dailyprompt – Page 31

Family Favorites

Back when I was cooking, there were many family favorites. I’ll go with the ones that my son loved and still loves. When he heads back home which is not often, he places the order a week in advance and then when he is home, he asks for the same dishes over and over again!

The first one and at the top of the list is Tuna Melt. This one takes the Blue Ribbon as far as family favorites go. It is a simple dish that doesn’t take much effort but I tend to pep it up so that it comes out finger-licking good.! He’ll ask for seconds and thirds and then asks me to make it again the next day! That is how good it is to him or is it just memories attached to it? I don’t know but it’s his favorite.

Next one on the list is homemade Lasagne with lots of sauce and with three kinds of cheese! This one takes more prep time but it is well worth the effort. It tastes better the next day but whenever is just fine with him. He doesn’t just eat it, he sniffs it in and it is gone in minutes!

Last but not least are pork ribs smothered in a rich dark red sauce that shimmers and dances! Okay, it is called BBQ ribs but done my way. The meat falls off the bone and it is messy to eat but both my ex and my son loved it. It didn’t matter if they had “sauce” running down their arms, it was all about the ribs. I must say, it was delicious.

Those are the three that I can think of and ones that I have on repeat redial when my son comes home. He loves feeling like a little boy again, although he keeps reminding me that he is not 8 anymore! After the meal, he reaches for my hand and lays it on his head like he used to as a little boy and looks up at me with those sweet adoring eyes enough to melt any heart! I guess they never grow up! I’m not complaining!

Daily writing prompt

What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?

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Trusting Your Instincts

Where do I start?!! I want to say that I trust my instincts because I have a good head on my shoulders but, alas, it’s the other part that I worry about. The part that sees and doesn’t want to see and does its own thing. So far, it has been running rampant and doing whatever it wants. I call it “my heart.”

I am a softie when it comes to matters of the heart. Deep down inside I know that the path I’m taking is not a good one and it will lead to trouble but still I keep on, sometimes out of curiosity and sometimes out of sheer stupidity!

This journey of self-discovery I am on has helped to keep me on the straight and narrow but the heart wants what it wants. It wants excitement, the feeling of danger, the throbbing that comes from the adrenaline rush and so it goes. I’m not an adrenaline junkie, never have been, but I go for the “bad boys!” The ones I know from the get go that they are better left alone. However, I want to play the “helper” or rather the person who wants to save them from their misery.

Self-discovery has helped me to see things with a clearer perspective. Still, I am not all the way there. It is going to take time. Do I trust my instincts? Absolutely!

These days, I’m giving the “good guys” more than a chance. They are boring but it’s time to take my boots off (the adventurous ones) and to give those house slippers a chance to reign supreme. Who knows I may just find what I’m looking for. A nice guy with a heart of gold and one who doesn’t need saving!

Daily writing prompt

Do you trust your instincts?

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December

I have a love-hate relationship with December The year is drawing to a close and I have a chance at making things better as year end approaches and a new one begins. Add Christmas to that and what’s not to like?

Plenty. I love Christmas, the sights, the sounds, the scents, and just the feeling of peace that is everywhere. The house comes alive with lights and there is this dreamy quality about it. The fireplace crackles, add a blanket or two on the couch and you’re ready to snuggle and watch the flames burn. There is just something about this time of year. I love it and yet, there is a certain sadness because the heart longs for Christmases past when loved ones were near and it was a time for family and friends to gather and celebrate the season. Christmas is no longer like it used to be. The circle has grown smaller and it is usually just Chachi and yours truly. Last year, I had a friend who came over but it wasn’t the same. This year, I might spend it with my “Little Buttercup” who is always ready to spend time with his mommy.

I have a love-hate relationship with this month. I love the cold, even better if there is snow outside, walks in nature are filled with wonder, and festive lights twinkling everywhere warms the heart and fills the soul with a certain something. I can’t put my finger on it. I call it “magic.”

However, there are definite downsides to this month as well and when you’re alone, it is magnified during this time of the year. I’m learning to cope with it and taking it in stride as I do with most things. Still, I do love December and all that it brings.

Daily writing prompt

What’s your favorite month of the year? Why?

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An Italian Ice Place

I learned about this place from a friend and at first I thought it was an okay place but nothing special. It was run by Italians and most of the staff there are young Italians from Italy. Some don’t speak English, no German whatsoever, and they loved speaking in Italian. The problem? Customers had a tough time placing their orders!

However, the place grew on me. It was nice and cozy, the ambience was comforting and the people friendly. I love the decor and the music playlist had some of my favorite songs on there. It slowly became a favorite place to hang out in whenever I met friends for coffee and sometimes breakfast. If we arrived early, the place was empty and you can hear yourself talk. However, come lunchtime, it gets crowded and very noisy. That’s when it is time to go.

In summer, they serve Italian ice but throughout the year, they have Tiramisu, cakes, cookies, breakfast dishes like Avocado Toast, American style scrambled eggs, toast, and to top it all great coffee.

I am a regular there so they know me well. Just recently, a server from Argentina who speaks English told me that he was leaving to go back home. He is actually an English teacher back home and he was going back for a year to help his family and to teach but he would be back next year. There are others there that I have come to know well.

I have a favorite spot by the window so that I can people watch and sip my coffee in silence when I am there by myself but when I meet a friend, we can talk and laugh like we are the only ones in the place! It’s a nice place and since I don’t like crowded places, it works just fine for those rare moments when I get myself out and about. Oh, the bakery is right across from the Italian place and that is an added bonus. It’s where I get my beloved cheesecake! Not a good thing in one sense but for those days when my willpower isn’t where it should be, I break down and get a slice or two of cheesecake before heading back home. Not a whole cake anymore. We are making progress!

Daily writing prompt

What is your favorite place to go in your city?

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Confident

I want to give the impression that I am so confident that “I could sell ice to an Eskimo!” I have another saying I go by, “Walk in like God sent you!” The first one helps when I am jittery or feeling like I am not enough and that happens a lot. It comes from being an introvert from my younger days and some remnants of that period in my life are still visible or rather they tend to hold court and have a field day with it! The second one helps when I’m meeting someone for the first time and if I’m feeling nervous, I wear that outlook and let me tell you, it works like a charm.

These days I can psyche myself up so that I walk into a room with my head held high and with a confident smile on my face even if I’m quaking in my boots! People tend to look up to confident people, there is this certain something “Je ne sais quoi” that captures their attention.

I went on a date this past week. It was our first meeting and I was nervous. Just a meet and chat and see where it goes from here kind of thing. I was early as usual and he showed up on time. Dressed well and with a bouquet of flowers in hand, he seemed like a nice enough guy. We smiled and it took off from there. I wasn’t feeling too confident, first dates make me feel that way. However, three hours in and we were still talking and he said, “I’m not going to take off running! I have all day and I find you very interesting!” I was thinking, “You don’t know the half of it!” Anyway, that “Walk in like God sent you,” part seemed to work. He did walk me to my car, gave me a hug (not a bone-crushing one) and a kiss on the cheek. What happened next? Well, that is for another time.

Coming back to the topic in hand, the first impression I want to impart is confidence, then comes the “niceness” part. It matters to me. All the rest can fall in line as the meeting goes on.

Daily writing prompt

What’s the first impression you want to give people?

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NOTHING!

I am reading nothing right now. Surprising? I used to be a bookworm but those days are gathering dust somewhere. Ever since, I started writing books, reading has taken a backseat. I try, really try to get back into it but I go a few chapters and I put it aside. Not good I know but it’s where I’m at right now.

Perhaps, it’s because I have too many things going on. I am working on the sequel to, The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie, and I am also working on giving the novel a much needed boost. I’m stuck where that is concerned and there seems to be a blockage of some sort but I know it is just a matter of time before the ideas start flowing back in and I get going again. Until then, I’m not going to clutter my mind with books, meaning when I read I like to live the stories. Does that make sense? It does to me. I take on the personas of the characters who capture my imagination and they stay for a long time. So, for now books are on the back burner.

Daily writing prompt

What book are you reading right now?

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I Would Stay Where I Am!

If I had a chance to live anywhere in the world, I would choose where I’m at. Years ago, I had many places in mind and one of them was Hawaii. I wanted a small place with a backyard that led to the ocean! It would be wonderful to sit out there at night and listen to the waves and watch the stars above, but that all changed when I was in Hawaii and the reality was much different. The waves crashing against the shoreline were far from peaceful and the darkness didn’t seem that friendly either!

I love where I’m at right now. It is not the “best” place but I’m three quarters of the way there. The village is quiet, it has a vintage feel about it. Cobblestone streets with a horse or two going by is charming and fields where I lose myself is fantastic, quiet, and often I’m the only one there. Not only that, I don’t feel afraid as I walk the lonely pathways lost in thoughts that keep me occupied. The people are friendly, it is clean and quiet and nothing much happens around here. One day rolls into the next seamlessly and I can feel myself breathe again.

It is home now or rather I’ve made it home. I can’t see myself living anywhere else and that says it all.

Daily writing prompt

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

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The Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Found and Kept?

Another question that I can’t find any answers to. I dream of one day discovering hidden treasure and since that will never happen, I can honestly say that I’ve haven’t found anything that was cool or worth keeping.

Sorry guys but wait a minute. I did find 50 Euros while out on a walk. It was just lying there waiting for me to pick it up. What did I do with it? I kept it. What else should I do? It was out in the open and I didn’t see any point with going to the police with it. What would they do with it? So the only option was to consider it “good luck” in a way and bad for the person who lost it. Sometimes things happen.

I don’t know if that was cool but it certainly was unexpected. Otherwise, I can’t think of anything else. Perhaps, one day I will find a box out in the fields filled with precious stones left behind from another time and place! Now, that would be COOL! Dream on? I agree with you.

Next question please…..

Daily writing prompt

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever found (and kept)?

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Worries

I have a regimented routine and I stick to it come hell or high water! Changes are not my thing so keeping to the routine is easy to do. Waking up with a good stretch in bed is a must, I do it the “Japanese” way. Just some lazy stretches in bed to get the circulation going before I slide out of bed. Then it’s a visit to the bathroom while Chachi waits patiently.

We head downstairs and since I get up when the birds do, it is still dark outside. Chachi takes his place by the window and I start breakfast. Nothing fancy or heavy. Sometimes it is an egg on toast accompanied by slices of avocado, other times, when I’m lazy, just two pieces of toast and a cup of coffee. Recently, I’ve started making Miso soup, it is healthy and a great start to the day. Then I head back upstairs to watch the news and Chachi stays downstairs watching the day as it wakes up as well.

Now, if there is one thing that I would like to skip if I could are the worries I wake up with. I’m a worrywart so worries are part and parcel of my daily existence. They are of my own making. I worry about everything and anything! Meditation helps with that and walks in nature help as well. However, it takes effort and focus to keep them out and to zero in on the good things. Things I am grateful for and there are plenty of reasons in that direction.

I haven’t got it down to a science yet but I’m working on it. One day, I hope I’ll wake up feeling fantastic and ready to face the day without WORRY on my mind! Fingers and toes crossed!

Daily writing prompt

What part of your routine do you always try to skip if you can?

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Adolf Hitler

This unspectacular and seemingly nonchalant looking man kept the world captive for a long time. “He is widely regarded as a symbol of evil because of the crimes committed by the Nazi German regime under his leadership.” More than 11 million people were killed and the deaths were carried out in a very intentional manner. It was as if those lives lost did not matter at all. They were part of a purging process and it was all done in the name of ethnic cleansing or rather genocide. He is infamous not only for World War II and the Holocaust but also for the systematic persecution and the mass murder of Europe’s Jews.

Adolf Hitler was a slightly overweight man with piercing eyes and was evil to the core. “Hitler believed that Jews were destructive to the German ‘Aryan’ race, and did not have any place in Nazi Germany.” The Nazi idealogy is about degradation, extermination and dehumanizing certain groups of people based on their ethnicity and that is the OBJECTIVE. It is exactly why it is so dangerous.

This was and is the personification of evil. I met him, metaphorically, when as a young girl I started reading about Anne Frank and her struggles during Hitler’s reign. It was a reign of terror where families were wiped out and fear reigned supreme. Anne was a German-born Jewish girl and a victim of the Holocaust. She is one of the 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered during the genocide. Anne became famous for keeping a diary of her experiences. She and her family went into hiding and stayed concealed at the back of a building on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdem, the Netherlands. Her writing kept me enthralled from start to finish and I lived her journey through her words. I read her story from the safe confines of my bedroom but every word transported me to where she had been and I knew that evil had a name and that it was Adolf Hitler.

What is the moral of Anne Frank?

It is “that all people have the right to live in freedom.”

Fast forward to today. We are living in a time where Nazi salutes, Nazi propaganda and Nazi rhetoric is viewed as nothing big. Those that believe in his ideology want the world to revert back to that time and place where “people” who did not belong in their concept of the “superior race” should be eradicated and or have their rights taken away.

If it will fly in a global society that is the question. We’ve come a long ways from one “evil” man controlling the narrative. We have a voice now and let’s use it to put evil in its place.

Daily writing prompt

Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?

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