Unraveled Wednesday: 11/13/24

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with a decent bit done on the blue hat redux and some bonus sparkles.

Both of these have provided enjoyable knitting time when I feel the need to withdraw from the world for a while. The cable crossings in the hat are different every other row and this provides just enough for me to concentrate on without being overwhelming. Working on a Hitchhiker and knitting meditative garter stitch is good for what ails me, and the sparkles (even if you can't see them in the photo) make it even better. 

I haven't been able to concentrate enough to read much but I did manage Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. I have previously enjoyed two of Burkeman's books, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking and Four Thousand Weeks, so when I saw this one, I immediately placed a hold at my library. It seemed to take forever because they only had one copy, but I'd like to think that The Universe had a little something to do with me getting this book the week that guy was re-elected. While not specifically about that guy, Burkeman does offer ways for me to think about things that may make it easier to accept.

What is true is already so. Owning up to it doesn't make it worse. Not being open about it doesn't make it go away. And because it's true, it is what is there to be interacted with. Anything untrue isn't there to be lived. People can stand what is true, for they are already enduring it. - Eugene Gendlin

The author has arranged the book in short chapters and the reader is advised to read one each day. The first week is Being Finite; week two is Taking Action; the third week is Letting Go, and the last week is Showing Up. Burkeman suggests that peace comes not from adding more tasks and trying to accomplish them efficiently, but by accepting what we cannot do or control, a theme he discusses with honesty and humor. Unlike conventional self-help books, Burkeman’s work feels less prescriptive and more reflective, encouraging readers to confront uncomfortable truths about time, imperfection, and deciding whether you want to face the consequences of the choices you might be considering.

I've done a poor job of reviewing this book, but I think that almost anyone and everyone could benefit from reading it. Each of us has to decide what we care about and how we spend our time, and while these short chapters might be simple, that does not necessarily translate into easy or simplistic. As soon as I finished the book, I bought a copy because I knew this is a book I wanted to read, re-read, and truly absorb. I don't have four thousand weeks left, but I'd like to make the best use of and enjoy the approximately (hopefully) four hundred weeks left to me. Four and a half stars rounded up.

Just a note about the quotes Burkeman chose to include: I thought they were some of the most enjoyable things about the book, and they illustrate his ideas well. They are almost like fortune cookies in that they can apply to many situations and they are wonderfully entertaining at the same time.

If you find yourself lost in the woods, fuck it, build a house. "Well, I was lost, but now I live here! I have severely improved my predicament!" - Mitch Hedberg

What are you making and reading this week?

Bits & Pieces

It's time for me to re-enter the world, or at least reconnect with this lovely safe community. I've been feeling sad, disbelieving, knitting, baking, napping, and trying to read. These things have restored my center enough that it's time to write a post and I've got a few bits & pieces to share with you today.

• I have issues with Jeff Bezos and his decisions for The Washington Post, but the Post still has some terrific writers and columnists. Eugene Robinson writes about politics for the paper, and I thought this article was wonderful. 

• I felt the need to do something and donated to the ACLU. Here are other worthwhile places you can donate if you feel so inclined: Human Rights Campaign, Transgender Law Center, The Trevor Project, and I'm sure there are many others. Let me know in the comments. 

• Today is Veteran's Day, a day to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. It's still a federal holiday and in NJ also, but we no longer have a parade or laying of wreaths at the cemetery. My father was in the Army during the Korean War, but he was stationed in Alaska and shot a polar bear. Be sure to express your gratitude to a veteran today. 

• When things get tough, I tend to bake. I made these rolls to go with the venison stew we had for dinner, and they were just what I wanted. No whole grains, just soft and fluffy dinner rolls. They're also pretty good spread liberally with jam for breakfast or a snack. I've been thinking about a chocolate coconut donut that I used to get when I was a teenager, so when I get some coconut cream at the grocery store, I will be baking this cake. I'll let you know if it lives up to my memories. 

• Ryan's next door neighbor died about a month ago. Ben was a lovely man and fine neighbor, always ready with a smile and a friendly wave. He had a heart attack a year ago and his health had been going slowly downhill since then. His daughter is here from Salt Lake City to clean out the house and get it ready to sell. They have hired a service to clean things out, and this seems to mean getting rid of much of it in a dumpster. They've filled four dumpsters already and there may be more. We were up last week so John could pick the last of his second crop of snow peas. He was outside when they were cleaning out Ben's shed. They encouraged John to take anything that he could use, so he brought home a lawn spreader, sets of sawhorses, and a jug of antifreeze. John hates to see "good stuff" thrown away, so he was in the right place at the right time. He came inside and said he had a weird question for Ryan, "Did he want a harpoon?" I have to explain a bit and say that if you know Ryan at all, you would know that he has a taste for the strange and esoteric. So, yes, a harpoon would be right up his alley. He had just finished telling me about the new D&D character that he was building, Tom, an old mariner. I thought all D&D characters were young and magical, but Ryan said that he wanted to see if an older character could use his wits to survive in a magical setting. Tom would just have the usual weapons available to a mariner, like a harpoon. When John came in to ask if he wanted a harpoon, we were dumbfounded. So thanks to Ben, Ryan is now the proud owner of his own harpoon. I'd love to know the backstory about why Ben had a harpoon in his shed, but Ryan and I both thought it was far better than a lawn spreader or antifreeze. 

My hope is that for you, these next few days and weeks may offer you a bit of whatever it is you happen to need right now, whether it's cake, a harpoon, or something else. 

Unraveled Wednesday: 11/6/24

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with a finished green hat and the beginning of reknitting the blue one that was originally too small.

I was completely happy with my modifications on the green hat, so I unraveled the blue hat and started reknitting a modified version. That lovely blue yarn was just too nice not to use, and four inches of K2P2 ribbing is the perfect way to keep my hands busy so my mind doesn't wander too far into Anxiety Land.

I read an interesting book last week, Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner. It is a captivating and raw exploration of sisterhood, mental health, and resilience, narrated from the perspective of Amy Shred, the quieter, more responsible younger sibling who tries to manage the chaos her sister Ollie brings into their lives. Set in the 1970s to the early 1990s, the novel follows the sisters as Ollie’s bipolar and borderline personality disorder cause disruption, chaos, and heartbreak throughout their family.

Amy’s journey, which is marked by her struggle to reconcile her loyalty with frustration toward Ollie, forms the novel's emotional core. Betsy Lerner powerfully captures Amy’s internal conflict as she feels both love and resentment, especially as Ollie’s disorder brings instability to everyone around her. The narrative is laced with bittersweet reflections on unconditional love, personal boundaries, and the complicated bonds between family members. It felt like Lerner brought authenticity to her characters, rooted in psychological insights and nuanced portrayals of mental illness. The book felt emotionally intense but not terribly hopeful. The familial bonds did remain strong despite constant challenges in this debut novel. The characters in this novel had access to mental health professionals and enough resources to deal with the mental health issues for the long term. These are not always the case in real life. I gave this book three stars. 

I also read The Answer is No, a short story by Fredrik Backman. I rarely choose one of the free books available from Amazon Prime each month because I've often found that they are just not things I'm interested in reading. This short story was included as a bonus in November and I thought it was great. I won't give too much away, other than to say this: "Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone?" I couldn't agree more with Lucas, and if you get a chance to read this you can see if you do, too. This one was 4.5 stars for me. 

What are you making and reading this week?

(I thought about not posting today as there is honestly not enough knitting, reading, or vodka to make this okay. But I decided to keep calm and carry on because I'm going to have to start figuring out how to navigate the next four years without becoming angry, bitter, and disillusioned. Right now that's about all I'm feeling.)

Read With Us: Why You Might Want to Read Intermezzo With Us

I'm here today to present some reasons why you might want to consider reading our current Read With Us selection, Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. 

The first few reasons I came up with were relatively easy.

1. Immerse yourself in Intermezzo to distract yourself from worrying about the election and the results. I'm sure you've all voted and done whatever you can, so now is the time to read Sally Rooney's latest and most eagerly awaited novel.

2. There is no time travel in this one, and no nuns!

But here are a few more serious reasons:

3. Rooney provides a unique insight into young relationships. She's explored these in her previous books, and in Intermezzo she continues to explore the complexities of love, friendship, and the emotional currents that shape these relationships. If you enjoyed Normal People or Conversations With Friends, you'll appreciate how Intermezzo dives even deeper into these themes.

4. Intermezzo is filled with sharp, thought-provoking dialogue. Known for her knack for realistic dialogue, Rooney crafts exchanges that are honest, challenging, and often heartbreaking. Her characters express ideas and insecurities that resonate with readers, leaving you thinking about what was (and wasn't) said.

5. Rooney often tackles contemporary social issues like class, privilege, and the impact of economic struggles on personal lives. In Intermezzo, she also writes largely about grief. All of these themes are woven into the plot and characters' lives, inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences and the larger societal forces at play. I would argue that gender also figures largely in this novel. 

6. Rooney’s characters are frequently relatable and flawed, portrayed with a blend of vulnerabilities and strengths. In Intermezzo, these traits make her characters feel raw and real, allowing readers to see reflections of their own lives, fears, and desires in her prose.

7. Rooney has a signature style— atmospheric, intimate, immersive, and introspective—that pulls readers into her characters' worlds. The atmospheric quality of Intermezzo immerses readers in settings that are almost like the characters themselves, enhancing the emotional experience of the narrative.

8. Miscommunication and misunderstandings are central to Rooney’s narratives, reflecting real-life relational challenges. Intermezzo examines how people can be so close yet feel worlds apart, making readers contemplate how often we all fall short of truly understanding each other.

9. The narrative style in Intermezzo invites readers to examine not just the characters’ choices but their own responses to those choices. Rooney’s introspective narration encourages readers to consider their own viewpoints and possibly see their personal experiences reflected in the story. I'll admit that Peter's introspective chapters initially drove me nuts; they were a reflection of his inner thoughts so Rooney wrote them in fragments. Once I started listening to the audiobook, this was no longer a problem for me. 

And just to make it a nice even 10 reasons, John contributed this one:

10. Reading Intermezzo is something you can do quietly while others in your household nap. 

Kym and Carole will be doing promotional posts throughout November. Discussion day for Intermezzo is scheduled for Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at 7:00 pm Eastern time, so mark your calendars. We'll ask questions on our blogs that day and then host the always fun, educational, and entertaining Zoom discussion. 

I think this book is quite discussable and I do hope you'll Read With Us!

Old Dog/New Tricks

This old dog learned a couple of new tricks this weekend. I wanted to make the fresh ginger cake I wrote about on Friday but wasn't looking forward to peeling and slicing the knobby hunk of ginger I needed. A few minutes on the internet gave me a couple of the tricks I needed. The first thing I found out is that ginger can be peeled with a spoon. It was simple and there was no danger of cutting my fingers. The next thing I learned is that ginger can be blitzed in the food processor. I froze the peeled pieces for a few hours, put them in my food processor for a few seconds, and voilà, chopped fresh ginger to bake this:

It was delicious. This is not my grandmother's gingerbread, but a strong ginger cake. It was great with whipped cream

and I think it would be equally tasty with some vanilla ice cream. 

I hope your week is off to a good start and that you have cake or something just as yummy to carry you through the

rest of this fraught week. 

I Thought I Was Done

I thought I was done blanching, freezing, fixing, and figuring out ways to use the garden produce, but that was not the case. We went to visit Ryan and the garden earlier this week after a hard frost. The garden has already gotten frost three or four times before, but this time Mother Nature meant it. John managed to salvage a meal's worth of green beans and snow peas but then asked if I could do something with a five-gallon bucket of green tomatoes. I wasn't going to give out fried green tomatoes for Halloween, so I convinced him that just a big bowlful would be much better. Ryan found a recipe for tomato relish that sounded very interesting to me (no vinegar!) so I decided to try it. 

The first thing I learned was that fresh ginger is completely different than ground ginger. I cut off a hunk, peeled it, and reveled in the scent. After I added the cumin and lime juice and zest I was really hooked. 

I added the rest of the ingredients and then diced the green tomatoes for what felt like forever. In actuality, it only took about 90 minutes but I was quite happy that I did not have a five-gallon bucket full of the things. 

After all the peeling, juicing, zesting, and chopping, I put the pot on the stove to cook down. This recipe called for ripe tomatoes and cooking it down for approximately 30 minutes but I cooked mine down for about 90 minutes since I was using green tomatoes that were much harder.

I doubled the recipe and we had to have hamburgers on Thursday night so I could taste my relish. It's damn good! I love the taste of limes, cumin, and ginger, so I may be making more of this stuff with canned tomatoes once I finish these jars.

But for now, the good news is I have enough ginger left over for a fresh ginger cake, and enough limes to enjoy several vodka & tonics with plenty of lime, just like I like them. I'll be pacing myself with the drinks so I have enough vodka and limes to last through at least Tuesday (and I'll probably need to replenish the ingredients so I have more on hand for at least a week afterward). 

I hope you have a great weekend!