Throwback to February 3, 2016

1. Park her car anywhere in the driveway.

2. Never bother closing a bathroom door.

3. Sleep on any side of the bed.

4. Heck, sleep on any bed in the house.

5. Go out for an after-work cocktail with a girlfriend and not feel guilty.

6. Drink straight out of the milk carton while standing in front of the refrigerator.

7. Play the Broadway Showstopper channel on Pandora and sing along very loudly.

8. Eat supper in front of the TV while o̶g̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶i̶g̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ watching Mr. Darcy/Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice.

Throwback to February 25, 20114

1. Make him/her shred the mountain of receipts I have now that I have finished filing taxes and FAFSA, but the shredding would have to be done with his/her teeth.

2. Make him/her walk from Georgia to my home, while carrying bags of pennies in the amount he/she tried to steal from me.

3. Make him/her hold his/her breath for the amount of time it took me to unscramble this mess with several very kind bank representatives.

4. Make him/her call My Mother to ‘fess up to what he/she did, and then listen while My Mother gives the talk about how his/her life could have been better if only he/she had listened to the sage advice of mothers, who after all only criticize you for your own good.

5. In-house arrest at WalMart, preferably behind the customer service desk.

Throwback to February 6, 2014

1. “You mean you gotta PAY them so you can take this test?”

2. Passport-type photo must be uploaded onto the admission ticket.

3. Yes, you have to print your own admission ticket.

4. The College Board wants to know your intended major already, ha ha ha.

5. Students are expected to be at the test site–and awake–by 7:45 am on a Saturday.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Happy Mardi Gras! Tomorrow we start Lent and abstinence and fasting, but today, we eat all we can. And maybe drink a little too much.

Damn, I miss parties. I miss being around people. I miss live music. And I miss travel.

No city, of course, does Mardi Gras as well as New Orleans. Tonight, I have jambalaya ready in a big old pot. We are wearing our beads. Husband is playing New Orleans brass band music on the stereo and mixing up some strong Vieux Carrés for us to enjoy.

The family spent Christmas 2018 in New Orleans, and 4 of us attended a cocktail-making class at The Maison on Frenchmen Street, on the edge of the French Quarter. Here’s the recipe for the Vieux Carrés we made that night–they taste great tonight, too.

In a shaker filled with ice, combine 2 dashes Peychaud Bitters, 2 dashes Angostura Bitters, 1 bar spoon of Benedictine, 3/4 ounces rye whiskey, 3/4 ounces cognac, and 3/4 ounces sweet vermouth. Stir, strain, and add fresh ice and a garnish of lemon.

Throwback to February 9, 2016

1. It is acceptable to eat richer-than-normal foods, since it is the dead of the long, cold, cruel winter and we need to build up a fat reserve to last all through the long, cold, cruel Lent.

2. It is acceptable to party hard, dance wildly, and sing loudly, all to get it out of our systems, because, according to our grandmothers, it is a sin to have any fun at all during Lent.

3. Those boxes of pale, flattened, doughnuts with jelly that are being sold at Kroger in a box labeled “pączki” are an abomination! True pączki are fatter, rounder, fried to a luscious brown with a golden yellow inside. And they have prune filling. And they are coated in powdered sugar. And they are best when sold in brown paper bags.

4. Singular: pączek. Plural: pączki. Then again, I suppose we should always use the plural, because who can stop at just one?

5. The best pączki in the world are made by the Blikle bakery in Warsaw, established in 1869. (I can still taste them…) The bakery website says it has “sweetened customers’ lives in both those happy and those bitter moments,” which is probably the best description I have ever heard of how pączki fit into the Polish psyche.

Throwback to February 3, 2013

1. The ladies wore lovely gowns that did not show their cleavage.

2. Lawrence Welk was a devout Roman Catholic, so of course his show was wholesome.

3. The songs were lovely, unlike the screeching that you hear from singers today.

4. The dancing was lovely, unlike the spawned-from-hell dance movements that you see today.

Friday, February 12, 2021

Happy New Year! It’s the Year of the Ox.

The ox comes at an appropriate time for me. I consider the ox to be strong, steady, and resilient. Last night, the county school board voted to move to Stage 4 on March 15, which means that students may come into school–twice a week–if their families so choose. In other words, I will be working inside the high school building for the first time in almost twelve months, beginning March 10. (Has it really been a year? Wow.)

So yes, I need to dig deep, and become strong, steady, and resilient. I can do this! School will not look the same (the number of new safety protocols is making my head spin), but we will be one step closer to slamming the door on this pandemic and all its ugly repercussions, like social isolation and fear of the unknown.

Today’s cocktail isn’t exactly “Chinese” in essence, but a fusion of a flavors from a few cultures. The drink is smoky, salty, tangy, and just plain EARTHY, and exactly the inspiration I need.

This is my version of a drink called the Ox Eye Cocktail. In a shaker, combine 2 ounces mezcal, 3/4 ounces triple sec, 1/2 ounce lemon juice, 1/2 ounce lime juice, and 3 dashes of angostura bitters. Add ice and shake well. Strain into a coupe glass with salt on the rim.

Thursday, February 11, 2021

I was waiting a few days before I had a cocktail, because I wanted to make sure I had no side effects. But nope, other than about 36 hours of a sore upper arm, I feel great, and dose number one of the CoVid-19 vaccine is in me!

Hot diggity-dog!

I have been waiting for months to get vaccinated, and so many of you (including my cherished friends and family members) are still waiting. So I am not gloating about my good fortune, but sharing it. I am scheduled to come back to my job at the high school in about a month, so I need the protection. Many teenagers need in-person learning opportunities, so I hope to help in that effort. But I refuse to put myself (and those in my household) at too-high of a risk, so yes, give me those vaccines before I return to work!

On Monday, I arrived at the vaccination site early–I was jittery and I just wanted to make sure I arrived on time. I had to present my paperwork to about 4 different people before I was finally given a number and instructed to wait. I clutched my paper tag (I was number 47), and waited to get called. (I later joked that I felt I was in line at the deli. “I’ll have a pastrami on rye with a side order of Pfizer.”) The lovely nurse was friendly and thorough and patiently answered all my questions.

After my “jab,” I was escorted to a folding chair and instructed to wait for 15 minutes while the staff monitored me and the other shot recipients. And to my surprise, my eyes welled up with tears. A big wave of emotion rolled over me. I felt gratitude, and relief, and sorrow, all at the same time. I was thankful for the science and the medical workers. I was relieved that I qualified for the vaccine and that I made it for so many months without getting sick. And I felt profoundly saddened to realize that hundreds of thousands of people are–and will be–victims of this unrelenting virus.

Hot diggity-dog, I am blessed.

And now, I want to add, that my 95 year old mother tested positive for CoVid-19 several weeks ago. After two weeks in the nursing home’s CoVid wing, Mama is back in her own room and hopefully gaining back the weight she lost. She never got very sick, other than some congestion and weakness. Amazing, isn’t she?

And also, I want to add, another dear family member got lucky this week and received the first dose of vaccine. (Whew!) This person also reported a similar big wave of emotion afterwards.

I am feeling a teeny-tiny bit more hopeful now than I felt even a week ago. And I will drink to that!

Today’s cocktail is my version of a Hot Toddy. Pour warm tap water into a Irish coffee glass to heat it up. Boil about a cup of water. Cut a wheel of lemon, and press about 5 whole cloves into it. Drain the water from the glass. Add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar to the glass, plus 1/4 ounce lemon juice and a splash of the boiling water. Stir until the sugar dissolves, and add 2 ounces of whiskey (I used bourbon) and the prepared lemon wheel. Carefully add more of the slightly-cooled boiled water, and stir.

Friday, February 5, 2021

It’s Friday, and even though I started my week with a snow day, I feel the days have just dragged on.

TIME FOR SOME FUN!

Gainfully Employed Son 1.0 introduced us to The Mandalorian series well over a year ago, and this fall, Husband and I started watching in earnest, and we are hooked. Husband enjoys the space-western aspect of the series, and all the battles, and all the “cross-overs” from previous movies in the Star Wars saga. I watched it for the strong female characters, and for the compelling storylines. Nah, who am I kidding? I watched it for Baby Yoda, more correctly known as The Child, or Grogu. Isn’t he just the cutie-patootie?

All this Mandalorian viewing–and our Disney Plus subscription–had Husband hankering for a re-visit to “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” so Husband, Son 2.0, and I are re-watching all the Star Wars movies in order of chapters, with 2 detours (to Solo and to Rogue One). We have just finished Chapter 4, A New Hope, which Husband estimates he has seen hundreds of times since 1977. (The movie also plays a significant role in our early courtship, but that’s a story for later.) The three of us have been discussing plot points, analyzing the improbable physics, and debating the motives of both heroes and villains. I am predicting that chapter 4 will remain the family favorite, since it’s “a complete story” (says Husband) and a cultural trailblazer. Nah, who am I kidding? I watched it for Han Solo. Isn’t he just the cutie-patootie? (And happily, Harrison Ford’s acting did improve over time.)

Tonight’s drink is just for fun. I made it not for the taste (it’s quite sour, but I don’t mind) but for the whimsy.

Pour 3 ounces bottled sweet-sour mix into a coupe glass. Add 1 ounce whiskey, and a drop or two of green food coloring. Stir gently. Garnish with 2 lime wedges and black olives suspended on toothpicks, and wrap some tan fabric around the stem of the glass. After you take a photo, add a few ice cubes, if desired.

May The Force be with you!

Throwback to February 24-25, 2012

1. A shoe needs tying every 4-5 minutes– even in the third grade.

2. UGG boots are too slippery for the gym floor.

3. Boys pout as well as girls do.

4. Even in our digital age, jump ropes and basketballs can bring enjoyment.

5. The art of tattling is alive and well.

6. An injured knee/elbow/foot/whatever heals quickly once the class begins to play a fun game.

7. When tasked with recording height and weight, be discrete and speak quietly, and do not be tempted to get on FB and rant about the evident levels of obesity in our youngest citizens.