Category: home

Laughing at Myself

scm

I have to laugh or scream.  Some of you who cook often will not get this at ALL. My husband doesn’t get it. But all I can do is laugh.

We went to a fabulous vegetarian cooking class on Saturday and had melt-in-your-mouth sweet potato biscuits (Shirley Braden’s recipe). I HAD to try them.

The ingredients were easy other than having to drive 20 minutes to buy rice flour at a small grocery story on the other side of town. I woke up early today to put it all together.  A couple of sweet potatoes, two parts rice flour to one part baking soda, a cup of sweetener, a half cup of oil, etc, etc.

When they came out of the oven, they looked just like they were supposed to–orange and kind of flat. I waited until I wouldn’t burn my mouth, and then took a bite.

Arrhhggoosshhee–I spit it out immediately wondering what in the world I’d done! I even tried again, leaving out one ingredient I thought might be causing a problem. No luck.

When my husband came home, I relayed the story. He looked puzzled. (He often looks at me with a puzzled expression.)

“Why did you use baking soda?” he asked.

I paused.

Suddenly, the recipe flashed before my eyes. It didn’t call for baking soda, it was corn starch.

I’d formed an image of an orange box in my head, and instead of corn starch, I’d used baking soda.

He looked at me and smiled. He’s used to this.

I shook my head.

I really don’t know what else to say about that. Except, I’ll try again tomorrow. With the right ingredients.

#digiwrimo

Sticking to the Plan

scm

So, I’ve started to cook again, and by cook I mean, not follow recipes and hope for the best.

After reading Forks Over Knives last weekend, I am inspired to eat less meat. Ok, eat no meat. But so far, I’ve found myself visiting the grocery store every day, spending far too many hours chopping peppers and onions, and running back and forth to the oven to be sure dinner hasn’t burned.

Cooking isn’t my favorite activity. Last week, I’d pop into the butcher’s shop around 5 p.m., grab some chicken and a couple of potatoes, and then head home to bake and grill.  Boring but easy.

Now, my thinking about dinner starts way too early.  And I don’t follow recipes (that’s another post). To plan, prepare, and serve vegan dishes will be a monumental challenge. And I’ll probably fail at first. But at least I’m trying.

And that’s what I say about the poetry I’m working on. Some days, words flow and fit together like a cool puzzle. Other days, I want to close the door to my studio and go walk the dog. Which I do.

My tendency is to give up when I don’t have immediate success. But like running a half-marathon (or five!), there are no short cuts. Writing poetry and preparing vegan meals will take time, practice, and effort.

I’m in for the long haul.

 

From Here to There

scm

Do you ever feel like you are heading off in too many directions? October feels that way to me.

And, yet, for some reason, it also feels right.

I will be leading two digital writing workshops for the Virginia Association of Independent Schools this month, one for teachers of younger students and the other for those who teach middle and upper school. Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia has asked me to work with faculty interested in project-based learning. And I continue to develop programs for my writing studio, including a new Tuesday night workshop starting next week.

Oh, yeah. There’s also edcampisva, a professional learning opportunity I’m helping organize.

I’ve just returned home from a week in Rhode Island with my mom, who had knee replacement surgery.  The quiet time left me feeling inspired to write. And sign up for a class, which starts Monday.

And, somehow, my husband and I managed to commit to activities each weekend this month.

Have I mentioned a six-week boot camp at our gym? It’s a killer.

All this actually feels good, and I’m not complaining. But I know myself. I need to stay organized and focused, allowing time for my introverted self to breathe and be alone, too. A frenetic pace doesn’t work for me, so I’ll put time in each day for journaling, listening to music, and taking walks.

And art. I’ve started playing around with acrylics and color.

Fall has always meant a new beginning for this teacher. Even though I’m not in the classroom anymore, it sure feels like fall to me.

 

Gratitude

scm

I understand this fellow.

I spend a lot of time staring at the ocean, too.

That might seem wasteful or self-indulgent, but to me, it’s time well spent. Some of my best thinking happens at the beach. The regular pounding of the surf lulls me into a kind of meditative state where my mind is clear.

Even the simple routines of anchoring the boat on the salt pond and then carrying lunch, books, and chairs across the barrier beach provide a way of grounding me. I step onto the hot sand, leaving my rubber flip flops at the end of the path. Block Island sits straight ahead on a clear day. Quonochontaug to the left and Weekapaug to the right flank the long stretch of shoreline.

Settling in, I am grateful beyond words for this opportunity to connect with the sand, surf, and familiar sights again.

Edited: I discovered a lovely wordfor this: Uitwaaien