Literally. Time in the great outdoors will be good for all sorts of reasons, and we’ve even had reports of bald eagles nesting near the fishing spot. Have a great weekend!
Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category
Gone Fishing…
Posted in Holidays, tagged bald eagles, creativity, fishing, fun, inspiration, nature on July 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Hey, America, Happy Birthday!
Posted in Holidays, tagged America, Erma Bombeck, Fourth of July, Harry Emerson Fosdick, home, independence day, quotes, Thoughts, USA, yay on July 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have.
— Harry Emerson Fosdick
And also:
You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.
— Erma Bombeck
On Practice
Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged creativity, double rainbow, Fiction, finishing, genre fiction, goals, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Motivation, persistence, Thoughts, work, writing, yay on May 30, 2014| Leave a Comment »
This may be the best advice I’ve given myself all week:
Don’t worry about being good – worry about getting better.
P.S. More good advice – don’t run barefoot over these sand dunes in the middle of summer. Ask me how I know!
Goodbye, Wreath
Posted in Holidays, tagged home, o canada, seasons, snow, Spring, yay on April 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Sometime after Christmas I decided to leave our holiday wreath up until the snow melted. Not just road snow or even sidewalk snow, but the snow that lurks by the cedar hedge, sheltered in the shadows of the house.
How long could it take? I wondered. (Oh, the naiveté of one new to the North.).
This long:p The snow is finally gone, and the wreath is coming down:)
My next goal is to spot a flower. Outside. Growing!
Finally! (Sort Of)
Posted in Holidays, Likes, tagged good news, snow, spring equinox, winter, yay on March 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »
It’s snowing, it’s too cold for the cat to go out, and my front steps are covered in a slurry of slush and ice but! I don’t care because today is the Spring Equinox!
March Equinox in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada was on
Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 12:57 PM EDT
That’s right, Google has a doodle, it’s the first day of Spring and day is (basically) as long as night. After a cold dark winter, that’s good news!
Look, kids, that big ball in the sky. Now do you believe in the Sun?
Chocolate Volcanoes, Because Why Not?
Posted in Food and..., Holidays, tagged cake, chocolate, food, nom!, Valentine's Day on February 13, 2014| 1 Comment »
My brain’s a little under-caffeinated today so I thought I’d bring you a recipe. Because chocolate cake, warm, soft, and straight out of the oven? Delicious. Also, I’ll admit to being a little snacky right now:) Enjoy!
Chocolate Cakes with Liquid Centers
The original version of this recipe was made famous by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten who says that this oozing molten chocolate cake happened completely by accident. The idea is fairly common now but it’s a great dessert for, say, Valentine’s Day. It’s quick, impressive, and can be pre-made and baked at the last minute, another big plus. These little cakes are tasty but easy to overcook. If that happens, well, you’ve still got chocolate cake.
115g / ½ cup unsalted butter, plus additional butter to grease molds
113g / 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
50g / ¼ cup sugar
16g / 2 T. flour
cocoa for dusting (or use flour, but cocoa will look better)
1. Microwave the butter and chocolate together on low heat (I use 30% power, stirring every couple of minutes) until the chocolate is melted. In the meantime, beat together the eggs, yolks, and sugar until light and thick.
2. Beat together the melted chocolate and butter. Pour in the egg mixture, then quickly beat in the flour, just until combined.
3. Butter four 4-ounce molds, custard cups, or ramekins, then dust with cocoa and tap out the excess. Divide the batter among the molds. (At this point you can cover and put these in the fridge until you are ready to bake; I’ve done this up to a day in advance.)
4. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Bake the molds on a tray for 7–10 minutes (depending on ramekin size and batter temperature); the center should still be soft, but the sides will be set.
5. Invert each mold onto a plate and let sit for about 10 seconds, then unmold. Serve immediately. Excellent with ice cream and strawberry sauce.
Makes 4 individual cakes.
2014!
Posted in Holidays, Likes, tagged 2014, celebration, New Year on December 31, 2013| 1 Comment »
I’m surrounded by snow, wolves howl in the night, and the Earth continues to turn. What could be better? Wherever you are, I hope you have a wonderful and very happy new year, all!
Holidays
Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged Anne Enright, creativity, finishing, inspiration, Motivation, resolutions, Thoughts, work, writing on December 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Apologies for my lack of presence here; like many of you, I’m up to my ears in holiday fun. Eggnog, presents, family, Swedish smörgåsbord delights, and the ensuing fallout has me busy, busy, busy! I’ll be around the site off and on for the next week and back in force after the New Year. In the meantime, let me leave you with this terrific quote:
Imagine that you are dying. If you had a terminal disease would you finish this book? Why not? The thing that annoys this 10-weeks-to-live self is the thing that is wrong with the book. So change it. Stop arguing with yourself. Change it. See? Easy. And no one had to die.
― Anne Enright
It’s applicable to writing, of course, but substitute “do [fill in the blank with your own white whale]” for “finish this book” and it may also be useful for those looking ahead to the new year, and related resolutions:)
Happy 4th of July!
Posted in Holidays, tagged Census Bureau, fun facts, happy birthday, home, independence day, july 4th, yay on July 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Happy Birthday, USA!
photo by Booyah Kasha on Flickr
After some brief reflection, I thought I’d add a selection of…
Fun Facts About the Fourth of July
(excerpted from this handy Census page, see it for more facts and references)
56: Number of signers to the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston comprised the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration. Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer, wrote most of the document.
$218.2 million: The value of fireworks imported from China in 2012, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($227.3 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $11.7 million in 2012, with Israel purchasing more than any other country ($2.5 million).
$3.8 million: In 2012, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($3.6 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.
Fifty-nine places contain the word “liberty” in the name. Pennsylvania, with 11, has more of these places than any other state. Of the 59 places nationwide containing “liberty” in the name, four are counties: Liberty County, Ga. (65,471), Liberty County, Fla. (8,276), Liberty County, Mont. (2,392) and Liberty County, Texas (76,571).
$109.8 billion: Dollar value of trade last year between the United States and the United Kingdom, making the British, our adversary in 1776, our sixth-leading trading partner today.
6: Number of states in which the value of broiler chicken production was estimated at $1 billion or greater between December 2011 and November 2012. There is a good chance that one of these states — Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi or Texas — is the source of your barbecued chicken.
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