The husband and I had a lovely Thanksgiving at the home of our friends Peggy and Larry. I took sweet potatoes cooked in a savory way and the cranberry salad my Mom always made, and our hosts provided the rest. We are planning to reciprocate soon with a traditional Korean supper of bulgogi, a beef barbecue dish (not spicy) that my husband makes especially well. As our house is too small to entertain even 2 people, we'll be bringing it to their house.
After dinner, the men went into the family room and talked politics - having found each other kindred spirits - and the two librarians sat in the living room and discussed work and our favorite crafts. Hers is quilting and mine is knitting. We may be trading a quilt for a sweater one of these days, though both of us lament the lack of time and energy to indulge our respective fiber obsessions.
For people with sugar issues or just wanting something different to do with sweet potatoes, here's that recipe:
Garlic Basil Mashed Sweet Potatoes
(serves 6-8)
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoon basil, chopped (I used dried)
2 cloves garlic (I buy the pre-diced garlic in the jar - I figure a clove is about 1/2 teaspoon)
2-4 tablespoons (to taste) SOFTENED butter.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Boil sweet potatoes as usual (remove peels)
Mash them with the above. That's it. Easy enough for everyday, and not loaded with sugar.
Marge's Cranberry Salad
(serves 12)
1 small box red jello, any flavor. I'm partial to raspberry.
1 small orange, peeled and diced (I use kitchen scissors)
1 small apple, cored and diced.
1 rib celery, diced
1/2 package fresh cranberries, chopped (blender, add a bit of water and use pulse until they're fine enough. Then drain well)
1/2 cup sugar to taste
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or not, as you prefer)
Mix the fruit, sugar, and nuts.
Prepare the jello according to the package. When it's half-set, add fruit mixture and stir. Chill.
This can be made with Splenda and sugar-free jello if you want. Looks as good as it tastes. I took a pic with my dumbphone but can't seem to get the picture off it.
T
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
The Common &%$#**# Cold
This annoying little virus with its unending evolutionary mutations has been around as long as we have historical records, and probably more. No one dies of a cold (unlike the flu) but we all are laid low. I don't know a single person who's never caught a cold.
What purpose does this virus serve in the massive jigsaw puzzle of an ecosystem?
God in his wisdom made the fly
And then forgot to tell us why. -- Ogden Nash.
Not true, many animals eat flies: frogs, toads, bats, spiders, often other insects, birds. It serves a purpose. Does anything feed on viruses? What connects them to the rest of creation? If we could actually wipe them all out, would it do more harm or more good?
Speaking as someone who's body seems to think cold viruses are Pokemon and must catch them all, I can tell you it would save a lot of trees from being made into tissues if there were no more of them. And it's a damn shame there isn't a way to turn nasal mucous into a fuel source.
Well, I'm no Ogden Nash, but here goes:
Contemplate the lowly virus
Sent by God to sorely try us.
Evolved for purposes unknowable,
To make us glad our noses are blowable,
Else our heads would fair explode
From the ever-increasing load.
What purpose does this virus serve in the massive jigsaw puzzle of an ecosystem?
God in his wisdom made the fly
And then forgot to tell us why. -- Ogden Nash.
Not true, many animals eat flies: frogs, toads, bats, spiders, often other insects, birds. It serves a purpose. Does anything feed on viruses? What connects them to the rest of creation? If we could actually wipe them all out, would it do more harm or more good?
Speaking as someone who's body seems to think cold viruses are Pokemon and must catch them all, I can tell you it would save a lot of trees from being made into tissues if there were no more of them. And it's a damn shame there isn't a way to turn nasal mucous into a fuel source.
Well, I'm no Ogden Nash, but here goes:
Contemplate the lowly virus
Sent by God to sorely try us.
Evolved for purposes unknowable,
To make us glad our noses are blowable,
Else our heads would fair explode
From the ever-increasing load.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Dear Tribble, 1998-2014, rest in peace.
Another sweet cat has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and a gentle, loving soul has left us. Yes, I do firmly believe animals have souls. I have looked into too many pairs of feline eyes to doubt that.
Tribble was a quiet cat, a real snuggler with a nice loud purr. Back when he shared my bed instead of my husband, he liked best to have his head on my pillow so he could purr into my face. I had to hold his paws to keep him from making bread on my neck because that hurt.
He never met a stranger. He'd come greet anyone who came into my home, and if you'd pet him or give him a treat, he was your friend. He asked no more - but sometimes he demanded. My husband got himself trained! He started giving treats, and at last every time he'd go into the kitchen, Tribble would follow and stare at him with the unblinking intensity of a hunter. If treats did not appear, he's meow in a loud, harsh, tomcat voice - the only time he meowed at all.
I heard him hiss once, in his entire life. Hester smacked him for no reason one time when he was just walking by her, and he gave her a look that said, "What's your problem, bitch?" and hissed at her. And kept walking. He was one laid back cat.
Tribble had me trained too, but then I'm easy that way. If, when he was in my lap, I spent too long knitting, he'd grab my wrist to make me pet him. I never minded. Sometimes he'd grab with both paws. He was a love to cuddle.
Of the litter of three tiny kittens I adopted in El Paso in 1998, one is left - Kira. Chakotay died of cancer at age 9, and now Tribble has passed of simple old age. His loving kitty body just wore out.
I hope they have nice laps wherever he is, and I hope I get all my cats back when I cross that bridge. I couldn't find the source of this quote, but my friend Krys told me this: Those of us who share our hearts and lives with creatures whose lifespans are so much shorter than ours have great courage.
I can't imagine living without cats.
Tribble was a quiet cat, a real snuggler with a nice loud purr. Back when he shared my bed instead of my husband, he liked best to have his head on my pillow so he could purr into my face. I had to hold his paws to keep him from making bread on my neck because that hurt.
He never met a stranger. He'd come greet anyone who came into my home, and if you'd pet him or give him a treat, he was your friend. He asked no more - but sometimes he demanded. My husband got himself trained! He started giving treats, and at last every time he'd go into the kitchen, Tribble would follow and stare at him with the unblinking intensity of a hunter. If treats did not appear, he's meow in a loud, harsh, tomcat voice - the only time he meowed at all.
I heard him hiss once, in his entire life. Hester smacked him for no reason one time when he was just walking by her, and he gave her a look that said, "What's your problem, bitch?" and hissed at her. And kept walking. He was one laid back cat.
Tribble had me trained too, but then I'm easy that way. If, when he was in my lap, I spent too long knitting, he'd grab my wrist to make me pet him. I never minded. Sometimes he'd grab with both paws. He was a love to cuddle.
Of the litter of three tiny kittens I adopted in El Paso in 1998, one is left - Kira. Chakotay died of cancer at age 9, and now Tribble has passed of simple old age. His loving kitty body just wore out.
I hope they have nice laps wherever he is, and I hope I get all my cats back when I cross that bridge. I couldn't find the source of this quote, but my friend Krys told me this: Those of us who share our hearts and lives with creatures whose lifespans are so much shorter than ours have great courage.
I can't imagine living without cats.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
A-at LAST - I'm writing in this thing again
The blog has lapsed this time for many reasons. The first, and the reason it usually lapses, it that I lead a quiet life, so there's not much obvious in it to write about. Second, we had to let our home internet service go because our budget was very tight. Frankly, we weren't making ends meet. Of course writing blog entries at work was completely out of the question, and there just wasn't enough time to go somewhere with free wi-fi to do any writing.
I got a real library job again, so finally I'm earning enough money for my disabled husband and myself to live on. We finally have internet at home and TV again. I hope we can get a landline next. I truly detest cell phones. Yes, I do have one. They're a regrettable necessity these days, but I have the kind you buy minutes and load them on the phone. I long for an unlimited phone conversation, one in which I don't have to worry about how long it's lasting.
So now that I'm getting decent money again, we're slowly getting caught up from the two years where we were desperate. We owe lots, and it'll take a while to catch up, but now we can do it. And, wonder of wonders, I'll have paid vacation leave again. Not that we can really go anywhere, but time off with money will be such a treat by itself, I don't care.
The low-paying job I had was zero stress, but the stress of not having enough money to pay the bills more than made up for that. I've been buying makeup at the dollar store and clothes from thrift shops. Mind you, I do find thrift shops fun - it's like a treasure hunt - but sometimes it would be nice to go after something specific and actually be able to go up or down a size in the same item when the first try doesn't fit. It will also be nice to replace and repair broken things - our camera, the passenger side visor in the car.
While a very low-stress job has that to recommend itself, I swear I could feel my brain deteriorating and my library skills fading away. My new job will expect more of me, but the people are good to work with and committed to being pleasant to each other. My mind has kicked back into gear for the assorted challenges of a technical library, a type I haven't worked in before.
On the writing front, the progress on Annie is going slowly but surely. When I'm done with the second draft, I have two other half-finished projects I want to complete. By the time Annie has been run through my writing group, I'll have those done and will be able to do the third and last draft with a fresh pair of eyes. I have a romantic suspense and a historical romance to finish up, then the fantasy series that has grown and evolved until at last I feel I can do it justice. I have three partial novels to choose from to start with, and won't know which one I pick until I actually pick it.
So how are these for titles? Shall I choose Danath of Klarden, The Windwalker's Tale, or Dawn of the Wolf? We shall see.
I got a real library job again, so finally I'm earning enough money for my disabled husband and myself to live on. We finally have internet at home and TV again. I hope we can get a landline next. I truly detest cell phones. Yes, I do have one. They're a regrettable necessity these days, but I have the kind you buy minutes and load them on the phone. I long for an unlimited phone conversation, one in which I don't have to worry about how long it's lasting.
So now that I'm getting decent money again, we're slowly getting caught up from the two years where we were desperate. We owe lots, and it'll take a while to catch up, but now we can do it. And, wonder of wonders, I'll have paid vacation leave again. Not that we can really go anywhere, but time off with money will be such a treat by itself, I don't care.
The low-paying job I had was zero stress, but the stress of not having enough money to pay the bills more than made up for that. I've been buying makeup at the dollar store and clothes from thrift shops. Mind you, I do find thrift shops fun - it's like a treasure hunt - but sometimes it would be nice to go after something specific and actually be able to go up or down a size in the same item when the first try doesn't fit. It will also be nice to replace and repair broken things - our camera, the passenger side visor in the car.
While a very low-stress job has that to recommend itself, I swear I could feel my brain deteriorating and my library skills fading away. My new job will expect more of me, but the people are good to work with and committed to being pleasant to each other. My mind has kicked back into gear for the assorted challenges of a technical library, a type I haven't worked in before.
On the writing front, the progress on Annie is going slowly but surely. When I'm done with the second draft, I have two other half-finished projects I want to complete. By the time Annie has been run through my writing group, I'll have those done and will be able to do the third and last draft with a fresh pair of eyes. I have a romantic suspense and a historical romance to finish up, then the fantasy series that has grown and evolved until at last I feel I can do it justice. I have three partial novels to choose from to start with, and won't know which one I pick until I actually pick it.
So how are these for titles? Shall I choose Danath of Klarden, The Windwalker's Tale, or Dawn of the Wolf? We shall see.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
The Trouble With Trust
People want to trust the people they love. But what do you do when that trust is broken? I saw a meme that said trust is like chocolate. When it's broken, you can melt it back together, but it's never as perfect as it was before.
There's an old saying Scotty quoted once on the original Star Trek, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I guess I need a double dose of shame because I've been fooled by the same person several times now.
The first time my trust was broken by this person, I melted the chocolate back together. Maybe I shouldn't have. The second time, I left it broken. The third time, it crumbled. This time it's gone. I literally haven't got any more left. To abandon the chocolate metaphor, it's like I built a stone castle. It got ground into sand, and now I can't get the sand to stick together again.
Trust is fragile and precious. Once broken, it never completely heals. If you have someone's trust, treasure it. If you've broken it, don't blame them for trusting you. It isn't their fault for trusting, it's yours for proving yourself to not be trustworthy.
There's an old saying Scotty quoted once on the original Star Trek, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I guess I need a double dose of shame because I've been fooled by the same person several times now.
The first time my trust was broken by this person, I melted the chocolate back together. Maybe I shouldn't have. The second time, I left it broken. The third time, it crumbled. This time it's gone. I literally haven't got any more left. To abandon the chocolate metaphor, it's like I built a stone castle. It got ground into sand, and now I can't get the sand to stick together again.
Trust is fragile and precious. Once broken, it never completely heals. If you have someone's trust, treasure it. If you've broken it, don't blame them for trusting you. It isn't their fault for trusting, it's yours for proving yourself to not be trustworthy.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Thornyrose Books
After quite a hiatus, I'm getting the writing in gear. I have three unpublished finished novels, and I'm going ahead with self-publishing. I am an indie author. At the age of 60 I no longer have time for the slow grind of the traditional publishing process.
My romantic fantasy, Grove Secrets, will be out in both print and e-book on Amazon.com sometime next week. After 90 days as a Kindle exclusive, I'll put it on Smashwords. I am also going to check Book Bub. It looks like a decent venue for indie authors.
As Home Again, Reb Dexter's Last Concert, and Like a Single Cell have been Kindle exclusive for more than 90 days, I'll be uploading them to Smashwords soon. Smashwords, by the way, will put the books onto Barnes and Noble for me, so they'll be available as ebooks for Nook soon after.
In a month or two, I'll release For the Seven Kingdoms, a sword-and-sorcery novel that could be the first of seven in a series. I have ideas for five more. Yes, that's only six. We'll see what my odd little brain coughs up for the last one.
Plague Scars, my post-apocalyptic domestic novel, will be out later this year.
Meantime, I'm finishing my first steampunk novel with a strong romantic plot. Annie's Doomsday Engine can best be described as Mission Impossible meets The Wild Wild West (TV show, not awful movie) on the Island of Dr. Moreau. After that I have a list of six novels to finish, that are in assorted stages of near-completion. Then we shall see about continuing the ones that I'd like to be series, trilogies, or even simply two volumes. I want to write a sequel to Phoenix Hatching, and I've got a rough draft done, called Phoenix Flying. I have two more steampunk ideas that are set in the same milieu as Annie's. I've already mentioned Seven Kingdoms wants to be a series, and Grove Secrets has two sequels involving the same family that are banging around in my head. Then, at last, there are two 'learning experience' novels I wrote a long time ago that had some potential. I'm going to scrap everything but the basic idea and characters, and try at least the first one again.
And if I live long enough, I have a huge list of ideas... I wish I'd gotten my writing feet under me a long time ago, but I've always been a late bloomer.
My romantic fantasy, Grove Secrets, will be out in both print and e-book on Amazon.com sometime next week. After 90 days as a Kindle exclusive, I'll put it on Smashwords. I am also going to check Book Bub. It looks like a decent venue for indie authors.
As Home Again, Reb Dexter's Last Concert, and Like a Single Cell have been Kindle exclusive for more than 90 days, I'll be uploading them to Smashwords soon. Smashwords, by the way, will put the books onto Barnes and Noble for me, so they'll be available as ebooks for Nook soon after.
In a month or two, I'll release For the Seven Kingdoms, a sword-and-sorcery novel that could be the first of seven in a series. I have ideas for five more. Yes, that's only six. We'll see what my odd little brain coughs up for the last one.
Plague Scars, my post-apocalyptic domestic novel, will be out later this year.
Meantime, I'm finishing my first steampunk novel with a strong romantic plot. Annie's Doomsday Engine can best be described as Mission Impossible meets The Wild Wild West (TV show, not awful movie) on the Island of Dr. Moreau. After that I have a list of six novels to finish, that are in assorted stages of near-completion. Then we shall see about continuing the ones that I'd like to be series, trilogies, or even simply two volumes. I want to write a sequel to Phoenix Hatching, and I've got a rough draft done, called Phoenix Flying. I have two more steampunk ideas that are set in the same milieu as Annie's. I've already mentioned Seven Kingdoms wants to be a series, and Grove Secrets has two sequels involving the same family that are banging around in my head. Then, at last, there are two 'learning experience' novels I wrote a long time ago that had some potential. I'm going to scrap everything but the basic idea and characters, and try at least the first one again.
And if I live long enough, I have a huge list of ideas... I wish I'd gotten my writing feet under me a long time ago, but I've always been a late bloomer.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
The Earth will go on... without us.
I've gotten flak for my stances on the environment. One thing I hear a lot is, Why worry? The earth has been through many disasters. If we cause another one, it'll recover. Animals go extinct, others evolve. So why bother?
I bother because I'd like humans to be able to continue on this planet. Yes, the earth will go on, evolution will continue. But if we poison, heat up, drain all the potable water, and screw up the ecology enough that the weather turns apocalyptic, humans won't be part of that earth or that evolution. What environmentalists are trying to save the earth for, is people.
Trouble is, there's no profit in saving the environment. Tiger skins and other parts, elephant tusks, and the land the tigers and elephants need to live on is all too valuable. So we use it up. The oil companies can't figure out how to make obscene amounts of money on renewable energy sources, so they don't fund the research and they spread lies about it. Meanwhile they're fracking the daylights out of every possible source. Here in New Mexico, impoverished farmers are selling their fresh water to frackers. Like we've got such an excess of potable water in this desert state. And when it's all poisoned - make no mistake, fracking poisons water - there'll be no water left to drink.
At least, not cheap water. Want to pay for water at the same prices as gasoline? Keep on, folks. You will.
Global warming is another hot topic. Of course, the uber-rich who are currently running America don't want to 'believe' in it despite all the evidence. It would make them have to make changes in their companies that would cut into their profits, and of course if you only make 9 million a year instead of 10, you've got quite a hardship. Mercy, how does anyone live on that? Poor souls. And who cares about dead polar bears anyway? Can't make a profit on them. So on we go, melting the ice caps, until sooner or later low-lying coastline cities will be inundated. Oh, you bet they can make a profit on that. Just watch.
We keep poisoning the air and water, cutting holes in the ecosystem, blissfully assured that humans can't possibly go extinct. We're immortal and perfect, we're invincible.
Hah.
I bother because I'd like humans to be able to continue on this planet. Yes, the earth will go on, evolution will continue. But if we poison, heat up, drain all the potable water, and screw up the ecology enough that the weather turns apocalyptic, humans won't be part of that earth or that evolution. What environmentalists are trying to save the earth for, is people.
Trouble is, there's no profit in saving the environment. Tiger skins and other parts, elephant tusks, and the land the tigers and elephants need to live on is all too valuable. So we use it up. The oil companies can't figure out how to make obscene amounts of money on renewable energy sources, so they don't fund the research and they spread lies about it. Meanwhile they're fracking the daylights out of every possible source. Here in New Mexico, impoverished farmers are selling their fresh water to frackers. Like we've got such an excess of potable water in this desert state. And when it's all poisoned - make no mistake, fracking poisons water - there'll be no water left to drink.
At least, not cheap water. Want to pay for water at the same prices as gasoline? Keep on, folks. You will.
Global warming is another hot topic. Of course, the uber-rich who are currently running America don't want to 'believe' in it despite all the evidence. It would make them have to make changes in their companies that would cut into their profits, and of course if you only make 9 million a year instead of 10, you've got quite a hardship. Mercy, how does anyone live on that? Poor souls. And who cares about dead polar bears anyway? Can't make a profit on them. So on we go, melting the ice caps, until sooner or later low-lying coastline cities will be inundated. Oh, you bet they can make a profit on that. Just watch.
We keep poisoning the air and water, cutting holes in the ecosystem, blissfully assured that humans can't possibly go extinct. We're immortal and perfect, we're invincible.
Hah.
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