It's a Beautiful Day in the USA!

And John and I are celebrating  63 years of marriage.

Ay, law, how time flies when you're having fun!

 

Ziti!

 I'd never made ziti before, but, inspired by a memory from The Sopranos wherein Tony was always eating leftover ziti from the refrigerator and the priest said, "Carm, I'm jonesing for some of your ziti," I decided to give it a try.

It's basically a deconstructed lasagna-- noodles, a ragout of Italian sausage and tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, all baked together. 

It was tasty but a bit reminiscent of school lunches, Next time I'll up the garlic--4 cloves wasn't near enough-- as well as the pepper flakes.

But now I'm ready to watch The Sopranos again.

Lost Skills?

 

   

Yesterday morning I forced myself away from the computer and went upstairs to iron some linen shirts that have been awaiting my attention for days.  I enjoy ironing--but I'm happy at how little I actually need to do. 

As I started on the first shirt (collar, sleeves, body, just like my mother taught me,) I remembered back in the Fifties, the tremendous amount of ironing there was to do--my father's shirts, my brother's shirts and trousers, my and my mother's dresses, skirts, and blouses--almost everything needed to be ironed.  (At my grandmother's house, sheets, towels and my grandfather's underwear were also ironed.) Which is why my mother insisted on my learning 

Sometimes we had a maid who would spend half a day out in our utility room, ironing and listening to "race music" on her radio.  But my mother and I both did our share, though it was some time before I learned that one could adjust the ironing board and sit to iron. Amazing!

For the past  many years, most of my ironing was done in the construction of quilts--the clothes John and I wear daily (jeans, trees, sweat shirts) don't need ironing. 

As I ironed, I wondered if Josie would ever learn this arcane art. She wears only comfortable knits and refuses anything perceived as 'scratchy.' I wonder if the iron will go the way of the buggy whip . . .

Glancing up, I noticed the old milk churn that holds rolls of wrapping paper. Gift bags and pre-made bows have proliferated till soon that wrapping paper will be as quaint as the old churn. As will the ability to tie a bow.

I could look around and add to the list . . . all those odds and ends that articles advise seniors to get rid of because their children won't want them .. . but that's for another day.

Life moves on.

                               

                            

I See Blue

Still pretty euphoric as I watch the circular firing squad assigning blame and the various rats writing resumes and fleeing the sinking administration. Interesting times . . .

I've Got a Little List

 

                                                                               

I woke yesterday morning eager to see the election results. John, who'd been up much earlier, met me with "You're going to like what you see!"

"Did they get the Senate?" I asked.

"They got EVERYTHING!"

Oh, the relief that flooded over me! I stepped out on the deck to look at the sunrise and a fresh wind was rattling the leaves, marking them sparkle in the early light. The air smelled fresh and new--and it seemed to me that this was a sign--the beginning of a fresh, new time.

As I perused the various news stories and joyous exclamations on Facebook, I basked in the pleasure of feeling like someone released from an evil curse.

But so much work lies ahead for this new Congress. I began mentally making a list:

Out of Iran. 

Address the corruption that the current regime has taken to staggering heights--pay to play, pardons for sale, no-bid government contacts complete with kickbacks, insider info for sale, and the use of government to enrich the president's family, for a start. Investigate. Claw back. Consider impeachment.

Get our government official OUT of the stock market.

Guard rails to ensure no future president can wield such unchecked power. 

Release ALL Epstein files and prosecute offenders.

Overturn Citizens United and get Big Money out of campaigns. Limit campaign spending.  Disqualify candidates who knowingly lie.

Drastically reform ICE. Get the masked, paramilitary thugs out. Prosecute the murderers.

Put a stop to the vanity projects--ballroom, arch, etc, etc.

Get Hegseth out before he destroys the military entirely. Investigate his war crimes. Return to Dept. of Defense, not War.

Question immigration status of Musk and Bolsonaro, among others (looking at you, Melania.)

Undo damage done to healthcare. Restore subsidies to ACA. Undo cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. Get rid of RFK. 

Make education important again. (The GOP loves the uneducated,) Get rid of the wrestling queen. 

Make a move away from oil toward sustainable energy.

Try to rebuild alliances with old friends of our country, starting with Canada. Full support to Ukraine, re-establish sanctions on Russia. Apologize.

End the Electoral College.

Make kindness and decency the norm. 

Okay, I know this is like a kid's wish list. I know that none of this is easily done, especially with the Current Occupant wielding the veto and executive orders. But I can dream.

What would you add?

                                                                      

                                             

Birdie Birdie

 

I;m writing this post on Tuesday night just as the polls are closing. I know we won't have definitive answers in most races for quite a while so I'll just post some bird pictures

                                         

We were evidently visited by a bear and woke to find the bird feeder in the yard. Bob is appalled.

So for now, the seed is on the porch railings.

It brings them much closer but they are very wary of the lady in the rocking chair, aiming a suspicious-looking device at them.

But it's something to do while waiting to find out if our democracy will survive. The polls look good, even very good, but I remember the optimism I felt, first about Hilary and then Kamala. 

May there be a Blue Wave this time!!!

UPDATE around 9 pm---looking pretty good~ feeling that Blue Wave sloshing at my feet.. .

AM update: Oh Joy! Oh rapture! Calloo, callay!

Gifts of Age

Several years ago I visited a dermatologist to ask about some odd spots on my torso. She took a look and laughed. 

"Gifts of age," she said. "Nothing to worry about."

I think about this a lot these days. Growing deafness and wobbliness, along with the fact that it takes me so long to accomplish any physical task because my back reacts to any prolonged standing. Some gifts! I growl inwardly.

But on the other hand, there are some real gifts of age. The gift of time is one--time to read or paint or sit on the porch in the sun. 

And memory--a long life has given me an abundance of wonderful memories, and new ones continue to surface every day. If I'm wakeful at night, as occasionally happens, I revisit happy times gone by (if, of course, I can keep my mind off the monster and his enablers in DC.  You have voted, I hope.)

There are so many little joys to discover every day--a still-blooming rose, the elegant curve of a fallen leaf, a fire in the evening as the dark closes in, the cup of coffee John brings me . . .

 When I was writing the Elizabeth Goodweather books and going to conventions (Chicago! San Francisco! Baltimore!) and lots of book-related events, I had a lot of fun, met a lot of interesting folks, and enjoyed my brief time in the (moderate) spotlight. 

But here's the thing. I don't miss it at all. Aside from the fact that I'm no longer physically able to travel comfortably or (due to the deafness) do book events, the isolation of COVID (just when CROWS came out) showed me that there was life beyond writing and pushing books. 

And it's a good life.

                                                      

Going, Going . . .

An unexpected (but most welcome) rain Sunday morning has lowered the temperature and left the ground carpeted with yellow leaves.

• There's still a lot of color and some really nice reds and oranges, but it won't be long before we'll be looking at bare branches.

We'll hope for a few more of those lovely blue sky days and time to enjoy the rustle and fragrance of those fallen leaves.

Autumn is heart-warmingly beautiful but, alas, heart-breakingly brief.

 

Rabbit Rabbit

 

Cold Sassy Tree

 

What a terrific book this is! I heard it read on NPR years ago and soon read it again. And now another re-read.

Set in rural Georgia in 1906 and told by young Will Tweedy, it begins with the death of his saintly grandmother and his forthright grandfather's announcement, just three weeks after the funeral, that he plans to marry the attractive young milliner who works in his store. 

The small town of Cold Sassy has much to say about this, as do Grandpa's two daughters. And young Will is the chief witness to all the family uproar caused by this unorthodox union.

This is a delightful dive into the workings of Southern culture and human nature, told with great perception, a good dose of humor, and a lot of wisdom.

My maternal grandparents were of this era, and though they were from Alabama, not Georgia, reading this book was like spending time with family.

There is a sequel (Leaving Cold Sassy) I'm about to begin. I've enjoyed my time with these folks so much, I have to go back for another visit.

UPDATE: Well, the sequel is unfinished as OEB died before completing it. But all her notes and thoughts on it are included which I found fascinating. Then there is an excellent essay about the author. I found the book on Kindle Unlimited (free!) and stayed up late to finish it.

 

Clouds or Cows?

The eastern sky was amazing yesterday morning and I'd just finished taking a few pictures when John appeared and said what I thought was "look at the clouds."

"Oh, I just finished taking pictures of them," I told him, and he looked at me and shook his head.

                                         

He sighed. "What I said was, I'm going to look at the cows. One of them is bawling over in the pasture."

We are now both somewhat hard of hearing and our daily life is full of these misunderstandings. 

But, as it turned out, the cow was fine. As were the clouds.

 

Patchwork Scenery

 

Above It All

As we sit on our porch with our adult beverages, watching the fading light below us, it's easy, at times, to feel removed from it all--from the hustle and bustle of daily life, and especially from the ideological and political battles raging out there.

But I know that it affects us--we still buy groceries and gas and fuel oil for our heater. And our current regime is dragging our nation's reputation in the mud (or worse.)

Still, there's reason to be hopeful. Bolsonaro's defeat in Brazil, the weakening of Netanyahu in Israel, as well the defeat of a Trump ally in Serbia may just possibly show which way the wind is blowing.

May it be a strong and cleansing wind here in the USA that sweeps away the corruption and incompetence of this hateful regime.

I'm cautiously hopeful--but also wary of the regime's potential for overturning the will of the people.

Interesting times . . .