She’s Got The Knack May 31, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Humor, People, Writing & Writers.comments closed
Cindy’s posts on The Only Cin are magical, mystical, and marvelous . . . they always seem as if she wrote them just for me.
She didn’t.
The comments she receives from other faithful fans make it clear that we all feel the same affinity with her carefully crafted words.
Cindy’s post, The House At Morgan Bay, reminded me of a book I haven’t thought about in years: Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle.
Curious, I searched and found it still available on Amazon.com ~ rather amazing for a book of just over 100 poems first published in 1967!
An excerpt, “How to Eat a Poem” by Eve Merriam, may be tantalizing enough to cause you to search out the volume for your own library:
Don’t be polite
Bite in.
Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that may run down your chin.
It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.
In an entirely different way, Cindy’s post, Theft, resonated ~ making me wonder (not for the first time) why we feel embarrassed when others borrow books, CD’s, clothes, or money from us . . . and, then, promptly and conveniently “forget” to return the borrowed items to their rightful owner.
Once, during a party, a casual acquaintance wandered over and started to admire our CD collection by pulling CD’s off the shelf at a rapid rate.
Turning to me, he asked, in all seriousness, if he could borrow 30-40 CD’s (in one fell swoop) to take home and record.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Knowing how likely it was that we would never see the borrowed CD’s again ~ no matter how often we managed to scrounge up enough “courage” to politely ask when they would be returned ~ I responded:
Sure. You may borrow them one at a time. As soon as you return one, you may make your next selection.
He never asked again.
Maybe I embarrassed him.
Although we’ve never met, and live half a world away, I’m convinced that Cindy and I share the same muse . . .
Fortunately, Cindy puts her to better use than I do.
Insipid Tomatoes? Make Bruschetta! May 31, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Vegetarian Recipes.comments closed
Summertime harvests fill our kitchens with fresh green beans, corn on the cob, and vine ripened tomatoes bursting with juicy, fragrant deliciousness.
Tomatoes so good that they can stand alone, with no doctoring what-so-ever!
Tomatoes good enough to eat . . . as is . . . fresh from the vine.
Sadly, not all tomatoes reach that state of culinary perfection.
Tomatoes harvested before they are ready to fall off the vines into our waiting mouths taste more like chemically ripened cardboard than actual tomatoes.
All too often, the tomatoes we bring home look good enough to eat . . . but taste flat, uninspired, and insipid.
Here’s my 911 for insipid tomatoes . . . make a topping for Bruschetta!
Chop the sorry excuse for tomatoes into a small dice ~ any kind of tomato will work, including plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes.
In a large bowl, combine the diced tomatoes with:
* a peeled and seeded cucumber, diced
* some diced celery
* a cubanelle pepper, chopped fine
Add 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, a couple sprinkles of crushed red pepper flakes, a sprinkle of seasoned salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.
Stir to combine. After chilling, adjust seasonings to taste ~ adding more garlic, basil, red pepper, salt, and/or black pepper.
Serve with Bruschetta (toasted or grilled rounds of Italian bread, brushed with a bit of olive oil).
Other vehicles to get your doctored up tomatoes into your waiting mouth: crackers, Melba toast, tortilla chips, or fritos.
Enjoy!
And, next summer, remember to GYOT ~ Grow Your Own Tomatoes!
Related posts: Ten Ways to Fiber Up Your Diet * Yummy Hummus * A Trip To The Farmer’s Market * Tiny Green Thumbs Workshop * Join a C.S.A. * Health Benefits From Greening Your Life * No Impact Man: Gradual Change
The Memorial Day Parade May 31, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Travel & Leisure.comments closed
A parade of people, cars, and bikes
Moving at a snail’s pace
Floated single file down the wide avenue
Waving hands and excited gasps
Kept time to music filling the air
Convertibles with tops down
Made sudden stops and starts
Along the congested parade route
Dressed in the uniform of the day
Participants carrying munitions and supplies
Marched past parked cars on crowded shoulders
Baking in the sun, unified in purpose
The virtual army trudged forward
Juggling chairs, coolers and umbrellas
With grit and determination
A single file march to the sea
For Memorial Day at the beach
Related post: Everyone’s free (to wear sunscreen)
Spirit Lights The Way 