What do we know
Us older and grey
About life that’s real
And problems today
Our time passes by
Until caught by our young
At first bewildered
They come to understand
That life is the footprint
Left by a bird
On a beach
When it takes flight
Waves
Wash
Away
While my earliest memory of elementary school might be nap time during Kindergarten, one of my fondest is of my first kiss. It was maybe second or third grade during outdoor recess when word began to spread that a pack of girls had decided they were going to kiss every boy on the playground, by force if necessary. A few pals and I had barely a chance to ponder this development when here came the girls running full speed in our direction, other boys scattering in front of them. When it quickly became obvious our group was their next target we all turned and yelled, “Run!” None of us made it very far, either falling down on purpose or just not running very fast. I was face up on the ground when the girl that caught me gave a long, wet kiss on the cheek. As soon as it was done she jumped up laughing and rejoined the pack to hunt down more boys. I remember a nice feeling coming over me; I liked that kiss, even though it was supposed to be gross. I can’t remember her name, but she was from Hawaii. For the rest of the year she would smile at me and say hi when we would see each other at school, mispronouncing my last name on purpose with a laugh. She was charming and I was smitten. There was no discussion of that kiss, or of anything else, just friendly greetings and smiles. The next school year I noticed her absence right away, and after asking around I found out she and her family had moved back to Hawaii. I knew that meant I would never see her again. A little lesson on infatuation and loss that I probably will never forget.
“The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.”
Elizabeth Bishop
One aspect of living in the country that has taken me some time to adjust to is the quiet and solitude. Having lived only in a city up to this point I was used to being surrounded by sounds and people. Cars driving by the house, people walking their dogs, joggers, kids on bikes, neighbors coming and going and doing yard work. The only traffic here are people driving to and from work, most of whom we don’t know. That changes in the spring and fall when we all have to share the gravel roads with the farmers in their tractors. The sounds here are traffic from the highway if the wind is right, an occasional train whistle from the Union Pacific tracks, and the coyotes some nights. During storms we also hear the wind howling across the fields and through our trees. Of the two acreages closest to us one is occupied part time and the other lacks a house, with only outbuildings on the property, which makes for very quiet neighbors. Not having any stores around has made us tend to bundle the stops we make when we drive into town, to save time and gas. Neither one of us is complaining about any of these changes, nor would we want to go back to the city. Such a major shift from the familiar, even when desired, takes time to settle. So far so good.
Allrecipes states that “what started with a single cookie recipe has grown organically to become the world’s largest food-focused social network with a community of 85 million home cooks consuming 3 billion pages annually of food inspiration across our 19 sites serving 24 countries in 12 languages. I invite you to join our one-of-a-kind community that inspires home cooking and celebrates the foods we make with friends, family, brands and followers. Calling all cooks!” They offer free apps for your devices, videos, and an ingredient search engine to find recipes for what you have on hand.
This is a wonderful dish to serve on a cold winter’s day, made even better if followed up with a chair nap.
Ingredients
Chuck roast, whole or cubed
Potatoes, quartered or diced
Carrots, sliced or chunked
Celery, sliced
Onion, diced
Tomatoes, sliced
Layer all of the above in the order listed around the roast in a dutch oven. Add a couple of cups of water then the following on top:
Mushrooms
Salt and Pepper
Basil
Tapioca (4 tsp)
Bake at 250 degrees for four hours. Serve with warm buttered bread.
Once a month I highlight a piece of art I have created and posted on my Fine Art America site. This one is titled Anxious from the Faces And Beings Art Collection.
“Love is real only when a person can sacrifice himself for another person. Only when a person forgets himself for the sake of another, and lives for another creature, only this kind of love can be called true love, and only in this love do we see the blessing and reward of life. This is the foundation of the world.” Leo Tolstoy
Many Tracks is the online home for Sue Robishaw and Steve Schmeck, who “live and work in our home, studio, and shop in the northwoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Our art, our work, our lives, and our play interweave and blend to such a degree that it is often hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, which is how we like it to be. Our interest in a sustainable lifestyle and world permeates our life and work. The sun provides our electricity, the wind pumps our water, and the woods and the sun heat our home and cook our food. We strive to live a non-disposable life.” Take some time to explore their site.
Inspired by 1950’s paint-by-number kits, Easy 123 Art, Inc. creates custom paint by number products generated from digital photographs. Visit the site to see how it works.
Popular Science in some form has been around for over 140 years. The website offers easy reading on science topics for those of us who are not scientists.
The Dollar Stretcher is one of my favorite personal finance sites. It has been around since 1996 and continues to offer timely, well written articles. From the About Us page: “While all of our articles can help you live better for less, some are more about personal finance topics that can help you gain control of your finances and build wealth. And then we have our frugal living articles that can help you do just about anything for less money, such as remodel your kitchen, take a much needed vacation, or feed your family for less.” Founder Gary Foreman was gracious enough to write several guest posts for a previous blog of mine, which you can read here.
Have a good weekend!
We are looking for a drink
And a bite to eat
Into the bar we go
It’s been years since we were here
Everything is different
Moved around, changed
Except the bar and stools
And the huge mirror behind them
Waiting for us
The bartender steps up
And he looks like a caveman
With a 1964 Beatle haircut he is
Shocking, ugly and proud
My brother chuckles
I know something is coming
As the bartender stands there
Hands us menus
My brother, analyzing him…
Here it comes…
“Are you related to a gorilla?”
“Agorilla?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, pretty sure.”
“Okay, I think we’re ready to order then.”
The gorilla smiles
We place our order
2011 By David Jacobi
When I was growing up in Des Moines, Iowa there were drive-in theaters on every side of the city, north, south, east and west. Which one to go watch movies at on a Friday or Saturday night depended on what was playing, the cost, your previous experiences at a given theater (could the place get rowdy, did most of the speakers work, was the concession stand cheap and tasty) and the quality of the playground equipment at the foot of the giant screen for those with kids. Many times a summer movie night at the drive-in would last well into the early morning because of the late starting time (around sunset) and the line up could include previews, a cartoon or two, a kids movie and then the adult double features, which sometimes was extended to three or four movies. Once kids grew bored with the adult movies and had annoyed their parents enough from the back seat of the car they were sent off to the midnight playground. This was a special treat for most, out playing with kids you had never met before, would never see again, under the stars late at night in front of a gigantic screen showing a movie you could not hear. My mom would cook up several batches of popcorn on the stove top and dump it in a paper bag along with melted butter and salt to take with us to the drive-in. Shelly and I had our first date at a drive-in, then went to several more as our romance blossomed. Whether you have experienced a drive-in or not there is still a chance to do so today. Check out DriveInMovie.com to see if one of the few surviving theaters is close to you.
Off The Back Porch 