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......

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!)

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).

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!

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!