The Motley Fool provides “a variety of solutions to improve many areas of your financial life, including your investment portfolio, personal finances, real estate holdings, company, and career.” I have used this site off and on for years to consult for various financial matters. They offer comprehensive information on stocks, how to invest, credit cards, bank accounts, loans, retirement planning and much more. Worth a visit.
I discovered this little culinary gem several years ago and will continue to use it until I can cook no more. Whenever you cut up vegetables get in the habit of putting the leavings in a baggie in the freezer. Onion ends, cucumber ends, carrot ends, end chunks from broccoli or cauliflower, tomato parts, peppers, you get the idea. Anything you would normally throw in the trash from your veggies take 10 seconds and put them in that designated baggie in the freezer. Once it is full, fill up a pan with water, add the contents of your freezer stash, and boil for at least 20 minutes, or until it smells so good you want to sample it. Add whatever spices you most enjoy then let the broth cool. I pour mine into various sized empty butter, cottage cheese and dip containers and freeze. Then comes the best part; add the thawed broth instead to a recipe that calls for plain water, to some fried foods (including ground beef, chicken or pork) instead of oil, to casseroles, soups, to boil noodles, or even use as a marinade. When using a slow cooker, use the broth. I have even added the broth when making chili and it seems to me to contribute another layer of flavor. I also boil chicken and beef bones for specific broths, but the veggie broth is more versatile.
Once a month I highlight a piece of art I have created and posted on my Fine Art America site. This one is titled Thread And Shells from the Scanner Still Life Collection.
My first exposure to Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was not through reading his books but from watching the movie Slaughterhouse-Five, based on his novel of the same name. It was put on heavy rotation in the 1970’s on our local NBC affiliate television station, so I ended up watching it multiple times. Our hero, Billy Pilgrim, survives the World War Two firebombing of Dresden and goes on to marry and have children. At some point he ends up in a zoo on the planet Tralfamador. It is a quiet, thoughtful movie that tends to stick with you. When I figured out the movie was connected to a book I wanted to check out the author, and I’m glad I did. He didn’t only write science fiction, employing dark humor and satire in his novels. Themes of religion and war run through much of his work, as does pathos and religious hypocrisy. Reading Vonnegut for me is like sitting down to visit with an old friend and catching up with what has been going on. There is both familiarity and anticipation involved, but the main feeling is you are going to enjoy it. If you have not read him Slaughterhouse-Five is a good enough place to start as any. You might just make a new friend.
Wilderness Connect is a great resource to to learn more about protected public wilderness areas, “found in most states, but concentrated in the west, they protect lush forests, arid deserts, snow-capped peaks, dank swamps and sandy beaches. Yet, the reasons Americans love wilderness are even more diverse than the areas themselves.”
“As a permanent home for spontaneous art, Doodlers Anonymous is a modern art blog featuring a vast archive of creative inspiration, hand-drawn interviews by contemporary artists, doodle challenges and prompts, giveaways, and a catalog of art-based goods.”
StarDate offers a constellation guide, moon phase calculator, sunrise and sunset calculator, meteor shower schedule, lunar and solar eclipse schedule, when to view planets, a primer on the solar system and much more. A good resource.
Kanopy partners “with public libraries and universities to bring you ad-free films and series that can be enjoyed on your TV, mobile phone, tablet and online.” My library began offering it for free last month and I have really been enjoying it. If your local library does not offer it yet put in a request.
In early August there suddenly appeared en masse thousands upon thousands of painted lady butterflies flitting and flying about, so many that at first it seemed like a plague had hit us. Those not being smashed in traffic on the highways were lighting on crops, trees, weeds, bushes, our driveway and lawn. For several days hundreds of them would scatter away in front of us wherever we walked on the acreage. Now, less than two weeks later, they are mostly gone. Some research revealed they are found all over the world and migrate south to north in the spring then make the trip back in the fall. But since their lifespan is only two to four weeks none of the original travelers return, as it takes multiple generations to make the round trip. The butterflies reproduce along the way and each succeeding generation continues the journey, one that is ingrained, absolute and unwavering. They do what must be done to continue the species, completing their part of the migration cycle before dying. I wonder if we will be seeing caterpillars soon.
I have had the habit of reading multiple books at the same time since childhood. The advantage of this practice is I can widely vary my chosen topics. The downside is it takes much longer to actually finish a book. If one turns out to be more interesting than the others I will usually spend more time reading it, but my ritual is so ingrained that I must give all the others in the stack at least a few pages worth of attention during the same session. I seem to have a better recall of the books I spend longer periods of time reading but I don’t know if that is because of the increased interest or the duration of attention. Maybe it is both. Anyhow, I enjoy making lists and reading those of others, so here is a snapshot of my current summer reading.
These Were The Sioux by Mari Sandoz. This little book tells of the customs and lifestyle of the Sioux, including personal observations by the author.
The Grass Harp and A Tree of Night by Truman Capote. I read In Cold Blood years ago and decided to try out this compilation. Not bad so far.
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. This is his original edition; he revised this book several times. I have tried off and on for years to make it all the way through this. I seem to like the idea of Whitman and his life more than his writing.
Living On An Acre (U.S.D.A.) edited by Christine Woodside. From deciding if rural living would be right for you, to how to do it if it is.
On Killing, The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. This is one in my collection I have avoided reading for years, the subject seeming rather dark and gloomy. Learning that most soldiers would rather do anything but kill during combat is a revelation, contradicting what is usually portrayed by the entertainment industry.
The Year’s Best Science Fiction edited by Gardner Dozois. Published in 1989 gathering the best from 1988. I started this last winter and am finally on the last story. A superb anthology.
American Heritage, October 1964. I have a small stack of these I have been going through. One interesting aspect of these slim volumes is reading the life stories and accomplishments of so many people who are now almost completely forgotten.
“What constituents a life well spent? Love and admiration from your fellow men is all anyone can ask.”
Will Rogers
I remember John
Almost as a dream
After all the years past
His lightness of being
Now a low fog
That drifts close to my shore
Whispering
What if
What if
2008 By David Jacobi
The first new Neil Young album I purchased was Rust Never Sleeps, acoustic on side one and electric on side two. It was love at first spin. That summer he immediately became one of my favorite musicians, and I began buying his previous albums. The way he could alternate between a tender acoustic ballad and a scorching electric rocker was amazing to my teenage ears. Soon I was spending hours listening to After The Gold Rush, Harvest, On The Beach, the harrowing, dark Tonight’s The Night, and Zuma, to name my favorites. I bought all of the other earlier albums, too, sometimes two or three at a time. I felt like I had discovered a gold mine of great music that wouldn’t end. And then came Re-ac-tor, his 1981 release. A Synclavier? Jokey choruses, stammering singing and silly lyrics? What was going on here? Maybe this was just something he had to get out of his system. The next one will find him back in fine form, I thought, until Trans came out in 1982. Again, some of it was okay, but he went crazy with a vocoder, like a kid with a new toy. One album review I remember from the time likened his vocals to a singing microwave. When you have Crazy Horse as a backing band and put out something like this, well, what is there to say? Next up was Everybody’s Rockin’, a rockabilly album, and that was followed by a country album. None of them to me were bad, just not what I was expecting after the joy of listening to his backlog. I can’t help but applaud when an artist trys a new direction, but that doesn’t mean fans will follow. As the years went by I kept my eye on what he was up to, and I still buy the occasional album. I consider myself a fan, but not like that teenager who first discovered him years ago.
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Off The Back Porch 