Month: November 2020

Jayhawk Surprise

I rose early on Friday morning and went in search of a t-shirt in one of the shops near Seacrest Beach. It seems the frenzy of Black Friday shopping doesn’t happen in these parts, so none of the clothing shops were open at 8 a.m..

Due to skewed packing sensibilities, I’d managed to pack as if I were going to a mountain in Tibet rather than a beach in Florida. I needed a t-shirt, and while part of me was pleased that Black Friday hadn’t gotten its ugly hooks into this beachside community, the part of me that needed a t-shirt was disappointed.

Rather than drive the two blocks to the shops, I walked and enjoyed people and dog watching. After I found and purchased two very unfashionable, yet beach appropriate t-shirts, at a cool little book store in nearby Rosemary Beach, I stopped at a little cafe and bought a croissant.

As I sat there munching on my breakfast I looked up and saw these banners hanging on the wall:

Here in a little cafe in coastal Florida was a team banner for my kids’ alma mater, The University of Kansas. I’m not sure why that made me so happy, but I smiled all the way back to our condo.

Hope you’re all having a great post-Thanksgiving Day, and avoiding the crazy crowded shops.

Peace, people.

Pecan Pie Recipe

A couple of folks asked for my pecan pie recipe after yesterday’s post. I’d love to claim that it’s an old family recipe, but the truth is that I use the recipe right off the Karo Light Corn Syrup bottle.

I know many folks who use the dark corn syrup, but like a Jedi I’m partial to the light.

These pies are ridiculously easy to make. I love how the pecans rise to the top. The first year I attempted a pecan pie I thought I was supposed to place the pecans on top. I read the directions multiple times and that step was never mentioned. That’s because it happens by magic! Or science. Either way, it’s a great pie.

FYI, I use the frozen deep dish pie shell.

Peace, people!

Pecan Pie Afternoon

I’m baking not one, but two, pecan pies this afternoon. They’re currently at that stage where they might be done or they might need to cook another few minutes.

That’s my least favorite part of baking—the wondering. In a perfect world. everything would have an exact time limit. For pecan pies the instructions might say, “Cook for 70 minutes at 350° F and voila!”

I tend to err on the side of caution, while Studly Doright errs on the side of, “A little bit too done is just right.” Some years when I’ve allowed him to control the process my pecan pies have ended up with the consistency of a Goodyear tire. But when I’m in charge, the pie often is best eaten with a spoon.

That used to drive me crazy, but nowadays, que sera sera! Whatever will be, will be.

https://youtu.be/

Peace, people!

Wine Was Involved

Write drunk, edit sober is good advice unless one’s drunk writing makes sober editing extremely difficult.

There’s really no point to this post except that I’m having TONS of fun (insert eye roll) finding all of the little mistakes and inconsistencies in my manuscript. I can see the finish line, but there are all these obstacles in the way, such as wayward quotation marks, accidental apostrophes, missing words, and redundant chuckles. She chuckled, he chuckled, they all chuckled. Back to back to back chuckles are annoying.

I shall stay the course, though. Let no chuckle go unnoticed.

Peace, people!

Turn Out the Lights

Fans of American football will remember Dandy Don Meredith on Monday Night Football. When, in a game, the lead became insurmountable and the outcome undeniable, Dandy Don would break out in song, specifically, “Turn out the Lights (The Party’s Over)”.

Maybe someone should stand outside the White House and blast that song from a boom box until the current occupant of the White House gets the message. Trump isn’t all that bright, but maybe we could annoy him enough that he’d finally concede.

Peace, people!

In Black and White

My mother reclined on the sand, long legs extended

Shying away from the camera

Water droplets drying on her black one-piece bathing suit

Her cigarette held just so

While we kids splashed about in ice cold water

She was beautiful, but never knew it

No one ever told her; I believe they thought she understood

But she never did.

Peace, people

Propaganda and Pancakes

Tuesday morning Studly Doright took me to breakfast at one of his favorite spots. I’d never eaten there because I don’t generally eat breakfast, but Studly has talked about this place for two years, so I finally relented.

The place is kind of a dive on the outskirts of Tallahassee. I’ve driven by it many times but never felt inclined to stop there for any reason. Studly and I have quite different ideas of what constitutes a good restaurant.

When we arrived the small dining area was almost empty, but between the time we placed our order and the time our food arrived the place had filled up. Following Studly’s lead I ordered pancakes, and they really were as good as he’d claimed. Unfortunately they didn’t cancel out the conversation swirling around us. It went something like this:

Old White Man: It looks like that Biden’s going to steal the election.

Old White Woman: You know Nancy Pelosi is just going to have him removed as soon as possible.

Different Old White Man: Yep, I heard that. Then that KamAlla will be President and she’s going to get that socialist, commie Cortez to be her Vice President.

Different Old White Woman Who Was Our Waitress: And that’ll be the end of this whole USA.

Old White Man: First thing they’ll do is try to take my guns, but I ain’t giving ‘em up without no fight.

Around this point I swallowed the last bite of my absolutely perfect pancake and suggested to my husband that we should leave before I said out loud the word I was thinking. In case you’re wondering, the word was “bullsh*t”. Once I had my mask back on I said the word multiple times. Not loud enough for anyone to hear it, but it made me feel better.

Where do these people get such outrageous ideas? I know this crazy theory isn’t only being bandied about in Tallahassee, Florida. I’ve also read it in friends’ posts on social media. So some tv conspiracy theorist must be pushing it. My money’s on this guy:

Alex Jones (Creep)

Peace, and get a grip, people!