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Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’

It’s summer but my to-do list is snowballing. Excuse me while I tame this bad boy!

“You can’t try to do things; you simply must do them.”

— Ray Bradbury

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Photo by Pauline Bernfeld on Unsplash

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In related news, our cat continues to be excellent.

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Photo by Diver Zhang on Unsplash

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I ran across a quote once that said something like “the difference between a tragedy and a comedy is where you stop,” but I like this one better.

“The difference between pessimism and optimism is constructing a good ending.”

— Barbara Kingsolver

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Photo by Gerold Hinzen on Unsplash

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“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

— Leo Tolstoy

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Photo by Kevin Woblick on Unsplash

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Today, America celebrates Juneteenth.

I’ve written about this new federal holiday before, but if you’d like to know more, here are a couple of articles which may interest you:

Juneteenth: What It Is And How It Is Observed – NPR

“Everybody went wild. We all felt like heroes … just like that, we were free.”

For even more detail, check out this longer read by historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: What Is Juneteenth?

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In a more personal take on history, I’ve always wondered how it must feel to be one of the many Black people in the US who are intimately related to the nation’s Confederate past.

I need wonder no more.

A favorite aunt was going through boxes of material from my grandmother and discovered discharge papers for a Confederate soldier, who also happens to be my great great grandfather.

Oh.

While I was quite surprised at this (and other new family history, ranging from the darker side of Georgia to the darker side of Germany), in some important ways it really is encouraging. 

History is change, and much of this story is positive.

Still, I’m not going to lie. It feels a little weird. But again, encouraging.

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National Archives

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When I was a child, my father discovered a lime freeze drink that I absolutely loved. I don’t have the recipe and only remember that it was frothy, creamy and sharp with fresh lime juice. I’ve tried to replicate the drink a few times but never quite managed it, until now.

This recipe is based on a Brazilian limeade recipe. The original version is very good but it’s harder to find organic limes than I’d like, and it can be a little fiddly to balance a thorough blending while avoiding the bitterness of fresh pith.

Using sweetened condensed milk makes it quick and easy with no risk of curdling. Being me, I also wanted a recipe we could make with frozen juice. This is the result.

Lime Fluff

  • 700g/just under 3C water, whey, or a combination* (we’re using 1C yogurt whey, the rest water)
  • 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (~190g)
  • 1 to 1 1/8 C+ / 250–275g lime juice (to taste, fresh or frozen)

Blend and enjoy. 

* I know that grams (mass) don’t always equal milliliters (volume), but it’s close enough. We also make a lot of strained yogurt so we have whey on hand; ours is tangy enough that we use 250g of lime juice.

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Photo by Caleb Jones on Unsplash

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“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.”

— Henry David Thoreau

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Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

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Martha Wells, creator of Murderbot, the recently published Witch King and other terrific tales, recently posted a copy of her co-guest of honor speech from WisCon. It’s worth reading. 

marthawells | WisCon Speech

It doesn’t always seem like it from our moment in time, but there actually has been a lot of progress in the science fiction and fantasy world during the 30 years of my career.

In it, she applauds how far we’ve come while pointing out the issues that remain, and that progress is “not a perpetual motion machine.” To keep moving up, it must be protected, cared for, and cultivated. 

Which we can absolutely, positively do.

“Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings.”

— Ursula Le Guin

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Photo by Alex Shuper on Unsplash

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For various day job reasons I’m feeling a wee bit tired. I have no deep thoughts about this, just a sense that I could really use a vacation (yes, another one! 😉 or at least a tiny little break. 

Time to browse the weird and wild world of Google Street View, courtesy of this site:

Wonders of Street View

How many times can I hit the Random button before it gets old? …

Wait, there’s a giant statue of a quarter-pound burger in Rapid City, South Dakota?! Of course there is🙂

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Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes on Unsplash

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Pretty Good

Yesterday’s goals were far-reaching but I am happy to report that, with the help of a foolishly optimistic outlook and a healthy dose of yaupon tea, I completed all but one task.

(That final task was to make banana bread muffins, and while I was looking forward to them, let’s all be honest and admit that extra tangy lemon meltaways and dark chocolate brownies are always going to be higher on the list.)

So it’s still Tuesday (the worst!) but things are still looking pretty good.

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Photo by Malcolm Lightbody on Unsplash

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