Do the Right Thing: Use Your Words

 

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s  participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them. I'm using: wild ~ loops ~ consistency ~ absentee ~ lost ~ Xanax
They were submitted by Jenniy of Climaxed.

                          

A little piece of fiction today. Hopeful fiction, actually. Hopeful because I'd love for it to be fact. I know, actually, that it should be.

Consistency is necessary, he thought. Not concurrence, in this small group of ours. Quite the contrary. Differences is the foundation from which we act here. Intelligent discourse, deep thought. It requires that we all think for ourselves, present our views and perspectives and interpretations, work together to come to very consequential conclusions. We are, after all, tasked with some of the most pivotal decisions of our time.

This isn't just about law, which is an ironic thought, it's about morals and values. It's about standards. Conformity. Behavior consistent with, not just societal standards, but higher standards, reflecting the level of influence we hold, the level of power with which we've been entrusted.

Consistency, conformity, standards. At the very least.

It would be nice if there were mutual respect and admiration among us. There had been at least the semblance of that in the past, a picture of civility. That's no longer how we are perceived. 

We don't have to break bread together, but we do need to comport ourselves with dignity. Both on with each other, and in public.

Apple & Honey Chicken Salad

I can no longer sit on my hands. That man's crazy as fruit loops wife with her known involvement in a wild, deadly insurrection, added to his not having recused himself from the issues involving her isn't playing well. Add to that his reckless acceptance of gifts, multimillion dollar gifts, from people with an agenda, to sway, to influence. 

And that on top of the last few among us having lied to get here, in private meetings and in public hearings, in front of the whole country . . .

We need to show that we respect ethical boundaries, and when we don't, we must agree to sanctions. And yes, even expulsion.

We are compromised, and the entire country knows it. Our approval rating in has hit a low 40%. The time has come. I have no choice, I can no longer be an absentee Chief. 

It would be in the best interest of the country if Thomas were to retire, just get lost. But, of course, he won't. This institution is in jeopardy due to my lack of leadership. I'm just going to have to put on my big boy pants robe, and take steps to have him removed, thought the Chief Justice, swallowing a Xanax.

 

Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:

On the Border 

Climaxed

 

Apple & Honey Chicken Salad

                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 large chicken breast, cooked and cooled

1 small apple

1/2 cup walnut halves, shelled

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp honey

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
*Shred the chicken and place in a bowl. Core (and peel, if desired), then chop the apple. Add to the bowl. Coarsely chop the walnuts, add to the bowl. Mix.

*In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, honey, apple cider vinegar, and cinnamon. Pour into the bowl with the chicken an mix well.

*Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Sock Talk: 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,

Socks is what they chose.

Now it's up to all of us,

to put our thoughts into prose.

 

 

Sock Talk

I've written about socks before, 

in fact, a time or two.

Today I'll tell you 'bout them,

(and I'll end with something new).

Once I wrote a poem 'bout

their disappearing act.

It's always in the laundry and,

oh, how I tried to fight back.

What would drive me crazy?

I'm as organized as can be.

PurDude? He'd grab just any two,

as you can clearly see.

Don't leave out my other son,

he's more than happy to wear,

footwear that's more hole than sock,

(much to his mom's despair).

In The Love Theory I even wrote,

shocking though it may seem,

about sock, ran away with fork,

"love is love" (not food) was the theme.

 

Blackberry Cream Cheese Muffins

 

Me? I'm at my happiest,

when going sockless, though.

"Unless," PurDude says, "it's because,

you've broken where they go."

 

 

 

 

Wait!

Read more poetry, 

you're not through.

Some talented writers

are in this crew:

 

On the Border

Messymimi's Meanderings 

Mother Owl 

 

Blackberry Cream  Cheese Muffins         

                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

6 oz fresh blackberries, quartered

3 TBSP cinnamon baking chips

1 TBSP sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
*Grease or add liners to the wells of a 12 well muffin tin. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

*In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

*In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, cream cheese, egg, and milk.

*Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix just until incorporated, don't over mix. Fold in the blackberries and cinnamon baking chips.

*Divide into the 12 muffin liners. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the tops.

*Bake for 20 minutes, or until the center of the top springs back to the touch. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.

Answering Rena: Secret Subject Swap

 

 

Today's post would normally be our monthly Secret Subject Swap. The way it works is that bloggers pick a secret subject for that month, send them to me, I put them in my sorting hat, and send them out to another participant. We each get a unique subject to write about or question to answer.

Although still a Secret Subject Swap, for this post, we each have individual prompts, not sent in by each other, but submitted by just one person.

For the past 8 years, our friend Rena had participated in this and many of the other challenges I run. Rena died unexpectedly in the middle of March. I was finally able to write about it just a few days ago, I hope you'll check it out, here's the link to Rena: Mourning to Missing.

When Rena died, she'd signed up for this Secret Subject Swap challenge through the year. I had 9 of her prompts sitting in monthly documents waiting for assignment to different friends. I could not get myself to delete those prompts, it just felt callous, disrespectful. I thought I might address them, over time, in my own blog posts, but then realized that maybe some of her other friends would like to join me. Some did.

Rena took the time to ask some questions. Today her friends are taking the time to answer some of them.

So, each of us have a subject, prompt, or question, sent in by Rena. We're answering in memory of a friend, a collaborator, a valued and missed member of our blogging community.

I have Rena's August prompt, and my subject is: If you could go back to school to become anything you'd like, what would it be and why? 

I'm going to start with the two guesses I think Rena, well probably all of you, would have made.

Then I'm going to say WRONG! 

First, writing. Truth is, I thought a lot about it. I had a middle school teacher who, after I'd turned in a writing assignment, suggested it. I even took over running my dormitory area newspaper for a while in college. But, when it comes to writing, I do best when I feel the stories, when they almost pour out of me. I'm not sure how I'd handle a career of being assigned the story and having to make a deadline. Sometimes, yeah. As a side gig, yeah. But daily? I don't know.

Truth is, I wonder if all of that structure, of the subject matter being out of my hands, whether it might diminish my love of writing. Or maybe it would actually hone my skills, provide focus and growth. Hard to say. 

So how about being an author, writing fiction? I love a good mystery. In fact, I did start my own book. I wrote the first sentence. That was 10 years ago . . . Still got that sentence. Nothing else, though.

OK, so you're thinking along the culinary lines.

Perhaps I'd want to be a chef, or a baker, or both. Maybe work privately, or even open my own restaurant.

I could apply to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Or more locally, both MIT and Harvard have culinary arts majors.

But the food industry is grueling. Chefs are, for the most part overworked and underpaid and, unless they can afford to go out on their own, unable to nurture their own creativity.

Truth is, my recipe development often comes from a place of stress relief, a creative way to get out of my own head for a while. My recipes tend to be more pedestrian. My creations are always geared towards the specific tastes of my family. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

BBQ Pork Corn Chip Nachos

I'll tell you about one thing I have loved my whole life, as far back as I can remember, and still to this day. It's ballet.

If I could, I would love to be a ballerina. Yes, it's a difficult life, both physically and emotionally, but I'd make the sacrifice. Any and all of them.

NY would be the place to go. Although some colleges do offer dance programs, it's almost true that by the time you get your degree, you're almost too old for the industry. So Julliard, Joffrey, School of American Ballet are where I'd be battling to be accepted.

One problem, though. Well, there is the whole talent issue. But more than that is the constraint that's insurmountable by effort, and practice, and guidance, and even luck. 

Seems I've been unable to change the fact that I'm only five feet tall. 

I want to thank Rena for her years of support and friendship. And I want to thank everyone who wrote these posts today, for standing by my side as we honor a friend lost way too soon. 

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts in honor of Rena. 

Climaxed 

What TF Sarah 

Part-time Working Hockey Mom 

On the Border

BBQ Pork Corn Chip Nachos         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3 boneless pork loin chops

3/4 cup of my Blackberry BBQ sauce or the BBQ sauce of your choice, divided

2/3 cup canned black beans, drained

1 green onion, chopped

1 (8.75 oz) can corn kernels, drained

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar, divided

1/4 cup drained, sliced pepperoncini

1 bag (8 oz) scoop sized corn chips

NOTE: I often make barbecued grilled pork chops for dinner, making sure to have enough leftovers to use the next day for these nachos. If you're using leftover pork chops, you'll have to warm it before mixing with the other ingredients.

Directions:

*Marinate the pork chops in 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce in a resealable bag for 24 hours, turning now and then. 

*Grill the pork chops until completely cooked through. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 

*Heat the beans in the microwave for about 1 minute, just until warm. Chop the pork into very small pieces, mix with the beans, green onions, corn, and 1/4 cup of the cheese, then toss with 3 TBSP of the remaining BBQ sauce. 

*Place in the center of a round baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, then the pepperoncini. Surround with the chips.

*Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese melts. To serve, drizzle with the remaining TBSP of BBQ sauce.