Posted in Food Joy

Sunday Night Broth

If you’ve read much of my little blog, you may remember that it doesn’t take much to make me giddily happy.

Think Red Hots.

When I am in the depths of despair, if you hand me a box of Red Hots, all of a sudden, I am a 10 on the Happiness Scale. Like a toddler.

So tonight as I was preparing a Thanksgiving Post-Gluttonous Salad for HR and me, I saw all the beginning-to-wilt produce from our holiday meals. And felt sad. (I obviously needed Red Hots.)

So I decided to make broth!!!

I make homemade broth regularly with leftover vegetable scraps. Don’t you? And use it for soups, stews, smoothies, or just a healthy sip.

Tonight I plopped in scraps from green onions, bok choy, celery, spinach and yellow onions.

In a few minutes, I will smell the incredible aroma and then pour the life-enhancing elixir into these …

Peaceful Sunday Night Slumber to You.

The finished product …

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 11/25/22

My weekly list of a few “joy inciters” in my life. A Friday Gratitude Journal, of sorts.

1. My Thanksgiving cranberry sauce!

Just the color alone makes me happy.

2. Having hands and fingers (even with my arthritis) which enable me to chop onions for Thanksgiving dressing, shake hands with strangers, pick up granddaughter Isabelle and hold hands with HR.

3. The novel I am currently reading in my study chair about a Black American woman caught between her privilege and her identity.

4. This little tree near us who is losing his beautiful leaves. But see how he is standing proud in spite of his de-clothing

I took his picture to help him feel special.

5. Peanut butter.

May you have a weekend for which to give thanks.

Posted in Food Joy, Joy in Nature

Strong Spines

Over the valley and through the woods, gathering collards we go. 🎶

Walking in Habersham Village toward our favorite little bar and grill in Savannah, Robert and I saw this …

A mountain of beautiful pre-Thanksgiving collards! Being carefully pulled into our favorite little neighborhood grocer, The Red and White.

The sight brought a sudden jolt of JOY into my heart.

I love collards! They are deliciously beautiful. And they exude such leafy and cruciferous strength.

Collards greens have strong spines!

Posted in Life and Death

“Just Set It Down“

I’m having a bit of trouble being happy today, after the Colorado Springs gay club massacre.

But today we were walking through Hobby Lobby, looking for Thanksgiving placemats for our family gathering, and I came across this.

And it made me smile. I needed to smile.

And HR seems to think the sentiment rings true.

P.S. But aren’t gay clubs supposed to be safe havens? Robert and I have visited them in New York City, Washington DC, Atlanta, Baltimore (HR’s hometown), New Orleans, etc. etc. etc.

But lately, whenever we go into a gay establishment, I look for the exits, just in case.

And even more sadly, when I go to our gay friendly church here in Savannah, I remind myself where the exits are, just in case.

It really shouldn’t be this way.

Posted in Delicious Joy

My Saturday Evening Post: 11/19/22 “I Miss Tomatoes”

About this time of year, every year, I fall into the “depths of despair,” borrowing a phrase from my very good friend, Anne of Green Gables.

Why so low, you ask? Simple.

THERE ARE NO LOCAL, SUMMERY, VINE- RIPENED TOMATOES!!!

The tomatoes you find at the grocery store this time of year are, to use part of Donald Trump’s newsy allegation, “fake” tomatoes!

They taste like … well, fake tomatoes.

Side Note: Please do not tell anyone that I agreed, even if just half agreed, with anything Donald Trump has ever said.

So what I like to do in mid-November is remember, somehow both sadly and joyfully, July tomatoes.

Here are a few memories of the Real Deals.

The vine-ripened beauties my parents always had on the table (along with “fried corn” snd candied yams) when I went home for a summer visit.

My Tomato Pies!

Tomato beauty.

I miss you, July Tomatoes.