Norma's Wanderings around a small section of Montana |
31. Unlucky Day Write about a time when you were particularly unlucky. My son was unlucky every time the moon was full on a Saturday night. Weird. I could always count on an ER visit when that happened. I had a year when I had three car accidents. Now they weren’t all my fault. One was serious, and I still have the effects to this day. The other two were just bothersome. But I have to say by the time the third happened, I was a basket case. I found some interesting information on the internet about writers and luck: Tennessee Williams choked to death on a bottle cap that lodged in his throat, likely after a bout of heavy drinking. Sherwood Anderson accidentally ingested a toothpick, which punctured internal organs; he died of the resulting infection. Lord Byron caught a fatal infection when doctors used leeches while attempting to cure a fever. Stephen King was hit and nearly killed by an inattentive driver while taking a walk on a country road in Maine. King commented about that incident on Twitter, “On June 19th, 1999, I got hit by a van while taking a walk. As I lay unconscious in the hospital, the docs debated amputating my right leg and decided it could stay, on a trial basis. I got better. Every day of the 20 years since has been a gift.” Most of us live with a reasonable sense of security and stability, ignoring the everyday precariousness of our existence. We live on a planet traveling through space at 67,000 miles per hour that has, over time, been struck by asteroids that eliminated almost all life and been plagued by a variety of viruses and bacteria that challenge our immune systems while climate disruption threatens the survival of humankind. It’s all fodder for the imaginative writer. And I have to say, if you cannot find something fun, something interesting, something weird, something unusual to write about this past year, then you just haven’t been paying attention. We've all been pretty lucky, don't you think? So stop feeling sorry for yourself and start looking around. All the clues are there. Piece them all together and write something amazing. |
30. Bacon Day The perfect breakfast meat. Write anything about bacon! I used to like bacon. Well, actually, I used to love bacon. Really, truly love bacon. When we lived in the dorm up in Yellowstone for a month or two, we ate in the EDR, employee dining room, for our meals. All the bacon you wanted to eat for breakfast. YUM! Filled my plate up every morning. Calories no problem. We hiked 5 miles every night after supper. But things are different now. I don’t eat bacon. I don’t eat pork of any kind. I am a Seventh-Day Adventist. We consider pork an unclean meat, and as such, I choose not to eat it. My husband still eats bacon on Saturday. Two pieces. We don’t eat any other pork. If hubby wants pork, he has to eat it when we go out, or eat it somewhere else. I won’t buy it or cook it. I’ve tried to suggest turkey bacon as an option, but he won’t have any part of that. And really, once I think about it, you’re better off not having that something you love if you're going to substitute with something else. Especially if that something else doesn't resemble the original in looks or taste. Kind of like the veggie burger craze now. You’re better off not having something pretending to be a burger. Eat a salad or soup instead. You’ll just be disappointed when you don’t get that burger feel between those two pieces of bun. And then there are those that can justify spending a bunch of money to have that Wagyu beef on a bun. I found an online merchandiser that will sell you two (that is just 2!) frozen Wagyu beef patties for $14.99 - but you cannot buy just two. You have to buy at least 20 for $119.99. Then you have to pay shipping. And the shipping is $40 to $60. I don't know about you folks, but I think my $$ are better spent elsewhere. I think I will just go to the local supermarket and buy the 80% fat grass-fed beef and make a great hamburger. Then I’ll top it with some really good aged cheddar cheese. No bun. Yum. |
28. Card Playing Day! Do you like playing cards? Which card games do you prefer? We don’t play cards. I don’t know why. I remember my parents playing cards, and my aunts playing poker at holidays. When this Covid craziness started, I suggested we play games to pass the time. That lasted a night. So we now mainly watch TV or do computer games alone. I remember playing Rook. That was a mean game. Don’t care if I ever play that again. Uno was fun with my kids when they were growing up. Played a lot of solitaire when I was first married. So many games of solitaire. And that is the extent of my card playing. Pitiful. Guess I’m not a card shark. I would be lost in Vegas. Don't send me to the card table. So I guess I wouldn’t have a good poker face. Since I have no idea how to play… |
27. National Fruitcake Day Write about your opinion of Fruitcake. If you don't like them, you haven't had mine. I used to like my mother’s fruitcake. It was made with the real mincemeat you used to be able to find. Wish I knew how she did it. She wasn't a good cook or baker usually. So the fact that I remember anything she cooked or baked is unusual. I don’t make fruitcake anymore. My husband makes stollen. But the last he made didn’t really rise very much. I think it was the yeast. He seemed to think they were okay. I thought the dough was too heavy. The jury is still deliberating. I did switch out the yeast that was in the refrigerator. I threw it out. So some new from the freezer to replace it should help. But he only makes stollen around Christmas. I made an Amish Cinnamon Loaf. Now that was good. A sweet quick bread with a cinnamon sugar swirl. Yummy. I like to make easy things. Brownies, cakes, cookies, corn bread, quick breads, muffins, coffee cakes. I really should try to do some more difficult yeasty things. But we don't need the carbs and at this stage of my life, I don't need the aggravation. We get catalogs starting in October, like everyone else, and lots of places were selling fruitcakes. Now come on, would you seriously pay $50 for a 2# fruitcake? I think not. So if you would buy one of those, you would be nuttier than a fruitcake. So for all you nutty fruitcakes out there, you evidently are in the minority. |
25. Pumpkin Pie Day Are you a fan? Why or why not. It’s okay. It’s a good source of Vitamin A - but by the time you put all that whipped creme on top, you’ve ruined it. We went to a friend’s house. She has a ranch. She and her brother raise cattle, sheep and she has some chickens and a good size garden in the summer. It is pretty ramshackle. She and her husband live in a run-down single-wide trailer. There is stuff, and I am being kind, everywhere. The house is a mess. She is not a good housekeeper. But what we go for is the company, not the environment. My hubby goes in the spring to help with lambing. He also helps when it is time to shear the sheep. Quite an eye-opening time for a guy that used to commute to NYC each day and work on Wall Street. She brings us fresh eggs each week. But I think that is just an excuse to sit at our kitchen counter and talk for an hour. Which is just fine. We need to talk. |
24. Last-Minute Shopper's Day also National Eggnog Day I should think good strong eggnog would hit the spot after a day of shopping. See what you can come up with for that one. I hate eggnog, barf. Eggs you drink? I’d rather fry mine sunny side up, or in an omelette. Or perhaps in a custard or ice cream. I don’t shop for more much more than groceries anymore. Anything I buy usually comes from a thrift store. I don’t do presents any more. I regift. Deal with it. And I don’t drink anymore either. We went to the Senior Center at 10 AM to watch a movie that was filmed in Roundup some time ago. https://www.montanafilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Montana_Production_List1.... "Christmas Miracle in Caulfield USA". It was filmed in 1977 and revolves around a coal mine. Coal mining was still big business back then. Not so much now. Kurt Russell and Melissa Gilbert were in it, some other actors. But several people there recognized themselves, the old buildings, and remembered the locations. Then we stayed for lunch. Now the sun is setting and nothing is left to do. I need a really good massage right about now. That would hit the spot. Yeah - that spot right there, right above that trigger point. Perhaps we'll watch "It's a Wonderful Life". Love that movie and George Bailey and mean old Mr. Potter. Frank Capra, now that director could tell a story. Ho-ho-ho. Merry Christmas to all. Queen Norma Jean |
22. Today in History Look up some events that happened on December 22nd, select one, and tell us about it. In 1808 Beethoven's Symphonies No. 5 and No. 6, Choral Fantasy and Piano Concerto No. 4 (featuring the composer as soloist) premiere at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, Austria. It happened on this day. Seems the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra had a celebration of this event. Nice. https://www.cincinnatisymphony.org/tickets-and-events/buy-tickets/cso/1920-cso-s... I love Beethoven. I think of the wonder of his creativity. The amazing gift he gave us, even with the disability of deafness. To hear the music in his mind and transfer it to paper and then never be able to hear it. Truly remarkable. Symphony #5 is the famous “da-da-da-DUM”. You’ll recognize the opening notes when you hear them. I found a link to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra that did a recreation of that concert by Beethoven. As I read more about it, seems that Beethoven was almost completely deaf when he performed in that concert. Classical music is a favorite of ours. I used to listen to it often. Not so much any more, not sure why. I used to listen to it when I went to sleep, but that was when I was single. Hubby is a big classical fan as well. We have dozens of classical CDs. Remember them? Back before streaming music, YouTube. But after cassette tapes, and 8 track tapes, and 45 RPM, and 78s. I really am showing my age now. Now all the music he loves is loaded on his Apple desktop computer. Beethoven in the modern era. Classical music is calming. It has been shown to work wonders on babies. I think it is the rhythm, the scales, the lyrical qualities. I listen to it when I drive by myself. I especially loved the ‘1812 Overture’ by Tchaikovsky when I drove home from play practice last summer. When the cannons went off, and you have to have the version with the real cannon fire, I would honk the horn. I know, I’m a geek. So how, you say, is that calming? Well, I felt that it kept the deer away. It worked all but that one time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1812_Overture But this is about Beethoven, a German composer. His name means “beet root farm”. What’s that saying? “How you gonna keep them down on the farm once they see Paree!” It’s a song popular around the era of WWI and all those GIs coming home from Europe. (And I assume you know that Paree is a referral to Paris. Come on people, don’t you listen or read?) Check out on YouTube a few entries for this song, pretty fun. |