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Ugly Beginnings

 

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”

~GK Chesterton, Orthodoxy

I thought I'd be able to carry off this Love Your Blog Challenge. After all, it only asked for four posts over as many weeks, and who couldn't manage that? 

Me, apparently.

Last week's prompt was Beginnings. "Well, I've had lots of those," I thought, "so no problem there." Marriage. Babies. Moving house. Moving again. Moving several more times. A blog. Then this blog. Then one more blog. Renovations. Recipes. School years. Art projects. Crochet projects. Knitting projects. You know, life.

Er, right. But no. No words.

"Ok," I thought. "Obviously the ole noggin doesn't want to look back at past beginnings, so maybe I should start something new." I didn't have to look far. I started a book. I finished it. Whee.

Plenty of new things were going on in life. Meetings, auditions, a performance, a First Communion. I was not inspired to add to that wonderful-yet-slightly-stressful chaos with another project. So I opted for one more week of fallow-field blogging, and I let the Beginnings prompt pass to concentrate on the actual beginning happening around me.

 

This week's prompt was Ugly. "Plenty of that in the world," I thought. "But do I want to write about it?"

Not really. Well, maybe. If I can keep it light. 

And that's when I remembered about Roald Dahl's The Twits. I love the story of the Twits. Whenever I see it on the shelf in a used book store, I buy it so I always have an extra copy to give away to the right person. It's a funny, horrendous tale with a satisfying ending. Here is what Dahl has to say about Mrs Twit and ugly:

But the funny thing is that Mrs Twit wasn't born ugly. She'd had quite a nice face when she was young. The ugliness had grown upon her year by year as she got older.

Why would that happen? I'll tell you why.

If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until it gets so ugly you can hardly bear to look at it.

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

I think that's all that's needed about ugly here for now. Go show your sunbeams.

Interactions and Community

Hello again. This writing is going to be quick and choppy, and a bit random. Please forgive the rust and the disconnects. Hopefully as more posting happens around here, things will smooth out.

Kate over at A Playful Day has thrown down the gauntlet (albeit gently): It's The Love Your Blog Challenge.

She's using the month of April to post weekly prompts and participants are invited to use the experience to inspire their own postings, link up, and discover other bloggers. 

The challenge is short and sweet and just the little kick in the pants that I need to get back to blogging. Posting has been on my To Do list for a year, but somehow always gets itself bumped to the bottom in favor of unimportant things like sleeping, or cooking for my family.

Ahem.

Yes, well.

Of course I spend lots of time watching television and knitting (The Blacklist, anyone? And my guilty pleasure, Poirot.), or "micro-blogging" on Twitter, or just clicking around on Ravelry and Pinterest. And all those things tie into this week's theme of Interactions and Community. But I have to say this past year I've been interacting online less and in person more (difficult for this introvert, but a growth opportunity) and my community has expanded to include (gasp) more people who actually live in my state. Last summer I even traveled a bit and met some of my internet friends IRL, which, despite the air-travel-induced vertigo and the sleep deprivation, was really super. 

But my favorite way to communicate on a daily basis is definitely via e-whatever, and even when I get off the phone after a 2 hour conversation with my sister, I find myself sitting at my keyboard and firing off an email to her full of links to the things we were talking about, because that is how my brain works now. Like the cup says, this is both good and bad.

 

Now, as this is a blogging challenge issued by a fellow knitter, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my interactions with other lovers of yarn. Of course there is Ravelry, which fills so many holes as a community. But it's my local knitting group that gathers weekly that is so very accessible. Though I don't always make it to the meetings, I do enjoy sitting in the knitting circle when I can, and those friends seem always able to show me how to solve the world's problems each week. Naturally, they help solve my yarny issues, too, which is priceless. And I'm not the only one who also knows how to crochet, which is another warm fuzzy to put in the bucket. 

Find yourself some community. Interact, even if you are an introvert. It may tire you out, but it's also a kind of vitamin that will keep parts of your soul from atrophy and keep you growing. And that, my friend, is also priceless.

 

Like I said, the writing today is a bit disjointed, but as we get on with the challenge it will hopefully improve. Thanks for wading through with me.

 

 

Looking Closer at Child's Play

Seen from this perspective, the sandbox doesn't look like much, does it? But she's obviously engrossed in her activity.

 (Please, ignore The Glove. Sis, if you're reading this and you know I mean you, yes, THE GLOVE still traumatizes me. It is everywhere. Thanks.)

The sandbox is a much more interesting place when you get down to a kid's point of view.

I think these guys are ticked off at their HOA. No stock tanks allowed in the front yard? So unreasonable. 

 

Yes, we do buy some standard sand/beach toys for the kids. But recyclables from the laundry room also make great scoops, cups and buckets. Or dinosaur stock tanks swimming pools. 

And items from the kitchen department of the thrift store can be inexpensive, durable, and more interesting than a typical plastic shovel and pail. This is maybe a version of the Hollywood Bowl? The seating is a bit primitive, but what do you expect when you go to hear a literal ROCK band?

And nothing makes a better roof for Pikachu's beach house than a scrap of wood trim. Obviously Pikachu is still working on his landscaping. And maybe a kitchen remodel.

So, just a friendly reminder:  It's always a good idea to take a closer look.

 

 

Not Actually My Problem

It's time to dust things off and start sharing again. 

See you soon.

(Hold me to it.)

This One I Call Peter

Chased him out of the garden the other day. He's a young one and still skinny enough to fit between the gate and the post.

And I'll just bet this is some kind of rude gesture in bunny-language...

A Bunny For Your Monday

The bunny that used to hang out near our living room windows has been missing for a year or more. There is a rock with a slight overhang where he had hollowed out a dish of soil to relax in on hot days, or to shelter on blustery days. This spot is now sadly abandoned and no longer used by a bunny. No idea what happened to him, but there is now also a small, empty place in my heart because I miss our Watch Rabbit.

In recent days there have been several of what I can only assume to be his kinfolk hopping around the property off and on, nibbling the lawn down to the roots in places (dern it) and generally taking it in turns to look at us either like "Aren't we cute?" or "Keep away, dangerous, terrifying human!"

I managed to capture (with my camera) one of them as he gave himself a little wash. Enjoy.

Spring in Our Yard

This first picture says the most: Wind.

Can you see the poor little apple blossoms trying to hang on for dear life? And today the wind is blowing even harder and from the opposite direction. I don't think they'll have much of a chance this year. Most years you can't see any green for all the pink there is.

I was wondering how the lilacs would turn out, since last summer I didn't prune them and they'd gone to seed. Happily, for some reason it didn't seem to matter. Plenty of blooms to enjoy looking at, and even extra to pick. 

Some of my daylilies had me worried. There was a week of warm weather followed by two snow storms a few days apart. They had sprouted in the warm and then the snow came and gave them frostbite. Do you see their poor, crunchy brown tips? So sad.

But three weeks later...

If only my phlox showed signs of coming back so strongly. And don't even get me started on the poor strawberries...

But all in all, it's a good spring in our yard. The peonies started out with just a ferny hint of growth and overnight sprouted up to look like some sort of mutant asparagus. With the recent rain we've had the countryside has a lovely fuzz of green across it. I'll soak in the green with my eyes while it's here, because if this summer turns out anything like our previous summer, there will be a lot more of the tan color to look at again soon.

I hope I don't have to dampen my optimism when I go outside tomorrow to see what kind of havoc today's wind wreaked!

My Favorite Best Caramel Corn Recipe

Yes, I said Favorite Best, but if you'd like other adjectives to go by I can quote a couple of women at last week's Bunco night: "Addicting." "Evil." "Wow-this-is-good." And of course, "Mmmmm! Take it away already!"

Here's what's in it:

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup popcorn kernels, popped to fill one roaster pan

I am going to tell you the approximate times that work in my microwave and oven. Because appliances vary widely, you must use your own good judgement when cooking your ingredients. 

First, pop your popcorn. Use your favorite method. I have a Presto Power Pop which is for the microwave (doesn't work  in every microwave, so do some research if you want to purchase one). When I make it without oil it basically turns out the same as air-popped, but if you want to make yours in a pot on the stove w/ oil, go for it. My popper does 1/3 cup of kernels at a time, so I do three batches and put them in the roaster as I go.

Note: Be meticulous about fishing out any unpopped kernels. No one wants to be responsible for a broken tooth.

Now it's time to make the caramel. 

Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and butter to a microwave safe bowl. Best is a glass bowl that holds at least one quart. My favorite is the small Pyrex bowl from a vintage Hamilton Beach mixer set which holds 4 cups of liquid. Your ingredients are not going to fill your bowl full, but you need a bowl that has extra space because when your caramel mixture boils it needs room to expand. If you have a four cup Pyrex measuring cup that would be ideal. The handle will come in handy (har-har) when it's full of bubbling goodness.

Microwave your butter-sugar-syrup for one minute. Stir to help the butter melt.

Now is the trickiest part, microwave for about 2 min 30 sec. You need to watch your mixture as it cooks because what you're aiming for here is a 2 minute boil, so pay attention. 

After it has boiled, it will darken some and the butter will be incorporated and no longer floating around the edges of the bowl. Now, while it is piping hot, sprinkle in the baking soda and stir. Don't be shy about the stirring - get it good and mixed in. (No one wants a salty lump of soda in their caramel corn.)

The soda does something magical. The caramel will puff up and become very light and airy. (The same thing happens when you make peanut brittle, if you've ever tried that.)

Carefully pour your hot, fluffy caramel syrup over your roaster full of popcorn. If you can manage holding the very warm bowl with one hand,  use a heat-resistant rubber spatula to get all of that goo out of the bowl. Or get someone to help you. I just use a hot pad to hold the edge of the bowl. Sometimes it gets syrup on it, but it's just sugar and washes out fine. The syrup doesn't stick to the bowl as much as you might think because of the lovely butter that's in there, but it does need a little encouragement with a spatula.

Now, use a large spoon to stir/fold to combine the caramel and the popcorn. Try to be gentle so you don't break the pieces. Also: Don't panic. It will look for a few moments like you're going to have a huge lump of super caramel-y corn with lots of plain, naked popcorn around the sides. But as long as everything is still nice and hot, if you stir carefully you will see that the caramel is becoming nicely distributed.

After you think it looks like almost every piece of popcorn has as least met the idea of some caramel, bake the entire batch at 275℉ for about 45 minutes, stopping to stir every 15 minutes.

I actually set my oven to 285℉ because mine runs cool. And the caramel corn is probably done after 30 min., but I like mine to get a bit more brown, and for it to have that toasty smell. How do you know if yours is done? Take a few pieces out, let them cool, and taste them to see if they have the proper crunch. You don't want the caramel to be sticky because —well, let's face it, caramel corn that sticks your teeth together as you chew is just plain annoying.

Now, other recipes add things like salt or vanilla or nuts. And while those things may be lovely, I don't think this recipe needs them. The corn syrup I use has salt and vanilla in it already, and the baking soda is also salty. If you decide to substitute salted butter or margarine, well — there you go with the salt all over the place. Other recipes also use less popcorn. I find them way too sugary, but maybe that's just me. This recipe has enough syrup that every piece of popcorn gets a kiss of it, and yet you can still taste that it's popcorn underneath. It's your call when you're the cook.

Enjoy! And don't forget, when my friend said "Addicting!" she meant it. Seriously, if this turns out to be your thing you might need an intervention. Have a friend you can count on on speed dial.

So they can rush over and help you eat it, of course. 

31 Days Over, or Don't Let the Screen Door Hitcha on Yer Way Out

I still plan on "Making a Dent" but deciding to post every day obviously didn't do it for me. I've learned that a daily deadline for me just results in a lot of rambling.

You know what I did get finished? I organized my yarn. So there's that. Here's a bit:

I also managed to reacquaint myself with some of my supplies. I didn't remember I had those little wooden doll head beads, or the bag of mini clothes pins buried underneath.

And what in the world am I doing with all this plastic lanyard cord? Some of it even glows in the dark! I think a chaplet was planned, but most of it was probably for pony bead weaving. 

As far as the other stash goes, I didn't even touch the fabric, which was where I had decided to begin. So... yeah. Still on the list. There is a plan for that polar fleece, though, thank goodness!

So if "well begun is half done", what is "half begun"? Better than none! Lol

And don't even bring up NaBloPoMo. Really.