THE DEVIL YOU KNOW...

Is it best to be caught between the devil and the deep blue sea; or between a rock and a hard place?  It’s six of one; half a dozen of the other, I guess.  For a non-swimmer the former would be a bit tricky, unless either a life-jacket or dinghy was within arm’s reach.  In the second instance, if it’s a large boulder, not a pebble or rock that’s blocking your way, or, worse still, has landed on you, that would be enough to deflate one’s ego; flatten one’s ambitions...of becoming a rock-climber, at least. 

Looking on the bright side...one door closes, and another opens; but a breeze will always blow in the direction that it wishes to go, closing the door while opening another...on and on it continues. Doors opening and shutting until you use the rock as a doorstop. 

While the doors are opening and slamming shut hold onto that flighty bird in the hand. I’m told it’s worth two in the bush.  I’m not sure how or why.  

There is nothing as pretty as a bird on the wing...unless it’s a vulture.  They’re not the most attractive avian feathered creatures. If you see them circling above, I’d be a bit concerned if I were you.  

Our wings are small, but the ripples of the heart are infinite. No bird (hen or cock) can fly without opening its wings.

Sometimes you have to wing it, though!  You cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren, or a quail, for that matter.  Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Get all your ducks in a row. If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...it’s probably Donald. Not everything is what it quacks up to be, though.

No one can love without exposing his or her heart.  

It has been said blood is thicker than water.  However, that is not always the case.

Being all show and no substance; all show, and no go, many are angels on the outside, but devils inside. 

Measure for measure, in a nutshell, Shakespeare’s insightful words nailed it in one: “O' What may man within him hide...though angel on the outward side!” 

Judging others comes easily to many; but they must remember to be perfect for the rest of their own lives.

Like wild seas eat away at the coastline, jealousy eats away at them.  

Disappointingly, some who espouse various religions – Christianity, Buddhism etc., etc., - wear the cloak of hypocrisy.  

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.  Understanding is the heartwood of well-spoken words.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “The ancestor of every action is a thought.” 

Lebanese-American author, poet, artist Kahlil Gibran - he who generously gifted the world with “The Prophet”, his inspirational book of prose poetry - believed:  “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.  Love one another, but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. To belittle you have to be little.”
 

The shadow which I throw is definitely a shadow of me. No tricks, or trick lighting used.  What you see is what you get.  

Still waters run deep, but don’t be fooled. Such is not always the case.  Water in the kitchen sink is still, but not deep.

To cover my butt, I confess I plagiarised most of the sage maxims herein, not only those of authors I acknowledged.

I add a few thoughts for Father’s Day, which was celebrated yesterday, 1^st September...but, I suppose, like Mother’s Day, every day is Father’s Day, if you are one or the other:-

A father carries pictures where his money used to be. 

She got her looks from her father.  He’s a plastic surgeon. 

By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.  

A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.  

Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.  

He who laughs last, laughs longest... probably because he’s laughing at his own jokes – Dad jokes!  
 

Dry-Rubbed Baked Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip: Preheat oven 200C.  Line a large baking sheet with 2 sheets of aluminium.  Place sprayed cooling rack on top; set aside. In small bowl, combine 1/2tbs each ancho chilli pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, 3/4tbs brown sugar, 3/4tsp chilli powder, 3/4tsp paprika, 3/4tsp cumin, 1/2tsp garlic powder, 1/2tsp cayenne, 1/2tsp dry mustard powder, 1/4tsp black pepper, 1/3tsp dried oregano and 1/4tsp ground thyme.  In a large bowl, put 2kg chicken wings and 2tbs x-virgin olive oil; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle in the dry rub; use your hands to massage it into wings, coating evenly.   Add chicken wings to prepared baking sheet and bake 45 minutes. Serve with - Blue Cheese Dip: Place 1/4c crumbled blue cheese, 1 garlic clove, 1tsp minced fresh thyme, 1tbs minced fresh parsley, 1tbs hot sauce (or to taste), pinch of salt and pepper, and 1/2c sour cream in bowl. Mix with fork; adjust seasoning, and thickness.

Orange and Sage Glazed Duck: Score skin of a duck breast; season. In pan over med-low heat, add 2tbs butter and1tbs honey or maple syrup. Cook until butter has slightly browned; then add 1/4tsp sage and 1/2tsp orange extract. Let this cook until butter is deep amber. Put duck breast into a cold pan. Set pan’s heat to med-high. After a few minutes flip duck; skin should be crisp. Add 1tbs cream to orange and sage butter; stir well. Pour over duck breast in pan; let mix with the duck fat. Cook a few minutes. Wilt spinach in pan.  Serve duck on wilted spinach. 

Reflections

                         

          Reflections abound a symphony of silence surrounds in an embrace

         Afar the fiery orb bids its final farewell to lingering shadows of day

         Tardy birds relish the dying embers as homeward they wend their way

         Vignettes endure of treasured moments a word of your hand in mine

         Selfish am I in my desire for your presence for our thoughts to align

         Together and apart we spent fleeting seconds in a multitude of years

         Nimble minutes of infinite consciousness leaving remnants of fears

         Thank you for fun-filled moments laughter nonsensical joys shared

         For your intelligence compassionate friendship showing you cared

Paintings and poem by me...

FURTHERMORE...A FEW MORE WORDS...

Further to my musings of my previous post referencing significant events and behaviours, which occurred in one portion of the globe during the 1800s, I have more thoughts to impart.

Across the world - not only in North America - it was a century of achievements and errors; a period replete with successes and failures; an era of positive thinking and actions, intermixed with negativity and hypocrisy. It was a century of inventions, and growth; of expanding horizons; of discoveries; of births and deaths; of senseless, heartless killings.

Throughout the engrossing documentaries relating no-holds-barred truths – many of which are ugly truths - about the opening up of North America’s West I was captivated by letters written during those years.  

The extent of time it took for a letter to reach its recipient is beyond my wildest imagination.

What impressed me immensely – something which stood out like a neon beacon on a hilltop - was the eloquent, poetic fluency of the hand-written letters, most of which were lengthy literary compositions for loved ones to treasure in the absence of the writer.  The command of the English language - the symmetry of the exquisitely emotively expressed written word  held my attention; captured my admiration.  

The potent, poignant beauty of the educated, descriptive prose is inspirational. 

The historical missives are pure, unfettered reminders of the past.  May the letters remain preserved, yet accessible to future generations.

Is letter-writing...a hand-written communication penned on paper...a lost art?  Sadly, I believe it is.  Who writes letters nowadays?  The answer is; “Very few people do!”  

Venturing further, I dare say even fewer letters are written with the eloquence of the scribes of past centuries. 

Communication between people nowadays is conducted in code, mostly indecipherable (not acceptable) to me. For old-fashioned-stick-in-the mud-me it’s a foreign language I’m not willing to learn.  It’s become obvious correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation play a small role in the modern world.  With Elvis, they have left the building.

While reading the newspaper the other day I was stunned by an article written by a journalist, who, I imagine, completed a degree in journalism.

Accompanied by a picture of a sole cyclist – one, solitary male, who stood alone on the roadside, the article informed the reader; “A cyclist was spotted on the side of the road in the Airport Link after riding their bicycle into the tunnel. The rider, who appeared to be a food-delivery driver with a large bag on their back, was seen cycling into the tunnel at the Bowen Hills entrance yesterday afternoon.  They used a roadside phone inside the tunnel as other motorists drove past them....”  The article continued in a similar vein.

The sole, singular, individual, solitary, lone cyclist, clearly visible as being only one person, was stubbornly, and relentlessly referred to by the journalist - one journalist who was a “he”  -  as “they, them and their”.   

I must have gone to a completely different school.  I certainly didn’t go to university and gain a degree in English or journalism.  

However, to my knowledge, as limited as it apparently is, the correct description of a sole male is “his, him, and he”.  A sole female is “her, she, and hers”.  For the record, “hers” is singular, not plural. 

They, the motorists who drove past the sole, single - maybe he was married...that I do not know - male cyclist, were plural in number.

In their cars, the motorists drove by him, the cyclist.  He who stood alone - by the side of the road; beside his bicycle, which wasn’t a tandem bicycle. 

I – we - hope the food didn’t spoil en route.

Footnote:  Via Netflix, I am presently watching another excellent  documentary mini-series by Ken Burns – “Ken Burns: The Roosevelts: An Intimate History”.   The documentary consists of seven episodes.  Again...recommended viewing...

One-Pot Chilli Beef: Thickly slice 3 brown onions and 3 red capsicums. Heat 2tbs olive oil in pot on high heat; add onion and capsicum; sauté 2-3mins. Add 400g beef mince, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2tsp cumin, 2ts coriander, 1tsp smoked paprika, 1tsp oregano and 1/2tsp cayenne; cook until browned. Add 400g tinned tomatoes, 1/2c rinsed, uncooked quinoa and 1-1/2c beef stock; stir until combined. When bubbling, reduce heat to low enough to just simmer. Cover pot, slightly ajar; allow to gently simmer 20-30mins, stirring occasionally, until quinoa has cooked completely and mixture is thick. Add further stock, if needed.

One-Pan Steak & Vegetables: In a small bowl, combine 3tbs butter, 1 minced garlic clove, 1tbs chopped parsley, 1-1/2tsp minced fresh thyme, 1-1/2gtsp lemon zest, salt and pepper; set aside. Season 2x1-1/2 inch thick sirloin steak. Melt 1tbs butter in a 12-inch skillet over med-high heat. Place steaks in middle of pan; cook until a dark crust has formed, about 4-5mins. Flip, and cook for an additional 4-5mins, or until desired doneness; set aside; keep warm. Melt 1tbs butter in the pan. Add 1 minced shallot, 500g fresh asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces and 240g halved mushrooms of choice. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3-4mins; serve immediately with steaks and butter mixture.

One-Pot Apple Cake: Preheat oven 150C. Grease 26cm cake tin; line base. Melt 250g butter in pot. Remove from heat; mix in 3-4 cored, peeled, thinly-sliced apples, 2c sugar, and 2 beaten eggs. Add 2-1/2c plain flour, 1tsp baking powder, 2tsp baking soda, 3tsp cinnamon, 1c sultanas or raisins, and 1/2c walnuts or pecan pieces; stir just enough to blend evenly. Spread into cake tin; bake until risen, golden and top bounces back, about 1hr 20mins. Cool 15mins; then turn out of tin.  Top with walnut or pecan pieces, if desired; dust with icing sugar before serving. Serve with cream or custard.