"If you chase anything in life, chase the things that get you excited about living. Chase the things that give you hope happiness and a glimpse of a better life. Chase the things that make you want to be a better person. Chase the things that inspire you think, create and live joyfully. Chase the things that reinforce in your soul that you can make a difference. Chase the things that make you want to transform your soul from selfish to selfless. When you chase that kind of storm, you are chasing rainbows."
~Shannon L. Alder
16 years. That's how old this blog is! 16 years! Wow, that's a long time to stick with a project on the Internet. Sometimes I wonder why I do it? I know, I know, to display my photographs. Yes, true, I do love posting them, and the feedback has always meant a lot to me. I became a much better, amateur photographer, because of that help, but is there anything more? This type of blogging, after all, died a quiet death a long time ago, with the invention of platforms like Twitter. Even social media sites like Facebook allow for mostly conversation and spreading fake news, but not so much long-form rants, raves and other generalized opinion spouting.
But here I am. My last blog post reached 9 folks apparently, but I have every confidence that in the Fall, when I begin the leaf project, things will pick up. But is it still worth my time to devote so much verbiage to this blog, or should I rely on Twitter for that? Twitter does help me clear the daily spider webs Trump spins, but some days it seems like more than I can deal with. Especially when my Fibromyalgia is acting up. Oh well, I think I contemplate this every year, and every year I shrug and move on, not giving it another thought, until yet another anniversary comes around. I suppose I am living in a HELL cycle. LOL. Anyway, isn't life one big HELL cycle? At least I enjoy mine! Mostly.
Moving on, lets discuss what I've been up to that last 6 months or so. Baking! I have done a lot of baking! It has been good for me to get into the kitchen and try out new recipes that I never had taken the time to try. Cookies. Cake. Fudge. Turnovers. Pie crusts. You name it, I've given it a go! One of my absolute favorite recipes is for Focaccia. Yummy. I like making Focaccia bread, which is a lot like the one I grew up eating on special occasions. Lucca's made it, and I loved it. Very simple. Pizza sauce, on pillow soft bread, brushed with olive oil, then topped with cheeses, fresh herbs, and a little garlic. Yum. I took photos of all of my creations, and I have them below, and to my surprise they turned out kinda nice. One of the nicest comments I got for those photos, was someone calling them porn! I laughed and then owned the fact that this is as close to porn worthy as I will ever be at this point in life! That's life! Right?
Anyway, enough chatting, onto the porn, but first, the quote I chose for this post says it all. Whatever I do, I need to commit to it fully, and if I find I can't, for whatever reason, it's better to end things on a positive note and move on. This blog should inspire me, and luckily I can say, it still does. As frustrated as I am right at this moment, autumn is coming, and I will be okay when I see the first of the leaves, and drink in the amazing air of my favorite mountain counties. Life right now is all about staying focused, with my eyes on the prize. Baking helps that goal, so baking I do.
- Chocolate Chip Brownie
- Cinnamon Roll
- Lemon Snowball Cookie
- Maple Roll
- Cheese Focaccia Pizza Bread
- Chocolate Mint Fudge
- Christian Dior's Apricot Mousse
- Banana Fritters
And that is what I have been up to. I will be posting more often as we move closer to the first day of autumn. Look for me on Tuesday and Thursdays. I have another fun thing to share, about what I've been up to, but you will have to comeback on Tuesday to find out what it is!
( evil laugh )
~Me
