A little timeline cleanse right now seems appropriate. At the end of the day, there is only love.
Pull At My Heartstring
Reply
Category Archives: All Posts
Word of The Day: Takiwātanga (Along With a Whole Lot of Other Stuff)
Yom Kippur starts at sundown and now we are embroiled in a government closure because the repubs are all insane and will do anything to NOT release the Epstein files, apparently at any cost.
Did you see the debacle of the gathering of generals in Virginia who had to sit there and listen to the felon and his drunken lapdog? Good for them for not applauding and for looking stoic and aghast. Maybe there’s SOME hope for us. Maybe.
Lately, we’ve heard a lot of talk from the orange POS and his worm-brained head of Health and Human Services (what a joke) about acetaminophen causing autism. The brand Tylenol came out with a classy response.
When I was in the teaching program, one of my student teaching experiences was in a classroom where the students had some form of autism. This was an area that I planned to focus on as an educator. I never pursued it, but I learned that all children learn in different ways and it’s up to teachers and parents to respect the differences and help them achieve academically as well as being compassionate to these special little beings.
The Māori word for autism is Takiwātanga, which translates to “in their own time and space”. Created by Māori linguist and rangatira (chief) Keri Opai, this term was developed to describe the unique experience of individuals on the autism spectrum. It reflects the idea that autistic people have their own unique timing, pacing, and way of experiencing the world.
This sounds like the perfect time for another version of “A Song for You” by the Master of Space and Time, Leon Russell, of course. So mercurial, he added something special to every performance, in his own time and space.
Homemade Soft Pretzels: Vegan, Of Course…
It’s been such a reallyreally long time since I baked pretzels that I almost forgot how to shape them, but it all came back pretty quickly as soon as I started rolling.
Pretzels are so easy to make, it’s something everyone should try, especially now that it’s officially fall. I like them simply salted and plain or served with a vibrantly spicy mustard dipping sauce.
Easy Soft Pretzel Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 Tablespoon brown or white sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups warm water, not too hot
- 2 Tablespoons oil or melted vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 and 3/4–4 cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- coarse salt, for topping
Baking Soda Bath
(Some recipes use lye but I think that’s not healthy, so I never have tried it and wouldn’t recommend.)
In a large pot, add 1/2 cup baking soda to 9 cups water, stir, and bring to a boil.
Instructions
- Whisk the yeast and sugar into warm water.
- Cover and allow to sit for a few minutes.
- Whisk in the oil and/or vegan butter and salt.
- Add 3 cups of flour.
- Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attachment if using a stand mixer) until combined.
- Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is slightly tacky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it is still sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
- Knead the dough. Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 3 to 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3 to 5 minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Don’t add more flour than you need because you don’t want a dry dough.
- Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 to 30 minutes or longer.
- This is a good time to start the water + baking soda boiling.
- Preheat oven to 400° degrees.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If using parchment paper, coat with nonstick spray.
- With a sharp knife, cut dough into twelve equal balls.
- Roll the dough into a 20–22-inch rope.
- To shape a classic pretzel, roll dough into a long rope, form it into a U-shape with the ends pointing away, then cross the ends over each other twice and bring them down to the bottom of the U, pressing to seal.
- There are lots of great YouTube videos that explain in detail how to shape pretzels if you need help.
- When the baking soda water has come to a rolling boil, drop 1–2 pretzels in for 20–30 seconds. Any longer than that and your pretzels will have a GROSS metallic taste.
- Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels.
- If you want, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes or until dark golden brown.
I used my stand mixer to knead, placed in another bowl, let rise for about 30 minutes, and cut into 12 equal balls.
Roll to about 22 inches. This is the fun part.
Not perfectly shaped, but it doesn’t really matter as long as they taste good.
Drop into the boiling baking soda water for only 20-30 seconds. The water isn’t dark gray, not sure why the photo shows that color.
Bake 15 minutes or so depending on your stove.
They won’t win any awards for beauty but they were DELICIOUS.
Tip: Don’t forget to put the salt on before you bake or it won’t stick.
The End of Roses
She felt vaguely upset and unsettled.
She was suddenly tired
of outworn dreams.
And in the garden
the petals of the
last red rose
were scattered by
a sudden little wind.
Summer was over
— it was Autumn.
“She felt vaguely upset and unsettled. She was suddenly tired of outworn dreams.
And in the garden the petals of the last red rose were scattered by a sudden little wind. Summer was over — it was Autumn.” L.M. Montgomery
Rainbow Valley is the seventh book in the chronology of the Anne of Green Gables series of novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Photos by Enchanted Seashells.
Carlsbad Crime Report: Gunfight at In-N-Out
All of this happened about a mile from my house. Until fairly recently, violent crime was mostly unheard of in my little beachy town. Now, It’s like the wild wild west around here.
Last Friday, September 19, at approximately 9:53 p.m., Carlsbad police officers responded to reports of gunfire in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 2300 block of Rising Glen Way.
Upon arrival, officers located an unresponsive adult female with gunshot wounds. Despite lifesaving efforts, paramedics pronounced the female deceased at the scene.
The female’s vehicle was taken during the incident.
Using License Plate Reader technology, the vehicle was later located by the Newport Beach Police Department in Orange County. After a short pursuit with Newport Beach Police officers, the driver, identified as a person of interest, was involved in an officer-involved shooting.
The pursuit continued to the Interstate 5 Southbound, where the suspect exited at El Toro Road. After traveling through a business complex, the suspect’s vehicle exited at Regional Center and drove northbound on El Toro Road.
The suspect stopped his vehicle in the lanes of traffic, just south of Avenida De La Carlota, exited his vehicle and immediately began firing at the approaching police vehicles. Multiple officers returned gunfire.
The suspect continued east towards the In-N-Out at 24001 Avenida de La Carlota, continuing to fire at officers. Multiple police vehicles were struck with bullets. After being struck by gunfire, he fell to the ground in the restaurant’s parking lot and continued to fire at officers.
Once the shooting ended, officers approached the suspect and began to render medical attention. He was transported to Mission Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Later, Orange County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspect as Andre Anthony Matijasevic, 31, of Rancho Santa Margarita.
The victim of this terrible random act of violence was April Moore. She was a loving mother of two and a huge San Francisco 49ers fan. That fateful Friday night, April had just gotten home from a movie. She didn’t know this person who killed her; she was ambushed in her parking lot.
This is another senseless crime that leaves behind a grieving family. We’ll probably never know why Andre Anthony Matijasevic was in this apartment complex. Did he live there? Was he visiting someone? Did he have a car? If so, why did he steal April’s car? What were his motives? There are so many unanswered questions.
A GoFundMe account was established to help with her memorial and to help her children. https://gofund.me/3de7c821b
This Information was gathered from public reports by Carlsbad, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach police departments.
Time As a Construct
Lately, I’ve been thinking about T-I-M-E. Time flies. I hate to be late; I like to be ON TIME. Does time really exist at all or have we been brainwashed to think iit does?
Too much thinking about time as ephemeral makes me anxious. Too much thinking about anything does the same thing. My non-logical mind has determined that TIME itself isn’t the issue; THINKING about it IS and it makes my brain melt, just like Dali’s clocks.
“Time doesn’t exist, clocks exist. Time is just an agreed upon construct.”
— David Foster Wallace
“It takes just one unattended moment for an hour to pass.”
― Sherod Santos, Square Inch Hours: Poems
Santos was born in South Carolina, graduated from San Diego State University, and studied at the University of California, Irvine. I never met him when I attended SDSU, but I knew ABOUT him; all of us who studied creative writing and poetry knew about “Rod” Santos and W.S. Merwin and Glover Davis, who was actually my professor.
David Foster Wallace was an acclaimed American writer known for his fiction, nonfiction, and critical essays that explored the complexities of consciousness, irony, and the human condition. Wallace wrote the novel Infinite Jest.
“The Persistence of Memory” is an iconic 1931 surrealist oil painting by Salvador Dalí, famous for its “melting” clocks draped over a desolate, dream-like landscape inspired by his Catalonian home. The painting uses a paranoiac-critical method to explore the subconscious, with the distorted clocks symbolizing the fluidity and subjectivity of time, influenced by Freudian psychology and potentially Einstein’s theory of relativity. From Google.
Could Leon Russell’s version of As Time Goes By be the best ever? I think so…mature Leon was awesome, too.
Autumnal Equinox and Rosh Hashanah
Falling (get it?) on the same day is the autumnal equinox and the Jewish New Year.
Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the birthday of the universe, year 5786, and is the beginning of the High Holy Days.
Fall weather in SoCal usually brings our hottest Santa Ana winds and high temperatures, but yesterday was a drizzly, showery day and we were all so grateful for it because we hadn’t had any rain in months.
Today, the first day of autumn, is still a bit gloomy, but it’s heating up again. The leaves are turning yellow so we know change is on the way.
Mythically, the autumnal equinox relates to the story of Persephone and marks the moment the goddess descends into the underworld to rejoin her husband, Hades.
It’s a good day to write down what we want to release alongside what we want to attract. It’s all about balance.
Happy New Year and Happy Autumn!
L’shanah tovah! Remember to eat apples dipped in honey and hope for an end to war and long lasting peace.
Is It Ever Too Late To Make Amends?
Is it ever too late to say you’re sorry, to make amends, to repair the damage? That’s actually today’s theme but you have to keep reading to figure out where this is all going.
When I see these guys skateboarding together, it hits hard. It fills my heart with joy but it’s also bittersweet to realize that so much time has passed. Tick. Tock.
Being well-rounded and balanced is important, right?
When the original Angel Boy wanted a skateboard, I weighed the pros and cons (cos it could be dangerous) and decided that it was a way to balance his intense interest in books and school, not that academic success wasn’t critical for his future, but skateboarding helped him feel “cool” and more relatable with schoolmates. It was about the only time his head wasn’t buried in a book.
As far back as elementary school, his nickname had been “the professor”, which was actually, happily, prophetic, but he enjoyed skating so much that we worked hard to get a skatepark built in our city and also created an Explorer Post to be eligible for donations which eventually funded the members on a state-wide skatepark trip, which was EPIC.
There was a skate shop near school where the kids would hang out and that’s where they met some of the famous skaters from SoCal: Danny Way, Hawk (of course), Sal Masekela, and Muska. Angel Boy even named his kitty after Muska.
It was a really nice time to be a kid, before our stupid little town ruined it all by rampant overdevelopment.
Here he is, nicely executing a flip. I can’t count the probably thousands of times this move had been practiced and failed and practiced again until he was proficient. What my mom brain sees in this photo is that he’s not wearing ANY protective gear. It’s a miracle he only ended up with one concussion and a couple of broken bones. No one wore helmets or knee/arm/wrist guards back then. What were we thinking?
During high school, at the height of his interest in skating, we built a half-pipe in the backyard and our house was the cool place to be. I was kept busy supplying the kids with cookies and smoothies. #goodtimes #smothermother
Then there were many inevitable graduations and milestones; a doctorate and post-doc; an empty nest. The skate ramp was silent and began to deteriorate as it was never used nor maintained.
An executive decision was made to have it dismantled because it was in such poor, sad, unsafe shape.
At one point, when AB came home and saw it was gone, he was NOT at all happy. He felt that he hadn’t been included nor consulted in the conversation and not only was it a surprise, but I think it represented the end of a happy chapter in his life.
Actually, over the years I had explained to him a few times that he needed to help maintain it if he still wanted to use it, and like most things I said, he either didn’t listen (or ignored me), but in hindsight I agree that I could have been more sensitive. I guess I didn’t know how much it meant to him. It was an important rite of passage.
But I did something even worse…
I got rid of his skateboard! I didn’t do it with malice, honestly!
One day I was cleaning out the garage and thought it was never again going to be an activity he was interested in so I set it out near the street. I literally had no idea that he would ever want it for any reason; to ride or for the memories of all the fun he had skating OR to share with any future children…
But I was wrong…I was such a bad mom!
During a visit home, he asked for his skateboard because he wanted to show the kids some of his cool moves and when I told him I had put it out in the driveway and someone took it, he was SO ANGRY!
I fully understand that he felt betrayed and I felt horrible about it, especially since I’m known for never throwing anything away. Why that? I have no idea, but I did, I admit it.
I’ve been trying to make amends for the last twenty years. Yup, that was all about twenty years ago.
And now I’m offered the opportunity to make it right.
His clone, AB 2.0, is now obsessed with skateboarding!! He went to a skate camp this summer and got his very first real skateboard. Like all the sports he’s tried, he has some real talent, just like his dad. Watch out, Tony Hawk!
Is there anything more adorable than seeing a little guy all decked out in a helmet and safety gear, positioning himself to drop in? I think not.
In this case, it’s not too late to make amends because I was finally able to replace AB’s sk8board and that feels good.
I did it. I made amends. I bought the skateboard; I made the necessary reparations and repaired the bad mom damage.
Even better, I was able to watch those guys skate together which is such a mom/grandma moment. Heart is bursting with love!
(And hopefully, Dad WILL wear his helmet at all times, or I’ll hear about it when the kids call me to tattle on him.)
Sometimes it’s not too late. All is takes is the honest willingness to want to make things right, even two decades later.
Word of The Day: Quiddity
It’s been a while since I posted about interesting and often archaic words that contribute to a fuller, richer vocabulary. Even though it’s been less than a year since that orange POS somehow took power, this country has turned into a shitshow of one horrible event after another and that seems to eclipse any sense of normalcy.
Anyway…here’s one that’s quirky and will hopefully take our minds off this ugly reality for a minute or two.
Quiddity is such a great word: it’s the essence or unique nature that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other.
Vague and not vague at the same time — I can sort of comprehend it only if I don’t allow my brain to delve too deeply into the intricacies of the meaning because then it becomes overwhelming and my mind takes off onto strange and faraway little tributaries. Sometimes it’s best not to overthink things.
From Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “Where be his quiddities now…?
To me: “Her passion for Leon Russell’s music is as much a quiddity as her curly hair.”
More examples:
“Many people share the quiddity of dipping their fries into their milkshakes.” which is a waste of a good milkshake and a good french fry.
“For there is no knowledge of things insofar as they are external in effect, but insofar as their nature and quiddity is grasped by the mind.“
When a politician avoids answering a question while pretending to answer it, he often does it using quiddity, or by bringing up irrelevant and distracting points.
Quiddity is a usefully sneaky tool if you want to evade an argument or question, and it’s often used by people like lawyers in court and teenagers angling for later curfews.
The noun quiddity has a philosophical meaning too, “the essential nature of something,” or the unique thing that makes it what it is. The Medieval Latin root, quidditas, translates literally as “whatness.”
I think we all need to incorporate quiddity into our daily language, written and verbal, don’t you?
Featured image from Pinterest
I Am Feral
Today’s mood…
In my mind I am always the feral woman wearing a white nightdress with a mud-stained hem and twigs in my hair, running through a forest bathed in moonlight, screeching along with the owls and foxes.
Unknown, curated from She’s Magic & Midnight Lace
Image from Pinterest
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 