Shortcake, spongy soft
Smothered in strawberries pink
Whipped cream tops it all.
Strawberry shortcake is my all-time favorite dessert. Creme brûlée comes in a close second, though. One might even say I love them!
Month: February 2015
Things I Love: Good Friends
Since deciding to learn to cook for my handsome husband, aka Studly Doright, I have experienced a flood of support and advice from more domestically-minded friends. One such friend, Lee Ann, sent me a lovely gift (pictured above) to help me in my quest. Lee Ann and her husband Gary visited us at Doright Manor last month just as I decided to become the cook no one ever thought I could be.
Lee Ann, besides being one of the sweetest women I’ve ever known, is a true domestic goddess. She cooks, sews, keeps a spotless home, and never seems to break a sweat. Even better, she’s never made me feel inadequate for being the exact opposite. That’s the real gift, if you want to know the truth. Supportive and non-judgemental. Now, if I could convince her to support the Dallas Cowboys instead of the Indianapolis Colts, she’d be about the perfect human being.
Love you, Lee Ann! Thanks for the cookbook. Look, you could still wear blue if you ditched the Colts for America’s Team!
Fiddling Around With Love
A month devoted to love should include a look at physical love. Back in the days before Studly and I were married I enjoyed nothing more than dancing to country Western music. It wasn’t my preferred listening genre, that honor went to rock, but when it came to dancing, nothing could compare to a good Texas 2-Step, or even better, a waltz.
Anytime the DJ played “Love on a Hot Afternoon” by country artist Gene Watson I had a physical need to be on the dance floor. I always melted to the fiddle playing in this homage to hot, sweaty sex. Ok, who wants to dance?
(Even if you aren’t a fan of Country music, listen through to the end. That fiddle is swoon-worthy.)
Love on a Hot Afternoon
From somewhere outside, I hear a
Street vendor cry “filet gumbo”
From my window I see him, going
Down the street and he don’t know
That we fell right to sleep
In the damp tangled sheets so soon
After love in the hot afternoon
Now the bourbon street lady,
Sleeps like a baby in the shadows
(in the shadows)
She was new to me, full of mystery,
But now I know (but know I know)
That she’s just a girl,
And I’m just a guy, in a room
Full of love in the hot afternoon
We got high in the park,
This morning and we sat, without talkin’
Then she came back here,
In the heat of the day, tired of walkin’
Where under her breath,
She hummed to herself a tune
Of love in the hot afternoon
Guatemala Bound
I booked my flight to travel to Antigua, Guatemala! My trip isn’t until April, and Studly kept urging me to hold off on booking.
“Prices will come down,” he said.
“Be patient,” he cautioned.
Does he not know me better than that?Patience might be a virtue, but it’s not one of mine. Now that I’m booked I can start on the other tasks I’ve set for myself, namely shopping for appropriate Guate-wear and brushing up on my Spanish.
Having grown up in Texas, I have a decent vocabulary of inappropriate Spanish. I won’t plan on using any of those unless I get into a heated discussion with someone smaller than me.
I did take two years of high school Spanish. I remember how to ask where the bathroom is located, and I can tell someone that they should take only one piece of toast because two is too many. Surely that phrase will come in handy with the toast-eating crowd.
Viva Guatemala!
Peace, People!
Things I Love: Studly’s Laugh
“Groundhog Day” is one of Studly’s favorite movies. On Tuesday evening as we watched Bill Murray’s character relive February 2nd over and over again, Studly kept up his running commentary during the film and laughed his wildly contagious laugh.
His laugh is one of the many things I love about him. When Studly finds something funny one might as well surrender to the hilarity and just move out of charm’s way.
And what does he find funny? His special weakness is sophomoric humor: “Animal House,” “Dumb and Dumber,” “Me, Myself, and Irene,” and the above mentioned “Groundhog Day.” He recently discovered “Tosh.0” on television and laughs himself silly every time he watches an episode.
I pretend to be above such nonsense, but when Studly starts laughing he breaks down all of my resolve. Maybe that’s part of loving someone–embracing all of their silliness as if it’s one’s own–while still remaining relatively sane.
When Studly Laughs
When Studly laughs
His whole body
Succumbs to waves of
Hilarity that begin in his eyes,
Travel to his cheeks, and
Explode from his generous
Mouth.
His arms cross his shaking
Chest, apparently attempting
To absorb the energy he
Expends when he is genuinely
Amused by a joke, or a pratfall,
Or gloriously, sometimes by
Me!
Nothing beats making Studly laugh.
Peace, People!
On Hold
Five minutes have passed
From secretary’s request,
“May I place you on hold?”
Before I can respond, the
Fatal click is sounded. My
Ears are now bombarded
With exhortations to stay
On course. My call will be
Answered in a manner so
Timely, so polite that any
Inconvenience should be
Promptly forgiven, voices
Say interspersed with the
Absolute worst Muzak in
History. Now ten minutes
Of my life have been spent
Holding this device to my
Ear. At least the view out
My window provides calm.
Still
photo by Kelly Cavitt Dupler
One of my friends took this picture of a little piece of snowy heaven from her ranch in New Mexico and posted it on her Facebook page last week. Isn’t it lovely? I wanted to work it into my Love Month theme.
Still Haiku 1
Breath calmed by snow’s depths
Frozen, a moment in time
Hush love, and be still
Still Haiku 2
White ‘scape nothing moves
Frozen still in this moment
Softly a branch bends
Cooking for Studly: He’s Late for Dinner!
Well it was bound to happen sooner rather than later. Dinner, Studly’s favorite chicken and rice casserole, is ready for consumption and he is nowhere in sight.
Now what? Should I leave it in the oven and hope it doesn’t dry out too much? Do I take it out and reheat it when he gets home?
Studly’s job is a demanding one. His stress level is high, and his schedule erratic. I know he’d have called if he could. Nonetheless, I’m not sure what I should do.
I absolutely detest chicken and rice casserole. Made to Studly’s specifications it is the blandest slop in the world. It’s like eating paper only with less pizazz. So maybe there’s no right or wrong to taking it out of the oven. It’s not going to miraculously grow less bland, right? And I doubt it can become more bland. I’m voting to leave it in.
Wow! Thanks for helping me with my dilemma! Sometimes you just need to talk it over with a friend.
Peace, People!
January 23, 2015
Another funny from Pablo at whiteoutscomics.wordpress.com.
My contribution to DEFLATEGATE. I almost added the line “Mom always says, ‘Don’t play ball in the house'” before I realized that was another episode. If you’d like to view Marsha’s nose meeting the football you can do so here. If you don’t know The Brady Bunch or are unaware of current NFL football controversy…tune back in tomorrow. 🙂
Love and Other Stuff
Poems of love
Well crafted
Or not, can
Do only so
Much to
Sway a
Lover.
Loving,
Though,
Done well
Softly sighs
Arrowing into
The very heart
Of the intended.
Peace and Love, People!
(Photos were found on Pinterest)
Praying for Eyebrowz 