Quote of the Week

Photo Credit:  Wikimedia

If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. - Vincent Van Gogh

What is the first thing you think of when someone tells you that you can't do something?  You want to march right out and do it, right?.  This is one instance when you shouldn't listen to your inner voice either, so march right out there and prove yourself wrong!
 

An Early Arrival

The wind carries fragile seeds far away from the mother plant to gently land and take root in the rich soil.  Spring arrives and the sun, in all its warmth, forces the seeds to sprout.  Soon another generation has begun as blossoms of yellow dot the landscape.  For good or ill, so grows the dandelion.

Photo Credit:  John Charlton

Written for Friday Flash 55.

How to Make a Great Pizza Crust

Do you love a hot, fresh homemade pizza, but haven't been able to make a good pizza crust?  Now you can.  Follow these simple instructions and you'll be baking up delicious pizza in no time.

Pepperoni Pizza

Start with: 

1 3/4 cups of bread flour (all-purpose will work too).

1/2 teaspoon rapid rise/instant yeast.

6 ounces hot water - 110-120 degrees.

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil.

In large bowl, mix all ingredients until all liquid is absorbed and no dry flour remains in the bowl.

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.  This makes the dough easier to work with.

Knead the dough on a floured surface several minutes until it is pliable and not sticky.  

Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for about two hours or until doubled in size.

Turn the risen dough onto a floured surface and stretch or roll to the desired sized.  Top with your favorite toppings and bake in a preheated 500-degree oven for about 8-10 minutes, depending on the heat of your oven.  For a crispier crust, use a pizza stone as shown in the photograph.

Makes one 13 to 15-inch pizza.

Updated: 9/2020

Quote of the Week

Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Louis Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, and Albert Einstein.  - H. Jackson Brown

This is true - there were 24 hours in every day of the lives of these people, just as there is today.  What we have today are days filled with demanding jobs, kids with extracurricular activities, and family and social obligations pulling us in different directions.  We need to find a balance in our busy lives that will allow us to make the most of our time and accomplish our goals.

Going, Going, Gone

The skies cleared, the sun came out and down the road a school bus slowed to a stop.  Do their brakes always squeal?  Kids stared gloomily out dirt-streaked windows.  Yesterday’s snowman, once tall and proud with gravel eyes and a very distinctive nose, was now a hat and scarf  atop a melting pile of snow.

Original Artwork of Roses to Rainbows

  Written for Friday Flash 55

The Price of Greed

Photo Courtesy of Magpie Tales

Jean Luc sailed the high seas more than 400 years ago under the French flag.  His cargo was gold, precious gems and  brandy.  He was trusted by King Henri to return payment for trade goods.  Jean Luc thought "why shouldn't I get something for my services.  After all I am the one taking all the risks while the King sits safely upon his throne being waited on hand and foot.  His bath drawn by lusty handmaidens, who stood ready to wrap him in soft warm towels.  His large soft four-poster bed warmed by hot stones and an elegant glass of brandy on his night table.  Here I am risking foul weather, pirates and God only know what other dangers.  No, the King could spare some coin."  Stealing from the Crown, however, was treason, so he must come up with a plan.  With pirates roaming the waters, an attack and loss would be horrible but not a crime. 

He, Jean Luc, a French nobleman, would be admired for his bravery as he battled the pirates to protect the Crown's assets.  He would ultimately lose the King's gold to the marauderers, and so the plan was put into motion.  The ship sailed into pirate infested waters and a mock battle ensued, with great damage inflicted on the ship.  Jean Luc's crew, loyal to the end with the promise of gold, carried out the "fighting", sustaining injuries and appearing thoroughly defeated. 

Miraculously, no one was mortally wounded, but the pirates escaped with the gold, or at least that was how it was portrayed to the King.  The King was outraged, and called forth his Navy to track down and kill the pirates and retrieve his gold.  Pirates were killed right and left, but no gold was recovered.   

After Jean Luc's ship was repaired, he and his crew fled France under cover of darkness on a moonless night with their precious cargo, which was stored in a compartment beneath a false bottom in the hold.  When they reached a safe haven, Jean Luc went below to retrieve the chest, and opened it to revel in his fortune, which, by the way, he had no plans to share.  When he lifted the lid, he was first shocked, then angry.  All the chest contained were packages  of salt and one lead crystal salt shaker.  He was so distraught that he murdered his entire crew and threw the bodies overboard along with the salt.

What Jean Luc, in his misery, didn't consider was that the salt, due to the hated salt tax, was worth more than gold, and was thus the payment for goods.  Pass the salt, please.

Written for Magpie Tales.

Valentine's Day

I am reposting this from last year for those who may have missed it.  Since Valentine's day falls on Monday, I am including  my "Valentine" Quote of the Week.

Loving is not just looking at each other,  it's looking in the same direction.  - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand, and Stars, 1939

Is it real, or is it Hallmark?  There are those who think that Valentine's Day is just the creation of greeting card companies as another occasion to buy and send cards.  Florists also do a booming business, and what about candy?  All those heart-shaped boxes with ribbons and bows filled with delectable morsels trying desperately to attach themselves to our thighs.  Woe unto ye who forgets this day!

riptheskull's photostream

However, while cards, flowers and candy dominate this seemingly invented holiday, according to various historical accounts, there really was a St. Valentine who was believed to be a martyred priest.  He was said to have been caught marrying Christian couples.  At that time, about 270 AD, Christians were being persecuted by the Roman Emperor, Claudius II, and helping them was considered a crime.  Thus, Valentine was imprisoned.  However, the Emperor liked Valentine, that is right up until he tried to convert him.  For this, Valentine was beaten and stoned, and when that didn't kill him, he was beheaded.

Another version tells that he was beheaded for refusing to deny Christ before the Roman Emperor.  Validity of these stories aside, St. Valentine is listed in the Martyrology, which is the Catholic Church's list of Saints.

Now why did this come to be celebrated as a romantic day?  One account states that Valentine fell in love with a girl, possibly the jailor's daughter, and before his death he wrote her a love letter that he signed "from your Valentine", a phrase that is still used today.  So in honor of St. Valentine, we send cards, flowers and candy to show our love for that special someone in our life.

So where do you stand?  History or historical fiction?  Stay tuned for more thoughts on Valentine's Day and a special recipe.

Now I leave you with another special Valentine thought.

Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart.  - Author Unknown

The Power of Love

Random thoughts transformed into a Friday Flash 55.

Black and white
Shades of gray

A dawn's delight

A fading day  

The moon, the sun

The stars above

A moment begun

The power of love

Hot and cold

Another way

Still the same

We must obey

Endless hours

Morning's dove

Here forever

The power of love

How Well Do You Know Your ABCs?

freeclipartnow.com

Today is one of those days that I said "Wow, today is Wednesday and I have nothing prepared.  What to do?  I have been absorbing all the hints, tips and tricks for finding topics found in the forum at Tribal Blogs.  I decided to utilize some of what I've read, and the result is today's post.

Jumbled Words

Now we've all seen this kind of thing before, but it seems there was an unsubstantiated study into how the human brain interprets words.  It takes the position that only the first and last letters are needed for us to translate the text.  Take a look at the following paragraph and try to read it like you normally would. 

"Arocdnicg to rsceearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pcale. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit pobelrm. Tihs is buseace the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe."*

So, did it make sense?  It seems fairly simple, and I think that the context of the sentence has significant influence our ability to interpret this.  As the "study" indicates it is because we do not read individual letters, but the entire word.

I tried my hand at a nonsensical jumbled word sentence.

The gnait tdedy baer csuemond smliy fsih form a snaagtnt pnod, and sqsetnelubuy tosfrenaemrd itno a pophatchyisc sraeil knlilig mtsoner.

Did your brain translate as you read?  What does it say?

Whether or not there have actually been studies done on this, it is still amazing that despite all the misspellings, we can still read it.  What are your thoughts and theories?

*http://dan.hersam.com/2005/01/27/reading-jumbled-letters/

Quote of the Week

Dood - Big Changes!

God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me.  

- Author Unknown

The only person we can truly change is ourselves, and then only when we're truly ready.  Change is seldom easy, whether it is dreaded or embraced, whether it's by choice or necessity.  However, changing ourselves is an even greater challenge.

Life is Good

Photo Credit: Bob Fornal

When life hands you a bowl of lemons, you make lemonade.  

When life throws you a curve ball, hit a home run.  

When life catches you by surprise, smile, it can turn your day around.  

When life breaks your heart, cry and move on.  

Life is good.  Never let it get the best of you.

Written for Friday Flash 55.

The Restoration

This is a continuation of "The Rose Garden" written for Magpie Tales.

Gerald sat on the old, cement bench at the corner of the rose garden, his face streaked with dirt where he’d wiped the away the sweat.  Robins poked around through the garden looking for grubs where the soil was freshly turned. 

Gerald had moved into his parents’ house the year after his mother passed away.  That wasn’t his plan, since he had made his home in New York, and Louisiana is a thousand miles and a world away.  After coming home for the funeral, though, he kept feeling drawn back, feeling the need to stay and restore the house and gardens.  He’d put weeks of labor into the rose garden, and finally it was beginning to show promise.  Gone were the weeds and brush threatening to choke the life from the roses.  The yellow rose bush bloomed proudly on the anniversary of his mother’s death.

Photo courtesy of Magpie Tales

The old house wasn’t the only thing calling to Gerald.  Every so often he would find the old watering can sitting on the wall, even though he was sure he had put it away the night before.  When he had first surveyed the garden, he caught a glimpse of someone passing through the garden.  That person so strongly resembled his mother, that he called out, knowing it was impossible.  But was it?

Now he watches for her, talks to her, even though his brain tells him it’s silly, his heart tells him otherwise.

Over the course of his restoration, he had planned to replace the brick walkway to the gardener’s shed with stone.  His father had put that walkway in over 30 years ago, so his mother could walk to the shed without soiling her shoes, as she loved to spend a rainy afternoon working with her plants.  Some of the bricks were broken now, with the dirt coming up between them.  He had already painted and reroofed the shed, and he thought stone would give the garden an elegant finish.  

However, one evening as he looked at the different stone samples he’d picked up, he heard a faint voice upon the light evening breeze.  “Please leave the bricks," it said.  Gerald turned to see who had spoken, but saw no one.  He thought he was hearing things - but there it was again, unmistakable in it’s meaning, “please leave the bricks.” 

Needless to say, the old brick walkway remains.