Throw your dreams into space like a kite and you do not know what it will bring back a new life a new friend a new love a new country. (anais nin)
Thanks for sharing your beautiful selves with me and the world!
Monthly Archives: June 2014
A Poem with a Taste Challenge
Okay my friends…I was inspired by a poem I read yesterday that involved the tastes of a place. And food brings about joyous memories with friends and families and those special people we love. So, here’s my challenge:
Write a poem about the tastes of YOUR place…and then maybe include one of your favorite recipes…it can be from that place your wrote about, or one of your favorite recipes…I think it would be really cool to gather recipes of places from around the world….Then I can wake up and say things like, I’d like to travel to Austrailia today or Georgia, and pull a recipe out and be reminded of you! Besides, my recipe box needs new tastes! ENJOY!
JUST LEAVE YOUR LINK IN YOUR COMMENTS SO WE CAN FIND YOU AND PING BACK HERE. WE WON’T MAKE ONE LONG POEM ON THIS…IT WILL JUST BE LIKE A COOKBOOK AROUND THE WORLD.
Though I live in Idaho now…my strongest memories of taste are from Texas…
So, here’s my poem:
Random thoughts on the Flavors of Texas
I’ll tell you a
half dozen things about
the flavors of Texas.
The best bar-b-que ribs
and brisket you
ever did taste
because it’s grilled
in a brick fire pit
with Mesquite wood
and a homemade with a
vinegar/beer concoction.
Even Bill Miller’s
on a Texas corner can make
it almost like that.
Unlike Boise’s Dickey’s,
whose food tastes
cold and processed…
The sauce isn’t too bad though.
And Ahhhh…
the Mexican food
so close to the border
has its advantages.
Those Mexican mamas making masa.
Enchiladas made from real corn tortillas,
with joy from hands which love
to dish deliciousness and
make your tongue tingle with taste.
Now that’s Texas
–a true taste corner.
And did I tell you
about Big Red,
bubble gum soda,
the flavor of childhood
and firemen’s picnics…
and Blue Bonnet icecream…
You can’t buy that here in Idaho,
a state
so lackluster in flavor.
Is it because the
borders are so far way?
or is it because I miss
The taste of home…
Even Idaho potatoes
tasted better in Texas
grilled with my daddy’s hand
for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Is it because my daddy
is a good cook?
Or do the potatoes
gain flavor
being trucked
all that distance?
I’m not dissing
on Idaho.
Perhaps, I’m just missing
the Flavors of Texas
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm……….
HERE’s A LINK to KING RANCH CHICKEN so you can have your own taste of Texas.
King Ranch Chicken
This recipe goes with a great TASTES OF HOME CHALLENGE – You can either
share your favorite HOME recipe or write about your Tastes of Home.
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 T butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or ground
½ tsp of cumin
This is a mixture of two of my favorite recipes. It’s a family favorite!
(if I make it for the kids, I leave out the bell peppers.)
Filling:
1 T butter
1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
Optional: ½ medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped &
6 oz mushrooms (first time didn’t use green peppers or mushrooms…..).
-
10 ¾ oz of Cream of Mushroom Soup
-
10 ¾ oz of Cream of Chicken Soup
-
10 oz can of diced tomatoes
-
Small can of green chilies diced
½ cup chicken broth
1 C of sour cream
Tortillas:
Olive oil for frying
8 corn tortillas
Chicken and other Layers:
3 C diced cooked chicken
2 C medium cheddar cheese shredded (tastes good with sharp too) (try other cheeses!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 ◦. Coat 11 by 7 by 2” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Sauce: Melt butter in medium heavy skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic, red pepper and cumin. Stir fry 1 minute. Option 1: you can blend flour, add broth and milk, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth (3 minutes). Stir in sour cream, salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside. Or Option #2: Stir together, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, sour cream. Set aside.
Filling: melt butter in large heavy skillet, over moderate heat. Add onion, green pepper, green chilies, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Stir often, until vegetables soften and flavors meld – 10 to 15 minutes.
Tortillas: Pour oil to depth of ½ inch in small heavy skillet. Set over moderate heat. When ready, dip tortillas, one by one until just long enough to soften. Drain on paper towels.
To layer: arrange half of tortillas in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then, build up the layers: ½ the chicken and 1/2 sauce and ½ the cheese. Then, another layer of tortillas, the other ½ of the chicken and remaining sauce and cheese.
Optional: you can add black olives
Let’s Camp at NaNoWriMo!
Usually November is National Novel Writing Month, wherein the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel. However, the goals for the Camp for July are more loose goals and you can set your own word count towards any genre of writing, fiction, nonfiction memoir, poetry, even blogging. Another thing that is awesome about this kind of camp is that you have cabin mates which gives me incentive to meet my goal and adds an element of accountability. Won’t it be fun to watch the word count rise?
We start on Tuesday, July 1st!
Who’s game? Who wants to write, write, write?
Pick me!
Let me know if you’d like to join our cabin. We still have room for about six or seven more cabin mates.
Happy writing!
“My Soul is Summoned”
My Soul is Summoned
My soul is summoned,
on barren lands,
in the middle of nowhere,
alone, it stands,
free.
My Soul Summons me to Peaceful surrounds, to Light without sounds, to Love
without Boundaries.
My soul is summoned to answer calls
Reverberating through subtle halls
Where mankind has dwelt for far too long
Deciding what is right and wrong.
Step outside, there is no quiz
Eternity just simply is.
My soul is summoned on wings to fly
High above an earthly sky
To take flight to a new world
A place with love, peace and flags unfurled
What will be there when you arrive?
Not for you to know, only to thrive.
Trust yourself and be off to explore
It is for you to love and nothing more.
My soul summon me through fire rise
cast ash greyed mystery disguised
walk no need to hide the eyes
what calls to see but cross the water
these pawmarks, mine,
and most of all, for this to know
that I am she, am this, forever soul
CONTRIBUTORS: Me, Forgotten Meadows, Booknvolume, Rob McShane, Phoenix Tears Healed
Heart Bandaids
I wish there were such a thing as
Heart Bandaids
to give you riend
one that uses the salve
of your tears
to soothe your brokenness
My silence stuns me
My words fall short
There are no words
to heal a wound so deep as a loss
Is there a special sewing kit
to stich and lace your
fond memories to your soul
so the healing
would hasten?
For now, my dear one
May time rebuild and restore
light and joy
in the beautiful you.
Silent walk
We miss you and your sweet words.
Where have you gone
My sweetest friend
Are you walking those boards
Pondering
Alone?
Do you whisper to ghosts
That haunt you in night
When the wind blows
Rattling the windows
With a chill
So very cold.
Will you come back again
To play in the light
Where we wait for a sign
That all is well
Will you remember our names
Our secrets
Or words
And will you reach out once more
To those left wondering
The absence of a soul
A friend,
Come
Please
Let’s begin again
Your words fade
And I am afraid
To never see
The whisper of a kindred spirit
Walking these boards
Of the mind.
Last Day for Poetry Collaboration – My Soul Is Summoned
Poetry Collaboration – Today is the day! “My Soul is Summoned”
You have until midnight. I do hope you will join us. This poem is turning out AWESOME!
I really want to know WHAT HAS YOUR SOUL SUMMONED you to do?
Ways you can Participate:
* Contribute a stanza and post it to your blog and link it back to the original post. HERE.
* Contribute JUST A LINE OR A PHRASE YOU LIKE
* Tell one of your poet friends!
I devour your delightful words….
HERE’S The ORIGINAL POST TO COMMENT ON.
p.s. you get your own color!
Happy Thursday – ROMANTIC DIALOGUE
I was challenged to try on some dialogue with a love topic. My own love story gave me the emotional impetus to write and weave the story. It was fun! I challenge you to try it.
It was Happy Thursday, my favorite day of the week. I jolted to the door in anticipation. There was a sign on the door, “Enter my queen.” What surprise awaited me today? It was Joe’s turn to do the date surprise, a ritual we had been doing for months, the first man to surprise me in return. The invitation got me nervous with wonder and excitement. I opened the door carefully, almost like a peek, as if opening the door full on would be so overwhelming that I would blow out of my skin. Nothing in the living room as I entered. Nothing in the kitchen on the counter. But looking down, there was a pathway which trailed into the master bedroom. There, on the bed, was the most beautiful full length, ornate, Shakesperian era dress. The note beside it instructed me to put it on and await his arrival. I get to be a QUEEN!, I thought. It was every girl’s dream. As a child, dress up was one of my favorite things to do. Note to self: Points to you Joe for hitting that dream spot on.
I slowly drew the dress on so as to savor every moment and not to tarnish this exquisite garment in any way. I awaited expectantly for my love’s arrival.
A sound of a truck door shutting. My King had arrived. When the front door opened, my ears perked to listen for clues to tonight’s events. Some rustling, and then soon, a shout toward me, “Good evening my Queen.” (that was me!) “You may come into the parlor,” he said. I tried to move with as much grace as I could find…a dress like this called for beauty and style.
I entered “the parlor” and there was my King, elaborately dressed in a rich costume to match perfectly with mine, complete with nice brown tights. Another note to self: My man was wearing tights. And oh, was he handsome as ever. Look, his eyes are twinkling!
“Are you ready?” he inquired.
“I think so,” I said with a pause and a small twitch of the jitters and eagerness at the same time.
“You’ll have to wear this blindfold.” He directed me.
What is he up to? I wondered.
Before I put on the blindfold, I looked up and saw Joe’s sister, Karren dressed in a chauffeur’s outfit.
“Hello! “ I said to Karren, and she smiled and waved back, “Hello.” She opened the back seat car door and helped me get all of me in the car without damaging the beautiful merchandise. Joe sat up front with Karren. The two of them chatted back and forth, and I just listened, my senses heightened because of the blindfold. Secretly I was trying to figure out where we were going by tracing the turns like a map in my mind and listening for more clues. I also paid attention to smells and bumps that might give me clues. Train sounds, railroad ties, kids playing, slowing down, a double BUMP! I KNEW where we were!
On our first surprise, I had taken Joe to my friend Rosemary’s house, a beautiful place that overlooked the Kathryn Albertson’s Park, complete with a creek that ran through the yard and a bridge that led to a stunning tea house. He was going to recreate our date! I held my excitement inside so as not to divulge that I at least knew part of the secret…I felt like a kid inside!
My car door opened. “We have arrived my Queen. May I take your hand and assist you out?” Joe asked. I answered, “You most certainly may.” Then, turning to Karren, “Thank you kind chauffeur for the ride.” “You are welcome,” Karren replied.
Joe walked me to the courtyard of my friend’s house and removed the blindfold. It was set up beautifully with the lights on and the rushing of the stream and the sounds of the bugs and birds. Perfect was all I could think of.
“Remember this?” the King asked.
“Yes, very well. Thank you.” I sheepishly replied.
“Tonight we are recreating the magic of our first surprise,” Joe said.
“I was hoping so,” still containing some of my delight.
Joe walked me across the bridge, and we began recreating our magical night, from the story of The Table Where the Rich People Sit, to listening to Yanni, to eating a nice dinner that he had prepared. We laughed together and cried sweet cries of joy together and we relished every moment.
It was time to go, but I didn’t want to go. I wanted to linger here.
Joe took my hand again and began walking me across the bridge. Halfway he suddenly dropped to one knee.
“What?” I thought. “What is happening? He’s on one knee! Is this really happening? Shouldn’t I have had a clue? No, because we dress up like this all the time. It’s what we do. It’s the marvel and fun in our relationship. Was I ready for this? Is HE ready for this? Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that he was saying that he wasn’t quite ready for next steps? What is going on? – All these thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant, trying to make sense of this new moment, so very different from the previous moments and definitely different than other moments we experienced.
Joe started, “This place is one of my fondest memories that is why I recreated it. In walking back across this bridge, I want us to enter a new phase of our lives.” He began fumbling and reaching IN HIS TIGHTS! He struggled and scrambled, searching for something. Alas, he found the prize, a ring box!
“A ring box? This is definitely something different. Again, am I ready for this?
Is he ready for this?” –
Joe continued. “Marie, will you marry me? I will honor you and cherish you and it would make me very happy to have you by my side.” Pause. Long pause. I was sorting through my thoughts for the correct response, when my heart leaped and answered for me, “YES!!!! I will marry you.”
Joe grabbed me and swung me in circles. We were both filled with so much joy. We couldn’t contain it all. Sparks emanated from every fiber of our being. Our world was on fire. Nothing could stop the magic that was happening now. Absolutely nothing.
We walked inside to chat with Rosemary and to thank her once again for allowing us to use her sacred place. She was grinning ear to ear. Her response to our joyous faces, “Never did I think you would find someone who would match your quirkiness so well. Joe is perfect for you in every way.”
“I know!,” I exploded.
And then I turned to Caris, Joe’s daughter, who was also in the room. She was happy too and hugged us and congratulated us.
How could I possibly hold on to all of this memory? I want it to last a lifetime. I stood there in that spot consciously visualizing each and every detail and holding it dear to my heart. This day would go for eternity. I just know it.
YOUR TURN: FEEL FREE TO TRY ON SOME ROMANTIC DIALOGUE OF YOUR OWN AND POST IT HERE!
Wordless Wednesday
Beauty found this week.
Writing Wings For You 