Moving On

Friday, November 29, 2024

Today is post-Thanksgiving and Black Friday, the annual hottest sales day. The department store where I work part-time opened today at 6:00 a.m., four hours earlier than usual. Luckily, I wasn’t assigned to work mega-early, but I will work this afternoon in my old stomping grounds, the Jewelry Department.

My Thanksgiving Day was pleasant. Free from my outside job, I handled some property needs before joining friends. In my transition toward becoming a vegan, I opted for salad and soup. Those were plenty satisfying and supported my program.

I have chosen against making a sudden complete shift to veganism. My freezer has stored foods that aren’t vegan and that I don’t want to trash. I’m totally ready to go vegan, but with groceries nowadays so expensive, wasteful tossing feels sinful.

Dear Friends: Enjoy shopping today, and soon again, the Christmas sales. Diana

Culturally Resonant

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

I went to our local twenty-four-hour supermarket through late afternoon’s gloomy drizzle, not knowing exactly why but vaguely needing something. Many others, like me, were braving the chilly drizzle by hurrying into and out of the store. Once inside, I found myself maneuvering around other shoppers in crowded aisles. Suddenly, I woke up, “Hey, Stupid! This is Thanksgiving week!”

Aha! Thanksgiving had been the submerged but driving idea pointing me toward the market. I looked around with fresh attention, eying the offerings. Relatively inexpensive turkey at holiday time is a huge draw. I won’t be cooking for this holiday but I’d not mind eating turkey next week and probably beyond. I searched through a tank full of frozen big birds for the smallest one, finally bringing home anyway a large turkey, but feeling satisfied.

I’ll cook my turkey on another day off, either this weekend or early next week. Since experience reminds me that I’ll quickly tire of eating turkey, I’ll immediately portion and freeze the cooked bird. I’ll save plenty for my dogs; they won’t tire of eating turkey. My Cockatoo, Peaches, too; he weighs in grams and won’t dent the leftovers. Besides, Peaches favors bones–cracks them and devours marrows.

So many thoughts about Thanksgiving made me reconsider some psychological appeals of Turkey-Time. Essentially, the holiday taps into some of the most basic human needs: connection, belonging, gratitude, and meaning. Often, while busily focused on tasks, goals, and objectives, I disregard those basics. What refreshes me is remembering and thinking about the holiday.

The same will recur at Christmas time. I’ll likely drift again into the 24-hour supermarket and wander toward specialty foods. And, from deep in my mind, recalling pleasantness: feeling actively connected and belonging, thankful and meaningful.

Dear Friends: The coin’s other side: I need this giant turkey like a hole in my head. Diana

Chicken Love

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Since it’s getting colder outside, I’m dusting off my trusty slow cooker. I will combat this period’s tiring darkness by arriving home from work and finding comfort food at the ready. My first brew will be chicken with rice and vegetables. As in ancient ads, my dinner will be, “Umm, umm, good!”

Recently, I elected to combat increasingly higher food prices by becoming a vegan, except for eggs. My flock of chickens provides eggs and is treated humanely, so I’m not inner-conflicted about calling myself a vegan and eating fresh eggs.

It’s odd, right? Being a vegan while anticipating a waiting chicken dinner in my slow cooker?

Here’s what happened: While scrambling around in my refrigerator and pantry for strictly vegan foods, I discovered many edible meat-based foods on hand. I considered discarding all those but felt doing that would be mega wasteful.

My rationale for going vegan is to avoid ever-heightening prices for both real and lab-grown meat-based foods. However, becoming a vegan must be on hold until I have used up everything stored, edible, and soon unwanted.

Dear Friends: Wasting is sinful, and I can’t, but transitioning should be easy. Diana

Sporked!

Friday, September 27, 2024

The header captures my friend and co-worker Adrain tackling his crispy chicken bowl. I’m sitting opposite him and will do the same after my camera action. That was yesterday evening, at a restaurant called Spork, where we met for dinner.

My drive there and my search for Spork illustrated how much his city has grown, and our dining experience updated my restaurant behavior. I was a fish dipping into deeper waters.

About Adrain: This year, he’s been a good friend to me and my coworkers at the department store where we work. He had a previous career, and that path was recently relaunched. He’s excited—with good reason—for he’s bright and capable. We enjoy swapping perspectives and encouraging one another.

Everything I do is typically on this city’s east side. I rarely travel to the busy and touristy west side–where I became lost yesterday evening. Fortunately, I was near Spork, and Adrain found me, guided me into the restaurant, and introduced its–what? Tai/Chinese?–menu while explaining the ordering/seating processes. I found myself in good hands.

Brand new to me was the camera action in that busy restaurant. Almost everybody was taking pictures—selfies and groups—similar to lunchrooms in my part-time jobs. Adrain always uses his camera like a pro, and this dinner wasn’t any exception; he comfortably photographed and texted. So did everybody else, and soon, me, too, a little.

The upshot is that the evening might have relaunched Miss Eastsider. She ventured out, explored new venues, appreciated her kind friend, and had mucho fun.

Dear Friends: Plus, I found that another special buddy is my phone’s camera! Diana

Tea Leaves

Friday, July 12, 2024

I am eschewing my typical morning coffees and instead sipping ice-cold sun tea. Several days ago, I was in a supermarket and reaching for a bottle of brewed tea when I stopped short and thought instead of sun tea. Making sun tea means placing tea bags (typically black tea) in a large glass jar filled with water and setting it outside in direct sunlight for several hours. The heat from the sun slowly brews the tea. It’s inexpensive and delicious, hot or cold.

Sun tea is a very natural and simple process. I’ve assumed it’s been popular throughout human development, but my research says that’s wrong. More correctly, Sun Tea probably originated in the Southern United States during the 1960s and 1970s and became popular for making iced tea without first boiling water.

Eventually, concerns about the safety of sun tea rose, involving the risk of bacterial contamination. Temperatures achieved by sun-brewing aren’t often high enough to kill potential bacteria. The solution would be cold brew tea, similar in concept to sun tea. Cold brew tea involves steeping tea bags in cold water in the refrigerator over a longer period (usually 6-12 hours). That method eliminates the risk of bacterial contamination.

Now I am aware that my long-time method of brewing sun tea has been wrong. Understanding there’s a better way, I will today start a new sun tea batch; one that evolves in the fridge by brewing without interruption until tomorrow.

Dear Friends: A nostalgic and charming way of making iced tea. Diana

Cheesing

Tuesday, June 04, 2024

This is National Cheese Day (really!). Later this week (get this!): June’s first Friday is National Donut Day. In exploring celebratory days, I’m finding that opportunities to appreciate are overwhelming, and it’s enough already. I’ll stop searching and yet make a shout out: Happy Cheese Day!

I wrote yesterday morning that the outside weather looked blowy and chilly. I was correct for those conditions lasted all day. My window this morning reveals similar weather behavior. For me, this is a day off from work and I’ve planned to tackle much-needed outside work. If today remains windy and cold, I’ll stay inside where plenty needs doing, too.

While inside, maybe I’ll poke into the cheese world. There’s much to explore about its cultural significance and the human passion for making it. I could learn by reading or streaming documentaries about the history of cheese, its different kinds and methods of making, and its lasting cultural significance.

Good learning can transform perceptions. Learning could turn my chuckles about National Cheese Day into awe.

Learning an appreciation of cheese on this day represents only a beginning. More ahead and scheduled annually, will arrive on October 15.

Dear Friends: The donut product also has a history and a big (bah!) cultural influence. Diana

Egg-zactly

Saturday, April 27, 2024

I love 30- to 60-second microwave meals made from scratch. This morning, a low-carb tortilla sprinkled with cheese turned into a cheesy melt breakfast delight in merely 30 seconds. Peaches, my Cockatoo, enjoyed a slice, too; he “hearts” anything with cheese.

My love affair with quick cooking started on a morning long ago. I was in a hurry and experimenting, so I microwaved a stirred egg for 45 seconds. To my surprise, it created a lovely little soufflé. After getting good at producing the basic cooked product, I played around by stirring simple ingredients into a raw egg, like bacon bits and a drop or two of cream. Those made my microwaved soufflés really pop.

All that happened because of my chickens. They lay bunches of beautiful eggs. After teaching myself to cook quickly, I began carrying a raw egg and a little cup to work and microwaved 45-second lunches. Coworkers became interested and learned the cooking process.

These days, after washing fresh eggs and setting them into one-dozen-size cartons, I refrigerate them. Periodically, I take eggs to work for coworkers. They contribute $2/dozen, which helps defray costs for bags of chicken feed. Happily for all, a fresh egg easily becomes a hot lunch.

Here are more quick microwaved-egg meals for protein-packed breakfasts or light lunches:

Mug Scramble: Whisk an egg in a mug with a splash of milk, chopped veggies (spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes), and a sprinkle of cheese. Microwave for 45-60 seconds, stirring halfway.

Spicy Edamame: Toss frozen edamame into a microwave-safe bowl with a stirred egg, drizzle of olive oil, chili flakes, and a pinch of salt. For a hot and spicy snack, microwave for 30-45 seconds, stirring occasionally.

Mini Quiche: Prepare a small portion of pre-made pie crust dough and press it into a microwave-safe mug or ramekin. Fill with a beaten egg, shredded cheese, and chopped ham or bacon. Microwave for 45-60 seconds or until the egg is set.

Dear Friends: I am transformed into an egg guru, to my great surprise. Diana

Crackin’ Peachy

Monday, April 15, 2024

The header photo is an old selfie; it popped up and surprised me. I took it many years ago while driving to Sister’s, slowly, in heavy traffic. It was opening day for the Sister’s Quilt Show, an impressive annual event. Crackers, a Moluccan cockatoo, was on my shoulder. She was my buddy/visitor through that summer and we went everywhere together.

Crackers, a very affectionate bird, always dependably stayed on my shoulder. She had a huge vocabulary; we talked lots. I adored her–didn’t realize how much until after she was home again with her first family.

She’s why later I adopted Peaches, my Citron cockatoo.

Here’s Peaches, exploring a recent challenge.

Peaches’ personality is huge, like Crackers’, and he, too, has a large vocabulary. However, he often speaks less clearly than she–characteristics of their breed types. He loves being with me. One of my favorite things about Peaches is that he sings and creates humanlike melodies. We sing together, communicating that way is lovely.

Dear Friends: Yes, I’m a bird person, all because of my summer with Crackers. Diana

Out & About

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Yesterday, after work, I hurried to an adjoining city to pick up my prepared income tax forms. Then, I rushed home to pick up my Rottie-X, Chase. He had spent the day waiting for me in a standalone, escape-proof kennel. I intended to take him to Costco, have him stay in the Jeep until I returned from shopping, and learn not to leap from an open cargo that’s being loaded. That was asking quite a bit from this young dog; he rarely goes anywhere with me.

Chase has turned two years old. He has spent his life mostly on my property and sometimes runs freely in a BLM with my other dogs. That’s all good, but he needs more outer-world experience teaching him to be comfortable while out, especially with other humans.

I left him in the Jeep and entered Costco with a quick list, and unsurprisingly, my rapid shopping plan failed. I spent an hour in the store before pushing my loaded cart to the Jeep. There, I didn’t see Chase waiting, and looking inside, still not seeing him, I panicked. How could he have escaped!

Suddenly, a woman beside me smiled and said, “Hello.” Assuming she was a Costco employee, I said, “My dog somehow got out of this car!” Suddenly, turning and seeing Chase in the Jeep, I understood he’d been on the front seat’s floor.

The woman said, “I came to help with unloading your cart,” and gestured, “all those look heavy.” I shook my head, “Thanks, but I can do it.” She ignored me, reached for the heaviest box, and said, “Open the cargo.” I did that and she continued, lifting and loading faster than I could help.

Meanwhile, Chase stayed in the cargo, not threatening her but trembling mightily in the unusual situation. All did go well, and to his credit, he didn’t attempt to escape. Finally, on finishing, the woman turned to me, “Will you have help with unloading?” and watched doubtfully as I said, “I’ll be okay doing that.”

Then, she said, “My mom is ninety-three years old and still insists on doing things herself. I saw you with that loaded cart and just wanted to help.” I nodded, really having welcomed her act of kindness, and now thanked her.

At home, I unloaded and thought about her and also about a young man who had been shopping inside Costco. He saw me starting to wrestle with a bag of dog kibble, came to my rescue, lifted the bag easily, and placed it perfectly on my cart.

Two good samaritans. I felt appreciated and old; one forgets one is old. That’s another topic, for someday.

And my Chase, too. That good boy waited, tolerated a stranger’s pushy presence, and didn’t try to jump from an open cargo. Having him with me is making this pup more special. If only–if only, he’d outgrow his high leaping and quit doing his deep digging.

Dear Friends: A planned day with pleasant surprises and good outcomes. Diana

Toward Spring

Tuesday, April 02, 2024

Today will be this area’s warmest; I haven’t any pressing needs to take me away from home. I am going to rev up my tractor and clear the horses’ dry lot of dried muck and other ground-awful debris. The pitifully messy area has been on hold until a pause in our long string of wet, windy, and too-cold days, and it’s this one.

Last week, after charging the tractor’s motor, I tested its starter. The engine immediately powered up and with a good-sounding idle. I didn’t do any cleaning that day because it was overcast, and later it rained.

When I first moved onto this property and arranged it for horses, which had been my dream, I knew little about all actually needed. If today I were setting up for horses, many elements would be different. Years of experience teach; and I’ve learned and dealt with many unanticipated needs on my hilly, rocky property.

Hey, I count my blessings, too. Space with a rocky landscape reduces gardening demands; provides room for outside animals–horses, chickens, and a goat; enables privacy when it’s needed; and living up high makes visible a distant, beautiful mountain range.

When the tractoring is done and the dry lot better, I more easily will welcome spring. Already growing weeds need attention; the horses (and dogs) should be out on trails; and my favorite hobbies need resuming.

Dear Friends: A warm day encourages a shift from shrinking to re-engaging. Diana