Category: blogging fundamentals

Dishing it Out

 

Discover Prompts Day 5: Dish

Usually, on a Sunday, I prepare meals and “healthy” snacks for the week.  I work part-time a few towns away, and during the tourist season in SW Florida, the commute at peak hours is a nightmare. On days that I have to work, I like to make sure I don’t have to fuss over what I’m going to eat.  On days that I don’t work, I still don’t like planning and preparing elaborate meals.   I’ve taken to making one pot and one-dish meals, such as soups, casseroles, pizza, or pasta.  Keep it Simple is my motto.

This is the second week where I’ve not planned out my week partly because I have not been to work for three weeks because of COVID 19.  It has been challenging to plan, mainly because the supermarket has been hit or miss with what is available. I make it up as I go along.  I managed to find ground turkey at the end of last week and promptly prepared my version of “sloppy joes” on mini French rolls with a side of oven-fries and a cucumber salad.

In preparing my meal, I noticed that I was running low on “recaito.” Recaito is a homemade seasoning, basic to just about all my recipes. Some people call it sofrito, which means “gently fried” or sautéed.  Growing up, I used to watch my grandmother and mother chop up all the vegetables each time for every meal.  The onions, pepper garlic, and sometimes tomatoes are sautéed in a heavy pan before adding to the dish. Every day, for every meal…chop, chop!  On rare occasions, I’ll take the time to do to chop up everything fresh, but in general, I thank goodness for blenders, food processors, and Magic bullets!

  Recaito.  consists of onion, garlic, peppers (I prefer cubanelle or Italian pepper), aji dulce -small sweet peppers (don’t confuse with the Scotch bonnets), add cilantro and culantro/coriander leaves (culantro has a more robust flavor, use sparingly.)

As you know, supermarkets have limited supplies, and since I didn’t feel like traveling to a specialty supermarket, I decided to make the Lazy -Lindi version of recaito.  These are, after all, unprecedented times of basic survival.  The newscasts continue to say that things will get worse or peak in the coming weeks. I don’t want to be without recaito in the middle of a pandemic.  We all have our limits. 

Usually, I make a big batch to share.  See my attempt at a still-life of my 20200405_142724ingredients and tools.  You may recognize a Ninja blender, extra-large measuring cup, ice cube trays, pre-cut green peppers and onions, peeled garlic, a small bunch of cilantro, and small packaged culantro.  The ice cube trays are for easy storage.  After the ingredients are blended, I pour the mixture in Ice cube trays and then in a freezer bag or container.  When I’m cooking, it’s easy to pop an ice cube or two into my soups, sauces, Spanish rice, or beans.  If you are not feeling exotic, leave out the cilantro and culantro.  It’s still a tasty and convenient way to have condiments on hand. 

So with my magic ingredient past down from generations, I am ready to survive our COVID 19 Pandemic.  Be safe. 

A Song In My Heart

Discover Prompt # 3 – Song

As I mentioned before, I’m one of those who will unapologetically break into song if it strikes my fancy.  I love musicals, and I’m open to just about every genre of music, especially those that tell a story.  Its no surprise that my music lists include everything from Yo-Yo Ma, Andrea Bocelli, Marley, Beatles, Monkees, Classical acoustic Spanish guitar, old school Latin like Salsa and Boleros, to Lord of the Dance, Jazz in general, folk-rock/pop John Denver, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, etc.  You get the idea. 

All in all, often when this Puerto Rican girl from Brooklyn needs some downtime or needs to get down, she goes Country.  As a kid, our pastor loved the old Country Gospel songs like “What a friend we have in Jesus, or Turn Your Eyes, In the Garden.” We sang that hit parade at every service.  In stressful times you’ll see me put on Alan Jackson’s “Precious Memories.”

Truth be told, mainstream Country just grew on me about 15 years ago with Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, take the Wheel.” Outside of church music, and folk music that “hillbilly twang, just crated on my nerves.” Now, you’ll find about 3 or 4 country stations in my car too.  You may even agree, “She’s gone country!”  For the most part, I like that they tell the stories of every working-class man and woman. Sometimes I’m hurt and disappointed by the artists of that genre, but that’s a post for another day. 

When I saw the prompt for today, it reminded me of the song by Kenny Chesney, “I go back.” Here’s the first verse:

“Jack and Diane” painted a picture of my life and my dreams,
Suddenly this crazy world made more sense to me
Well I heard it today, and I couldn’t help but sing along
‘Cause every time I hear that song

I go back to a two-toned short bed Chevy
Drivin’ my first love out to the levy
Livin’ life with no sense of time
And I go back to the feel of a fifty-yard line
A blanket, a girl, some raspberry wine
Wishin’ time would stop right in its tracks
Every time I hear that song, I go back, I go back…”

 

I appreciate this prompt. As I listed the tunes and genres that I enjoy, it made me realize that there is much more to write about in the music of my life.  Stay tuned. I may be back with more. 

 

A joke prompt to start off the month on April Fool’s Day!

A joke prompt to start off the month on April Fool’s Day!   I’m hoping we get a great response.  Lord knows we need a laugh these days.

I wish I could think of something humorous, but I’m terribly not spontaneous that way. Some people have told me I’m funny as in amusing, but also as in weird.  I am amazed at naturally quick-witted people.  I can’t tell jokes.  I forget punchlines or worse – I start off with the punchline, and as you can imagine, its downhill from there.

If I’m in a conversation and something strikes me, I can be funny with an off the cuff flip answer of sarcasm or cynicism, double meanings, or a pun.  Sometimes, I’ll break into a  song, jingle, or tv program theme.  Maybe it’s the result of watching too many musicals in my lifetime.  Doesn’t everyone burst into song if the moment is right?

Try as I might, I can’t think of a joke right now, not even a corny “dad joke,” not even with help from Google!

I went through a phase when I was obsessed with old radio and tv comedy shows. I had to do my own research to compare if the acts were really funny or just the nostalgia that made them classics.  It continues to amaze me that these entertainers can be so hilarious without spewing obscene graphic language.  Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand that there are situations when only a powerful four-letter word will do, but sometimes I watch these stand-ups – male or female, and it seems they have no talent or imagination, so they go in for the shock value.

I still enjoy listening to George Burns and Gracie Allen, Red Skelton, and of course, the incomparable “I Love Lucy.”   One of my all-time favorite comedy routines, though, is Abbot and Costello’s “Who’s on First?”  They began performing it in the 1930s, and about 55 years later, in the 1980s and 90s, our local radio station WCCM would play it every year on the Opening Day of the baseball season.   I’ve loved it ever since.

Thanks for doing the Discover Prompts this month.  I hope it will help me get back on the saddle.

Winds of Change are Stirring

New Ideas

person walking near shore

 

As some may have noticed, for the past several months, I’ve had a hard time getting back into a regular rhythm of writing and posting at “Self Censored.”  I can write about why and where my energy is going, but the bottom line is I’m trying to figure out where I want to go with this blog. This ambivalence makes it easy for so many other things to get in the way.

For example, while I’m on a roll and in the groove at the computer today, Eliza – my furry baby girl jumps on my lap because she wants to go out.  I put her down, but she gets back up and desperately tries to get my attention by licking my face.  Naturally, I stop and go out for a while as she examines all the spots she missed the last time we were out.  Needless to say, when we get back, she needs a snack to reward her for doing her business outside, and while I’m at it, I decide to warm up the pumpkin muffin that is still waiting in the fridge.

Let’s get back to why I’m here today.  I want to change things up a bit on my blog.  I’m thinking about changing the layout, title, and domain name. I’ve been working on WordPress.com, but I’ve been recommended to try WordPress.org because it has more flexibility.  As I’m mulling ideas about the nuts and bolts, I’ve also been thinking about my content.  Is the “About” page still accurate? Are my goals the same? Is my motivation the same? Who I’m writing for?  Maybe I don’t want to be censored anymore.

The idea for change came one day as I was at the library working on “collection maintenance” (re-shelving books, straightening up and making the place look presentable). That day I found a little book called “Why We Write. Twenty Acclaimed Authors on How and Why They Do What They Do.” By Meridith Maran.  I tend to be a wee bit superstitious and thought to myself, “Hmmm, maybe this is the insight I need right now.”  Truth be told, the book did turn out to be encouraging and stimulating.  Of course, there was the usual advice from well know authors about perseverance and dealing with rejection, but it was the similarities to my thought process that inspired me.

Like myself, many of the authors included in the book found reading and writing as an emotional outlet early on. I’ve been journaling since I was a kid.  I had poems and prose entered in my school papers and yearbooks since middle school. At one point, I thought I would make journalism a career. A friend and I fantasied as kids about working on projects together.  He’d be a famous photojournalist, and I’d be the writer.  Ahhh youth….

In the book, I found some authors began writing to explain or to make sense of the changing world around them – first to themselves and then to connect with others with the same uneasiness in spirit.  They described taking ordinary moments from one’s particular point of view, “freeze-dry” the moment to let the reader “add water,” connect with the notion and make it their own.   As I read, I could hear that voice of affirmation and validation in my head.

It was from this book that I decided to write fantasy or magical realism instead of continuing with the short stories and snapshots of my memories.  It was with this new project in mind that I started connecting with co-workers in the Nanowrimo model.  But alas, here I am reaching the end of November but still quite far from finishing a novel or novelette or whatever. I do however have a better idea of what I want to write, how, and most importantly why.  I’ve done some research to move my story and characters forward, and I count that as progress.  I see my finished project as a female version of Santiago the Spanish Shepard looking for The Alchemist, meets  King Arthur’s Merlin at The Shack with Mack.  Wish me luck!

As for you, keep writing.  I check in to the blogs I follow and get inspired.  I enjoy getting updates, reading your stories, and delight in how creatively you let your voices be heard.

Until next time, all the best.

(Photo from Pexels in WordPress)

Give to Caesar…

The other day, in answer to a recent assignment, I wrote a quick knee-jerk response to a blog post that piqued my interest.  I found the post on a blog I follow that recommended another site.  https://promptlings.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/we-have-met-the-enemy-redux/   Today, I am trying to respond in a more thoughtful way, and hopefully, it makes sense.

A couple of years ago, when I first started this blog, I thought I would use it as a place to respond in an unfiltered or uncensored way, to the political news of the day. In the same way that J.Dennison describes in her Filosofa’s Word, I am often annoyed by the response of extreme, right-wing, conservative political groups in regards to social issues in our country. I had planned to use this forum to voice that sentiment, but as time and the election passed, I became more infuriated with frustration and decided that type of blog would not work for me. I feel that people are so entrenched in their point of view that there is no longer room for dialogue. However, when confronted by the blatant abuse of power, I feel compelled to comment. J. Dennison’s article was written last year, but as she explains the problem continues and appears to be a norm more than an isolated incident.

A couple of days ago I received CBS News article about former President Jimmy Carter titled, Jimmy Carter on his journey of “Faith”. It was an interview with Jane Pauley about his impressions on life, religion, politics and the current state of affairs in this country. It also served to promote for his new book, “Faith: A Journey for All” (published by Simon & Schuster, a CBS company) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jimmy-carter-on-his-journey-of-faith/

Jimmy Carter has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Even though he was a one-term president, his life out of office has been remarkable in terms of his work with human trafficking, civil rights, world peace etc. What I like the most about Jimmy Carter is that although his faith is part of who he is, he has always been very clear about the importance of maintaining the separation of church and state. President Carter has used the Biblical passage in Matthew 22: 20-22 to support his stance with religious leaders in this country. In this passage, Jesus of Nazareth is asked by a prominent religious group of the time if they should give “the tribute to Caesar”. Jesus asked them to show him a coin and poses the question, “Whose image is this?” When they respond, “It’s Caesar”. He gives them back the coin and simply tells them “then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s”

I believe that many of the religious leaders of today are very much like the High Priests in Jesus time. In a simple comparison, both groups are driven by special interests that benefit them over the common good. They get caught up trying to maintain the status quo by clinging to archaic traditions and forgetting basic spiritual teachings. Christian religious leaders in this country have overstepped the boundaries and not for the good of the faithful. I can also easily compare their increasing influence over our government policies to Ayatollah Khomeini’s surge to power in Iran in 1979.

The meshing of fundamentalist and conservative “values” in current political trends is part of what is causing such divisiveness in our country. On the surface, it appears that it is merely tension among racial or ethnic groups.  Unfortunately, we often see that the churches can turn believers against each other for the “sake of the Gospel”. We can look back to see that Christians were OK with slavery because the Bible talks about Christian slaves. Now we see that many prominent Christian groups are hateful toward the LGBT groups. They are Ok with domestic violence and rape of a wife because of a verse in the Bible written to address a particular faith community. These groups advocate for employers to provide medical care s they see fit – Cialis for men but not birth control for women and I can go on.

I was raised in a fundamentalist, Christian environment. I even attended a Christian Bible College my first year right after high school. It was there when I first began to really question what I had been taught. I would often be sitting in a class and think to myself “Wait- what?? Come again? Can you repeat that? I don’t think I heard you right? Didn’t Jesus pray for us to be as one so that the world would know that this is from God? Why are you throwing the brother under the bus?” Bottom-line, although my faith remains intact, I have moved away from the basic premise that the only way to God is by way of the Fundamentalist Evangelical teachings.

Twelve years ago I converted to Catholicism with all its scandals and turbulent history. It was at a time in my life when I craved spirituality but did not want to go back to my previous involvement in” holiness churches”. I was fortunate to find a Catholic Community that met my needs. I had friends, members of the local parish who were good, sincere, caring souls. I decided to take a closer look. The Pastor was an Augustinian Friar who demonstrated a great love for the people in the immigrant city where he served. I was taught the importance and the difference between traditions, rituals and a personal spiritual relationship with God. Contrary to what I had been taught, this was not mindless idol worship, but rather these traditions are tools to help enhance our spiritual practice and connection with God. This community participated in different yet fulfilling types of worship; all within the Christian teachings of the Catholic Church.

Since this is Holy Week for Roman Catholics and other Christian faiths, I wanted to share a “verbal snapshot” of how I experienced my first Lenten season and Holy Week in that Catholic community. The first thing I noticed was on Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent was that Church was dressed as the desert, devoid of all splendor to reflect a spiritual pilgrimage of sacrifice that would end with Easter Sunday celebrations. As Lent progresses into the final days of Holy Week, the dressing of sanctuary continues to change to reflect the spiritual journey of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday.

One of the biggest traditions of Lent around the world is the Via Crucis or the Way of the Cross. It refers to a series of images and Bible readings depicting the life Jesus Christ culminating on the day of his crucifixion. In my parish, these images were placed around the Sanctuary and during the weeks of Lent, each day prayer groups would stop at each image to reflect on Bible passages and pray. This particular community in an old mill city in Massachusetts had a predominantly Latino population. Culturally it was a big deal that on Good Friday the Via Crucis was taken to the streets. The Stations of the Cross were now at a homeless shelter, food pantry, soup kitchen, school, nursing home, hospital, rehab facility etc – wherever there was a need. The crowd that gathered behind the priest, the simple wooden Cross and Bible characters, numbered several hundred. As we walked, we sang solemn songs of repentance and sorrow and yet there was an uplifting spirit of hope.

At each station we stopped, the Priest read a passage from scripture, shared a reflection about the need of the particular station and most of us joined in prayer. I imagined that the group gathered here had similar characteristics to that crowd outside of Jerusalem on the way Golgotha. There was the faithful who came to worship and relive those moments spiritually with the Lord. There were those who came out because that’s what you do on Good Friday if you are Catholic Latino and live in this city. There were kids that had obviously come out to check out the cute girls and vice versa. There were moms with little ones and old ladies in wheelchairs. There were those hanging out the windows and front steps watching the “procession” go by – some probably silently praying for the souls of idol worshippers – not really understanding what was going on but what they were taught. No judgment- I was there once.

The crowd, in response to the scriptures that the Priest read, were yelling “Crucify him, crucify him” or a little further responded by mocking “Jesus” as he carried the cross. It was around this time that I got lost in my thoughts and transcended to that place so long ago. I asked myself a simple question… if I had lived then, which side would I be on? I had been raised a good, church girl. I had respected the church leaders and more than once followed their advice – sometimes even when things didn’t feel quite right. I probably would have listened to him for a while as he taught on the mountainside. I would have heard of his miracles. Perhaps he would have healed my mother. According to what is written, for their own special interest and personal gain, the high priests and religious leaders enticed the crowd to request that the Roman government crucify the Nazarene. Would I have turned my back on him now because the High Priest told me he was evil, blasphemes? Hindsight is 20/20 they say. Sound familiar?

We don’t have a physical Christ to crucify today, but His teachings are being attacked or shredded bit by bit each day. In John 18:36 Jesus said “my kingdom is not of this world… It is in another place.” So why are church leaders today forcing their beliefs upon our nation, hating strangers like the Good Samaritan of the Bible, making judgments by their own standards and blaming Jesus? They use verses out of context to convince their followers. Even Trump has been heard quoting the Bible.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have friends who I care about, and I believe they are truly faithful to the spirit. They are filled with all the love and compassion that one would expect of a follower of Christ. There are many good people in these fundamentalist evangelical churches looking for peace, looking for love and have found it for the Spirit is more powerful than man. There are plenty of good pastors that truly have a vocation to serve. We must not let those power hungry people turn us against each other and take over all that is good in our country. Church and state must coexist. I believe people need spirituality but the government should not dictate how we address our personal spiritual needs.

Because Expurgate Sounds too Dramatic

I’m enjoying the assignments at Blogging: Learning the Fundamentals.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/blogging-university/blogging-fundamentals-materials/#day2

As I work on my second assignment, I am already one day behind. This task was to take a look at my title, play with other ideas and publish a post explaining the outcome. I’ve decided not to change the title, but I have changed the tagline to reflect a slightly different focus.
I’d been a bit skeptical about the title. I wasn’t sure it was conveying the spirit of the blog, so I clicked on my dictionaries looking for options. I’m writing about me, which would make it “Self-Centered” but while that title would certainly raise eyebrows, it’s not really me. I am aware that everyone around me has a personal story to tell and I’m generally mindful and sensitive to that. I believe effective communication is important in any kind of relationship. We maintain an active open dialog by listening without imposing judgment or pushing our ideas on others. One of my favorite fables growing up was Aesop’s “The Wind and the Sun.”  https://fablesofaesop.com/the-north-wind-and-the-sun.html    “Kindness effects more than severity.” 

This brings me to the “Censored” part.

Expurgate is a synonym for Censored offered by my thesaurus. To edit something by removing offensive parts. To remove words or passages considered offensive or unsuitable from a book before publication.
While it can be an appropriate word, it seems too much like Exorcise, which is definitely not what I was going for. I was raised on conservative and fundamentalist values. Although my own ideas and opinions have evolved, I still have family and friends that I care about deeply that abide by that way of life. This blog originated as a place where I could rant and rave without offending. I have decided instead to tell the stories of those snapshots in my head. I will be truthful but I will not rant much, and I will try at least not to offend most. I have decided to keep the title “Self-Censored” A blog about me –verbal snapshots of a simple life.

Learning the Fundamentals

Assignment 1

As I was growing older and wiser, I would tell myself – “when you retire, you can devote time to writing”. I did retire, but one thing led to another, and I put writing on the high shelf in the storage closet for a bit longer. I enjoy writing, and I’ve started blogging at least 3 times before. I took the Blogging 101 course a couple of times, but after it was finished, I had a hard time staying committed. I like working in community, so I’m back to fundamentals, brushing up my skills in order to start a writing challenge.

In trying to zero in on my purpose for the blog, I went back to look at unfinished projects on my computer. I think I will stick with the subject about me. My blog is “Self-Censored.” I’m not sure the play on words comes across – maybe I need to work on that. I hope blogging will get my juices flowing. I had been thinking of self-publishing a book about the “snapshots” of the life that I’ve lived with family and friends. When I look back at a snapshot in my mind, I try to envision how we each experienced that moment in time.

Old photos of my mom show a beautiful woman with style and poise, flawless skin- regardless of age and sparkling greens eyes. She always held her head high, defiant and fearless-usually looking straight at the camera. Outside of that frame, we knew she suffered a disabling neuromuscular disease, legal blindness and finally was taken from us by cancer at age 54. In spite of all her physical problems, her spirit WAS like the image in the pictures – beautiful and strong. People came to her for help and advice and she gave them whatever she had.

I believe this is s a universal experience. I am different things to different people. Each person has a version of the ME that they are comfortable with, a behavior or reaction they expect of me, but my Core is one. We all play different roles in a variety of situations, but we are always the star or protagonist in our own movie. We are mothers or fathers, children, lovers, bosses and underlings, angels or demons but no one knows what is truly in our hearts, what really motivates us- except ourselves.

I plan to share these verbal snapshots as I’m calling them and explore the characters in each scene. All stories will be based on real life but some will be edited, colored and “photo-shopped” with my imagination.

I hope you join me on my journey. I appreciate your feedback and assistance.