Mornings Like This Usually Aren't Mornings Like This

We've all done it. Every single one of us has done it at least once during our lifetime - whether when we were kids or as grups.

"It" is that moment of waking when you think, "Ahhhh, it's Saturday." You snuggle down under the covers and settle in to go back to sleep and then reality leaps in, shouting and waving its hands. "Aw, crap! It's only (name the day of the week)!" A frantic look at the clock usually followed by "Oh, spit! I'm late!" Which is then followed by an even more frantic game of Beat The Clock.

Happy, happy day for me! I had that moment, only I woke up, snuggled and thought, "Crap. Today's Sunday already." I started planning my day, what I'm going to make for lunches, the chores I had to do (which are done which is why I'm sitting here, writing this). I started thinking about Monday, what I have to do there, what I need to do there (damn that Gantt Chart, anyway!).

After a few minutes Sam started crying piteously from the next room. Poor thing sounded so forlorn that I had to get up. I threw off the covers, turned my hips and hit the floor, then took a double-take look at the clock. No. No way! It couldn't be eight forty-five already! I pulled the iPad over and, sure enough, it was. Poor Sam! No wonder he was crying, he probably thought he had been abandoned.

Still thinking it was Sunday I took care of him, did my upstairs chores - scooped the boxes, fed the cat, watered the cat (standing at the bathroom sink so he can drink from the palm of my hand). I made the bed, straightened the room. Then headed downstairs and turned on the heat, cleaned the counters, emptied the dishwasher. In other words, nearly an hour passed before I had a sudden thought followed by a disbelieving, "Nah. No way. It can't be Saturday, can it?" A quick search through the TV listings (since my computer wasn't on and the iPad was still upstairs) and my suspicion solidified. When I stumbled across the QVC shopping network with its 'Saturday Q' I almost jumped for joy. It is only Saturday. Yee-haw!!!

It was the cookery plan that threw me off. I always do my cooking for the week on Sunday, but here it was, Saturday morning and I was thinking of cooking.

I still have a boatload of not-such-fun stuff to do: laundry, folding, putting away. Hubby wants to move furniture and clean. But I also have that much more time for the fun stuff, too. For doing this and shopping at Costco (dare I say I love Costco?), and writing and other stuff I get to choose to do.

Such a nice day. Such a cold day. While I was choring* around the kitchen this morning I looked out the window. There was a scrub jay in the yard. The poor thing was trying to hide a seed for future eating but the ground was too hard. He tried one place, then another, then a third. I got started pouring my coffee so didn't see the end of his attempts but when I looked out the window again, he was gone. I hope that he did find a soft spot for his seed and, more than that, I hope he remembers where he left it when it's wanted.

*Yes, I know that it's not a verb, but it's what I was doing, so I made it work for me. Sorry.

And look at that! That resolution I refused to make yesterday, the one rejecting the use of the words "hope" and "so" has paid off. I didn't toss them in like confetti.

I won't even use it now. Instead I'll be firm and direct: have a lovely day!

Best~
Philippa

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilippaStories

The Best Part of Sunday Morning

I don't know what's different about Sundays, but they are different. Is it because I'm more relaxed after Saturday? Or is it that I know that the errands are done and I have all morning ahead of me? I don't know, for sure, but they are and they are wonderful.

My favorite part is getting up around six-thirty or seven o'clock and going downstairs. Hubby and MIL are still asleep, Sam is still bedded down. It feels as if I have the entire house to myself. The only sounds are the quiet ones of the refrigerator humming and the little noises I make as I go about setting up the coffee and getting MIL's pills done for the week.

If I choose, I can turn on KDFC and play it quietly in the background. They have two wonderful programs on Sunday mornings. The first is baroque and romantic period church music that runs from seven o'clock to nine. It's a mix of hymns and lyric pieces that set the mood for a Sunday morning. The second, starting at nine o'clock is Baroque By The Bay - two hours of baroque period music (15th to late 18th century music). Turn it low and have it strictly in the background. Or not.

This morning I listened to the quiet symphony of the house, and it was almost perfect. I had the whole day ahead of me, a few tasks to complete, which were done by eight-thirty, and then... nothing I didn't want to do.

Until hubby came upstairs and said, 'we need to get the sap off the deck.'

Rats.

We had the cypress trees taken out. The backyard looks wide open and bare now, actually better than before, but the trees left behind a lot of sap. Guess it's what they do when they get sick because there are blotches and splotches all over the deck. Not my idea of fun, but it had to happen because otherwise we couldn't walk across the deck without getting sticky stuff all over the bottom of our shoes.

Two hours and it's pretty well done. Not perfect because the day began to warm and the sap began to melt, but pretty good. Good enough to leave.

Next week, hubby will power wash the deck to get the mold and algae that grew in the shade of the trees, then we'll start looking at removing whatever else is left. It shouldn't be much.

What's more exciting is that he seems to have gotten kick-started into Getting Things Done.

Preparatory to the tree guys coming we cleared the backyard of everything - and it looks sooo much better than before! Almost as if the Beverly Hillbillies have left.

I still have my re-purposed deck swing. The one from which we cut away the rotted seat, leaving a sturdy frame which we then strung with clothesline. It's my solar powered clothes dryer during the warm days - and it's packed full as I write this. Everything else, though, is still stacked on the side deck and hubby is still talking about getting a bin.

Next weekend he's promised to start going through the house so we can clear stuff out - which will be wonderful! It'll still look like a hellacious dump because of stains on the carpet and desperate need of paint, but it will be better than it is.

I suspect most of it will end up in a debris bin, but a lot of it will be given away. No matter. The house will feel lighter, less cluttered and heavy around my shoulders when I walk through it. Maybe I'll even feel like giving it a good cleaning since I won't have to move and replace half the contents just to dust it.

Even if we only get rid of half the stuff, I'll be thrilled. Then I'll start holding my breath for the next stage - new paint, new window coverings (no more God Damned Plantation Blinds! - GOD I hate those things for being a pain in the ass to clean properly), and new carpet.

What do I want instead of blinds? How about either vinyl shutters that I can take down, take outside, spray with Windex or an ammonia solution and hose off, leaving them to dry, or drapes and sheers that I can take down and throw in the washer. Either one and I'll be happy. I just do not like having dust-catching blinds at my windows that require a lot of muscle to clean - one louver at a time across a three or four-foot width and four foot height. Sixteen square feet of blinds is sixteen square feet too many, as I'm sure you'd agree if you have ever cleaned one of those bloody things, yourself.

So, that's in the future, and will be an matter of "discussion" no doubt. Since hubby has never cleaned a louvered blind in his life, he has no idea what a pain it is, so I'm sure he'll want to replace like with like - which I will not have unless I get a document, signed in blood, that either he will do it or he will willingly pay a service to do it.

Can you tell I have strong feelings on the subject?

But that's a battle for another day. Right now, I'm just thrilled to have gotten the chores done and am able to take time for this.

Now - I'm going to put my feet up and I may even take a nap.

I hope your Sunday is lovely, too!

Best~
Philippa

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilippaStories

Quiet Sunday - A Time for Flash

It's Sunday morning and I'm feeling lazy. I got a lot of stuff done yesterday - mending, errands, some writing and commenting, but today, I feel blah. Just lazy with limited energy and I have to go run some more errands later, so I'll pace myself. I'll post a couple of flash pieces.

One, sadly, is based on something that happened on Friday. The prompt this week for the Flash Fiction group on Scribblers was 'castaway'.

The second is my entry for the Weekend Write-in on WriteOn.

I hope you enjoy these.

* * * *

Life's Castaway

“Excuse me, sir.” The young woman leaned down, keeping her voice low so the other patrons wouldn’t overhear, even though some of them had been the ones to complain. “I have to ask you to leave.”

Tim looked up at the girl, taking note of the gray-green eyes, brown hair under the uniform cap. Defeated, again, he sighed, nodded, and gathered his battered belongings together. “Sure.”

After sliding off the bench, he set the precious dime down next to the empty coffee cup. It wasn’t much but it was more than he could afford, yet Pride insisted he leave something.

She stepped back, away from him. He was used to it. Everyone did it. That’s what people do with society’s castaways.

Outside, the sun was just rising over the hills. Shadows were still long and the air hinted at the warmth the day would bring. Feeling the tiny heat seeping through the worn out clothes, he considered his options.

Thirty yards away, the overpass rose up and arched across the six lanes of freeway, but he could see the shelter through the trees across the way. He looked at it, considering. Thirty yards, a climb and twenty yards back to the shelter door is a long walk, and I’m tired. I’ll cut across. Hell, I’ve done it a million times.

He shifted the stained and filthy backpack, clutched the plastic bag with his dumpster findings more tightly, and shuffled over to the metal guardrail that separated the restaurant parking lot from the on-ramp and freeway.

Pausing, he waited for the metering light to stop traffic, then skirted between the two lanes of cars. People behind the glass gaped at him, and he saw one punch a button on the steering wheel. But he turned away. He’d be across the road before the cops got there.

A semi blew past, whipping freeway grit, exhaust and papers against him. After a squint he looked.  There was a gap… He stepped forward, hurrying.  One lane behind him and then…

Candy and her friend Brian, commute buddies, were on their way to work. Laughing and talking and… She landed both feet, with all of her might, on the brake pedal but it was too late.

The look of surprise on the man’s face stayed with her long after the car came to a halt. Behind her, the Mercedes slammed into the trunk of her car, bolting her forward and skewing her into the far left lane while other cars swerved, honked and crashed together.

After what felt like a century Candy breathed. “Oh my God!”

“FUCK!” Brian was craning his torso to look backward. Legs encased in dirty cargo pants was all he could see of the man. They were terribly still. He turned back.

Candy was white, her eyes staring through the windshield, her hands, clutched to her face, were visibly shaking. A high-pitched whine filled the interior of the car while the radio announcer cheerfully prattled on about the new Prius.

“Hey!” Brian twisted toward her, grabbed her wrists. “Hey, he walked in front of you. You couldn’t help it.”

That didn’t help either. Her entire body shook, the moan rising higher. Faint sirens grew and he moved.

“Candy. Come on, Candy.” He released the seat belt, opened the door and realized he was shaking just as hard as his friend. A stagger landed him against the crumpled fender and it was all he could do to hold himself upright while he fought not to throw up.

Behind and around him other people were getting out of their cars, milling around, looking at the dead man, talking and staring at him. Several started in his direction but looked away, into the car.

Candy hadn’t moved, still sitting, staring, her hands held to her face.

Forcing himself, he moved forward, around the front of the car. He reached her door just before a Highway Patrolman.

“Are you okay, sir? Is this the car that hit him?”

“Yeah,” a gulp, a breath, “Yeah, he walked right in front of us. Candy,” he opened the door, a little relieved when she looked over at him although the look in her eyes was disturbing, “never had a chance to stop.”

The cop bent down, nudging Brian out of the way. “Are you okay, miss? Do you need an ambulance?”

Her head jerked, the stare becoming less intense. “No.” She turned away, trying to see out the back window.

“Never mind him right now, he’s being taken care of.” He released the belt, looking for obvious injury, noting the deflated airbag pooled in her lap.

“He walked in front of me. I wasn’t speeding, I know I wasn’t because I had just looked and” her head collapsed into her hands and shock turned to sobs. “I killed him.”

“Can you get out?”

Many people were inconvenienced that morning. Two left the scene with burning memories that would last all of their lives. One, a castaway, arrived on a different shore.

 
* * * *

Bambi in the Cabinet

2005

"There you go." The keys passed from the realtor's hand into Kate's fingers.

A thrill fled through her, escaping in a smile. "Thank you."

"Congratulations." Linda smiled at her client, "I think the last tenant got everything, but in case they didn't, just put it all into the garage and let me know, okay?"

Kate nodded, "Thanks for everything, Linda. I'd invite you in..." She gestured to the shadowed foyer, piled with boxes.

"How about a rain check?"

"Sure - I'll give you a call in a few days, after I see if anything was left."

Minutes later, with the screen door closed, the front door propped open, Kate looked around the bare rooms. The furniture wouldn't arrive for a few days, so she would stay in the apartment, but some things could be put away, now.

~ ~ ~ ~

1998

"Mom!" Brendan's eyes glowed with the triumph of his find. His fingers caressed the curves in awe. "Look at this."

Sara stopped watching her feet, turned and looked. The riverbed was a treacherous place to walk, but Saturday hikes with her son were too precious to skip, and this was where he had wanted to go - up the canyon to the ridge where his dad had last been seen six years before.

“Wow.” She turned back, focusing on the smooth object, seamed and holed. “It’s a deer skull.”

“Isn’t it cool?” Her late husband’s eyes in their son’s face pierced her.

Ignoring the familiar pang, she smiled, “Yeah, way cool.” Giving into his excitement, she said, “We’ll take it home and clean it up. You can take it to school Monday.”

“Coool.”

~ ~ ~ ~

2004

“I’ve got everything, Mom.” Brendan was exasperated. He was eighteen after all, and heading for college.

“What about Bambi?”

“Why would I take that? It’ll get busted, but it’ll be safe here, right?”

“Yes,” resigned, she sighed. “I’ll put it in your treasure box, okay?”

“Okay, thanks.” A hand on her shoulder, a kiss on her cheek and he was gone.

She watched his departing back through the screen door, her full heart breaking, again.

~ ~ ~ ~

2005

Kate started in the kitchen, washing the drawers and cabinets before measuring them. Left open to dry, she started trimming the liners. She was just about finished. The sun, lowering through the trees, shot rays into a corner that seemed blank. Something caught her eye. Curious, she put the scissors down and crossed to the corner. Her hands found the faint line, then the hidden button. She pressed, heard a muffled snick and saw the panel shift. The crack widened and a crease appeared.

Linda said this house was old and the original owner a bit… weird. Pushing the crease she pulled at the crack. The folding door moved.

Katie shrieked and leapt back, her heart pounding. There, on one of the shelves crusted with dust and age, the blank eyes of a long-dead deer stared at her.

* * * *

Have a lovely day!

Best~

Philippa

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilippaStories

Chow Mein Sunday

This has been a good Sunday.

I slept well last night, woke up reasonably early, and got started. Got the laundry going, emptied the dishwasher, got my mother-in-law’s pills done for the week, took care of the cat, made the bed and was ready to start cooking up my stir-fry by eight o’clock. After getting the cooking done, I spent several hours editing and writing before starting this. Which is why this is being posted so late in the day.

I'm looking forward to eating pork chow mein for lunch this week. It is really good! Yep – I cheated and had some. The best part of it is that it cost me about $11 to make, but I’ve got plenty for at least ten or eleven meals. At a buck a meal, that’s pretty good value. It’s great being a cheap date!

In case you’re interested (this recipe takes less time to write than it does to make), here’s how I did it. That’s a bit like:

Only it’s better.

One pack chow mein noodles

One pork tenderloin about four pounds, slivered (1/4-inch thick strips)

One head (head, not clove) of garlic, peeled.

Two medium sweet onions, chunked

Three small fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced (optional)

Two red bell peppers, seeded and chunked

Ten large mushrooms, chunked

Two baby bok choy

Six stalks of celery, chopped and soaked

Bamboo shoots, one can, drained well

Salt – just a little, for the meat

White pepper, to taste

Turmeric, to taste (because it’s really, really good for you!)

Chinese Five Spice, to taste

Powdered cloves, to taste

Vietnamese Garlic Sauce

Soy Sauce

Sesame oil (this is for flavor)

Peanut oil (this is for cooking)

Yeah, it’s a lot of prep, but with how much this makes and how good it tastes, it’s worth it. Get out a lot of small bowls. One for each veggie that’s big enough to hold as much of that veggie as you’re going to make. It makes dealing with the cooking easier if everything is separated before you start. You’ll also need a great big bowl to hold all of this stuff as you go and once it’s all cooked. You’ll also need a big kettle or stockpot because this is pretty much a one pot meal. Except for the bowls, those are extra.

Before we get started, just so you know, I don’t follow recipes. I like to be creative so I fly by the seat of my pants. The worst case scenario is that it probably won’t kill me. Everything I add is edible and it will probably still be edible when I’m done.

Given the edibility of everything, I’m not going to measure or suggest how much of anything to use because this is your deal, not mine. You need to cook this so you like it because, unless you invite me for dinner, you’re going to eat this. So you’re on your own with the measuring.

When I say ‘spice’ I mean add as much or as little as you like. If you want to use something other than I’ve listed here, go for it. Okay, we got that?

First, cook the noodles in oiled and salted water (the little bit of oil, about two tablespoons worth – and I use olive oil – keeps the pasta from sticking together). Keep an eye on them and stir them a few times. They cook quickly, about five minutes. Once they’re cooked, dump them into a colander or large sieve and rinse them under cold water, then let them drain while you do the rest of the stuff. I just leave them in the colander on top of a plate. They’ll dry, but that’s okay because no one likes soupy chow mein.

Next, because it’s easy, open and drain the bamboo shoots. Just cut the lid off the can, hold the lid in place, leaving a gap, and drain them. No need to waste a sieve or strainer for them. Just get as much of the liquid off as you can, without making a production out of it (if there’s a little left, that’s okay).

I prep the veggies first, so I’m not doing the veggie-prep (like a new dance move) on a board on which I’ve prepped the raw meat. That’s icky.

Peel the garlic head and separate the cloves of garlic. Take one clove at a time and lay the blade of a large kitchen knife flat on top of it. Keep the blade flat with the cutting edge away from you so you don’t cut your hand. Smack each clove sharply. If you do it right, you won’t demolish the garlic clove (it’ll taste the same if you do, but it’s better not to), but it will burst the skin making it easier to peel. Peel them and put them in a bowl.

To chunk onions, peel them (like, DUH!). Trim the top and root. Cut it in half, through the axis. Take one half and lay it flat. Cut it in half across the middle. Turn the halves together, keeping them flat, and cut those two halves three times so you end up with six sections. Those are chunks. That’s how you do it. Do the other half and the other onion and put them into a bowl.

Next, chunk the red peppers. Slice the seeded bell peppers along the seams. Finish cleaning them out and then slice each section into three strips, then cut the strips crosswise, in half. They are chunked. Put ‘em in a bowl and set ‘em aside.

If you’re adding the jalapenos, use rubber or plastic gloves to handle them. As you probably know, you do not want jalapeno juice on your fingers or hands. Even if you don’t have a cut, it can irritate your skin and if you get it in your eyes, I swear – you will wish you had never been born! Slice ‘em and put them in a bowl. Wash the rubber gloves with soap and get rid of them.

Wash the mushrooms and trim the bottom of the stem. Cut each mushroom into chunks. You’re on your own because I don’t know if you like big chunks or little ones and, since you’re eating this, do as you will. Put them into a bowl (are you seeing the theme here?).

Rinse the bok choy well. Peel the leaves and clean the bases, wash the tops. I like the stem part, not the leaf part, so I usually cut the tops of the leaves, keeping most of it but getting rid of the tops. Slice the bigger stems into two or three strips. Get a bowl and…

Trim the tops and bottoms of the celery stalks and slice them into pieces as large or as small as you like. I just cut them across the stem, about 1/2-inch or so wide. Now this, because I like crispy celery, is where I add water to the bowl in which these are going to wait.

A way of keeping celery fresh for longer is to stand it up in a pitcher and add fresh water before you stick it in the refrigerator. You know those stringy things inside celery stalks? Those are tubes and water gets sucked up inside, making the stalks crisper. Like a straw you used to play with when you were a kid. This is the same idea while the celery hangs around, waiting for its turn in the pan.

Now, spend a bit of quality time with your meat. Slice it and dice it until you end up with a bunch of strips about 1/4-inch on a side and a few inches long. I keep the 12 quart stockpot in which all of this is going to be cooked handy and just toss the slices in as I go.

This is a rare time when I use salt. Not a lot – just a little.  Put the kettle on the burner and turn it on. Pork has a lot of water in it, so you don’t need to add oil or water or anything just yet. Cook it on medium low. It’s pork, so you have to cook it all the way through and slow is better. Salt it and let it go for a few minutes, stirring whenever you feel like it.

I like spices, so I’ll add some white pepper, turmeric, powdered cloves, and Chinese five spice at this point. I’ll also add some of the sesame oil because I like the flavor. Just add a little. The goal is not to grease this pig. It’s just to add the taste of the sesame oil.

Once the meat starts to brown and you’ve turned it a couple of times, put a lid on it for a few minutes. Let the seasoning cook into the meat until the meat is done through.

Spoon the meat out of the pan, leaving the liquid behind, and put the meat into that great big bowl I asked you to get out and set it aside. Pour the liquid from the pan, right down the sink and put the pan back on the burner, turn the heat to medium.

Put a little peanut oil into the pan and let it warm up. When it thins, spread it around and toss in the garlic cloves. Let them cook, stirring a couple of times, and add the jalapenos.

Cook those for a couple of minutes (you want to take some of the garlic out of the garlic and some of the heat out of the jalapenos, so be patient).

Toss the onion into the pan and let that cook for a few minutes, stirring.

Drain the celery and add it, cooking for another couple of minutes. Add some more spices, however much you feel like and stir it all up. Let it cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. Once you’re happy with the way these are cooked, take them from the pan and add them to the meat and stir it up so the flavors blend.

Add a little more peanut oil to the pan – you don’t want to get crazy, just add enough to keep the ‘shrooms and peppers from sticking. Add the ‘shrooms and get them started. Once they’ve had a minute or two and you’ve stirred them around, add the red bell peppers and go for another three or four minutes, until the peppers start to look cooked. Splash some soy sauce over them, maybe add some more spice if you feel like it, and cook them for a bit longer.

Once you’re happy with the way they look, dump in the bok choy. You don’t want to cook this to death – it’s good to have some texture when you’re done, so go easy. Just cover the pan for about a minute or a minute-and-a-half, and then take the lid off. Pour back in all the other stuff you’ve already cooked, except the noodles, and stir it up.

Add about two or three tablespoons of the Vietnamese Garlic Sauce – it’s potent so if you don’t like heat, use a little less – maybe one or two, but it’s good stuff so be brave and at least add some! Mix it in well and let everything blend together for a couple of minutes, stirring so the heat gets mixed through.

Add a bit more soy sauce and cook it for another minute, still stirring.

When you think it’s done, start spooning this creation out, into that great big bowl that’s big enough to hold it all, letting the liquid drain off, back into the pot. Don’t get rid of this liquid – you’re going to cook the noodles in it for a couple of minutes.

Once all the veggies and the meat are in the bowl, let the sauce in the pan cook down for a minute or two. Add the noodles and heat them up. After a minute or two, turn them over. They’re going to be solidified into whatever shape the colander had, so just treat it like a pancake and do your best to flip it over. Try to separate them a little once they heat, but don’t re-cook them.

Once the liquid is absorbed, pour the meat and veggie mixture back into the pot and mix it all together. When it’s heated through, take it out and put it into that bowl you have that’s big enough for everything and, except for the clean-up, you’re done.

So that’s how I did it. I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful time trying this recipe. Better still, I hope you enjoy it!

Best~

Philippa

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilippaStories