Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, home, inspiration, Thoughts on June 4, 2022| 1 Comment »
Should I have spent my day writing? Maybe.
What did I do instead? I made bread, lemon curd, braided lemon bread and baked milk. Went for a walk. Staked the Joe Pye weed. Stared at the clouds. Deadheaded the dandelions and filled up the bird bath and rooted butterfly weed. In short, good things.
Works for me.
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Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, home, memories, recipes, Thoughts on June 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »
My father texted the other day to say that he was making a dish from my childhood, Mrs. Chiang’s Eggplant with Chopped Meat. The name brought back memories of hot chili and flavorful meat with rice. I should make that too, I thought. Where is my wok?
Several days later I made the dish with what I had or could get. Two eggplants became one, eight scallions became two huge handfuls from my bag of pre-chopped and frozen, peanut oil became avocado and pork became turkey. Fortunately, the recipe is quite forgiving.
The chili paste stayed the same, as did the complex and satisfying taste. And the fond memories.
I still haven’t found my wok.
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Eggplant with Ground Turkey
(adapted from Mrs. Chiang’s Szechwan Cookbook)
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Thoughts on June 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.”
― Aristotle
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Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, home, pollinators, Thoughts on May 31, 2022| Leave a Comment »
No Mow May has been a success at our house. Ratings so far:
I also spotted a new plant in the front yard, Blue-eyed Grass. Despite its name, it’s actually a member of the Iris family, and a pretty one at that. So that’s fun.
Blue-eyed grass in the meadow,
And the laden bee’s low hum,
Milkweeds all by the roadside,
To tell us summer is come.
— Mary Austin
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, meteor shower, science, space, Thoughts on May 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »
If you’re in North America, you may be treated to a dramatic meteor shower tonight.
Or, you know, maybe not.
Meteor storm of 1,000 shooting stars per hour possible this week | Space
The Tau Herculids meteor shower may light up the skies over North America on May 30 and 31. Or it may not. There’s a chance we might pass through the thickest part of the comet fragment that is creating the debris, in which case the night skies will be filled with shooting stars.
You can watch the possible tau Herculid meteor shower live online, courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project. The project’s astrophysicist Gianluca Masi will provide live all-sky cameras from Arizona and Brazil starting at 12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT) on Tuesday, May 31.
I kind of love that despite all of humanity’s scientific advances, such events can remain a delightful surprise.
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, F1, greener, Thoughts on May 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Today in super excellent ideas I’m giving away for free: I’m pretty sure that turning used F1 tires into premium-branded garage flooring would be a no-brainer.
What Does F1 Do With Used Tires? – One Stop Racing
How much would a superfan pay to walk on Lewis Hamilton’s or Charles Leclerc’s or Max Verstappen’s tires? I’m going to go with A Lot.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, quotes, Thoughts, writing on May 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“There are no rules in fiction, only vague guidelines. Pick the approach that works best for you and write like the wind.”
— Ilona Andrews
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, hope, inspiration, Thoughts on May 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
We can do better. We must do better.
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, #ONstorm, home, Thoughts on May 24, 2022| 2 Comments »
Sososososososohappy right now!
/ahem
After 60+ hours without power we are back online. So happy about that, and feeling very appreciative of all the electricians and other workers who made it happen, and the first responders who kept us safe in the meantime.
We spent most of the storm sensibly safe indoors but if you’re interested in images of the derecho that affected almost half of this country’s population, check out these links:
The Weather Network – Schools close, local state of emergency declared after deadly weekend storm
The day after: Post-storm photos
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I’m thankful for the friends and neighbors who offered to help, and for now knowing how to use a generator and rebuild a fence.
Aside from items like a BBQ, water heater that runs without electricity, and fireplace, I’d say the most valuable storm supply awards go to:
We also have a bunch of nightlight/emergency lights, the kind you leave plugged in but can also work as a flashlight. Those were invaluable (not least because our only real flashlight runs on (currently dead) C batteries which we don’t have). Our lantern crapped out on us, but pro tip: a flashlight under an opaque white container or lampshade works surprisingly well.
The experience certainly gives me added appreciation for what’s “normal,” and the fact that we’re able to get back to it after just a couple of days.
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, #ONstorm, Thoughts on May 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »
This is a placeholder post to keep my daily streak alive, in case the very dramatic storm currently overhead cuts the power. Crazy wind! Giant raindrops! Emergency notifications! Flickering lights!
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