Friday Sinema: Remains of the Day

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Silver James

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.

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Oops–“Emergency” Update to Tuesday’s Treats

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Silver James

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.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Permission

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Silver James

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.

I’ve seen it happen a billion times.

Through the roof,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

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.

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Wednesday Words: What Dreams May Come

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Silver James

Continue reading →

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Irish Soda Bread Muffins

Posted on March 3, 2026 by Silver James

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!

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Marching into First Monday

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Silver James

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

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Friday Sinema: Let’s Dance

Posted on February 27, 2026 by Silver James

Ya gotta love the dad bods. And the dads dancing. Just a fun few minutes on this bright Friday morning as a way to rev up for the weekend. Have a great one, all!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Moves

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Silver James

Does anyone here play chess? Or checkers? Risk? I’m pretty sure we’ve all said at some point in our lives, “It’s your move.” It’s all about strategy and planning. Sometimes, though, we don’t know what move to make. This happens a lot when writing a novel. Simply put, stuff happens. Emotional stuff. Action stuff. Good stuff. Bad stuff. When an author starts writing a book, the dream is to get it finished and into the hands of readers. Then stuff happens in real life and the writer gets all wrapped around the axel and stuff comes to a complete halt. No forward movement. Or very little, in fits and starts, with promises and excuses. Then the Universe shows up and pretty much boils it down to this:

When you move toward a dream, Silver, it moves toward you.

When you move every day, it moves every day.

Someone pass me a calculator –
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. Do the math, Silver, and keep moving… this could be your week!!

Too bad I’m terrible at math. Still, to me, the Universe means that it’s time to lead, follow, or get the hell out of my own way. Your mileage may vary. This message really hit home as I’ve been struggling–as y’all know–when it comes to Ariel’s Dang Book. The thing I need to keep in mind is that I need to move. Every day. If I “move” (ie. write) every day, the book moves ever closer to The End. I need to get out of my own way. I need to stop thinking that I need all these words written every day. Yeah, yeah. I used to write fast. I don’t any more. I used to be focused. Now I’m easily distracted. I get excited if I write 250 words on a Thursday. When I win, place, or show based on a random judge’s judgement, I know that the words are good ones because the writers who take the challenge each week are not novices. To write, you need to be in your head but if you get too deep into your head, you get lost in the weeds. New goal. Words every day. Whether one sentence, 250 words, a few pages, a chapter. It doesn’t matter. If I don’t start, I won’t finish. It’s that simple and that hard.

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Wednesday Words: Know What I Mean?

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Silver James

February is almost over and days are getting longer. At least for another couple of weeks and then we’ll be dragged back into darkness thanks to Daylight Saving Time, which saves nothing and only screws up everyone’s body clock. But, that’s not why we’re here today. Nope. Today is about new words and inspiration. The fun news is, I won last weeks’s Thursday Threads and this is what the judge had to say: Of all the wonderful pieces this week, this one feels the most layered and controlled. The domestic calm contrasts beautifully with the unsettling revelation about dreams. The worldbuilding is subtle but rich. The dialogue carries tension without exposition overload. The closing exchange lands cleanly and ominously. Loved it! His opinion did wonders for my ego! Here’s the prompt: *”You know what I mean?”*

****
Ariel neatly sliced his French toast into exact squares. He had not doused the plate with syrup and three link sausages lined up with military precision next to a perfectly round fried egg, the yolk almost orange in color staring at him like the sun through a white cloud. He ignored Druic, regretting the fact he’d told the kid of his dream.

Druic looked everywhere but at the man sitting across the table from him. He poked at the pile of scrambled eggs on his plate then chased a piece of bacon across it. He sipped his coffee, drank his orange juice. And he fretted. Fae did not dream and the fact that not only had Ariel dreamed vividly, but that he was willing to discuss it put him on alert. In the back of his mind, he knew he should make note of this occurrence and notify Queen Titania but dreams were…bad. They were often the precursor to madness in his people. He didn’t want Ariel to be crazy. He jerked when Ariel spoke.

“I know what you’re thinking, Druic.”

He forced himself to look at the other fae. “I don’t want you to be mad!” He blurted the works without thinking.

Ariel nodded. “What do you know of dreams?”

The boy floundered so Ariel continued. “We don’t dream. But we can enter other’s dreams. Do you know what I mean?”

“No sir.”

“We—or at least some of us—have the ability to walk into another’s dreams. We can manipulate them. Guide them. Whisper to their subconscious and lure them into doing our bidding. It’s just another form of enchantment.”

Shocked, Druic could only ask, “Who?”

“My guess is Titania.”

“But why?”

“Because she can.”
****

Yes, there are dreams involved, only they might not be dreams. And Titania is almost as persistent as Sade when it comes to interferring with Ariel’s Dang Book. Add in a nosy werewolf and a pesky dragon and it’s no wonder I keep chasing my tail on this one. Anyway, new words are welcome. Writers, grab the prompt if it sparks ideas. Readers, this is when I normally ask a question that pertains to the snippet but today? I got nuthin’. Know what I mean? 😉

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Grape Dumplings to the Rescue

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Silver James

I first tried grape dumplings years ago at the Chickasaw Tribal Center and Museum. They have a cafe there and grape dumplings are a specialty. Best stuff ever! Needless to say, when I created a Choctaw character for one of my books, it was naturaly to make them his favorite. Plus, given the situation in Mexico right now, a first (or reread) of this book seems a bit appropriate because there’s a Mexican drug cartel involved. This is truly a comfort food, and traditional in several of the Five Tribes. While harvesting and cooking “possum grapes” was the old way, modern tribal cooks have updated the recipe to make it easy and still just as delicious. There comfort in tradttions and this recipe is an old one handed down generation to generation.

GRAPE DUMPLINGS RECIPE
Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1¼ cups water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
64 ounces grape juice
Sugar to taste

Let’s Make It

Place flour in a bowl. Make a well in center of flour and crack an egg into center. Using your fingers, begin mixing the egg into the flour and add water as you go. Form the dough into a ball and roll out very thin. Cut into 1-inch squares.

In a large pot place grape juice and sugar to taste. Bring to a rolling boil. Drop dumplings into boiling grape juice. Mix 1 Tablespoon cornstarch in 1 cup water. Add to hot grape juice. Cook for a few minutes so it thickens a bit and serve hot.

Kitchen Tip:

There are two different versions I’ve seen. One uses water for the dough. They other uses grape juice. Next time I make them I’ll be trying it with the juice!

Serve warm in a bowl. You can top with whipped cream or ice cream or just eat them plain.

As mentioned in the intor, this is one of Hawkins “Hawk” Greenwood’s favorite treats and his grandmother teaches Dana Peterson how to make them in the book. While Hawk is Choctaw, I’ll admit to finding a video of how to make these on Chickasaw-TV. THIS VERSION uses grape juice to make the recipe. You should check out the video just to hear the wonderful reminiscenses by the tribal elder. She’s all kinds of awesome! And I’ll admit that she rather reminds me Mariam Greenwood, Hawk’s ipokni, which means grandmother in the Choctaw language. If you want to read Hawk and Dana’s updated and revised story–including a kidnapping, rescue, and a road trip full of bikers–grab a copy of RESCUE MOON from your favorite online book seller. If you have a Hoopla subscription or can access through your local libary like I can, you can borrow it to read for free. Check out BOOKS2READ for the link to your fave store or click on either cover photos to get there.

I have to admit, now I’m hungry for these. I may have to add the ingredients to my grocery list for this weeki. What about y’all? What’s your favorite “hand-me-down” dessert?

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