Beautiful Place of the Day:
Some of you might recognize the serenity of Central Oregon.
The smell of sagebrush after a summer shower.
The skree of the hawks circling in the afternoon thermals.
A silence so deep it makes your ears ring.
I love this place but NYC is home. I really miss my city on this lockdown.
Tip of the Day:
You don't need blurbs to query.
In fact it's better if you don't try to get blurbs for books before you have rep, or a pub deal.
I posted about this a while back.
Fending off 3am attacks of anxiety:
Law and Order UK.
They "translated" the episodes from the American show, but there are some very interesting changes. Maybe not noticeable by someone who hasn't watched every US season multiple times, but you bet I noticed.
Progress on biscuits/0
I didn't even try.
Pet photo of the Day:
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| Callie! |
Flat out, zoned out, wondering if it's too soon for snacks.
("It's never too soon for snacks"--Callie)
36 comments:
I can't wait until this is over. I wonder what the world will look like after. But for me, when this is done there is a short list.
Take a trip with my daughter before she goes to wherever she lands.
Leave the US once the UK has recovered. I was happiest when I lived in London even as poor as I was. The next happiest time was when I spent a month in the UK with my daughter when she was 14. It is the only place that ever felt like home.
I would love to live in Edinburgh and be able to visit Liverpool frequently. Catch a match or two at Anfield
Finish my series although I despair that my lovely books will ever be published. I have a mental breakdown every time I rewrite my query or attempt to polish my synopsis. But I will keep trying. There has to be an agent/editor out there somewhere that will love these books.
Keep my mouth shut and stop being such an asshat. I weary of being despised. Is there a way to be silently insane?
Sail into the west where all will turn to silver glass....
Just back from dawn senior shopping. Ramona looks up, "you did get my treats didn't you?"
It's like the Breakfast Club but with masks and gloves. We do have a great team of supermarket people that we've been greeting for years. We were sure to tell them how much we appreciate them. Getting up and out at 5AM wipes us out but we are well stocked for two weeks. No TP though! (we have enough)
A friend stuck in Cuba wrote he was glad he did not get stranded in Surinam where he has been planning to go. Other internet friends made it home from Argentina with their dog, leaving their van. Others are in an airbnb in Fiji hoping to get to their sailboat in Tonga.
It feels like living in a science fiction novel.
Callie has the right attitude! Lay here and wait until it all passes ;)
It's too cold out to work in the yard yet but supposed to warm up by the end of the week. We're on three acres so social distancing won't be hard.
I wish it would warm up enough to take my car out, but then I'd have to put full insurance back on it since it's only got storage insurance now. But it would be fun to just go for a drive, something I do often in the summer. While I could go out in my leased daily driver, it's such a lemon that I hate it and the company won't take it back :(
There's a part of me that would love to see social media dissolve to nothingness. I hate it. The misinformation and rage have become the norm and it's a horrible way to communicate. I haven't done twitter in a couple years and FB is only visited for news of my township and I still see the bitterness and hatred and people attacking others because 'it's the thing to do', I guess. This was going on before the current situation and unfortunately, it won't change, regardless how much I hope.
Sorry. It's meltdown day for me, I guess.
E.M. Goldsmith, I'd like to join you on your boat sailing into the west. Sounds dreamy. I promise I'll stay 6 feet away. *splash*
Because of assorted health issues, I'm in strict quarantine, although spouse goes out for supplies. I'm in good shape compared to so many.
It's an ideal time to work on my sequel, but I'm having trouble concentrating. Too much train wreck type news to obsess over.
Fending off 3am attacks of anxiety:
I used to have wicked panic attacks in the middle of the night before they were called panic attacks. The kids were in grade school back then. (They have kids of their own now.) There were moments when I'd actually think of suicide over something as trivial as a household bill that wasn't due for another week. That's when I began asking myself, What's the worse thing that can happen? Then I'd figure out a way to handle that. Then I'd ask myself the question again, and figure out its solution. And so on.
Nowadays, if I awake at an ungodly hour, I watch Forensic Files.
Ooh, Central Oregon is now on my Lovely Places I'd Like to Visit list. I was thinking of y'all, particularly those from NYC, yesterday when granddaughter Natalie (who turned one last month!) and I watched a song on YouTube. It's usually classical music for us, but this one was "Sesame Street: Outdoors with Jason Mraz." Maybe watch it, and know that your day is coming. :)
Callie looks so sweet. She looks similar to Fargo, a dog who lived next door to my family when I was a child. The woman next door found him in the woods nearby, caught in an bear trap. (There were no bears in the woods, but kids regularly roamed them--not sure why a trap was there.) He was in bad shape. The vet said he had a "far way to go." Hence, "Fargo," who made it that far, and went on to live a long, good life. A really sweet boy, and a friend to my family, including our dog.
Stay safe, Reef Fam.
For the past few weeks I've kept incredibly busy attempting to keep our food pantry up and running. We've grown overnight from serving roughly 150 people a week to serving well over 400 a week. We started delivering food to our most vulnerable people, which requires a great deal more effort in organizing and delivering safely. Meanwhile, the need for our services continues to grow beyond the resources available. So many in need for the first time in their lives.
Because I've been so busy, my own anxiety kept at bay. That is until around 3am this morning when I woke in a panic. How are we ever going to manage this growing demand for help? It all feels so overwhelming! And then my mind ran away with me and I saw my family, friends and co-workers all getting sick and falling by the wayside. Finally, I got up, dragged on some clothes and boots and headed down to the barn. Just being with the animals for half-an-hour helped calm me down. This morning I feel better, still anxious, but it is under control somewhat. I still have no idea how we are going to meet the need, but we will do it somehow and we will all survive this insanity. As I keep telling our clients: be safe, be brave, be smart and be kind. It's the only way through this awfulness.
About the biscuits...you sure you have fresh baking powder?
Take a small amount (half a teaspoon?) and put it in some white vinegar. Does it IMMEDIATELY start to bubble vigorously? If not, buy new baking powder. Your leavening is too old.
Too much liquid can make them flat.
Over-handling can make them flat and tough. You want to handle them just enough to get the dough so you can QUICKLY roll them out, QUICKLY cut them, and pop them in the oven. Don't mess around.
If you have a "soft" flour (like White Lily brand), one with fairly low gluten, your biscuits will come out more tender. Not sure how available that is in NYC, though--it was never available when I lived in Boston or Connecticut.
Making biscuits is a messy business if you do it right. Don't aim for too neat in your kitchen. Clean it up after they're in the oven.
Sorry. My mamma was a big biscuit-maker--comes from being raised on Southern cooking.
Have fun!!!
I woke up at 2 am this morning, wrote in my journal a bit, then started reading The Bookshop of Yesterdays from my TBR pile.
My work schedule has been discombobulated too, with our state in quarantine mode. Business for the small church I serve keeps anxiety about Covid19 at bay figuring out Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter morning services, in addition to a newsletter and getting the sermons/messages done early enough to be snailmailed to phone people then audio-tape myself (haven't sorted video issues yet) leading services for the internet people.
I'm so very glad we have 2 kitties. Leo stretches up to me (and he's not shy with his claws if I don't notice him), demanding to be picked up and petted at regular intervals. Rex, our soccer player, will chirp at me with the bouncy ball in his mouth to let me know it's time to play.
Ah, yes, the 3am anxiety wake-up. The other night, for the first time in my life, ever, I woke up screaming. Like full on terror scream, freaking the hell out of my husband and our dog. Our poor dog, who has a tiny bed in the corner of the bedroom got up and dragged his bed to the foot of our bed to be closer.
Other than that, I keep a book or kindle by my side. If sleep is impossible, I can always read.
Other than THAT, I decided to start serious deep cleaning of each room in the house. That should keep me busy through the rest of quarantine. Right? RIGHT?
What's everyone watching on Netflix for escapism?
In other news:
All was calm here, in my lovely Cape-Cod style house, where I dwell all by my not-lonesome self. What then explains the thumping and bumping overhead?
A trip upstairs (yes, this counts as travel)reveals three holes in my ceiling, where the insulation is hanging down and chunks of drywall have already plastered the flooring.
Bats in the belfry? Nope. Squirrels in the roof ventilation space. (No attic in a Cape-Cod!). A call to the contractor that has been sprucing up the homestead, and he chases out Earl, then properly secures the air-flow vents at the peaks of my home.
But wait! Hours later, the noises return. Pearl, or Burl, or maybe Merle is now TRAPPED in my ceiling. A restless night follows as I imagine all the ways the suckers are going to descend upon me. It's fair to say that I will lose my $h!t if that happens. Nature is fabulous. Outside.
My hero is on his way, via his trusty white work van, to vanquish these foes. I hope he is successful. Then I can get back to quiet social distancing and a much slower heart rate.
If you decide to go the easy route for biscuits, Pillsbury Grands Southern style as almost as good as Mom's.
I just want to say RIP to Tomie dePaola, author/illustrator, who died recently. He was a dear friend of a family member. Not Covid related, but this stupid disease means people are dying alone. It breaks my heart.
Take care.
Not a 3:00am anxiety attack, but a little "shake, rattle, and roll" action late yesterday afternoon as a 6.5 earthquake bounced us around a bit here in southern Idaho. Freaked out the fur kids, causing both Mattie the Intrepid Lab and Lucy-Fur the Calico (yes, she lives up to her name) to become velcro pets for a few hours. No damage, and my other half came back from a dog food run literally saying "What earthquake?" He didn't even notice it in the car.
Other than THAT, writing and editing go on as scheduled, and my day job was always 'work from home.' I'm apparently one of those people whose normal lifestyle is "quarantine." :\
Have you tried adding a little splash of lemon juice to your liquid.
I had middle-of-the-night panic attacks a year or so ago, and got music recording. It sounds like flutes and waves, but underneath that it is scientifically jiggered in some way (no, I don't understand it) to make it end panic attacks. Worked really well.
I understand about panic attacks. I have had anxiety problems since childhood. Before this pandemic hit, I had gone years without a panic attack through lots of therapy and such. I was getting stronger and so forth. Now, I have them in middle of night all the time. I feel like I am having a heart attack or something. It's like having three years of therapy completely undone.
I do better during work day but the nights have been tough. I got a regular form letter rejection last night - no big deal- but I had the worst reaction like feeling so worthless, thinking that I should just give up on writing for publication. Still have a little of that going on at the moment. Totally irrational. I am hoping to get a handle on that as time wears on. But I am going to stop querying until I do.
Uncertainty really messes with me. Even though, intellectually, I can deal. I am one of the lucky ones. Still have a job, still getting a pay check, have plenty of food, and a great little pug. It's the part of my mind I can't control that goes all wonky when things are off and there is no where to go to calm myself.
My best friend, her son, another friend's father all have the virus. I am tired of being part of a great event in history. Oh, and my cousin got in trouble in France for taking a walk. So it's hard to block all that is happening out. Even with turning off news and social media.
It really is never too soon for snacks for her. That's my girl! Every day, twice a day, Callie stands at the top of the basement stairs (she's not allowed in the basement because of litter boxes) while I get her food (which is 1 cup of boring, dry kibble). It's the highlight of her day, and boy is it a highlight.
When I walk back up the steps, her head is hanging low and her whole body wags. All 60 pounds of her vibrates with anticipation, and a high-pitched whistling sound escapes her like she's about to spontaneously combust. ("Callie, you're losing air," my significant other tells her). Her food barely touches the bottom of her bowl before it's gone, and the moment's over.
Dogs are so wonderful.
Emma, I'm definitely watching Netflix. "You" is creepy but interesting so far.
Callie deserves snacks!
Unlike the last 2-3 weeks, walking the puppy today was like playing Pac Man. I'd turn a corner, and there'd be a person. Or two people and a dog. etc. etc. We stayed in the same general area we normally do, but instead of our nice big loop, we did a weird curlicue zig-zag, like when you've doodled something and want to scratch it out. It's good for her though; she's too used to our normal walk route, and I need her to generalize her good leash behavior to other "unfamiliar" environments, even if "unfamiliar" is the same street, but going south instead of north!
Jenn Griffin we've had to have squirrels trapped from our home multiple times, I know that scrabble-scratchy-thumping alllllll too well!
Sigh...I know you don't need blurbs to query, but I also wish to heck that you didn't need synopses (yup, I'm still whining about this. sorry.)
Lennon, I have the litter box in the upstairs bath and a gate on the stairs because...cat snacks! I'm way too familiar with that problem. Ugh.
*waves, waves, waves*
EM Goldsmith, hi there! Liverpool fan here too. You comin' over?!? :D
P.S. So you don't mind driving on the left then... LOL
Katja and EM, I'd live in the Highlands or preferably, Skye, if my husband wasn't such a stick in the mud...
Katja I won't have a car so won't mind the drive on left thing. Which is why I will have to live in a city near a train. Or night music I would love to live in the Highlands. I even love the cold and those gorgeous green rolling hills. And the goats. And the wee long-haired cows.
EM, oh geez, yes! Heilen Coos! I keep trying to talk husband into a couple here, but he continues saying 'no'. My mother was from Forfar. I've never been to Scotland but between my mother, grandparents and extended aunts and uncles when I was growing up, I know much of the country almost as well as I do the US. Husband seems to think he'd need something to do. I keep telling him walking in the Highlands would be enough.
And I live in Michigan. We had a fire in the hearth last night and probably will again tonight because it's still only 40 here. There will probably be no planting, no nothing this year. It's too damned cold out!
nights music Both my paternal grandparents were from UK - grandfather from Ireland but his grandmother (a McDowell) was from Scotland - tiny town near Glasgow and my grandmother's family were all from Scotland. But they immigrated to US before she was born. She visited loads of time. She was the reason I took off to Europe when I was young and went to school there. I do love Edinburgh so it will do. And it's not such a long train ride down to Liverpool to visit my beloved Anfield and Reds.
We will all have to meet there one day on the other end of this pandemic.
Elise: "Both my paternal grandparents were from UK..." Something my kids can all say. :)
Colin A bit closer relationship there. You have the accent and everything. My grandmother had a soft lilt to her accent that was equal parts Scottish and pure Memphis. My grandfather barely spoke but when he did, full on Irish there. I miss them.
When I move to UK, bring your brood to visit their grandparents. You can bring me tiny cakes. I so love tiny cakes. My nephew will be in school in London so could meet there. Well, if my nephew can still go to university there after all this disruption :(
Elise: I know my accent is not what it was. I've picked up so many Americanisms and Southernisms. But I haven't resisted assimilation. After all, I'm living here, so I don't want to make it too hard on the locals to understand me. Besides, since I'm an American citizen, I ought to be able to say "y'all" with some authenticity. :D
One of my kids did comment the other night how she suddenly realized how un-Southern she sounds compared to her co-workers. They all have strong North Carolina accents, and hers is... not.
Given their father's a Scots-Irish-Welsh Englisman, and their mother is an American of Irish-Cherokee blood born in Florida to Floridian parents (can you tell I did our Census recently?) is it any wonder? ;)
EM Goldsmith, we don't have a car either. Sadly. But I STILL look the wrong way crossing the road sometimes. Only happened the other day again, and if Fiancé hadn't grabbed me by the sleeve, yunno...
Sometimes we hire a car. I just 'drive' in the passenger's seat: cheeks clenched... it's super tight afterwards. Lol
Frankly, I hate it. Everything is mirrored, I just can't get used to it. Got a bike also...
nightsmusic, you in the UK too?
Oh, and EM, I know what you mean about one place only where you truly felt at home. For me that is Zurich in Switzerland. But I can't go there any more. OCD says no no.
Callie is sweet - I'll trade you a new puppy named "Freddie", a dachshund with a smidge of Jack Russel, for her. Interested?
Ah, confinement. The horror of all extroverted writers. I can't say I'm faring well, but Zooming with my critique group has certainly helped. I miss faces. And ice cream.
E.M - don't let a rejection get you down. They have a way of being ill-timed. If it helps, Writer's Digest published an essay of mine in their April 2020 issue - it's about my journey to agent rep. There may be some nuggets in there, or at least some opportunities for commiseration. Oh, and our dear Janet is mentioned too.
Hang in there all.
EM, I'm way past my commenting limit, but I will say, I have everything ready to get my passport. Once I have that, as long as I can pay the airfare, my BFF of . 50 years will cover all our expenses while I'm there and she very much wants to spend time in Scotland. I have a ton of relatives buried in the cemeteries in and around Forfar so would love to get some etchings. And while the airfare is dirt cheap right now, it's not the time for me to travel.
To live in the Highlands has been a dream of mine for many years though. Many years. My grandmother was a Wallace from who knows which branch, there's so many, but her family emigrated to the 'lowlands' after 1745 and that's about where I lose the line. But she'd visited many times before coming to America and I grew up on the stories of how beautiful it is and how much like Michigan's climate. I'll get there. Eventually. :)
Katja, unfortunately, no. :)
And that's it for me today.
Lennon, yes, I watched YOU, and I read the books! I highly recommend the books. They're written in a mix of first and second person, which is a real feat, and the author succeeds with flying colors.
We're supposed to go to Edinburgh this summer as a graduation present for our son, but... no idea if we'll be able to. We're going to have to decide by the end of April since the trip is end of June. All evidence points to us not going. My husband's family is Scottish.
As for my own Netflix recommendations: Tiger King and Unorthodox were great, though polar opposites. Also, if you're into steamy Spanish melodramas with a male dance revue, Toy Boy. Now that's world class escapism right there.
Lastly, have you all heard of the Quarantine Book Club on facebook? They make it a point to buy and read books that are coming out right now to support authors. Good stuff.
There will not be a fundamental change in the world from this virus. It will affect most those whose family members or close friend do die. But the fear and the lockdown precautions are the major disruptions most of the rest of us will experience.
You may derive a bit of perspective from history. In the US these are the deaths from past pandemics:
1900 in a population of 75 million, 150,000 people died of tuberculosis.
1918 in a population of 100 million, 670,000 people died of the Spanish flu.
1968 in a population of 200 million, 100,000 people died of the flu.
2017 in a population of 330 million, 70,000 died of illegal drug overdoses.
About 30,000 to 60,000 people die of the flu each year.
No fundamental change is coming unless this virus mutates into something much more deadly.
So, take precautions, avoid exposure, and wait it out. If you or a member of your family gets sick, get treatment immediately. It isn't minor but it isn't the end of civilization either.
Lennon: It looks like you have exercised poor Callie to the bone. She looks like she will still be enthusiastic no matter what, though.
On Biscuits: White Lilly flour does make great biscuits but it is a one trick pony. It is too soft for most other usages, like using cake flour. Since I saw a 5lb. bag of it for $45.63 on line today, I'll pass.
I use King Arthur All-Purpose Flour. If you don't overcook your biscuits it is fine.
My baking mix is like up graded Bisquick (which I hate)
It is: 6 cups of flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder( double action, single action uses aluminum to stabilize it)
1 Tablespoon salt
3/4 cup of shortening (I use Nativa Palm oil shortening because it isn't hydrogenated)
Whisk the first three items together. Then use a crust cutter to blend in the shortening until the consistency of corn meal.
1 cup of it and 1/3 cup buttermilk makes about 4 good biscuits. Cook at 400 for 12 minutes.
You can also add sugar and eggs for pancakes, waffles or quick breads and muffins.
Rur roah!
That is 6 cups flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup shortening.
Oregon looks lovely. One day I will make it back to the US - I had been secretly hoping it would be next year, but I fear covid may have halted that plan before it even got off the ground. Ah well, gives me more time to reach my personal goal that will allow me to plan the trip.
Hugs to everyone who is struggling through this.
For me Paris is home, from the moment I arrived in 1971, I felt like I had come home. That feeling has never left me, but if I had to be stuck somewhere else, Buenos Aires would be a lovely place to be. I fell in love with that city when I was visiting there just last year. When people find out that I've traveled to over 60÷ countries around the world, they always ask which place was my favorite. I always answer, Scotland is one of the most beautiful. I've never been to New Zealand, but I'm told the southern part is something to behold. That's our next big trip when this is all over and we return to some sort of normal. Soon I hope, until then stay safe everyone.
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