Jumping the Gun / August One

blog

blogspot / a random decision

a commentary blog i read changed its protocol / requiring readers to sign up for a blogspot account in order to post a comment unless you posted anonymously

i like this blog (he occasionally writes about food / smile) i wanted to be able to comment / hipper readers realized one cd post a comment anonymously and then sign a name to the comment itself

meanwhile i signed up for a blogspot account / it languished and was forgotten

one day i thought, hmmm, a blog spot is a new spot to write on / like a new notebook that you didnt already have one of

or

like a yellow legal pad / a Big Chief tablet / a composition book with wide lines / a composition book with narrow lines / a surveyors book with quadrangles / a thick block of newsprint / a kids’ tablet for learning how to write

a different canvas / a different kind of paper / calling for a different intstrument / instead of a pen or a pencil or a crayon or a pastel or a brush / a whole new venue for a Scribble Series

with keyboard and mouse

the blog wanders / wonders

links will not work / pictures will not appear / there will be no about me profile / no comments / no clamoring for hordes of readers

to share the address is like having stuff laid out on my work table at happy trail where visitors came and went / looked to see what i was working on / work in process / work in progress

there is no there there / it just is it / smile

i just discovered

that if you click on google news there to the left that you actually go to google news

hmmmmm

Beer

my friend, k, poaches salmon in beer

i am not so fond of salmon and i am not so fond of beer

the salmon poached in beer was exceptionally delicious / it didnt smell fishy or beery at all

we let it cool to room temperature and dressed it with a little creme fraiche and chopped fresh crisp cucumber on the side

later i decided to poach some salmon for myself / at the grocery store i got a large bottle of a local micro brewery beer

Eddie McStiff's Canyon Cream Ale

the ale was cold when i poured it on the salmon / you dont need much to poach, you know

the beer aroma was rather enticing / i poured some in a glass and sipped it while the fish poached

not bad

last night i went to a barbecue fund raiser for the local humane society / we are raising money to build a shelter

on the way to the cafe i began to think about having an icy cold beer / a Canyon Cream Ale

after dinner i went to the state liquor store / this is the only place in Utah you can get a "real" beer instead of a 3.2 beer

the state liquor store doesnt sell McStiff's / grocery store, the clerk said / i went to Dave's Corner Market / Dave, the mayor of Moab, sells beer of the 3.2 variety / no McStiff's there either / sigh

it must have been the Shifty Markup where i got it when i bought the salmon / of course

at home i put the bottle of beer in the freezer / one pint 6 fluid ounces / the label shows a bald eagle flying over canyonlands

i rinsed a glass / it was a wine glass / in water and put it in the freezer to get frosty

i turned on the television / it was time for The Daily Show / the last night from Boston on the Democratic Convention

the glass got frosty / the beer got icy

did i mention it was a hot summer night ?

smiles of a summer night

In honor of the Blue Moon

Hang in there
You can do it

Honor your Intentions

the process is always worthy

(writers' block #25)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

a blue moon occurs when there are two full moons in the same calendar month.

of course we know the Moon has her own timetable

right now she is fat and sassy

the wind is hot and full of tricks

we are at our best when dancing

have a fulsome nature

love to all

In honor of the Blue Moon

Hang in there
You can do it

Honor your Intentions

the process is always worthy

(writers' block #25)

Blue Moon

When you find yourself barking up the wrong tree

Perhaps a change of direction is indicated

in other words

if your tactics aren't getting what you want or need

an Alternate Strategy should be Considered

Shed old Skin / Grow new Tale


(scrap of primary tablet) (date unknown)

The Old Co-Op in Moab

the old building that housed the "health food store" and later known as MoonFlower Market was torn down this week

this beloved spot dates from the 70's when the poor rundown former mining down of Moab was discovered by hippies, dope growers, back-to-the-earthers, river runners, mountain bikers, and other escapists like someone falling in love and running away to live in the mountains / smile

it was always called the Co-Op / it was never specifically or technically a cooperative / its foundation of staff and customers were exceedingly copacetic / warm / loving / and generous

it was never really a building either / it looked like a building shielded by a dense cloak of vibrantly blooming orange trumpet flowers / it was actually constructed of wooden ammo (ammunition) cans stacked upon one another / these formed the walls and provided the challenging shelves for the original store

over time storage space was added, a library and an art gallery / streetside a lovely shady ramada with benches

the summer of 1977 was my second year living on Wilson Mesa high above the town of Moab / i had dumped my popular and successful little cafe in Topanga canyon to come and live "away from it al"l with a customer who had whisked me away on a bright and shiny Ducati

i lived hand to mouth in those glorious days / going to fairs in Colorado / selling crochetted and knitted items and making just enough money to buy cat food and some for me / oh yes, gasoline for my darling car, DreamBoat

at the end of the summer i was gathering resources to have enought to return to California for the birth of my grandchild.

the high mountain rose hips were especially big fat red and glowing that year / i picked a gallon of them and went to the co-op where i traded them for a jar of honey / ah those were the days

i shed a little tear for the old store / the current MoonFlower Market has nice new digs across from the Post Office and we all like it very much / it has a kitchen and a library and an art gallery / a beautiful garden in front

it is the same but not

later, darlings

This one never fails to satisfy

STABILITY WITH FLAIR

(for "high" occasions : comings / goings and special events like "Life")

Gut Level Responses

Toe Stub Clarity

Sauce with Insouciance*

Serve with a Measure of Detachment


(makes enough for a life time / maintain freshness and spontaneity
with frequent doses of discrimination; stir occasionally to avoid
sticking to Routine

*Insouciance (from Chapter XOXO Know Your Ingredients) :
light-hearted concern (particles of ggiggle accompanied by
the clapping of hands / garnish with tinkling bells)

Rummed Cuplets*

Decide to be Agreeable
Agree to be Decidable

*Serve without warning




Inspiration comes from within
Influence comes from without

Inspiration stimulates Process
Process stimulates Inspiration

Moon Void

one "knows" from Results
not from Process
hence Only 'Death"
gives your life

Significance


when one lives on Process death is a Curiosity

Random

1981 Favorite Recipes

this is a cute book with a red and white checked cover

inside the front cover : a photograph of two pomegranates still on the tree / one of them is bursting open

a caption cut out and pasted in :

exotic, experienced, wonderful, unique

********

The Title Page

MY FAVORITE RECIPES
remedies
rhy
mes
runs rums rumbas
(rumpled rumbles)

and other

Ramifications of the Three R’s

(routines randomly ricochetting)

turn the page

collected by

Dwadwee Wandrr

turn the page


an Improvahoki Style Book

(incomplete and unabridged)

Authorized Version / First Edition

Published by a Curious Paradox

there follows an extraordinary long Library Number

so turn the page

Dedication

I wd like to thank my mother
for making me go to secretarial school

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Random Haphazard Casual Desultory : mean determined by accident rather than design

Random stresses lack of definite aim, fixed goal, or regular procedure;

Haphazard applies to what is done without regard for regularity or fitness or ultimate consequences;

Casual suggests working or acting without deliberation, intention or purpose;

Desultory implies a jumping or skipping from from one thing to another ungoverned by method or system.

Factors : chance distribution
mysterious significance
irrelevant variables

It all adds up to : An Apparent Senseless Flurry (butterfly rhythm)

An Apparent Senseless Flurry is a conceptual illustration of control and choice

a selection of favorite recipes follows

inside the back cover a cracked open pomegranate displaying her ruby red juicy jewels

chutney

i was the only one at the scanners / i was buying a small watermelon / i asked the check out lady who was monitoring the scanners how much the melon weighed / four pounds, she said

i saw a recipe for watermelon rind chutney that called for an eight pound watermelon and so i got one and made the chutney, i told her.

it was time and labor intensive / i showed her my bandaged thumb

she was curious / i told her all the green had to be peeled off and all the pink scraped from the inside after you ate the watermelon / sharing with the guys building the shed

then she asked, What is chutney? Is it like a salsa?

well hmmmm / more like a relish / its flavors are strong and sharp and sweet and hot and you dont eat much of it at one time / it often accompanies a curry

to make the chutney you use apple cider vinegar / sugar / the basic three : ginger, garlic, jalapenos / crushed black pepper corns / you cook it for almost an hour and then chill for a couple of days to meld the flavors

my daughter who fancies Indian food told me i should not cook it but marinate the rind / authentically she said it would not be cooked / oh yeah ?

it could marinate for a week in the sun ?

how yummy would that be ?

i cooked it

despite the cooking the rind stayed firm and crisp and retained its crunch

the checkout lady (Deanna) was fascinated. What did you eat it with, she asked.

Have i mentioned that i live in memory lapse world ?

i cdnt recall a single thing i had eaten with the chutney so i said i wd bring her some / i went home and looked in my food diary / oh yeah / i put some in a small jar and went back to the store

i had some with a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, i said. She made a face, On it ? she asked

no, on the side like a relish

I await her response to tasting it

smile

when in a quandry

when in a quandry
do the laundry

when in the mind all is think
pull the plug and drain the sink

stuck stumped stupified stymied

what to do when you dont know what to do

lie down and wait for a moment of clarity?

take a walk up a steep hill?

plunge into icy waters?



do nothing / it's okay to do nothing
someone has to do nothing
otherwise nothing will ever get done

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

stressful dreams/ burdened by muchness
dear people / dear to me / dying of terrible illnesses

Wilson Mesa Diary (1977)

from wilson mesa diaries / july 25, 1977

(Note: I was living in the mountains of SE Utah with a man I call the Motorcycle Man / we were the only two people on Wilson Mesa / there were no amenities, no electricity, water, mirrors or clocks. It was the second year. I kept a diary and this is the entry for “today” in 1977. Mostly i wrote about walks i took, birds i saw, wild flowers, what i cooked on the woodburning stove but this day was different) (apparently)

There are days when my mind wanders endlessly down the streets of Rome.

I had a wicker shopping cart on wheels /the kind you pull behind you

I’d take my cart and Tiberio and we would go shopping. First we would stop at the bar-gelateria on the corner of Viale Regina Margherita and Piazza Buenos Aires. You pay for what you want and take the ticket to the marble counter with the brass foot rail. There arent any stools to sit.

I loved cafe latte in bicchiere por favor. Coffe with steamed milk in a glass.

This bar had one of the biggest cafe lattes in town. I’d stand at the bar and sip while Tiberio nestled at my feet among cigarette butts and ice cream wrappers.

I saw the same barmen every day for years but i never knew any of them. I didnt flirt with young Italian men. I was in my late thirties. I was married. I never thought any of them noticed me in particular. I always tried to be inconspicuous in those first years in Rome.

That is, until i went crazy and frizzed my hair and wore long
skirts made out of Indian bedspreads and dangling earrings and bracelets.

One morning one of he barmen spoke to me. “Dove il vichino?” he said. Where is the Viking ?

That was during the winter and spring I had a love affair with a tall young Swedish boy who was 15 years younger than me. We used to stop at that bar for espresso on our way to Villa Borghese and if i dont return to Rome someday i will never forgive myself.

(note from today : instead of going on about the love affair i continue about Tiberio, the dog!) (smile)

Before the love affair I imagined I was inconspicuous but i was probably well known in the neighborhood / shoot / I was married to a spaghetti western actor / when I wore short skirts my legs stopped traffic / I had great legs / and it was stuff like this that led me into a sort of disguise / well, that is until the frizzed hair and turkish harem coats

So Tiberio and me were seen all over the neighborhood and to the outdoor street market where i daily shopped. Tiberio was a poodle / un barboncino / an Italian poodle / a status dog but he didnt have a French poodle hair cut / he was a mop / he looked like a shaggy bath mat.

He understood all his commands in Italian because I thought that way the Romans would also know what we were saying to him. Italians arent particularly comfotable with dogs although Tiberio cd go every where with me even to restaurants.

Not many Italian dogs have human names, like Tiberio. There was a Roman emperor named Tiberio but our dog was really named after Tiberio Mitri who was a boxer (european middleweight champion) we had become friends with the first year we lived in Italy.

This Tiberio like to drink a lot and have a good time and seemed to always be in trouble with ex-wives and girlfriends. He had a crumbling old villa outside of Rome where his mother lived in the kitchen. He was always going to fix up the place. It would have been beautiful but he never had the money to do it and the last time i heard of him was when i saw his picture on the front pages of the newspapers. He was arrested on dope charges. That was when Italian actors bought cocaine by the kilo.

Diaries are boring. I’m beginning to think my whole life has been pretty uninteresting and the only interesting thing I’ve ever done is learn how to write and print legibly while stoned.

fine

if there are any typos or grammaticals they will have to stay as i want to publish this on the same day July 25 as i wrote this originally / and i am tired and want to go to bed as soon as i turn the sprinkler on for the garden.

Nighty Night

From the HandMade Paper Book

Love Struck

It will knock you flying
It can shred your clothes.
untie your shoes,
curl your hair
and
TATTOO your body !

you will be stunned
and on reviving
(if you revive)
you may be speechless
and unable to move

(if you're lucky)
you'll have no
broken bones
but
you might have
a terrific headache

The last thing you remember
may be being engulfed by an
intense flash of light

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

wandering on

splitting my infinitive

x-ing out the xtraneous

trimming my trip

i saw something amazing today

on a pbs cooking show a chef placed a dozen or so sungold cherry tomatoes on his cutting board

holding them still with the palm of his hand he took what must have been an exceedingly sharp knife and sliced all the cherry tomatoes in half with a horizontal sweep

that’s impressive

he sliced a cucumber into thin rounds / he overlapped the slices on the cutting board like fish scales / with that wonderfully sharp knife he worked his way down the line of sllices chopping them into thin slivers

wow

++++++++++

Writers’ Block # 3 :

Dwadwee Sez :

Be who you are
Be true to yourself
and
If you can’t be firm
At least be definite

on the other side :

better do it now its gonna be too late too soon

when in doubt push courage button

(this block measures 4” x almost 7” and is 1/4 “ thick

it has some nice colouring and a knot hole)

went to the movies

saw Fahrenheit 911

i wept

Trip

a perfect journey

a respite from routine

time to shed old skin

grow new tale

i lost weight / got a new hat

what cd be better ?

plenty

stay tuned in

Writing

of the many labels i do not apply to myself one of them is Writer

however

i keep a written journal / on paper / on tablets / in notebooks / using an assortment of pens and pencils and brushes

in one notebook i record the Daily Riff on my life and Things To Do plus OnGoing Concerns

there is a tablet to record my blood pressure monitorings

there is a garden journal written on a big piece of carboard with a big felt tip pen

there is a date book to record important things to do with other people in my life and when to plant seeds

in another journal i record everything i eat and drink each day / this may seem weightloss related / it is not / it is more memory lapse related plus plain pure foodiness

thistle flower stalks and dock weed were on the menu in the Wilson Mesa Diaries / how cd i forget that ? smile

i look at past days : oh,yeah, the apple salad ! how cd i forget that ? (honey crisp apples from the LSals with Spanish Valley walla wallas / a dab of homemade mayo / spritz of Moab mulberry fruit wine vinegar)

the food journal includes brief description of walks/strolls /hikes / a note on any unusual weather / i use a code to refer to where i go to save space (Cluster D is D / Moonflower Canyon is MFC)

Rain is Rain (and rare) Hot is Hot and not so rare

this is a smallish book / it has a hula girl on the cover who wiggles

there will be enough for a whole year in one book if three meals a day are recorded on each page / entries are sprinkled with abbreviations: VB for vegetable broth

special items are so designated :2 Dan Daltons SB / two eggs from Dan Dalton in Castle Valley (he has the best fed chickens) soft boiled / this can be shortened to 2 DD sb or lunch at Kaki’s and then what she made

i write tiny to squeeze it all in rather like the Wilson Mesa Diary, an expensive yellow-bound surveyors’ book

i had dumped the restaurant and ran away with The Motorcycle Man to live in the mountains / i wrote small to fit it in so i wdnt need to buy another / my “natural handwriting” is not so small / legibility is utmost requirement

the right kind of pen is crucial to tiny writing / i have several favorites depending on what kind of paper i am using

when i am more prosperous i write on linen : napkins, tablecloths, decorative whatzits / 320 count double bed sheets using a variety of paints and colours

these become mottoes, slogans, banners, flags and dresses

typing is fun

my mother insisted i go to Strayer Business College the summer after i graduated from high school / i had a full four year scholarship to a good university and wd be the first in my family to go to university / my mother said that and a nickel wd get me a cup of coffee / smile

when resentment wore off i thanked her that i learned how to touch type

the secretarial school arranged wonderful dances with local military bases for ROTC men doing summer training / i wore red dancing dresses and had a good time and learned shorthand too / will wonders never cease

i have worked my way through a number of typewriters like a portable Olivetti / what a pal she was

today i keep a personal journal on LOLLLY the laptop / such a quiet little keyboard she is

she is my new Dear Dairy

Dear Diary

my dear diary

she was smooth black leather

she had a lock and key

gold letters 1947 announced her intentions

her pages were thin / they had to be to fit 365 of them within her bindings

they had crisp blue lines and golden edges

she invited me to share my secrets

i was 14 years old and my secrets were i wanted a boy to ask me for a date and i wanted breasts / smile

now i can say i have everything i wanted when i was 14

a really neat place for buttons and magnets

http://www.arteto.com/

sorry / i havent learned yet how to make this a link / i have to use IE instead of Safari and i dont want to / so just copy and paste / it's worth it

in the beginning

i had a webtv box / when my name appeared on the television monitor/screen it was such a thrill / not because it smacked of fame / after all my name and picture have both appeared in newspapers both because i had written something and because someone had written something about me / no, it was because i had made a connection to the great unknown / like when i signed up for an e-mail list when i didnt really know what an e-mail list was i felt like i did when i sent away for my capt midnight decoder badge and then when the badge came and i listened to capt midnight on the radio give out the numbers to decode i was connected to all these other kids who had badges too / sometimes we had decoder rings instead of badges

being a child definitely had its moments

Writers' Blocks

when beloved murphy died in november of 1995 / incurable mast cell growths you cd see growing before your eyes my grief was without measure / he was my pal my ally my traveling companion my guardian and protector

to occupy my mind i rebult an old loom and i took the kindling / they were little blocks of wood / and turned them into Writers Blocks during those long cold wintry vermont nights

i grieve for a lost love these days and so :

the Writers' Blocks : Here's what they say :

#1 Control is not a rigid grip but an awareness of choice

#11 It's not the stuff that makes you whole / it's the hole that makes you stuff (this one has a knot hole in it)

#12 Do without thinking / Think without doing

FOLLY

Did i mention that FOLLY talks and sounds like Dot ?

Invisible Commitments

The "rules" are inside your head.

old dog learns new tricks

i added a picture of the bracelets :

http://homepage.mac.com/skaterina/PhotoAlbum49.html

these are the ones i made first at Priscilla's using some gold coloured (not real gold, smile) bracelet chain that she favors

i am going to use the sterling silver bracelets shown / i prefer silver over gold for jewelry / they are more expensive / not an issue / i will also add a little tag with my logo on it / these are not yet ordered

glass fusing is evolving slowly / i ordered the kiln and it arrived and it awaits in the pantry / the attic studio/guestroom (Judy'sroom, smile) will be the play spot / Priscilla is sending me the kiln wash she favors (Bullseye) and a box of scrap glass / pretty soon everything will come together

i have enough glass "globs" (as Pat referred to them) for five more bracelets / sticking the globs on the bracelet will be the turning point and will determine my continued interest in jewelry making / smile / Priscilla's daughter did one of the finished bracelets while i struggled with the other / considerable patience was required / i used all my store of patience on one bracelet so Marie did the other

Priscilla and Marie (her daughter) differed strenuously on their two different ways of sticking them on / on my three day drive home to Moab i pondered the problem / arrived at a totally different way of doing it / this remains to be tried out

i will have to learn to love this part of the process in order to continue / just as i had to learn to love warping (dressing) the loom before i learned to love weaving / come to that, dressing the loom came to be the most thrilling feature / it was the foundation of all to come

whereas sticking the globs on the chain is the end of the technical process

the fun part was fiddling with the little glass chips and not having any idea of how they would turn out / of course, each one came out differently / the more skilled glass fuser can make pieces that match or are coordinated

i have no favorites among the glass globs

photographing them is a challenge for my camera skills which means i have to learn some more stuff about apertures and exposures and what not / the globs reflect light / at least they dont wiggle

moments

oh
so much
to gather & eat
that waves goodbye
before we can decide
if we liked the taste or not

from Long Pants by Michael Ontkean
1975

Wilson Mesa Diary (1976)

July 16 1976

Guess what, i busted up the DKW, cut open my head, and pulled a muscle deep in my groin / groan

This happened after hurtling all around the pastures, exuberant and over-confident.

Meanwhile the combine is working almost 100% perfect and getting more grain than ever / so Dick left for town / it is their anniversary / on the way out he saw me, picked me out of the ditch and brought me back to the homestead.

I cant walk on my right leg / the DKW has a busted front end / the frame is bent / Tom marvels over the impact of hitting the ditch head on / well, i just cannot make sharp left turns

Next day / cloudy, evening now, soon to rain, i think.

i sat in Tom's chair all day

I managed to "walk" to the doorway using the folding chair as a walker so i could pee and this morning went all the way to the poo poo box

Yesterday considerable rain in Moab, maybe even more up here, some wind too but all plant and wheat surviving. Down to the 50's last night, Dick said.

Just after the rain at dusk the chorus of a coyote family. A huge water dog came out from under the porch. Red caught a big rabbit for her and Baby Cat. We got the cats stoned under the covers. Now Baby Cat sleeps on my lap as i patch my green fatigues.

91' in Moab / the first time in two weeks the temperature was below 100'

Following days : still laid up, now with a yellow sock tied tight around my upper inner thigh. Feels good. i laid on the Nile Barge , soaked up the sun, did slow yoga stretches. Cry a lot.

I hate being this dependent. Tom again suggested doctor or hospital. (that always makes me cry) All i need is to heal at my own pace. No one can speed you up. it's good for me to learn to Be Slow - a lesson turned aside at the time i broke my foot.

Having pain is like fasting in that you are on your own with it, a sense of isolation pervades you. But where fasting can increase or heighten your feeling of independence, an injury does the opposite. You feel stuck in a trap, only partially of your own doing.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Today July 16, 2004 / Tom with whom i lived on Wilson Mesa, has Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS)

Sometimes

one has to do what one does not want to in order to remind oneself of why one doesnt want to

Holding Patterns / Revolving in Place

surrounded by works in progress

the tapestry loom now resides in the outdoor room / i wish i had taken out the beginnings that i did last year when i put the loom together and struggled with a too complicated warp (double threads in five different colours !) then becoming bored with it and abandoning her to stand in as a drying rack in / she wd also be a good easel for fabric painting (or weave white stuff and paint it)

solutions : take out the beginning stuff now / i dont like it / or : crank the warp down by loosening the tension nuts / loosen all four end screws / place all four tabs in the unlocked position

wind the tapestry (in this case woven rags) around the bottom roller while keeping a bit of drag on the upper roller / lock the lower tabs and tighten the end screws

turn back the upper roller to remove the slack / lock the upper tabs and tighten the end screws / make sure there is at least one complete wrap around both rollers and then re-tension the warp

keep the tension screws oiled at all times

there are good and useful tools for this purpose ! that came with the loom / she is a Shannock

good strong construction and treadles

#############

the fused glass jewels patiently wait on the kitchen table

everything is ready / the pots of compound to mix to stick the jewels on the bracelets / a stick to mix / a plastic lid to mix it on / a couple of stiff brushes to paint the compound on the backs of the jewels or alternately (in an experiment) on the bracelets themselves / have the pizza stone warm in the oven to set the glue when done

the jewels are lined up

ready to go

@@@@@@@@@

on a daily domestic level there is dog food to make

cut up the chuck roast / have ready the vegetables left from making broth / combine them in the food processor / this is a new method to try

some of the vegetables will be turned into vegetable pate mixed with the pecans, cashews, and pumpkin seeds i soaked for this purpose / dont forget the garlic for both items

sit outside and peel garlic / okay

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

there are liver letters to write / print / and send out to raise money for Reed

there is a check to send to the bank

there are two items to take to the UPS office : dress return to Territory Ahead and books to Barbara

whew

plenty to do

&&&&&&&&

meanwhile

there will be some preliminary shufflling of old journals and improvahoki stuff that will eventually provide the essential elements of this blog

okay / onward and upward / i am learning new tekneeks : the tapestry loom / fusing glass and making jewelry / blogging with future intent

not to mention the homemade goat cheese feta

more anon

yesterday's entry

resist making excuses for failure to blog everyday

i was mulling over the reasons or non reasons for this blog

how to blog so that eventually i will want to share it ?

otherwise what is the point ?

my personal paper journals are private

this one need not be so

however it is not essential to publish prematurely

in the theatre we rehearsed until we were "ready" for public performance

so be it

more anon

tanka 2

here's a tanka :

crisp finocchio
paired with parmigiano
or a vinaigrette
a wonderful italian feast
shall we have a glass of wine ?

(&)

this is an exercise in writing to no one

to publish without telling anyone / smile

i promise to write something to no one every day

Tanka

Tanka is the name of an ancient form of Japanese poetry.

Tanka are 31-syllable poems that have been the most popular form of poetry in Japan for at least 1300 years. As a form of poetry, tanka is older than haiku, and tanka poems evoke a moment or mark an occasion with concision and musicality.

There are five lines.

The first line has 5 syllables / the second has 7 / the third has 5 / the 4th and 5th have 7 each.

My friend, Barbara, is a writer / she is committed to writing a tanka every day / she does !

I learned about tankas when i visited Barbara's writing class / the teacher assigned the class to write a tanka / she specified certain topics to be included / challenge !

I committed to writing something for this blog every day.

today's menu

hemp seed granola with blackberries and peaches / doused with fresh goat milk

possibilitease for the lunch menu are sumptuous :

grannysmith apple and vidalia onion salad with slices of canadian maple cured ham and alpine lace cheese on lettuce leaves from Margaret's garden

fruit salad : peaches plums blueberries apple watermelon orange segments / maybe a few chopped pecans

we will make some green and black olive and garlic butter in the samson juicer using the mincing cone

we will make amaranth/spelt flour goatcheese/butter tartletts / later we will fill them with dabs of freshly made goat cheese and spiced plums or maybe goat cheese and leeks with a cherry tomato on top or goat cheese and the olive/garlic butter

an experimental pizza crust is in the works using amaranth flour and spelt flour and some organic unbleached flour / use plenty of yeast as Lucy reports amaranth flour is resistant to rising / it adds a lovely nutty flavor

toppings will be #1 pizza goat cheese with leeks and thin strips of genoa peppercorn salame and #2 pizza fresh tomatoes and cheeses and basil

cheese selection includes Mexican fresca / grated parmigiano / swiss / mild cheddar and something else in the cheese drawer / cant remember exactly

the refrigerator holds many treasures : there are the chicken breasts and the beef in the rich and delicious broth / there are golden beets from the farmers' market and fresh zucchini to be made into zucchini fritters or zucchini cake

more anon