Vicki Lane's Blog, page 43

Sisters?

Could be. We all dress formally . . .

In your dreams, Bailey. You are but a dog and we are cats--the apex of creation.
Oh.
                                                                                        

Autumn Equinox

                                                                             

                                                                      

 Balanced between summer and fall,

Between love and hate, hope and fear, truth and lies----

Teetering between yesterday and tomorrow,

Breathless, the world waits.

May all be well, may all be well,

May all be exceeding well.

                                                          

Where's My Taco Truck?

Justin brought us a still-warm feast from Taco Fiesta in Mars Hill. (The dark stains on the bag indicate freshness.)

There's a large pan of fajitas . . .

And soft flour tortillas to put the fajita mix in. Also corn tortilla chips, two salsas, and two salad/refried beans con queso/ Mexican rice/sour cream/ guacamole dishes.

Not exactly elegant but very yummy, quite reasonably priced, and no effort required on our part.
There's a lot of the fajita stuff left. Come Sunday, it will go into a kind of Mexican lasagna layered with corn tortillas, sour cream, and cheese.
I'm still waiting for the taco truck on every corner that a spokesman for Latinos for Trump promised if Biden was elected. (I'm also still bitter about the library of Alexandria and the Mayan Codices, but I digress.)
Till we get the taco truck on our road, this is a fine substitute!

 

A Little Editing

Out of the blue came a request from a student from years past. She's finished the novel she workshopped in my class and is thinking about getting it edited "if it's worthy." Would I like to have a go?
Oh, how to answer that question! So many books are published--many not especially worthy in my opinion, but best sellers. 
I can't tell someone that paying for editing will assure their book is published Editing is expensive--though I suspect at $5 dollars a page for very picky line-editing, my prices aren't out of line.
Anyway, I suggested she pay me to edit the first chapter and she could decide if it was worth it to her to spring for the whole book.
She sent me said first chapter and I leaped in. And was surprised to find how addictive the work is. I always enjoyed editing--with a few exceptions when the writing was truly terrible. But this is a nice story that I think I can improve with some judicious tweaks.
We'll see if it proves to be something she wants to pursue.

 

Field of Gold

                               

                                                                                    

Mixed Emotions

So happy for the blessed, much-needed rain! 

But I am beyond angry at the latest outrage from the GOP--well, there are so many and they keep coming--I'll focus on the candidates' completely discredited statements and/or refusal to disavow the lies about Haitians (legal immigrants) in Springfield, Ohio.
Bomb threats, school shutdowns, widespread fear among the community because JD Vance doesn't mind lying in service of his scare-tactics message. And the Orange One plays dumb. (Okay, not a stretch.)
This is the tactic the Nazis used against the Jews. Dehumanize a set of people. Make them into a common enemy. To hell with the consequences as long as it gets you elected.
The GOP is telling you loud and clear who they are. 
An Ohio sheriff has suggested people keep a list of those families with Harris/Walz signs in their yards. If that's not chilling intimidation, I don't know what is.
And with the ongoing wholesale partisan purging of the voting rolls--you'd be wise to check that you're still registered, especially if you've moved or haven't voted recently.
The stakes are unbelievably high in this election. I can only hope that our better angels prevail. 


 

Josie and the Camels Next Door

                                                                               

                     💗💗😋💖💜           there are camels crossing.                                                     
the camel is saying hi.

the camel wants to eat my bow.                                                                                    
I like the camels.

the camels like me. I like to feed them.

These are Josie's words, and she did all the keyboarding.                                                                               

Morning Glory

 

A Hundred Personal Messages

Doing what I can. I can't/won't knock on doors or march or go to rallies, but I can write messages encouraging mothers to vote. Non-partisan messages. 

 The post cards are preaddressed and pre-stamped--I add a brief personal message. 

The campaign is aimed at mothers who are registered voters but may need a nudge to get them to the polls. It's organized by Moms Rising, a non-partisan advocacy group.
 If you'd like to fill out 20 or 100  postcards, go HERE.
(And I'm almost done! Six to go. It went quickly and it was fascinating to see the names that came up.)



 

A Concept of a Recipe

A riff on Fish Veracruz.  Big catfish filets, marinated in yoghurt with a little Dijon mustard then rolled in a mixture of flour, salt, paprika, and garlic powder and fried in canola oil. 
Sered atop cheesy grits and dressed with a fresh salsa of lightly sauteed onions, garlic, bell pepper, and tomato. Some green olives stirred in at the end.
There should have been some shrimp, to come nearer to the Veracruz ideal, but it was pretty tasty for a concept.