"I would recognize you in total darkness, were you mute and I deaf. I would recognize you in another lifetime entirely, in different bodies, different times. And I would love you in all of this, until the very last star in the sky burnt out into oblivion."
-Achilles, probably (The Song of Achilles by, Madeline Miller)
Anyone else feel like 2024 hit a tires-smoking-broad-slide into the 31st? No, just me? Okay ... Welp. I had such high hopes for a quiet, and a total bore-me-to-tears Winter that did not, in fact, come to pass, but if I can be totally annoying for a minute and reach for the "lesson" here, I'd say through it all it's become obnoxiously, if not, painfully clear how important fueling my body for the task (whatever that may be) is, and has inspired me to do a lot more of the cooking from scratch that I've (regrettably) gotten away from in the last couple of years. And I thought I'd get back to sharing a little of that with you here, furthermore, why not make our fist day, today, National Quitter's Day. Anyone who's fallen off the wagon, made their resolutions, already broke them, thinking about backing out of them, or if you just plain haven't even begun (uhm that one would be me this year - heh, you can't quit something you haven't started yet!), then this is your sign to get on track, and do the thing(s) your heart is begging you to do.
To start things off, I'm sharing my very own recipe for homemade vegetable stock, the foundation of most of the soups, and stews I make. How about we just get to the recipe, and we can hash out the reasons later.
Souper Duper Veggie Broth
Here's what you need:
1 Potato - washed, eyed, and quartered
1/2 Onion
1 Carrot - cut into thirds
1 Heaping teaspoon Minced Garlic
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
1 Bay Leaf
1 Star Anise
1 teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cumin, ground
1/4 teaspoon Oregano, crushed leaf
1/8 teaspoon Thyme, ground
1/8 teaspoon Rosemary, crushed leaf
1/8 teaspoon Sage, ground
Dab of Ginger Root, freshly grated
Here's what you do:
Throw all of the above in a 5-7 quart pot, fill with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer for an hour. Remove from heat, strain, and use immediately, or store for up to a week in the fridge.
That's it!
-@ShakWills (paraphrased)
Whether you celebrate Christmas, or another holiday, or no holiday at all I hope today, and all of your days, you are warm, and cozy, and fed, and safe, and that you will keep your heart open to all of the miracles with your name on them in the coming year.
xoxo
"Fact of the day: Pumpkin pie became a popular dish during Civil War-era celebrations of Thanksgiving because pumpkins were grown on small farms, not plantations, making the pie a symbol of abolitionist virtue."
-@danielsilliman, Twitter
Read more about this delicious diva, and other delicacies in Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon by, Cindy Ott.
-Steven Jay Gould
To this day.
That’s why we need humor,
style, stamina, art.”
-Pamela Anderson
"She puts her hands on either side of my face, and the room falls away. I have never gotten so lost in a kiss before. And then, the space between us explodes. My heart keeps missing beats and my hands cannot bring her close enough to me. I taste her and realize I have been starving. I have loved before, but it didn't feel like this. I have kissed before, but it didn't burn me alive. Maybe it lasts a minute, and maybe it's an hour. All I know is that kiss, and how soft her skin is when it brushes against mine, and that even if I did not know it until now, I have been waiting for this person forever."
-Jodi Picoult
The Lunar New Year is upon us once again, which (if you don't know) is like, only the biggest holiday of the year for approximately half the planet. But if you're like me, and won't be lighting firecrackers, or dancing in the street with silk dragons, as awesome as that would actually be, you can certainly use this time of year to check in with yourself. My new year starts January 1st, but I like to use the time between then and now to sort of test out some ideas I've cooked up for how to show up for the next 12 months. Who am I going to be this year? How am I going to navigate the months, and challenges ahead? What do I wish to accomplish? How do I want to feel?
"May we think of freedom not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right."
-Peter Marshall
Have we done it?
Have we managed to make it through another year with all of our marbles?
Cheers!
"I like misty Autumn mornings,
and cold, snowy Winter nights.
Rainstorms bring me inner-peace,
thunder sets my soul alight.
I care not for Summer,
days too long, the heavy heat.
Give me candlelight evenings,
early darkness, a silent street."
-Natalia Crow
Aw, I'm not just having a go at you, I'm making fun of me too ... We all know consumerism & American holidays are snuggled up together like two birds of a feather would be, so we may as well get something back for it, right?
 |
| Gifts from my garden, Summer 2021 |
... Seems like a terrible thing to say in the face of so much loss, and sacrifice many of us around the globe have experienced this year, but also there's an entire group of folks out there who simply keep on keepin' on, no matter how tough things get, and it's a bigger deal than most of us allow ourselves to think it is. It doesn't take anything away from our tragedies to acknowledge a little resilience along the way.
I see you.
I love you.
And I hope where ever you are, and how ever you're doing, and what ever the new year brings our way, that you remember to be kind to yourself, always.
xoxo
 |
| Christmas Lights 2008 |
The snow's coming down; I'm watching it fall.
It started coming down, the first snow of the season, on the way back from something that's become a tradition over the last several years that I share with my mother. The city was dark. And quiet. Most folks don't leave their lights on overnight anymore, I enjoy slinking around in the shadows, though, especially on a day when it seems to be accepted logic that we're all snug in our beds with visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads for, well, another few hours, at least. There's something almost forbidden to being out and about this early, and I love the camaraderie amongst the holiday stragglers in those pre-dawn hours. All of us going about our business ... alone ... together. A little bit curious, with a warmth in our aloofness. No prying, just acceptance. And then we're back at home, at least I am, before the sun comes up. I'm typing this from my bed, curled up in a fuzzy sweat suit, listening to the slush pelt the glass panes of my window.
The snow's coming down. I'm watching it fall.
It's not going to stick.
But it snowed. On Christmas.
xoxo
"He found the wild trapped within my heart. Instead of trying to tame it, he tore the cage apart."
-Vivi Dale
