“I cannot pretend to feel impartial about colors. I rejoice with the brilliant ones and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns.”
It’s raining. It’s pouring. The old man is snoring.
I don’t know when the rain started, but it is now a heavy rain and a strong wind. Outside is so dark my deck lights came on. The timer was duped.
I have written the start of several second paragraphs but have deleted each of them. Usually I have an idea which spreads across time and conjures memories. This morning I have nothing.
Sunday has never been a productive day. It was always church and family dinner day and some Sundays there was a visit to my grandparents. Nobody did lawn work, always reserved for a Saturday, and my mother didn’t vacuum or dust. She made dinner. Usually we stayed around the house. I’d read the Sunday funnies. The TV would be on a Sunday Matinee movie or a football game. I remember my brother watching and sitting close to the TV set, his legs bent and splayed behind him. I never found that comfortable.
The papers are so much bigger on Sunday. It is a three cup minimum to finish both papers. The Globe crossword takes the whole day as I fill in a bit then do something else then go back to it. I hate the crosswords where the longest answer is a quote and other answers finish the quote. Usually I start with the smallest part of the quote and work up hoping the answers will be hints. The capital of Ghana is often a crossword clue.
In the winter, I crave color. Often I buy myself a bouquet of flowers to remind me of spring and to brighten the darkness. The worst of winter is still ahead of me. January and February are usually snowy months. I’ll just have to be patient, never a strong suit of mine.
Explore posts in the same categories: Musings
January 10, 2016 at 2:03 pm
SLOW COOKER LENTIL CHILI
PRI
TYIELD: SERVES 8-10
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 4-6 HOURS
INGREDIENTS:
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, diced, seeds removed
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (16 oz) bag brown lentils, rinsed
2 (15 oz) cans small red beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 tablespoons chili powder (we used 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon cumin
Salt and black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Stir well to combine.
2. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Serve warm.
Note-we use a 6 quart slow cooker. This chili freezes well. Top with your favorite chili toppings, if desired. Some people have commented that their lentils didn’t cook in the slow cooker, we haven’t had this problem, but you might want to cook them before adding them into the slow cooker to be safe.
January 10, 2016 at 11:23 pm
Morpfy,
I have to admit I am not a lentil fan, but this may just change my mind. The ingredients are wonderful, and I can almost taste the chili.
January 10, 2016 at 2:06 pm
Are you readers enjoying the New Year so far ?
January 10, 2016 at 2:34 pm
Morpfy, you have done it again. Your recipes are really playin’ hell with my attempt to keep my weight at predictable levels. I just made my second pot of your Chicken & Corn Chowder (with a bit of ‘Cajun-izing’ thrown in). It’s a great recipe. First time I omitted the bacon and cilantro. I like bacon, but didn’t have any. Cilantro just tastes ‘soapy’ to me. I used parsley. This time I used bacon, and I like the extra little ‘kick’ of saltiness it provides. I’m sure the chili recipe is gonna be every bit as good as the one for chowder.
January 10, 2016 at 5:30 pm
Morpfy,
So far it has been quiet, but I’m enjoying a new year. I always hope something exciting will happen.
January 10, 2016 at 2:30 pm
I’ll swap you my sunshine and for rain … it’s 1315 hrs and we have a temp of 30°F with a ‘feels-like’ of 20°F … mais, me, I lak dat some plenny much yeah me, you. If you can throw in a bag of that wind you’re talkin’ about, that would be very much depreciated, mais yeah …
When it comes to writing, best thing to do is just start and let ‘free association’ take over. Here’s what I put as the intro to my weekly ‘Sunday Palate Cleanser’ of political cartoons I send to famb’ly and frenz:
“Good evening, Mr and Mrs America, from border to border and coast to coast and all the ships at sea.” That was Walter Winchell’s catchphrase intro to the ‘news of the day,’ and there’s no reason to not appropriate it for use here. I don’t have the telegraph key Winchell would press before he came on-air … that was supposed to make y’ think his stuff was URGENT! … you know, like the stuff here.
There’s usually a musical piece to ‘make the medicine go down’ easier. This week’s Musical Accompaniment was described as follows:
Today we are fortunate to have stumbled across a little ‘jewel in the rough’ (very rough) by our Guest Artist, one Mr Elliott Small. He titled his piece ‘E-Ne-Me-Ni-Mi-Ne-Mo,’ and it comes fairly close to using the original ’50s wording we remember, quite apart from the sanitized ‘PC’ version that may (or not) be used today. I’m thinkin’ ‘not,’ ‘cuz that’d send the kidlets lookin’ for a ‘safe space.’ And now, to begin:
The whole point of the writing game for me has been to just write and let the chips fall where they may. I make no pretensions to ‘political correctness.’ As Popeye said, “I yam what I yam and that’s all what I yam!” Yeah, you right, Mistah Pop …
Ever think that there comes a point in every day when you realise you’ve done as much as you can (or want to) and won’t do anything productive past that point … ? ‘Productive’ … it’s such a ‘time-in-motion-study’ word. Whatever happened to just enjoying doing nothing? Sunday is absolutely not a day to worry about things like ‘productive.’ It’s a day for lazy. It’s a day when the rest of the world doesn’t exist. It’s MY day (or ‘your day,’ depending). I no longer read the Sunday funnies, tho’ – but when I did, they were always the best part of the newspaper. The editorial pages were second, and the rest of the paper was destined for birdcage duty. Today I get my news online.
I never do crosswords. I’m crazy enough as it is, and those could push me straight over the edge. Mom used to do her crosswords in ink. When I looked thru the books she filled, I saw that she also used a lot of white-out to correct the inked entries.
I get color working in Photoshop on images I created when it was warm. There are splashes of color thru-out the house, but usually I’m doing stuff on-screen, so it doesn’t really bother me all that much. I’m still looking forward to the Jan / Feb snow(-s) … we just missed getting a foretaste of ’em last nite ‘cuz it was warm enough to melt whatever made it to the ground. I hate when that happens …
January 10, 2016 at 5:29 pm
Richard,
It is actually warm here at 54˚. Boston may hit 60˚. It is still pouring and has been most of the day. It is loud on the windows and door.
I remember hearing Walter Wincher’s opening with the teletype sound. It was definitely an urgent look at me sort of sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwblSeIdi0s
I talk about what is happening now and about also growing up as many of us had the same experiences growing up so we can relate no matter where we are from.
I have stuff to do each day, but if I don’t get it done, I’ll do it tomorrow or even the day after that. Today I only went out and bought a sandwich for lunch and dessert for when I go to my friend’s house tonight. That is it for the day, and I’m just fine with that!
I have tried but don’t like my news on line. I really enjoy reading the paper. I use a pen and do get messy if I made a mistake. My mother had crossword puzzle books, and I used to check to see if I could fill in any of her blanks.
As winter grows older, I start looking for the first shoots to appear in the garden.
January 10, 2016 at 2:31 pm
Missed the first half getting snow off the driveway, should be able to catch the whole second half of the Seadogs and then the Washington game featuring another Michigan State quarterback
And so Uncle Eric and his Chiefs are playing next Saturday at Gillette against team Gazelle….it should be a crackerjack
January 10, 2016 at 5:31 pm
My Dear Hedley,
Sorry you got more snow. We’re floating away with the rain.
I am looking forward to the game with Tom Brady and the boys!
January 10, 2016 at 5:34 pm
#72
January 10, 2016 at 11:52 pm
MDH,
I too will keep an eye on #72!
January 10, 2016 at 6:03 pm
Crackerjack, is that carmel popcorn with nuts? 🙂
January 10, 2016 at 11:52 pm
It is indeed!
January 11, 2016 at 6:55 am
Double or Drop Bob !
January 10, 2016 at 3:25 pm
Well, I can’t say that my Sunday was unproductive. 6 hours chorus rehearsal today, singing and show practice for our national chorus competition in less than 2 month.
No rain 🙂 Still no snow 🙁
January 10, 2016 at 11:25 pm
Birgit,
I don’t think I could do 6 hours though I do understand why. Two months go very quickly.
The rain has finally stopped!
January 10, 2016 at 4:09 pm
As the quote from the new movie, “Concussion” explains. The NFL has taken over the day of the week that used to belong to the church. 🙂 I haven’t seen the movie but What used to be the Lord’s day is now NFL games.
The reason the Cowboys have been so bad is that the egotist owner, Jerry Jones, is also the general manager. Just because you played football in college and you made a fortune in the oil business does not qualify you to choose the draft choices. Of course he owners the team and he can do with it as he desires. The NFL is really a closed club of billionaires who are just little boys playing with their toys. They received anti-trust exemption from Congress and do pretty much whatever they want.
Today is sunny and cool. This morning it was below freezing but it’s now warmed up to the mid 40s.
January 10, 2016 at 11:36 pm
Bob,
Even when I was a kid, games were on Sunday, just not as many, usually only one. My dad back then was a Giant fan.
No longer can they control their players who get to jump the club seeking more money. The Krafts are considered the best of the owners. They didn’t use state money and built their own stadium.
It poured all day long until earlier tonight. It was and is still warm.
January 10, 2016 at 4:47 pm
Hi Kat,
I just got a phone app that allows me to set three tasks for the day and check them off when I have accomplished them. I have done two. I doubt that I will complete the third as it is the one that takes the most time. But the other two were odious tasks that I hate doing so they should count extra. The third is a pleasant task that I love to do so I am pleased with my progress. 🙂
Today is a nothing day. It started just drippy but the rain got heavier as the dogs and I were walking. We got home just before the heavens opened and the wind began to howl. Now the dogs are bored and giving me the look that means they don’t understand why there is no door into sunshine and warmth. I don’t either.
It’s so dark it feels like 9PM.
My third task is to finish knitting a small project. The yarn is bright purple so my color hunger will be somewhat appeased.
Enjoy the day.
January 10, 2016 at 11:49 pm
Hi Caryn,
That sounds like too much pressure. I’d feel like a failure if I couldn’t do 3 simple tasks. I’ll just keep my haphazard approach to productivity.
My outside lights went on. The day was so dark it triggered the timer. I was down with my friends most of the evening. We played a game, ate appies then watched the Golden Globes.
I need flowers, colorful flowers!
Have a great day!
January 11, 2016 at 12:02 pm
I have trouble coming up with three tasks to commit to. There is no dearth of tasks that need to be done but there is also a huge dearth of willingness to commit to most of them. I try to find three that I know I have a shot at completing.
January 11, 2016 at 2:17 pm
Caryn,
I’d choose the simplest tasks like sweep the kitchen. Nothing would be too onerous.
January 11, 2016 at 1:39 pm
It has been snowing since Friday here but we have above 32 temperatures so it melts as much as new snow add to the one we already have.The road are su fun to drive on now 🙂
I can’t get the Sunday paper here, they refuse to drive so far from the town so if I want the paper I must agree to get two papers on Monday instead, so stupid. So I don’t have any paper any longer.
Have a great day!
Christer.
January 11, 2016 at 2:16 pm
Christer,
I’m glad the snow isn’t staying on the ground. You’d be buried by now.
I really like reading the Sunday paper. Sorry you can’t get one. I have 2 papers-the local one and a Boston paper.
Stay warm!