Every stone a story, like a rosary

Life is very, very good right now.

When I started this post, a week or more ago, I was sitting in a hotel somewhere near Los Angeles, while pokershaman was off doing his 52-card magic. I'd been listening to all kinds of good music -- from Vivaldi guitar concertos to Laura Nyro. I'd done some useful work. Dinner would be homemade chili: as I wrote, I was caramelizing purple Spanish onions. (Brought my own Calphalon everyday pan -- the pots and pans in these extended-stay places are flimsy.) Then the chili simmered to blend its flavors: onions and garlic, red and yellow peppers, cinnamon and chipotle, beef and beans. It was excellent, and the leftovers made great tortillas.

Lately I've been getting my kitchen mojo back: not just the courage and desire to cook anything other than ramen (and sometimes not even that), but the ability to taste a new recipe in my mind, to cook on the fly, to put together a week's worth of menus, to run a kitchen. Those are skills I learned when I was a child, and I never thought I'd lose them. Then for a long time I never thought I'd get them back. I'd broken where I was strongest.

Now I have a batch of whole-wheat challah in the oven for Thanksgiving dinner. In the morning I'll make stuffing, while housepet prepares the turkey and mashed potatoes. gramina already made mashed squash and cranberries in port. I'll probably make the green beans as well -- steamed or sauteed, probably. Maybe with slivered almonds.

The ability just to do something -- to have an effect in the world -- makes me rejoice. I haven't always felt that power, been able to exert that will. I'm so grateful I've found that again despite all the difficulties of this past year or two: ( Collapse )

The election news is also a cause for rejoicing. I feel like I can breathe now. I was pretty badly triggered by the GOP war on women. It's one thing to have reasoned political disagreements or even impassioned political disagreements. ( Collapse ) Now that the electorate has rejected those policies, I can breathe a lot more freely.

So I am thankful that 53% of the country isn't as insanely conservative as most members of my family. Thankful that I have friends and chosen family, as well as my blood kin. Thankful that I'm coming out of this long dark tunnel. Thankful for love, life, challah dough.

This entry was originally posted at http://wordweaverlynn.dreamwidth.org/580603.html. Please comment here if you want, or there using OpenID. Or send em a message via carrier pigeon or fortune cookie. I'm dying to hear from you.

Originally posted at http://lynnkendall.com/gratitude/. Feel free to comment there or here.

Life is very, very good right now.

When I started this post, a week or more ago, I was sitting in a hotel somewhere near Los Angeles, while pokershaman was off doing his 52-card magic. I’d been listening to all kinds of good music — from Vivaldi guitar concertos to Laura Nyro. I’d done some useful work. Dinner would be homemade chili: as I wrote, I was caramelizing purple Spanish onions. (Brought my own Calphalon everyday pan — the pots and pans in these extended-stay places are flimsy.) Then the chili simmered to blend its flavors: onions and garlic, red and yellow peppers, cinnamon and chipotle, beef and beans. It was excellent, and the leftovers made great tortillas.

Lately I’ve been getting my kitchen mojo back: not just the courage and desire to cook anything other than ramen (and sometimes not even that), but the ability to taste a new recipe in my mind, to cook on the fly, to put together a week’s worth of menus, to run a kitchen. Those are skills I learned when I was a child, and I never thought I’d lose them. Then for a long time I never thought I’d get them back. I’d broken where I was strongest.

Now I have a batch of whole-wheat challah in the oven for Thanksgiving dinner. In the morning I’ll make stuffing, while housepet prepares the turkey and mashed potatoes. gramina already made mashed squash and cranberries in port. I’ll probably make the green beans as well — steamed or sauteed, probably. Maybe with slivered almonds.

The ability just to do something — to have an effect in the world — makes me rejoice. I haven’t always felt that power, been able to exert that will. I’m so grateful I’ve found that again despite all the difficulties of this past year or two: ( Collapse ) This entry was originally posted at http://wordweaverlynn.dreamwidth.org/600552.html. Please comment here if you want, or there using OpenID. Or send me a message via carrier pigeon or fortune cookie. I'm dying to hear from you.