Carpe Diem
The Latin phrase carpe diem translates literally to “pluck the day” or “pluck the day (while it’s ripe)”, and it is widely translated into English as “seize the day.” It means to enjoy the present moment and make the most of current opportunities rather than worrying about or relying on an uncertain future. Our alarm…
Pearl Couscous Salad and Shrimp
One of the best salads I have ever made! Recipe from the New York Times. Some changes noted below as I made this for just Susan and I. Ingredients Yield: 6 servings Preparation Meanwhile, here is a photo from today looking out my window and a recent watercolor:
One-Pan Mediterranean Shrimp and Chickpea Skillet
Easy to make and delicious!!! Ingredients Instructions Based on a recipe from “30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners.”
Life Lately
I always get a bit impatient during the month of May. I want to garden; plant tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, parsley, lettuce, etc but here in New England those in the know say wait till Memorial Day–we might still get a frost. Plus, the swamp maples in the yard behind our property, release thousands of seedlings,…
A Few Days Ago
A few days ago at the park down the street from where we live–Mittineague Park.
Shrimp with Grapes, Citrus, and Rum
So simple to make and simply delicious! Ingredients Instructions Based on a recipe from The Spiced Life, which was based on a recipe in Susan Volland’s Green Black Red: Recipes for Cooking and Enjoying California Grapes.
Health Update
“Bruce, the kidney stones are still an issue,” the urologist said, “But we are more concerned about a mass on your bladder.” This was a few weeks before Christmas 2025, during my usual, routine 6 month ultrasound. More tests were called for but with the holidays coming up and my medicare coverage changing, the CT-scans…
Quick Fish Chowder With Hot Butter Crackers
My wife and I do not often cook dinner together. She is the baker. And I am the maker. I am now reminded of the Aztec Two Step song, You Do The Bakin. Recently, Susan and I made this chowder together and it was delicious. Quoting Sue Li from The New York Times: “As easy…
Spring is in the air.
Photo from March 17. March is the month of expectation, The things we do not know . . . —Emily Dickinson, American poet (1830-86)
White Bean Salad With Fennel and Celery
This post cries out for a different title. Like…….WOW! Or…….DELICIOUSNESS! Perfect for summer, but also perfect for a cozy winter evening. Quoting Sue Li in The New York Times: “Like so many bean salads, this one is delicious the day it’s made, but gets even better as it sits. You can marinate the beans in…
PERSIMMON BREAD
The young women bagging my groceries when seeing the three persimmons asked, “What are those?” “Those are persimmons,” I answered. “What do you do with them? What do they taste like?” She asked. “I am going to make persimmon bread and they taste a bit like sweet apples, honey-like.” I had never heard of persimmons…
GOOD DOG, GOOD DOG
Quiet Life Our dog has lost his hearing.It’s sad.Years ago I read to himDOG SONGS by Mary Oliver: “A puppy is a puppy is a puppy.He’s probably in a basket with a bunchof other puppies.Then he’s a little older and he’s nothingbut a bundle of longing.He doesn’t even understand it….” Thirteen years ago we said”We…
My Gift to My Wife on Christmas
A watercolor and a poem. For SusanOn Christmas 2025 A gift.This isA Place.A TableRound, of grace.A heart shaped roseRises from a gold vase.A checkered tablecloth.We hold hands.Susan and IGive praise.Thank You GodFor these giftsWe are about to receiveFrom your bountyThrough Christ our LordAmen.A table of grace.A worldRound, of grace.This morning I saw a bluejaySnatch an…
Thanksgiving Recap
A family Thanksgiving tradition: we host our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren for breakfast, gift-giving, watching the Macy’s Parade and the dog show. We have the grandchildren open their Christmas gifts on Thanksgiving as on Christmas day at our daughter’s home, what with all the relatives there, it is a bit hectic or chaotic. In Thanksgiving…
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