Lucy Talks

Kindness. It's everywhere, despite the current news cycle.

Sometimes, kindness is so profound, it can never be paid back, and it's difficult to imagine paying it forward to the extent you impact someone else's life the same way.

I do the best I can by gifting kindnesses, in mostly small ways, every day. A smile goes a long way, as does a compliment. I can only hope some of my kindnesses are as profound in someone else's life as others' have been in mine.

Saying Thank You is inadequate, but I'll put it out there anyway. I am most grateful for the gifts in my life. Thank you.

Check-in Ladies, you've already seen this, so you can skip it!

I believe humans, people, society, function better when we have villages. I don't mean literal villages where people live near each other in tiny towns, but social villages, where people support each other in myriad ways. I realized today I had taken to heart the idea "Be the change you want to see in the world," and I'm living it. It was an eye-opening moment for me to connect the little things I do every day to my view of how the world would work better.

Tonight's example is our Applebee's waitress. I was cranky about her, and asked Landlady for a reality check: was it just me? She agreed the woman was providing service, but without much enthusiasm. I talked it out with Landlady, brainstorming something positive I could say or do when I was coming up blank. In the end, when the woman came back to the table to check on us, I simply asked how her night was going. We chatted for a few minutes, and I found out she was back at work while she was still recovering from a respiratory infection. She was glad to have a job to support her babies, but she'd rather still be at home getting better. She told me that just me asking how her night was made her entire shift better, because it felt good to know someone cared.

In the end, even though nothing really changed (i.e. her service didn't improve a lot, though it did improve), I felt better about the whole thing, and she had more of a spring in her step as she went about her shift.

So, not big things at all, but a momentous shift in my psyche to recognize personal progress and welcome it. Not looking for kudos or anything, more just sharing a lightning-bolt moment in my life today.

I am out of pocket the entire day today. If we've got something in progress, I'll get back to it tomorrow. I can only hope you're having more fun than I am.

Hugs, y'all!!

OMGs. Way too funny!

These cats are adorable!

Yesterday, this thing came up to my chin. Today, it's taller than I am.

You can't see it very clearly, but that's honeysuckle on the fence behind and to the left. Just started budding/blooming.

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This one's just a shorty yet.

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As you can see, there is a wall of bamboo against the fence, and volunteers coming up everywhere. I think we need a panda. :D

Landlady insists on Round-Up instead. :/

Anybody need a freshly cured cane for um, caning things? (I find it humorous that every time I typed cane it came out cain.)

"I’m a good baker, but I am a terrible cook. ... I’ve heard it’s a left-brain/right-brain kind of thing: people who like cooking like playing it by ear and improvising, while people who like baking tend to be goal-oriented and want to know exactly what their outcome will be. Cooking is an art, but baking is a science, and I’m probably the most scientifically-minded person to graduate with a degree in Drama from NYU."

From here.

So I did some experimenting the last couple of weeks - not that kind, geez! - and learned a valuable lesson. Bread making machines are wonderful. And dry yeast must be at room temperature to work properly. Yes, you do use science after high school.

Irish Soda bread worked great - I had just opened the jar of yeast.
Sour Cream bread - tasted good, but the middle/top never rose properly - used yeast right out of the jar from the fridge
Banana Oat bread - never rose properly, middle wasn't done (that one, I think I'll have to pick a longer baking time, probably) - used yeast right out of the jar from the fridge
Cinnamon bread - WIN. Technically it's cinnamon raisin bread, but raisins are disgusting, so I don't even buy them, much less put them in something that's going to go in my mouth. I thought about cranberries, and if I do it again, I might add them, but I didn't want to waste them if the bread didn't work again. It did make a very small loaf. Anyway, at four this morning it was delicious hot with melting butter. I think it needs more cinnamon. Landlord says the cinnamon stays with you. Eh. Still think it needs more.

The only thing I did different for the cinnamon bread was I measured out the two teaspoons of dry yeast onto a paper towel and waited a while to put everything into the machine.

These were all made from recipes out of The Bread Machine Baker by Harbison. I wish that was available digitally, because I would totally buy it (well, put it on my wishlist) for my own kitchen, assuming someday I get my own kitchen again. :sigh: Also, I will need a bread machine. Definitely. The only thing I don't really like is digging that little wing thing out of the bottom of the loaf. That's kind of a pain in the ass. And tears up the bread.

The bread can be made with little notice, so when landlord's going to need bread for whatever he's going to eat that week, I can make it myself. Saves money and is healthier. Also satisfies this weird thing I have about baking lately. 

This is exactly why I hated every minute of the five years I lived in Missouri.

Though truthfully, I like the Mesqute Rodeo better than Houston.

And apparently, I really need a trip to South Padre. lol

In response to someone else's job-hunting activity, trovia (who doesn't know me from Adam) said: "I used to find cover letters intimidating, until I realized that they're much like fic in that you get to creatively and enthusiastically make an argument for why you really love doing a thing. Maybe that helps?:)"

I haven't actually had to write very many cover letters, or haven't chosen to write them when perhaps I should have, but this put writing them in such a new context that I thought perhaps someone else might find the light bulb as useful as I do.

Thanks, trovia!