I have not been abducted by aliens

It's true - I'm still on lovely Planet Earth.  I'm not sure why I decided I needed a break from blogging, but I did and still do.  I'm in the middle of remodeling my new apartment and it's taking a bit longer than anticipated.  I hope to be in my new digs in January, complete with a new kitchen!  Yay!

Speaking of new digs, I've just started setting up a new blog, which you can find here.  I'm not sure when the first post will show up - right now, I'm attempting to remember how to use Blogger!  Yes, it's been that long!  I also set one up at WordPress and may go over there eventually, but trying to figure it out now was too much for my little brain.

I wish you all a happy and healthy Solstice and Yuletide season.  See you in the new year!!

~Image is from PhotoBucket~

A new man in town

Steamy, hot, sultry

A new man in town ~ he says:

Hi, my name is Earl.

  

Once upon a time, there was a quiet little village in the French countryside, whose people believed in Tranquilité - Tranquility. If you lived in this village, you understood what was expected of you. You knew your place in the scheme of things. And if you happened to forget, someone would help remind you. In this village, if you saw something you weren't supposed to see, you learned to look the other way. If perchance your hopes had been disappointed, you learned never to ask for more. So through good times and bad, famine and feast, the villagers held fast to their traditions. Until, one winter day, a sly wind blew in from the North... 

Well, the wind that might blow into town isn't Johnny Depp playing Roux in Chocolat, a movie I enjoyed.  The wind that's blowing, weakly, is Earl - Hurricane Earl, that is!   He's made NJ into a hot house and, with the chance of rain this afternoon, will most like ramp up the status of hothouse to extreme hothouse!

I'm not sure if that picture is from Chcolat or not.  Doesn't matter - it's easy on the eyes!  

It's Haiku my Heart Friday - be sure to head on over to Rebecca's place to taste some delicious  morsels of haiku!

Image of Johnny Depp from Photobucket

Haiku my Heart Friday

'Fridge nearly empty

Pasta, shrimp, garlic, white wine

Dinner last evening

Yes, it was true - the 'fridge was nearly empty last night, but I managed to eat well!  Amazing how a few ingredients can make such a great meal.  Add a little fresh basil, lemon and some Grana Padana cheese and it was sublime.  

Happy Haiku my Heart Friday!  For more delicious offerings, head on over to Rebecca's place for a sampling - you'll leave feeling quite satisfied!

No, that picture isn't mine, but it does look like what I made - image is from Photobucket.

Cat lover extraordinaire

Since this is the last day of Leo, I thought that this video would be appropriate.  The relationship that this man has with lions and other big cats is truly amazing and inspirational.  I believe that the more we strengthen our bond with the natural world, the more human - and humane - we will become.  The video will probably view better over at You Tube than here.

Happy Birthday to all Leos!!

Haiku my Heart Friday

"

butterfly dancing,

dainty feet tickle flowers....

caterpillar dreams.

I remember reading "Illusions" by Richard Bach so many years ago...one of the passages he wrote went something like this:

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy.  What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls the butterfly."

I also recall the Gary Larson cartoon of 2 caterpillars inching along on the ground.  They happened to look  up and saw butterflies flitting about.  One of the caterpillars looked at the other and said, "You'll never catch ME up in one of those things."

Well, change greets all of us, whether we are prepared for it or not....

Me?  I feel as if I'm in my chrysalis, about ready to break through and pump my newly formed wings.  An interesting place to be at this age....

It's Haiku my Heart Friday.  Won't you participate?  To see more offerings, head on over to Rebecca's place.  You won't be disappointed.

Haiku my Heart Friday

Pretty green parrot ~

White eye looks into your soul.

Her sharp beak draws blood.

Ah, Millie - she is a Maximillian Pionus parrot who is sweet sixteen - we've been together since she was 4, when her owner decided to give her up for a dog. Now, I had 2 dogs at the time and couldn't bear the thought of her going to a place she didn't know - or worse, a place she didn't survive.  So, she came to live with me and has done - well, whatever she wants for these past 12 years!

Millie came across country with me on the plane from California - a real trooper, surviving the "inquisitors" that made sure that her little travel cage didn't have explosives - you know, 911 and Code Orange and stuff.  We were separated when my Gypsy jewelry set off alarms and we went in two different directions:  she headed down the moving thingy and I had to be patted down by the security "agents."

Eventually, we were reunited, made the trip to Newark and have survived here since 2003.  She does well with Kylie, the border collie - in fact, she goes "walk about" when I fall asleep on the sofa after a couple of glasses of wine, bypassing Kylie and all obstacles in her way to explore whatever she wants.  One day, she decided to do this while I was doing dishes in the kitchen - when I felt "something" on my feet and let out a gasp, I'm sure she was cackling to herself about scaring her mom!

We've had a tempestuous relationship, but I think it's getting better - we're both older and a bit wiser. Or more tolerant.

Squawk!

For more Haiku my Heart, please visit Rebecca here. You won't be disappointed!

Ruby Tuesday - again!

Yum!!  Strawberries and blackberries with vinegar....Balsamic Vinegar!  Delicious!  I thought it sounded quite horrible when I first saw The Barefoot Contessa make it - but, I was brave and decided to try it a few weeks ago.

O. M. G.  Was it delicious!!

I bought some organically grown strawberries and blackberries the other day and decided to do both of them with the Balsamic Vinegar....it was so worth it.

Wash, hull and slice the strawberries; wash the blackberries.  Toss them with about a tablespoon plus a bit more sugar - I almost used Agave Nectar, but passed on it this time around.  Make sure you put a PINCH of salt into the fruit - it just makes the fruit taste better.

Since I had lots of fruit today, I took half of it and put it into another bowl while it marinated in the sugar; then tossed the other half in about 2 tablespoons of the Balsamic Vinegar plus a few turns of the pepper grinder.  I let it sit for about 30 minutes while we ate*.  I served it in some pretty glass bowls.

Really - give it a try.

Happy Ruby Tuesday!  For more offerings, please visit Work of the Poet!

*Dinner was salmon on the stove top grill (marinated in some EVOO and Kosher salt), steamed Basmati rice and grilled tomatoes, broccoli, garlic and lemon zest with fresh herbs (oregano and thyme) tossed in some extra virgin olive oil and Kosher salt.

Yes.

It was GOOD.

Try it.

Happy Ruby Tuesday, everyone!