LORRAINE'S/LISA'S/LOUISE'S SWEET POTATO {PIE}

LORRAINE'S/LISA'S/LOUISE'S SWEET POTATO {PIE}>>>>>>> This is the traditional Rossi sweet potato pie that is served at Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving....and rarely other times of the year. Hubster _loves it_ but it makes a lot so i don't make it very often. This is the exact recipe from Lorraine, who got it from Louise, with my adjustments as a footnote at the end. >>>>>>>4lbs sweet potatoes--- boil whole peel and mash, set aside>>>>>>>1/2C brown sugar, packed tightly>>>>>>>1 stick (1/2C) butter [NOT margarine)>>>>>>>1lb4oz can of crushed pineapple, drained (reserve juice)>>>>>>>1t cinnamon>>>>>>>1t nutmeg>>>>>>>1/2C orange juice>>>>>>>mix all of this in pan for ~10 minutes to smooth and sweet smelling>>>>>>>pour over the mashed sweet potatoes,mix well, and spoon into an oven-safe dish>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>bake at 400 for 20 minutes, top with pineapple slices and halved maraschino cherries>>>>>>>bake at 400 for 25 minutes more>>>>>>>[i had to use sliced pineapple this year and puree it myself, canned crushed is better as it has bigger chunks.......can use mandarine oranges instead of maraschino cherries for garnish, as i did.......even better the next day!!]

christmas and beyond

It is different living in Costa Rica, away from family and church. Yes, before we moved here 4-1/2 years ago, we were still away from our "birth families" which are still-and-forever in Ohio/Indiana. Yes, our kids that live in New Mexico from which we moved were only rarely with us. We're adults and left our families to follow jobs. Our son/daughter have done the same thing. They have their own lives and, while we saw _a lot_ of them on our visit the first week of December, we know that this would not have been the usual frequency if we all still lived in Albuquerque. >>>>>>>So, we live in Atenas, Costa Rica and "everyone" celebrates the holidays without our being there.>>>>>>>We made our own Christmas-with-the-family yesterday (Christmas Eve _is_ Christmas in Costa Rica, today is, well, Monday). We invited our friends Peter/James, Ally/Romel (her husband that we've met twice), John/Andy (new neighbors), and Martin. Martin is an "orphan". He moved to Costa Rica from Texas to be near Jerry/LeAnn, friends of his who live here now. He lived in their casita for ~4 months while he was moving his stuff here, buying a house, and remodeling it. He had lived in this house for ~2 months when Jerry/LeAnn put their house up for sale, sold it (within a week), and started getting ready to move back to the US. So, Martin is an "orphan" and we thought that he might welcome becoming part of our "friend-family". We had met him a couple times through Jerry/LeAnn. He was eager to join the Christmas Eve potluck at our house and was told to bring bread (easy, just go to the grocery, pick up a loaf, no cooking/preparing involved). >>>>>>>Everyone was to arrive at 1200, to eat at 1300. At 1120, i get a message on Facebook from Martin saying that he now had a "scheduling conflict" and was not coming. Ten days after he'd received and accepted the invitation.>>>>>>>Ally's husband (it's a sham marriage) decided to spend the holiday with others instead so he didn't come either. We were told that by Ally when she arrived at 1200.>>>>>>>So, our big "Christmas Eve with the Friend/Family" went from nine people and two tables to seven people and one more cramped table (stuck my on the end of a six-person table). No bread as there was not time to "pop out to the store" between 1130 and 1200 with still needing to get dressed for the arrival of everyone.>>>>>>>It worked out ok. We had so much food (but not much leftover, thankfully) and the conversation was good. Christmas was "over" by 4:20 when everyone went home. I made Joe's mom's/Aunt Louise's sweet potato pie (which is not a "pie" like a pecan/dessert pie but more a "casserole of sweet potato and pineapple"), recipe to follow in next posting, so that you can make it and "share" our holiday.>>>>>>>Today, i called my mom/sister to FaceTime and "share" their Christmas. They had already opened their gifts, had the Christmas morning pastries and goodies, and were wearing their matching pj's. I spoke with Christian and heard his wife/son in the background. They had a good holiday as well. >>>>>>> It's a different holiday being 2500 miles from birth families (those into which we were born and that which we bore). I lvoe the weather here. I love the lifestyle here. I love my life her, really. But....sometimes i wish that we still lived in Columbus Ohio, preferably with the small children that we had when we did live there. >>>>>>>I will sign off here before i get too maudlin. Have a great day. Hug your honey for me. xoxo-lisa

TAPICHE

I generally try to use ALL of the fruit/veg and not throw anything away. I don't peel carrots all the time (wash, chop, cook) and rarely peel potatoes (the peel is the best part! fiber and taste!). But, seeing this recipe, i wasn't sure.>>>>>>>I'm not a big fan of pineapple, sadly (they are abundant and cheap here in Costa Rica) but Hubster is. It is, in fact, one of the few fruit/veg that he will happily eat and he does nearly daily (his green-juice smoothies after the gym and/or chunks for snacks). So, we have a ready supply of ingredient for this recipe.>>>>>>>It has been "maturing" (pickling? molding? stewing? fermenting!!) on our counter for three days and i will be straining, bottling, and chilling it today for him to try after the gym.>>>>>>>I really, really hope that he loves this as it is super duper easy and uses "trash". Literally.>>>>>>>TAPICHE>>>>>>>4 C water + 1/2 C brown sugar .......boil water and pour over sugar, stir to mix.......peel and core from chopped pineapple (see? i told you that it's made from garbage!)......put all together, cover bowl with dry towel and set on counter to "age" (ferment!).......after a day or two (or three...), when the mixture is really fragrant and small bubbles of white foam are on the top of the mixture, strain out the solids (keep the fluid!!!).......chill the fluid and drink (add water/sugar to taste)......it's like a pineapple Kombucha......and, if you love pineapple as much as Hubster does, easy to make and have in fridge forever as he chops a pineapple just about every 5-7 days........

this is what i'm making for dinner next week.....let me know if you try it too!

Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing 1 large white or yellow onion (12 ounces), chopped 2 large bell peppers, cored and chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 large carrot, scrubbed and chopped One (28-ounce) can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes 1 cup water 2 teaspoons Aleppo-style chile flakes 1 teaspoon garam masala 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground ground black pepper 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste 3 cups cooked black lentils (from two 15-ounce cans), drained and rinsed (see NOTE) 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 1 1/2 cups (5 ounces) finely grated parmesan cheese 1 pound no-boil lasagna sheets Directions Time Icon Active: 40 mins | Total: 1 hour 30 mins Step 1 Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Brush a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish generously with olive oil. Step 2 In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil until it shimmers. Add the onion and saute until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, celery and carrot and saute until the carrots and peppers start to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, water, chile flakes, garam masala, turmeric, black pepper and salt. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat, taste, and season with more salt, as needed. Step 3 Use an immersion blender to pulse for a few seconds to get a chunky sauce, or longer to get it smooth, if you’d like. (Alternatively, you can transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, pulse or puree, and return the sauce to the pot.) Stir in the lentils. Step 4 In a small bowl, mix the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses until combined. Step 5 Line the base of the greased baking pan with enough sheets of pasta to cover in a single layer. Cover the pasta with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and spread evenly. Sprinkle about 3/4 cup of the cheese mixture on top, and add another layer of pasta. Repeat the sequence three more times, layering sauce and cheese on the pasta. The final layer should be covered with the sauce and cheese. Step 6 Cover the dish tightly with foil, and set the baking pan on a large sheet pan to catch any drips. Step 7 Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, the sauce is bubbling, and the pasta layers are all cooked. Carefully remove the foil, turn on the broiler, and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble and lightly brown. Watch carefully so the cheese does not burn. Step 8 Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving warm. Substitutions No Aleppo-style chile flakes? >> Use Urfa, Morash, crushed red pepper flakes, or a combination of mostly sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne. Crushed tomatoes >> Diced tomatoes or tomato puree. Garam masala >> Curry powder. Mozzarella >> Vegan mozzarella-style shreds, such as Daiya brand. Parmesan >> Vegan parmesan cheese, such as Violife brand, or nutritional yeast. Notes If you can’t find canned black lentils, simmer 1 cup dried black lentils in 4 cups water until tender but not mushy, 25 to 30 minutes, then drain.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE OLD? SIXTY PLUS WAYS...what do _YOU_ know? I know so many things that i do not need to know. These are things that i had to learn (or just picked up in daily life) but thatare no longer applicable or useful in today's world.>>>>>> Le magnétophone = tape player>>>>>>> La cabine tèléphonique = telephone cabinet/booth (think Superman)>>>>>>> When typing and copying something, the paper must be put to the left of the keyboard and you cannot type with your legs crossed. They must be flat on the floor as you sit at a desk or table.>>>>>>> Five cans of soda will fit easily and perfectly in a Tupperware lunch box.>>>>>>> Sun-in will make your brown hair orange but your blonde hair lighter. Lemon juice will do the same thing and is cheaper.>>>>>>> Room 222 at HIdden Beach is a little bigger and more private than other garden view rooms.>>>>>>> Hanging out wet sheets in the hot sun will bleach them and leave them a bit stiff.>>>>>>> Hanging wet sheets in the sun will also sterilize the and leave them smelling excellent.>>>>>>> Allowing your sheets to freeze outside will also bleach them.This also works with blonde hair in a hot tub (you stay warm, hair freezes solid) but takes a loooong time. >>>>>>> If you shrink a shirt or jeans or a sweater, soaking it a small amount of hair conditioner in a bucket of water will allow you to "unshrink" the item.>>>>>>> If you check the pockets of jeans and turn them inside out before washing, not only will you not wash the iPod in the pocket but, in washing and drying the jeans, they will not fade (as much) over time.>>>>>>> Hubba-bubba bubble gum does _not_ have spider eggs in it. It does, however,crunch when you begin to chew it. It is just really, really sugary.>>>>>> Do not park a '72 VW Bug in the Snider's driveway.>>>>>>> The left door at Turpin High School is the least crowded and the fastest way out of the school to the buses.>>>>>>> One slice of American cheese, broken carefully in fourths, will exactly cover four saltine crackers.>>>>>>> If you give your child (or husband) a choice of two or three things, they will almost always choose the last one mentioned (so say it with your preference presented last).>>>>>>> The first pancake made is always a "test pancake" and not as good as the others. This is even more true of waffles. >>>>>>> You can "erase" permanent marker from a dry-erase board with alcohol.>>>>>>> You can "erase" highlighter marks in a book with lemon juice.>>>>>>> Banana skins will turn black but the fruit will stop ripening if you put it in the refrigerator.>>>>>>> If you put bananas in the refrigerator, no one else will eat them and you can have them all to yourself.>>>>>>> Many "kids' cereals" have fewer grams of sugar and less fat than "healthy" cereals marketed to adults (Raisin Bran, all granola, All-Bran flakes).>>>>>>> Bakery "muffins" are just cupcakes with a "healthy halo". They are always better than homemade because they are full of sugar and fat.>>>>>>> Kids don't care about the cake..they just want the icing. Cakes don't have to be perfect.>>>>>>> Cake donuts only seem healthier because they aren't as fluffy and sweet. They have more sugar, more calories, more fat and are less loved. Go for the glazed.>>>>>>> Krispy Kreme donuts are only good fresh, hot, and instantly. And if you're _starving_ and/or hungover. Otherwise, go to Dunkin'.>>>>>>> Thriftway bakery donuts (except the glazed rings) are almost all made by a private baker (Buskins) and delivered at 0400. Cheaper at Thriftway and sososo much better than the plain glazed rings.>>>>>>> The baked goods in the front of the case are the freshest and you should always ask for these. Those in the back are being cycled out.>>>>>>> When baking, substitute any fruit baby food for oil and it will improve the taste of the cake!>>>>>>> Baby food can also be used for the purée in making banana bread or the like...less crushing and you can use any flavor. (Peach bread? Banana-strawberry?)>>>>>>> Never pump your mascara wand. It dries out the mascara. And replace the mascara every 3 months. Stuff grows in there.....>>>>>>> Do you have to give eye drops? Have a child lie down and close his/her eyes. Put the eye drop medication on the inner corner of the eye then have the child open his/her eyes. Works on adults too.>>>>>>> Take the yucky medicine first, then drink the sweet chaser. Do not put the medication in the chocolate milk.>>>>>>> If you give the child an ice pop to eat first, the tongue will be numb. Then give the medication and he/she will not be able to taste it.>>>>>>> Ice pops are the ultimate mom-bribe. Child thinks that they got a great treat and you know that it's just a little bit of koolaid. Healthier, faster, more convenient than LIttle Debbie cakes or cookies or the like.>>>>>>> Two small pieces seem bigger than the same piece as one(ie.cut the brownie in half and give two pieces to child/husband).>>>>>>> Smaller plates make food servings seem bigger. A sandwich on a dinner plate looks lonely...the same sandwich on a salad plate looks adequate.>>>>>>> If you put the chips in a single-serving bowl and take that to the couch for movie treats, it will be enough. If you eat from the bag, it will never be enough.>>>>>>> 17 small pretzels is on 117 calorie serving. Stick pretzels are all salt and no taste.>>>>>>> Some name-brands are necessary and worth the extra cost. Cheap ketchup is awful.Cheap yellow mustard is the same as French's.>>>>>>> Kroger-brand peanut butter is Peter Pan . Kroger brand apple butter is Musselman's. (same quality and product but cheaper). Kroger whipped topping is NOT Cool Whip and cannot be substituted (is just awful).>>>>>>> Sprinkle drops of water on a hot griddle to make sure that it's hot enough to griddle your pancakes, veg burger, or grilled veg.>>>>>>> Butter on the pan then the bread/sandwich is so much easier (and more even results) than buttering the bread then trying to put the sticky, buttery, messy bread sandwich together to fry.>>>>>>> Soup tastes flat? Add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to punch up the taste. Do not add more salt until you've tried this first.>>>>>>> Soup too salty? Add potato or rice and they will absorb the saltiness.>>>>>>> Bean soups, especially lentil, will get a _lot_ thicker with cooling and storing overnight. Thin with broth/water the next day before/as serving.>>>>>>> Most soups and stews are better if made today....and eaten tomorrow. As my lentil chili recipe says "this allows the flavors to play with each other and develop"...like people!>>>>>>> Slice tomatoes horizontally to get better slices and retain the moisture.>>>>>>> Stinky hands from cutting onions, or garlic or handling fish? Get rid of the stench with your faucet. Just run your hands up and down the stainless steel faucet and the odor goes away. (Magic...i don't know how or why it works.)>>>>>>> Keep the onions in the fridge and the potatoes out of the fridge. This minimizes the crying when slicing the onion and keeps the potatoes from getting starchy and bland and squishy.>>>>>>> If the wall-attached landline Forestcrest Way phone rings once then goes silent, it means that Grandma Ama wants you to call her on her party line.>>>>>>> Set an alarm for the time that your teen is supposed to be home for curfew and put it in the hall. Go to bed. When she/he comes home, she/he turns off the alarm clock. If the alarm goes off to wake you, you know that curfew was broken. No need for you to stay up and wait.>>>>>>> Eat dinner together every night (as possible) and have "assigned seats". This leads to children (and parents) eating a more healthy diet. Encourage social interaction and decrease the eat-&-bolt.>>>>>>> After-school snack time is good for children of all ages. I still have it every day at 3:00. A good opportunity to take a break, chat with your kids (or Hubster), and recharge for the evening/plan for the next day.>>>>>>> 1 box cake mix + one can of soda, mixed, makes a great easy fluffy cake. No eggs, oil, or water needed. Bake as directed.>>>>>>> Jiffy makes the best corn bread. You can try seventeen (17!) different homemade cornbread recipes but they will never be as good (and certainly not as easy!) as Jiffy. Why reinvent the wheel? Spend the $1 and get two boxes of Jiffy. Add 2/3C milk and 2 eggs, bake at 400 for 14 minutes. Tell _nobody_ how easy it was.>>>>>>> Instant (Martha White?) muffin mixes to which you add milk are quick and easy for waffles or pancakes. Apple cinnamon, blueberry, corn even -- all good. Again, it's our little secret. Bean soups freeze wonderfully. Lentil soup and soups with potatoes do not. They get mealy and unappetizing.>>>>>>> If you put a brick of ramen in a bowl, pour over 1C boiling water and cover with a plate for two minutes, the noodles will absorb the water and "cook" and you don't have to dirty a pot (or watch it). Add sauce/veg/protein as you wish.>>>>>>> Lefty loosey , righty tighty.>>>>>>> How to say "ouch" in french...three different ways. And "don't splash in the bathtub" and "play hopscotch' and the words for postage, airmail, telephone token, lost-&-found, and beaver/seagull/peacock/swallow/woodpecker/lily pad (we were big on weekly trips to the zoo).>>>>>>> All the words to _so many_ children's songs that i still sing daily in my head while doing the yoga routine that i learned and refined in 1999 at LifeTime Fitness while Alessandra was at school and Christian was in the daycare on the ground floor.>>>>>>> Hot chocolate, blueberries, and tomato soup-- all food that they _say_ that they want to have but will not actually eat. The hot chocolate will be too hot....then have a white film on top (with some cooling as the chocolate sinks and the foam rises).....then too cold (after stirred).>>>>>>> If the banana is peeled, Christian won't eat it. Alessandra won't eat bananas that are sliced. Joe won't eat any fruit that is cut that he has to touch (sliced banana, chunks of melon...).>>>>>>>

three ingredient peanut butter cookies.....sosososo good and easy.....

These are so good that, to keep myself from eating them all, i put most of them in the freezer.....only to find that i like them even more frozen!!>>>>>>>THREE INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES>>>>>>>1 Cup peanut butter (or almond butter)>>>>>>>1Cup sugar (real sugar, not that Nutrasweet crap)>>>>>>>1 egg (real egg, not flax egg and water)>>>>>>>mix well and chill (can use now but easier if you chill)>>>>>>>heat oven to 350, roll (chilled) dough into small balls the size of acorns>>>>>>>roll each ball in extra loose sugar and put on baking sheet>>>>>>>bake for 8 minutes or so (will flatten a bit and be soft....don't wait until crunchy!)>>>>>>>let cool a few minutes on cooking sheet then spatula off to storage container>>>>>>>lather>>>>>>>rinse>>>>>>>>repeat

you need a recipe to go with the "he does this and it makes me bonkers"....

And this is just the one. It's a "non-recipe" but i like it.>>>>>>>Sometimes, you just need cake. Now. Just a piece and it needs to be soon. This will do that for you. It's not the _best_ cake. It's not the _prettiest_ cake. But, it's the quickest and easiest and that's something.>>>>>>>1-2-3 Cake>>>>>>>In a large ziplock bag, dump 1 box Angel Food cake mix (yes, it has to be angel food).......add one box another cake mix flavor (i recommend chocolate).......mix well and put in cupboard.......When you _need_ cake, take out bag, scoop out 3 Tablespoons of cake powder to a large microwavable mug.......add 2 Tablespoons liquid (chocolate cake mix + coffee or orange juice is yummy, white cake mix with flat root beer is fun too).......stir and microwave for one minute (3-2-1)>>>>>>>POOF!>>>>>>>Cake that you can et now (still warm!), topped with a spritz of whipped cream is lovely--or let cool a bit........topped with a bit of jelly/jam/honey is also yummy.......lather.....rinse.......repeat.......MORE SUGAR CRAVINGS? Try the three ingredient peanut butter cookies in next posting.......

he does this and it bugs me...

I hear from other wives and read all over the internet complaints from wives/girlfriends that "my guy does this and it makes me crazy!!". Be it leaving dirty balled up socks near-but-not-in the hamper to leaving the lid only 1/2 way on the jar of olives in the fridge to loading the dishwasher "wrong"-- women are just irritated at the quirks of their honeys.>>>>>>>I'm a freak.>>>>>>>See, i love finding the occasional silly, irritatiing thing that Hubster does. I do sososo many things that are crazy and he tolerated _so many_ of my faults and short-comings. Does he use both hooks for his towel so that i have no place to hang my towel? Yes. Does he have to have a specific spoon for his yogurt or bananas-and-sour-cream? Yes. Does he rearrange my spices (alphabetically! not by use frequency!), move canned goods to more sensible order,sweep the kitchen (with big sighs) when i am chopping veg (and get sprinkles on the floor)? Yes. Does he listen to his podcasts and then get frustrated when i forget and try to talk to him over the AirPods? Yes. But.....that's NOTHING compared to how annoying it is for him to live with me.>>>>>>>I eat...poorly. I'm really a pain the butt.>>>>>>>I get "mess" on the handles of cutlery, the handle to the fridge, the edge of a bowl-- while cooking, which makes his skin crawl to touch.>>>>>>>I have to eat at certain times and get "hangry" if it don't. He can literally eat anywhere, anytime (or not at all), and anything. Me? Not so much.>>>>>>>I get up unGodly early every morning and make too much noise (any noise at 0330 is too much noise, right?).>>>>>>>I am "too cold" at insanely warm temperatures so much so that we didn't move to his preferred location for retirement b/c Copenhagen would be too cold. Even Spain in early September was overly chilly for me.>>>>>>>He loves to play board games and i am not a worthy opponent. I have lost the last 20 games by more than 20%. This cannot be fun for him. I'm not a challenge.>>>>>>>And yet, he stays and doesn't complain that i'm "harshing his groove". He tolerates sosososo much more than it is fair to ask of anyone...and has for more than thirty (30!!) years.>>>>>>>So, yes, i'm excited when he has some quirk that seems silly and odd. It doesn't even the playing field but it's a step.

the next recipe that i'll be making

This looks sosososo good! I am almost reluctant to go on vacation for wont of making this recipe tonight (will make too much to finish in one day and i don't want to buy the ingredients either). But, i will come HOME from vacation and this recipe will be waiting for me. Double happiness.>>>>>>> MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP PREP TIME: 10MINUTES MINUTESCOOK TIME: 45MINUTES MINUTESTOTAL TIME: 55MINUTES MINUTES SERVINGS: 3 - 4 PEOPLE AUTHOR: NICO PALLOTTA 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 large onion chopped 2 carrots chopped 1 rib celery chopped 2 cloves garlic pressed 2 tablespoons tomato paste ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon ground turmeric ½ teaspoon paprika 1 heaping cup (220 grams) dried green lentils or 2 small cans rinsed (15 ounces/400 grams). In this case simmer for just 15 minutes and add only 2 cups of vegetable broth. 6 cups (1½ liters) vegetable broth add more if required 1 can (15 ounces) (400 grams) crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste ⅛ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1 lemon 1 handful parsley or cilantro, chopped Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 large onion, 2 carrots, and 1 rib celery (all chopped), and cook for 4 minutes or until translucent. Stir in 2 cloves garlic (pressed), 2 tablespoons tomato paste, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, and ½ teaspoon paprika. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Rinse 1 heaping cup dried green lentils and stir them in the spice mixture. Pour in 6 cups vegetable broth, 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Stir well, cover with a lid, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low, crack the top open, and let it simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally and add more vegetable broth if necessary. Once the lentils are cooked, use an immersion blender to puree only some of them – about a cup. You can blend more or less, depending on your preference. You can also use a standing blender, but be cautious with the hot liquid if you do so. Now stir in ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, then taste and adjust for salt. Serve in bowls with a generous squeeze of lemon, chopped parsley or cilantro. Make it a meal with pickled red onions and a dollop of Greek-style yogurt on top, and pita bread on the side.

what i'm really good at.....

It was a joke, a teasing, that we used to do with Alessandra. She excelled in it...and so do i. It's called PRODUCTIVE PROCRASTINATION. Let me explain. >>>>>>> Let's say that i have a project that i need to do. Clean the house. Pack for a trip. Clean out the casita. Write a blogposting. And i really know that i have to do this task but i kinda don't wanna. So....PRODUCTIVE PROCRASTINATION. I _will_ organize the fabric stash in the casita...but first i need to get the right storage containers for the sorting.....and i need to have the floor swept and mopped so that i can put the fabric there in stacks....and i need to have my tape measure to be able to measure and sort the lengths of pieces....and i'll need labels and pens to label the pieces....and, once i've gotten and done all these things (which will help me with the task, right?), i've successfully spent the three hours that i alloted to the task and have to go do something else. So.....with productive procrastination, i have completely avoided having to do the thing that i was putting off....but stayed busy and feel like i wasn't a slug...i just couldn't get it all done. PRODUCTIVE PROCRASTINATION. >>>>>>>This extends to more than just the occasional chore or task. Just not in the mood to be cooking another dinner? Those spices need to be organized (they're a jumble!).....and the spices in the fridge (so that tbey don't mold) need to be taken out and cleaned....and the shelves that the spices were on have to be cleaned as well....and then you might as well clean out the whole fridge and cupboard..and now, after you've done all that, it's really too late to start cooking....so cheese quesadillas or take-away or some such "instant meal" because you were busy all evening "working" in the kitchen. PRODUCTIVE PROCRASTINATION.>>>>>>>See how powerful it is?!?! Writing a term paper, applying to graduate school, cutting-sewing-fitting a new pair of exercise pants for Joe--- all good candidates for productive procrastination. Sadly, this is one of my few talents. So, i can stay "busy" but not really accomplish what i need/want/should do. It's not a good feeling afterwards (all the effort! none of the result!) but it's a familiar feeling.>>>>>>>Sigh.

REALLY GOOD SALMON

Good, easy.>>>>>Good "fancy". >>>>>>>Good inexpensive.>>>>>>>Good healthy.>>>>>>>Hubster liked it a lot and i tried it (not bad!).>>>>>>>1 filet salmon (from warehouse club, thawed)>>>>>>>1/4C soy sauce>>>>>>>2T orange juice>>>>>>>2T honey>>>>>>>dash ground ginger>>>>>>>1/4t chopped garlic>>>>>>>mix all in ziplock bag and let marinate for 30 + minutes>>>>>>>drain, put salmon, skin-side down, in pammed baking dish (reserve marinade)>>>>>>>bake at 375 (AirFryer!) for 12 minutes, adding 1/2 marinade after 6 minutes as desired>>>>>>>that's it! sosososo fancy looking and easy and healthy (no added fats!). i don't like salmon and i liked it (but preferred my lo mein leftovers to changing lunches with Hubster...let him have "the good stuff"). >>>>>>>let me know if you love it!

i'm a creep

When we started on our journey to moving to Costa Rica, waaay back in 2018, we started on Duolingo to learn Spanish. Every day, 1-2 hours of lessons and practice. I did this for four years with the ideal of one day being out and hearing the Spanish and just being able to respond. To "think in Spanish" as i used to "think in French". To be able to chat with locals, read menues, live my life in Costa Rica as successfully as in the US. This, i came to realize, was a fantasy, not an ideal. After years of Duolingo, even if i was saying the right words, the accent was wrong and i was not understood. Even the program into which i had to repeat phrases or answer questions would "misunderstand" me and mark my response as wrong. And, i still had to hear the basic Spanish, translate to English in my head, think of my response, then translate that back to Spanish that i could say. This did not make for any communication at all. So, after years of daily frustration (i would base my study time on "do it until you cry, then call it a day"), i gave up and went back to studying French again.>>>>>>> Yes, i had been bilingual with my kids for years but if you don't use it, you lose it (like muscles with gym attendance). I then found that the French that i knew, i had forgotten much of. The former fluidity was not there. And, even the new things that i was learning (read a book, look up words that i don't know), i had a harder time retaining and recalling. Daily studies show that i often am "relearning" things that i knew a month, a year, 10 years ago. >>>>>I was a failure at Spanish and, going back to French, have found that i'm a failure there too. >>>>> I"m fifty-seven (57!) years old...i should be a grown-up by now. But, i find that i still make BIG mistakes that have lasting poor consequences. I post incendiary things on Facebook when i don't fully think through the sequellae. I shoot off at the mouth in frustration or anger or pain...only to find that my words, contrary to the children's rhyme of "sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me", have caused lasting damage to relationships on and off the 'net. I cycle through friends too much, losing dear friends because of my brusqueness. In short, i'm a creep. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5t9IXtTr6g) >>>>> It is the end of the year. I will be celebrating Christmas with my family this weekend on a trip to the US. Thus, it is a time to assess where i am in life, where i want to be, and where i thought that i would/should be. >>>>>In short, i'm a failure. I don't deserve the family and friends that i have and too often poison those relationships. The iron test of worth to me has always been "if i met me, would i want to be my friend? would i want to be with me?">>>>>>>In the past, this had been "yes, i think so" or "maybe", even once, "definitely, i'm a good person and i'd want to be around me". Today, i can honestly evaluate where i am and who i am and say, without reserve, NO. No, i would not want to be in my company. I"m not a good person. I fall short in so many areas of my life. I am not where and who and how i want to be.>>>>>>> The people that are in my life would be better off without that part of their lives. I"m not a good addition to anyone's existence. Most that i know would be better off without me....especially if Joe could make his own coffee. His iPhone could wake him in the morning and there are always restaurants for his food (he'd eat more pizza but less beans so it would be a net gain).>>>>>>> My "kid raising" years are past. I have (and have had and will have) minimal contact with my grandson and his mother, not to mention either of my "kids". They all have their own lives and i live too far away. Even when we were all in the same city, i had minimal contact. I cannot blame them. I'd preferentinall hang out with friends too. I'm not that interesting and have little to offer.>>>>>>> I fly tomorrow to Albuquerque to see the kids, grandkid, and my mom and mom-in-law. I hope that the visit goes well and that i don't mess up the visit for others. I pray that God will cover my mouth and curb my reactions so that i am able to take a pause before being the ass that i too often am. I pray for the people that i'll be visiting that i don't decrease their enjoyment of the company of others (three birthday parties and Christmas to celebrate).>>>>>>> I am too old to be this far from where i wanted to be as a person.

TODAY'S DINNER RECIPE THAT WE BOTH LOVED!!

ONE-POT EASY PEASY PASTA>>>>>>>3 sun dried tomatoes, cut into slivers.......2C boiling water.......2t sugar.......mix and set aside>>>>>>>3C grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced(i used 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow---pretty!).......1/4C diced onion.......1t chopped garlic.......3T chopped fresh oregano (or 1t dried or just leave out).......saute.......add water/tomato mix and bring to low simmer>>>>>>>add 8oz penne pasta (raw).......cook, stirring often until almost all of the liquid is absorbed and penne are al dente (mostly cooked but still firm, not flabby and overcooked)>>>>>>>swirl in a knob of butter or spoonful of cream or Greek yogurt>>>>>>>serve topped with feta cheese>>>>>>>tell NO ONE how easy this was!

Pourquoi Français?

Before we moved to Costa Rica, when we were still thinking "maybe this might be a good idea....?", i started doing Spanish lessons on Duolingo. Every day for the year that we were deciding and planning. Every day for the first two,nearly three, years that we lived here. Joe started too and, having had Spanish in high school and college, was really enjoying it. But....it was not such a home run for me. I had French in high school and spoke French with the kids for years. Many words in Spanish were similar to English or French which, one would think, would make it easier but i found it very confusing. The languages would swirl in my head. I would do Duolingo every day until i was to the point of crying with frustration and failure, then i would stop for the day, only to start and do the same the next.>>>>>>>After a period of this, i decided, with discussions with Joe and others, that it was just not worth my mental health to have the daily frustration. That the Spanish that i was learning was not enough (i was not making amazing progress, despite my efforts)and i spoke enough "restaurant/food Spanish" to get by.>>>>>>>I really don't speak to anyone here except other ex-pats (those who have moved here frm the US and Canada, primarily). I go to the grocery and the fruit/veg market but speaking "restaurant/food Spanish" and knowing the common numbers (prices at the fruit/veg market), i can get by. So, i went back to studying French.>>>>>>>I read and study the "new words" daily for a 1-1/2 hours or so. I find, however, that i have no other use for French. I don't have the kids to speak to in French. I don't know anyone else that speaks French. We are going to Europe for a month on vacation, yes, but to Spain. So...no need for me to brush up on my "travel French" for this trip. We went to France already when the kids were young so i don't know that we will be going back anytime soon. There are just too many other places that Joe wants to travel (see the Northern Lights! see Australia! Amsterdam and the Netherlands! Scotland and Wales!). So, why do i torment myself learning the French to "espionage, counterfeit, blood-splattered, Swiss chard, building terms-- caustic, wood putty, table saws, overly ripe fruit, spoiled child-- not to be confused with spoiled milk" and other words that i find in my reading.>>>>>>>Like so much of my life, it seems hardly worth the effort. Like cooking a new recipe for the two of us or sewing a new dress...what is the point? He is happy with "food...whatever" and i'm the only one that sees my new dress. I could wear the same capris and tee-shirts that i moved here with in 2019 and no one would notice or care if they did. I guess i need this vacation this month more than i appreciated, if only to "shake things up a bit". And, Joe will be able to brush up on his "Castillian Spanish" which is different than the "Latin American Spanish" that he speaks here. And, he'll get to have _good_ beef and fancy restaurants, neither of which we have anywhere in Costa Rica.>>>>>>>And, maybe, just maybe, we will come across some French tourists....crossing my fingers (and brushing up on my verb tenses!)>>>>>>Adieu pour maintenant (bye for now).....i'm off to study those pesky new words.

RETIREMENT PRIMER (?) When Hubster and i were thinking about retiring to Costa Rica (or elsewhere), we went on a "retirement tour" with Christopher Howard. It was interesting and informative but didn't address all that you might want to know about retirement. In the four years that we've lived here, and the five years since the tour, we have learned more about retirement and how to "do it right". While this is individual to an extent, there are some guidelines that help (or at least helped us!)to have the best retirement experience.>>>>>>>Retirement is more than just not going to work one day and doing so the next day and those thereafter. Yes, there may be a retirement party for you at the end of your employment but retirement really should start before this. Planning is importants, as is flexibility when that initial plan need to be tweaked.>>>>>>>Work/career gives us each identity. A purpose. A role. A focus to our lives. When you no longer have that, it's an adjustment. No longer are you "Lisa, the recovery room nurse"...you're now just "lisa...the ???". It's important that one thinks about this ahead of time. What other things do i have in life other than my job/career identity? What other "labels" do i apply to myself? What is important to me?>>>>> Another consideration is that of time. What the devil are you going to do all the live-long day when you don't have the structure of work? Even working part-time, work gave me some structure to my life. I worked some days at the hospital and other days did the support activities of my life. Sewing, reading, yoga/hiking, church and social activities...i was fairly busy. When there was no work anymore, every day was a weekend. This is something to think about. Part of what makes a weekend so _sweet_ is the break from obligation and routine. When every day is a weekend, the push to be productive is not there. It's harder to get motivated to do the five loads of laundry that you would do on your day "off" when there isn't that pressure to get it done before you have to go back to the work grind. Weekend cleaning sprees? The house never gets completely cleaned, top-to-bottom, because it never gets so messy. Working, it was easy to overlook the crumbs on the floor, the smear of toothpaste on the vanity, the grease on the stove exhaust fan.>>>>> And, balancing a budget when there is _no money coming in_ every week or two is also a challenge. Yes, there is a fine line to walk between "i don't want to have more life than money" and "i have to have a life". Do you take the social security at 62-1/2 or hold out for the bigget payment by waiting until you're 70? Do you stop traveliing and stay home (save money!) or take the opportunity to do all those trips that you would have done earlier but had to get the time off work? Do you remodel the house? Do you move?>>>>> And then, there is the consideration of how you're going to fill your days. I found that my life is _more_ structured now than before i retired. I have a routine and heaven-forbid that anything throws it off too much. With age, comes a degreee of inflexibility. It is easier to stay up until 1:00 doing whatever and sleep in the next day here and there as a 26yo than as a 56 year old. Starting the day a hour late throws off the whole day, actually. Yes, i have all day to do what i do in the morning but i find that if i don't do things in the order that i usually do, it is more difficult to get to them. I can be flexible to point. As long as i can fit things into my general framework.>>>>>>> There is also the question of friends and family. In the four years that Joe and i have lived in Costa Rica, we have met a number of people. And, as i was counting this morning, had more nearly ten of them die. Yes, we did retire younger than many so our friends are a bit older than we are but still. We continue to make new friends (and some younger ones, just in case!) but recognize that this is the evolution of a social life. First the weddings...the the baby showers...then the birthday parties...then the funerals. I haven't been to a wedding in years.....or baby shower or child's birthday party. But, i have been to funerals (and expect that this will be the next time that i see many in our friend/family network). People get together for life events and, at 56 and into the 70's and 80's (our friends and family), it's just expected that this will be the outcome. So...eat the cake! drink the mimosa now! (gotta die of something, said Grandpa Larry many times). >>>>>>>We also on the tour explored areas of Costa Rica to see where/if we wanted to relocate. We came back twice to be sure of the location then rented to be extra-super sure. And still, bought a house earlier than we had intended and have had to do a lot to make it "perfect" (with contractors coming again over the next two days...four years into owning this "dream house"). Even my mother and Jim, after living in the same "dream house" in Crawfordsville chose to relocate in their _real_ retirement (Mom went back and forth to work for years). Moving ia always a challenge but all the more so when you're not 26yo and living out of a one-bedroom apartment.>>>>>>>This brings us to the final (i hope...this has been a long posting!! good on your for still reading!) consideration. The amount of "stuff" you have acquired in your life on this planet is overwhelming when you move into retirement, even if you don't move house but all the more so if you do. So much that you "needed" before, you find that you don't now. A lot of what you wanted/surrounded yourself with is just extra. You find that you have so much stuff that you own that the stuff now owns you. The upkeep is bothersome. An example? We got rid of our "everyday dishes" and use the "fancy china" all the time. Have a couple pieces gotten chipped or broken? Yes. But why use it only twice a year? We still have champagne glasses/goblets from our wedding in 1991 that are still in the boxes!!! What a waste!! And all those "fancy clothes"? I haven't worn heels in the time we've been here. I'm doing good if i wear shoes at all. Yoga pants, capris and tee-shirts or smocks are the usual daily "uniform". Pura Vida. >>>>So, your retirement will look different than mine, different than that of your friends and different that you expect. It gets better (first it gets crazy and hard).... live a life! Have some fun! And eat the cake at your retirement party...and every other day that you wish. You're retired...no sense in depriving yourself of any joy!

goat milk yogurt and Marge Kraft

When I was young(er?), my mother had a good friend/former co-worker named Marge. Marge was very interesting in many ways (more stories of her another time) but there is one that I wanted to share with you today.>>>>>>> Marge liked “funky foreign foods” but didn’t like to cook. She liked to read and collect cookbooks but never made anything from them. Her husband didn’t like “weird food”, having lived the first 60years of his life on frozen chicken pot pies and deli meat sandwiches and other processed food “delights”. >>>>>>> My mom, being a Midwestern mom of two, cooked every day. So, Marge and my mom had a barter/deal worked out. About once every week or two, Marge and she would get together, look through the recipes that Marge had chosen and come to an agreement about two or three of them. Marge would supply the “outstanding ingredients” (not the flour/everyday spices/bread crumbs) that my mother would not otherwise have in the house and the main protein (the chicken/lamb/beef needed), my mother did all the cooking and dividing. They would then split the goodies. >>>>>>> We ended up trying all sorts of fun stuff, sometimes as fancy as “city chicken” (pork kabobs—very “exotic” to Cincinnati!) and pastitsio (Greek lasagne-type dish), often as commonplace as chili or various casseroles with cheese.>>>>>>> Fast forward to today. I have a girlfriend here in Atenas that loves this goat milk yogurt that she buys at the local COOPE (our grocery). The cost for one bottle (yes, the goat milk yogurt comes in individual glass bottles...tres chichi!) is more than the cost of two (2!) gallons of milk. And she eats goat milk yogurt every morning for breakfast, topped with blueberries, granola, nuts, etc. It's her indulgence and starts her day off with a smile. I really wanted to try it too after she so raved about it but couldn't get myself to pay $8 for a bottle of yogurt that i might not like when i make my own yogurt that i love <3 at a fraction of the cost.>>>>>>> So, to review....1. I love to cook and try new things. 2. My girlfriend here in Atenas loves goat milk yogurt. 3. I make yogurt. 4. I’m always looking for a new thing to do, new way to do something that I already do, new adventures. 5. I like to do/give things to people that i like in the hope that i can make them happy or make them like me. >>>>>>> So....i was thinking. What about I go get some goat milk from Coope and make yogurt for us for this week? I invited her to come here, we try to the yogurt, compare to what we are used to (her goat milk yogurt compared to my usual cow milk yogurt). Then, if she loves it, she would take home the yogurt and not have to buy it from the COOPE this week. And, if it was still an inferior choice, she could leave it and i would eat goat milk yogurt for the week. That i wouldn't like it as much is of little concern to me. I have less exacting standards on some things. That the goat milk yogurt is an experiment with a friend would make the yogurt all the sweet enough.>>>>>>> I presented all of this to her...and was turned down. Apparently, she is too busy this week to get together (and doesn't want to try it?). She said that now that the COOPE stocks goat milk, she can make her own yogurt if she wants but will probably just keep buying it. I hope that she really is too busy over the next week but, being the insecure chick that i am (still a five year old, sad to be excluded on the playground!), i think that this may just be an excuse. >>>>>>> Anyway, i have not bought the goat milk to make the yogurt for myself. I really wanted to try goat milk yogurt first to see if i'd even like it but cannot get myself to spend $8...only to take one spoonful and BEURK. So, it may remain a mystery.>>>>>>>Then again, we go out to an "afternoon tea" get-together with friends every other friday (no one drinks tea, they all drink A LOT of alcohol). Hubster feels like we have to buy something there to justify our taking room in the restaurant, so he gets a drink...Fresca/Sprite or coffee. And his two cups of coffee are $8. So, maybe i should just bite the bullet...and nibble the yogurt? >>>>>>> Anyway, this is long enough. Let me know what you think. >>>>>>>

Fort Bragg Macaroni Salad

When Christian was at Fort Bragg for basic training, we went to his graduation. At this event (a whole weekend of fun!), we bought a cookbook of recipes from the families of service members on that base. This is one of those recipes that was a hit with our family too. It looks weird...but is strangely good!! >>>>>>>SWEET MACARONI SALAD<<<<<<< *******1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni *******4 medium carrots, shredded *******1 large green pepper, chopped *******1 medium red onion, chopped *******2 cups mayonnaise (i use 1 C and 1C yogurt) *******1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (fat-free sweetened condensed milk has the same calories and tastes like crap) *******1 cup cider vinegar (can use white vinegar but not balsamic or red wine varieties!) *******1/2 cup sugar *******1 teaspoon salt *******1/2 teaspoon pepper *>*>*>*Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water; drain well. In a large bowl, combine macaroni and vegetables. Whisk together remaining ingredients until smooth and sugar is dissolved; stir into macaroni mixture. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

Hubster and i aren't _completely_ the same.

The Hubster is uniquely skilled for the occupation/calling that he fulfilled throughout his professional life. He was (is?) a pediatric anesthesiologist and he loved it. It matched with his skills and life goals. This is in direct contrast to me but more on that in a moment. How was this perfect for him? Let me explain.>>>>>>> 1. He has to be _the best_ at everything that he does. He will not accept "good enough"...it has to be perfect. He will not do something, no buy something, not go somewhere, unless it is perfect. He chooses the most difficult instead of the easy way out. Being a doctor was the hardest profession available to him on graduating from high school, so that was the one for him. And, being an anesthesiologist (ie. "the one who keeps you alive while the surgeon is putting holes in your body") was the hardest field. Adding the "pediatric"part with another fellowship? Bring it on.>>>>>>> 2. In any situation, there is a solution, a way of doing things. Hubster is never happy with just one solution but always, always is thinking of "Plan B"....and "Plan C""..and the entire alphabet. Surgery with kids, even more so than with adults, can be dicey and things can change rapidly. Hubster was always ready with a back-up plan to address situations that could, maybe, possibly, by-any-stretch-of-potential occur.>>>>>>> 3. Hubster doesn't have to eat..ever. I don't know how many times he would come home to tell me that he didn't get to lunch until 4pm or not at all. That he wasn't relieved for a break or couldn't leave his patient.>>>>>>> 4. Hubster doesn't have to pee. I know! He regularly will go all day without having to use the restroom, which is perfect for someone who is in an operating room for hours on end without a way to just "pop out" on the spur of the moment.>>>>>> 5. Hubster is so gentle with the kiddos and gained their trust (and that of parents) so that the kids were less angry/stressed/frantic when they went back to the operating room. This meant that they often didn't need pre-meds to separate from parents, thus getting less sedation that had to wear off after the procedure and allowing the families to see their awake kids sooner. This was better for everyone. Nurses loved that "his" kids didn't come out asleep for long, long times.>>>>>>> 6. Hubster is never sick. So, in the 20+ years that he worked as an anesthesiologist (including during his training when he got 2 days off a month!), he only missed two days for "illness". One. And that was the day that i delivered Alessandra. The other was the day that he picked me up from the hospital after i delivered Christian. (He had off/traded for the day that i delivered Christian) He worked every other day.>>>>>>> 7. Hubster is the utmost in confident that he can handle any situation, can master whatever life needs from him. This made his work more goal-driven and reassured his associate professionals that he could be relied upon to succeed in whatever situation. So, the surgeon could do his part. The nurses could do their parts. The parents felt more comfortable trusting their child to him.>>>>>>> 8. Hubster doesn't give a rat's a$$ if anyone likes him. He likes himself and that's enough for him. I would never, ever, no, not ever, have been able to do anything but what i did. Certainly not what he did.******* 1. I have to eat every three hours. I had an incident early in my nursing career (that brief period of time that i was a full-time, career-path RN) when i was sent to lunch at 1:30, having been working in the ICU where one cannot leave or eat, since 0645. I took one sip of my soda and fell backwards into a seizure. Low blood sugar. So, not eating for hours on end is not a possibility for me.******* 2. I find what works for me and do that over and over and over, for the most part. When i was in nursing school, i moved to a new apartment which was on the other side of a bridge from my college. Soon after i moved in, the bridge was closed to car traffic for repairs. I knew one way to get to school and one way to get to my parents' house. I would either drive nearly all the way "home" then back to campus or just leave the house an hour early and walk across the bridge and up the hill to campus.....then home in the evening. This continued for nearly a year. Every day. I knew one way to do things and that was how it was done.******* 3. I am the queen of "good enough". I don't have to have the bestest brand of this or that food, the "perfect" piece of clothing, the "perfect" seam when sewing. Good enough is often good enough. I'm not saying that i sew clothes that are noticeably wonky or that i wear bedraggled, stained clothes. But, if the shirt fits but isn't _exactly_ fitted to my body, i make it work. I have never been perfect and rarely make anything perfect. Good enough allows me to remain sane as i know that i'm not perfect...ever...and wanting to be would just make me crazy.******* 4. We won't even talk about my bathroom needs. I have a walnut size bladder and cannot honestly remember a night that i've been able to sleep through the night. I don't make it through a film in the evening either. Ever. I am like those Betsy Wetsy dolls from days of old. Fluid in...fluid out.******* 5. I have been sick before and missed work. Actually, my "retirement" from nursing was a result of my being "sick". I had an injury that prevented my typing or speaking and left me a bit "fuzzy" (closed head injury). I took off for 4 weeks....and just never went back. Sadly, no one from work ever contacted me to see how i was, when i might come back, if i was recovering. It was like i'd never been there.******* 6. I don't have the confidence that i'm "good enough" at anything, really. I've always looked around to make sure that i haven't screwed up too badly, rather than being confident that i was doing the bang-up job that many situations require. I _need_ that reinforcement that what i've done (the recipe that i've made, the dress/scrub pants that i've sewn, the child that i raised) is "good", in the eyes of others. I rarely rely on my own evaluation. Shoot! I go to JoAnn fabrics to choose fabric for a project and find that i ask strangers "which of these two fabrics/patterns do you think is the better?". I do nothing on my own evaluation.******* 7. I _need_ to have people like me and have always, always tried to do what others want/need to "make" them like me. This means often going out of my way to give people what i think that they want although it often is just what i would want for them or if i were them. I have for 30+ years tried to "surprise" Joe with one thing or another, going out of my way, only to find that my sacrifice is for naught. He would have been just as happy with a peanut butter sandwich instead of the bagel that i walked down to the bakery, stealthily bought and hid in the cupboard,then toasted and topped with butter. Then i'm disappointed with my efforts not being "valued" and the "benefit" of the sacrifice is lost. This extends to people that i'm not as close to as well. I joined Mary Kay and did "parties" and gave away a LOT of product to "make" people like me (My director, Barbie Gizzo, told me "when you give people stuff, they like you.... and it will increase your party bookings and sales"). I didn't make director but tried really hard for years and was so disappointed that my efforts and sacrifices didn't work out. I took it personally and ended up feeling worse for myself. So, i'm uniquely qualified to be..... a mom. Not just to my children (who are no longer children, i know) but to my world in general. To do the extra little things, imperfectly!, that make my loved ones feel loved. And to strangers (nice shoes! wow...you're such a good mom! gee, your baby is so cute!). It makes me happy to make others happy and i just had to find a non-professional way to do so. Oh! and to only sew for myself and select items (quilts with scattered designs) for others. Pura Vida.

so...you have beer...and have to do something with it...and it's only monday....

LISA'S EASY BEER BREAD RECIPE>>>>>>> 3C self-rising flour>>>>>>> 1 can beer>>>>>>> mix>>>>>>> add cheese, if you want (dribs and drabs of whatever leftover cheese good here)>>>>>>> dump into pammed/greased 9x5 loaf pan>>>>>>> bake 350 for 50 minutes>>>>>>> let cool in pan>>>>>>> slice and enjoy toasted with butter or cheese or just crumble onto chili>>>>>>> also makes good muffins (easier to serve than slicing bread)>>>>>>> use whatever beer...old beer....that can/bottle that someone left at your house...that beer that you find in the back of the fridge from who knows what old celebration>>>>>>> can use soda instead of beer....ginger ale better than orange soda but any will work>>>>>>>

the good, the bad and the ugly about being with the same person for 30+ years

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MARRIED FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS>>>>>>> I have been married to Joe, the LOML (to use Dedra’s favorite hashtag), for 30+ years. For those who envy that or wonder what that would be like, let me tell you this. >>>>>>> It’s not all easy and rosy, like the beginning of a love affair.>>>>>>> So, let me tell you what it is like to be married for years and years and years. And, to be efficient, I must number them.>>>>>>> 1. Being married to Joe since i was in my early 20’s means that I’ve never been to a restaurant by myself. Yes, i did go to Wendy’s twice (take-away) while on an educational week with my church but eating a baked potato, sitting on the bed in my dorm room doesn’t really make for a “gourmet dining experience”.>>>>>>> 2. I have never bought a movie ticket to see a movie alone....or even with friends. I have been to movies with Joe and with our kids but never without them.>>>>>>> 3. I have only traveled alone once (see: education week with my church) and it was lonely.>>>>>>> 4. If Joe is asleep or sick (like today), i can go the entire day without speaking. It’s that or talk to the cats (see: crazy cat lady).>>>>>>> 5. Joe chose our first home in Charlottesville,VA and has predominantly done so for the other homes that we’ve bought. I have never sought/negotiated a mortgage.>>>>>>> 6. I get up every morning, before Joe, do my quiet/alone yoga and have breakfast. I make his coffee. I make his breakfast. I go in and quietly, gently wake him up. Every morning. For 30+ years.>>>>>>> 7. He cannot make his own coffee...he has me.>>>>>>> 8. He doesn’t know how much cereal he has in the cupboard.>>>>>>> 9. He doesn’t know where in the supermarket to find his “favorite” cereal or which one that is (which brand do I like again?).>>>>>>> 10. He never has to refill the supply of coffee, milk, or cereal b/c he has me.>>>>>>> 11. He doesn’t have to wake up and wonder if it’s time to get up or just roll over and go back to sleep. If I don’t come in, he can lounge, laze, and go back to sleep. Without worry that he’ll be late to the gym.>>>>>>> 12. I have never known what our mortgage payment was, what we paid for houses or cars. I’ve never spent more than $500 on anything except his first iPod...$600 from my Mary Kay account. Every “big” purchase has been handled by Joe.>>>>>>> 13. I don’t speak Spanish and live in a country where Spanish is the national language. Joe does all the translating and interacting to “get things done”. I do “grocery and restaurant Spanish”...basically, i know the names of the foods/veg that i eat and can find those. Beyond that, I rely on him to do everything.>>>>>>> 14. I cook. He does the dishes after lunch/dinner. Every day. >>>>>>> 15. Joe hasn’t done a load of laundry since before we got married. I started doing our laundry before we got engaged in 1990 and have done so ever since. I wash it, hang it on the line, retrieve it, and fold it. He puts his away. >>>>>>> 16. Joe does all the finances. Always has. I’ve never balanced a checkbook, bought or sold a stock or fund, refinanced a house/mortgage, done anything with retirement accounts. >>>>>>> 17. I have never done anything to do with the IRS. He has done our taxes since we got together. Are we getting money back this year? Are we paying this year? Darned if i know!>>>>>>> 18. Joe doesn’t know where anything “goes” in the kitchen cabinets. He does the dishes but, if he empties the dish drainer, puts a stack of “orphans” on the counter for me to put away. We have lived here for 3+ years.>>>>>>> 19. Joe picks all the vacation spots that we’ve been to. Always has. After our many years together, he knows what i would like. I’ve never been on a bad vacation. >>>>>>> 20. I have no idea what my income was any year that i worked. I had automatic deposit and gave the paystubs/receipts to him when i received them. I didn’t manage my retirement withdrawals except to know that i put the maximum into retirement each year. >>>>>>> 21. Joe has no idea when it is time to flea-treat the cats, go to the dentist, get the house sprayed for bugs (necessary living in the tropics!).....my calendar takes care of all of that.>>>>>> 22. I maintain the house calendar to keep track of when the housekeeper is coming, when we are getting together with friends, which date is the doctor/dentist appointment and can we accommodate another appointment or is that day already booked?>>>>>>> 23. I have never sprayed a wasp/hornet nest, climbed up to empty gutters, cut down the big bunch of bananas in the tree or moved heavy furniture. Joe does all the he-man lifting.>>>>>>> 24. I have no nose so i changed the majority of the diapers (he had to do a couple with Alessandra when i was working the first year at night but rarely...never with Christian). And i empty the litter box...and always have. Puking kids? That would be my job too. >>>>>>> 25. Last, but not least, i never have to worry who i will have dinner with, play games with, travel with, and generally do all the fun things in my life. I live with my bestest friend...every day is like a playdate. >>>>>>>

go to your room

When i was young and misbehaved, my mother would do the "wait until your father gets home" thing. Upon hearin of my offense, my dad would always say..."go to your room". Then, he would finish whatever he was doing (eating dinner, watching a TV show, changing clothes, who knows?), and come up to fuss at me. Tell me how disappointed he was with whatever i had done. How he thought that i was better than this. How i was less than he had thought that i was. Often, this was bad enough. Just thinking about it now is making me stomach tense and flip. Anyway, then he would inflict whatever punishment seeme appropriate to him.>>>>>>I am a lot older now but still hate the "we need to talk about this" delay that sometimes comes up in relationships. I have that going on now and have been sick with worry for days...>>>>>>>I had a friend that i saw every week. We had her and her husband over for lunch/games or we went to the their house. We went on walks, just the two of us. But, mostly, we sat on her porch and chatted. It was a good friendship. But, every so often, she would just disappear. We wouldn't hear from her for weeks on end then she would be back with a glib excuse of "i got bogged down with financial stuff" or "we have family coming to visit so i needed a couple weeks to get ready...then their visit....then a month to recover..."(happened three times, even when we entertained the family at our home or hosted them at a restaurant). And, she has friends that don't like me (different story for a different day). So...her ghosting me lately is not an extraordinary event. But it has been over six months.>>>>>>>So, having seen an article in the Washington Post about a friend repeatedly ghosting the writer, i sent it to her and asked what was going on with her.>>>>>>>She responded "we need to talk...and this will be more than a 20 minute conversation...when can you do this?" When i offered that day or the next, i was told.."no, too soon...i might be able to do three days from now...but only in the morning...or any day the rest of that week".>>>>>>>So, essentially... "go to your room...i'll talk to you later"...So,.....i wait....and fret....I honestly don't know what i could have done or said, what i could have not done or said, that would have meritted losing this relationship. I have given up on it being restored...i just want to know what happened so that i don't similarly offend others going forward.>>>>>>> So, Monday afternoon will bring, maybe, some clarity.>>>>>>Maybe.>>>>>>>But at least i won't be as fraught with nerves and nauseated.....maybe. Joe thinks that i'm overreacting (and i am) but i can not just let it go. I want this to be over, one way or the other. I have never outgrown the want/need for "everyone to like me" and that there is someone (not just her but her friends as well) that doesn't like me makes my dread even worse.>>>>>>>Sigh.

Ruby Noodles from Nigella Lawson...and me

RUBY NOODLES is a recipe from Nigella Lawson...that i "improved" and served today, after wanting to make it for over a month. The stars finally aligned and i had an opening in our schedule of meals to shoehorn it in. I am so glad that i did. Both Hubster and i loved it and it is certainly pretty. Fancy and "company worthy"? Maybe not...but definitely going into our rotation..especially as it can be a "desperation dinner"-- what to make when the fridge/cupboard look a bit scanty....>>>>>>>RUBY NOODLES>>>>>>> 8 oz fettucine pasta>>>>>>>1-1/2 C beet juice (used the leftover water from steaming beets in my IP, i always have this in the freezer)>>>>>>>1-2t chopped ginger>>>>>>>1-2t chopped garlic>>>>>>>1T soy sauce and fish sauce (yes!! you _need_ the fish sauce!)>>>>>>>1 lime or lemon, zest and juice>>>>>>>1T cornstart and water slurry (for later, not with beet juice)>>>>>>>topping: 1T sesame seeds...and 1-3 chopped green onions>>>>>>>bring pot of water to boil, add fettucine and cook for ONLY 3 MINUTES, drain and set aside (yes, it is still really stiff and not cooked...work with me)>>>>>>>add rest except the sesame seeds and green onion, bring to boil, reduce to simmer, add parboiled fettucine, cook until done, about 5-7 more minutes>>>>>>>make a slurry of 1T cornstarch and 1T water, dump into cooked pasta to "firm up" the remaining beet juice liquid>>>>>>>cook 1 minute to thickened, serve with topping of sesame seeds and green onion (and dash of sesame oil or plain oil, if you want to be fancy)>>>>>>>i served mine with a side of veg and Hubster's with a side of sauteed sausage. Sosososo yummy! And quick! And RED!! Try it and you'll start saving beet juice all the time just to make this recipe!

ROYAL HAWAII'AN RESORT "RESORT FEE" BANANA BREAD

Honolulu's Royal Hawai'in Resort charges $49/night in resort fees. This covers access to the fitness center, WiFi, and a pair of their "signature" banana muffins. Here is the recipe...saving you $49/night....and allowing you to have as much banana bread as you wish. Aloha!>>>>>>> Royal Hawaiian Banana Bread>>>>>>> Makes 1 loaf>>>>>>>> Note: The Royal Hawaiian traditionally welcomes guests with its signature banana bread, still warm from the oven.>>>>>>>> 1 cup sugar>>>>>>> 2 large eggs>>>>>>> 1/2 cup shortening or vegetable oil>>>>>>> 4 to 5 ripe bananas, mashed>>>>>>> 2 cups all-purpose flour>>>>>>> 1/2 teaspoon baking powder>>>>>>> 1 teaspoon baking soda>>>>>>> 1/2 teaspoon salt>>>>>>> 1 teaspoon vanilla>>>>>>> Cinnamon to taste>>>>>>> 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped, or nuts of your choice, optional>>>>>>> 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8-by-4 inch loaf pan.>>>>>>> 2. Combine sugar, eggs and shortening. Add mashed bananas and mix well. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanillato to form a thick batter. Stir in nuts.>>>>>>> 3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.>>>>>>> — Courtesy of Quirino Domingo, pastry chef, Royal Hawaiian, Honolulu>>>>>>>

LISA'S LENTIL AND LEGUME LOVE

How easy is it to make lentils? Easier than Kraft macaroni and cheese! Seriously.. really really. Cheap, easy, and fast-- bad in qualities for your son's girlfriend, good in qualities for your cooking!>>>>>>>HOW TO MAKE LOTS 'O LENTILS>>>>>>> 1 C lentils (brown, cheap, ~$1/# bag).......3-4C water.......1 bay leaf (optional).......bring water to boil, put lentils and bay leaf in boiling water and turn heat waaaay down until the water is barely trembling with a low simmer.....have a life for 20 minutes (no longer!!).......drain lentils and remove bay leaf....that's it!!.......toss with BBQ sauce and put over a baked white/sweet potato.....put on rice with whatever other veg you might have in the fridge/freezer (free-form rice bowl).......or, do what i'm having tonight, and make a packet of Sloppy Joe mix *(.59 packet from Kroger/Smith's) using lentils instead of ground beef, served over toasted Hawaii'an rolls or hamburger buns.....use 1/2 and 1/2 in chili or other recipes that call for ground beef (more protein and less cost and the sauce/spices will make so that no one knows the difference-- double happiness!)>>>>>>>Let me know your lentil/legume success stories!!

LENTILS ARE JUST WAITING FOR THEIR HUMMUS MOMENT...and how to get more a more "lentilly legumey life"!

WHY AMERICANS SHOULD EAT LENTILS EVERY DAY...OR AT LEAST MORE OFTEN! >>>>>>> Lentils conceal their superpowers with a dowdy exterior. Pound for pound, raw lentils have more protein than steak. While not as protein-dense once cooked, they pack even more iron than meat, in addition to other vitamins and minerals.>>>>>>> Fast to cook, easy to store and exalted enough to be buried with the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, these seeds have sustained empires. Roman soldiers lived on the essential portable protein over their long campaigns.>>>>>>> Today, the lentil is again on the front lines. This time, against climate change. While start-ups scramble to engineer a sustainable protein, from lab-grown meat to fake burgers, lentils are a ready solution, one with a proven record. The rest of the world has known this for millennia. From India’s red lentil to the French Le Puy to black “beluga” lentils, so named for their resemblance to caviar, the world grows about 6 million tons every year. Unlike corn and other grains, lentils can thrive on arid lands with little water where many other crops wither — while building up the soil. When it comes to combating climate change, the lentil may be the perfect legume. They’re also, as the caviar mention implies, delicious. So why do Americans eat fewer lentils than almost everyone else?Here’s how you can return the lentil to its rightful place at humanity’s table.>>>>>>> HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO LENTILS HAVE?>>>>>>> Lentils are pulses, or the edible seed of a legume plant. This category of dry beans or seeds — as opposed to fresh green beans — encompasses everything from black beans to chickpeas to pigeon peas. They’re older than agriculture, as archaeological evidence suggests humans collected wild varieties more than 13,000 years ago.>>>>>>> There’s a good reason. While not as dense or digestible as meat once they are cooked, lentils become a complete protein similar to meat when combined with many grains. They’re also a slow burn, satiating hunger for hours. And unlike red meats, particularly those that have been processed, lentils have none of the saturated fats and additives that raise the risks of cancer and heart disease. They also contain iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium and vitamin B, as well as most of the essential amino acids. “That’s one of the beauties of lentils,” says Bruce Maxwell, a plant ecologist at Montana State University. “It’s really high in the precursors for human health.”>>>>>>> HOW MUCH LEGUMES (BEANS) AMERICANS EAT:>>>>>>> Yet legumes remain sparse in the American diet, says Tim McGreevy, CEO of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, a trade group. While Indians consume about 40 pounds of pulses per person annually, and Spaniards come close to 20 pounds per person, Americans remain in the low teens. One study estimated just 8 percent of the U.S. population eats pulses on any given day. That’s changing, as Americans expand their knowledge of lentils beyond the ones most people know: green, brown and red. Hundreds of varieties grown around the world, each with its own terroir, or characteristic flavor imparted by local soil and weather, are making their way to the United States, including the black “beluga” lentils; speckled, dark green French Puy; and large, lighter green Laird gaining popularity. McGreevy is just waiting for lentils to have their “hummus moment.”>>>>>>> For anyone not in the legume industry, the impact of hummus on American pulse consumption is hard to appreciate. While the general profile of legumes has risen alongside the popularity of plant-based food, particularly the Mediterranean diet, it was hummus that ignited Americans’ love of chickpeas, and the pulse family more broadly, says McGreevy. U.S. acreage devoted to chickpeas soared from virtually nothing in 1995 to around 1,200 square miles, more than twice the size of Los Angeles, by 2017, though it has since come back down somewhat. “Hummus was a paradigm shift. It was amazing,” says McGreevy. “Hummus is the gateway pulse.”>>>>>>> In March 2020, pulses received another boost when much of the United States shut down. During the pandemic, they flew off grocery shelves, and lentils were in particularly high demand. Sara Mader, CEO of Palouse Brand, one of the largest online pulse retailers, says the era of lentil sales can be divided into times before and after the pandemic. Annual sales of its brown Pardina lentil rose 860 percent after shutdowns in March 2020, compared to a year earlier. They haven’t slowed much since. Lentils are now one of Palouse Brand’s top three sellers, Mader says.>>>>>>> What’s good for you is also good for the land. America’s most popular crops, like wheat and corn, often degrade the soil over time. Legumes like lentils rebuild it. That’s what happened on Mader’s family farm, which grows crops under the Palouse Brand name. For 125 years, the family has farmed the rich soil of Washington state’s eastern flank, which has sediment deposited there after the last ice age. But after a century of cultivation, the region’s fertility was eroding fast. So in the 1930s, Mader’s family tried something different. They rotated chickpeas, peas and lentils into their wheat fields. By the 1980s, they also adopted no-till farming, leaving organic matter on the surface instead of plowing it.>>>>>>> While uncommon at the time, the Mader family’s embrace of legumes in Palouse, Wash., was prophetic. Today, about a third of the farm is always planted with legumes. And farms like Mader’s in North America now produce more than half the world’s crop of lentils in fields stretching from the Pacific Northwest to Canada’s interior. That’s rebuilding the region’s soil, and lowering carbon emissions. Lentils, like almost all legumes, pull nitrogen out of the air and deposit it underground, thanks to bacteria on their roots. Not only does this fertilize the legumes, it enables the soil to hold more nutrients and water for the next crop, displacing carbon-intensive nitrogen fertilizers. Even better, lentils generally need no irrigation, surviving on rainfall alone.>>>>>>> Farmers across the region now rotate lentils into their former monocultures of wheat. Mader says the soil health on her family’s farm is better than it has been in anyone’s lifetime. And we’ll need more farms like hers. In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission, a collaboration by dozens of leading scientists, designed a diet capable of sustaining 10 billion people and the planet by 2050. The findings, peer-reviewed by the respected British medical journal Lancet, recommended doubling the amount of legumes in our diet, roughly equal to the amount of animal protein. “Food is the single strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental sustainability on Earth,” the scientists wrote.>>>>>>> HOW TO EAT LENTILS;>>>>>>> If there’s a challenge for lentils in the United States, it’s that their biggest fans don’t live here. McGreevy says North American farmers are still shipping about 55 percent of their crop overseas, often to India and Europe. To expand lentils across the United States and Canada, farmers need a stable domestic market.>>>>>>>(still reading? send me a note telling me that you read this and i'll send you lentils..or a gift certificate to Ruth's Chris to get your bloody meat instead) Steve Sando, the founder of Rancho Gordo, is proving it’s possible. The founder of the heirloom bean purveyor, he has turned the humble bean into a coveted crop. Growing up in California’s wine country, he wondered why legumes weren’t accorded the same regard. So he started Rancho Gordo, sourcing and selling tasty beans from around the world. His “Bean Club” started as a joke, inspired by Napa’s pricey wine clubs. It now claims 20,000 members, with even more people on the waiting list. Yet as a child, even Sando disdained lentils. “I grew up on old bins of brown lentils at the food co-op,” he said. “I hated them.” That echoes many first impressions of the pulse: mushy, tasteless and boring. But new varieties and exciting preparations are on hand.>>>>>>> Fresh lentils are better, but you can store dry ones almost indefinitely (reportedly, they were still edible after thousands of years in Egyptian pyramids, says Tim McGreevy, CEO of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council.) Lentils are fast food. They cook in 20 to 40 minutes without soaking. You can brine them in salted water (4 cups water, 1 tsp salt for one hour) before cooking for extra flavor and to avoid bursting. Make one pot of lentils on Sunday. The same pot can be added to multiple meals, from a ginger-coconut soup to a mint-feta salad to curried onions. If a recipe calls for brown lentils, substitute other varieties (except red lentils, which break down rather than hold their structure). There are many lentil recipes. Here’s a collection to get creative. And of course, my favorite: braised lentils with red wine, heavy on the pour.>>>>>>> There’s the lentil-rich burger at the Burger Stand in Taos, N.M., topped with feta and roasted red pepper sauce. Refried lentils have been a crowd favorite at Viva, a Las Vegas Mexican restaurant. Barbecue lentils. Chocolate lentil brownies. Old-world classics like lentils and carrot salad with mustard vinaigrette, and lentils mushroom ragout. And of course, my favorite: braised lentils with red wine, heavy on the pour. Sando is a convert. Not only does Rancho Gordo sell multiple varieties of lentils, Sando eats them regularly as an indulgence — never as a sacrifice. “I’m an omnivore, but I love them so much I just eat less meat,” says Sando. “Food should be joyful, not penance.”>>>>>>> Could they ever become as American as apple pie? McGreevy says it’s just a matter of time. Not a day goes by when he doesn’t have a bowl. “I really have lentils for breakfast every morning,” says McGreevy, who cooks a pot each Sunday, enough for the entire week. “It sounds crazy, but my wife and I put a little butter and salt and pepper on them with an egg. I can go well past lunchtime before I need a snack. They just carry you a long way.”>>>>>>>

I share this...what do you think?

Opinion >>>>>>>What if climate change meant not doom — but abundance? By Rebecca Solnit>>>>>>> A monastic once told me renunciation can be great if it means giving up things that make you miserable.>>>>>>> This vision, I think, is what has been missing when we talk about the climate crisis — and how we should respond to it.>>>>>>> Much of the reluctance to do what climate change requires comes from the assumption that it means trading abundance for austerity, and trading all our stuff and conveniences for less stuff, less convenience. But what if it meant giving up things we’re well rid of, from deadly emissions to nagging feelings of doom and complicity in destruction? What if the austerity is how we live now — and the abundance could be what is to come?>>>>>>> Look closely, and you can see that by measures other than goods and money, we are impoverished. Even the affluent live in a world where confidence in the future, and in the society and institutions around us, is fading — and where a sense of security, social connectedness, mental and physical health, and other measures of well-being are often dismal.>>>>>>> This is the world we live in with fossil fuel — the burning of which makes us poorer in many ways. We know that the fossil fuel industry corrodes our politics. We know that worldwide, breathing air contaminated by fossil fuel kills more than 8 million people a year and damages many more, particularly babies and children. And we know that as fossil fuel fills the upper atmosphere with carbon dioxide that destabilizes temperature and weather, it increases despair and anxiety.>>>>>>> All of this has particularly affected the young, who are justified in their fury and grief. But in truth, we’re dealing with a broader sense of helplessness and even guilt — the impact on the psyche of witnessing or feeling complicit in something wrong.>>>>>>> This is moral injury, and many of us suffer from it. Or we try to avoid seeing and thinking about it, and adopt a numbing, willful obliviousness.>>>>>>> Such numbing breeds inaction, when this crisis demands specific action: a swift transition toward renewables, improved designs for the built environment, better care for the natural world in all the ways we interact with it.>>>>>>> The good news is, the knowledge that we are not separate from nature but dependent on it is already far more present than it was a few decades ago. Everywhere, I see people rethinking how they work and live, turning this knowledge into reality.>>>>>>> I see farmers who consider not just crops and profit but the sustainability of the wild things and waterways and nature around them — who work the land for this year’s harvest and for the long-term well-being of the whole. I see the resurgence of Indigenous power and vision in climate protests, but also in ideas about food, time and values. I see champions for the oceans and their denizens, for the forests, for the whole miraculously beautiful biosphere.>>>>>>> Such projects need participation, defense and expansion; we need to cultivate and amplify this knowledge until it’s how the world works and how we understand the world.>>>>>>> To accomplish that, we need a large-scale change in perspective. To reframe climate change as an opportunity — a chance to rethink who we are and what we desire.>>>>>>> What if we imagined “wealth” consisting not of the money we stuff into banks or the fossil-fuel-derived goods we pile up, but of joy, beauty, friendship, community, closeness to flourishing nature, to good food produced without abuse of labor? What if we were to think of wealth as security in our environments and societies, and as confidence in a viable future?>>>>>>> “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers,” William Wordsworth wrote a couple of centuries ago. What would it mean to recover those powers, to be rich in time instead of stuff?>>>>>>> For so many of us, being busy with work has leached away our capacity to pursue true riches. What if we were to prioritize reclaiming our time — to fret less about getting and spending — and instead “spend” this precious resource on creative pursuits, on adventure and learning, on building stronger societies and being better citizens, on caring for the people (and other species and places) we love, on taking care of ourselves?>>>>>>> When I was researching a book on how people respond to disasters, I was struck less by the fact that most people were brave, altruistic and able to improvise new social networks and means of survival, and more by the fact that amid these improvisations, they found something they craved so much that even amid death, ruin and disorder, their joy shone out.>>>>>>> To respond to the climate crisis — a disaster on a more immense scale than anything our species has faced — we can and must summon what people facing disasters have: a sense of meaning, of deep connection and generosity, of being truly alive in the face of uncertainty. Of joy.>>>>>>> This is the kind of abundance we need to meet the climate crisis, to make many, or even most, lives better. It is the opposite of moral injury; it is moral beauty. A thing we needn’t acquire, because we already have it in us.>>>>>>>

snappy happy napa

SNAPPY HAPPY NAPA (cabbage sauté)>>>>>>> 1 head napa cabbage (about 8C), sliced+++ 1 onion, sliced+++ 2t garlic+++ (2T oil)+++ Sauté to wilted while assembling rest of ingredients++++++ 1t paprika+++ 1/2t red pepper flakes+++ 2T soy sauce+++ 1T fish sauce (do NOT drop this bottle...or you will have to move house)+++ 3/4C water+++ 2T sesame vinegar/2T sesame oil+++ mix in to above veg, cover and let steam+++++++ 2T water + 2T cornstarch to make slurry+++ add slurry to veg when napa is wilted and all seems to be coming together+++++++ stir and sauté until sauce comes together/gets creamy+++++++ serve over rice sprinkling of sesame vinegar/sesame oil/sesame seeds+++++++ i served with sautéed shrimps but chicken might be good, or egg(i eat A LOT of eggs) or just veg

Pura Vida Story Time

Put on your jammies. Pop some popcorn. Settle in for Pura Vida Story Time.>>>>>>> Yes, the weather where you are is kinda crappy. Yes, i live in Costa Rica, don't work a 9-5 (or longer) job, and have a daily schedule that involves nothing more taxing than studying foreign language "homework" and walking a couple miles at 7 in the morning.. It's easy to think that all is "happy-happy, joy-joy" but let me tell you a couple of stories.>>>>>>> We bought our house in Atenas in October, 2019 and it had a 10 year old refrigerator and 10 year old freezer (separate units, installed next to each other in the kitchen). The whole house was10 years old. That first year, we had to get a few repairs to the roof for leaks...which didn't address the problem....so we had to get a whole new roof installed, two layers, and installation infused(there was none before) to keep the iguana influx down and decrease the noise from the rain to the roof. And we needed a new refrigerator and freezer. The problem? The units that we had were BIG and the only models available, Frigidaire, were being "updated" and not available in the US, much less Costa Rica. Then COVID. So, the models were even longer to be available. Our freezer in Costa Rica leaked water and didn't keep everything "hard frozen". Frozen foods were pretty​ cold but not hard frozen. I was a bit uncomfortable with fish/chicken in the freezer and tried to keep the stock reasonably low, thinking that any day now we would be able to replace the units. >>>>>>> Pura Vida.>>>>>>> Three years later, this past month, we were able to replace the refrigerator and freezer. It took seven (7!) men, seven(7!) hours to install the two units, which are 1" wider and 4" taller than the old units...requiring us to move cabinets to accommodate the "built in" units. There is now a hole above the two units as the wooden piece that had been there is too high (by ~4") and too narrow (by ~1"). But the "best" part? This installation somehow knocked out the power to the wall switches in the bedroom (behind the kitchen) and the lights on the ceiling of the kitchen. The lights in the kitchen work...if i use one set of switches but not the other one. So, to light up the kitchen, i have to turn it on at the hall entrance...walk across the kitchen....flip the switch on the other side of the kitchen...and the room lights up. To turn on the bedside lights in the bedroom or charge my phone overnight or use a plug in the bedroom (vacuum, etc).....not possible. The overhead fan and light work but that's it. >>>>>>> Pura Vida.>>>>>>> We called an electrician (who was there for the refrigerator/freezer installation) only to be told that we need a bigger fuse/power box and that he can do that. Apparently, according to the electrician, we always needed this but it was, as many many things are in Costa Rica, "jury rigged" and "worked just fine" ....until it didn't. He said that he'd come on Monday but needed a deposit of $700 (yes, dollars, not colonnes) to get supplies then the remaining $300 when he came to repair/replace the box that week. It is Tuesday....eight days after he is coming for the explanation and to pick up the deposit. We are still waiting.>>>>>>> Pura Vida.>>>>>>> Oh. And our electric bill for last month (including a week or so of the new units) came. Ten times the amount that it was the month before. No, not $10 more than the month before. Not 10% more than the month before. 10x the amount of the month before. >>>>>>> Pura Vida. >>>>>>> I have another story for you but am too wound up now reliving this "fun" to continue. So...hold onto your popcorn for story time later in the week. I'm off to have an ice pop (freezer works! ) and try to calm down and be appreciative of the blessings that i DO have. Good marriage to a good guy. Good health. Able to swim outside every day of the year (and not as a "polar bear plunge"). Life IS good...>>>>>>>

angels among us?

Christian was, as is his nickname, a runt as a baby. He just DID NOT SLEEP. He was, literally, up and screaming from 12-4 every night. Walking, breast-feeding, singing to him....nothing worked for long. It took about an hour to nurse and sing to him until he fell asleep in my arms and tuck him in bed at 8pm...then he would be up again often at 9 and i'd start the whole system again (nurse/change diaper/sing in the dark until he fell asleep in my arms...then he would be up at midnight and screaming until he finally pooped out and fell back to sleep at ~4....then up for the day at 6. He didn't regularly nap, he might do two hours of sleep during the day but i had Alessandra so i couldn't "sleep when the baby sleeps".>>>>>>> So, Christian was 10 months old (and had been doing the above sleep schedule every night for all of those ten months...). We were in the park, on the swings when another woman came over to the swings with her 10 month old. "Don't you just love having a 10 month old?!" she gushed and i snarled "no, it sucks. he doesn't sleep..i'm off all lactose so i cannot have my coffee-with-milk (the only way that i could drink coffee but had to stop b/c the doctors and we thought that maybe Christian was so fussy b/c he was lactose intolerant). This mom, who introduced herself as "Angel" proceeded to tell me that the secret was to put him down for a nap in the afternoon...and then, at night, NOT to nurse/sing/tuck in the dark. Nurse him, give him a bath, then.....just put him in bed and turn out the light. "The more they sleep, the more they sleep".>>>>>>> I was CERTAIN that this was not going to work but what else could i do? What i had tried before was SO not working. So...i tried it. The first week, he cried for two straight hours (he is stubborn, who knew, right?!) but then....it "took" and he slept through the night. 8pm-4!! Victory!! It only took 10+ months.>>>>>>> Oh, and that women? Never saw her again. I asked around the playground to other moms and the apartment complex for which the playground was designed and no one had ever heard of or seen her. We to this day believe that she was truly an angel sent to me to save me from the Hell that i was in and help me to bond to my son (after 10 months). I loved him...but didn't like him all that much sometimes (like 12-4 am....). Angel and her "sleep therapy" worked like a charm!>>>>>>> Have you had instances where you felt that something had to be a God-thing? That more than just chance could explain something in your life? I've had a few others that i might tell you about in a future blog posting. Enough reading for today...i don't want to bog you down with an overly long posting (blog-bog?).>>>>>>>

ON MY LAST NERVE.....

I recently read an article in the Washington Post about relationships and pet peeves. Those things that your "darling husband"/"dear wife" do that drive you up the wall. I found it very interesting to read about each contributors irritations and, in many instances, how that has influenced their relationships.>>>>>>>It got me thinking of what "bugs"me and what similarly is an irritation to others. Oftentimes, these little irritations that drive one up the wall...are nothing to someone else. Let me give you some examples that will illustrate this better than i have been thus far.>>>>>>>I know someone who cannot tolerate word "moist". It just drives him up the wall....and he won't eat anything described as "moist" (chocolate cake, banana bread, lightly sauteed chicken, etc). Another person is bothered by drawers that are left a little open. Or time left on the microwave after someone else has used it. Or dishes or veg peelings left in the sink for any length of time (overnight i can see but even five minutes). The sound of a knife cutting on a plate. The feel of lotion on the body, especially the hands (making going to the beach/pool and the need for SPF a challenge/bother). The way the partner arranges dishes in the dishwasher or dish drainer. The tag in the back of a tshirt or pants. Anything not lined up exactly perpendicular or parallel on a table/desk. Returning the mayo/mustard/cheese to the refrigerator before the partner is done with it (to "help him/her"). The feel of lipgloss/lip balm. Any light perceivable when said person is trying to fall asleep (needs _total midnight darkness_). A tile or picture or door frame askew at all. Having feet touched for any reason (partner tried a foot massage...did not go over well). Background noise ever, especially when trying to read/work. Silence when trying to read/work (this person would take her laptop to Starbucks to get the ambient noise that allowed her to focus). Stopping a game or reading a book or doing a worksheet mid-cycle...(must finish before can do next task). The noise of an airplane motor when flying (must wear noise-cancellation earplugs the entire flight). Anything left out on the counter that is not being currently used ("clutter"). The smell/odor/stench of the Instapot rubber seal when not hermetically sealed. Shirt collars that touch the neck all the way around (must have V-necks or camp collars, not button-up or crew neck and _certainly_ never turtlenecks).?>>>>>>>What are your "on my last nerve" aggravations? Are they "sane" or are you, like everyone else, "functionally crazy"? I can kill two birds with one stone if i heat water in the microwave and leave 5 seconds on the time and the door slightly ajar or the food cover on the counter. Irritates both the men in my life.>>>>>>>

CHA CHA CHA!!

I used to say that raising my son, Christian, was like dancing the ChaCha...two steps forward...one step back. He was a busy, active, strong-willed child (infant, child, teen, adult...). This serves one well in many instances but was a challenge when he was a toddler/child. He was a "find a way, make a way" kid and could do anything that he set his mind to. Trenches in the backyard to act out Army...no problem. We had trenches reinforced with wood from pallets that he "rescued" from building sites elesewhere in the neighborhood. Archery to be like Robin Hood or Ted Nugent? No problem. Christian started archery lessons and got a compound bow with a tension that i could barely (and often not) pull back. When he couldn't find a book that was "accurate and right" on hunting, spying, and foraging, he wrote one....500 pages and more...and typed it on a typewriter that he got at a garage sale........See? He was very creative and industrious and focused. But.....when he didn't want to do something, there was (is!) no getting him to do so. When i thought that things were going well...that maybe life would be calm and all would work out....a downturn. I'd come home to see a knife sticking out of a wall ("i was throwing knives and that one just stuck"). Or he and his sister would be spatting and he would push her down (one time, she rolled down some stairs...). So...two steps forward...one step back........ This, however, has primed me for living in Costa Rica. Hubster will tell you, nothing works until the third time. Do you want to open a bank account? The first two times you go to the bank, the paperwork that you bring will be lacking something. It's only the third time that you go, maybe with the same paperwork but a different clerk, that you are able to put your own money in an account at the bank. We have been trying for THREE YEARS to get a new refrigerator and a new freezer. Yesterday, Hubster was able to coordinate the arrival, delivery, and installation of the two units in our kitchen. With the concommitent wood framing enlargement, moving on the cabinets by 5" (then replacing them to only a 1" enlargement), hooking up water/ice production, and getting everything back in the refrigerator and freezer. It "only" took seven (7!) guys and seven (7!) hours but it was accomplished. MAJOR COUP!!!....... But, what is the headline of this posting? What is the theme here? Cha-cha-cha. The refrigerator is working. Fantastic. It's a thing of beauty and taller (but shallower) than the unit that we had before. It is certainly prettier and cleaner and newer. The overhead lights in the kitchen were shorted out by the installation but repaired before the guys left......then shorted out again and have been out all night......But wait......it gets better......the freezer has also shorted out and has been off since, essentially, the guys pulled out of the driveway. So...we have a freezer full of things that are not frozen (while the chicken and shrimp were in a cooler of ice yesterday, the rest of the contents of the freezer sat on the counter for 7 hours yesterday so were mushy, at best, when placed in the freezer to "firm up")........CHA-CHA-CHA!! We have no freezer and the installers (just guys, not professionals of the Frigidaire company) are in San José, a "quick" 55 minute drive on a good day, one way. So...i don't know what Hubster is going to do. I am the "weak and wary female" in this scenario. I don't speak Spanish. I don't have rapport with Victor (the salesman who was here to oversee the installation and speaks English...with Hubster). I don't have WhatsApp on my mobile, the platform on which everyone communicates here in Costa Rica. I am female...which is a thing in this male-dominated, Latin machismo culture. So, i try to keep the rest of things calm or at least inoffensive and pray a lot that this will pass quickly and relatively painlessly. At $10,000 we should be able to have ice pops and frozen chicken........We had a patient who told us something that has become a mantra in our family...if money can fix it, it's not a problem. The patient had inoperable, incurable badness and would have paid anything for health and time. We have our health, our marriage, our family, a roof over our heads......life really is good(Pura Vida!) but this bump in the road is all the more jarring b/c we thought that things were resolving with this long-time frustration. Cha-cha-cha.