Category: Current Events

Fox guarding the henhouse

I’m depressed about Trump, Musk, Vance, et al. Maybe writing about it helps me some, but I wonder if it just amplifies everything. The movers and shakers will make their mark one way or the other, but I still think the answer is for ordinary citizens to do small things you hope will make a difference and then go on and try to live a happy life no matter what.

Easier said than done, that’s for sure. I told myself, just do one thing today and then think about dinner. There’s usually a Law & Order rerun on Mondays. I hear that music, and I just kind of sigh in relief. Dun-dun.

Outrage of the day is Musk trying to get access to the IRS files. I don’t even know why I bothered to write my elected representatives, because it has probably happened by now, but we can only try. I still can’t get through on the phone, so I’m using the email feature on their websites. This is my message to my Democratic senators. As always, feel free to steal anything that resonates with you.

Please do whatever you can to stop Elon Musk from accessing anything, most recently the IRS and our taxpayer records. This is a gross violation of privacy and very frightening to the average American who pays taxes. Musk is unelected and has no right to anything, let alone our personal data. He does billions of dollars’ worth of business with the government, and he’s allowed to look at the finances? We would not let any other defense contractor in the world do that. All that, and Tesla didn’t pay any federal taxes last year, but he’s snooping around trying to stick it to honest citizens? Please stop him.

The next one went to my Republican congressman. He has a thing on his website about how ridiculous it is to think just because Trump hired Elon Musk as an accountant that it’s a threat to democracy.

I read your words about hiring Elon Musk as an accountant, wondering why some people think this is a threat to democracy. Because it is!  We, the people, did not hire or elect Elon Musk to anything. And now he’s trying to get access to the IRS records. Talk about fox guarding the henhouse.

This is a gross violation of privacy and very frightening to the average American who pays taxes. Musk is unelected and has no right to anything, let alone our personal data. He does billions of dollars’ worth of business with the government, and he’s allowed to look at the finances? We would not let any other defense contractor in the world do that. 

From what I’ve read, you are currently on board with the president and his administration violating the rights of average citizens, but I’m still writing because I hope at some point you will reconsider. Please reflect on your elected position and the oath you swore to defend the constitution. I can only believe you had a calling to serve your country, and I thank you for that. I may not like some of the conservative policies you support, but I respect differences of opinion. You can still make a difference and advance your agenda without burning down the house.

I have not spent any money on Amazon since I made a pledge to reduce my spending there by 50 percent. Thanks to your comments, I canceled my Amazon subscription to PBS Masterpiece and made a donation to PBS. Now I have PBS Passport, and you were right. Everything I could ever want is there.

What I’m eating

I’m still quite smitten with my sort of sweet but savory oatmeal. My favorite so far starts with one serving of regular rolled oats. When it comes out of the microwave, I pour it in a bowl and top it with about one tablespoon each of unsweetened coconut, currants and walnuts. Then I drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Oh, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Tonight Dale’s making grilled Gochujang Burgers with Spicy Slaw from the NY Times. This will be our third time around. Because. It. Is. Delicious. If you can’t get through the firewall, the same recipe is here.

You start with a concoction of gochujang, garlic, rice vinegar, sugar, olive oil and sesame oil. Half of it gets mixed in with ground pork for the burgers and the other half is used for a tangy slaw made with carrots, bean sprouts, cucumbers and scallions. Put that on a toasted buttered bun with maybe a schmear of mayo, and it is heaven.

What I’m watching

Now that I’m on PBS Passport, I’m continuing to watch All Creatures Great and Small. It’s not my normal crime genre, but I just like that show. Another one I’ve started that isn’t on the crime spectrum is Seaside Hotel. It’s in Danish with subtitles and  follows the lives of guests and employees at a North Sea hotel prior to World War II. I haven’t gotten very far, but I like it.

On the crime front, also on PBS Passport, I’m enjoying The Mountain Detective. It’s about a former policeman who leaves the city for the mountains and discovers, guess what? Violence and crime. It’s in French with subtitles.

What I’m reading

I’m not reading much of anything. I think I’m too agitated. Two of my books on hold at the library came in, but it turns out the library is closed for repairs to the HVAC system. Talk about annoyed. I was able to get through to a librarian, who is going to have the books transferred to a nearby library, but that will be Wednesday at the earliest.

There are plenty of books in the house I could read, but I’m just not into them right now. I did finish kind of a fun read called Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. Four women retired from their jobs as professional assassins and discover someone is trying to kill them. The sequel, Kills Well with Others, is out next month.

A few words about hope

There’s a lot of grim news out there, and to be honest, I’ve had a difficult time finding hope. Ah, but then I remembered hope is always late for the party, showing up shiny and clean after all the hard work has been done.

Me and hope go way back, so I know you can’t achieve anything worthwhile by getting lost in outcomes. One lesson I’ve learned from just about every bad thing I’ve had to crawl my way out of is the power of a simple work ethic.

Keep your head down. Do what you think needs to be done, and hope will show up eventually. Late as usual.

My personal FU Amazon Challenge is going great, in that I have not purchased anything from them since I made the pledge to reduce my spending there by at least 50 percent. I’ve been looking at alternatives, and I don’t foresee any problems getting what I need.  

My digital expenses paled in comparison to regular purchases, but I acknowledge it’s probably my weak link. For example, I subscribe to PBS Masterpiece through Amazon. I tried to see if I could disentangle myself from Amazon and go directly to PBS.

The answer is not exactly. To the best of my knowledge, the PBS Masterpiece channel on Amazon is customized and includes lots of shows that aren’t available on PBS Passport, which would be my other option. Specifically, I don’t think PBS Passport has the same selection of international crime shows – my weakness. It’s $5.99 a month, so I’m not going to worry about it.

I had to remind myself this is about Jeff Bezos and not a boycott of all offensive retailers … because there is no shortage. Few will pass the purity test, so I’m just focusing on alternatives to Amazon. First thing’s first.

I did make an exception for one online source of vitamins and supplements that overplayed its homey roots.

“Here at Swanson Health Products, we’re not too big on talkin’ about ourselves. But if ya would like to get to know us better, this’ll be the place. We come from humble, Midwestern roots but when it comes to wellness, we sure know a thing or two. In fact, we’ve been at this whole healthier livin’ thing for over 50 years.”

I’m sure they are lovely people, and their prices and selections are great, but I draw the line at excessive g-dropping. Ya’ll are goin’ to have to talk like educated folks before I go a givin’ you my money.  

Robert Reich on Substack listed seven nonprofits that are litigating against Trump. I checked all the charity watchdog sites – Guidestar, CharityWatch and Charity Navigator – which are slightly different but all focused on giving donors visibility into how efficiently a charity will use your dollars.

I won’t bother with details on how they calculate ratings, but I think you can tell these are top-tier organizations. With Charity Navigator, the 4-star rating starts at 90 percent, so that should give you some perspective. Also, I personally believe Common Cause is probably excellent, but no one has rated them yet. Full disclosure – I gave ACLU $100.

NonprofitGuideStarCharityWatchCharity Navigator
American Civil Liberties UnionPlatinumA4-Star 98%
Citizens for Responsibility and EthicsBronzeNA4-Star 100%
Public CitizenGoldNA4-Star 99%
Center for Biological DiversityPlatinumA4-Star 99%
Environmental Defense FundPlatinumB+4-Star 91%
Southern Poverty Law CenterGoldNA4-Star 99%
Common CauseNANANA

Channeling fury

The Republicans sure are flooding the zone with horrifying bullshit, but I believe the greatest threat so far is Elon Musk’s illegal takeover of the federal treasury. This goes beyond outrage of the day. This is a coup.

Although I tried to call my U.S. Senators and Representative, I couldn’t get through, so I sent emails. I’m still trying to call, but I get a busy signal or “this mailbox is full.” When I finally do connect, I will focus on one issue per message.

Here’s what I wrote:

I am a defense industry retiree and U.S. Army veteran. I am terrified by the Trump administration’s attack on democracy and am eager to see my elected officials fight back. The attack is so broad in scope, it’s overwhelming to regular Americans. I can imagine it is for you, too. But now is the time to rise up and do the job you were elected to do.

Social justice is important, and we can never lose sight of that, but I believe Trump is using those issues to distract us. I’m asking you to follow the money. I’m no expert, but I see three immediate priorities: reverse these ill-conceived tariffs; get Elon Musk out of our government and strip him of access to the treasury; and oppose all efforts to reduce taxes for corporations and billionaires. 

Thank you.

Please contact your elected representatives. Feel free to use anything I’ve written that resonates with you. Oh, and I checked the box that said I wanted a reply. Jeez, this thing with Elon is affecting my sleep.

Last night I enjoyed a cannabis sleep gummy, and it really did help. I take it at least an hour before I actually want to go to sleep – they take some time to get through your system. If you can get it, I like Kanha Cannabis Infused Tranquility Gummies. Each gummy has 5 mg of THC. That’s a little much for me, so I cut them in half.

The FU Amazon Challenge

On the subject of billionaires behaving badly, I always knew Amazon had a dark side, but I chose to look the other way and admired Jeff Bezos for coming up with such a great idea. That time is gone.

I calculated how much I spent on Amazon last year. It was more than I’m prepared to admit. But then I treat Amazon like the corner store. Need dental floss? Push a button and boom. Need a new coffee pot? Push a button and boom. Need a rug? A Vitamix? Cat food? Coconut milk? Push a button and boom.

My spending on digital purchases wasn’t as jaw-dropping. I use the library a lot, but still, I spent a fair chunk of change on books, movies, music and TV shows.

After reviewing my purchases, I only found a few things that would be difficult to find elsewhere. While this is not a complete FU, I’m making a pledge to reduce my total Amazon spending by 50 percent in 2025. I am confident I can do way better than that, but I thought it would be good to under promise and overdeliver.

Will you join me?

To help with the transition, I’m checking out other online sources that aren’t owned by douchebags. I also downloaded the Target app, since I will be buying a lot more things in person. I hate the idea of wandering through the aisles not knowing where anything is, but the app includes aisle numbers, so I can make a shopping plan and include that on my list. I’m told there’s a mapping feature, too, but I haven’t explored that yet.

Dale is doing his part to feed and sustain the reluctant activist (and channeling his fury) by making chili and playing The Byrds.

All things in moderation

Try as I might, I don’t believe I’m going to complete my reference for resisting the threat against democracy. The blitz is so large in scope, it’s almost impossible to prioritize the issues or resources that will help us confront this monstrosity. My attempts so far seem a bit like pissing in the wind, although I have never actually pissed in the wind. I’m pretty sure Dale has, though.

How many kinds of crazy can you handle at once?

I’ve been reading great opinion pieces on independent media that mostly amount to “outrage of the day.” Not a lot of advice at this point, but I have come to the conclusion social and cultural issues are smoke and mirrors designed to fire us up and keep us divided.

The good guys will be marching in the streets for basic human rights, while the bad guys cloak themselves in righteousness and grab all the money and power. One ring to rule them all.

I honestly don’t know what to do, but my best idea at this point is to follow the money. I’ve never actually called my senators, but tomorrow I’m going to try it and see what happens. I’ll focus on ill-conceived tariffs and Elon Musk gaining access to the treasury system. My message is we elected you to represent us, and this is an attack on Americans. Get your head out of your ass and do something!

I’ll probably say it nicer than that. Maybe it depends on who answers the phone? If anyone even answers. As they used to say in the South when I lived there, I have no earthly idea!

As for outrage of the day, I realized I was also following that path here and at home. I told Dale I’ll stop reading the shitshow news to him, and I’m not going to go on and on about it here, either. I will continue to share what I think is important, but I’m not wired for daily outrage. All things in moderation.

What I’m Eating

Last night was Transylvanian Layered Cabbage, which I described in an earlier post. Sauerkraut, pork, smoked sausage, rice and sour cream. As an accompaniment, I made a no-knead rye bread that was my best ever. There’s a lot of casserole left over, so we’ll skip a day and have another go at it.

Probably one serving will go into our garage chest freezer, which we are defrosting today! It’s not that hard, but Dale and I approach things differently (to say the least). I bundle similar items into giant Ziplocs so you can find them again, but Dale likes to toss things in like logs on a fire.

Arguments will be had.

For breakfast, Dale made scrambled eggs with homemade Mexican-style chorizo and his excellent salsa verde. He eats his eggs on a tortilla like a taco, but I prefer them without. Either way, delicious!

I’ve got some lobster stock thawing out for miso seafood chowder, but that will be mid-week. If we skip a day on the casserole, that means tonight’s dinner is unknown at this time. Maybe we’ll be inspired by something in the freezer. I know there’s some tuna casserole in there. It always sounds yucky, but I make it all from scratch with mushrooms and a bechamel sauce topped with cheddar, and it’s great.

What I’m Watching

I finished season 4 of Astrid. I highly recommend that show on PBS Masterpiece. I started watching season 5 of All Creatures Great and Small, which is a nice respite from all the gruesomeness of life and fiction. Was I hallucinating or did I see there will be a new Lincoln Lawyer season on Netflix?

What I’m Reading

Not for the feint of heart, but I read Resisting the Right by Robert Edwards. He’s an excellent writer to begin with, and the material is meticulously researched. Published before Trump was elected, it’s still quite grim, but it should be a fixture on everyone’s resistance bookshelf. Mr. Edwards also has an enlightening blog, The King’s Necktie.

I’m rather proud of my holds list (and position!) at the library:

  • Locked In by Jussi Adler-Olsen (1)
  • Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (4)
  • Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (7)
  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (13)

Attention must be paid

Well, now. I said I would pay more attention to what is happening in America because attention must be paid, but this is a bit much. I am, after all, retired and a woman of leisure, but every day the shitshow gets worse, and I can’t in good conscience look away. Somehow, we’ve got to unravel the truth.

What I’ve learned this week is the truth hides in plain sight. I believe it was David in the comments section of my last post who said, “Pay attention to your news source.”  

Case in point. I’ve been reading independent news reports that say on Jan. 28 the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent an email to nearly all full-time federal employees offering them an alleged eight month’s severance package to resign by Feb. 6. That’s about 2 million people.

I went into panic mode, wondering how I’m going to get my Social Security if everyone is gone, and my husband said he read about the email, but the buyout was for people who are working from home and refuse to go back to the office.

Oh, only that, well, it’s about time.

Dale’s information source was a Bloomberg article with the headline, “Trump Offers Buyouts to Federal Employees Resisting In-Person Work.”

Kinda sorta. While the email includes a return-to-office requirement, the “deferred resignation” offer is much broader in scope. Some say it’s a simple workforce reduction strategy, and others say the goal is to rid ourselves of a nonpartisan civil service and replace it with party loyalists. The Trump administration seems to have rigged up some sort of con to address pesky legal concerns, but thankfully, there is truth and resistance from all corners.

I had to re-check all my sources to prove to Dale I wasn’t making this up. Even the OPM confirmed the email wasn’t only for those who don’t show up at the office.

Deferred resignation is available to all full-time federal employees except for military personnel of the armed forces, employees of the U.S. Postal Service, those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and those in other positions specifically excluded by your employing agency.

Everyone chooses how they tell a story, me included. No matter who you hear it from, attention must be paid. Sometimes you have to pull back the curtain to figure out what’s really happening. Whether intentional or not, trusted news sources aren’t always trustworthy.

Interestingly, the email’s subject line featured the same wording Elon Musk used when he took over Twitter and tried to fire just about everybody. A Fork in the Road.

Or as I like to call it, A Fork in the Throat.

I’m reading lots of intelligent commentary on America’s turn to the right but still not seeing any clear direction on what average citizens can do to stop it. I’m working on my little handout that might direct people to topic-specific independent news sources and non-profit organizations, so at least we can read about it and maybe give some money to others who are working hard to save our country.

Dinner

And at last we turn to talk of dinner! We’re headed for a cold and rainy spell, so Dale and I are prioritizing the list of delicious “winter” meals to ease our suffering. I’ve been getting my sourdough starter ready so I can bake a boule this weekend. Probably miso seafood chowder to go with.

Dale plans to make a batch of chili. His recipe uses pork and beef but no beans and is from a handout we got at a liquor store 40 years ago – a promotional piece by Marlboro!

Also on the docket is a dish we make called Transylvanian Layered Cabbage. It’s a casserole with layers of sauerkraut, rice, sour cream, ground pork, smoked sausage and bacon. It sounds weird, but it’s oddly fabulous. One of us will make rye bread to go with that.

Slather some butter on that bread and fill up a tankard of beer, and you remember that in spite of it all, life is good!

Denial is not an option

As expected, all things Trump put me in a foul mood. It would be easy to stick my head in the sand and go about my happy life. That’s what one of my golf buddies said – this stuff largely didn’t affect him, so he was tuning out.

I said, yeah, I get that, but I keep thinking about the poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller.

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

Citizen Donna came to the rescue and helped me realize denial is not an option. I know it’s different for everyone, but I’ll share my thoughts in case there’s a nugget or two.

For starters, I’m not much of an activist and don’t want to be. But reading the news and getting jolted every day with the lunacy of it all was making me feel angry and powerless. What to do?

It might sound counterintuitive, but I started actually paying more attention to the news – not just titillating headlines, but in-depth information on equal rights, fair taxation, immigration, abortion medication, Supreme Court ethics … and the beat goes on.

I quickly realized there’s a lot I don’t know about pretty much everything. I saw birthright citizenship was buzzing around in the headlines, but I didn’t realize the potential impact of Trump’s executive action until I read up on the 14th Amendment. I thought I was all cool with transgender issues until I went to a resource for transgender allies and learned I’m actually quite clueless.

Switching from the victim mode to the learning mode has made a huge difference in my mental state. It’s not just read it and weep anymore. As I become more educated on these issues, I’ll be better prepared to discuss them, and that already makes me a better citizen than I was before I came out of my funk. Is that an approach that will work for you as well?

The next step is harder, and that’s action. I’m not likely to go door-to-door or join a march, but I have skills that can help other people make sense of it all. For some clarity, I started working on a master document that succinctly describes the top issues, nonprofit organizations focused on those issues and independent media sources that provide facts and perspective. For the nonprofits, I will also include a rating from one of the charity watchdog organizations.

I’m hoping this whole exercise will help us see which issues trigger a reaction so we can decide where to focus our time and energy. I’ll be sure to post it when I’m finished. You know, I never did find a volunteer opportunity that suited me, but maybe the best way for me to give back is to share my pro-Democracy content and donate money to causes I care about.

That doesn’t mean all my other stuff is going away. I’ll still write about books, movies, food and all the other simple pleasures that add up to a great retirement.

Less news, more color

A long time ago on a planet far, far away, I used to read a daily newspaper and then, you know, go off to live life. Isn’t that quaint? Then CNN came along – because the first one’s free, and I gradually became an instant news junkie.

Whenever I could get near a computer or phone, there I was checking the headlines, getting a fix from the church of what’s happening now. I considered myself a high-functioning addict and didn’t want to change a thing until the political stuff started messing with my head.

I wanted moderation not abstinence, so I fashioned myself a little rehab. In the morning, I read the local newspaper. It’s OK, but even sports scores aren’t current, so I allow myself to check a major news source once or twice a day just to see if anything big happened or, um, well, if someone in the limelight may have succumbed to an untimely passing.

While I never thought my attention span was compromised, I got used to the quick jolts, which really are just a distraction, and now I seem to be getting better at focusing on the moment. In some ways, it’s like switching from black and white to color.

For example, I’m paying more attention to simple sightings, like the color of the trees when I walk. The birds. The dogs and those who walk them. I procrastinate less when there are chores on the docket, because I refuse to sit around reading that stuff like I used to.

Not that I don’t dabble. I started to create a category for Krazy Kabinet Pick of the Week, but there were too many to choose from. We’ve talked about the stages of grief, and I think we forgot the one where you just laugh. Because, seriously, I choose not to be angry all the time, and I’m out of other options.

What I’m eating

Our Thanksgiving feast was fab. The pumpkin cheesecake was pointing a gun to my head, so he’s in the freezer, experiencing the joys of timeout. In terms of leftovers, so far we’ve had cold turkey sandwiches, then a break for Dale’s homemade pizza with mushrooms, hot Italian sausage, fresh jalapeños and green olives.

Tonight is hot turkey sandwiches on toasted sourdough bread. The gravy was particularly good this year, so that should be delicious. I’m actually a gravy convert. My mother was not a good cook, so everything came out of a package. I didn’t taste the real thing until I met Dale, and I would say it was all over, but he already had me at roast duckling  à l’orange.

Today is when he breaks down the turkey. One whole breast will go in the freezer. He saves the carcass for stock, which I’m going to make in the slow cooker this year. But just the stock … I’ll make the soup itself on the cooktop. We have been enjoying Jane Brody’s turkey carcass soup recipe for many years.

I pulled out Jane’s 1985 cookbook yesterday and noticed it is subtitled, “Living the High-Carbohydrate Way.” Of course, we’re still into carbs at our house, but my, how times have changed.

What I’m watching

As it happens, only the first episode of Van der Valk was super-gruesome. I’m on season 2, and it’s getting better all the time. I’m sort of loving these international crime dramas and now, thanks to your most excellent suggestions, I have a bunch more in my queue.

Mid-December also brings new episodes of All Creatures Great and Small. One of my golf buddies suggested this show, and I thought, oh, so not me. And it isn’t … but I love it nonetheless.

Dale recorded the Ken Burns documentary on Leonardo da Vinci. This is another one that would not normally be my thing, but you can’t go wrong with Ken Burns. Plus, Dale has a low tolerance for TV, so at least it’s something we might both enjoy.

What I’m Reading

You know I love my crime fiction, but with this refreshed brain of mine, I thought it might be good to explore nonfiction. I went to the library and right there in the newly arrived section discovered Find More Birds by Heather Wolf. I was already noticing more birds, so it seemed like divine intervention.

What a great little book, which includes gorgeous photographs taken by the author. She offers 111 tips for spotting birds wherever you are and without necessarily becoming a serious birdwatcher.

Not that I might not go that route, but the book inspired me to take baby steps. Of course, I wait until December, when most of the birds that pass through our backyard have already moved on, but I’m not a quitter.

Cheerfulness keeps breaking through

It’s possible that writing about being stuck with post-election stress and sharing our feelings in the comments section of this blog is helping me move on. Or maybe it’s just that the sun poked out through the rain clouds, and the limes in our backyard look glorious.

Like Leonard Cohen, I find that in spite of it all, cheerfulness keeps breaking through.

As I move toward acceptance and begin to rebuild my foundation of what it means to be an American, I expect I’ll have more to say … well .. about everything. Part of me wanted to withdraw from all of it, to be a complete social and political dropout, but I’ve decided not to surrender in advance.

We may be old and unemployed, but our voices matter. And yes, it’s possible to have warm and happy conversations with people who don’t think exactly like us. We must try harder. If all else fails, you can always pour your heart into a journal no one reads but you.

One of my favorite quotes is from the musician Patti Smith. Don’t forget she won the National Book Award, which means she can write, too.

“I’ve survived because I want to live. Even in our troubled world. Even with all the greed and stupidity and terrible things that we’re all facing… I want to be ALIVE. I want to BREATHE. I want to do MY WORK.”

What I’m Reading

I stumbled across a book at the library that combines crime fiction and time travel. It doesn’t get better than that! Wait, yes it does. It’s a series.

The first book is A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong.  A Canadian homicide detective visiting Scotland is attacked and wakes up in another woman’s body … and it’s 1869. She finds herself a housemaid to an undertaker who moonlights as a medical examiner. He’s investigating a murder she believes is connected to her attack, and the story unfolds from there.

It looks like she gets stuck in the past, not that we all don’t, but the good news is there are five more books in the series.

What I’m watching

My PBS Masterpiece subscription is holding up over time. I dabble with other streaming services but end up canceling when a show I like is over. I’m looking at you, Hulu.

I just finished the second season of Ridley, which I liked very much and am hoping for another season soon. It’s a British police procedural with Alex Ridley as a former detective inspector who was forced out due to personal tragedy but brought back as a consultant to solve crimes.

Ridley co-owns a jazz club and usually sings at least once per episode. I thought the singing was weird at first but grew to like it.

Last night I watched the first episode of Van der Valk featuring a detective in Amsterdam. I like it, but there was a gruesome finish, and I’m not sure I’ll last long if that’s the norm. As a back-up plan, I’ve been shopping around for another British show. I may give Annika another try. I like Nicola Walker a lot but am not a fan of “direct address.” I believe that’s the technique used where she talks directly to the audience. Still if no throats are slit, I could get used to it.

What I’m eating

Tonight is leftover baked beans with toast from Dale’s homemade bread. Tomorrow I’m giving the slow cooker another run at it and am making beef and barley soup. I decided to use bone-in beef ribs for the meat and was surprised at how expensive they are – like $15 per pound. But it should make for a great soup with at least two servings for the freezer. And we never go out to eat, so I don’t really worry about it.

For Thanksgiving, Dale will do the turkey. He brines it and then stuffs it with a Maine-style dressing made with potatoes, stale bread and assorted seasoning. I’m known in these parts as Side Dish Mama and will be making green beans almondine, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. I make the cranberry sauce from the recipe on the back of the bag. Delicious!

Dessert is pumpkin cheesecake with bourbon sour cream topping. And graham cracker crust … an all-time favorite. One whole turkey breast and most of the cheesecake will go to the freezer. Our freezer food is spectacular.

In the meantime, I continue to enjoy my protein smoothies for breakfast or lunch. Here’s my new favorite.

Cherry Chocolate Smoothie

In a high-speed blender mix:

¾ cup milk (I use soy)

1 cup frozen cherries

A glug of maple syrup

A small glug of vanilla extract

A scoop of unflavored protein powder

A shake (maybe a tablespoon) of cacao nibs

Stuck

I’m still stuck on the election results. I’ve started draft after draft of a post explaining my feelings, but they all got deleted in the end. Maybe with time I can talk about it coherently, but for now, I just need to find a way to think about other things.

While I’m not saying it’s a good thing to drop out or back away from our civic responsibilities, the short-term answer may be to focus on simple pleasures and enjoy the time that has been given to us.

And so I’ve been dabbling in retail therapy. My priority was fuzzy slippers, but I’m picky about shoes. Although I have some boots that are grandfathered, retirement footwear specs include only Hoka and Birkenstock. I’m pleased to report I successfully procured shearling-lined Birkenstocks.

As I was thinking about how to describe them, I was reminded of a woman we knew years ago who was quite frugal, perhaps unnecessarily so, but that’s how she rolled. She made her children drink powdered milk for a long time, but then she decided to upgrade to regular milk from the dairy aisle. One of the kids said, “Mommy, this milk is thick and rich!”

That’s how I feel about my slippers. Believe me, they are good for what ails you.

You may recall I purchased a slow cooker a couple of years ago, but it failed to cook anything at any speed, so I returned it. That model has been discontinued … yay to a little validation that it’s not me. To celebrate, I purchased a new one, which was launched this week with jalapeño pulled pork. Delicious!

I’ve spent much of this rainy day browsing slow cooker recipes so my bundle of joy can embark on its next culinary journey. Food might be the ultimate cure for the blues. Dale’s making pizza tonight with garlic parmesan bechamel for the base … topped with mozzarella, smoked gouda, smoked salmon, capers, red onions and chopped tomatoes.

Tomorrow is a New England thing called beans and bread. We get heirloom beans from his family in Maine. We’ve always known them as Marafax, but I’ve seen them on the Internet as Marfax. He bakes those in the oven with dry mustard and salt pork. Then a pan of big puffy yeast rolls and cabbage salad – which is like coleslaw but with green olives and celery seeds.

Then we start the countdown to Thanksgiving. I’m making pumpkin cheesecake this year.

My sister was here last week, and we had a great visit. She’s quite the crafter and lives in a rural area without a lot of retail options, so let’s just say shopping was involved. We went to Hobby Lobby, which I loathe because of all that conservative Christian rhetoric, but it really was the mother ship, so I’m glad I was able to give her that experience. We got the “have a blessed day” at the cash register, and I was annoyed at first, but then I thought, oh well, anyone anywhere saying anything nice. Take it.

And I did actually buy two Christmas cookie tins and a nice piece of wood for my art. I love my scrappy pallets, but sometimes I yearn for pristine wood, so now I have it. Praise the board!

Nothing else to share right now, but I wanted to check in and say hi. In addition to my post-election funk, for some reason the barometric pressure changes hit me hard this year and everything hurts. I looked it up, the barometric pressure effects – and it looks to be a real thing. Like many Americans, I always feel better backed by nebulous facts.

Oh, to be oblivious

I’ll spare you the excruciating details, but my knees et al turned into quite the sciatic flare-up, and I’ve behaved badly … whining incessantly about the weather being gorgeous, and who is not playing golf? Dale is ready to throw me out the window, and even the cat hates me. I have been able to walk a little bit every day, so that’s good.

I’m on the mend, but I have long-term issues that need to be resolved. I’ve been reluctant to go on the meds such as Lyrica or Gabapentin, figuring I’m better off abusing Advil once or twice a year. But now I don’t know. I’ll see what my primary care physician has to say when I see her toward the end of next month – the soonest I could get in.

The thing about a flare-up is that it makes you appreciate any day you wake up and feel pretty good. Staying strong and healthy is important to me, but I tend to overdo everything and have a hard time leaving well enough alone. Perhaps I see more complacency in my future. Kinder, gentler, slower, easier – these are the words that are starting to resonate. Forgive me if I’ve said that before, but maybe you have to say it 10 times for it to stick.

On the food front, I made my annual kabocha squash red curry, which is absolutely utterly fantastic. It’s a great fall dish, especially since the pomegranates are in season. I cut the recipe in half, and it makes enough for two and a leftover. If you make it, the timing is off. The squash is done at about 20 minutes or less, definitely not 45.

I had some pomegranate seeds leftover and sprinkled showered some on top of yogurt and granola. If that isn’t already a thing, it should be.  

Dale, the neighborhood watch, just came into tell me there’s some kind of a mummies convention going on down the street. I thought, wow, they are taking Halloween to a new level around here. But he meant mummies as in mommies with strollers. I just hope they’re not the mad yoga moms with guns and stuff. I suspect that’s a demographic in our neighborhood.

I wonder about the mad moms, because there’s a local election, and I see a fair number of signs for a candidate emphasizing school choice, which would allow parents to use our tax dollars to send their kids to private schools. Even though I am a childless cat lady, I’m all about supporting public education!

The good news is I have not seen a single sign for the presidential candidates. It’s better this way. I was daydreaming about how great it will be when this election is over, except it’s probably not going to be over like it used to be over. I’m trying to let go and pay less attention to the whole business, but it seems I’m hard-wired to stay connected to the state of the union.

Perhaps I’ll be oblivious in my next life. Something to look forward to!