Walking and writing! NaNoWriMo!

I haven't written here in a while.  Different things have kept me from blogging.  First, I have been recovering from a surgery, and just like with the "Walking Against Depression" I have learned that walking is a great help in this recovery as well.  I had a robotic hysterectomy a few weeks back.  Part of this, and many other surgeries, includes cleaning out the bowel.  The horrible result of that is gas, burping, and stomach pain.  The way to get things moving, so to speak, is to walk.  This helps with gaining strength as well.  I have been walking, slowly, around my neighborhood. Instead of long strolls in the woods, I am barely circling the block, but the day is still pretty, the air still fresh, and movement still feels good.   When not walking I have been watching videos of others walking. I watched a video of a group of guys hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and it was beautiful.  Today I watched a video of a different guy hiking across Arizona.  That was more fun to me, no snow and a few familiar places.  I miss hiking alone in the woods, I miss mountains and altitude.  Mostly I miss feeling good enough to walk several miles.  But, the more I walk, the more I will be able to walk.  Watching the videos just encourages me for the future.

The other thing keeping me from writing here as much is NaNoWriMo.  Do you know what that is?  November is National Novel Writing Month.  The idea is that people who want to write sign up on this website.  We agree, and do our best to write a certain number of words every day.  At the end of the month, if we have stuck to it, we should have a rough draft of a novel.  I signed up, and today I wrote my first installment. We try to write 1667 words every day, and by the end of the month we will have written 50,000 words.  I create best when writing by hand, and today my hand is sore. Also since I write by hand, I have to count my words, or at least estimate well.   I may have to learn to create while typing.  The idea of NaNoWriMo is to encourage budding writers to put forth the effort, to stick to the writing day after day.  For me this blog was going to do that, but it became easy to forget.  Hopefully the same won't happen this November.

My story is fiction, and that isn't my favorite way to write.  It was when I was younger.  I used to spend hours writing in notebooks, scribbling away fantasy stories or mysteries.  Now I struggle with fiction, perhaps feeling like telling a story is just a waste of time.  I love to read fiction, that isn't
a waste of time, so why do I think this way when I write.  I think it is the classic self defeat mindset of so many wanna be writers.  We may have skill, ideas and determination, but can we continue when the inner mind is telling us what we are doing is stupid, not interesting, and taking time from something actually useful like cooking supper?

After thinking some about it I decided to write the story I find myself daydreaming when I can't sleep.  It may be that no one but me will ever find this story interesting, but that is OK.  I am writing to develop my ability to write, and stick to the process.  If I am the only person that ever reads the story, but I finish the writing, I will consider this a success.  So, what is my story?  It is a story of walking, learning to enjoy nature, and discovering the joy of being in the woods.  So far the greatest plot change has been my character learning to pee in the woods.  This isn't great literature, this is a fun coming of age story with lots of adventure.  Hopefully I will finish this rough draft, and perhaps I will share it.  At any rate, I will have fun!  See you in a month!

Home made cream of soup mix - frugal kitchen

Why buy something when you can make it easily and better at home?  This is especially true for those canned soups I love to add to my casserole recipes.  One day, when the internet was still young, I came across this cream soup mix, and I have not looked back since.

Last night I fixed chicken pot pie, and used this mix in place of the canned soup the recipe called for.  It tasted great, and was simple to fix.  I had no cans to throw away, or recycle, and we ate a meal with less salt and fewer chemicals.  This is never a bad thing.

Homemade Cream of Soup Mix

2 cups powdered milk

¾ cup cornstarch

2 TBS dried onion flakes or 1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

½ tsp black pepper

option: ¼ cup powdered bullion granules

Combine all ingredients and blend until mixed.  Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to a year.  This recipe makes 3 cups and is enough for 9 cans of soup.

When you are going to cook a meal that takes a cream soup, mix the soup first.  Combine 1/3 cup soup mix and 1 ¼ cup water.  Bring to a boil for around 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  While this mixture cools you can fix the rest of the recipe and add the canned soup when needed. You could use chicken broth, or chop mushrooms or celery for a more specific flavor, but so far I have only used the plain version and I have been very happy with it.

 Chicken pot pie with homemade cream soup before and after!

Eating around the world

Basque Chicken from Cooks.com

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, salted & peppered

½ C flour

2 tbsp oil

2 med. Zucchini, cut into matchsticks  (I cut rounds)

1/3 C chicken broth

1 tbsp butter

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ C white wine

2 lg cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Clean fat from chicken, cut into ½ inch slices.  Salt & Pepper.  Dredge in flour and set aside

In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil.  When hot, sauté zucchini 1 – 2 minutes.  Remove with slotted spoon.  Set aside.  Cook sausage in same skillet until well browned.  Remove and set aside.  Drain fat.

Add butter.  When melted, add red pepper flakes and oil if needed.  Cook chicken.  Add wine, reduce, stirring until chicken is glazed.  Add garlic and chicken broth.  Simmer partly covered 2-3 minutes.  Add sausage, zucchini.  Simmer 2-3 minutes.  Serve with rice.

This recipe called for a 7 oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips.  You add at the very last.  I didn’t do this.  If anyone out there knows if this recipe is an authentic Basque meal, please let me know.  All I know is, it is good.

If you don't take a picture, did it really happen?

This picture is of the storm that passed earlier in the day

Yesterday I went for a walk, like I often do in the evening.  The air was cool for summer.  A storm had passed through, and the bushes and wide leaves were dripping.  Frogs were singing, birds were flying, and the sky was showing off all of the colors possible.  Deep purples folded out of grey clouds, red and pink layers emerged from the purple, and the sun warned of its moving closer to the horizon by sending out orange waves.  The grasses and magnolia leaves dripped water, bringing their greens to the party with exuberance.  The road was wet and I had to avoid puddles at times.  As the sun set the tree frogs, and the pond frogs sang louder, the cicadas pulsed and I gloried in the beauty of the south.

 I had no camera.  The truth is a night like this can’t be captured on film, yet I wanted, almost needed to try.  People need to know this beauty.  But they wouldn’t hear the insects, or feel the wetness.  The colors would be muted, and even as I realized such, the sun set and the evening settled into shades of grey.  Still, even while enjoying each moment of the evening show I mourned the lack of pictures.  Why?  Did I really need to post every walk, each and every beautiful sight on social media?  If I didn’t record the beauty, did it even happen?

I have been guilty of snapping so many pictures of the moment that I forget to actually enjoy the moment.  I was not always this way.  When the kids were growing up I didn’t want to be that mom shooting pictures of all the milestones.  We celebrated birthdays, ball games, concerts, by actually listening, participating and being with the kids.  We do have a few pictures of these events, but not that many.  When my son played soccer or t-ball, I sat in the stands and cheered.  When my daughters played in concerts, I listened and enjoyed the music.  These are precious memories, and I am glad my first focus was not just recording or catching every cute smile or playful expression on my camera.  I was there, in the moment.

On vacations, how many people drive to a view, hop out of the car, snap a few photos and drive off, satisfied they have seen and enjoyed all they could?  My parents live in a popular tourist spot, and they see this every day.  Do we really need hundreds of photos of that spectacular view, or the wild animals?  Or are we hoping for the once in a lifetime shot that catches the beauty in a way that will make others be amazed.  I admit I love trying to turn the beauty of nature into art.  I have some of my photos on my walls, pictures that convey the image in a way that makes me happy.  The picture is pretty, and holds a memory of a vacation.  My family teases me about taking multiple photos of hikes, stopping to snap a photo and saying, “This is the prettiest place I have ever seen.”  After repeating this 10 times on the same hike, the rest of the group gets a little tired of me.  Maybe I need camera reform, I need to take a few more walks and hikes, leaving my camera behind and forcing myself to just enjoy the moment.  It could be good therapy. But then again,  I might miss that special picture.  Hmmm.  Where is my camera?

Top 10 Reasons to learn a Foreign Language, by Shelley Hopkins

Top ten reasons to learn a foreign language

1               My number one and favorite reason is that you can make new friends, and communicate with them in their own language.  Your circle of potential friends grows immensely.  More friends!

2               My other favorite benefit is you now have access to more books, articles, music and movies, and are able to enjoy them in the original tongue.  Even if you don’t understand perfectly, more of the meaning and culture comes through.   More books!

3               You can learn different expressions and ways of saying things that may not be easily expressed in your own language.  Sometimes one language has ideas that just don’t translate directly.  More ideas!

4               Travel is always better when you can actually communicate in the language of the country.  You can immerse yourself in the people and culture.  More places!

5               Learning a language improves thought and brain function.  Studies have shown that language learning aids memory and pushes back dementia and Alzheimer’s.  More memories!

6               When you have worked hard to learn another language, and struggled to express yourself without all the words necessary, you have compassion and understanding for others in the same position.  More understanding!

7               In learning another language you learn and appreciate new cultures.  Your world grows.  More world!

8               People that speak more than one language are at an advantage in job interviews.  Many companies need bilingual employees.  More jobs!

9               Your first language is improved with the involved study of the second.  You understand grammar and structure better, and develop an ear for listening.  More!

10           More words!  What a benefit to simply have more words, more ideas and more ability to express yourself.  Vamos a estudiar!  Vamos a hablar! A ligean ar Staidéar.  A ligean ar labhairt.  Let’s study!  Let’s talk!

I know Spanish, and the second language I wish to learn is Irish.  I had to cut and paste the Irish above, as I only know a few phrases in that language right now.  Hopefully that will change, and hopefully I will keep studying.  It is easy to give up on language learning, especially when we worry about speaking perfectly or fear making mistakes.  I make mistakes every time I speak or write, but usually I can communicate, and every time I try I learn.  So will you!