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Category Archives: Musings and Odd Thoughts

Creative Non-Fiction

My Great Nephew’s Perfect Meal

05 Dec

I finally got around to looking at my Thanksgiving day pictures and one really stuck out. there is a story behind it so I will make you wait for the picture.

My great-nephew started college this year and is doing well. He is full of fun and life. When he was young, he looked like a refugee from Ethiopia. Nothing but skin and bones. Somewhere along the way he grew up. Maybe it’s because he started to eat. He now could be an offensive lineman for his college football team.

As Thanksgiving is celebrated with a large meal which takes some planning to create. He and I started talking about how we would eat the delicious meal that his grandmother prepared. His perfect meal is what follows.

Start with two rolls split in half and place face up on a plate.

Cover the rolls with slabs of turkey breast.

Add enough mashed potatoes to cover the turkey.

Smother the mashed potatoes with stuffing.

And, drown the entire plate with gravy.

The perfect Thanksgiving Day Meal

The Perfect Thanksgiving Day Meal on a 12 inch dinner plate!

Now that’s several thousand calories you’re looking at. And, not a vegetable in sight. However, he was not finished.

What would Thanksgiving dinner be without dessert?

So, he added a slice of homemade apple pie, ice cream, and a healthy serving of Butterfinger Bar Bread Pudding.

Whew! My arteries are hardening just writing this!

Finally, he sat back on the sofa with a contented look on his face having created and eaten the perfect meal.

But, the story does not end there. Unbeknownst to him, a colony of microscopic organisms were at work in his body getting ready to pounce on this unsuspecting young man. Twelve hours after the meal, the flu hit him like a freight train. He spent the entire night and the next day in utter misery. Unfortunately, his perfect meal made a return visit if you get my meaning…

He recovered in a few days as most young men do. He even joked about it on Twitter. But…I could hear the pain in his tweet at having wasted the perfect meal.

There’s always next year.

NOTE: If he gives me any static about this post, I will follow-up with a picture of him eating his perfect meal. 🙂

 
6 Comments

Posted by on December 5, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts, Other Strangeness

 

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Domestic Project – Finished

31 Oct

The Goal: Complete kitchen remodel of the cabin in four days!

Initial Task breakdown:

1) Tear out most of the old cabinets – Done

2) Repaint remaining cabinets, add appliques and new hardware – Done

3) New floor – Done after four restarts (see below)

4) New counter-top – Done without chipping!!!!!!!

5) Create sink base out of 150 year old dresser and 1923 vintage sink – Done – Previous owner of dresser would cry. She was so proud of her refinish job. Sorry.

6) Rebuild 1920’s vintage faucet – Done – Try to find seats and washers that fit!

7) Add wainscoting to walls and paint – Done – Crooked walls and sagging ceiling made for no straight lines

Additional tasks due to age and condition of cabin:

1) Replace sub-flooring – Done – See comments below

2) Try to lay straight flooring over warped floor with walls that are not square – Arrrgh! Done!!!

The domestic CEO and I decided to convert a 1980’s style kitchen with more cabinets than floor space into a more open and lighter kitchen from the…say 1940’s. When we bought the cabin a year ago, it had been neglected for several years and needed a LOT of work. We spent last fall and winter making it weather tight.

That meant the kitchen was next. At 140 square feet, this is not a big space and the existing layout left no room for two people to move around. So, the CEO/Architect/subcontractor got busy locating the pieces we would need. that left the General Contractor (Me) to come up with the work plan. When we told friends the plan was to complete the project in four days they ALL laughed hysterically. The nerve. \

In the end they were right. it actually took us six days. The delays were found in two places. First the sub-floor under the fridge and existing sink base was so rotted that we had to replace it. Interestingly we found three floor surfaces below the vinyl flooring we planned to cover. The second major delay came with trying to lay wood laminate floor in an old house. There were no straight corners and the floor was warped and sagging in spots. I had to restart the new floor three times before I finally got the hang of it on the fourth try.

We are thrilled with the results and keep reminding ourselves that it is a cabin. Below are the before and after pics.

Old fridge position - note the room between fridge and opposite couter

Old fridge position – note the room between fridge and opposite counter

New position with 'new' sink

New position with ‘new’ sink

Previous sink and corner counter

Previous sink and corner counter

'New" Sink and Corner

‘New” Sink and Corner

'New' cabinets

‘New’ cabinets and counter – Note the high-end commercial-grade stove. It makes great pies.

TaDa! Complee with floor.

TaDa! Complete with floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now two people can live and cook in the kitchen. It just works. For the record, the punched tin chandelier was hand-made by my mother, the true artist of the family.

 
11 Comments

Posted by on October 31, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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Fisherman/Writer’s dilemma

28 Oct

The dock and boat lift are out of the water. Leaves scatter across the yard and what’s left of the huge oak’s canopy, filters the grey sky.

A strong, northwest wind has whipped up the open water on the lake. Whitecaps roll along for nearly a mile before crashing into the south shore creating a foamy line. However, in my protected cove, the water just ripples. The reflected light throws off yellows and golds between flashes of the grey sky. It looks cold. Dark and cold. The cool clarity of Spring and the light green warmth of the summer algae bloom are gone.

The lake still calls to me. To test my skills against its denizens. I reach for my rod and reel. One more day of fishing before the North Wind turns the water to ice. The sharp air cuts into my fingers. Tiny white flecks of snow give me pause.

I look over my shoulder through the glass door and see a fire crackling away in the wood stove. The quilt mom made lays draped across my favorite chair. The laptop sits quietly on the side table waiting patiently for the me to create the next scene.

The weather man said tomorrow will be warmer with less wind. He’s been wrong this year as many times as there are leaves on the ground. “One can only hope,” I mutter. I shove my hands back into my coat and head into the cabin.

The warmth of the fire hits me as I walk through the door. “What tortures can I inflict on my character today?” I ask myself.

The writer wins … today.

 
8 Comments

Posted by on October 28, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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New Writing Partner Needs a Name

14 Oct

Hallo! I would introduce myself but, I have no name.

Hallo. How are you called?

What name are you called?

I recently came to rest on the desk of  Rabbit Hare’s Tales. My last acquaintance was a Sage in the great city-state of Alusia. How I came to reside in this writer’s space is still a mystery to me. The one usually sitting in the chair apparently acquired my services to assist in creating a masterpiece of fantasy fiction. Ha! Talk about a fantasy.

Because his brain is as idled as his body appears to be, he has yet to provide an adequate name for me. Being that his wits are limited, I offered up two suggestions, Bob and Prince. He stated that the former was already taken by a spirit who consults a wizard out of Chicago and the latter was taken by a musician of some sort. The musician apparently can’t make his mind if he likes the name or not.

SO, I ask for assistance from the cosmos internet to provide a suitable name that I might perform my duties and respond to something other than Skullboy. Please leave your suggestions in the comments area provided below and I will demand that my new master fairly compensate the one who provides the most suitable name with accolades and verbal gratuities.

Alas, I beg you please do not tarry as he grows restless and may start calling me poor Yorik.

 
4 Comments

Posted by on October 14, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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100th Post

09 Oct

100th

 

 

 

 

Well, it’s been a little less than two years since I started this blog and today I’m writing my 100th post. I never would have thought that this blog would be as much fun nor become such a big part of my writing world.

I have shared a little of who I am, a little of what I know, and even some of my rough drafts. Hell, I even wrote and shared a freaking poem! I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings as much as I’ve enjoyed reading yours.

I have learned a great deal from all of you. Whether you believe it or not, I am a better writer because I hang out with you. Now that is a scary thought! You never cease to entertain me and always look forward to reading your posts and your comments.

Oops, hold on. Mmmm. Dove chocolate and caramel. As a beautiful redhead once said, all life experiences are improved with chocolate. But I digress.

Back to business. I want to give you a heads up as to what you will see here going forward. First we are T minus 45 days to the MAVEN launch. For those of you who are wondering what a MAVEN is, you will need to stay tuned because it is not a book. I will be cranking up a few posts prior to the launch date and beyond. Also, I will continue to post  on topics that were discussed at panels from the 2013 4th Street Fantasy Conference. My usual odd thoughts and musings will be interspersed with odd writing bits and maybe an excerpt from my WIP. An article or two on archery (my third love) and a few vignettes will keep things interesting.

Thank you. Now get back to writing! 🙂

 
19 Comments

Posted by on October 9, 2013 in MAVEN, Musings and Odd Thoughts, Thoughts on Writing

 

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Menagerie

24 Sep

I have a new favorite first line! “Digging graves is hell on a manicure, but I was taught good vampires clean up after every meal.” I just started reading “Red-headed Stepchild” by Jaye Wells and with an opening line like that, it promises to be an unusual read. I plowed through the first four chapters last night and actually missed most of the Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders football game. I will provide a review of it for my friends at Find Stuff 2 Read.

The past four days have been event filled, to say the least. Let me give you a little rundown. First, Friday night, the domestic CEO and I went to see the Broadway musical, ‘Wicked’. It was her first Broadway production. Excellent show based on an excellent script. I picked the book up several months ago but have yet to read it. A cold weekend in front of the fire at the cabin might be the best place for that.

Saturday night was spent with or neighbors. Now for most people, that sounds pretty mundane. However, Our neighbors are professional boxing trainers and boxing promoters. So, we spend a quiet Saturday night with several thousand inebriated boxing fans watching one of our neighb’s fighters win the USBA Middleweight title. The fight ended in the fourth round with Caleb knocking out his opponent. He is now ranked 2nd in the US and 10th in the world! I think I see Las Vegas in our future travels.

Sunday was spent CLEANING the house. Considering how much time we have spent at the cabin this year, it is no surprise the house needed a good scrubbing from top to bottom. I find that helping the CEO with this project scores MAJOR points that will come in handy when a writing conference or archery tournament comes up that I really want to go to. And, as I stated in a previous post, being a gentleman is just how I roll.

To top it all off I added a year to my existence and am looking down the barrel of the AARP as they try and recruit me into the ranks of geezerhood. Not yet my friends. I’m at the tail end of the baby boomers and as the youngest of the brood, I will fight it all the way. Actually, for the record, fifties are the best time. Even better than being forty-something.

The best part of the weekend was getting some writing in on a very difficult scene that has been giving me fits. It seems to be working its way out.

 
6 Comments

Posted by on September 24, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts, Other Strangeness

 

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Return of Eagles

17 Sep

BaldEagle_135-Perching_on_tree_limb

My first wild bald eagle sighting was years ago at Cape Canaveral, Florida. I was on the bus tour and as we drove out to the Assembly Building, the bus driver indicated a huge mass of branches and sticks sitting in the crotch of a huge tree. He told us it was a bald eagle nest. The nest was nearly twelve feet across. Sitting on the edge of the nest was a mature eagle. I had only read about them before and they were still on the endangered species list at that time. My heart went into my throat thinking that this might be the only time in my life I would see one of these magnificent birds. The use of DDT in the fifties and sixties had serious effect on the eagle population. the poison affected the shells of their eggs. thinning them until the weight of the adult bird setting on them was sufficient to crush the eggs. In 1972 a ban was imposed on the domestic use of DDT. However, it would take many years for the eagle population to recover. Thankfully, I would get another chance to see these birds in 1982.

My brother and I were fishing the South Platte River just south of Denver, Colorado. A shadow passed over our heads and we looked up to see a bald eagle gliding just above the tree tops. It soared out over Cooley Lake, dropped down and took a trout out of the water without so much and slowing down. It flapped away to a nearby tree to feast on his catch. What a sight.

EagleFlight

The eagles continued to rebound from the brink of existence and in 1995 I got to see something truly special.

The banks along the Mississippi River has become a breeding area for the eagles. The numbers continue to grow as the river provides good fishing opportunities. I was driving across the river bridge to Hudson, Wisconsin when I was blessed with the opportunity to witness the mating flight of an eagle pair. They turned and dove, cartwheeled and climbed, talons grabbed talons as the two giant birds embraced for a few seconds and then plummeted down only to soar up again. there was twenty or so cars that simply stopped on the interstate highway to watch this spectacle.

Deadly dance of rebirth

Deadly dance of rebirth

Last weekend, I was at my cabin and I stepped out onto the deck with my morning coffee. When I closed the sliding door, i heard a whoosh followed by the whistling thump, thump of huge wings lifting and equally huge bird into the air. The eagle had been resting on a branch, fifteen feet above my head. I could actually feel the power and air movement coming from its wings as it took off. It soared out over the lake toward one of the islands as I watched the white head and tail shine in the morning light. It immediately brought me back to the Cape and my first sighting. I hope I never take seeing these birds for granted. It has been a long road back for such a magnificent creature.

 
10 Comments

Posted by on September 17, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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