Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

While I'm not a fan of stuffed animals or mounted heads, I've always been intrigued by the beauty of bones. This first (and third) is a cat skull, discovered on an abandoned property and (thankfully) already clean and white. Look at the size of those eye sockets!

I think this was one of our mastiffs. She was buried in a spot that much later required some backhoe work and this appeared.

When I was much younger and still living at home, I had a cow skull on top of the book case in my room. I had ivy trained through it, coming out of the eye sockets--a kind of life/death commentary.

My poor mother was not a fan.

 

Dear Sirs

 Dear Representative Edwards:

Why is a lawfully elected representative not being seated? (I believe I know why but would be happy to hear your excuses.)

Why are masked thugs allowed to terrorize cities under the pretense of capturing "the worst of the worst" --which apparently includes toddlers.

Why do you support doubling the health insurance of your neediest constituents?

Waiting for the release of the complete, UNREDACTED Epstein Files . . .

(My senators will receive the same email, less the first paragraph.)

Look Down

 

An Afternoon with Josie

Time is flying by and Josie is moving so fast (and I so slow) that it's difficult to keep up with her many interests (soccer! gymnastics! Barbies!) and social commitments (sleepovers! Circus! 

So it's always a pleasure to have her for an afternoon and to see where the muse leads her.

Sunrise Sequence Sans Sun

 

For Example

 In yesterday's post I spoke of how no matter what century I read about, there was always something to bring today's woes to mind.

Speaking of Richard II, Marchette Chute (author of Geoffrey Chaucer of England) says:

"In 1397 Richard decided that eight years of constitutional rule at  last made him strong enough to avenge his friends. [His enemies] were indicted for treason and paid . . .with their lives.

". . .Unfortunately Richard grew giddy with success. He made the fatal mistake of deciding he was an all-powerful monarch whom no one could withstand. . .

"Blindly unaware of the temper of the nation, Richard raced down the short road to ruin. He ha never practiced self-discipline in his life, and now there was no one to oppose him. . .with two thousand archers in his personal pay,he was free to do what he liked. . . to spend thirty thousand marks on the jewels for a single coat . . .If he lacked the money, he was free to raise more since an intimidated Parliament had handed over to him its hard-won control of taxation. Richard had other means of raising money, such as compelling individuals and corporations to make out blank checks . . ."

And here we are. Instead of 2,000 archers, read ICE and the National Guard. Instead of an intimidated  Parliament, we have the toadying GOP. And you can guess who we have instead of Richard.

Richard II was eventually deposed when the English felt his extravagance in their personal purses.

May that history repeat itself here. 

Reading Elsewhen

With the current state of the world so depressing, I find myself turning in my reading to other times.

Geoffrey Chaucer of England takes me back to the 14th century--when England was bustling and the English language was coming into being. The opening chapters paint a delightfully detailed picture of the life of the times, before getting into Chaucer's various works. Probably a book only an English major would enjoy--and I do. I take it in small doses along with my breakfast coffee.

Vanity Fair, set in England during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, is an old favorite of mine and I recently treated myself to the almost 30 hour audio book wonderfully narrated by John Cast. I listen to this while I'm waiting to pick up Josie and in bed at night.

And, getting closer to this century, I just read a PDF copy of an as yet unpublished book, set in NC just after the Civil War.

And you know what? No matter the time or place, there were reminders of today--from the governmental corruption and mismanagement of Chaucer's London to the money-ruled society of Regency England to the bitterly divided, openly racist folks of the postbellum South.

The more things change . . .

 

Morning Has Broken

 

Dear Sirs

Dear Senators Budd and Tillis and Representative Edwards:

I'd like to know if you personally approve of raising the cost of health insurance premiums as will happen if the so-called B.B. Bill goes into effect.

Did you consider a good use of government money to summon 800 military leaders to Quantico to hear a pep talk from a Fox News personality and a rambling, self-congratulatory discourse by POTUS?

Are you on board with sending the military to US cities that have specifically opposed this overreach?

Do you support the use of masked ICE agents who seize  random suspects--including citizens--in their bounty hunter type behavior?

And why are the Epstein Files not being released? What pedophiles are you protecting?

Don't you ever feel embarrassed at the volume of lies coming from the White House?

I'd like genuine answers to these specific questions

Your angry constituent

 

A Culinary Blast from the Past

When John and I were first married (November 1963) and living in a small silver trailer in the Marine Corps' Midway Trailer Park (officially designated as "substandard housing,") at Camp Lejeune, we were living on his corporal's pay. It was not much but enough. (I got a teaching job the following September and we felt like plutocrats.)

But in those early days, we had to watch every penny. The fine china, crystal, and silver we'd been given as wedding presents seemed like a joke in our current circumstances. Plus all that stuff was back in Tampa.

Anyway, after a few months of life in the trailer, we decided we needed a television set and went to a discount store that advertised "90 days --same as cash!"

We selected their cheapest model--a small black and white set that probably cost $150--a not inconsiderable outlay for us.

But! As a bonus they threw in a little paperback cookbook- The World's Best Recipes! 

I was thrilled. I had begun housekeeping with two cookbooks--The Gasparilla Cookbook from the Tampa Junior League (I've worn out two copies and am on my third) and Betty Crocker's Cooking for Two (which was useful but uninspired.)

The World's Best Recipes drew from well known cooks and cookbooks, as well as various celebrities. It was, (and is) a fun read.

Pork chops Charcutiere was one of the recipes that I made over and over. And last night, I made them again and we reminisced about those early days.

(The original little paperback fell apart finally, and I was thrilled to find a used hardcover copy online a few years ago.)

 

Rabbit, Rabbit

 

Professional Sleepers

 

What's for Supper?

Cream of spinach and mushroom soup accompanied by Pumpkin Challah rolls--an early fall delight.

The soup was a no-recipe effort to use up some mushrooms. I sauteed chopped onion and celery in butter, added the mushrooms and sprinkled in a little flour to make a light roux. Added chicken broth and thawed frozen spinach. Cooked till it thickened a bit then stirred in some heavy cream.

The rolls were from a recipe I saw HERE. Mine didn't turn out as pretty and shiny as theirs, but they were extremely tasty. I'm looking forward to some for breakfast too.