“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” ~~Albert Camus, French Author, Journalist, and Philosopher
The things I think and write today in blog posts, I will keep. And when I'm old and read them. . .will I laugh or will I weep?
Saturday, February 21, 2015
WINTER: Albert Camus, French Author, Journalist and Philosopher
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” ~~Albert Camus, French Author, Journalist, and Philosopher
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Beyond the Sea - by Thomas Love Peacock
Beyond the Sea
Beyond the sea, beyond the sea,
My heart is gone, far, far from me;
And ever on its track will flee
My thoughts, my dreams, beyond the sea.
Beyond the sea, beyond the sea,
The swallow wanders fast and free:
Oh, happy bird! were I like thee,
I, too, would fly beyond the sea.
Beyond the sea, beyond the sea,
Are kindly hearts and social glee:
But here for me they may not be;
My heart is gone beyond the sea.
My heart is gone, far, far from me;
And ever on its track will flee
My thoughts, my dreams, beyond the sea.
Beyond the sea, beyond the sea,
The swallow wanders fast and free:
Oh, happy bird! were I like thee,
I, too, would fly beyond the sea.
Beyond the sea, beyond the sea,
Are kindly hearts and social glee:
But here for me they may not be;
My heart is gone beyond the sea.
--Thomas Love Peacock
Peacock's Biography
Thomas Love Peacock was born in1785, in Dorset, at Weymouth. He was the son of a glass merchant, who died three years after he was born. He was raised at his grandfather's house in Chertsey, by his mother. Despite the fact that his formal schooling ended before his teens (he never attended a university), it is important to note that he read widely in five languages throughout his lifetime.
When he could no longer support himself without working, he took a job in 1819 with the East India Company. The next year, he married Jane Gryffydh, daughter to a Welsh rector. Peacock's daughter later married George Meredith, also a literary man.
Peacock mixed with many of his contemporary Romantic poets. He often openly criticized them, but this never gave him much trouble. His best known work is his satirical prose. His novels consist chiefly of witty conversation with sparse action. The characters were often burlesque, but subtle imitations of famous men of his day.
In 1866, the hardheaded, tongue-in-cheeked Peacock died in his library at Halliford-on-Thames, after refusing to leave his precious books to burn.
NOTE: This biography is based on the
copyrighted Wikipedia Thomas Love Peacock; it is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with
the terms of the CC-BY-SA.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
BON APPETITE - A WEEKEND TREAT: Sloppy Joes
I'm sitting here watching the Atlantic Ocean and thinking about what is the easier meal to make for dinner. My favorite has always been one given to me by my husband's sister: Sloppy Joes from a recipe my husband liked at Clearfield High School. So here is the ocean for your enjoyment as well as the recipe.
SLOPPY JOES
1 lb hamburger
1 chopped onion
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 can tomato juice (5/1/2 small)
1 can tomato soup
1 cup katsup
½- 1 TBSP sugar
1 c.water
¾ c. flour
-blend like thickening for gravy
Brown first four
ingredients.
Add next four
ingredients, then
Thicken with flour
and water.
Mixture will be
thick.
Simmer for half-hour.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
COPING WITH UNPLEASANT CRITIQUES
BELIEVE
IN THE BEAUTY OF YOUR DREAMS
Eleanor
Roosevelt said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their
dreams.” If I were to give one piece of advice to a budding writer, it would be
to pursue your dreams, but be careful and wary of the critics.
Every
writer in their career has experienced a bad review whether it has been on Goodreads,
Amazon, Barnes and Noble or on another book seller site. We live in a world
where everyone who reads—be it a recipe, novel, back of a cereal box, or the
newspaper—believes he or she has the skills and expertise to critically review
a piece of written work. These individuals may never have written any fiction
or nonfiction in their life. They may never have written a simple letter or
read a classic author or an instructional book on writing. But in a world where
dissension seems to overshadow the need for harmony and goodwill, you will
encounter unpleasant folks who are eager to offer callous comments and
opinions.
When
I submitted my first novel, I received a letter from an agent telling me everything that was wrong with my
manuscript. This person will never get stars for being positive, helpful, or
polite. Needless to say, I was discouraged--since all my life I’ve been a
writer and have written for radio, television, education and industry. So what
did I do with the manuscript? I shoved it in a drawer to collect dust.
For
ten years, I refused to return to novel writing, but instead continued to write
short stories, many of which won awards and were published for decent money.
Finally, one day, I asked myself: If I can write well enough to write short
stories, why was I so horrendous with longer pieces? Or was I? I decided to buy
some books on fiction writing and start a new novel. This time, I discounted
all the negativity and decided to believe
in the beauty of my dreams. Since then, I have four books published in
historical and contemporary genres; and I’m working on my fifth.
Along
the way, in this often tiring and tedious process, I learned rejection and
constructive critique are part of the whole writing process. I learned to
receive helpful comments without allowing them to destroy my ego. I discovered I
can wallow in a gloomy mood and gobble down a chocolate candy bar when
criticism strikes, but only for a brief moment. Then it’s time to move on and
use or discard the advice. I also learned a writer should always, always, get
more than one opinion of his/her work before deciding to trash it.
Remember
to be wary. All criticism might not be noble or valuable. It may merely be from
a disgruntled person who selected the wrong book. Maybe the buyer didn’t
understand the genre or couldn’t identify with the storyline, characters, or
plot. . .or maybe he/she might simply be a self-proclaimed critic who reads a
lot of cereal boxes.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Bon Appetite - A Weekend Treat: SWEDISH ALMOND LACE COOKIES
Below is my very favorite cookies I learned to make in Sweden when I
was an exchange students. It is a delicate, crispy but crunchy cookie that is
worth the time to make. Many people prefer not to roll the cookies over
a round object, but leave them to cool flat.
ALMOND LACE COOKIES
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour4
2 tablespoons milk
confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour large cookie sheet. Into
a large skillet, measure all ingredients except confectioners’ sugar. Cook over
low heat, stirring, until butter is melted and mixture is blended. Keeping mixture
warm over very low heat, drop 4 heaping teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto
cookie sheet. Bake 5 minutes or until golden.
Remove cookie sheet from oven and, with pancake turner, quickly remove
cookies, one by one, and roll around handle of a wooden spoon, or drape over a
rolling pin. (If cookies get too hard to roll, reheat in oven a minute to
soften.) Cool. Repeat until all batter is used, greasing and flouring cookie
sheet each time.
Lightly dust cookies with confectioners’ sugar. Makes about 2 1/2/
dozen cookies.
NOTE: Mixture will be hard to handle on humid days.
Monday, December 22, 2014
A POLISH CHRISTMAS EVE: Wigilia - The Vigil
A POLISH CHRISTMAS EVE: Wigilia –
The Vigil
For people of Polish ancestry, Christmas Eve is a special night. It is
a night of magic when animals are said to talk and people have the power to
predict the future. It’s a time for families to gather and reconcile any
differences, and to remember loved ones who have gone before them. It’s call
Wigilia (vee-GELL-yah) which means, “vigil,” or waiting for the birth of Baby
Jesus.
As dusk approaches, the mother of the family places a lighted candle in
the window to welcome the Christ Child. Straw or hay, a reminder of Christ’s birth
in a stable, is placed under a white linen tablecloth, which symbolizes Mary’s
veil which became the Babe’s swaddling cloth. The eldest woman of the house
places the blessed Communion-like wafers called oplatki (Oh-PWAHT-kee) on a
fine china or silver plate. In modern times, straw and evergreens are assembled
on a serving platter and covered with a white napkin. The oplatki is then
placed on the napkin.
An extra place is set of any weary stranger who happens to pass by, in
the same way Joseph wandered from home to home looking for a place for Mary to
give birth, and in memory of those who are departed. (The extra place is also
set in hopes that Christ will dine with the family.)
After sunset, the youngest child is sent to watch for the first star.
This is why the wigilia dinner is also known as the Star Supper. Only then are
the candles on the table lit and the dinner begun. But not a morsel is eaten
before the “breaking of the oplatki.”
The eldest family member takes the wafer, breaks it and shares it with
the next eldest with wishes for good health and prosperity, and a kiss on each
cheek. Each person then exchanges oplatki with everyone else at the table. It
can be a very emotional time as grudges are forgotten and deceased family
members are remembered.
Instead of sending Christmas cards to friends and family not present,
Poles send oplatki, first tearing off a small corner to show that the donor has
broken it with them as a token of affection. (In America, Polish families often
enclose oplatki in their Christmas cards.)
In some regions of Poland, at the end of the supper, Father Christmas,
known as The Starman (very often the parish priest in disguise), accompanied by
singing Starboys, pays a visit. He brings rewards to good children from
Starland, and scolds the naughty ones, who eventually get their reward, too.
Typical food dishes on Christmas Eve include borscht, mushroom dishes,
herring, white fish, meatless cabbage rolls, gingerbread cookies, pierogis,
poppy seed rolls, spice cake, fruit, chocolates, tangerines, and cognac,
liquers, and vodka made into a variety of drinks.
[Information taken from “About Food – Polish Christmas Recipes and
Traditions” - by Barbara Rolek, Eastern European Food Expert.]
Saturday, December 20, 2014
CHRISTMAS AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Barbara Bettis
THE HEART OF PHOENIX - by Barbara Bettis
GENRE: Romance/Historical (Medieval)
LENGTH OF BOOK: 287 pages
LENGTH OF BOOK: 287 pages
BLURB:
Some call him a
ruthless mercenary; she calls him the knight of her heart.
Memories - Lady Evelynn’s childhood hero is home—bitter, hard, tempting
as sin. And haunted by secrets. A now-grown Evie offers friendship, but Sir
Stephen's cruel rejection crushes her, and she resolves to forget him. Yet when
an unexpected war throws them together, she finds love isn’t so easy to
dismiss. If only the king hadn’t betrothed her to another.
Can be cruel - Sir Stephen lives a double life while he seeks the
treacherous outlaws who murdered his friends. Driven by revenge, he thinks his
heart is closed to love. His childhood shadow, Lady Evie, unexpectedly challenges
that belief. He rebuffs her, but he can’t forget her, although he knows she’s
to wed the king’s favorite.
And deadly - When his drive for vengeance leads to Evie’s
kidnapping, Stephen must choose between retribution and the love he’s denied
too long. Surely King John will see reason.Convict the murderers; convince the
king. Simple. Until a startling revelation threatens everything
LINKS:
AMAZON:
http://amzn.to/1vSZgLF
BARNES
AND NOBLE: http://bit.ly/1twpN3o
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