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I wonder if snowflakes
scream as they fall
from the sky
to the ground
do their tiny icy little bones snap and crack
as they are driven to the Earth
by the merciless winter wind?
I wonder if snowflakes
scream in their dreams
when they see themselves falling
and drifting
slowly
to their icy deaths
to the ground down below.
Inspired By The Winter Creativity Portal Prompt: The Sounds of Winter
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Spiced apple cider
sweet chocolates with sprinkles
freshly baked cookies
just out of the oven.
We delight in it all
bite by bite
sip by sip
with our eyes closed in bliss.
Winter is a monster who nibbles at your bones
because
now
more then any other time of the year
you smell so delicious
and you probably taste like it too.
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Inpspired By The Winter Creative Portal Prompt: The Tastes of Winter
A few years ago I stopped baking and I stopped cooking full meals.
It just seemed easier to toss things in the microwave or to order pizza or to just go out and have someone else do the work- and I’ll put it out there with all of my heart- teachers and cooks and chefs do NOT get paid enough.
My point is this: after years of cooking for my family I am OVER the experience.
Sometimes though- when it snows or the weather is bad and I look out the window and wonder what to do, I turn an eye to my kitchen and I bake.
Sometimes I bake from scratch – whichto me feels like I’m working in a lab with dangerous chemicals or test tubes full of malicious life forms just waiting for you to make one false move, to add just a smidge too much of this or not put in enough of that and by that carelessness – kaboom.
Yes.
I do love baking from scratch.
It appeals to my inner Abominable Doctor Phibes.
What I love about baking and what I miss about baking are the smells- the scent of vanilla and cinnamon,the beautiful aroma of mulled spices that make their way into warm apple cider and the intoxicating aroma of cooling pies and cookies.
I made a deal with myself- if the sky is gray and there is a bite in the air this weekend I think I might go a little mad scientist and do some holiday baking.
I have some standby recipes like shortbread- I make a mean shortbread and if it involves fruit and white chocolate I’ll give it a try. And of course I guess I’ll do some Christmas cookies because I’m not a total wet blanket.
Besides, I like to listen to Christmas music when I bake and to double the fun ( for me and to the deep concern of my dog when I do this ) I wear a Christmas Sweatshirt and make my dog wear his Christmas Tree Tiara and I sing along at the tops of my lungs
Photo A.M. Moscoso
For some inspiration I might try a few of these from The Soul Food Café 2003 Made in Australia Calendar because there is a recipe for a treat where Rice Krispie cereal is called Rice Bubbles.
Rice Bubbles.
Like I’m going to walk away from that!
This month is supposed to be about adventure and experimenting with new ways of doing things and creating things with my own two hands ( as opposed to clicking an icon on my laptop with my own two hands that looks like a shopping cart and sending for it )
I suppose my kitchen is just as good as any museum or symphony hall or poorly lit icy street to embark on this quest.
I just hope I remember to pull the battery out of my smoke detector first.
Kidding.
I’m kidding.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
amm
Inspired By Made In Australia 2003 Advent Calendar: Six White Boomers
Photo: Bob Doerr
At this time of the year, for various holiday related reasons, we are reminded that we should take the time to reflect on the things that we are grateful for.
That’s a great idea, so I’m going to do that right now.
Today’s prompt in the writing adventure calendar that I am working on each day suggests I identify 45 things that I am grateful for, 45 things worth life itself, but no matter what I write down these 45 things are actually tied to 26 things in my mind.
Of course I mean the alphabet.
( English Gothic Alphabet )
Greek Alphabet
( Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics )
Without the alphabet music couldn’t be written down, recorded and performed.
Without the alphabet, our ideas and stories and thoughts might be memorized, but the voice of the person who brought those things to life would be lost.
Without the alphabet I wouldn’t be able to write- I wouldn’t be able to do the one thing that I was ever good at.
So tonight when I settle back and read a ghost story or two ( it’s winter time- it’s perfect for that sort of thing ) I will be reminded of what I am most grateful for- 26 things to be exact-and I shall cherish each one of them.
Speaking of:
Below find some great short stories that are PERFECT for reading on a dark and chilly night:
Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad by M. R. James (1904)
A Strange Christmas Game by I. H. Riddell (1863)
Between the Lights by E. F. Benson (1912)
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898)
“The Mummy’s Foot” by Théophile Gautier
Ghost stories: why the Victorians were so spookily good at them
Inspired By Made In Australia 2003 Advent Calendar: Eureka Stockade