Work that Muffin Tin

Who doesn't want a perfect egg?

Well here we are again for yet another Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday and once again we'll head to the kitchen for some tricky tips.

I'm so lame...I gather all these ideas and it takes me awhile to try them out (actually it's trying to remember to use them).  I have not tried out this method of cooking hard-boiled eggs but my daughter swears by it. It's pretty simple to do (always a plus for me) and I don't really foresee any major problems cooking them this way.  You just place your uncooked eggs in the wells of a muffin tin, place in a 325 degree oven (or 350 depending on if your oven runs cool) and cook for 30 minutes.  Carefullllllly take them out and carefulllllly place them in cold/ice water for about 10  

minutes and voila', they're done.  Next time I make hard-boiled eggs I promise I'll

Cartoons to ponder

Brief but to the point

Well wadda ya know?  It's Mesmerizing Medium Monday and today I'll serve up some Political Cartoons.  I love cartoons and I believe many out there do as well as evidenced by all the Prime Time "Toon Shows" out there in T.V. Land.  What an interesting way to put an important point into the public's mind.  Cartoons are eye-catching plus they're quick and easy to ingest so it makes perfect sense to use them to try and get your side of the story heard.  For instance, the political 

Simple Sunday-Path

  

Walking on a path

spotting movement in the grass

a butterfly rests

arching her painted wings back

a work of art in nature

CCB

6/25/2015

A Tanka

Another Fun Friday

Oh no, it's Flashback Friday again and my mind is on the topic of Native Americans.  I happened  to find some vintage video clips of some songs in my wanderings and thought it'd be nice to pass 'em along.

First we have Cher doing her "Half- Breed" song from 1973.  She looks kind

Happy Thankseverything Day

Here we are back to Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday once again.  I was contemplating on what to write today and concluded I hadn't done a  "Thanks" post in awhile so here we go.  The quote to the left is key (I suppose that's why there's a key on the top!) to the door of contentment.  It really helps you along in life to have the attitude of gratefulness, especially for those little things that we may tend to overlook.  So 

Baby, it's you...sha la la la la la la

The Boys

I've dubbed this W/E Wednesday as another Beatles Day, so awayyy we gooo!  In case you don't know their names, (and it's hard for me to comprehend that some people don't know the Fab Boys' names, yet I've encountered such people), in the pic to the left starting at the top left and going clockwise we have John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr (a.k.a. Richard Starkey) and George Harrison.  I thought it'd be fun to go way back and check out some childhood

I've got this tick...

Not a particularly pleasant topic, but a helpful one

Okay, not the prettiest tips this Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday, but I believe anyone that likes to spend time getting back to nature in the warm weather should know the basics about those nasty, icky,disgusting ticks.  Now, I have never had a tick on me yet but the Hubs and I had a "scare" this past weekend (poor Hub thought he had one on him but it was a false alarm) so I thought I should prepare in the event of a real 

Castles made of sand, melts into the sea, eventually

A castle AND some dragons

Hydee ho, all!  It's Mesmerizing Medium Monday and featured today are Sand Sculpture Artists.  My heading, for those not in the know, is a line from a Jimi Hendrix song I love, and I believe in giving credit where credit is due, especially to all those artists out there.  In fact, while I was researching items for this post, I ran into difficulty finding photos of this grainy art that also gave credit to the builder with at least a name.  Many put pics out there but didn't bother to find out the master sculpture's name!  I find that a bit bothersome, but I suppose that's a whole other story.  Okay, back on

Simple Sunday-Tepid Spring Noon

A tepid Spring noon found me scouting out sights

there the tracks, cool, steel rails, stretching

bending, leaning, leading

beckoning my curiosity, where?

Degrading timber ties whisper

tattle-tailing their age

while the stones lay unchanged

ancient, ageless, always

Contrasts against the work of man

laid with a purpose for an era past---

no locomotion now

only neglect, an end to a story

I discover, following  this now obsolete 

train trail, suddenly stops along with

my fanciful images of where

I stand with crestfallen abruptness

Tunnel of trees streams out of perspective

a ghost of a route once run

Stories start again, grow and float about

Passenger cars filled with folk

hoops, extravagant hats, button-up boots 

Stetsons, Justins, Colts

conductor with his pocket clock and punch

Steel wheels grooved to their steel line provides

a comforting click-clacking travel tune

going, moving, riding where?

Nowhere now, but a past place 

a destination dream I weave

on this tepid Spring noon.

CCB

6/19/2015

An Ekphrasis

Looney Tunes Day

It's Friday, it's Friday, it's Flashback Friday and time for a trip down Memory Lane.  Some of my best childhood memories come from watching all those awesome Looney Tunes cartoons.  I loved them then and I still do even now.  It's hard to choose my favorites because there are so gosh darn many!  I decided to showcase some of the somewhat more obscure clips for today and I promise I'll post more in the future...I'm thinking ya'll 

Sail away, sail away, sail away   

Why, oh why, did someone do this???

It is, of course, Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday and I am, of course, always thinking.  Somehow my mind wandered onto the topic of being OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for those unaware of that Initialism (yes, I just found out that is the correct word and not Acronym as I had anticipated).  Now right off, OCD is a legit disorder and I am by NO means making fun of or belittling individuals that may be struggling with a chronic case.  I do think that there are many of us out there that are on the fringe...not a 

Writing to sink your teeth into

So inspired!

Once again it's W/E Wednesday and I noticed I have been vacillating between "Whatever" and "W/E" in my title.  Zoinks!  I believe I prefer the "W/E" so hopefully from now on I'll stick with that.  Okay, back to semi-reality, I have been busy writing a short story for an upcoming contest (wish me luck!) so that has been sucking the meaty writing out of me for the last few days.  So, since I can write about w/e (hee hee) I want today I feel like giving my brain a bit of a rest and simply highlighting a few of my favorite writers.  It seemed appropriate to me!  First on my

A Casserole and Salad and Dessert...oh my!

Looks good!

Here we are slowly gliding into the week and it's Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday once again.  I will present to you today a menu for you to try, including dessert.  Okay, I haven't tried any of these recipes out yet...boo me...but I am planning on it very soon.  I really don't see how things could go wrong with them and they seem quick and easy to put together, which is always an A+++ with me!  For your main entree I introduce to you the Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole.  A quick review of the recipe entails frying some ground beef with onions and peppers, throwing in some corn, Manwich and cream cheese, then topping with shredded

Artist Highlight-Pawel Kuczynski

Passion

I decided to feature a single artist this Mesmerizing Medium Monday, one that I very recently discovered on a Pinterest binge. 

His name (as you probably read above but I'll write it again to be official) is Pawel Kuczynski and he's

Inner Conflict

In a contrast of colors,

basic, primary, blend.

the sun lends to a shadow show,

shutters open to see.

Basic primary, blend

into view, a chill inside, she

shutters, open to see

the bright sight outside.

Into view a chill, inside she

grieves for chances not taken in

the bright sight. Outside

the earth still spins.

Grieves for chances, not taken in

by the shadows playing outside.

The earth still, spins

fancy ideas around in her head.

By the shadows, playing outside,

is life in darks and lights.

Fancy, ideas around in her, head

says yes and heart now agrees.

CCB

6/11/2015

A Pantoum

Flashback Snack Foods

Corny goodness

Hey-de-ho all!  It's once again Flashback Friday and as you may have guessed I'm going to delve into the snack food realm today.  These goodies were around when I was a kiddy-o in the Swinging Seventies and Enigmatic Eighties.  

Oh man, did I loveeeeee these things!  Corn Diggers were a golden, crunchy, airy-ish chip, because you really couldn't call it a cracker.  It had a

The Boston Cooler Controversy  

This is what I envision when I think of a Boston Cooler

Wow, did I open up the proverbial can 'o worms when I set out to write today's Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday post!  This one had me thinking, as in researching the web, too much for this short blog.  Alas, I try to be as accurate as I can so the work had to be done!   Okay, this all started innocently enough when I thought I'd do a bit about Boston Coolers.  Sounds easy enough, right?  Well, wrong.  There were many conflicting stories out there so I sifted through scores of sites and I'll try and give you the most truthful rendition I can. The originator of the Boston Cooler was none other than the originator of

Acting Fishy

It's Whatever Wednesday which means I can post wha-eva is on my mind, and today that is musical, mechanical fake fish.  Okay, here's the deal.  My hub and I were out shopping at our local Salvation Army Thrift Store (I highly recommend this endeavor to anyone...it's practical, cheap fun and you also are helping out a great charity).  As I was lolling down one of the aisles my hun-bun strides up and informs me that he discovered a

Shine a light

You just never know

Well, well, well, it's Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday and I was inspired to write about emergency lights.  It's that time of the year where nasty storms seem to pop up frequently and it's always good to be prepared, a.k.a a "Prepper" (and that's a whole other topic for another post!).  But, oh no!  You just didn't get around to buying those candles and flashlights.  Well, no worries as I will highlight three, count them, three ways to fabricate emergency lighting from common items you probably have around the homestead.

First up is the Orange Oil Lamp.  Basically, you just cut an orange in half, carefully gut it taking care to leave the stem portion (as this will be your wick), pour in some cooking oil (canola oil was the suggestion  

The Candy Man Can and Does

You learn something new everyday, if you try.  I was scoping out Facebook (you just never know what will pop up!) when I came across this video. After I watched, spellbound, I thought, This would be great for Mesmerizing Medium Monday, so here it is!  I would have never thought that cotton candy making could be an art form, but so it is.  This talented man from ChongQing, China shows what skill and imagination can do.  However, I

Simple Sunday-On the Path

Late morning walk, wandering alone

along on the path of planks today

evidence of the forest's trees, leaves

haphazardly scattered, the day's early dew drops

in a suspended collection of fluid

each its own, yet all appear clear.

Mind's idea has been made clear

each entity upon the chartreuse field is alone

they are all loose and fluid

 though they may last only today

for if a mighty wind whisks their base and drops

it, they'd be scattered while the wind travels on and leaves.

An erratic flying carpet are fallen leaves

and each water speck shows clear

like glass, bare, displaying drops

cannot hide their home, the same yet alone

though those individuals melded, today,

together, a possible paradise of lucid fluid.

Thoughts inside soul fly fast and fluid

trying to grasp them like swirling leaves

and sort them out now, today

misty memories, tenacious thoughts, coming clear

gathering up ideas like puzzle pieces, alone

in the box, but now meshing delicately so nothing drops.

Now am debating, equating those drops

each separate, precarious piece of  fluid

mind in turbine mode, not leaving the process alone

contemplating the sight in my eyes, the dew, the leaves

an analogy formulating into concept clear

fashioning nature into a lesson today.

Gone, we are in a tomorrow, but here today

although each are all sizes, large to little drops

all cannot hide for all in essence are clear

shown sheer at our basic selves, humans' fluid

persona magnifies creation and the Wind really never leaves

but swirls around about forever so never alone.

Now sight and mind are fluid and clear

as on the path, the drops of dew on the leaves

today, trust the Mighty Wind alone.

CCB

6/5/2015

A Sestina

Foto Fiesta 

Petite Pretties 

Happy day!  It's another Snapshot Saturday and time to let the photos do the yappin'.  As always, make sure to click "Read More" to enter the inner sanctum of secret images (maybe that'll entice y'all to take a peek!). 

An 80's quote quiz!

Quiz Day!

It's once again Flashback Friday and I decided to throw a little quiz fun at y'all.  We'll be drifting back into the 80's and covering quotes from some of the tube shows back in those days.

I'll start with what I consider easy and end with what I think might be trickier for most people, but you just might be super tricky and get them all!  Okay, first up is the quote, "I pity the fool".  The person in question (and I'm pretty sure most of you know this already) was most famous for his role in a "Team" show and he fancied lots of golden jewelry. Well of course it's....................

The Paper Trail War

This should pretty much resolve the over/under issue!

Somewhere along my online journeys I ran into the image to the left and it's accompanying info and it got me to thinking...and how appropriate since it's Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday!  The diagram is the patent for the original toilet paper roll from 1891 and this should pretty much clear up any over/under controversy as to how the 

Oh, why?

No!

As I was trolling around in the cyber-sea fishing for an idea for Whatever Wednesday, I caught a glimpse (fishing puns!) of the photo to the left and immediately decided it was going to be a "Why?" photo day.

I don't know if the little girl in the pic

Come to the garden, it's a beautiful sunny day!

Sounds easy enough

It's Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday and I was inspired by the nicer weather (and a Facebook post) to share some hopefully helpful ideas for you to try in your garden.  If you don't have one perhaps you'll get inspired to give it a go with these simple tricks.

I haven't tried the eggshell idea on the left as of yet, but it seems simple enough (I'm into  simple stuff).  Plus it's

Artist Highlight-Charles Burton Barber

A Special Pleader

I thought I'd emphasize a single artist this Mesmerizing Medium Monday and I chose Charles Burton Barber to explore.  He was a Victorian Era painter that was known for his photographic quality paintings featuring children and dogs.  I happen to own the painting featured to the left where it accents the