baking

A Semi-Candidate Statement about running, but not hard

I had worked out a doable plan to collect signatures to be on this year’s ballot, but then the weather defeated the idea. Being a victim of gun violence, the death of Melissa Hortman made me pull back to reassesses safety vulnerabilities for me and my family. I wasn’t far off from restarting my bid when this pointless war crippled my plans due to rising gas prices.

I do want to serve as representative to this weirdly drawn legislative district I grew up in and love. I would fight so hard for her and all the people. In my heart, I know I’d be effective and solve drainage problems among the others plaguing New York District 23rd. I will absolutely serve if I win by a miraculous write-in vote, but at this time I have decided to take a dedicated run off the table for now. I guess I support Gies…I guess.

That truly made me sad to type those two paragraphs.

Here it is, Wednesday, a whole day before the end of the month and if you’re wondering what exciting things I’ve been up to, it’s mostly been filing and putting things away. I even succeeded in getting two boxes of donations into my car AND a trash bag of broken, threadbare, and or unsuitable for donation items got tossed in the bin.

I cannot stress how downright delightful it is to walk into the mud room now, with all those things sorted and put away. It is still crowded and will be until we take out the firewood shelf in the other room and do another round of seasonal furniture adjustment, but it’s such an “ah” to walk in there now. If I can keep the cats out, I even have the chance to stretch out and quietly read for a bit.

I would be done with Isabel Allende’s book by now if I didn’t have to slog through a stupid war in the book whilst living with the nightmare of our service people stuck on the ocean and having food rationed. The stories that are peeping through are brutal. Only 13 dead the so-called president exclaims…maybe 13 in the first few minutes. Who knows the current, true count? I never would have voted for this; I would be gathering other members and working to write legislation to end it.

C’est la vie. Save the Cat is being perused. I’m not keen on writing the story that popped into my head as outrageous enough to actually work. I’m not keen on going through the novel writing process anymore. It’s long and brutal and if I don’t enjoy driving with one headlight, I certainly don’t want to write that way…which is why novel writing book is out. I’m thinking of becoming a plotter.

I’ve not committed to anything. The joy I have in the kitchen is nothing compared to hearing happy people thanking me for the delicious cookies I made…but even if I did start a bakery, I know that payoff wouldn’t be enough with the money to sustain me. I’d lose the joy, and without the joy, the sweets are average and average is a couple bucks on the grocery shelf which already exists, so why bother, you know? I am considering a swap with a local restaurant though, a cheesecake delivered on Thursday for two fish fry dinners on Friday sort of thing. If you’re in the Springville-Boston area, let me know.

Ha! Why not put lovely thoughts out into the universe? Much better than letting incompetent Epsteinaires blow up rockets, especially when Artemis II shows how you do it with grace and style – by listening to women and working respectfully alongside them.

The trillium is in bloom! Enjoy the spring and thank you for stopping by for the read! I appreciate it and I appreciate you!

I’m surviving this short summer with chocolate and flowers, how ‘bout you?

Hilariously, I remembered to do the thing where I shut the door to write and what I wrote was a list of times to write, a list of things to enjoy, a list of shoulds, then have-tos. I don’t think one thing has altered since the last time I remembered to sit in front of a blank page for more than a minute. I probably have work sheets with boxes to check as I completed each daily task that I could copy. Planning a slow slog is reassuring and intimidating, and if it worked…I know, I know, except it does. Sort of. For a little while. Words are magic and from experience I know that if I write it down, I do Pilates and if it isn’t on the list, it doesn’t happen.

What did happen was this gentle rose. It only bloomed once this year with three buds, but it is so pretty and delicate right here.

And out of nowhere – BOOM – Literary Namjooning nominated my story from Issue One for Best of The Net. Thank you Lakshmi, Melissa, and Hema! From the bottom of my heart, Namaste.

Another thing was that I listened to a segment about baking a few weeks ago. I froze a chocolate box cake after I cooked it to the lower end of the cooking time. The cakes cooled, I wrapped them in clingfilm, put them on a plate in the freezer overnight. After they defrosted, I whipped the store bought frosting which did help with coverage, but I wish I’d beaten it longer and a friend suggested adding a liquid. I don’t think that it was heavy cream, but supposedly a half cup of heavy cream poured over the Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls before baking (and waiting for them to cool a little before putting on this icing) makes them taste like Cinnabons. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a Cinnabon, and I haven’t tried this recipe, but it’s stuck in my memory and what I mean to say is that freezing the cake really did make a difference to the taste and mouth feel, so I recommend it. Adding a teaspoon of vanilla to Rice Krispie Treats is good. Mixing and melting a cup of chocolate chips and a tablespoon of shortening or butter together in the microwave and after it’s cooled a bit, spread it over the top of the treats is also good.

What makes me ecstatic is that I got to spend another year with this guy and bake him a cake.

What’s less appealing is bringing in wood and preparing to build a fire. It’s August, but already we’re rearranging the furniture. I’m setting up computers in the library for writing in winter. A few plants have wandered in and the Christmas cactus that has been pawed over thrice. Today in the upper greenhouse, the shelf for the plants was put up higher than usual. The chairs slide under. If I were brave enough to face the creek and write, I could do it there.

Working in a room of many windows has drawbacks though. I can see the hummingbird feeder from there, and turkeys wandering on the patio. Chipmunks. Squirrels. Bugs so in love with each other they form a sexheart for hours. Life literally getting in the way.

 In the way of what? Indeed. Great question. I’m off to find an answer.

Just kidding. After this, there is the making of the dinner and maybe rewatching The Terminator. I’ve been sketching or reading while I eat dinner. I’ve plotted out a picture book about recycling and death. I haven’t gotten serious about the illustrations, but it’s fun and makes more sense than the musical that keeps happening lyric by riff in my head, because seriously, I’m not remotely a musical theater person or a real artist, but my drawings will never hurt anyone’s ears unless they are rolled up and inserted.

Lovely image, I know. Guess I’ll be stopping here. Have a great month.

Thank you for stopping by and reading. Thank you also for being you and not a piece of wood.