on the first day of fall with friends
lake michigan
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‘not every lake dreams to be an ocean.’
-memet murat ildan
Sep22
Category Archives: Life
Sep21
waffle frolic.
‘why can’t i just eat my waffle?’
– barack obama
Early Americans held waffle-eating parties called “waffle frolics.”
Brunch has an understandable hold on Americans — after all, who can pass up the opportunity to enjoy a delicious smattering of sweet and savory plates (alongside good company, of course)? Apparently, Americans of the past couldn’t say no either, gathering to share food and fun at so-called “waffle frolics.” These waffle-eating get-togethers were most popular during the colonial era, eventually petering out by the mid-20th century. At their peak, they were elaborate, multi-course meals that showcased freshly ironed waffles as the main course.
Little is recorded about the particulars of early waffle frolics, but one description, by William Livingstone, a 21-year-old Yale student who recounted his party experience in a 1744 letter, describes the soiree as a lavish affair. “After a few games, a magnificent supper appeared in grand order and decorum,” he wrote. “But for my own part I was not a little grieved that so luxurious a feast should come under the name of a wafel-frolic, because if this be the case I must expect but a few wafel-frolics for the future.”
Waffles have been widely eaten throughout Europe since the Middle Ages, sold by street vendors and often consumed on religious holidays. Eventually, they made their way to the American colonies alongside the Pilgrims, and it was in the New World where they were paired with maple syrup for the first time. Culinary lore sometimes suggests it was founding father Thomas Jefferson who ignited the waffle frolic craze in the 1790s upon his return from France, after he arrived with four waffle irons in his luggage. As president, Jefferson reportedly served the treat to Meriwether Lewis at the White House prior to the Lewis and Clark expedition.
‘a wafffle is like a pancake with a syrup trap.’
-mitch hedberg
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Waffles cooked and served every minute at Waffle House restaurants -145
Weight (in pounds) of the world’s largest waffle, created in the Netherlands in 2013 – 110
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image and source credits: interesting facts, waffle house, babycenter.com, king arthur baking
Sep19
‘when a match has equal partners then i fear not.’ – aeschylus
it’s a match!!
i’ve recently been getting
‘match alerts’
with increasing frequency.
in response to my online quests.
there’s a parallel
between three very different things
i’m engaged in simultaneously:
finding a new car for my parking space
finding a new companion for olive the cat
finding a new companion for me.
interesting that the process is somewhat the same:
select the features i am most interested in
state what i am looking for
describe myself, my cat, my driving style
reach out to some that seem interesting
seem to be a potential good fit
watch to see what matches come back.
in all three areas i’m looking for:
a bit of life experience,
maybe a few rough spots, but made it through,
with somewhat low miles,
a few dings here and there,
but not in need of imminent major repairs.
easy going, intuitive, playful, bright, makes life better
some things the same, some different
to keep it interesting.
hopefully by the end of all this
i’ll be sitting on the couch with someone
the cats sitting in the window
the car parked
sitting at a bit of an angle in my straight-lined parking spot.
i’m open to the possibilities.
—
our similarities bring us to a common ground;
our differences allow us to be fascinated by each other.-tom robbins
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image credit: etsy.com
Sep18
be a flamingo.
a rare sighting of michigan flamingos in the wild
standing perfectly still
not making eye contact or uttering a sound
i dare not tell them that they are not camouflaged.
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“be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons.”
– savannah larsen
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ann arbor, michigan, usa – september 2024
Sep17
soloing.
‘to me, drum soloing is like doing a marathon and solving equations at the same time.’
-neil peart
*Neil Peart was a Canadian and American musician, drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush, known to fans by the nickname ‘The Professor’, derived from the Gilligan’s Island character of the same name.
Sep16
tempting, but….
darn it!
i was going to park here until i saw this sign.
it looked like the perfect space.
—
‘the road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.’
-will rogers
Sep15
market day.
so many colors and aromas and tastes and sounds and things to touch
all senses engaged
a beautiful morning at the market.
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‘what makes the farmers market such a special place is that you’re actually creating a community around food.’
*bryant terry
*Bryant Terry is an African-American vegan chef, food justice activist, and author. He has written four vegan cookbooks and cowrote a book about organic eating. He won a 2015 James Beard Foundation Leadership Award for his food justice work.
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ann arbor, michigan, usa – september 2024
Sep14
there’s always room for jello. in your room.
JELL-O is no longer a staple of potlucks and dinner parties nationwide, but the product is still popular. Even if the age of jiggly “salads” was before your time, you may have fond memories of packing a JELL-O cup for lunch or having one as a snack after school. Now, you can return to those simpler times with the brand’s new inflatable furniture line, The Jelly Collection.
The comfy seats come in four colors: red (meant to evoke JELL-O’s strawberry flavor), green (lime), yellow (lemon), and orange (orange). Designed to look like giant gelatin molds, the chairs may spark your appetite. Luckily, they each come with a built-in JELL-O cup holder for your snacks.
“For over 150 years, JELL-O has been at the heart of joyful family moments, big and small,” Tyler Parker, brand manager of desserts at Kraft Heinz, said in a statement. “With The Jelly Collection, we’re not just celebrating our rich history; we’re bringing it to life for today’s families. By blending our heritage with a modern twist, we’re inviting consumers to embrace the playful spirit that has made JELL-O a beloved favorite for generations.”
After launching on Amazon on September 10 for $30 apiece, the chairs sold out quickly. It’s unclear when—and if—Kraft Heinz plans to restock the limited-edition home decor item.
Jelly is having a bit of a moment in popular culture. The resurgence of the Y2K aesthetic has ushered in a new wave of the jelly-inspired trend, with jelly makeup that makes skin look glossy, translucent home decor, and jelly shoes all making a comeback on social media and in the real world.
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‘molded salads are best served in situations where they have little or no competition..
like television,
gelatin is too often a vehicle for limp leftovers that couldn’t make it anywhere else.’
*peg bracken
*Peg Bracken was an American writer of humorous books and articles on cooking, housekeeping, etiquette and travel. She graduated from Antioch College in 1940, got married, and worked as an advertising copywriter along with Homer Groening, father of Matt Groening. Groening and she also made a comic strip, Phoebe, Get Your Man together.
During the 60s and 70s, Bracken’s writing reassured women that they did not have to be perfect to have a happy home. Her best-known book is The I Hate to Cook Book, written in 1960. The book came about when she and some other working-women friends came up with a core of recipes strong on ease of preparation. It was followed by The I Hate to Housekeep Book and The Appendix to the I Hate to Cook Book. The recipes are distinguished by unusual names and peppered with sardonic comments. For example, one recipe is for “Wolfe Eggs,” which are for eggs the way the fictional Nero Wolfe would cook them. “Stayabed Stew” could be left to cook by itself and was perfect “for those days when you are en negligee, en bed, with a murder story and a box of bonbons, or possibly a good case of flu”; mashed potatoes topped with cheese and baked in a casserole become “Spuds O’Grotton’. Her selection of simple main dishes is “30 Day-by-Day Entrees, or, The Rock Pile”.
The recipes themselves were written in much the same style (“Brown the garlic, onion, and crumbled beef in the oil. Add the flour, salt, paprika, and mushrooms, stir, and let it cook five minutes while you light a cigarette and stare sullenly at the sink”).
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image/source credits: jello/amazon, kraft heinz, mental floss, calea johnson
Sep13
never be afraid.
‘never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion
against injustice and lying and greed.
if people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.’
-william faulkner
image credits: parents magazine, youtube
Sep12
net worth.
no one is happy when their internet goes out
but i am always amused
by the list
of my neighbors’ router names
that scroll by
when trying
to get mine up and running again.
last night’s winners were:
billclinternet
thelanisterssendtheirregards
routerihardlyknewher
some people are so clever
my goal was
to create a name i would remember
now if feel that i’m letting them all down a bit.
not giving back.
—
‘the internet is a great way to get on the net.’
-bob dole, former republican senator and presidential candidate
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image credit: google images
I didn't have my glasses on.... 