for May 25, 2013. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:
"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." OK....I'm ready for that, but I'm still on my regular schedule. No changes there so far.....
4. From my email:
"Ann will be on the NPR news show 'On Point' next Tuesday May 28th. She will be with 2 other guests on the hour-long show discussing the effects of the sequestration on medical research and research training. If you want to hear it, go to the On Point website and it tells you how.... You can check to see if your local NPR station carries the show and what time. You can also stream it on the website or listen to it later (I think) on the website." Ann is a brilliant longtime friend from XE's Iowa City days. Now she's the Chief Scientific Officer of the American Association of Medical Colleges. Can't wait to watch this!!
5. From my mailbox: Cranberry Oat cookies can diminish hot flashes! I don't know if this recipe from The Little Things is the one the Prevention ad is talking about, but it is vegan and sounds easy and tasty. And if they don't help with hot flashes, so what? They're COOKIES, anyway......maybe there's some tea with black cohosh in it....you could enjoy tea & cookies while you swelter.
1. "Quoting geneticists, Guy Murchie says we're all family. You have at least a million relatives as close as tenth cousin, and no one on Earth is any farther removed than your 50th cousin.
Murchie also describes our kinship through an analysis of how deeply we share the air. With each breath, you take into your body 10 sextillion atoms, and--owing to the wind's ceaseless circulation--over a year's time you have intimate relations with oxygen molecules exhaled by every person alive, as well as by everyone who ever lived. Right now you may be carrying atoms that were once inside the lungs of Malcolm X, Christopher Columbus, Joan of Arc, and Cleopatra."-- from PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings by Rob Breszny.
2. Found on Facebook: http://www.youngandraw.com/. Go to our website for raw, cooked and plant based recipes! 21 Day Raw Food Reset Cleanse now available! So I had a wonderful salad for breakfast: fresh organic greens, organic raspberries, organic avocado slices, and homemade lemon-mint dressing (using olio santo!!)
3. Found on "The Writers Almanac" for May 25, 2013. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:
"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." OK....I'm ready for that, but I'm still on my regular schedule. No changes there so far.....
4. From my email:
"Ann will be on the NPR news show 'On Point' next Tuesday May 28th. She will be with 2 other guests on the hour-long show discussing the effects of the sequestration on medical research and research training. If you want to hear it, go to the On Point website and it tells you how.... You can check to see if your local NPR station carries the show and what time. You can also stream it on the website or listen to it later (I think) on the website." Ann is a brilliant longtime friend from XE's Iowa City days. Now she's the Chief Scientific Officer of the American Association of Medical Colleges. Can't wait to watch this!!
5. From my mailbox: Cranberry Oat cookies can diminish hot flashes! I don't know if this recipe from The Little Things is the one the Prevention ad is talking about, but it is vegan and sounds easy and tasty. And if they don't help with hot flashes, so what? They're COOKIES, anyway......maybe there's some tea with black cohosh in it....you could enjoy tea & cookies while you swelter.
Cranberry Oat CookiesIngredients
- 2 ½ cup (200 gr.) rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) coconut oil, melted
- 5-7 tablespoons honey (depending on your taste)
- ½ cup (120 ml) warm water
- 4 big tablespoons dried cranberries
- optional: handful of chocolate chips or nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
- Mix oats, baking powder, salt, melted coconut oil and honey in a bowl. Add the water and combine until the mixture resembles dough. Add more water if necessary.
- Mix in the cranberries (and optional chocolate/nuts) and form 20-24 round balls with your hands. Flatten these and place on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Let's Hear It For Butter!!
5 things:
1. If you eat half a pound of salted butter, you'll get 113% of your daily Vitamin A requirement.
2. I can't find a nutritional value chart for butter that measures less than half a pound (or 227 g). You have to figure it out for yourself. 227 grams of butter is 16 tablespoons (@14 grams apiece) or two sticks of butter.
3. But the sodium and saturated fat and cholesterol values for that much butter just SCREAM at you.
4. Of course, none of us (except possibly Paula Deen from the Food Network in her previous manifestation before she had to lose all that weight) eats THAT much butter in one go. And I seriously doubt that she did that.
5. I do love butter, though. And what's wrong with cholesterol? Our own body makes it, and it fixes a lot of our problems without our having to do anything but have enough of it on hand. And the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, & K) need fat to be digested. I'm still mulling over the benefits of using salt-free butter, though. People who bake with butter recommend using salt-free butter, and I recall with horror the SALTY taste of the first batch of cookies I ever made using oleomargarine instead of butter. Now, 60+ years later, I avoid margarine like the plague. But not butter. I do love butter (said that).....
1. If you eat half a pound of salted butter, you'll get 113% of your daily Vitamin A requirement.
2. I can't find a nutritional value chart for butter that measures less than half a pound (or 227 g). You have to figure it out for yourself. 227 grams of butter is 16 tablespoons (@14 grams apiece) or two sticks of butter.
3. But the sodium and saturated fat and cholesterol values for that much butter just SCREAM at you.
4. Of course, none of us (except possibly Paula Deen from the Food Network in her previous manifestation before she had to lose all that weight) eats THAT much butter in one go. And I seriously doubt that she did that.
5. I do love butter, though. And what's wrong with cholesterol? Our own body makes it, and it fixes a lot of our problems without our having to do anything but have enough of it on hand. And the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, & K) need fat to be digested. I'm still mulling over the benefits of using salt-free butter, though. People who bake with butter recommend using salt-free butter, and I recall with horror the SALTY taste of the first batch of cookies I ever made using oleomargarine instead of butter. Now, 60+ years later, I avoid margarine like the plague. But not butter. I do love butter (said that).....
Monday, May 20, 2013
Benefits of not drinking (a lot)
5 things:
1. More money in my pocket.
2. I sleep much better!
3. My memory has come roaring back.
4. Well, part of it anyway. I can blaze through the NYT crossword in no time.
5. I am finding other pleasant things to drink besides potato vodka w/orange juice.
1. More money in my pocket.
2. I sleep much better!
3. My memory has come roaring back.
4. Well, part of it anyway. I can blaze through the NYT crossword in no time.
5. I am finding other pleasant things to drink besides potato vodka w/orange juice.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Quotes from "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" by Rev. MLK, Jr.
5 things:
1. Alan Grayson, my favorite congressman from Florida (and no, he's not MY congressman, though who is?) sent an email in which he quoted some highlights from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s letter from the Birmingham Jail. The letter was first published 50 years ago tomorrow. Here are some parts I especially like.
2. "...although I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."...Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God."...So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?"
3. "One day the South will recognize its real heroes." [N.B.: Please don't hold your breath....]
4. [Among the heroes] "There will be the old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy-two year old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up...and responded..."My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest."
5. "Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty."
1. Alan Grayson, my favorite congressman from Florida (and no, he's not MY congressman, though who is?) sent an email in which he quoted some highlights from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s letter from the Birmingham Jail. The letter was first published 50 years ago tomorrow. Here are some parts I especially like.
2. "...although I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."...Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God."...So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?"
3. "One day the South will recognize its real heroes." [N.B.: Please don't hold your breath....]
4. [Among the heroes] "There will be the old, oppressed, battered Negro women, symbolized in a seventy-two year old woman in Montgomery, Alabama, who rose up...and responded..."My feets is tired, but my soul is at rest."
5. "Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty."
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Things I Love to Eat
5 things:
1. Eggs--any way
2. Asparagus, baked or grilled.
3. Potatoes, mashed especially, but really any way.
4. Arugula
5. Rye bread, especially toasted.
1. Eggs--any way
2. Asparagus, baked or grilled.
3. Potatoes, mashed especially, but really any way.
4. Arugula
5. Rye bread, especially toasted.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Thanks, Mom, for.....
5 Things:
1. Being so connected to trees and flowers and birds and gardening.
2. For cooking fish so wonderfully, and for your delicious canned pheasant.
3. For being so generous with what you had.
4. For being our mother without experiencing what it was like to have one yourself after age 2.
5. For loving art--the making of it, not just Art Appreciation 1.
1. Being so connected to trees and flowers and birds and gardening.
2. For cooking fish so wonderfully, and for your delicious canned pheasant.
3. For being so generous with what you had.
4. For being our mother without experiencing what it was like to have one yourself after age 2.
5. For loving art--the making of it, not just Art Appreciation 1.
Friday, May 10, 2013
New De-clutter Trick...
5 things:
1. TURN on some MUSIC (I have David Van Tieghem's wonderful "Thrown for a Loop" on my iTunes) for 15 minutes.
2. Grab a trash bag and start tossing stuff.
3. Alternate/supplemental activity: SHRED junk mail.
4. Put shredded stuff in trash bag.
5. Get dressed and take a load of wash down to the laundry room.
1. TURN on some MUSIC (I have David Van Tieghem's wonderful "Thrown for a Loop" on my iTunes) for 15 minutes.
2. Grab a trash bag and start tossing stuff.
3. Alternate/supplemental activity: SHRED junk mail.
4. Put shredded stuff in trash bag.
5. Get dressed and take a load of wash down to the laundry room.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Waitin for the parcel delivery....
5 Things:
1. My shipment (a replacement cell phone) has been "on the truck for delivery" for almost 14 hours today, since the wee hours of the morning.
2. I do like tracking shipments, though I do not always TRUST the shippers to ring my bell and wait for me to answer. So often they manage to arrive unseen & unheard to slap the nondelivery ticket to the lobby door.
3. One of those shippers is more reliable than the others, and I do do do prefer the USPS. Unless somebody is sending me a whale in a tank of water, it is delivered right here to my home. I don't have to go out to pick it up at their far distant depot.
4. It's been raining more or less nonstop all day here.
5. I moved the rubber tree and a small azalea out onto the porch. I expect they will look vibrant tomorrow a.m.
1. My shipment (a replacement cell phone) has been "on the truck for delivery" for almost 14 hours today, since the wee hours of the morning.
2. I do like tracking shipments, though I do not always TRUST the shippers to ring my bell and wait for me to answer. So often they manage to arrive unseen & unheard to slap the nondelivery ticket to the lobby door.
3. One of those shippers is more reliable than the others, and I do do do prefer the USPS. Unless somebody is sending me a whale in a tank of water, it is delivered right here to my home. I don't have to go out to pick it up at their far distant depot.
4. It's been raining more or less nonstop all day here.
5. I moved the rubber tree and a small azalea out onto the porch. I expect they will look vibrant tomorrow a.m.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Thursday is Stuff Yourself Day
5 things:
1. I participate in Daily Challenge, an online health/fitness thing, and one of my fellow DCers noted that in her house, they celebrate Thursday by eating anything and as much of it as they want. That sounded like a good idea to me, but by the time I got to the supermarket, I didn't feel like eating anything they had.
2. A rack of lamb chops looked good, but they were $17.99 a pound. And I was just too lazy to devise anything wonderful out of vegetables or fruits.
3. One of my problems with food these days is my refrigerator, which is on the blink. Even after the repair guy came and vacuumed the coils (which helped a little, though only briefly), I still can't keep any food alive in there. AND NO ICE CUBES! gah.
4. I still have two tea eggs, but they are more or less pickled with Asian spices, so they're holding out.
5. And a box of organic strawberries has been delicious with my morning cereal (which I never usually eat). The repair guy comes back tomorrow to give the fridge a good boost of freon. If that doesn't work, the owners will have to cough up for a brand new fridge!! shudder.
1. I participate in Daily Challenge, an online health/fitness thing, and one of my fellow DCers noted that in her house, they celebrate Thursday by eating anything and as much of it as they want. That sounded like a good idea to me, but by the time I got to the supermarket, I didn't feel like eating anything they had.
2. A rack of lamb chops looked good, but they were $17.99 a pound. And I was just too lazy to devise anything wonderful out of vegetables or fruits.
3. One of my problems with food these days is my refrigerator, which is on the blink. Even after the repair guy came and vacuumed the coils (which helped a little, though only briefly), I still can't keep any food alive in there. AND NO ICE CUBES! gah.
4. I still have two tea eggs, but they are more or less pickled with Asian spices, so they're holding out.
5. And a box of organic strawberries has been delicious with my morning cereal (which I never usually eat). The repair guy comes back tomorrow to give the fridge a good boost of freon. If that doesn't work, the owners will have to cough up for a brand new fridge!! shudder.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
"Five Big Fears" from THE CREATIVE HABIT by Twyla Tharp
Five things:
1. "People will laugh at me? Not the people I respect; they haven't yet, and they're not going to start now. (Some others have. London's Evening Standard from 1966: "Three girls, one of them named Twyla Tharp, appeared at the Albert Hall last evening and threatened to do the same tonight." So what? Thirty-seven years later I'm still here.)"
2. "Someone has done it before? Honey, it's all been done before. Nothing's really original. Not Homer or Shakespeare and certainly not you. Get over yourself."
3. "I have nothing to say? An irrelevant fear. We all have something to say. Plus, you're panicking too soon. If the dancers don't walk out on you, chances are the audience won't, either."
4. "I will upset someone I love? A serious worry that is not easily exorcised or stared down because you never know how loved ones will respond to your creation. The best you can do is remind yourself that you're a good person with good intentions. You're trying to create unity, not discord. See the curtain call. See the people standing up. Hear the crowd roaring."
5. "Once executed, the idea will never be as good as it is in my mind? Toughen up. Leon Battista Alberti, a fifteenth-century architectural theorist, said, 'Errors accumulate in the sketch and compound in the model.' But better an imperfect dome in Florence than cathedrals in the clouds."
1. "People will laugh at me? Not the people I respect; they haven't yet, and they're not going to start now. (Some others have. London's Evening Standard from 1966: "Three girls, one of them named Twyla Tharp, appeared at the Albert Hall last evening and threatened to do the same tonight." So what? Thirty-seven years later I'm still here.)"
2. "Someone has done it before? Honey, it's all been done before. Nothing's really original. Not Homer or Shakespeare and certainly not you. Get over yourself."
3. "I have nothing to say? An irrelevant fear. We all have something to say. Plus, you're panicking too soon. If the dancers don't walk out on you, chances are the audience won't, either."
4. "I will upset someone I love? A serious worry that is not easily exorcised or stared down because you never know how loved ones will respond to your creation. The best you can do is remind yourself that you're a good person with good intentions. You're trying to create unity, not discord. See the curtain call. See the people standing up. Hear the crowd roaring."
5. "Once executed, the idea will never be as good as it is in my mind? Toughen up. Leon Battista Alberti, a fifteenth-century architectural theorist, said, 'Errors accumulate in the sketch and compound in the model.' But better an imperfect dome in Florence than cathedrals in the clouds."
Sunday, April 28, 2013
at the beach....
5 things:
1. Pink (named after the flower) Full Moon rising over the Atlantic by Ocean City. Aka Fish Full Moon or Corn Planting Full Moon.
2. Swimmer standing before the sand bar that creates the big wave. Just before deciding it was too cold. Passersby from Florida asked, "Is that person from Canada??" (Note the moon still shining in the upper r.h. corner.)
3. Swimmer in the indoor pool! Much warmer! Not from Canada. Atlantic was just too cold.
4. Birds (or at least two clearly visible here out of four) over Rehoboth Beach. No birds at Ocean City--no boardwalks with hordes of snackers spilling popcorn.
5. Mad scramble to find oceanfront condo at either OC or RB. Gave up and now scanning internet for apts in Paris, Amalfi Coast, Skiathos, Ajijic......
Thursday, April 25, 2013
first nice day of spring
5 things:
1. Not too cold.
2. Not too hot.
3. Not rainy or windy.
4. NO TOURISTS or POLLEN to speak of.
5. And the Republican got creamed in Tuesday's election. (Much to his great surprise!)
1. Not too cold.
2. Not too hot.
3. Not rainy or windy.
4. NO TOURISTS or POLLEN to speak of.
5. And the Republican got creamed in Tuesday's election. (Much to his great surprise!)
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Wensday....
5 things:
1. The refrigerator repair person did not call this ayem as he promised, nor was I able to reach him at "the shop" or whatever it is.
2. I think they mostly do not speak English over there. They say "eh?" a lot, also "ay."
3. I really don't care what language they speak, but I do believe in keeping one's promises. They are, after all, MAYTAG repair persons.
4. They have six more days to complete the job (which includes adding freon, today's chore) before the warranty expires. I hope they're not just stalling around.
5. The refrigerator part has killed two bottles of milk, although the freezer NEARLY produces solid ice cubes now (but not quite....hence the freon).
1. The refrigerator repair person did not call this ayem as he promised, nor was I able to reach him at "the shop" or whatever it is.
2. I think they mostly do not speak English over there. They say "eh?" a lot, also "ay."
3. I really don't care what language they speak, but I do believe in keeping one's promises. They are, after all, MAYTAG repair persons.
4. They have six more days to complete the job (which includes adding freon, today's chore) before the warranty expires. I hope they're not just stalling around.
5. The refrigerator part has killed two bottles of milk, although the freezer NEARLY produces solid ice cubes now (but not quite....hence the freon).
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Chip In Chip In Chip In Chip In Chip In Chip In
5 things:
1. THEY are STILL asking me for money! Or, as they say, "Please chip in $X or $XX" (they've given up on $XXX). So....
2. I need to have the ball on my fundraising icon reach $100,000 by the end of this month, too.
3. And for this, I apparently need to depend on the kindness or, as Cathy says, weak-mindedness, of total strangers.
4. Not SO totally strange that they don't have my email address, but you know wot I mean.
5. AND WHERE DOES ALL THIS MOOLAH GO? I'M GUESSING IT GOES INTO THE POCKETS OF THE EXECRABLE MAINSTREAM MEDIA. Not where I'd want it to go, being a progressive of sorts. But, Goddess knows, the alternative news sources are asking me to chip in, too. Chip OUT!
1. THEY are STILL asking me for money! Or, as they say, "Please chip in $X or $XX" (they've given up on $XXX). So....
2. I need to have the ball on my fundraising icon reach $100,000 by the end of this month, too.
3. And for this, I apparently need to depend on the kindness or, as Cathy says, weak-mindedness, of total strangers.
4. Not SO totally strange that they don't have my email address, but you know wot I mean.
5. AND WHERE DOES ALL THIS MOOLAH GO? I'M GUESSING IT GOES INTO THE POCKETS OF THE EXECRABLE MAINSTREAM MEDIA. Not where I'd want it to go, being a progressive of sorts. But, Goddess knows, the alternative news sources are asking me to chip in, too. Chip OUT!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Representatives' actions vs. massive public opinion.....
5 things:
1. President Obama was highly indignant t'other day when the senate voted down the background registration for gun buyers. "Close to 90% of your constituents wanted this, but the Senate voted no." Hmm.
2. He doesn't seem to realize that close to 90% of HIS OWN supporters among the American public also wanted not see any cuts in Social Security. He, of course, is saying the chained CPI is NOT a cut. Hello? When you get less money, that's a cut! The first thing he did when he got into office in 2009 was say NO COLA until 2013 or so. That meant that I and a bunch of others on SS got no increases in our payments, despite the rising cost of just about everything.
3. But that disconnect between his voters' wishes and his actions did not seem to bother him at all. You don't have to be paranoid to get old in this country, but it helps!! Our elected representatives don't seem to give a damn about older voters except when they want us to vote for THEM.
4. Worse yet, it's old women who will suffer most from these "cuts" that nobody will admit are cuts. We didn't get the salaries the men did, so that means we kept on paying for SS out of each paycheck because our wages never reached the cutoff point.
5. Anyway, I'm pretty tired of the attitudes on Capitol Hill and in the White House. "Let them eat cake!" Indeed. And have I and others made this complaint before? Yes. Do you think anyone paid attention?
1. President Obama was highly indignant t'other day when the senate voted down the background registration for gun buyers. "Close to 90% of your constituents wanted this, but the Senate voted no." Hmm.
2. He doesn't seem to realize that close to 90% of HIS OWN supporters among the American public also wanted not see any cuts in Social Security. He, of course, is saying the chained CPI is NOT a cut. Hello? When you get less money, that's a cut! The first thing he did when he got into office in 2009 was say NO COLA until 2013 or so. That meant that I and a bunch of others on SS got no increases in our payments, despite the rising cost of just about everything.
3. But that disconnect between his voters' wishes and his actions did not seem to bother him at all. You don't have to be paranoid to get old in this country, but it helps!! Our elected representatives don't seem to give a damn about older voters except when they want us to vote for THEM.
4. Worse yet, it's old women who will suffer most from these "cuts" that nobody will admit are cuts. We didn't get the salaries the men did, so that means we kept on paying for SS out of each paycheck because our wages never reached the cutoff point.
5. Anyway, I'm pretty tired of the attitudes on Capitol Hill and in the White House. "Let them eat cake!" Indeed. And have I and others made this complaint before? Yes. Do you think anyone paid attention?
Saturday, April 20, 2013
4/20
5 things:
1. Sick of the self-congratulation going on by politicians of all stripes, now that the Boston cops have brought in #2 guy from Boston bombing.
2. Seems to me we've done everything we can to PREVENT and HOBBLE our police and fire depts and teachers and other public servants from doing their jobs with the sequester, and until now, nobody's said boo.
3. Wonder how the guy is? He's under heavy guard at the big Boston hospital, where a fabulous doctor worked to save my friend Jimmy. Can't beat those fabulous hospitals and their staffs!!
4. Nice to read this a.m. that the #4 top-paying educational degree for current graduates is NURSING from NYU!!
5. Nurses are heroes, always have been. They know more than the doctors--especially about human beings and how they work.
1. Sick of the self-congratulation going on by politicians of all stripes, now that the Boston cops have brought in #2 guy from Boston bombing.
2. Seems to me we've done everything we can to PREVENT and HOBBLE our police and fire depts and teachers and other public servants from doing their jobs with the sequester, and until now, nobody's said boo.
3. Wonder how the guy is? He's under heavy guard at the big Boston hospital, where a fabulous doctor worked to save my friend Jimmy. Can't beat those fabulous hospitals and their staffs!!
4. Nice to read this a.m. that the #4 top-paying educational degree for current graduates is NURSING from NYU!!
5. Nurses are heroes, always have been. They know more than the doctors--especially about human beings and how they work.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Handy recipes
5 things:
1. Almond milk (from Fit for Life by Harvey & Marilyn Diamond):
1/4 cup whole raw almonds
1 cup cold water
2 tsp maple syrup (optional, and it should be 100% maple syrup)
Blanch almonds in 2" of boiling water in a sauce pan, add almonds and simmer for 30 seconds.
drain, slip off skins, and put almonds in a blender.
Add 1 cup cold water and blend at high speed for 2-3 minutes until you have a thick white milk.
Add the maple syrup if you want.
Use as is for smoothies or strain if you want all the little chunks out.
2. Biscuits (from Julia's Kitchen Wisdom by Julia Child). Biscuits are always wonderful.
2 cups flour
1 2/3 Tablespoons baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1 T sugar (you can leave this out if you like)
3/4 cup butter
1 cup milk
Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt, then cut in the butter until the mixture looks like cracker crumbs. Fold in the milk with a wooden spoon to make a rough, sticky dough.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface (make sure your hands are floured, too), then knead gently, lifting the left side over the right, then the right over the left, giving 6 folds in all.
Gently pat the dough into a rectangle 3/4" thick, then cut in squares or use a round biscuit cutter.
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated 425F oven for 15-2o minutes until cooked through and lightly browned.
3. Potato pancakes (from Chez Moi): For each person, peel one medium potato, cut it into chunks and put in a food processor (I use my Little Oscar). Add one raw egg, a bit of salt & pepper, and process until there's no more big chunks. Heat a T of oil or butter in a cast-iron frying pan until it's quite hot, and pour the whole batch of batter in. When bubbles form on the top, and the bottom edge looks brown and crispy, flip it over and brown on the other side. One pancake per person. Serve with a pat of butter and a bit of maple syrup.
4. Zucchini-garlic-dill soup (from an old girlfriend who got it from Atkins, I think): Into a two-quart sauce pan, add two medium zucchinis, washed and cut into chunks, a clove or two of garlic, similarly cut up, and either 1 quart of chicken stock or water, and boil until the zukes & garlic are soft, then add a T or so of dill (either fresh or dried, but I prefer dried), plus salt & pepper. Add to blender and puree. When it's nice & smooth, add a T or two of cream or evaporated milk or almond milk, as you prefer. Stir together and serve.
5. Popcorn in olive oil (from Chez Moi, also): Heat a deep saucepan and swirl in a couple of tablespoons or more of EVOO. Add 3 kernels and cover. When the 3 kernels pop, add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of popcorn and stir with a wooden spoon until the kernels start to look toasty. If they start popping, put the lid on and shake the pan constantly until the popping stops. Turn off the heat and empty the pan into a big bowl. Add melted butter and salt to taste, and Bob's your uncle!! My daughters like a little heat and way less (no) butter, so they add a bit of something spicy, soy sauce, and grated parmesan cheese. But I don't like that so much. I like just plain old popcorn w/ butter, and I LOVE the flavor when it's popped in olive oil rather than anything else.
1. Almond milk (from Fit for Life by Harvey & Marilyn Diamond):
1/4 cup whole raw almonds
1 cup cold water
2 tsp maple syrup (optional, and it should be 100% maple syrup)
Blanch almonds in 2" of boiling water in a sauce pan, add almonds and simmer for 30 seconds.
drain, slip off skins, and put almonds in a blender.
Add 1 cup cold water and blend at high speed for 2-3 minutes until you have a thick white milk.
Add the maple syrup if you want.
Use as is for smoothies or strain if you want all the little chunks out.
2. Biscuits (from Julia's Kitchen Wisdom by Julia Child). Biscuits are always wonderful.
2 cups flour
1 2/3 Tablespoons baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1 T sugar (you can leave this out if you like)
3/4 cup butter
1 cup milk
Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt, then cut in the butter until the mixture looks like cracker crumbs. Fold in the milk with a wooden spoon to make a rough, sticky dough.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface (make sure your hands are floured, too), then knead gently, lifting the left side over the right, then the right over the left, giving 6 folds in all.
Gently pat the dough into a rectangle 3/4" thick, then cut in squares or use a round biscuit cutter.
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated 425F oven for 15-2o minutes until cooked through and lightly browned.
3. Potato pancakes (from Chez Moi): For each person, peel one medium potato, cut it into chunks and put in a food processor (I use my Little Oscar). Add one raw egg, a bit of salt & pepper, and process until there's no more big chunks. Heat a T of oil or butter in a cast-iron frying pan until it's quite hot, and pour the whole batch of batter in. When bubbles form on the top, and the bottom edge looks brown and crispy, flip it over and brown on the other side. One pancake per person. Serve with a pat of butter and a bit of maple syrup.
4. Zucchini-garlic-dill soup (from an old girlfriend who got it from Atkins, I think): Into a two-quart sauce pan, add two medium zucchinis, washed and cut into chunks, a clove or two of garlic, similarly cut up, and either 1 quart of chicken stock or water, and boil until the zukes & garlic are soft, then add a T or so of dill (either fresh or dried, but I prefer dried), plus salt & pepper. Add to blender and puree. When it's nice & smooth, add a T or two of cream or evaporated milk or almond milk, as you prefer. Stir together and serve.
5. Popcorn in olive oil (from Chez Moi, also): Heat a deep saucepan and swirl in a couple of tablespoons or more of EVOO. Add 3 kernels and cover. When the 3 kernels pop, add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of popcorn and stir with a wooden spoon until the kernels start to look toasty. If they start popping, put the lid on and shake the pan constantly until the popping stops. Turn off the heat and empty the pan into a big bowl. Add melted butter and salt to taste, and Bob's your uncle!! My daughters like a little heat and way less (no) butter, so they add a bit of something spicy, soy sauce, and grated parmesan cheese. But I don't like that so much. I like just plain old popcorn w/ butter, and I LOVE the flavor when it's popped in olive oil rather than anything else.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Anatomy of a Sour Mood....
5 things:
1. The Presnit is about to announce cuts to Social Security now and in the future so he can "cooperate with the other side." COOPERATE with those buzzards? No way. Doesn't he realize that we voted for HIM and not them?
2. The Presnit also says he is going to rebate part of his salary. To whom? and for what?
John Boehner?
3. Headline this ayem says something about "Redeeming Sanford." Do I want to redeem Sanford? No. Sanford should go to hell, and if all those religious wackos are right, he will.
4. My girlfriend had my "new" espresso maker in her car for two days, and she refused to let me carry it home on the bus. Missing now are the cup and the steamer and the little filter gizmo. Did the dog eat them?
5. My granddaughter-in-law wrote a lovely thank you note (on paper, with a stamp!) for the gifts I brought to Chicago earlier this month. And many points to her for that!! She especially liked the SPOON, a family heirloom. etc. Except it's a FORK. Oh, well, the kid won't be able to use it for quite a while. Then they'll find out that it won't work for soup.
1. The Presnit is about to announce cuts to Social Security now and in the future so he can "cooperate with the other side." COOPERATE with those buzzards? No way. Doesn't he realize that we voted for HIM and not them?
2. The Presnit also says he is going to rebate part of his salary. To whom? and for what?
John Boehner?
3. Headline this ayem says something about "Redeeming Sanford." Do I want to redeem Sanford? No. Sanford should go to hell, and if all those religious wackos are right, he will.
4. My girlfriend had my "new" espresso maker in her car for two days, and she refused to let me carry it home on the bus. Missing now are the cup and the steamer and the little filter gizmo. Did the dog eat them?
5. My granddaughter-in-law wrote a lovely thank you note (on paper, with a stamp!) for the gifts I brought to Chicago earlier this month. And many points to her for that!! She especially liked the SPOON, a family heirloom. etc. Except it's a FORK. Oh, well, the kid won't be able to use it for quite a while. Then they'll find out that it won't work for soup.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Shoez!!
5 things:
1. Take a squint at Papa Francisco's shoes, for pete's sake. Visible here
Thanks, Andrew Sullivan--hope you have a good Easter break!
2. Easter was eggless and jellybeanless in my house and, coincidentally, also Sally's. Sally said they were OK with it. I found it a great relief.
3. Had my first ever cheese blintz yesterday, though. I found it surprising: light, a bit sweet, and delicious! especially with a side of sliced strawberries and two crispy potato pancakes!
4. The Cheese Blintz breakfast special can be had at Mark's Kitchen, XE's 2nd favorite watering hole in the People's Republic of Takoma Park.
5. XE's first favorite is Roscoe's, named after the famous local rooster. When Roscoe died, half the town was late for work!
1. Take a squint at Papa Francisco's shoes, for pete's sake. Visible here
Thanks, Andrew Sullivan--hope you have a good Easter break!
2. Easter was eggless and jellybeanless in my house and, coincidentally, also Sally's. Sally said they were OK with it. I found it a great relief.
3. Had my first ever cheese blintz yesterday, though. I found it surprising: light, a bit sweet, and delicious! especially with a side of sliced strawberries and two crispy potato pancakes!
4. The Cheese Blintz breakfast special can be had at Mark's Kitchen, XE's 2nd favorite watering hole in the People's Republic of Takoma Park.
5. XE's first favorite is Roscoe's, named after the famous local rooster. When Roscoe died, half the town was late for work!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Easter, 2013
5 things:
1. Nelson Mandela is in the hospital.
2. The Pope sends greetings "to those who suffer."
3. Syracuse beats Marquette, advances to the Final Four of the Elite East (??)
4. How to make sure you have enough $$ for retirement (from Dan Ariely's "Strangers on a Train" in the WSJ). The Repugs seem to be onto something.....:
1. Nelson Mandela is in the hospital.
2. The Pope sends greetings "to those who suffer."
3. Syracuse beats Marquette, advances to the Final Four of the Elite East (??)
4. How to make sure you have enough $$ for retirement (from Dan Ariely's "Strangers on a Train" in the WSJ). The Repugs seem to be onto something.....:
Dear Dan,
What is the best way to make sure Americans have sufficient funds for retirement?
—Ben
There are basically two ways to help people have enough money for retirement: getting them to save more and getting them to die younger. The easier one by far is getting people to die younger. How might you achieve this? By allowing citizens to smoke, subsidizing sugary and fatty foods, and making it hard for them to get access to preventative health care. But, when you think about this, it seems like we're already doing most of what we can on this front.
A version of this article appeared March 30, 2013, on page C12 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Strangers On a Train.
5. Transcendental Meditation is reputed to be far more effective than any pill for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and all of that. I'm checking it out.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Holy Saturday
5 things:
1. At noon on this day (Holy Saturday), the Lenten fast used to END. And my dad would have a nice, big sandwich for lunch and a good suck of a Jim Beam highball. I can't remember what I had for lunch. Probably peanut butter & jelly?
2. Sweet Jebus....My annuity arrived a day EARLY this month, which means that I could go to Trader Joe's this a.m. and get two bottles of Spanish Olive Oil plus some of those round O's multigrain cereal things and a rack of lamb!!
3. So far, I have not cooked the rack of lamb, but I'm gonna do it now. I just need to remember how to make the sauce: lemon juice, garlic, honey, olive oil (got plenty of that now), salt. and then roast the rack of lamb drenched in the sauce.
4. Gonna do it! now!
5. Happy freakin' easter, everyone, if that's what floats your boat. I'm glad Il Papa included Muslims in his foot-washing gig on Thursday. I am especially glad he is wearing his good, old black shoes instead of the papal white or red shoes. What nonsense to be wearing anything but what FITS!!!!
1. At noon on this day (Holy Saturday), the Lenten fast used to END. And my dad would have a nice, big sandwich for lunch and a good suck of a Jim Beam highball. I can't remember what I had for lunch. Probably peanut butter & jelly?
2. Sweet Jebus....My annuity arrived a day EARLY this month, which means that I could go to Trader Joe's this a.m. and get two bottles of Spanish Olive Oil plus some of those round O's multigrain cereal things and a rack of lamb!!
3. So far, I have not cooked the rack of lamb, but I'm gonna do it now. I just need to remember how to make the sauce: lemon juice, garlic, honey, olive oil (got plenty of that now), salt. and then roast the rack of lamb drenched in the sauce.
4. Gonna do it! now!
5. Happy freakin' easter, everyone, if that's what floats your boat. I'm glad Il Papa included Muslims in his foot-washing gig on Thursday. I am especially glad he is wearing his good, old black shoes instead of the papal white or red shoes. What nonsense to be wearing anything but what FITS!!!!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Third Day of Omer
5 things:
1. To love the world so much that every day something breaks open our hearts
2. To live mindfully
3. To open my eyes and behold the wonders
4. To know that in every moment, I am only passing through.
5. Miskan.org and Psalm 119: 17-19
1. To love the world so much that every day something breaks open our hearts
2. To live mindfully
3. To open my eyes and behold the wonders
4. To know that in every moment, I am only passing through.
5. Miskan.org and Psalm 119: 17-19
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Onstag...
5 things:
1. Looking for construction paper (all different colored sheets)
2. Once I find it, I'll write thank you notes to one and all who made my visit to Chicago so wonderful,
3. Easier said than done, apparently.
4. None in CVS, none in Safeway. Have to look in Staples? or Utrechts??
5. I used to have some, but no more. This is why I am so slow at sending cards.
1. Looking for construction paper (all different colored sheets)
2. Once I find it, I'll write thank you notes to one and all who made my visit to Chicago so wonderful,
3. Easier said than done, apparently.
4. None in CVS, none in Safeway. Have to look in Staples? or Utrechts??
5. I used to have some, but no more. This is why I am so slow at sending cards.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
How Green Is Their Valley....
5 things:
1. My three grandnieces in Chicago are champs at recycling and the sensible use of resources.
2. When they visit my niece & her husband (their parents), they go through their refrigerator and throw out everything that's outdated. They remind them about nutrition vs. convenience.
3. They regularly and usually take public transportation in a city where the car is still king. How far away do you live from somebody? Ordinarily, you get the answer in "minutes," not miles or blocks, which means most people drive. With them, it's "three stops."
4. They separate their trash into glass & cans, newspapers, garbage, and other refuse, whether the city has caught up yet with distribution of the proper containers. The gardeners among them compost their garbage.
5. All three of them are largely vegetarian, thought not yet vegan. They still feed their husbands meat once in a while.
Monday, March 25, 2013
chicago and back
5 Things:
1. Railroad trips are the best.
2. Cheaper than the bus.
3. Don't take as long.
4. Don't make as many stops.
5. And they have cafe cars.
1. Railroad trips are the best.
2. Cheaper than the bus.
3. Don't take as long.
4. Don't make as many stops.
5. And they have cafe cars.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Feliz Lunes-y
5 things:
1. Got through St. Patrick's day weekend here with only minor inconvenience. Between Metro track work, the Rock & Roll marathon on Saturday, and the St. Pat's day parade yesterday, though, transportation was dicey....
2. Snow is forecast for today, but there's no snow here. There was snow falling in the dog park across town earlier. So far, nowt here.
3. The Pope is doing his best to charm the villagers in the Vatican. Fine. Let's see what comes out of his mouth when he speaks ex cathedra.
4. The president of Argentina is a woman, and she gave the cardinal (now Pope) lots to think about!
5. I got three free books from Solas Nua on Irish Book Day (March 17) this year: Jesus and Billy Are Off to Barcelona by Dierdre Purcell, Mrs. Whippy by Cecelia Ahern, and The Comedian by Joseph O'Connor. I've read the first, and am halfway through the second (about a woman who LOVES ice cream!). Will finish the second and read the third tonight.
1. Got through St. Patrick's day weekend here with only minor inconvenience. Between Metro track work, the Rock & Roll marathon on Saturday, and the St. Pat's day parade yesterday, though, transportation was dicey....
2. Snow is forecast for today, but there's no snow here. There was snow falling in the dog park across town earlier. So far, nowt here.
3. The Pope is doing his best to charm the villagers in the Vatican. Fine. Let's see what comes out of his mouth when he speaks ex cathedra.
4. The president of Argentina is a woman, and she gave the cardinal (now Pope) lots to think about!
5. I got three free books from Solas Nua on Irish Book Day (March 17) this year: Jesus and Billy Are Off to Barcelona by Dierdre Purcell, Mrs. Whippy by Cecelia Ahern, and The Comedian by Joseph O'Connor. I've read the first, and am halfway through the second (about a woman who LOVES ice cream!). Will finish the second and read the third tonight.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Book Titles I Love
Five things:
1. Timothy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
2. Start Where You Are
3. The Buddha Walks Into a Bar
4. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
5. The Zen of Deafness
1. Timothy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
2. Start Where You Are
3. The Buddha Walks Into a Bar
4. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
5. The Zen of Deafness
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Tuesday....
5 things:
1. It was almost 60F when I got up this ayem. AND
2. It was POURING rain! I mean really coming down. By the time I got to the Metro stop, my pant legs were soaked, as was the 18" x 24" sketch pad I was hauling.
3. My companion in the elevator going up to the street was commiserating about the rain. He had to carry his sandwiches in a plastic bag!!
4. I hadn't had anything to eat, so when I got to Cathy's and she asked me what I'd like, I told her I wanted a SANDWICH. There is something so appealing about a sandwich you make yourself and carry from home. You can't buy one like it anywhere downtown, and the proper sandwich bread is scarce as hen's teeth.
5. Paul Ryan is skating very close to disaster with his abominable "let's kill Medicare" nonsense.
1. It was almost 60F when I got up this ayem. AND
2. It was POURING rain! I mean really coming down. By the time I got to the Metro stop, my pant legs were soaked, as was the 18" x 24" sketch pad I was hauling.
3. My companion in the elevator going up to the street was commiserating about the rain. He had to carry his sandwiches in a plastic bag!!
4. I hadn't had anything to eat, so when I got to Cathy's and she asked me what I'd like, I told her I wanted a SANDWICH. There is something so appealing about a sandwich you make yourself and carry from home. You can't buy one like it anywhere downtown, and the proper sandwich bread is scarce as hen's teeth.
5. Paul Ryan is skating very close to disaster with his abominable "let's kill Medicare" nonsense.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Village Gossip, Monday.....
5 things:
1. Last week I read something by the First Lady--about how she & the Mr. have encouraged their daughters to ski! Yes, "Let's Keep Moving"!! or something is her mantra this year. But then this morning, in CVS, one of the tabloids had a shocking headline: (and I'm just extrapolating...I didn't buy a copy) "Obamas have big fight over her wild spending! She takes the kids to Aspen, and he goes to Florida." (zzzzz). Some of the sidebars show Malia and Sasha skiing (presumably in Aspen). Actually, I don't see where Mrs. Obama is any big wild spender. I mean, she grows the White House's veggies!! Just like my mom did during WWII. (And have YOU priced out a head of cabbage lately?? Whew!)
2. Let's ask what was the Prex doing in Florida? Last week I read that the White House Press people were ticked off because Barack did not tell them he was golfing with....gasp.....Tiger Woods! That may be their story and they're sticking with it, but I also read that Barack really was golfing with OIL MAGNATES, and he didn't want the public (who at that very day/hour/moment were demonstrating out in front of the WH and getting arrested because they are against fracking and the pipeline and such) to know!! Was poor Tiger Wood just a front? (And I still have to laugh about the time his wife bashed in the back window of his car--you go, girl!) Is Michelle gonna take lessons from Elin on OTHER ways to use those golf clubs? Was Barack getting friendly with the greedy oil merchants? And today they say he was down there getting away from the fireworks at home. One doesn't know what to believe these days. The Republicans can't tell the truth from a hole in the wall, and Newt Gingrich will never get to be Pope.
3. Joe Biden is LOTS SMARTER than any old ash tray. He is about 15 times smarter than Dick Cheney and 100 times smarter than W. Besides, he's funny, and people like him. His WIFE is a PHD, for cat's sake! More than you can say about other vice-presidents. Remember Spiro Agnew?? And let's all get down on our knee bones and thank our lucky stars that other Joe (Lieberman) didn't get in! Uff da! Have you read what he's doing this week??
4. I just made a recipe (Pollo e Patate della Mama) out of a Lidia Bastianich cookbook, and I hate to say this, but it wasn't very good. I left out the bacon rolls because although bacon tends to put me right in the hospital, it does have a delicious taste. That's the breaks, I guess. Leave the good stuff out of a recipe, and pay the price. I think those big-time Italian chef women have cast iron stomachs. There's a picture of Lidia and her Mama in this book, and they are shuffling cards and looking like they're enjoying whatever clear spirits are in their glasses. Grappa?
5. Or maybe they're just having a suck off a bottle of EverClear!? Much cheaper.
1. Last week I read something by the First Lady--about how she & the Mr. have encouraged their daughters to ski! Yes, "Let's Keep Moving"!! or something is her mantra this year. But then this morning, in CVS, one of the tabloids had a shocking headline: (and I'm just extrapolating...I didn't buy a copy) "Obamas have big fight over her wild spending! She takes the kids to Aspen, and he goes to Florida." (zzzzz). Some of the sidebars show Malia and Sasha skiing (presumably in Aspen). Actually, I don't see where Mrs. Obama is any big wild spender. I mean, she grows the White House's veggies!! Just like my mom did during WWII. (And have YOU priced out a head of cabbage lately?? Whew!)
2. Let's ask what was the Prex doing in Florida? Last week I read that the White House Press people were ticked off because Barack did not tell them he was golfing with....gasp.....Tiger Woods! That may be their story and they're sticking with it, but I also read that Barack really was golfing with OIL MAGNATES, and he didn't want the public (who at that very day/hour/moment were demonstrating out in front of the WH and getting arrested because they are against fracking and the pipeline and such) to know!! Was poor Tiger Wood just a front? (And I still have to laugh about the time his wife bashed in the back window of his car--you go, girl!) Is Michelle gonna take lessons from Elin on OTHER ways to use those golf clubs? Was Barack getting friendly with the greedy oil merchants? And today they say he was down there getting away from the fireworks at home. One doesn't know what to believe these days. The Republicans can't tell the truth from a hole in the wall, and Newt Gingrich will never get to be Pope.
3. Joe Biden is LOTS SMARTER than any old ash tray. He is about 15 times smarter than Dick Cheney and 100 times smarter than W. Besides, he's funny, and people like him. His WIFE is a PHD, for cat's sake! More than you can say about other vice-presidents. Remember Spiro Agnew?? And let's all get down on our knee bones and thank our lucky stars that other Joe (Lieberman) didn't get in! Uff da! Have you read what he's doing this week??
4. I just made a recipe (Pollo e Patate della Mama) out of a Lidia Bastianich cookbook, and I hate to say this, but it wasn't very good. I left out the bacon rolls because although bacon tends to put me right in the hospital, it does have a delicious taste. That's the breaks, I guess. Leave the good stuff out of a recipe, and pay the price. I think those big-time Italian chef women have cast iron stomachs. There's a picture of Lidia and her Mama in this book, and they are shuffling cards and looking like they're enjoying whatever clear spirits are in their glasses. Grappa?
5. Or maybe they're just having a suck off a bottle of EverClear!? Much cheaper.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
another sun day!
5 things:
1. Favorite breakfast today: grated raw potato (1) mixed with beaten egg (1), fried in 1 T butter, served with 2 T maple syrup. Oh boy! Pretty good for the diet, too: 1 carb, 1 protein, 1 fat, and then cheating with the maple syrup.
2. No Jamieson's with the coffee this Sunday a.m., either. Mar dhea!
3. Wonder if L. has any NEW tricks today (this would be day 5, I think!!)?
4. Don't like what I've drawn for the painting. Don't like the colors, either. There's no SUNLIGHT!! Think I'll do a different one. Or a different focus?
5. My favorite writer's new book is VERY DARK (Emma Donoghue's Astray)! Mostly about immigrants, immigration. That's the part we don't talk about in my family of immigrants. We're safe now--2nd generation here. We've left all the crap behind, and most of my generation are dead--telling no tales!
1. Favorite breakfast today: grated raw potato (1) mixed with beaten egg (1), fried in 1 T butter, served with 2 T maple syrup. Oh boy! Pretty good for the diet, too: 1 carb, 1 protein, 1 fat, and then cheating with the maple syrup.
2. No Jamieson's with the coffee this Sunday a.m., either. Mar dhea!
3. Wonder if L. has any NEW tricks today (this would be day 5, I think!!)?
4. Don't like what I've drawn for the painting. Don't like the colors, either. There's no SUNLIGHT!! Think I'll do a different one. Or a different focus?
5. My favorite writer's new book is VERY DARK (Emma Donoghue's Astray)! Mostly about immigrants, immigration. That's the part we don't talk about in my family of immigrants. We're safe now--2nd generation here. We've left all the crap behind, and most of my generation are dead--telling no tales!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Meanwhile....
5 things:
1. The fambly is expanding by leaps (L.D. Denson, Chicago, 3 days ago) and bounds (?? Denson, Edinburgh (actually Peebles), next month.
2. And my painting is S L O W L Y getting off the ground.
3. My all-in-one has crapped out seriously. No more buying ink for that!
4. Do other grownups sometimes find their grown children pains in the butt?
5. Sneaking into a diet, one day at a time. First step (done), buy bread I don't find irresistible.
1. The fambly is expanding by leaps (L.D. Denson, Chicago, 3 days ago) and bounds (?? Denson, Edinburgh (actually Peebles), next month.
2. And my painting is S L O W L Y getting off the ground.
3. My all-in-one has crapped out seriously. No more buying ink for that!
4. Do other grownups sometimes find their grown children pains in the butt?
5. Sneaking into a diet, one day at a time. First step (done), buy bread I don't find irresistible.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Love Chocolate? Take a look.....
5 things is just one for this post:
1. Surprising results here....Women love chocolate, but let's make sure that the chocolate growers honor women, not disparage them! If you're into buying stocks, check out how the food people treat the land, the water, and the workers, especially the women!! Sisterhood!!
http://www.behindthebrands.org/en-us/scorecard
1. Surprising results here....Women love chocolate, but let's make sure that the chocolate growers honor women, not disparage them! If you're into buying stocks, check out how the food people treat the land, the water, and the workers, especially the women!! Sisterhood!!
http://www.behindthebrands.org/en-us/scorecard
WINDY!
5 things:
1. Wind is 29 mph here right now. That puts the apparent temperature in the low 20s. No danger of frostbite in 30 mins.
2. Yesterday was Lennox's grandma Penny's birthday!! Still beautiful & going strong!!
3. Here's Lennox:
4. He's an All-American baby, that's for sure. He combines a bunch of ethnic groups, including African-American, German, Greek, Irish, Jewish, Native American. But what will his personality be like as he grows up? Already they're saying he's "calm, contented." He's doubtless more than that, but jeez...he's just two days old. Give him some time. I think he looks like quite the kid--a broth of a lad. Broth, being what you get when you boil down a savory essence.....
5. Going to trim the rubber tree now. Guess there's a trick to it, but I don't know what it is, despite spending a long time online doing research. It looks as if there's one main trunk that's had it. The rest is sprouting new leaves!! Fingers crossed!..
1. Wind is 29 mph here right now. That puts the apparent temperature in the low 20s. No danger of frostbite in 30 mins.
2. Yesterday was Lennox's grandma Penny's birthday!! Still beautiful & going strong!!
3. Here's Lennox:
5. Going to trim the rubber tree now. Guess there's a trick to it, but I don't know what it is, despite spending a long time online doing research. It looks as if there's one main trunk that's had it. The rest is sprouting new leaves!! Fingers crossed!..
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Snow Day! (Without SNOW)
5 things:
1. All the skool kids and teachers hereabouts are celebrating a day off skool today thanks to a bit of snow on the ground and lots of breathless weather emergency reports yesterday.
2. Maureen Dowd sticks it to Dick Cheney this morning. Do you suppose he knows? Or cares?
3. No baby yet in Chicago. Grandson still "liking" messages of support on FB.
4. A person I know was told by his doctors some 30 years ago that he would not survive another two years unless he changed his eating/drinking habits. He just laughed. A typical dinner for him in those days would be 1 bottle of vodka, a steak, a package of frozen green beans with dumplings (remember those?), and for dessert, a half gallon of ice cream which he shared with his dog. He was married for more than 50 years and took care of his wife himself when she got sick with her final illness. He got married again last week at the age of 89. God love ya, mr. new bridegroom! Am rethinking the health-giving benefits of having a dog.
5. The pope and cardinals are giving homosexuality a bad name!
1. All the skool kids and teachers hereabouts are celebrating a day off skool today thanks to a bit of snow on the ground and lots of breathless weather emergency reports yesterday.
2. Maureen Dowd sticks it to Dick Cheney this morning. Do you suppose he knows? Or cares?
3. No baby yet in Chicago. Grandson still "liking" messages of support on FB.
4. A person I know was told by his doctors some 30 years ago that he would not survive another two years unless he changed his eating/drinking habits. He just laughed. A typical dinner for him in those days would be 1 bottle of vodka, a steak, a package of frozen green beans with dumplings (remember those?), and for dessert, a half gallon of ice cream which he shared with his dog. He was married for more than 50 years and took care of his wife himself when she got sick with her final illness. He got married again last week at the age of 89. God love ya, mr. new bridegroom! Am rethinking the health-giving benefits of having a dog.
5. The pope and cardinals are giving homosexuality a bad name!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Feliz Lunes-y
5 things:
1. The sparks has been here, and there is no problem with the wiring in the kitchen. That means the refrigerator is at fault--it won't even make ice cubes reliably--and has to be repaired or replaced. So....it's possible to get a good new fridge on sale for around $600 or so. Repairing this one could cost $200-$400.
2. The vote? repair.......0
replace.....2
3. It's unanimous....now to find a new fridge!
4. Sparks said all the power outages we've had in the past year and a half have not helped the fridge.
5. My admiration for repair persons who can FIX things quickly and competently continues to be sky high. I don't know why more young people don't go into this field. I don't know why more retirees like me don't take a course in this kind of thing, too.
1. The sparks has been here, and there is no problem with the wiring in the kitchen. That means the refrigerator is at fault--it won't even make ice cubes reliably--and has to be repaired or replaced. So....it's possible to get a good new fridge on sale for around $600 or so. Repairing this one could cost $200-$400.
2. The vote? repair.......0
replace.....2
3. It's unanimous....now to find a new fridge!
4. Sparks said all the power outages we've had in the past year and a half have not helped the fridge.
5. My admiration for repair persons who can FIX things quickly and competently continues to be sky high. I don't know why more young people don't go into this field. I don't know why more retirees like me don't take a course in this kind of thing, too.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Sunday!
5 things:
1. Ordered a book: Nita Leland's The New Creative Artist! Love books, and love ordering them from used booksellers, who ship the books to me via USPS! I'm doing anything I can to help the US post office survive this idiot congress.
2. Talked with a mailman yesterday as he picked up mail to be sent from the mailbox near our back yard. I wished him luck with all the changes Congress has in store for us, and he said, "Yeah! We've had the mail all our lives!! Why change it?!" He is so right. It's the one thing we have always been able to count on. I remember getting mail delivered on Christmas day from one of my brothers during WWII. The post office would do that. And I've always loved most of the people (with very few exceptions) who work in the p.o. They do their best to be of service. If you are an introvert like me, you value each and every interaction you have when you leave the house. YOU GO, POST OFFICE!!
3. Let's hear it for TEACHERS, too!! OMG, how many teachers have helped me live as long as I have and do the things I've done and at the end of the day, enjoy my leisure by getting into a good book!!
4. All of a sudden, it's chilly again here. It was below freezing this a.m. (30F) when I got up, and this is after 4 or 5 warmish days. Read somewhere last night that this year so far has been like "the year without a summer": 1816. You can look it up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer
5. Ver vaist?
1. Ordered a book: Nita Leland's The New Creative Artist! Love books, and love ordering them from used booksellers, who ship the books to me via USPS! I'm doing anything I can to help the US post office survive this idiot congress.
2. Talked with a mailman yesterday as he picked up mail to be sent from the mailbox near our back yard. I wished him luck with all the changes Congress has in store for us, and he said, "Yeah! We've had the mail all our lives!! Why change it?!" He is so right. It's the one thing we have always been able to count on. I remember getting mail delivered on Christmas day from one of my brothers during WWII. The post office would do that. And I've always loved most of the people (with very few exceptions) who work in the p.o. They do their best to be of service. If you are an introvert like me, you value each and every interaction you have when you leave the house. YOU GO, POST OFFICE!!
3. Let's hear it for TEACHERS, too!! OMG, how many teachers have helped me live as long as I have and do the things I've done and at the end of the day, enjoy my leisure by getting into a good book!!
4. All of a sudden, it's chilly again here. It was below freezing this a.m. (30F) when I got up, and this is after 4 or 5 warmish days. Read somewhere last night that this year so far has been like "the year without a summer": 1816. You can look it up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer
5. Ver vaist?
Saturday, March 2, 2013
March 2
Just now getting to this. Been a busy day. I'm relying heavily on my favorite blogs today.
2. Like short stories??
http://www.bookish.com/articles/emma-donoghue-picks-10-favorite-short-story-collections
3. Lesson #5000: Follow the recipe!!
I tried to make a chicken dish that starts with chopped garlic and dried tomatoes (NOT the canned kind with the oil), and the only good thing is the chicken. My local supermarket did NOT have sundried tomatoes in a package. It only had them in a jar. So I thought...what the heck....Wrong, so wrong.
4. The wine was horrible, too. Again, lesson 5001, stick with what you know, not with what you remember!
5. I bought 100 forever first-class stamps today. I've been out of stamps for a long time. And I lost them. Fortunately, someone found them and brought them to me, but what a sinking feeling. This is typical of what can happen when Mercury goes retrograde. The challenge will be writing letters to send with these stamps! I've gotten very lazy about writing letters. I'll start with my dear friends here, who often send me letters (to which I don't reply in proper form: on paper with envelopes and stamps, etc.
3. Lesson #5000: Follow the recipe!!
I tried to make a chicken dish that starts with chopped garlic and dried tomatoes (NOT the canned kind with the oil), and the only good thing is the chicken. My local supermarket did NOT have sundried tomatoes in a package. It only had them in a jar. So I thought...what the heck....Wrong, so wrong.
4. The wine was horrible, too. Again, lesson 5001, stick with what you know, not with what you remember!
5. I bought 100 forever first-class stamps today. I've been out of stamps for a long time. And I lost them. Fortunately, someone found them and brought them to me, but what a sinking feeling. This is typical of what can happen when Mercury goes retrograde. The challenge will be writing letters to send with these stamps! I've gotten very lazy about writing letters. I'll start with my dear friends here, who often send me letters (to which I don't reply in proper form: on paper with envelopes and stamps, etc.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Now What???
Five things:
1. NYT: Give Up Your Pew for Lent
2. Lots of people have a bad cough-flu kind of thing now....including me.
3. I have been voting in the US for more than 50 years, and I can never
remember the continuing appeals for money following on the heels of a completed
election (e.g., the presidential election in 2012)--or two years in advance of the next one. Somebody's getting rich off this, and I suspect it's the media.
4. Only 19 days till Spring! And my friend Linda's cherry tree, which ordinarily blossoms 3 weeks in advance of the cherry trees on the mall, is already showing pink buds! Does this mean that the Cherry Blossom Festival, beginning March 20, is more or less gonna be in sync with the blossoms this year?
5. Nationofchange.org has a splendid commentary on the sequester: Basically, today, unless Congress comes to its collective senses (??), the sequester begins. Just remember who did this. Congress. And Congress can stop it--even today.
1. NYT: Give Up Your Pew for Lent
2. Lots of people have a bad cough-flu kind of thing now....including me.
3. I have been voting in the US for more than 50 years, and I can never
remember the continuing appeals for money following on the heels of a completed
election (e.g., the presidential election in 2012)--or two years in advance of the next one. Somebody's getting rich off this, and I suspect it's the media.
4. Only 19 days till Spring! And my friend Linda's cherry tree, which ordinarily blossoms 3 weeks in advance of the cherry trees on the mall, is already showing pink buds! Does this mean that the Cherry Blossom Festival, beginning March 20, is more or less gonna be in sync with the blossoms this year?
5. Nationofchange.org has a splendid commentary on the sequester: Basically, today, unless Congress comes to its collective senses (??), the sequester begins. Just remember who did this. Congress. And Congress can stop it--even today.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
End of February 2013
5 things:
1. Pope's Benedict XVI's last day!
2. Buon riddanza! Non lasciare che la porta a zanzariera ti ha colpito nel culo!
3. Hans Kung in the NY Times
4. I can hear the birdies chirping outside my porch.
5. Wish Christopher Hitchens were still alive to write about this....
1. Pope's Benedict XVI's last day!
2. Buon riddanza! Non lasciare che la porta a zanzariera ti ha colpito nel culo!
3. Hans Kung in the NY Times
4. I can hear the birdies chirping outside my porch.
5. Wish Christopher Hitchens were still alive to write about this....
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
almost end of February.....
5 things:
1. My Daily Challenge challenge was to create a shopping list of healthgiving foods to keep on stock. Well, I have a bunch of healthgiving foods on stock here, but
2. Refrigerator is busted (we think). So need to call a repair guy. and
3. In the meantime, CC volunteered to pick up some groceries for me on her way back
from skool, as
4. I have been sick, and I'm too sick to go out. So...here's my shopping list of healthgiving foods for today:
5. Eggs, 4 oranges, loaf of rye bread, package of cookies, 2 apples, and 1 smallish head of cabbage. I already have enough gin, red wine, butter, and potatoes. And carrots--lots of those, and good ones, too: organic from Trader Joe's!
1. My Daily Challenge challenge was to create a shopping list of healthgiving foods to keep on stock. Well, I have a bunch of healthgiving foods on stock here, but
2. Refrigerator is busted (we think). So need to call a repair guy. and
3. In the meantime, CC volunteered to pick up some groceries for me on her way back
from skool, as
4. I have been sick, and I'm too sick to go out. So...here's my shopping list of healthgiving foods for today:
5. Eggs, 4 oranges, loaf of rye bread, package of cookies, 2 apples, and 1 smallish head of cabbage. I already have enough gin, red wine, butter, and potatoes. And carrots--lots of those, and good ones, too: organic from Trader Joe's!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
thoughts for today.....
1. How come the chief Catholic prelate for Great Britain has been kicked out for his adult sexual (inappropriate) activity with maybe 4-5 priests??? He's not even going to vote for the new Pope. Mahony and the guy from NY, however, will be there. They "only" covered up for priests who abused hundreds of little kids. The Vatican stinks upwind!!
2. It's raining here today, and when I covered my mouth with my scarf, I was reminded of my mom, and all the times she wrapped me up in a scarf to keep me warm. It works!
3. The bread machine someone gave me when her husband gave up on it seems to have been set up wrong. It's supposed to be at "5," but it was at "2" when I checked it just now. No wonder it dint work!! It's disappointing that it makes only one loaf at a time, too. My previous bread recipes made 6 or 7 loaves at a time, though they were not machine-processed.
4. Saw Vincent from Dupont again today on the Metro. He's the young guy who looks a lot like the young Vincent Van Gogh. Though he's getting older, too.
5. Have a great-grandniece named "Hattie." Cutest little doodlebug you've ever seen--unless you count her twin sister, Anna.
2. It's raining here today, and when I covered my mouth with my scarf, I was reminded of my mom, and all the times she wrapped me up in a scarf to keep me warm. It works!
3. The bread machine someone gave me when her husband gave up on it seems to have been set up wrong. It's supposed to be at "5," but it was at "2" when I checked it just now. No wonder it dint work!! It's disappointing that it makes only one loaf at a time, too. My previous bread recipes made 6 or 7 loaves at a time, though they were not machine-processed.
4. Saw Vincent from Dupont again today on the Metro. He's the young guy who looks a lot like the young Vincent Van Gogh. Though he's getting older, too.
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