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Sunday Sadness
My sister first shared this on Facebook in 2017, the year our father died, and has shared it every year since. He died in July, and I remember that she was stumbling through her day to day life, clinging to work, marriage, kids, and decided she needed something to look forward to. So she came home from work one day and booked a trip to Hawaii for Thanksgiving. A privilege I know, but it really helped her to have that trip with her immediate family to look forward to, and to get away from home for a bit. Coincidentally, after my mom died in 2008, we also went to Hawaii,…
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Friday Randomness
This week’s randomness is going to be illustrated by a bunch of ridiculous memes. I’m sorry, or you’re welcome, depending on how you feel about them. Helpful Hint #1I don’t remember where I read this, but it was really helpful. Sometimes I am merrily writing a comment on someone’s blog (usually a WordPress blog) and my comment just disappears! SO FRUSTRATING, right? Well, someone commented on one of your blogs that she found the ‘undo’ command, which on my iPad is cmd+Z. Hit that a couple of times, and your comment comes back. WHAT A WONDERFUL THING TO HAVE FOUND, and I am thankful to whomever left that comment, thank…
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Wordless Wednesday – Before and After
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My Oxford Year
Yesterday, I had thoughts of perhaps going to see the film adaptation of Hamnet, which is getting very good reviews. I enjoyed but did not love the book, but I am considering rereading it. However, I woke up with a head cold and decided to take it easy instead. I skipped my weights and my walk, and did a simple yoga for sick recovery stretch instead. I wrote out a few Christmas Cards, then decided to watch the film adaptation of My Oxford Year, a romantic tragedy written by Julia Whelan, which I read (and enjoyed) last year. Anna (named Ella in the book) is spending a year abroad at…
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Sunday 6 (If you include Mulder’s butt)
Here we are at the END of NaBloPoMo, so above is a picture of Mulder’s END. Maya showed me this picture she took one Christmas morning, which I had never seen before. So fluffy! I’ve mostly run out of steam, but here is a little Sunday Randomness for you. I saw these two at the weekly protest last week. I’m not sure about being aligned with Antifa, but I am definitely anti fascist. We went to dinner at a local spot last weekend, and right in my line of site was this poor guy. His light colored belt with his dark jeans looked like a plumber’s crack to me. Warn…
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Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, this recipe popped up on my Facebook feed. I loved that it is a make ahead recipe. You make the recipe to the final step, then put it in the fridge overnight. Before dinner, assuming you have room in the oven, you pop the potatoes in the oven and bake until golden brown. Delicious, and very rich. I don’t think I would make my mashed potatoes like this for a regular dinner, but for a holiday meal? Absolutely. Recipe copied and pasted from Ina Garten, here. Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes Ingredients Directions Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the potatoes, garlic, and…
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Friday Randomness
It’s the last Friday of NaBloPoMo, and look, I have more stupid randomness for you. I am sure you’ve been waiting all week, right? Let’s dive in. Before we move on, though, the cartoon above is for Nicole, who loves the Wham! song, Last Christmas, and does not understand nor participate in Whamageddon. I may or may not be participating this year, though Ted’s company Christmas party usually throws me out pretty early, and I can just enjoy the song if it pops up somewhere. Last Sunday, Maya wanted to go see the new Wicked movie, and she wanted to go to Chilis and have their Wicked themed margaritas. This…
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Her Many Faces
Her Many Faces ~ Nicci Cloke Katherine (Katie) Cole is a waitress at a super exclusive men’s club where 4 very powerful men die of poisoning one night, and she is accused. Her Many Faces is a phycological mystery where the question of ‘did she do it’ is examined by 5 men. This was an effective way to tell the story, none of it from Katie’s POV. The men who consider her case all have their own opinions and agendas, none are neutral to her possible innocence or guilt. I liked this, that they were all unreliable to a point, and I didn’t know who or what to believe. This…
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Wordless Wednesday
Obligatory autumnal scene on a foggy morning walk. I like how the trees look a little hazy through the light fog.
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San’s Winter Soup
San posted a recipe the other day for a thick and creamy winter vegetable stew, and I immediately changed my menu plans for the week to include it. She found the recipe here, and simplified it and said we should all make it our own, so I looked at the original, looked at hers, and made a few changes. The original is a crock pot/slow cooker meal, and San has adapted it for the stovetop. I am a stove top girl, I don’t have a crock pot, so I appreciated her changes. This is a tasty stew/soup, and San’s pictures are a lot nicer than mine. My changes from San’s…
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I’ll Come to You
I’ll Come to You ~ Rebecca Kaufmann It is January, 1995. Ellen is recently divorced, but she doesn’t really understand what went wrong in her marriage. She goes on a blind date with Gary that doesn’t really go well, and she decides that what they need next Christmas is to have a family holiday, with her ex husband included. Perhaps they can cool down between now and then and reconcile. Ellen’s son, Paul, is married to Corinne, and they are expecting a baby. They struggled to get to this point. Corinne’s brother (Rob) is a used car salesman with a history of lying that has followed him through his life,…
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Thinking About is 20!
20 years ago today I posted my inaugural post, about Thanksgiving and how I hated it growing up but now it’s my favorite holiday. I had some friends who had started blogs and were reading blogs and were talking about blogs, and I decided to join in. I wasn’t sure I had anything much to say, but Ted said that I liked talking about restaurants and meals, so maybe I could write about that. I did, for a bit, but then discovered that I actually had a lot to say. About politics, about books, about recipes, about culture. About parenthood, dogs, tv and movies. About grief and family, friendship and…
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Audition
Audition ~ Katie Kitamura A well known but not famous middle aged actress meets a young man for lunch. Who are they to each other? She thinks they are strangers, he thinks she is his mother. Which is correct? This is the opening to Audition, an entirely bingeable book about shifting reality, what if, and figuring out how well we actually know someone. Our unnamed narrator is preparing to open a new play in New York, and is having trouble connecting with her role, as well as with her husband. Xavier is the young man who thinks she may be his mother, and who gets a job as the assistant…
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Friday Randomness
First of all, let me tell you all that I have been sucking at commenting for NaBloPoMo. I have tried, but November is a busy time in my industry, and in the evening I’m a bit worn out. I’m sorry that I haven’t been by your blogs more often. We’re all doing our best, and sometimes I just read and don’t comment, and sometimes I don’t even manage to read. Le sigh. OK, who’s ready for this week’s drivel? I’m going to keep it to 5 things, because I suspect we’re all struggling with reading these days. My decluttering ‘one thing a day’ project has slowed, as I run out…
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Fall Bliss Salad
I saw this recipe on Facebook the other day, and thought it might be a good use for some pomegranates that I might swipe from neighbors’ trees on my morning walk. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that they had harvested their trees and there was nothing for me to swipe! Oh well, I went ahead and bought one, along with some already cubed butternut squash, and I went for it. Mistakes were made. For one, I overdressed my salad. The dressing is brown and kind of thick, so my picture isn’t nearly as pretty as the original. Second, I think I cut my squash a tiny bit too thick,…
