Month: February 2026

First up is the emu from my dining table that I talked about last week.

Now for the Healing Soup I talked about. recipe as follows:

One chopped onion and three chopped garlic cloves sauteed in a couple tablespoons oil in large pot.

Then add six cups chicken broth, one cut up bunch of asparagus and one large bunch of broccoli cut in pieces (you can use stalks if you peel them first).

Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 20 minutes until veggies are soft.

Drop in two to three handfuls fresh baby spinach and stir til just cooked.

Add salt, pepper and pinch of cayenne to taste.

Use a stick blender to pulverize til smooth. This soup is really delicious and the combination of greens are hard to distinguish one from the other.

I also made a quiche with bits left over in the fridge.

And this morning I used my new waffle iron to cook two slices of seedy bread soaked in egg and milk. I had to pierce with a fork several times to get most of the liquid absorbed. Buttered my waffle iron, placed the bread slices to fit each side and cooked til golden. Then topped with butter, sour cream, and golden syrup.

Delicious!

It is a bit after two here in the states. I am supposed to be designing the cover for the new book, so will pour a white wine and get started.

So far today I was on the family call this morning and told the kids that if I need what I will call a stop-over place to pass away, I have found a nice place not too far from here. I assured them that I would not be coming north but staying where my last view will be of the mountains of western North Carolina. I told them I wanted to know that I had a place to go between here and the funeral home (where they are not necessarily waiting but know they are the last ticket purchased). I am in no hurry and have no cause to think the time is very near. But when one lives in an elderly (somewhat) community, one is much more aware of the order of things.

And with that in mind, I share one of my favorite poems from the new book….

Her Last Breath

When she drew her last breath,

   it came with the smell

   of strawberries.

She closed her lips and smiled

   as she savored

   the last one.

Okay, wine is at hand. Earlier I finished my exercises for balance and strengthening. Also treated myself to new clothes from favorite online shops and found myself enjoying the company of neighbors at the homeowners association meeting yesterday. My social skills have been taxed lately. But I am getting better. Which reminds me, did you know that there is a difference between “nice” and “kind”?

Look up kind vs nice and see the difference. My family and I agree that I am NOT nice but definitely kind. But I may have to work on being nice if I want to get my foot in the door of the nursing home that will be my stop before the funeral home. I will likely start with complimenting their choice of wallpaper and see how far that gets me.

Til next week, where my kindness just got me an invitation to a party!

 

This has been a weekend to stay indoors! The sun is out but doing little to melt the snow. It is still very cold out there. This morning I took this picture of rabbit tracks going up to check out one of my yard rabbits…or maybe he decided to take a walk and just got back in place before I noticed.

Anyway, it was lovely to watch the transformation out back.

I am getting the manuscript ready for the book. It is about 140 pages. Struggling with laying out the cover but will get it sorted. I think on the back cover with all that blank space where quotes of high praise are shoved in to help market the book, I will give suggestions on how the book should be read. Mainly, it should be read aloud. Not to those who drop off with the mention of, “Once upon a time…”, but good listeners. Like bartenders on a slow day (they are used to listening) and must have withdrawal when no one is telling their story. Or those missing the sound of someone’s voice and have used up their friends spare time to talk. Or read a poem at the book club that wanted, and worse, expected, you to read the book that was a drudge to even start. Tell them it is an option to come in with a poem instead of getting in line to praise Eat, Pray, Love, or some knockoff of a writer’s character…you know the ones that could be titled, Ahab’s Ugly Sister Finds Love on the Docks. Let’s keep Melville and others like him turning in their graves.

Sorry about that…just a small rant on authors who use established characters from literature because they just can’t create their own. And readers are dying to know all about Ahab’s sister falling in love…good grief!

Because it is still so cold, I am going to make some Healing Soup. It is a chopped onion softened with garlic in oil. Salt and pepper with red pepper flakes to taste, then a chopped bundle of asparagus, bunch of broccoli cut up, and a couple cups of fresh spinach cooked in six cups of chicken broth. When all cooked, pulverize with a hand mixer til smooth and serve in a mug. If you don’ like the taste of “green” then make another soup.

Sadie is staying by the window and waiting for the sun to hit her back.

Last week’s sunny starts and ends to the day.

I might be spending too much time unoccupied between dinner and bed time. I am seeing things in the table…like this seal peeking out. There is also an emu, but I will save him for another time.

I need to get back to laying out the cover for the book…

Til later…