I get emails from “The Univerise” every day. They actually come from a website called Tut. Sometimes I read them and delete. Sometimes I read them, come back later to read again, and then deleter. Then there are those I read, they strike a chord and I automatically save them for use here on Thursday. Sometimes, I apply the “lesson” to the craft of writing. Sometimes, I just apply it to life in general because there are probably more nonwriters who drop by than writers. And yes, I’m rambling a bit. We’ve had crazy weather, I’m on Round 2 of the Cold From Hell and have cold-medicine head at the moment. Fun times. I picked this message out of the files because it’s a good reminer.
Essentially, Silver, transformation comes from thinking thoughts you’ve never thought before…
And showing up to meet them down streets you’ve never walked before.
Sometimes, we all need to think outside of the boix. Heck, we need to get outside of the box.I absolutely need to follw this advice! And yes, I did sit at my desk and yodel for about 2 minutes. I’m not good at it, but I yodeled. What are you yodeling about today?
It’s Wednesday. I have new words but they are not the new words you might be expecting. See…sometimes, the story jumpst up and surprises me. Last week’s Thursday Threads prompt was…a tough one. You’ll see why later. First, I have to explain why this week’s snippet has nothing to do with the prompt. And yes, I’ll explain that too. The prompt…it’s weirdly worded and after reading it several times, it sort of made sense but not really. So I dashed off this weird scene to match the words and dang if I hadn’t written a major turning point/spoiler in the book. I love sharing snippets but I try hard to keep them from giving too much of the story away. So, today, you get new words unrelated to the prompt, but they are a continuation of a series of scens posted here previously. When we left off, Ariel and Druic wre having breakfast at their hotel in Rochester and discussing dreams. The beginning of the snippet has been posted before. The new words start in after Ari admonishes Druic to not say her name.
Ariel forked a piece of the French toast, lifted it to his mouth and chewed. “She enjoys the game, Druic. Do you know why it is said that dreams drive us mad?”
Wide-eyed, the kid shook his head.
“Because that is what she does. She crafts the dream, casts it upon her victim, weaving her gossamer web with infinite care. She plucks memories, twists them, trapping her victims until they can do nothing but her will.” Pausing, Ariel stared at the window across the restaurant. “Then again…” He cut off that train of thought. It wasn’t possible.
“Then again, what, Ariel?”
“No. It cannot be. She’s been muzzled for over a century.” He held up a finger staying Druic’s response. “No. Do not say her name. To do so gives her power.”
“Fine then. I will change the subject. I have discovered something.”
Ariel took another bite, waiting.
“The library.”
“What about it?”
“It is far more than it seems.”
“How so?” Ariel had already guessed as much but he was curious about what the boy had discovered for himself.
“We know of the ley lines. And we know there are places where the veil is thinner here. The library is a nexus.” When Ari didn’t respond, Druic continued, disappointment in his voice. “You already knew that.”
“I suspected as much.”
“Are you aware there is a direct line between it and that crypt at the cemetery?”
Ari slowly lowered his fork, a bite of waffle still on it. He stared at the other. “You are positive?”
“I am. I…” Druic hesitated, glancing around. Then he lowered his voice and admitted, “I tested it.”
He really wanted to chastise the boy for being so brazen. Ley lines and nexuses were not to be trifled with, especially by one inexperienced. Instead, he nodded and said, “Be careful when you use them. And finish your breakfast. I think it is time we both visited the library.”
There you have it. And yay, I’ve written a couple of times in the past week, despite this stupid cold. Which has once again reared it’s ugly head. I blame it DST and sleep disruption. Anyway, the actual prompt from last week is: *“They’re staying through every climb and fall.”* If it speaks to you, give it a shot. If not, I don’t really blame you. That said, I hit a major point because of it so yay. Progress. Anybody else make progress on their projects–whatever they might be?
The meme should say WORST. DAYS/WEEKS/MONTHS. EVER. Just sayin’.
Daylight Saving Time, which saves nothing, lasts 238 days. That’s almost 9 months. NINE MONTHS! Whyyyyyy??!!!? It’s crazy!
We hit a high temperature of 86 yesterday. It’s freakin’ MARCH, Mother Nature!!!
Why is a red onion called a red ionion when it is actually purple?
I got an email yesterday saying my Garmin GPS account would be deleted if I didn’t reactivate it. I have one of their gadgets in my Highlander for navigation. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn’t updated the maps in…awhile. Like…years. I logged in, had to download the app to the new computer, hook things up, and it took 4 hours to update. Yes, it HAD been that long. I mean, it’s not like I use it all that much because we normally “travel” in LG’s truck(s).
I promise I’m going to remember to hit publish today. 🤦🏼♀️
On that note, I have nolthing else to add. I need buckets more coffee. I need a new brain. I need morning sunlight. I need it dark when I go to bed at night. Yes, I am a broken record, why do you ask? What’s up with y’all?
I’ll just let the meme speak for itself. EDIT: I was so out of it I totally forgot to click PUBLISH. 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
The cold is in somewhat of a remission. I have to people this week so it needs to head on out the door.
This is late because while I was up briefly yesterday, I went back to bed and blew off all my “do’s” including setting up the blog. Not like anything happened because…bed. And sleeping. Coughing. Blowing my nose.
When awake, I watched World Cup Baseball and OSU softball. USA won. Puerto Rico won. Yay. My Cowgirls went 1-2. Boo. There was also soccer though we didn’t go watch Stormy. His team won all three games. In the second game (something of a blow-out), he scored four goals, two of them back-to-back. On Sunday, they beat the team they’d faced in the tournament championship last week, 3-0. BIG YAY!
I caught up on some of the series I DVR, in between napping. Ozark Law. Desert Law. On Patrol Live. Yes, I’m a sucker for cop reality shows.
That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. Now I need to go blow my nose again. Have a great week. And yes, I still hate Daylight Saving Time (which SAVES NOTHING!!!!) with the heat of a thousand suns. Just sayin’…
Yesterday was a cold-meds-every-four-hours day, which means I was pretty much in a fog all day and got nothing accomplished. When I remembered that I needed a post for today, I spent waaaaay too much time going through reels and videos. I laughed at the “duck blind dad jokes” but kept scrolling. There were a bunch of military reunions and those always make me sniffly. Then I came across this one, which is a cut compilation from the movie “Taking Chance” starring Kevin Bacon. Warning: This is a full tissue box reel. (And yes, I googled the movie because I have not seen it. It’s supposed to be streaming on HBO Max so I may have to watch it. And yes, I may have to write a book with this scenario in it!) Have a great weekend! Go do something fun and hug someone you love.
Sometimes, when I’m doing a cut and paste, I miss something. Welpers, turns out I did a BIG oops on this past Tuesday’s Recipe. I obviosly hadn’t had enough coffee and at this point, I’d be all over the wine but I’m taking meds for the dang cold. And since I’m fixing the oops, I’ll settle for more coffee. I’ve gone back and fixed/added the info in the original post but I wanted those who have already read that post to be aware. Below are some very helpful tips with the Irish Soda Bread Muffins. Sorry I didn’t get them included the first time around.
Tips 1 – Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. 2 – Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C). Using baking liners, line a 12 well muffin tin. 3 – Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants, and caraway seeds if using into a larger bowl and blend lightly. 4 – In the butter bowl, add the egg and buttermilk, whisking to break up larger butter clumps. 5 – Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and using a large non-stick spatula or implement of choice, very gently fold everything together until the dry is barely moist. Over mixing will result in heavy, tough muffins so avoid the urge. 6 – Split the thick batter between the 12 muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with sugar if desired. 7 – Bake for 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean (a few crumbs are ok) from a center muffin. 8 – Remove the tin from the oven and set on a rack. Carefully tip the muffins on an angle so the bottoms are up, keeping them from turning soggy. Let cool for five minutes then remove the muffins to a cooling rack to cool and serve.
I talked to a writer the other day who mentioned that he’d never had writer’s block. He said that he writes down what he sees in his head–no more, no less. Sometimes, it is only a few hundred words. Sometimes, it is more, but once the scene is done, he quits for the day, hence no writer’s block. The word count all depending on the scene up there in his gray matter. I asked him if the scenes in his head happened in the right sequence, ie. A happens, then B, C, D, etc until Z is reached and he types, The End. “That’s the way the story wants to be told,” he said. Yeah, about that.
Most writers don’t have the luxury of simply writing a few words a day. Yeah, yeah, don’t look at me. I’ve been stalling Ariel’s Dang Book for almost 2 years now. Trust me, I have considered dropping it and going with other projects that are close to being finished just so I can get something published. Self-publishing is like academia: Publish or die on the vine! The Universe dropped this into the inbox not long ago and I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. Everything else I’ve tried as resulted in zero inspiration.
If you frequently give yourself permission to doodle, wonder, and be totally unproductive, Silver, and you actually relish such interludes, I can guarantee that your genius, creativity, and productivity will increase exponentially.
P.S. Operative words, Silver, were frequently, permission, and relish; does not work with stingily, regret, and guilt.
Have I mentioned that writers spend waaaay too much time in our heads and it’s not in our imaginations. Nope, it’s in those dark nook and crannies where self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and “nobody reads my stuff anyway” crouch and wait for opportune moments to spring out and bite us in the arse. So, I’m going to give the Universe’s way a try. I’ll doodle, wonder, and won’t hassle myself for being unproductive. I’ll do other things. The will and drive will come back. And as it does, I’ll write words, a few at a time, or chapters. I’m too old to freak out over this stuff. What will be will be. And yes, I do hear Doris Day singing que sera, sera in my head.
It’s March! St. Patrick’s Day is coming! Yippee!! Yes, there is Irish in me and I don’t mean coffee. 😉My maternal grandmother was a Ryan and that’s about as Irish as you can get. And her father’s name was Patrick. And you can’t get more more Irish when it comes to food than Irish soda bread. This takes bread a step into the treat world.
Irish Soda Bread Muffins recipe details
Yield: 12 muffins
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Bake time: 20 Minutes
Total time spent: 30 min
Ingredients
6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, melted
2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
1/4 teaspoons (1.5 g) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt
1/3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar
3/4 cups (107 g) currants (or raisins, or dried fruit of choice–blueberries, cherries or cranberries)
1/2 to 2 teaspoons (2-7 g) caraway seeds (to taste)
1 large egg
1 cup (227 ml) buttermilk (or yogurt)
extra sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
1 – Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. 2 – Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C). Using baking liners, line a 12 well muffin tin. 3 – Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants, and caraway seeds if using into a larger bowl and blend lightly. 4 – In the butter bowl, add the egg and buttermilk, whisking to break up larger butter clumps. 5 – Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and using a large non-stick spatula or implement of choice, very gently fold everything together until the dry is barely moist. Over mixing will result in heavy, tough muffins so avoid the urge. 6 – Split the thick batter between the 12 muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with sugar if desired. 7 – Bake for 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean (a few crumbs are ok) from a center muffin. 8 – Remove the tin from the oven and set on a rack. Carefully tip the muffins on an angle so the bottoms are up, keeping them from turning soggy. Let cool for five minutes then remove the muffins to a cooling rack to cool and serve.
Tips
You can “make” buttermilk if you don’t have any on hand or don’t want to buy a carton. For each cup of buttermilk needed, add 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup and pour in enough milk to measure 1 cup. Stir, then let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. It will curdle slightly; just whisk it back together before using it. Don’t be tempted to eyeball the vinegar, as you could end up with overly sour bakes or not enough acidity to react with baking soda or powder.
Tips 1 – Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. 2 – Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C). Using baking liners, line a 12 well muffin tin. 3 – Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants, and caraway seeds if using into a larger bowl and blend lightly. 4 – In the butter bowl, add the egg and buttermilk, whisking to break up larger butter clumps. 5 – Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and using a large non-stick spatula or implement of choice, very gently fold everything together until the dry is barely moist. Over mixing will result in heavy, tough muffins so avoid the urge. 6 – Split the thick batter between the 12 muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with sugar if desired. 7 – Bake for 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean (a few crumbs are ok) from a center muffin. 8 – Remove the tin from the oven and set on a rack. Carefully tip the muffins on an angle so the bottoms are up, keeping them from turning soggy. Let cool for five minutes then remove the muffins to a cooling rack to cool and serve.
There are many Irish wolves in my Moonstruck world but the largest congregation is in Boston. You can pick any of the mates and I’d lay odds they have this recipe stuck back somewhere for when they have time to bake. If not, I’m guessing there’s a bakery in the neighborhood that serveds them up by the dozen. They wanted me to share the recipe so you can practice before St. Paddy’s Day gets here and they also want me to suggest you grab their book, MOONSTRUCK MAFIA: BOSTON, so you can read all about them. If you’ve already read the book, maybe it’s time for a reread and maybe make time to drop a review at your favorite bookseller site? Anyway, you can click on either pic with the cover, along with the title. The links take you to Books2Read where you can find the seller of your choice! Happy munching!
For as long as I can remember, I had daffodils and/or jonquils blooming on my birthday–at least in those years that there was a garden available. There have been the odd years when due to circumstances and on account of because there were no blooms. This is one of those years. No blooms yesterday. Ah, well. Mother Nature’s bender messed with the weather which messed with the green growing things. It’s okay. There’s always next year. This is a picure from a few years ago.
In other news, Stormy had a soccer tournament. His team did awesome! As of this typing, they’d won 3 games and were headed to the championship match. I’ll up date this at some point with that game.
Some writing took place. Better than nothing, right?
To celebrate my trip around the sun, LG played Door Dasher and went to grab BBQ from our favorite local chain. I had ribs and curly fries. The meal was all kinds of yummy. I haven’t had ribs in ages! We sat on the comfy furniture in the family room, watched ON PATROL LIVE, and chowed on excellent BBQ. A perfect evening.
The present I didn’t “gift” to myself but I sort of did, finally arrived. I had funds left on my Christmas GC from Shoe Carnival. I found a pair of Sketcher boots on sale and ordered them last Sunday. They were supposed to arrive Wednesday–operative word being “Wednsday.” Below is the wending-windy path the box took to get to me. Don’t read it unless you’re interested. The good news is, the boots arrived, they fit, and they are extra comfy! I highly recommend them. No plans for the week. What’s up with y’all?
Shipping History Today (2/28/260 7:10 AM | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK On FedEx vehicle for delivery 7:06 AM | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK Arrived at FedEx location 7:04 AM | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK At local FedEx facility – Delivery scheduled via FedEx Ground, not US Postal Service 7:04 AM | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK At local FedEx facility 2:35 AM | DALLAS, TX Departed FedEx location Friday, February 27 9:01 PM | DALLAS, TX Arrived at FedEx location Thursday, February 26 7:16 PM | HUTCHINS, TX On the way 5:58 AM | OLATHE, KS Departed FedEx location Wednesday, February 25 2:43 PM | OLATHE, KS Arrived at FedEx location 1:25 AM | LENEXA, KS Departed FedEx location Tuesday, February 24 8:31 PM | LENEXA, KS Arrived at FedEx location 8:10 AM | SAINT PAUL, MN Departed FedEx location 1:55 AM | SAINT PAUL, MN Arrived at FedEx location Monday, February 23 9:50 PM | MOSINEE, WI Left FedEx origin facility 9:06 PM | MOSINEE, WI Arrived at FedEx location 6:27 PM | MOSINEE, WI Picked up
Silver James 