Encore: Fly on the Wall

 

Welcome to a monthly Fly on the Wall post, where Marcia and I invite you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in, buzz around, see what we've been up to. Bet you laugh! 

Hello. 

Yeah, I got it backwards, the "hello" most often comes before the "good-bye," not after.

Just call me Lucy. 'Cause the voice in my head right now is very much Desi, rolling his eyes, looking at me and saying: "you've got some 'spaining to do . . ." And no, btw, I'm not dating myself, that line is iconic.

So yes, I quit blogging. I wrote my decision and explanation in rhyme. The poem Finale, was my last post of 2023, my last post of the multi-blogger writing challenges I've been running for almost 12 years, and my last post. Period. 

I lied.

OK, I didn't lie. It was the end. I was done. I was a little sad, but mostly both relieved and at peace with the decision. A lot of factors went into making that choice, and nothing has changed. I meant it then and I mean it now.

Except . . .

Peer pressure. 

Yeah, I'm blaming you. Or thanking you. Maybe both.

I was happily minding my own business, peacefully enjoying my retirement from blogging. My writing time had reverted back to reading time, nothing like curling up with a warm throw and a good ebook. And, although I'd stopped posting my unique Baking In A Tornado food based word games to my BIAT facebook page (after having shared almost 5oo of them), I still play and share 13 online word games with my friends there twice a day.

But three things happened to make me waver. 

After posting my finale, so many of you reached out at the news of my decision, took the time to tell me that you enjoyed my blog, appreciated the writing challenges I'd developed, would miss me. I'm grateful, honored by your words. But still done.

But there were many mentions of Fly on the Wall specifically, how fun and funny they were, how much a monthly peek into the more humorous aspects of our family life both resonated and amused. I had long known these monthly posts were reader favorites, and they're a fun, carefree post to write, too. Surprisingly, there were more than a few suggestions that I just continue sharing this monthly update. Hmmm.

Next, I heard from Marcia. She's written these Fly on the Wall posts with me every month since January of 2012. She's mostly stopped blogging, is a paid writer on multiple sites now, but never stopped writing these Fly on the Wall posts, and would like to continue. I told her she was welcome to continue without me but . . . hmmm, I'm thinking about it now . . . 

And the last piece of the puzzle is the recipes. Although I wasn't posting them, I was still developing them. Not at a rate of two a week, but as they came to me. So, like with Valentine's Day coming up, I tried out this idea for Prosecco Pasta. The recipe was written up, photographed, pretty much all dressed up with nowhere to go.

Prosecco Pasta

 

So, I sent Marcia a message: "I can't believe I'm saying this but. . ."

It's actually kind of embarrassing, after that whole public good-bye. I mean can you really call it a comeback tour if it's only been a 3 week hiatus?

Yes, my retirement seems to have lasted under a month. Less finale, more intermission. 

 

Or maybe a finale followed by an encore.

So, hello. Again.

New plan. 

Instead of my normal over 100 posts and recipes per year, there will be 12. I'll probably be making very few graphics too. Now I'm not ruling out another piece here or there when . . . you know . . . I have something to say that's just bursting to come out, but I'm committing to 12. A monthly Fly on the Wall. 

I hope to see you all back here on the third Friday of each month for a look at what I've been up to. My greatest hope is that I continue to make you laugh. With all that's going on in this country, in the world, every laugh is worth its weight in gold. OK, that might not be the best analogy, since a laugh doesn't actually weigh anything, but it sure can help reduce the weight of the world . . .

And I gotta say, any fly with a strong enough constitution to survive this weather and actually be on my wall, at the very least deserves to be entertained.

Because it has been freezing around here. I mean like -14 degrees that, with the wind chill felt like -42. And not just here, the weather has been colder than normal everywhere. So, a few snippets of what's been going on in my little patch of the frozen tundra:

There is no question that it's not safe to be outside in temperatures this extreme. We'd had 2 snow storms, about 7 inches of snow each, with only one day in between. And, of course, our snowblower would not start.

Hubs was putting on his coat and boots. 

Me: What are you doing? It's not that cold in the house.

Hubs: I'm going out to shovel.

Me: No.

Hubs: No?

Me: This weather is not conducive to human life.

Hubs: I'm just going to shovel a little of my side of the driveway, we need to be able to get at least one car out.

Me: Hammer or boiling water?

Hubs: What?

Me: When you freeze out there, would you rather I break you into shards and carry you in the house in pieces? Or throw boiling water on you and you can slosh in on your own?

 

Actually, our snowblower not working was just the tip of the iceberg (so to speak). Hubs got enough of the driveway shoveled that he could get his car in and out. But when he was done, the garage door would not go down. 

We could not get the snowblower repair shop to even answer their phone until the next day. We could bring it down, but they'd get to it when they got to it.

Hubs put the snowblower in his car, got almost to the street when his car got stuck in the snow. We shoveled, and pushed and pulled and rocked the car and even put cardboard under the wheels. Nothing.

Good thing we pay for towing insurance. 

Or not. None of their providers could come today. We could find someone ourselves or they can try again tomorrow.

To summarize: Snow on the driveway. Snowblower in the trunk of the car. Car stuck in the driveway, garage door stuck up.

Wait, I'm not done. What were we arguing about that night? College Boy ordered food for us all. The delivery company dropped it off at the neighbors' house (they were away on vacation). 

And we were at an impasse as to how to deal with it. I wanted Hubs to go get it. Hubs wanted College Boy to go get it. College Boy thought we should just have cereal for dinner and let the neighbors find the frozen food when they got home.

He had a valid point . . .

Around this same time, the NFL playoff games were being played. One game was postponed, but another game, being played at night in below zero temperatures was going to be played as scheduled.

Me: I'm worried about this game tonight (yeah, I'm such a mom). It's just not safe for them to play.

Hubs: There are actually heating coils below the artificial turf. And when the players are on the bench, they have heaters and coats.

Me: What about when they're not on the bench. What happens when there's a lengthy series of plays on the field?
Hubs: They'll be running around playing the game.

Me: Yeah, it's all fun and games until someone's nose falls off.

I talk a lot in these Fly on the Wall posts, about how I've learned to reread all of my texts before sending them. Maybe it's my tiny keyboard and fat fingers, or maybe it's autocorrect (that's my story and I'm sticking to it), but I've been traumatized a time or two by texts I've sent that were . . . well . . . grossly inappropriate.

I had been texting with PurDude during those frozen days, and I remembered to ask him something I'd been wondering about.

Me: I've been meaning to ask you, do you ever use your foreplay?

Yeah, that's supposed to say fireplace.

Our recycle bin had been out at the curb all day, and the truck hadn't come yet. I had 4 things I wanted to put in the bin, so I put on my coat and boots and ran out to throw them in the bin.

A few minutes later, Hubs comes up from the man cave. I'm sitting on the counter with my feet in the sink and the water running.

Hubs: What are you doing?
Me: Defrosting my toes.

 

Now click on the links below for a peek into another blogger's home:

Menopausal Mother

See ya next month!

Prosecco Pasta

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP olive oil

1/4 onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

4 oz mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup Prosecco

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 cup heavy cream

1 box (16 oz) rigatoni

Directions:
*Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, red pepper, mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft. 
*Mix in the vegetable broth, Prosecco, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and spinach. Allow to come to a boil, stirring now and then. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

*Add the heavy cream and cook, stirring now and then, for another 10 minutes.

*In a large pot, boil the past to al dente, approximately 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, then stir in the sauce.

Working and Class

And just like that, it's Labor Day. For us, most of us anyway, it's a celebration of the unofficial end to the summer, the beginning of a new school year, and a nod to the coming cooler weather.

But, of course, Labor Day was not created for any of those reasons. It's not just about acknowledging societal achievements brought about by our work force, but more than that, it was created to address a serious issue, their rights in the workplace.

I'm not going to debate the issue of unions. There are pros and cons, but I'll leave that issue alone.

Mostly.

I do want to tell you a story, though.

My grandfather and some of his brothers owned a company. They started a factory and made a product. They were hands on bosses. My grandfather could and did do many of the tasks, work the machines, from the ground up. He was well liked, and I know this not only because of stories passed down in our family, but from, many years after his retirement, when he died at the age of 99 years and 9 months, how many people who knew him through that company crowded his funeral.

Grandpa was a little naive at the start. Remind me some time, to tell you the story about him building credit. But that's a story for another day. Today's story is about character, it doesn't take much more than character to make a man do the right thing. Not the least of which is appreciation of the worker who keep their company running.

Some of the specifics of what happened are either not retained in my memory, or maybe I never knew them to begin with. Some of what I do remember may be a little fuzzy as well. I'm not sure whether the entire work force: front office, sales, manufacturing, shipping . . . but I do know that union representatives began approaching at least some level of the workers.

I believe that initially Grandpa was unhappy, maybe a little insulted by the union interference, didn't want outsiders dictating the personnel policies of their heart and soul, this company they built. 

Whether you like unions or you don't, they are designed to function as protection of the rights of workers. And in the end, the union did, of course, address the employees. They promised a minimum number of sick days, vacation days, holidays, breaks during the work day, pay levels.  

Unionization was voted down, all they offered was resoundingly declined.

Why?

Because the benefits Grandpa's company provided their employees exceeded what was promised by the union.

The man had class.

Whether it comes from the intrinsic benevolence of management, is mandated by law, or acquired via the strength of unity, this is what I know: safety matters, health matters, the ability to afford shelter, nourishment, it all matters.

No one should worry about their safety, a place to sleep, where their next meal will come from.

Quick Ramen Chicken

 

So, what you do, how and where you do it, unions, labor laws, workplace rules and regulations, all of that aside, it is humanity that should be guiding us.

Humanity dictates that every worker earn, at the very least, a living wage.

Quick Ramen Chicken         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 packages Ramen Soup, soy or chicken flavor

1 tsp dried ginger

1/8 tsp dried chili flakes

2 tsp cooking sherry

2 green onions, sliced, divided

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded, room temperature

1/2 cup snap peas

1/2 cup broccoli florets

1 carrot, shaved

2 radishes, sliced thin

Directions:
*Break up the noodles from both soup packages in a large bowl with 3 cups of water. Microwave 5 minutes, until the noodles are soft.

*Mix the flavor packets, ginger, chili flakes, sherry, and one of the sliced green onions into the bowl with the noodles.

*Once incorporated, add the chicken, snap peas, and broccoli florets.

*Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 5 minutes, until most of the broth is absorbed.

*Serve topped with the remaining sliced green onion, the shaved carrot, and the sliced radish.

Teddy's not a Bear: Poetry Monday

 

Poetry Monday's once a week.

I bet you know which day.

I don't participate every time,

But today I've come out to play.

My friends assign each week a theme,

Teddy Bears is what they chose.

Now it's up to all of us,

to put our thoughts into prose.

 

 

Teddy's not a Bear

When it comes to comfort,

kids love a soft teddy bear.

Ours was not a bear, per se,

but our Lambie could compare.

Lambie soft and comforting,

soothed most every mood.

Similar to how we adults feel,

when we're sreved comfort food. 

 

Everything Bagel Pasta Salad

 

Every time we traveled,

you can bet Lambie was there.

Until, oh no, he wasn't,

then utter and complete dispair.

On a layover we lost him,

it was I, who just freaked out.

Frantically searched everywhere,

but boarded our plane without.

Called my mom in a panic,

and the assignment, she took on.

Quick, find another Lambie to

replace the one that's gone.

Yes! The very next morning,

Lambie'd flown next day air!

But that first night without him?
Let's just not go there.

Long relegated to the closet,

(quite against his will),

let me just assure you that,

Lambie's with us still.

 

 

 

 

Wait!

Read more poetry, 

you're not through.

Some talented writers

are in this crew:

 

On the Border

Messymimi's Meanderings 

Mother Owl 

 

Everything Bagel Pasta Salad         

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
8 oz tricolor rotini

1/2 red pepper

1 green onion

5 oz cherry or grape tomatoes

1 carrot

2 TBSP Everything Bagel Seasoning, my recipe HERE

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP water

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

Directions:
*Cook the pasta to al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain, then rinse with cold water and drain three times to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta. Place in a bowl.

*Seed and chop the red pepper, chop the onion, quarter the grape tomatoes, and shred the carrot. Mix into the bowl with the pasta.

*Whisk together the Everything Bagel Seasoning, olive oil, water, and vinegar. Pour into the bowl, mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

*Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, mixing now and then.

 

 

 

Only Loves: Word Counters

 

Counting my words again.

Today my fellow Word Counters and I are sharing our monthly group post. Each month one group member picks  a number between 12 and 50. All participating bloggers are then challenged to write something (or a few somethings, as the case may be) using that exact number of words. Today we all share what we came up with. 

This month's number is 24.  

It was chosen by Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings.

As I've been doing in these Word Counters posts, I've chosen a theme and am using my word count multiple times in keeping with the theme. This month I've chosen the theme Only Loves.

 

~ Happy Valentine's Day! Taking a break from news (politics) to acknowledge loves, small and large. Looking for love in all the right places . . . everywhere.

~ My older son buys and sells limited edition and rare albums. I love seeing his face when he's scored at a limited edition drop.

~ And hearing the throaty growl of my younger son's car pulling into the driveway after a loooong drive home. And that very first hug.

~ An afternoon in the den with my family, hot drink in hand, a fire roaring in the fireplace, and whatever game in the background.

~ Hubs shoveling so I can grill in the winter. And just how delicious a grilled steak is when you haven't grilled in a while.

~ Those moments after the cleaners leave, before anyone else comes home. The house looks clean, smells clean, and I enjoy it in silent bliss.

~ Knowing I've made a favorite when I put dinner on the table and someone's eyes light up. Watching that meal disappear is validating, satisfying.

~ Talking recipes with my mom. Updating a recipe to make it easier. And one that's successful on the first try (and the pictures, too).

Sausage & Broccoli Penne

 

~ That first silent snow clinging to the tree branches, pristinely white. Those first flower buds in the spring. Catching sight of inchworms, praying mantis, hummingbirds.

 

~ Finding what I want on sale, hearing that certain song, snagging the cl0sest parking spot, a surprise visit, finding what I'd thought was lost.

~ An afternoon nap, a freshly washed sweatshirt, fuzzy socks, and all those little things that bring an unexpected smile to an otherwise ordinary day.

~The end of a productive day, meals served, dishes put away, coffee maker set up for morning, Kindle is loaded and warm bed awaits. 

 

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

On the Border 

Messymimi’s Meanderings 

Sausage & Broccoli Penne        
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 box (12 oz) penne pasta

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 green pepper, sliced

4 oz mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves, garlic

5 oz smoked sausage: smoked links, kielbassa, linguica, andouille (I use the cajun style)

1 can (14.5 oz) Italian style stewed tomatoes with garlic, basil, and oregano

1/4 cup white wine

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 cup broccoli florets

Directions:

*Cook the penne to al dente. Drain and keep warm.

*While the pasta is cooking. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion, green pepper, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. 

*Slice the cooked sausage on the bias and add to the pan along with the stewed tomatoes, white wine, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring now and then.

*Stir in the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes. Add the warm penne to the pan, toss with the other ingredients for about a minute or two. Remove from the heat and serve.

 

Hurricane Hope

 

Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida a month ago. For most of us, it's difficult to watch the path of the storm as it sets its eye on land. Those of us with a heart and the capability to feel compassion, that is. For me, the dread was mixed with deja vu.

 

I think you all know by now that my mom's winter home is on Marco Island. Hurricane Irma put Marco in the bullseye back in 2017, which was the last time I'd seen a CNN news story focused on the tiny Island.

In the end of September, it happened once again. Ian's bullseye was confirmed to be Naples. And Marco is just off of Naples.

That night was the second time I'd seen a CNN news story focused on Marco.

After the initial devastation, as the storm worked its way up the coast, weakening along the way, and we were able to assess the damage in general (my cousin was on the island and kept us informed), we waited to hear about the condition of mom's home. And I got to thinking.

Relief that it was over mixed with heartbreak at the loss of life. And there was empathy for all of those who had to deal with the aftermath, the clean up, the loss, the trauma. Millions were without electricity, their streets were flooded hampering even local travel, and something as simple and life sustaining as food was an issue. Where would their next meal come from?

 

 

 

Wild Mushroom & Smoked Salmon Rotini

 

I remembered the devastation Puerto Rico suffered in 2017 and how the trump administration did not provide the humanitarian support those citizens needed. Not a hurricane, but I remembered Texas's winter storm last year, when Ted Cruz called his friends, gathered his family, and went off on vacation.

And I thought about DeSantis, and what he had just done to target and harm people taking refuge in his state.

All of which, believe it or not, brought me to hope.

Because despite DeSantis's cruelty, my home state of Massachusetts rose honorably to the challenge.

 

 

 

And it made me realize that the tide has started to turn, no matter the level of cruelty by the local administration of the exact state that was now in such a desperate situation, we no longer, at the federal level, reward or punish states based on their local politics. 

We have far to go as a country, just to get back to square one when it comes to how we treat each other. It was a relief to know that under this administration, desperation would once again be met with support, compassion, and collaborative assistance. 

 

Whichever way the wind blows.

And that gives me hope.

Wild Mushroom & Smoked Salmon Rotini

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: 

2 cups vegetable broth, divided

1 package (.5 oz) dried wild mushrooms

1 box (16 oz) vegetable rotini 

4 - 5 oz smoked salmon, sliced

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP olive oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced 

6 oz portobello mushroom caps, cleaned, stem stub removed, sliced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried dill

1 TBSP cooking sherry

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 green onion, sliced

Directions:

*Boil 1 cup of the vegetable broth. Add the mushrooms and set aside for 15 minutes.
*Cook the pasta to al dente. Place the salmon in the pot with the pasta and cover to keep warm.

*In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, and portobellos. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add the wild mushrooms with the broth, the additional broth, salt, pepper, dill, and sherry.

*Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add the lemon juice, and simmer 3 minutes. Mix in the pasta with the salmon. Top with the green onions.