I am a native of California who lives in Southern California. I have a background in healthcare and Special Education. Writing is a new adventure for me.
Zenarra was homesick for the home world. She loved her new home in the beautiful Valley of the Moon but she missed the Galaxy trees that bloomed at night on the full moon rising of Lunaris. There was nothing like it here. It was strange that she, a princess, was a fugitive from her world. She fled to escape an arranged marriage to Tomar. It had been arranged at birth between their parents, the leaders of the two most powerful clans. Her flight has caused a great outcry and accusations of fraud by the Clan Dorcha. Minat sent Zenarra a message from her mother, the queen, begging her to return. The queen feared a war could erupt at any time and asked her to fulfill her duty. The prospective groom was a degenerate whose cruelty was legend. Zenarra would return not to become a bride, but to lead an army.
Thanksgiving Day is past and many of us are resting on our laurels for another delicious Thanksgiving dinner. My family prefers the traditional roast turkey with stuffing inside the bird, and the extra that does not fit in the bird in a casserole. I have cooked Thanksgiving dinner almost every year of my marriage and I even made it a few times before I was married. I remember, when I was in Nursing school, I made Thanksgiving for my family at the house I shared with fellow students in San Francisco. I stayed up practically all night trying to make the pie crust for the Pumpkin pie from scratch like my mother did. I threw out so much flour and shortening because I couldn’t get it to the right consistency. If you handle it too much the dough becomes stiff and will not be flakey when baked. My mother came over that day and I told her I was having problems with the pie crust. She whipped it together in a flash. She said you have to get a feel for it. My mother’s pie crust was wonderful. I have never been a pie maker and usually buy the pies from a good bakery.
The stuffing was another skill my mother had mastered and my recipe comes from my memory of how she made it. I have made it so many times and sometimes the ingredients have changed very slightly over the years. Thankfully I get the turkey and stuffing right according to my family. In earlier years, I prepared the entire meal by myself. Anyone who has made a big family dinner like this knows how much work it is.
In recent years, it has become a group effort with my daughter and husband pitching in with some of the preparation and cooking. My daughter is a very good cook and will come up with delicious dishes to add to the feast. She is usually in charge of the fresh mashed potatoes. This year she made roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a delicious mixed green salad with persimmons, pomegranate, and toasted walnuts. My husband makes the cranberry sauce and does some of the prep work by chopping vegetables for the stuffing.
We were away from home this time, at the in-laws house in Palm Desert, with one of our brother in laws. It is always a bit strange working in someone else’s kitchen but we managed to pull it off just fine. And according to my family the stuffing was great.
The little lighthouse was now the refuge for tired sea birds on their long journeys across the ocean. It’s light is dimmed as it’s candle has fallen into disrepair. Once it’s beacon had shown brightly and was a welcome sight to lonely ships navigating the rocky coast. It had prevented many disasters and saved many lives. Let our lives be a refuge and friendly beacon to others traveling on the stormy sea.
It’s Turkey Lurkey Time. Time to kick off the holiday season with Thanksgiving, that is Thanksgiving in America. Wishing you Happy Thanksgiving. I want to wish everyone PEACE and JOY in the upcoming season.
Here’s something a bit silly from the play Promises, Promises. I hope it gives you a little smile.
I am sorry to hear about Barbara Beacham who hosted Mondays Finish the Story and the blog My Life in the Foothills. I have participated in Barbara’s Flash Fiction challenges in the past few weeks and followed her recent posts about her battle with cancer. Her husband posted the news this morning that she has passed. She was very supportive and kind in her comments, and in her posts about her illness she showed a great spirit and courageousness. I wanted to post this as an expression of appreciation for her.
The Germ Gang decided they needed a break from the Anti-bacterial War. They were not feeling the love. They realized that some of their kind were pretty dangerous but they were just the easy going ones. They were getting a bad rep. So they decided to visit their cousins who lived in the forest and snack on some dead plants and insects and maybe a few mushrooms. They hitched a ride on a raccoon who was raiding a garbage can. The Germs really enjoyed the change of scene and visiting with their distant cousins. They took a quick photo before heading back to the city on the backpacks of some hikers.
Why can’t we just stick with one word for too? When I looked up its definition I found that also and as well are considered to mean the same thing. I have noticed that “as well” has taken over for too at the end of sentences where too used to be. I feel this is great injustice to too. I do not know how as well won out over too. What’s so great about as well? To me is sounds so stuffy and cold. The word too is almost musical. It is friendly and inclusive, like when we say me too or I love you too. Doesn’t it sound a bit stiff to say I love you as well? And too can be very enthusiastic and over the top if it wants to, like too much, too big, too funny, too cool and anything else you want to indicate is above average. And it takes up less space than as well to boot.
He told Sammie, If you leave me, you’ll end up in the gutter. A big part of her believed him. Everyone they knew thought Jeff was the model husband. People were so quick to believe the lame excuse for the bruises. How could she get the courage to leave? It was that quote she read in the newspaper, “If you’re feeling helpless, help someone,” by that tiny woman, Aung San Suu Kyi. Sammie decided to volunteer at the Community Clinic. Jill, the social worker, had recognized the signs and asked the questions. She helped Sammie pack her things.
Anbu had struggled to make his farm prosperous for his wife Aasha, yet he was barely scratching out a living. He had been unlucky in another way. He and Aasha were unable to have children. In a desperate attempt to succeed he had given his last few coins to buy a few game birds hoping they would breed and their offspring would bring a good price at the market. He had gone out to feed his small flock when he was transfixed by a magical sight. A beautiful white peacock stood in the middle of his flock and fanned its tail. He couldn’t wait to tell Aasha. This bird would bring a great price at the market. That was when he heard the peacock speak. If you spare me from the market I will bring you a greater prize. Anbu told himself he must be crazy but he kept the white bird. That spring his wife gave birth to a daughter. They named her Aashirya.
There are many indescribably beautiful natural sights in my home state of California. I am not a flowery writer who can speak poetically in my description. Even if I were, I think the beauty is so great that words can not do it justice. One of the natural wonders that come to mind are the coastal redwood groves off the Avenue of the Giants in Northern California. The trees are so big they give you the impression of being in a prehistoric landscape. Some of the trees there are thousands of years old. They are resistant to insects and fire but are threatened by the wind effect that has been created by the new freeway that was put in near there. Some of the trees are getting blown over. Another indescribably beautiful sight is the view from the coastal Highway 1 on a sunny day. The section between Monterey/Carmel and Cambria are particularly magnificent but I like the view between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay as well. If you get a chance to visit San Simeon take a look toward the ocean from atop the hills there. The Hurst Family has kept a large swath of land from the castle down to the ocean free from development by giving the land to a nature conservancy. Thank you Hurst family. That is the Hurst family of William Randolph Hurst, who was a wealthy newspaper owner. The classic film Citizen Kane was supposed to be based in part on his life. And the castle I am talking about is Hurst Castle in San Simeon. Highway 101 from Ventura and up the state to Salinas allows a view of soft rolling hills dotted with oak trees and nowadays acres and acres of vineyards have popped up along the highway. The Salinas area is called “the Salad Bowl of the World.” This is where so much produce is grown. Near Santa Cruz you will find fields of artichokes. The original wine country in Northern California is another favorite, with Sonoma and Napa counties. Sonoma has The Valley of the Moon. Jack London lived there. Who wouldn’t love a place called The Valley of the Moon. I had a chance to visit the city of Healdsburg in Sonoma county not too long ago. Wine is a major product in California all up and down the state. I did not think Sonoma could hold any more vineyards and then I saw the vineyards around Healdsburg, as far as the eye can see. San Francisco is where I was born. It holds a special place in my heart , a jewel of a city. There are some pretty nice views there as well looking down from Nob Hill to the bay. A well known San Francisco Newspaper columnist from the past said of San Francisco:
“One day if I do go to heaven…. I’ll look around and say, It ain’t bad but it ain’t San Francisco.” —Herb Caen
I’ve only scratched a very small surface with my descriptions, I have left out many places like Yosemite ,(a famous national park), Sequoia National Park, Mendocino, Santa Barbara, San Diego, La Jolla, and oh well you get the idea. There is just too much to cover in my stream of consciousness and in one small post. I hope you will get a chance to visit my beautiful state of California someday.
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Here’s a drones eye view of San Francisco by danesdrone that I have posted previously:
There is another beautiful city that we are all thinking about and hoping they soon heal from the terrible recent events. I have not had the privilege of seeing beautiful Paris but hope I will someday.
The little lighthouse was now the refuge for tired sea birds on their long journeys across the ocean. It’s light is dimmed as it’s candle has fallen into disrepair. Once it’s beacon had shown brightly and was a welcome sight to lonely ships navigating the rocky coast. It had prevented many disasters and saved many lives. Let our lives be a refuge and friendly beacon to others traveling on the stormy sea.
Notes Tied On The Sagebrush 