Adventures in cooking: The Pumpkin
Before
Coincidentally, I found a cooking pumpkin in my kitchen last week(see: strange things I find after a kids Halloween party). So pumpkin it is.
First recipe: Soup
The recipe calls for an onion, a couple potatoes, noodles and garlic and 3 litres of vegetable broth. First step: Saute onions and garlic in olive oil and butter before adding the rest… Honestly, I was a little surprised, mostly for its lack of cinnamon and spice. I think I always imagined pumpkin soup like a liquid version of pumpkin pie.
In a typical me move, I wasn’t thinking at all about what I was actually doing-making soup-and added the noodles too early, and wound up having to decide between chunky pumpkin soup, or pumpkin/noodle puree -_-
I went for the chunks.
After
It smelled fantastic while simmering, but the ultimate test was the world’s two pickiest eaters, and – VICTORY! The oldest damn near drooled when I lifted the pot lid, and the youngest only ate the pumpkin-of course, she still refuses to believe they aren’t carrots. Will definitely be doing this one again.
I still have half a pumpkin-I’m thinking pumpkin cheesecake.
That’s low-cal, right?
Online! ps. moving sucks
The epic move is finally behind me, thank the Gods, Goddess’, Demons, and whoever else you may pray to. I hate to use the word epic lightly, but seriously, this was a one-of-a-kind, Danielle-flying-by-the-seat-of-her-pants type move. I say “was”, past tense, when actually it’s still “is”, present tense. To date, a good three weeks after my moving date, I still have half a dozen boxes, a mattress, plants and probably a partridge in a fucking pear tree sitting in the old apartment. Oh, and a washing machine. And no internet or landline here in the new place. Long story.
Nothing like beating your clothes with a stick in the bathtub and being totally disconnected from the world to bring a girl right back into the middle ages.
So if I’ve been a little sketchy with posting, you know why. On the other hand, with very little to do otherwise, I’ve got a decent amount of reading done. I will say this now- Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves is the best book I’ve read in a looong time.
Luckily I was able to borrow a stick so I am now, somewhat officially, online again.
Hello Facebook.
I know it’s a little after the fact, but did everyone make it through the day of romance and love with their heart still intact? I would love to hear some romantic anecdotes, extra points if they’re kinky. I, personally, thought I’d been struck by Valentine’s day brilliance. I’m talking gifts. Self-made, highly creative, heavy on the morbidity. The two people I relayed my genius to cringed. In hindsight, the gift was a good idea and I’m fairly positive my dark other half will appreciate it. Who doesn’t enjoy misty cemetery pictures?
Whilst walking through the graveyard, taking in the sights and reading gravestones, it occurred to me how bland the stones here in our local ‘yard are. Name and date. Period. Old, yes. But no stories, no ‘Beloved mother and wife’ and so on. Mine will be much more interesting. ‘Will rise again’, ‘Buried alive’, ‘Rob my grave and suffer a thousand deaths’…you get the idea.
If I ever find my card reader I will show you what I mean…about the existing graveyard, that is.
Happy freakin’ (really REALLY belated)New Years
Let’s travel back a few weeks, when life was a little less action packed. A new year brings new beginnings…
Personally, I never expected to spend my time after 12 o’clock trudging through the ice and snow, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do…after mixing drinks.
I will refrain from going into it; the result would be shockingly similar to a wine & liquor store’s inventory list. I decided to wear a fairly short skirt that night, a highly atypical move on my behalf and fairly unclever, all things considering. Lucky for me I was smart enough to wear my trusty Doc Marten’s rather than heels. Nevertheless, I’m fairly positive my gracelessness will never be matched…then again, I didn’t fall asleep half naked on a park bench, or even pass out awkwardly, so I guess I’m still one up on this guy…
So, who’s stuck to their resolutions? I, for one, not only broke my resolution on New Year’s day, but I seemed to have regressed for the effort of trying. What was my resolution…go ahead, ask. I wanted to quit smoking…again. I figure once life calms down a bit, I won’t feel the crushing impulsion to poison my body and harden my lungs with nicotine.
Yeah, eventually I’ll find it repulsive. For now it’s a crutch…one then I will continue to lean on heavily until this epic move is behind me. Yes, finally. The big move. I’m certain it will be how people remember me. It will be mentioned in my eulogy. Not enough people to carry the heavy things, a truck too small for the big furniture, and only two seats in one car, so the rest of the moving party will have to take the bus…
Told you. I can’t even type that without lol’ing. Seriously.
Good news! SHADOWFEVER is finally available!!! If you’re anything like me, you been dyeing to get your hands on it since reading the very unsettling end of Dreamfever. WHO WAS THE BEAST???
Canadian Snow White?
Today was one absurd situation after another. This morning was kind of like I was living in a time warp where everything took ages but we were still early for school. I was still scratching my head when I walked to the park, only to be asked if it was my horse turned out in a paddock that belongs to a small animal rescue /petting zoo beside the park. Uhhh, no? I guess someone just left him there in the middle of the night…odd? I think so.
The kids were invited to a birthday party this afternoon, and I was asked to stay as well. And I, too bloody polite, couldn’t refuse.
So we went and hung out at McDonald’s. I couldn’t eat. New people make me anxious, and I can’t eat when I’m anxious. I can smoke, but unfortunately, I quit 6 days ago. Why ‘unfortunately’? Because everyone else did smoke. Apparently I didn’t appear as anxious as I felt though because one woman informed me that I exude calm. CALM!!! ME!!! This was after I was told that I looked like Snow White, and informed that my eyes are brown(they’re green, goddamnit!). I was actually summoned as Snow White a couple of times after that… Seriously, what?
Afterwards,(and while I may have appeared deep in mediation, the little voice inside my head was screaming and trying to tear its way out of me) we went back to the birthday girl’s house so the kids could play. At every function involving women there is always one who speaks incessantly about cats. The highlight of my day was when another women disrupted the verbal cat diarrhea by announcing that she was more of a dog person. The comment was met by silence – other than the laughter in my head.
I found the perfect apartment, but I’m having a few problems locking it down. It’s all very frustrating, and somehow, typical. I’ve been looking for a place suitable for all of us(not easy when you take kids who need to play outside, schools, and dogs to go out) for a good three months, and I honestly believe this is ‘the one’ but now all these things keep getting in the way. It may be time to unleash my inner bitch.
I finished reading Bullet. Sooo good, and none of the favourites die. All the loose ends are tied up into one big sexy, horrifying knot- but there will definitely be another book in the series. Review for Bullet will be posted post-hast (aka tomorrow).
The Magic Slays cover has been released! Check it out here:
Ilona Andrews Blog: Magic Slays Cover
A band out of Germany this time. They are currently touring, and will be in Köln November 25th…
Diminished 7
I fell in love last night…
If you like HIM, then listen up because these guys are incredible.
Yes, I love them. Am in love with them. Am obsessing over them. I was blown away with the first chord, and melted to a puddle of black mush when he began to sing.(Still don’t know who ‘he’ is…yet.) Diminished 7 has been added to the ‘repeat/favourites’ playlist with HIM and Charon.
I am pleased to say (without lying) that with the help of Google maps I’ve finished the first 1/3rd of the House Of Thorns sequel, which I was calling Fist Full Of Lies, but I’m not sure how well that’ll fit once the story has taken a little more shape. The little man who can jump into the Google maps has helped me immensely in setting descriptions. So thanks to whichever intrusive person came up with that idea. I spent a good deal of last night exploring Vermont…
I’ve been wondering lately if I have some kind of invisible target on me because annoying people keep finding me. Yesterday I was hobbling (at least I can walk now. It feels more disgusting that anything else, kind of like someone filled my leg up with jelly. Occasionally I can feel the blood pulsing through it. Sound like fun?) through the park with my youngungs, taking the dog out for his evening walk. My youngest was holding the leash, as she usually does, and a couple with an ugly chihuahua called me a terrible mother and threatened to call Ordnungsamt(literally, officers devoted to keeping the order) because I let such a little kid walk such a large dog. I asked why, several times, and finally the guy, red in the face from arguing with me, says ‘because!’ I scoffed and told him that because wasn’t a good enough answer. Seriously, kiss my ass.
Then today, I went into the grocery store intending to grab a few things for my soire this evening. I was concentrating on my youngest sorting through the baskets inside the entrance, trying to find ‘the right one.’ I swung my daughter’s collapsible buggy around to tell her to hurry up, and the wheel accidentally struck an old man’s shoe. Hit it. Didn’t roll over his fat fucking toe. Came to a gentle stop against the sole. And I apologized(I’m Canadian). And what does he say? That I should look in front of me. I gestured to the kid surrounded in basket. He told me to take her by the hand and get out of the way. I shouldn’t have wasted the breath on an apology.
I finally watched the new Robin Hood the other night. I loved it. This time Marian is one tough Lady. I love to see the women ride into battle with their men. Of course, with Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, how can you really go wrong?
Happy Thanksgiving EH
To all you Canadians out there: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! I wish I was back home this weekend(no, not sobbing yet-that’ll come Halloween when I can’t go trick or treating!) Anyone feel like bring me a heaping plate of thanksgiving dinner is welcome to stop by. We can have a beer. You can entertain me while I fill my face. It’ll be great.
No?
I woke up this morning with two spider bites on my knee. Judging from the size of them it would seem one of Aragog’s progeny made a midnight, bedside appearance. And unlike Hagrid, I find the hairy little bastards revolting.(Don’t you just yearn for the days I don’t reference Harry Potter?) In fact, I shudder at the thought of eight disgusting legs crawling on my flesh as I sleep. Don’t even get me started on the ‘the average human eats 4 spiders in their sleep in a lifetime’ rumour. Speaking of which, I found this nasty little bit: Once again, Happy bleeping Thanksgiving(And yes, I’m feeling a bit snarky.)
“It’s not the spiders you should be afraid of, but bug parts in processed food. The USA allows a large, large concentration of bugs parts in our processed foods. I guess if you added all the parts up you might just have a spider!” (This from an American plastic surgeon, though I’m not sure what that has to do with it.)
On a lighter(and more distracting) note, I would like to comment on how kids really do say the funniest things. This morning my youngest daughter was digging around in her nose. I asked her if there was something was up there(honestly, it could have been anything. Polly Pocket’s shoes fit up there with room to spare.) “Yeah,” she said. “There’s a ham-a-booger up there.” She calls hamburgers ham-a-burgers. In a two-year old’s mind a hamburger and a booger are one and the same.
Good news for Jeaniene Frost fans: Vlad is getting his own series!!! Vlad is so hot. But here, take the news from the source:
Click
This one is going to be another mish-mash, with a large focus on pony woes – except instead of bitching, this time I’ve had a break through. Three cheers for muscle memory!
I would like to mention that I’ve started reading Torment, and so far it’s as good as I anticipated.
Walking through the city yesterday I met one of those bat-shit crazy Germans. You know, the ones with glasses like bloody magnifying glasses, wiry grey hair pulled up in a wild chignon, pushing a stolen shopping cart(back to the grocery store so she can go shopping, by the way). I was in a pleasant mood, walking with Darby and my youngest to the bus station so we could ride. Then along comes Miss fucking Daisy. Her eyes dart back and forth between me, Seline and the dog(I could see this – no doubt from across the street-because of her gigantic bug glasses). Her look of disgust deepens. She passes me, turns around and calls me crazy. I mean, I have my moments, but it’s a little like the pot calling the kettle black. Or a more orignal analogy. She goes onto to say that I am a terrible mother for having such a large dog – no, not dog. She used the word köter, which is usually followed by a curse, so I’ve always gotten the impression it’s negative. I laughed(even though comments like this coming from stuffy, unfriendly people who are likely to poison your dog when your back is turned make me see red) and instead of telling her to shut the fuck up and drop dead, I simply said ‘you’re not all there, are you?’
She stormed off with her shopping cart and I went and had a great ride, with my faithful beast at my side.
As for my break through…it would appear my inside left leg has remembered it’s purpose(bend the horse!). My outside hand is quite a bit steadier, and my inside hand is actually responding when I tell it to soften the horse to the inside. It’s so fabulous when your own body obeys you. My friend said she had similar problems in the past and then one day there was a click and everything fell into place. Something finally clicked. I’ve been watching a lot of old USDF National symposiums and I have to say that I think it’s helped a lot. It’s given me new perspectives on how to ride and new exercises to get things working a little smoother. It’s also great for visualization. For example, I keep seeing dressage riders with nice, quiet seats who sit UP. I visualize myself sitting up, instead of constantly tipping forward, and ta-da. Sitting up, legs more effective, horse off the forehand. I even felt his back come up yesterday. He got a whole bucket of carrots and apples after that.
Just to get an idea of how it looked last weekend…(and this is one of the better pictures)
I know, I know…he’s behind the vertical and not stepping through . More leg, less inside hand. Oh, and sit the hell up! Next weekend’s pictures will look much different :S
Here we go again
Yes, yes. I know. I’ve finally posted the review for FALLEN that you’ve all been going mad to review and are ‘falling’ into a frenzy to read. I’ve ordered Torment already and expect it tomorrow(if it’s not DHL will have hell to pay). I can’t wait to read it!!! I read the end of Fallen again last night, I love it that much.
So riding…No apologies. In fact, expect more posts along these lines in the future. I think I was complaining in my last riding-related post that I was have something difficulties on the left rein(difficulties meaning that I couldn’t get him flexing, or TURNING, to the left, or get him to stop running into the ground). I realized the source of my problems: a reluctant inside leg. Oh, I basically threw away my outside rein and hung onto the inside rein(a cardinal sin in dressage). Once I made a conscious effort to ride inside leg into outside hand, maintain steady contact with the outside rein and GIVE with the inside rein, things started looking a little less…catastrophic. I have to thank Ingrid Klimke, who is absolutely amazing by the way, for her advice. She gave a series of lessons at the 2006 USDF Symposium posted on youtube, which demonstrate excellent riding technique and fantastic cavaletti excercises that I have already begun implementing. (What? Were you thinking I was possibly the only person in the world to have a virtual lesson with Ingrid Klimke? Yeah, not quite.) Yesterday I even had a very successful ride. I set up my trot cavaletti and a cross pole gymnastic. I spent the first 10 minutes developing a nice swinging walk(which is apparently the only gait that can’t be correct(only ruined)). The next 10 minutes were spent long and low. There was a lot of bending, transitions, and encouraging Dundee to ‘chew the bit out of my hands’. And then I picked up the reins and asked him to work. And he, for the most part(he thought the guy digging a ditch ext to the arena was occasionally trying to kill him with his shovel), he obliged. The cavaletti were a big hit(not literally-for such a putz, Dundee is quite careful with his feet). But he was stretching down and picking up his hocks. Canter on the left rein was nice, not as nice as the right rein, but with at least some measure of control and balance this time. Then came the mighty cross pole. It was about 2′ high, but Dundee jumped it like a 4′ oxer. And I was riding in a dressage saddle. It was…interesting. Over the course of the ride we managed to get the air time down to about a 3′ vertical. Dundee likes to jump. As do I. But I’d forgotten how much. I will never be able to describe the incredible feeling of being pressed up against a horses neck as you’re suspended in the air. It’s freedom. So that ride was really great. A ride to build from. Of course that won’t be happening this weekend. It sucks not to have you’re own horse I mean, it’s not like I can tell an owner ‘No, sorry. You can’t ride today-I need to ride so that I can reassure myself that I still can(ride on the left rein). I also have some saddle-fit concerns…I’ve been summing up Dundee’s sore back muscles to the sudden work load, but after three weeks, it should have receded. Yet still, he sucks away from the hard brush. Luckily my best friend is a saddle fitter and I can take some pictures and see what she thinks(she charges too much for a saddle fit analysis, considering I would also be paying for her flight out here). My life would be complete if I had no choice but to ride in a Sommer Special Edition dressage saddle. If you’ve missed the pics of this amazing saddle on previous posts, check it out here:
Want to see the very helpful symposium videos as well? Sure you do! (This is the first of a 5 or so part series)
I watched Wolfman the other night. Or THE Wolfman? I don’t know. Who cares. It was really good. He was a sexy werewolf. Then of course the girl shot him. Not a really happy ending.
Another Finnish metal band…Charon. Love ‘em to death. Ha ha ha.
Ode to a slacker
If I were to write an ode and dedicate it to myself it would go something like this…
Oh, how I admire your determination,
to make so many things of yourself.
But you seem to have forgotten the importance of organization,
because, like clockwork, I can count the days until your goals are put back up on the shelf.
Like writing(regularly) your infamous blog,
so that you could extend your social network and fulfill your dream of becoming published,
but since finishing House Of Thorns you’ve quit writing with devotion,
and blame your literal shortcomings on severe mental and creative smog.
You’re newest and oldest dream of riding Prix St. George and being accomplished,
has been taken down from the shelf of dreams…now if only you could ride on the left hand and sit the trot despite Dundee’s tremendous impulsion.
Wow, how lame am I?
Don’t answer that.
Highs and Lows. That’s what the last few weeks have been like here. Peaks and valleys. Inconsistency. I suppose that’s good. Consistency tends to bore me and I get into trouble when bored. Devil’s playground and all that…
Reading and writing, unfortunately, are at an all time low at the moment. I’m still trying to read the novel in German, and I seem to find quite a few excuses not to sit down and read it. Writing…I really should be at least blogging more and posting those long overdue reviews. Honestly, I do lack the quiet time to sit down and think about words. One day there will be more thoughts in this head of mine. I’m assuming once I actually find somewhere to live and actually pack up my crap and go there, I’ll feel relaxed enough to ‘get into character’. It’s ironic really; I would have thought that now, while my life is in total upheaval, I would have buried myself in a fictional world. Maybe that means I like the hooplah?
I can’t quite decide where this sits on the scale of up’s and down’s, but last night I gave Lara away. Lara is the dog I took from a nasty home back in April. It’s both strange and sad not to have here, but honestly, she’s been such a pain in the ass lately, what with eating everyone’s lunch and forcing crazy women to call the cops on me, that I found myself breathing a sigh of relief. No more stress. Darby can come to the barn with me again. Lara is in a fantastic home where she’ll get love from three women and can terrorize a retired Jack Russell all day and night.
As you may have gathered from my brilliant poem, I have been riding quit a lot lately. I’ve realized that I can and will school up to Level S (in Germany the level are as follows: L, M, S, Prix St. George, Grand Prix) in dressage within the next 2 years. I would also really love to event one day again. Now if I could only get the left side of my body coordinated with the right…Riding on the right hand is beautiful. Transitions, leg yield, shoulder-in. Even the canter is like riding a rocking horse(Dundee is using his hind end! Believe me, it’s a moment to rejoice…lazy bugger). Change direction and BAM! I lock my inside elbow, give away the outside rein and basically forget I even have legs. With relentless self nagging it seems to have improved somewhat and I get the odd circle or so where I’m not riding ass backwards, but I am very happy that I’m having a lesson tomorrow. Like I want to ride Prix St. George only in one direction?
Feeling this song like a stake through the heart today.
It’s been interesting here in my world this past week. Falling out of the bus was probably the first domino to fall, and since then I’ve had to ask myself: Is the universe fucking with me? Because I swear, sometimes it’s like I’m being cosmically Punked.
The first couple days were pretty quiet after the unfortunate bus incident on Saturday and the exceptional ride on Sunday. Wednesday hit, bringing the first parents night for First Graders at the elementary school. It was over 2 hours long. The rocking and tipping on my chair, jiggling one leg or the other and constantly shifting my weight was the first solid evidence of my depleted attention span.
Next comes a big chunk of horse-related tellings: Don’t moan, I haven’t written much on the topic lately. On Thursday a friend came out and gave me a riding lesson. While she is younger than me, she has worked constantly with excellent coaches and has long surpassed my rusty dressage skills. Dressage was ever my strong point. I was the reckless girl galloping over cross-country and barreling flat-out through jump courses. I realized the error of my ways a long time ago, but honestly, I lacked skill. I can ride almost any horse and not only survive, but have the horse working half decent…but sometimes it ain’t pretty. The hardest habit to break is my defensive seat, which has come from years on cross-country and galloping racehorses, and which never fails to send me over the horse’s center of gravity and ends up driving them downhill rather than up. With Dundee and I, it’s a vicious circle. He runs through me, pulls me out of the saddle, I tip forward thus encouraging him to run, at which point he becomes heavy on the forehand and impossible to ride. It’s safe to assume that I haven’t ridden as hard as I did on Thursday in a good ten years. And not just my body suffered. Again my inability to concentrate reared its ugly head. Dundee looks for every excuse not to work. A shadow moving in the breeze is the perfect excuse to stick his head up in the air, duck out, bolt, buck(he sounds worse than he is… : S) This work to get him concentrating involved MANY 10 meter cirlces…unfortunately Dundee wasn’t the only one having trouble keeping his eyes on prize( a round circle) and every time I looked away from the circle, he broke away. Quickly. BUT, the hard work paid off; after about the 45 minute mark it was like someone flicked a switch and all the resistance in Dundee’s body just evaporated. I rode a horse made of gummy with pinky finger contact. Never before has he worked like that. I’ve asked my friend to come out regularly.
One of the reasons(a legitimate reason, if you ask me) that I had trouble focusing was Lara, who roamed the entire property looking for things to eat. And she found it. In the lunchroom. Yes, she ate their lunch. They had to drive to the nearest gas station and buy lunch. Lara is lucky I was riding when they caught her, or they would have eaten roasted dog for lunch.
Friday morning began with some woman on the dog field calling the cops on me. 8.30 in the morning, the dogs are loose, and she stalks up from the back of the field. When I saw her I called Lara, because she has a tendancy to run up to people and most people are afriad of a large wolfish dog coming at them. Lara, the little bitch, looked at me, and ran. I was calling her, chasing her, ready to pick up a rock and stone her, and the woman flips. “Put your dogs on the leash, NOW! I have to go to work and I’m afraid!”
Did I mention that I was already particularly stressed out and bitchy that morning? “If you’re afraid then why do you walk over the dog field?!-” and this is where she got really pissed, because I said ‘du’ and not ‘sie’ which is more polite, respectful. Whatever. Like I fucking care, witch? Fly away on your goddamn broomstick is what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t translate it fast enough. -”This is the only field in Bottrop that the dogs are allowed to be without a leash – WALK AROUND!”
(By this time I was already holding the dogs.) ”Put your dogs on the leash, NOW! Or I’m calling the police!” She yells.
“Do it!” I scream back, ready to either sic both dogs on the cow or tackle her myself.
She called them. Told them that this happens every morning when she’s trying to go to work, and they should come immediately. Then she waited for them at the entrance. They didn’t come. And I laughed all the way home.
I then went to go buy the workers at the barn lunch and brought it to them. He wouldn’t accept it. Not sure why – I don’t speak Polish. He said it was all okay…I think. That or he thought I’d poisoned it.
Afterwards I worked Dundee with the double lunge(we were both a little stiff) and he finally understood what I’ve been talking about with Spanish walk. 4 steps of spanish walk! Yay!
