All things in moderation

Try as I might, I don’t believe I’m going to complete my reference for resisting the threat against democracy. The blitz is so large in scope, it’s almost impossible to prioritize the issues or resources that will help us confront this monstrosity. My attempts so far seem a bit like pissing in the wind, although I have never actually pissed in the wind. I’m pretty sure Dale has, though.

How many kinds of crazy can you handle at once?

I’ve been reading great opinion pieces on independent media that mostly amount to “outrage of the day.” Not a lot of advice at this point, but I have come to the conclusion social and cultural issues are smoke and mirrors designed to fire us up and keep us divided.

The good guys will be marching in the streets for basic human rights, while the bad guys cloak themselves in righteousness and grab all the money and power. One ring to rule them all.

I honestly don’t know what to do, but my best idea at this point is to follow the money. I’ve never actually called my senators, but tomorrow I’m going to try it and see what happens. I’ll focus on ill-conceived tariffs and Elon Musk gaining access to the treasury system. My message is we elected you to represent us, and this is an attack on Americans. Get your head out of your ass and do something!

I’ll probably say it nicer than that. Maybe it depends on who answers the phone? If anyone even answers. As they used to say in the South when I lived there, I have no earthly idea!

As for outrage of the day, I realized I was also following that path here and at home. I told Dale I’ll stop reading the shitshow news to him, and I’m not going to go on and on about it here, either. I will continue to share what I think is important, but I’m not wired for daily outrage. All things in moderation.

What I’m Eating

Last night was Transylvanian Layered Cabbage, which I described in an earlier post. Sauerkraut, pork, smoked sausage, rice and sour cream. As an accompaniment, I made a no-knead rye bread that was my best ever. There’s a lot of casserole left over, so we’ll skip a day and have another go at it.

Probably one serving will go into our garage chest freezer, which we are defrosting today! It’s not that hard, but Dale and I approach things differently (to say the least). I bundle similar items into giant Ziplocs so you can find them again, but Dale likes to toss things in like logs on a fire.

Arguments will be had.

For breakfast, Dale made scrambled eggs with homemade Mexican-style chorizo and his excellent salsa verde. He eats his eggs on a tortilla like a taco, but I prefer them without. Either way, delicious!

I’ve got some lobster stock thawing out for miso seafood chowder, but that will be mid-week. If we skip a day on the casserole, that means tonight’s dinner is unknown at this time. Maybe we’ll be inspired by something in the freezer. I know there’s some tuna casserole in there. It always sounds yucky, but I make it all from scratch with mushrooms and a bechamel sauce topped with cheddar, and it’s great.

What I’m Watching

I finished season 4 of Astrid. I highly recommend that show on PBS Masterpiece. I started watching season 5 of All Creatures Great and Small, which is a nice respite from all the gruesomeness of life and fiction. Was I hallucinating or did I see there will be a new Lincoln Lawyer season on Netflix?

What I’m Reading

Not for the feint of heart, but I read Resisting the Right by Robert Edwards. He’s an excellent writer to begin with, and the material is meticulously researched. Published before Trump was elected, it’s still quite grim, but it should be a fixture on everyone’s resistance bookshelf. Mr. Edwards also has an enlightening blog, The King’s Necktie.

I’m rather proud of my holds list (and position!) at the library:

  • Locked In by Jussi Adler-Olsen (1)
  • Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (4)
  • Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (7)
  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (13)

16 thoughts on “All things in moderation”

    1. Hope this works for you! Warning. I do mix weights and measures.

      No-Knead Rye Bread
      Makes one loaf

      300 grams bread flour
      100 grams rye flour
      1 ¼ tsp table salt
      ½ tsp instant yeast
      1 heaping Tbs caraway seeds
      1 1/3 cups liquid – half cool water and half room temp pickle juice

      In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients until you have a shaggy, sticky dough. Let it rest an hour and then do at least one set of bowl folds to ensure all the dry bits are absorbed.

      Cover and set aside overnight, about 12-18 hours.

      Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board (this is a good time to clean and dry the bowl you used.) Lifting with a bench scraper, fold the dough over, turn one-quarter turn, and fold again. Do this three or four times, then turn the entire loaf over, and put it back into the lightly floured bowl, seam side down.

      Allow the dough to rise for about two hours.

      Thirty minutes before the end of the second rise, with the rack in the lower third of the oven, turn the oven on to 475 degrees and slide in your cast-iron covered Dutch oven.

      Cut a piece of parchment paper the approximate width of the Dutch oven and long enough to form a sling.

      At the end of the rise, I put the sling over the bowl, put a small cutting board over that for stability and then invert the dough onto the parchment sling. Lift by the ends and gently place it into the bottom of the Dutch oven, letting the edges of the parchment hang over the outside. Cover it and bake for 20-30 minutes. The original recipe says 30, I like 25.

      Uncover the loaf and bake for 10-20 additional minutes and the bread is deeply golden. Mine usually goes 10, 15 max.

      Let cool on a rack.

        1. All of it is at room temperature, but sometimes you have to adjust if it’s cold. I set my bowl on a thick cotton pad so it’s not directly on the counter. I cover it with a shower cap and a cloth napkin over that. If it doesn’t look doubled in the morning, you can let it go longer or use some sort of proofing device. Our oven has a proof setting. I also have a heating pad and have used that. Same goes for the second rise — it might need a little help or more time if the kitchen is cold.

  3. Did you ever read Captains and the Kings by Taylor Caldwell? It’s a novel set in the late 1800’s and talks about smoke and mirrors and who is really in power. I read it when I was a teenager and still remember it.

    Thanks for the Astrid recommendation! I am enjoying it.

    I also like reading about your meals!

    1. Wow, yes, I do recall reading that book a long time ago. I don’t remember the story anymore, but I do remember it having a big impact on me.

      So glad you’re enjoying Astrid!

  4. Senate and Representative offices count all correspondence (email, fax, calls, paper) on issues so all contact with elected officials is good. We should all be letting our elected representatives know how we feel even if we’re on the same wave length.

    1. I’m embarrassed that I haven’t done it before. I guess I always thought, oh, someone else will do it. Not anymore!

  5. Here’s what you can do Donna: Make that call to your Representative. It may seem like a small thing but it will make a difference. Someone will answer and take notes and count every call. I think the phones are ringing off the hook because we are their constituents and we have something to say OUT LOUD! We’ve had enough of this crazy stuff and we are not sitting back. As an introvert, I’m not much of a joiner of groups, but I have recently been invited to join a neighborhood community of women who share similar political views and want to support each other. This grassroots group of like-minded women will surely create some kind of action. More to come…

    1. Thank you! I could not get through on the phone, but I sent emails to my two U.S. senators and my U.S.representative. I’m going to keep calling until I get through. And then I will do it again.

      I just had a short meeting at my house with two other women to discuss golf league business, but we were quick to switch over to politics when we were done. It does help to find like-minded people who are willing to act.

      1. Yes and yes! Great Donna, and glad you could find some like minded ones in your golf group. Keep it up!

  6. I can understand you finding your set task overwhelming – that’s because it is. But maybe you could structure it as a series of essays which will build into something bigger, or at least be a first draft for you to develop?

    Either way, lots of people on Threads are suggesting the phone calls to your representative, and to call each day on only one specific topic. Clearly with all the topics of concern, there will be multiple calls being made over time, but it is apparently calls which count rather than emails, letters or other forms of written feedback, however odd that may seem to us sensible folk.

    1. I couldn’t get through on the phone, so I left emails, but I will keep trying — every single day!

      I like your idea of breaking it down into smaller bites. More to come!

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