Homeless

Homeless is an interesting word. Without home? Without heart? Without mind? Just the end of dreams and hope, perhaps luck?
Yes? My virtual reality world seemed warm, even beautiful. Would you have liked to come there for supper? A really good home cooked meal? Interesting to see how the old things survived through families and generations. Objects that were used and cleaned...even cherished for their simple beauty. I've thought about the women that created my vintage quilts. So much time. So many little stitches. And, yet they were expressing the beauty that was created in their mind. So, I rescued their work.
I respect that because I've never been able to create much with my hands. Except home-cooked meals.
Good intentions aside. Many years of hard, back breaking work didn't keep my world from crumbling to pieces.
I'm homeless.

Hoosier Jar

Learning Well, Living Well

Over 50 and not stuck in rut is one of my goals.Housekeeping and cooking are two examples. Must we do everything the way our mothers trained us to do? Do you still spray your furniture with spray duster/wax? Granted, to our moms that was a neat way to cut time. But, ask any furniture expert and they will tell you that it messes up your furniture. We need to take a hard look at all the cleaners we use. It wouldn't hurt to check on green websites to see what is better for us and our environment.
We are the generation that saw the advent of processed foods. Moms no longer had to spend all day in the kitchen with a little help from processed foods. Look back thru the cookbooks. Put out by the makers of processed foods they began a revolution in the kitchen. (And, made alot of money.)
And, yet, today we are learning that overly processed food is not good for us. What are all those strange chemical names? How much salt? Is there really any true nutrition in that box?
Guess what? THERE IS FOOD INFLATION. Have you noticed that serving sizes and ounces have decreased while the price increased? I've noticed this because I cooked for five children. Think about the size of candy bars...the American consumer has been tricked.

Being over 50 does not mean that we can't learn new tricks.There is a wealth of info out there. You don't have to become a vegetarian, but their websites have a wealth of good info. Whole grains, beans, fresh produce.

To sum it up: Break with tradition. Change your oils. Cooking oils and furniture oils.

Movies on TBS

I watched a movie on TBS tonight. I rarely watch TV. But, somehow the movie interested me.
Dennis Quaid playing an ad executive. "In Good Company" I've been reading on the Internet how people are so irritated about commercials. And, I agree.
But tonight it was the TBS thing that irritated the tar out of me. What do they call it when two campy young people try to tell me about the movie....about future movies ( I watched the Wizard
of OZ before they were born.) And, then about her cool phone. OK, was it a commercial or TBS's attempt to tell me I can't think for myself?
No more TBS. I don't need to watch a dumb blond beat up on a plastic guy...it was neither entertaining or informative.

Mud Man

Obama and Education

" Where Americans do need help, immediately, is in managing the rising cost of college-something which Michelle and I are all too familiar (for the first ten years of our marriage, our combined monthly payments on our undergraduate and law school debt exceeded our mortgage by a healthy margin.) Over the last five years, the average tuition and fees at four year public colleges, adjusted for inflation, have risen 40 percent. To absorb these costs, students have been taking on ever-increasing debt levels, which discourages many undergraduates from pursuing careers in less lucrative fields like teaching. And an estimated two hundred thousand college-qualified students each year choose to forgo college altogether because they can't figure how to pay the bills."

Barack Obama : The Audacity of Hope

Stark Beauty

Bob Dylan

French Coconut Pie

I've baked this pie since I was a teen-ager. This is a great pie for when company comes without much warning. It's easy to keep the ingredients on hand...and easy to mix.

3 Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice (The secret that gives it zing)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Cup Melted Butter
1 Cup Coconut
1 Pie Shell

Beat Eggs. Add all other ingredients. Mix.
Pour into pie shell.
Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
Bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

This has a base alot like pecan pie, but without the cost of pecans!

Looking Forward By Looking Back

Cushaw? Anybody know where to find it in Texas?And if you have any scone tips or recipes please leave them for me.

Almost November

November. The world softens and cuddles. Time to slow and breathe the cooler air. To hear the crinkle of leafs. Take a little time to indulge in comfort food. If you must join the mad Christmas buying rush...at least take these few weeks to stop and look around. Watch the glowing sun filter thru the golden trees.
I have mixed feeling about consumerism. Drive the economy. Give people a LITTLE chance with a seasonal job. But, I don't like to buy new. I like to rescue wonderful old things. I don't like mass produced things. I like that single solitary cup. Maybe, it was the only one that survived the family's use. I drink my coffee from a brown Marcrest cup. The glazed outside looks like the fudge my mom made.
Comfort food and comfort dishes. My kitchen cabinets were a hodgepodge of dishes. My kids had their favorites. To them the food was just better in that dish. When my youngest trooped off to college I sent her favorite bowl and cup with her. My modern girl has her vintage dishes.
So, with the holiday season coming...think about the comfort.

Today

My favorite bumper sticker in the 70's was "Open Minds Say More Than Open Mouths."
We don't have to believe all we hear. But, we should never stop listening. There is
still so much to learn and know. New sounds to hear. New things to cook. New art
to appreciate. New people to meet.
So, why not have a blog for empty nesters? What do we fill our days with?
I'd welcome any comments about how you filled that day when the last child
left home!