Recipe of the Week - Lemon Artichoke Salad

 I need to eat more salads and so I am always on the lookout for different salad recipes. While I love traditional salads like a garden salad, chef salad, Caesar salad, etc., I do not want to burn out on them.  I found this salad on the Taste of Home website.  I decided to try it and really liked it.  It's like and will be a good salad for summer.  I could make a meal out of it by adding chicken or shrimp to the salad one day.  Enjoy!

Lemon Artichoke Salad

10 cups torn romaine lettuce

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 14oz can quartered artichoke hearts, diced

2.25 oz sliced olives (I used green)

3 Tbsp water

3 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/3 cup shredded parm

Place first 4 ingredients in a bowl.  Place all other ingredients except for the cheese in a lidded jar.  Shake well.  Pour over salad.  Toss to coat.  Top with parmesan and serve. 

The Clarinet

 This morning, like many mornings, I am starting my day with a podcast and some coffee.  I chose an episode of Fresh Air to listen to today.  It is about jazz clarinetist Doreen Ketchens.  So far, it is quite interesting as Fresh Air always is. It got me to thinking about my clarinet and the seven years I spent playing it in middle and high school. When we signed up for band at the end of our 5th grade year, I started out with another instrument.  Mr. Pinsak, who was the director of the band at the time, convinced my Mom that the trumpet was the way to go. I really wanted to play clarinet, but we both felt that he knew what he was talking about so that's what I did.

When we got to band in 6th grade, Mr. Pinsak was not there anymore.  Our director was Joe Nanney. I was not good.  I tried and tried but could not get the hang of it. One reason is I just couldn't get my mouth to work the way a trumpet player's should.  I sounded like some kind of dying goose and could barely get any notes out.  I ended up in the bottom tier of the trumpet section. Also, my heart was not in it. I wanted to play the clarinet.  After a month or so, I convinced my parents and Mr. Nanney that this was not for me and I should try the clarinet.  Everyone agreed because it was obvious that I was not happy.  And it was obvious that I was not good.  

I was so excited to get my new instrument.  That first day, I practiced for three hours after school.  It felt right.  I could handle this one.  And I was able to get actual notes out this time.  Being a piano player as well, my fingers enjoyed the different patterns required of the clarinet.  I practiced for hours each day for weeks.  I eventually went from last chair trumpet to first chair clarinet. I had found my musical motivation. I remained in the top section of clarinets through the rest of my school days.  When I was a freshman in high school, I was up for first chair right off the bat.  I lost that to Elizabeth Hargett, who was honestly better than I was.  Then she lost first chair to Christ Crumpton who would stop at nothing to be first chair.  Ah, the good old days of band.

I was never soloist material.  The times I was first chair, I always passed on solos which was fine with me.  Being a good musician is different than being a good soloist.  I didn't mind and it took lots of pressure off of me.  But I loved my time in band and I loved playing the clarinet.  I should find mine and get it out to see if I can still make it work.  It's out in the garage somewhere!  Good memories. 

Keeping my mental health on a good path

 

I will be the first to admit that my mental health has been on a roller coaster the last few months.  Some days are good, and some days are not. Given all that is going on right now, I feel that my roller coaster ride is appropriate and do not need to give any explanation or excuse for it.  However, I am trying to do things to keep my mental health in as good a state as is possible.  In order to become the person that I know that I can be and that I want to be, having good mental health is a key element to that.  Not saying that I cannot and will not have bad days.  Everyone does.  And anyone who says they do not are probably hiding the truth.  I won't say it's lying because that just sounds negative, and everyone deals with life differently.  That is what makes us all unique. 

Lots of things that I post about are all helping to keep my mental health intact.  My daily challenges, for example.  I read my daily devotion each morning and it is an excellent way to look at my career path and know that I am on the right track with that. I have also cut back on my time on the internet.  Many of my profiles have been either deleted or made unavailable by myself.  I was spending way too much time in this world of fantasy.  That is ok because I needed that during covid.  However, it is time to get back into life and not spending hours being someone I am truly not is quite a relief.  I also work hard to keep my Facebook page as positive as can be. I do not live with my head in the sand, and I am well aware of the atrocities occurring in our nation right now.  I have made my Facebook page a place where people can go and know that they can escape all of the horrors for at least a few moments.  People may think me a Pollyanna for that and so be it.  

Finding ways to ease the strain and stress of daily life is key to my happy existence.  I am happy to take any suggestions you have to incorporate into this process for me.  Now that the weather is getting nicer, being outdoors is one thing I look forward to.  I do not get outside much but it's time that I start.  Anyway, I truly am feeling better each day.  I know that I have days that are very rough for me, and I hate that sometimes social media is my only outlet for letting go of that.  I try not to, but it does sneak in from time to time. Such as life.  If it helps me to deal with things and move on, so be it. I am looking forward to a more consistent, better outlook on life.  And, as we all well know, that is not an easy thing to accomplish these days.  But I can do it.

That is all. 

Fernando - Abba

 Abba put out a lot of great pop music in their day. This gem from 1976 is my favorite of all of Abba's tunes.  A fun way to start the day!  Enjoy

Daily Challenge for April

 While I am continuing my daily challenges from previous months, this month I am going to challenge myself to read every day.  And that does not mean my homework because that will not start until next month!  I have so many books that I own that I need to read.  This challenge will help me with that. And I enjoy reading. It's not something I enjoyed very much when I was growing up.  And rarely did I enjoy a book because it was required reading in middle school or high school.  There are a few exceptions such as The Great Gatsby and The Good Earth.  But I have amassed a nice collection of books and it's time I take advantage of them.  It will be a form of entertainment that is incredibly cheap LOL  And a good escape from these troubled times. Hopefully it will also inspire me to start writing again.  Not that I want to write a book, but I do love creative writing and have not done any in years.  We shall see!

Matthew 6:14

 

Today's Moment of Mindfulness

 

Whenever you are going out, remember to say goodbye to everyone who's present, giving them your full attention and love.

A house vs. a home

 

There is no question that I love stuff.  I love my stuff, and I love collecting.  I have now for 40 years.  And I have a lot of stuff and do not regret any antiques and collectibles purchase that I have made.  And I use my stuff. That's part of the fun of having it.  I look back at the hours I spent growing up and going to houses and just looking at the stuff.  Aunt Sara's house, Aunt Billie's house, Grandmother's etc. And our home on Brookgreen Drive as well.  I would occupy myself for hours, sometimes days, just going through the stuff because I thought it interesting.  And it was.  I would learn the history behind things and document it either in my mind or on paper. I still do that.

But as I grow older, I am realizing a big difference in my house and theirs.  Now, I am not going to say this because it is a bad reflection on myself, but it is more of a starting point.  The difference to me is that their houses were truly homes.  Mine's still just a house.  Those houses were filled with memories of people and occasions and daily life.  While I have some of those things as well, it is not the same yet.  Their homes were comfortable, and people often just visited for no reason other than to just visit.  That doesn't happen anymore much these days. I would like to see that change.  While, yes, I do have birthday parties and Sunday dinners here occasionally, I want my house to be a place people want to come and just be.  A place where people are comfortable just sitting and talking if nothing else.  A place that I can share my stuff with them.  It may not make sense how I'm articulating this, but it definitely makes sense in my mind. 

Bottom line, I want my house to be more of a home. It takes many things to make a home, and I am working on that, one piece at a time. Stop by sometime and sit a spell and visit! That is all. 

Capstone Update

 

This past weekend, I finished up my capstone proposal and got it submitted to my professor.  Now, I play the waiting game.  While I was quite nervous about the proposal when I was writing it, now I find myself pretty calm about it. It's not as if I am not nervous about it, but I have decided that I will accept whatever the decision is.  Hopefully the proposal will be accepted.  It's possible it could be accepted with rewrites. Or it may be rejected.  Either way, I will be fine and move forward.  If it is rejected, then I will do it all again next year.  I am ok with that.  It would not be ideal, but things could be worse.  

I should hear by tomorrow, so now it is just a waiting game. Wish me luck!

Quote of the Week

 

Yesterday at work, I received a compliment from one of my insurance vendors that I work with. It was a great feeling. The people in my department work very hard together and we have a great time.  It shows and it's hearing the good things that make it worth it all. 

Thought of the Day

 

I often wonder what this country would be like if people were kinder to each other.  People often say that kindness costs nothing, but I disagree.  For some people, kindness takes a lot of time and effort.  Not everyone is inherently kind. It is like hate in a way.  Not everyone is inherently hateful.  You have to be taught to hate, just as you have to be taught kindness.  Often the examples set for us are not ideal anymore because kindness has fallen by the wayside for many people.  Replaced with greed and not letting anyone stand in their way of success...whatever that means anymore. It works both ways:  hateful people can do kind things and kind people can do hateful things.  Nothing and no one are perfect.  I just think that if we started to take the time to make more of an effort to be kind, the world would be a better place.

That is all.