Midnight Message: Monthly Poetry Group

 

 

Last Friday of the month is for

Monthly Poetry Group to rhyme.

Diane, Mimi, and I take turns,

Message Me is the theme this time.

 

As usual, today I'll try,

a poem to write . . . or fudge.

Whether I'm successful or not,

you get to be the judge.  

 

Midnight Message

"Message me," the text had said,

it had me seeing red.

Was the middle of the night and I'd

been asleep, in bed.

Messages alert for me, 

always, 'cause . . . just in case.

Delete and block, the thing to do,

return dreams to my head space.

Just got back to sleep and my

chocolate breakfast dream,

when another alert came through, and I

thought that I would scream. 

 

Chocolate French Toast

"Message me," it said again,

not sure how that could be,

the delete and block was supposed to have 

permanently set me free.

Angry now I answered,

though really not too smart,

"who the hell are you," I said,

"how do I make you depart?"

"I just want to talk," he said.

I answered in no time,

"well, do you know that stalking is,

a serious legal crime?"

"Blocking me does nothing,"

was his scary retort.

"I can get through anything,

so forget a police report."

"As for who I am, perhaps,

a selfie explanation will do."

Ding went my cell phone alert,

a picture had come through.

"The picture is of nothing,

it's just completely blank.

And if you want the truth, I'm sick

of your stupid prank."

"The picture is of me," he said,

"I'm more transparent than most,

and I'm already departed, 'cause

the truth is, I'm a ghost."

Happy (almost) Halloween!

and perhaps it's time we started,

to give some thought to making friends,

with the invisible (semi)departed.

 

Before you go, stop by these blogs for more poetry:

 

On the Border

Messymimi's Meanderings

 

Chocolate French Toast

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chocolate ice cream

2 eggs

1 tsp brewed coffee, cooled

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

7 slices white bread

3 1/2 TBSP butter

OPT: serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and/or with syrup.

Directions:
*Thaw the ice cream in a pie plate. Once liquid, whisk with the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and salt.

*Heat 1 TBSP over medium heat in a large skillet. Swirl to cover the bottom of the pan.

*One at a time, dip both sides of two slices of bread into the liquid in the pie plate. Place into the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes, until the bottom has browned. Flip over. Reduce heat a little if the pan gets too hot, and cook the other side for about another 3 minutes.

*Remove and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining butter and bread slices.

*OPT: serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and/or with syrup.

 

 

Ghost House Rules: Secret Subject Swap

 

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 5 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

My subject is: There's a ghost in your house. What are you going to do?
It was submitted by: Sarah of What TF Sarah.

 

 

Well, this first thing that comes to mind, Sarah, is a question. Like does she (he?) do dishes? Or maybe have a long unrealized desire to be a sous chef, do some chopping, pass the ingredients? 'Cause I could learn to live with that.

But really, if there's going to be another person (former person?) living in this house, freeloading, there are going to have to be some ground rules.

 

Although I don't know who was here first, me or my newfound specter, let's just put it this way, as long as I'm the one paying the mortgage, my house, my rules. If it turns out spirits can actually pay bills (can they? 'Cause that would be otherworldly in the very best way), we can talk. 

Until then, clear boundaries must be set. These are the expectations:

 

 

1) No watching me when I'm sleeping. That's just creepy. And I'll know, get that being watched feeling. It'll wake me up. Every time (I had little kids, I know). Let me just tell you, you may be a ghost, but me without sleep? I'd be a witch.

2) If you're going to enter rooms through walls, you need to knock first. It's only polite.

3) I'm aware that ghosts like to scare. Control yourself. But if you absolutely must, for the sake of efficiency, restrict yourself to when we're already on the potty. Unless you plan to do clean up.

4) If you're going to have a party (do you still celebrate birthdays? Or just Halloween?), you, Casper, Bloody Mary, Marley, Andrew and Sarah Borden, and Elvis better pick up after yourself. No ectoplasm in the house.

5) About the dress code. Should you require a change, after all, you don't want to be wearing white after Labor Day, do not even think about cutting eye holes in my bed sheets.

6) Chain rattling, although I know that's your thing, is strictly forbidden between the hours of 11:00 pm and 9:00 am. Plan accordingly.

7) There's no free ride, everyone has to make household contributions. You'll need to earn your keep, make yourself useful now and then. Like the next time someone comes to the door selling . . . anything . . . could you get that? And can I watch?

Meanwhile, there's always that sous ghost chef gig. Ummm . . . quick question . . . about the whole needing fingers thing . . . can you work a food processor?

 French Toast Pumpkin Pie

Oh, and I just have to ask. I don't know what kind of company you keep over there in the other realm, but I would love for you to hook me up. Any way you could arrange a quick meet and greet for me with RBG?

 

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 

What TF Sarah

Climaxed  

Part-time Working Hockey Mom

 

French Toast Pumpkin Pie         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 boxes frozen cinnamon French toast sticks

4 TBSP butter, melted

 

6 oz cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 eggs

OPT: powdered sugar or maple syrup, and/or whipped cream

Directions:

*NOTE: you will not use all of the French toast sticks.

*Place a piece of tin foil around the outside of a springform pan, covering the bottom and partially up the sides. Spray the inside of the pan with nonstick spray.

*Melt the butter.

*Take out 24 French toast sticks and cut 1/4 of each stick off. Place these smaller pieces into a food processor and crush. Mix with the butter and press into the bottom of the springform pan. 

*Press the remaining larger pieces of the French toast sticks all around the edges of the pan, so they stick straight up, circling the side of the pan. Freeze for at least one hour, up to overnight.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Remove the crust from the freezer. Beat the softened cream cheese with the brown sugar. Once smooth, beat in the pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Last, beat in the eggs.

*Pour the filling into the springform pan, making sure the French toast sticks lining the side stay in place.

*Bake for 40 minutes. Place a pie shield over the top edges and bake another 75 - 80 minutes until the center is set. 

*Cool to room temperature on the counter. Then refrigerate for at least an hour before running a knife around the edging and removing the side of the pan.

*OPT: dust the edges with powdered sugar or drizzle with maple syrup and/or top with whipped cream.

Ghostless: Secret Subject Swap

 

Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 6 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

 

 

 

My subject is: Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever seen one? Or if not, tell us a fun ghost story.
It was submitted by: Jenniy of Climaxed.

This prompt had me headed to the way-back machine. Sorry, you young 'uns who don't know what I'm talking about, think Back to the Future or Hot Tub Time Machine, but just for looking, not for changing anything. Did that help? 

Anyway, I wrote a couple of posts in the past, not about ghosts per se, but along those lines. The first one was called Janet Knows, written in 2013 and it actually started out as a reaction to a television show about a medium. I was quite skeptical about the medium, but about the whole idea of ghosts, I was more on the fence. I had, after all, seen signs. You should read that post btw, it's sweet. 

The second post I went to find was one I wrote in 2016 about my stepfather, called A Smile and a Wink. It's similar to the other post in nature (and I recommend you read this one too), about signs.

My conclusion was not so much about whether I believe in the physical manifestation of ghosts, I really don't. It's more tied to the Jewish tradition of naming our children after the dead. 

Hmm, that sounds kinda creepy, but it's not, it's an honor. I believe we keep people alive, not physically of course, but in our lives and in our thoughts, in many ways, one of which is through their names. When the boys were little, I'd tell stories of the people they were named after whenever they asked about their names. To me, it felt like I was introducing them to people who'd had meaning in my life, but who they would never actually be able to meet.

I also believe that these people have a place, and even a purpose in my everyday life. Whether these signs of them is something I'm responsible for, or something these cherished friends and family members I'd lost are doing from beyond, remains unknown. And I think I like that.

But I've never actually seen a ghost, not with my own admittedly analytical eyes. Possibly it's because it seems absurd to me that dead people wander around among us, walking through walls, unable to "move on," or angry because we're living in their house, or just plain finding joy in scaring the bejeezus out of us. Maybe it's because I'm not open to it, too controlled and rational, too quick to reason rather than believe. 

Yet . . . 

I was making dinner just a few months ago, right around Halloween time, and while I was cooking, a friend stopped by. 

 

Crockpot Tortellini Casserole

We started talking about visiting Halloween haunted house attractions, which I love, when she asked me a question. She'd seen a post on FB about what was supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the country. An abandoned asylum or house or castle or something. The person who'd posted the picture did so with a question: would you go in here? So, my friend wanted to know, would I?

With all I've said in this post, you'd think I'd say "yes." After all, I've never actually seen a ghost, I am more than a little skeptical of mediums, and believe that there's a difference between signs from loved ones and actual . . . you know . . . ectoplasm.

My answer, though, once I thought about it, was this: yes I'd go in, but only in the daytime, and not alone.

So . . . the long and the short of it is a wishy washy "yes and no" in response to that question Jenniy asked me about whether I believe in ghosts. She did give me an option to answering it, though. Would you rather I'd have told you a fun ghost story? 

Sorry, my bad. 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Wandering Web Designer 
A 'lil HooHaa 

Climaxed 

Part-time Working Hockey Mom

The Crazy Mama Llama 

Crockpot Tortellini Casserole

                                                              ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

 

NOTE: I make this dish meatless, but have added a meat option for those who want it. 

You can also bake it in a casserole dish in the oven, covered, at 375 for an hour.

Ingredients: 

1 bag (36 oz) frozen cheese tortellini 

1 cup mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced

1/2 cup chopped red (or green) pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion 

2 cups fresh spinach

3 cups marinara sauce (I use my Homemade Marinara)

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

OPT: 2 Italian sausages or 1 cup ham, cooked and chopped

Directions:

*Spray the bowl of your slow cooker with non-stick spray. Turn the crockpot on to low.
*Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with 1/2 of the tortellini, 1/2 cup of mushrooms, 1/4 cup of peppers, 1/4 cup of onion, 1 cup of spinach, and one of the chopped meat, if using. 

*Repeat all of the layers. Top with the last cup of marinara and the shredded cheese.

*Cook on low for 5 hours.