I was introduced to this dish by the friend who passed away. It was my first invite to his place for dinner and he came up with a winner! I recall the house was filled with the aroma of something fantastic being prepared in the kitchen and it didn’t disappoint. Food was delicious and finger-licking good!
He made this dish that I had never had before. It was called Cataplana, a Portugese dish from the Algarve region. This seafood stew is made with mussels, fish, potatoes, sausage, saffron, smoked paprika, vegetables, spices and white wine. It is accompanied with bread and I think we had garlic bread with it.
The stew is similar to bouillabaisse or cioppino but healthier because the recipe uses less fat and has fewer calories.
He is gone now, the friend, but I do make it on special occasions. Not that often because it takes work to prepare the meal and I don’t like spending too much time in the kitchen anymore. However, when I do, I find that I have perfected the recipe and although I don’t cook it in a traditional cataplana, it still turns out delicious. What is a cataplana? It is a cooking vessel made out of copper or aluminium and shaped like two clamshells hinged at one end so that it functions like a pressure cooker.
It was a memorable meal when I first had it and it still brings back memories when I make it or try to replicate it at home.
In The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie, author T. J. Mueller takes young readers on a wild and colorful journey into a world full of imagination and wonder.
Honey and Hubie set off on an exciting adventure together, exploring the unknown and discovering that the greatest treasure of all is friendship. Along the way, they meet magical characters, face challenges, and learn what it truly takes to hold onto the bonds that matter most.
This enchanting tale blends fun storytelling with a heartfelt message, making it a perfect read for children who love make-believe worlds and meaningful lessons.
✨ Magical adventure – A journey into a whimsical world full of colorful characters ✨ Friendship at its heart – Teaches kids what it takes to build and keep strong friendships ✨ Captures imagination – Encourages creativity and wonder in young readers ✨ Engaging message – Fun storytelling with a positive lesson woven in
About the Author – T. J. Mueller
T. J. Mueller is an author who masterfully combines fun, imaginative storytelling with heartfelt messages for children. With The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie, Mueller brings young readers into a magical world of make-believe while reminding them of the very real importance of friendship.
If your child loves fantasy adventures filled with magical characters and meaningful lessons, The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie is a must-read.
Perfect for bedtime reading, classroom storytime, or family fun, this book captures the imagination while sharing a timeless message: friendship makes every adventure better.
The murder of George Floyd by a police officer brought widespread protests not only back home but globally, which in turn called for police reform and accountability where police brutality and racial injustice was concerned. Its historical significance came when Derek Chauvin, the police officer responsible for the murder was convicted and sent to prison. It also put a spotlight on systemic racism and racial inequality. Before that landmark case, it was rare “that police officers in the US are charged, let alone convicted for use of lethal force.”
George Floyd, an African-American, died after being arrested by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020. The video footage that went viral showed Floyd being pinned to the ground by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeling on Mr. Floyd’s neck. Bodycam footage showed Mr. Floyd saying he couldn’t breathe more than 20 times but to no avail. Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes and Floyd was heard further saying:
“You’re going to kill me, man.”
Chauvin: ” Then stop talking, stop yelling. It takes heck of a lot of oxygen to talk.”
Mr. Floyd: “Can’t believe this, man. Mom, love. Love you. Tell my kids I love them. I’m dead.”
Six minutes after that, Floyd is non-responsive and pronounced dead an hour later.
Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. The verdict put the spotlight on police and their policing practices where people of color were concerned and it also showed “that police officers are not above the law.”
According to the NY Times, “despite the largest racial justice protests since the civil rights era of the 1960s and a wave of measures to improve training and hold officers more accountable, the number of people killed by the police continues to rise each year, and Black Americans still die in disproportionate numbers.”
Racism, systemic racism, police brutality and the murder of black men still continues. Hate finds a way to survive and in today’s climate of fascism on the rise, we’ll see more of the same all done in the name of progress or “hate” masquerading as justice.
Derek Chauvin is still in prison serving his concurrent federal and state sentences for the murder of George Floyd. He is projected to be released in 2037 for his federal conviction and 2035 for his state conviction.
George Floyd, however, will never see the light of day again. He is now a card-carrying member of the “killed by the police” club. The others were Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, who was 12 when he was shot by a police officer, Walter Scott, Alton Sterling and the list goes on…..
I’ve written about every one of these men and many more.
Major historical events? I would say those killings were major events, wouldn’t you?
It is that time of year again. Rain has moved in and the days are shorter and darker and the sun is taking a well-deserved rest.
AUTUMN
“Time to dim the sunlight, cue the moody fog, and watch nature’s most haunting story unfold.” Angie Weiland-Crosby
I woke up this morning to the world outside cloaked in darkness. It is the norm for this time of year and there is a certain sadness that fall brings. It is the wave goodbye to another year that is almost done and it is a softness that comes in at times like a thief in the night and at other times, it puffs and it blows till all the leaves are down on the ground as it is in my garden this morning or at least half of them are. The old Magnolia is bowing down to fall and letting it have its way. There is a carpet of gold and brown leaves covering the grass and it is going to take work to get it all swept up and taken away. Fall brings work and yet it is a season filled with beauty and glorious color.
On my last walk in nature a few days ago, I noticed that the color was coming in. There were the usual golden tints but the reds were making a showing and right over the hill, I could see the top of one lone tree, its yellow head caught in the weak sunlight, enough to catch the eyes of anyone walking by and gifting them with a splendid display of fall’s beauty. Fall sways and it dances and it lets the wind have its way and before you know it, another season has walked in and it has taken its rightful place. It seems so effortless but you and I know that there is work, unseen work that brings forth the magic.
I’m looking forward to my walks again when the rain moves out and in its place is a golden fall that will take my breath away draped in gorgeous golds, bright reds and dazzling yellows. All good things take time and so it is with fall as it finally sashays in dressed in colors meant to make you sit up and take notice AND to remind me that I am but a mere mortal compared to its power and glorious masterwork.
I’m not a risk-taker and never have been. I weigh all the options before I venture out on something and it is never a spontaneous decision. When I was younger I got pulled into some dangerous situations never of my own making. Fortunately, it turned out for the best and I came out of it unscathed.
To answer your question, what’s the biggest risk you’d like to take? I would say, if possible, is to pack a small bag and head out to parts unknown! Perhaps, a lonely cabin somewhere surrounded by nature and nothing else. Or a small beach house by the ocean where I can go for long walks or just sit on the beach and let the day go to pieces. I would like to watch the sunset and stay till the stars come out with no fear whatsoever. Not there is a chance of that happening because, I’m not that type. The “throw caution to the wind” type. Everything is done with careful thought so I don’t see that ever happening.
It’ll stay somewhere in my mind added to all those unfulfilled wishes still waiting to happen!
Daily writing prompt
What’s the biggest risk you’d like to take — but haven’t been able to?
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I haven’t been writing much for the last week or two putting out only the bare minimum or recycling my old posts. There’s a reason for that and it is not laziness.
Writing becomes more than a chore when I have things on my mind, things that bug me. And I have had plenty of that. The situation with the stalker has turned into a full-blown stalking! This guy is different from the first one. He doesn’t bombard me with his presence, I don’t know what he looks like, and there are usually three messages throughout the day whereas with the other one, it was a 24/7 thing. It starts with “Good morning Tia” depending on the time of day in English and the next sentence is in German. Mostly non-threatening but several times he said, “I’VE HAD ENOUGH!” I thought good, maybe you’ll stop sending me messages. However, it is short-lived. A day or two later, he goes back to his usual shoveling of more compliments. He called me a “Herzensmensch,” translated it means, “a soulmate, confidant, or someone you feel a deep connection with.” This one sent chills down my spine and not in a nice way either!
It was followed with, “Good morning Tia, MY BIG LOVE!” the next day. I don’t know who this guy is and I’m trying not to care but it is hard not to. The first stalker had me in his grip, emotionally, and made my daily existence a living hell but I’ve grown since then. I notice that I’m not as fearful as I used to be.
“Stalkers use mind games to manipulate their victims, often stemming from personality disorders like narcissism or psychopathy, and the goal is to control, confuse, and exert power over the victim.”
Knowing that, I’m trying not to let it get at me or to live in fear. However, after two days of silence, I got this message yesterday.
“Tia, you are a beautiful and strong person. You can overcome anything….” This one was much longer than his two sentence variety and I did feel an uneasiness creep through me. Stalker? Mentor? What?!!! Then this morning, the message said, “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!”
I haven’t answered any of his messages and I am ignoring them hoping he will get tired and LEAVE ME ALONE!
“Life is 10 percent what you experience and 90 percent how you respond to it.” Dorothy M. Neddermeyer
Caring less about things maybe the easiest way to acquire happiness but how many of us do that? How often do we obsess about things we cannot change? More times than I can remember. How often do we let someone trigger something in us and we carry it around for days mulling over every word and detail to the point that nothing else matters but that one little problem but only by this time, it isn’t a small problem anymore but had morphed and become unsolvable! How many times have we let someone bring us down just because something hurtful was said and we take it to heart, handle it like a precious thing and let our self-esteem go to pieces? More times than I can count on my fingers.
Here’s the thing:
“The less you give a damn the happier you will be.” Unknown
Something happened yesterday and I took what was handed to me, went to my corner as I usually do and let it do a number on me! Happiness was nowhere to be seen and my piece of mind was in shambles at my feet. Even then, I refused to let go. I was like a dog with a bone until I stopped and decided to let go of what I was holding within and told myself that there was nothing I could do about the situation. No amount of anger, sadness and wishing, yes wishing was going to change it for the better. I took a deep breath and let it go….
“Stop asking why they keep doing it and start asking why you keep allowing it.” Unknown
That’s the problem isn’t it? We keep allowing things to happen and to hold us in its grasp. If only we could take away the power from the problem at hand and learn to look at it with detachment versus with both feet smack dap in the middle! Learning to care less takes practice especially if you’re the type who cares too much about anything and everything.
LET IT GO……and learn to relax. Problems do have a way of righting themselves out and sometimes with very little help from you. Give it some time, give it some space but most of all, don’t hug it close to your heart. Learn to care less and you’ll be less stressed at and with life. This doesn’t mean being a less caring person it just means picking your battles carefully and when you do, be prepared to look at them with less emotion. Step back and go to work but not with guns blazing! I have to remind myself of this too.
ONE DAY IT JUST CLICKS
“You realize what’s important and what isn’t. You learn to care less about what others think of you and more about what you think of yourself. You realize how far you’ve come and you remember when you thought things were such a mess that you would never recover and you smile. You smile because you are truly proud of yourself and the person you’ve fought to become.”
There are many achievements that I am proud of. If I had to choose one, I would say it is connected with writing.
I’ve always had a love affair with writing. It started early and by 15, I had a short story published in a major women’s magazine that made cover story. That was enough to make me walk on Cloud 9! Then followed a few more short stories all making me think that I had a talent for writing. Not everyone who writes is a writer and neither is it easy to get things published. Most times, they wind up in the dustbin or rubbish bin and never make it to the editorial desk. I was lucky that my stories did.
Later on in life, I tried my hand in the political arena. Many articles were published and I played along with the big guns. I won’t mention who they were but let’s just say, they were big enough to get world attention. I was proud of that achievement. However, I got tired of that and moved on.
Then came my stint as a Fashion Editor and it put me front and center with the beautiful people. Supermodels, actors, fashion designers and so on…. It was great at first, I loved the hustle and bustle of moving with a different circle, but again it got tiring after a while.
My current achievement that I am proud of is the children’s book. It took a long time to finish the project and I’m proud that it’s out there. I don’t know if it will make it but I guess most writers don’t care about fame and fortune. We love seeing our work in print, at least that’s how it is for me. If I get a compliment, it makes it all the better but for now, I love seeing my work out there!
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