Sandy's comments (member since Sep 10, 2007)

Sandy's comments from the Constant Reader group.

I love Dylan's Christmas album, but it seems to be a love/hate thing. Some love and others hate.
Sandy

Back to Dickens for a moment. My favorite English author. Have read my way through all at least five times and would say that Bleak House remains my favorite, with David Copperfield close behind. No one could tell a story like Dickens could.
Sandy

No difference. Some are great and some are not, and it doesn't seem to depend on whether or not they have fame.

Erin wrote: "Sandy wrote: "The thing to remember is that history is written by the winners.
Sandy"

Which is unfortunate."

Always has been. I am Creek/Chickasaw. The history of Indians which has been taught in our country is abysmal.
Sandy

The thing to remember is that history is written by the winners.
Sandy

Tom wrote: "Sandy, I'd love to hear about your experiences in Iran. You were in the Peace Corps?"

Yes, I was. It grieves me to witness the demonizing of Iran.
Sandy

Tom wrote: "I admit that my post was meant to draw attention to my blog on the Huffington Post, but I was surprised and disappointed when, instead of generating a discussion on the ideas I put forth, it drew a..."

That is disappearing history and far too common. Iran has thousands of years of history. But "history is written by the winners." You have a good command of the culture, by the way. At the risk of going off topic, I just finished The Tehran Conviction and it took me back.
Sandy

When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran, we lived with the suspicions that we were CIA. This article does a great job of explaining why. President Obama is taking the right stance. Hands off and leave it to the Iranian people. There will be time later for diplomacy.
Sandy

I forgot Val McDermid and Lee Childs. McDermids books were the base for the BBC series, Wire in the Blood. Lee Childs's books, with hero Jack Reacher, are violent, but good.
Sandy

Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series is very good. Margaret Maron writes great mysteries that take place in the South. Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennan is a favorite of mine.
Sandy

A 12 lb ham. Wow. Gives life to Dorothy Parker's definition of eternity. "Two people and a ham."

Here is a recipe that I have been giving thanks for: it is from this month's Real Simple magazine. We do Thanksgiving with friends and the menu is very traditional.


Ginger Chocolate-Chip Bars

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and line it with 2 crisscrossed pieces of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. (I didn't do the parchment, just sprayed the pan.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into 32 bars (8 rows by 4 rows).

To Wrap: The tight seal on a take-out container will keep the bars moist and chewy. (Soak containers in warm, soapy water to remove glue from labels.) Wrap with a bow and personalize with a handwritten sticker.

To Freeze: Instead of baking the batter, freeze it in the pan for up to 2 months. To bake, follow the recipe instructions, baking from frozen, and use the upper end of the time range.



Yield: Makes 32 bars

CALORIES 138 ; FAT 6g (sat 4g); CHOLESTEROL 28mg; CARBOHYDRATE 20g; CALORIES FROM FAT 41%; SODIUM 55mg; PROTEIN 2g; FIBER 1g; SUGAR 15g

Real Simple, DECEMBER 2008

Congratulations to you and Eli!! He is a beauty. My first granddaughter was 4 weeks early and she has been in the bloom of health for the last nine years.
Sandy

This Kipling poem, The Power Of The Dog, says it all for me. And, Candy, you are right on about terriers. Busy, energetic, intelligent, sweet dogs.

The Power of the Dog
There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie--
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.
When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find--it's your own affair--
But...you've given your heart for a dog to tear.
When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!);
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone--wherever it goes--for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart for the dog to tear.
We've sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long--
So why in Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

We saw Changeling yesterday and it was definitely a "life interrupter" on so many levels. As my husband said, "Eastwood has come to direct these perfect movies without a misstep." Angelina Jolie was amazing, as was the rest of the cast. It was a period piece of LA at a certain time. See it if you have a chance.
Sandy

You are right Yulia, or at least my experience says so. My husband and I were best friends before we fell in love. We eloped to New York City Hall 40 years ago and we are still each others best friend and companion as well as loving each other dearly.
Candy, I wish that for you and Stagg. Many years of love and companionship.
Sandy

Lone Pine is in an area that has been called "severely rural." I find Palin's attitudes patronizing. She doesn't speak for the masses but they seem to think she does. When did it become necessary for the President to be someone we could have a beer with? I don't want someone like me to be President; I want someone who knows what they are doing! Oh, and isn't a "team of mavericks" an oxymoron?
Sandy

I have read Edgar Sawtelle and enjoyed it. The writing is splendid and it gives one a whole new way to look at dogs. I am a dog person anyway.
Sandy

I loved In The Woods and The Likeness is even better. She is a very accomplished writer and I look forward to many more of her books.
Sandy

I'm with Ruth. I couldn't just sit and listen to a book, but we always have one in the car. Makes a long trip better.
Sandy