On a limb with Claudia

I had something brilliant to talk about today. 

And I forgot it. 

Crap.

I think it’s the snow. Whenever it snows, I forget anything I was doing when it wasn’t snowing. In fact, most of the time, I forget that it ever didn’t snow. It’s worse in winter when it feels like it’s been cold and snowy forever and will be cold and snowy forever.

I must say that because I immediately after typing those words I hear my husband’s voice saying, “Forever is a long time” in my head. 

What kind action did you commit this week? Where you the recipient of any kind actions this week?

I received two kind awards.

One is the zombie chicken award from Denise at Together We Save.  What the hell is a Zombie Chicken?

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken – excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all…

Yeah. Ok. Since I own a cricket bat (that’s a vague reference to Shaun of the Dead), I think I’ll risk the wrath of the zombie chicken. Afterall, I truly hate leaving people out. Keeps me up at night.

The other award is the You brighten my day Award from the lovely She became a butterfly. 

All this blog space later? I’m still a middle child who hates to leave people out. Sigh. Someone once suggested that I murder my oldest or younger siblings so that I would no longer be the middle child. That, however, is not a post for kind tuesdays.

Thank you She and Denise for your kind gifts.

What kind action did you commit this week? Where you the recipient of any kind actions this week?

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“There are no mistakes.
Do what you want.
You can always change your mind”
Maira Kalman

Happy Monday!

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After the snow and frost, then immense heat of last week, our little trees are hanging in there. How are you handling the wild weather this spring? Are you growing and stretching toward the sun? I hope so.

Who won last week?? Capricorn Cringe from the Friggin’ Cat House.

The prize box this week includes: a signed copy of the Fey, a signed copy of Denver Cereal, a copy of The Homeowner’s Handbook to Energy Efficiency, and chocolate body paint from PinkCherry.com. (Still too cool to bottle honey). You enter by simple answering these word prompts (created for us by the lovely Pea at Luna Nina).

I still love these. Thanks for playing!

1. Soul ::
2. Fold ::
3. Breakup ::
4. Will ::
5. Fond ::
6. Powers ::
7. Ho-hum ::
8. Hustle ::
9. Avenue ::
10. Tower ::

My responses:

1. Soul :: longing
2. Fold ::ing laundry
3. Breakup :: atoms
4. Will :: ing but not able
5. Fond :: memories
6. Powers :: that be
7. Ho-hum :: one of the forgotten dwarfs
8. Hustle :: ‘do the’
9. Avenue :: of
10. Tower :: ing Tottering Torrents of Tolerable Twits

Who played this week? Glad you asked!

• Miss Riss from Wild Hair
• Robin from Valbolium
• Griff from Griffonage Studios
• Not a Mean Girl
• Perpstu from Popping Bubbles
• Sarah OG from the Life of Me and Mine
• Claudia from Skipping Stones
• Footpad <–won this week
• Heart in San Francisco
• Van from Furious Ball
• The Bumbles
• Capricorn Cringe from the Friggin’ Cat House
• Julia at Mind Over Matters
• Squirrelly at Realm of the Lone Grey Squirrel
• Tommie at Tuesday Update
• Dana from Awareness
• Jo from Majority of Two
• The Walking Mark
• She became a butterfly
• Janet from Fond of Snape

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Previous Chapters

CHAPTER ELEVEN 

John kicked the door open. Pulling Alex from the bed, he held her to him until she stopped screaming. He moved to her to his lap. His hands pressed her head against his muscular chest while he caressed her hair. She knew he was talking but her ears heard only the ragged breathing to a back beat of blood dripping onto the white floor.

“Oh John,” she said when terror shifted to sadness. Weeping against his shoulder, he rocked her back and forth until her ears heard what he was saying: “Oh my God, I love you so very much. You have to believe me. You are the very heart of me.”

He pulled her face away from him. Looking into her eyes to see if she was present, he said, “Please hear me out.”

“I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.” She pressed her palms to her ears and shook her head.

“Oh love.”

He lifted her from the bed and carried her to the bathroom. Sitting with her on his lap, he filled the tub with water and bubble bath. Then, undressing her like a child, he placed her in the bath before joining her there. She lay with her head against his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her. While the warm fragrant water worked to calm her fear, she cried into his chest. He said nothing, caressing her skin, waiting for the storm of emotion to pass. When she was silent and breathing deeply, he moved to look at her face. Her eyes stared straight forward, glazed as if she was in shock.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Me too,” she said.

“I’ve never known how to speak to you about this. I’ve spent the last two hours racking my brain as to how to say everything.”

She shifted away from him.

“Why were you screaming?”

“I saw them dead.” Tears seeped from her eyes. “Blood everywhere… dripping on the floor.”

“The shock of my crap has stirred things around in your brain,” he said.

“I loved you.”

He jerked up to look at her. “Loved?”

[...]

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In honor of earth and arbor day, I decided to share some odd bee facts on Twitter. My friends on Plurk asked if I would share them on Plurk.  

How could I not share them with you?!? I tried to pick facts that I haven’t shared before.  I’ve expanded the facts for the blog. 

Thursday Thirteen : Odd, and interesting facts about honeybees

1.  In the US, native tribes called honeybees ‘the white man’s fly’ as bees would arrive 5-10 miles ahead of a wagon train. 
Beehives were considered as essential as water or food. Not only did they predict the weather (bees won’t fly if it’s due to rain), the honey and propilis provide effect antibacterial properties. Pollen collected by bees is an excellent protein source and honey is a sticky sweet carbohydrate.  Wagon train folks weren’t stupid!

2.  A honeybee must visit at least 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey (the standard unit for honey).  
Honey is generated from nectar taken from flowers. The worker honeybee ingests the nectar.  Once at the hive entrance, the bee passes the nectar to another bee. This bee then passes the nectar at least one more time. It’s the enzymes in a bees stomach that turn nectar into honey. 

3. In the last 100 years, there have been 4 recorded bee plagues: 1916, 1960s, 1970s, and now.
In 1916, 90% of Europe’s honeybees were destroyed by a traceal mite. (The mite wasn’t discovered in the US until 1984. It exists now only in moist regions.) European bees were saved by a noble Capuchin monk called Brother Adam at Buckfast Abby. He traveled over 100,000 miles collecting the survivor hives then breed them until he created the Buckfast bee. (He’s a hero of mine.)  The 1970s saw the rise of the varroa mite. This is a particularly nasty mite that destroys hives over winter. Further, an infected hive becomes sensitive to viruses and disease.

4. The first thing a hive does every morning is flying back and forth in the direction of the sun. This is called a beeline. 
Imagine, if you will. You wake up in the morning, cup of coffee in hand, and wander out to the bee yard. What you will see is seemingly frantic bees fly up toward the sun and back to the hive. Over and over again they fly. Once they have it, off they go. Because bees navigate using the sun, they must know where their hive is in relation to the sun. 

5. Beekeeping was well established in Egypt by 2400 BC as depicted on 5th dynasty temple reliefs. 
The Egyptians used honey in embalming bodies because they believed that bees were the ‘zootype of the Soul.’ Thus bees were the messengers of the dead and speaking with them akin to speaking with the spirits of the dead.  This the English tradition of telling a hive when someone has died in the house stems. (Ancient Egyptians – the Light of the World by Gerald Massey) Recently, a 3000 year old man made Honeybee hive was discovered in northern Israel at an archaeological dig in the huge earthen mound called Tel Rehov.

6.  Honeybees recognize individual’s faces.
For a beekeeper, this can be an awesome thing or a horrible thing. I’ve pissed off a few bees who definitely recognized me later. That said, my bees tend to be calm, happy and hardworking. They let me sit right by their entrance and never investigate. I’ve taken hives to other locations where other people attended them. Those bees became anxious and hostile, like the people who attended them. Once home? They calmed right down. Go figure.

7. The oldest honeybee specimen is over 100 million years old.
For reference, human beings are believed to have evolved 3 million years ago. Crocodiles evolved 80 million years ago. Honeybees are believed to have evolved form carnivorous wasps.

8. Through pollination, honeybees are responsible for the creation of every flowering plant on earth.
Prior to honeybees, the earth was covered with coniferous trees. 

9. Bees are mentioned in both the Bible and the Qur’an.

Bible:  

• Deut.1 [44] And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah. 
• Josh.21 [27] And unto the children of Gershon, of the families of the Levites, out of the other half tribe of Manasseh they gave Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Beesh-terah with her suburbs; two cities. 
• Judg.14 [8] And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion. 
• Pss.118 [12] They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.

Qur’an:

• 16:68-69: ’And thy Lord taught the bee to build its cells in hills, on trees and in (men’s) habitations….. there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colours, wherein is healing for mankind. Verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought’.
• ‘Honey is a remedy for every illness and the Qur’an is a remedy for all illness of the mind, therefore I recommend to you both remedies, the Qur’an and honey.’ (Mohammed)

10.  The ‘Killer Bee’ (also called the ‘Africanized Honeybee’) was created by the USDA. Go team! 
The idea was to create the ‘superbee’ by crossing the gentle Italian honeybee with the more aggressive, but hardworking African honeybee.  The hope was to create a gentle and hardworking. They created a very aggressive, high swarming, low honey creating bee. Of course, a queen bee got loose in the Brazilians jungle and the rest is history. Africanized honeybees were seen in So. Utah this year. I’ve seen them in So. Colorado. These bees offer are a legitimate threat to the American (meaning entire continent) honeybee population. As they spread north, they breed with more winter tolerant bees. Once they can tolerate the cold, world domination will be next. Or something like that.

11. Honeybees will always stop what they are doing to take care of baby bees.
When we collect a swarm of bees, we often add a frame of baby bees. The swarming hive will alway stay to care for the baby bees. In fact, a honeybee will give another bee water and food even if it’s not from the same hive. Moreover, if a bee from another hive ends up inside a hive when night comes, they will stay to become part of that colony.

12. Honey is the only food source that does not spoil.
Honey changes form – from liquid to crystal – but it does not degrade. Honey found in Tutankamen’s tomb, or the site in Israel, is as good, and good for you, as honey taken from a modern hive. 

13. Colony Collapse Disorder is a big freakin’ deal.
Originally described in 1896 as ‘Disappearing Disorder’. In the 1960s, disappearing disorder caused wholesale havic causing many beekeepers to go out of business. It’s back, and it’s worse. Why is this a big deal?

• This is a world wide problem. This round of the syndrome was first sited in the 1990s in Europe. 
• Honeybees are not the only pollinators effected. In the United States, there has been a wholesale die off of all pollinating species including bats. 
• 36% of US beehives and 15% of UK beehives have been lost.
• No one has any idea what’s going on. There’s a million theories. But there’s always been a million theories. No one knows why this is happening. If someone tells you they do? Just smile and walk away. No one knows. (Best guess? Some kind of bee stressor.)

Read more Thurday 13s by going here.
Read more of my fascinating Thursday Thirteens by clicking here.

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“You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal,
play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth,
play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind.
He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn’t reserve a plot for weeds.”

Dag Hammarskjsld
1905-1961, Swedish secretarial general of the United Nations.

It’s very simple.

What you put out, comes back to you. 

What happens when your government tortures people on your behalf?  We can only expect to suffer.

That’s just how life works.

Those tortured will heal. They will recover. They may or may not even remember what happened.

Will we?

The world needs our kindness. Possibly now more than ever before.

Simply Kind Blogroll 

Join us by writing about kindness!

A Touch of Inspiration
By the light of the Moon
Confessions of a Middle-Aged Suburban Diva
Kim Smith
Miss Riss
Mom’s Musings
Not a Mean Girl
Popping Bubbles
Remote Treechanger
Storyteller
Waiting 4 the news

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This week, I’m going to only spend my time on thing I give a shit about.

Join me?

Happy Monday!

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It’s been dumping rain and snow or snow and rain for days here in Denver, Colorado.  Dark. Cold. Wet. That’s about all I can say about it. Gratefully, it’s supposed to warm up and dry up today. We’ll see. Spring is always brings such drama.

Speaking of drama, our winner of last weeks unconscious mutterings was Julia Smith from Mind over Matters.

How do you enter? Easy. Just leave your answers to these word prompts (created by the lovely Pea at Luna Nina in the comments. I take the number of comments and ask random.org for a random number. The winning number wins – easy!  You get to pick between a signed copy of the Fey, a signed copy of Denver Cereal, or chocolate body paint provided by Pink Cherry. Good luck!

1. Lease ::
2. Dead ::
3. Removed ::
4. Broke ::
5. Lips ::
6. Flight ::
7. Three hours ::
8. Give ::
9. Technical ::
10. Hurry ::

My answers:

1. Lease :: on life
2. Dead :: cul de sac
3. Removed :: splinter
4. Broke :: n promises
5. Lips :: are sealed
6. Flight :: deck
7. Three hours :: and done
8. Give :: me your tired, your poor, your…
9. Technical :: advances?
10. Hurry :: up and wait

Happy Sunday!

• TopSurf
• Perpstu at Popping Bubbles
• Capricorn Cringe at the Friggin’ Cat House <–winner this week
• Ruprecht at Frolickery
• Miss Attitude
• The Lone Grey Squirrel
• FuriousBall
• Kymlee
• Claudia at Skipping Stones
• Miss Riss
• Zen Goddess Jen
• Robin
• Julia Smith at Mind over Matter
• Jo at Majority of Two
• Heart in SF
• She became a butterfly
• Dana at Awareness
• Donnette Lee

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?

Previous Chapters

CHAPTER TEN

Ten days later
August 18 – 5:30 P.M.
Denver, Colorado?

“You look nice,” John said coming up the stairs. Alex was adjusting her fake blonde hair in front of the full length mirror. She wore only a lace thong. “Is this what you’re wearing tonight?”

Alex laughed. He ran his hand across her belly while his fingers played with the large round diamond she wore in her belly button. He kissed her neck before tugging her toward him. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and they watched themselves in the mirror.

“Have I mentioned that I love you recently?” He asked.

“I’m not sure,” she said catching his eyes in the mirror.

“Oh love.” He dropped his mouth to her neck again. “When are we due at dinner?”

“In a half hour,” she said.

“Hmm,” he said.

She smiled at him.

“What would you say to a….”

“Hey!” Max called from downstairs.

John spun Alex around and kissed her with such intense passion that she was out of breath and melting to his touch.

“Later,” he said.

[...]

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I love food. ?In fact, I love almost all food. I particularly have a fondness for fresh food – either freshly prepared or fruits and vegetables. ?I mean, I could live on oranges.

Well, and tuna.?

I know it’s weird, but I love canned tunafish. This is the single reason I am not longer a vegetarian or vegan. I craved tuna fish every single day for no less than three years.?

Yes, you’re right. There’s probably a pill for that.

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some of my current favorite recipes – found on the wonderful world wide web. I’m no photographer. ?Janet lives 3,ooo miles away and Tommie lives 1500 miles away ?so we are out of luck on the photo front.

Instead, I thought I’d share the link. And my thoughts about this food.

Thursday 13 – Claudia’s current favorite recipes

1. New Mexico?Green chili stew: Holy Crap, this is good. Wow. We made a crockpot full of this stew then ate it on literally everything we ate for a week. I froze some and gave it to D as a surprise for his lunch. He was a very happy man. If you haven’t tried Green Chili Stew, give it a shot. But start mild.??Even at it’s mildest, this is an incredibly flavorful stew.?Try it out and lemme know what you think.

—>BIG TIP:?Karen Baldwin says you must have fresh chilis. Unfortunately, they aren’t available year round. Try the Hatch brand canned chilis. (They sell those at Costco here.) Start mild, then move to hot. I found fresh chilis in the freezer section of our local Safeway. However, I think it’s a regional thing. If you’re a real pre-planner, you can also order chilis from Hatch, New Mexico over the internet.

2. Tequila Lime chicken:?This is a wonderful marinade. Whether you bar-be-que or simply bake the chicken, it’s great. If you read the link, she used boneless chicken thighs – which are not my favorite. I’ve used white fish (mahi mahi, telapia) and deboned split chicken breasts. Try it out and lemme know what you think. (BTW, Smitten Kitchen is a fun website for great food porn. I found it in a fit of eggplant lust.)

—>BIG TIP:?The longer you marinade the better.

3. Nikki’s Healthy Cookies: D has a moderate wheat intolerance. We found this out after he had been gorging on homemade sourdough bread. No more sour dough in this house. (Doesn’t that suck!) Anyway, I’m supposed to be talking about cookies…. These cookies are unbelievably good. Truly. Amazing. I made a batch then immediately had to make another. I used regular chocolate chips because we like them. ?Try it out and lemme know what you think. (Fabulous food on this 101Cookbooks, btw. Every time I’m there I try a new fabulous recipe.)

—->BIG TIP: You can make your own almond meal. I’m going to try pecan meal (because we have a lot) next.?

4. Lime Garlic Mahi Mahi: Confession time. We buy all this amazing fish at Costco. I really like fish (see note about tuna above) and it’s fabulous nutrition. ?This recipe dropped onto my screen in a moment of : “What do you mean you invited him over for dinner?” It’s easy, is a great reason to have limes in the house, and tastes fabulous. Because it hasn’t quite been bar-be-quing weather, I’ve only cooked this in the oven. Try it out and lemme know what you think.

5. Hummus:?Let’s face it. The Healthy Irishman is just hot. He has the accent. He has the quirky sayings ( ‘Bob’s your uncle’). He’s got the Celtic Tattoos. And he cooks. What more can a girl want? (I know someone who’s aiming to be his colleen. I’ll let you know when I get the details.) His recipe’s are quite good too. ?Of course, I want they healthy recipe for shepard’s pie and beef stew…. I’m thinking that might not exist.?Try it out and lemme know what you think.

6. Marinated Tofu: This recipe is modified from oen in Vegan with a Vengance. If you have even a passing interest in vegetarian recipes, this book will help you eat great food. Unfortunately the link doesn’t have the best tip from the book.?Try it out and lemme know what you think.

—>BEST TIP:?Tofu is stored in water. In order to get the tofu to marinade, you must get the water out of your tofu. The best way to do this is to wrap it in a towel (or paper towels) and place a heavy object on it (like a frying pan). Turn it midway through and leave it for 20 minutes.

7. Chicken tortilla soup: ?I was first introduced to this soup ?by the incredible Citizen Jane at Confessions of a Middle Aged Suburban Diva. And truth be told? I combine both recipes and make the soup in my crockpot (low 10 hours). OMG. If you are looking for a truly fabulous, low fat, high protein easy soup. This is it. It even freezes well for lunches. (I use quart sized zip lock bags because our freezer is the size of a Basketball players shoe.)?

—>BEST TIP: If you use the crockpot, add your boneless chicken breast late. I usually add it when there’s about 4 hours left to cook. This keep the chicken from tasting chaulky or dry.

8. Eggplant Stew:?Did I mention my eggplant lust? I’ve heard that it’s due to eating a low fat diet. But it’s the oddest thing – almost as odd as my tuna lust. Last February, I was wondering through Safeway when I saw these beautiful purple globes. It was as if the spot light shone on their beauty. I had to take them home. Once home, I had to find something to do with them. It was dumping snow and D was gone. I tried a few recipes in my spare time. This is easy – and fabulous. It’s easy enough to make without my beloved crockpot. Try it and lemme know what you think.

—>BEST TIP: You must peel the eggplant from the bottom to the leafy part not around. ?For whatever unknown reason, the eggplant actually tastes better.

9. ?Steak marinade:?We don’t eat a lot of beef. In fact, outside of the occasional beef stew or McD’s hamburger, we don’t eat it at all. When my friend Jen gifted us with Elk steaks, I had no idea what to do with them. Luckily I found this wonderful marinade. ?For those of you who eat the beast – elk, deer, beef or buffalo – this is a must try. Lemme know what you think.

10. ?Roadhacker’s Blackening Spices: Sigh. He took down his blog. I guess I’ll have to share it here.

3t dried Basil
1t dried Thyme
2t dried Oregano?

Mash these together. He uses a mortar and pestil. I use the back of a Tablespoon

1t Salt
3t Garlic Powder
4t Onion Powder
2t White Pepper Powder
1t Cayenne
4T Peprika
4T Black Pepper

I’ve used these spices on everything from pork to all kinds of fish (including shrimp).?Try it and lemme know what you think.

—>BEST TIP: Coat what you’re cooking with olive oil then sprinkle on the seasoning. Fry it up in a pan.

11. ?Potato Frittata:?We subscribe to Runner’s World. While D loves the running plans, I truly love the recipe section. ?Some recipes are just amazing. Others are out of this world. The recipe for a potato frittata is wonderful It’s easy, yummy, and fast. More than anything, it’s a great way to eat potatoes. (Mixed with the fiber in the vegetables, and the protein in the eggs, the potatoes shouldn’t elevate your blood sugar.) I’ve made this fritatta in the middle of the night when we are starving and can’t think of anything to eat. ?Mmmmmm! Try it and lemme know what you think.?

12. ?Chocolate Truffles:?We made truffles for our family and friends last Christmas. It was a first time for me to make anything like truffles. Mostly because, unlike tuna and eggplant, I don’t like chocoate that much. ?I’m sure there’s a pill for that too. Anyway, we tried approximately one billion recipes. We found that the recipes didn’t matter much. Truffles are all about technique. Every step ?has a trick. This site has fabulous pictures to help out. ?One site we found said that they keep the gaunache in the refrigerator at all times for impromptu dessert. We haven’t done that because… well, I have a lust for eggplant and tuna, not chocolate…. Try it and lemme know what you think.

13. Ok now it’s your turn. What is your favorite on-line recipe or recipe site? Leave it in the comments and I’ll link to you and the site.

• Tracey at Girls to Grow‘s favorite recipe is Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
• Pop Art Diva‘s favorite recipe is??VERY BEST ?EDIBLE TUNA CASSEROLE??
• All Rileyed up‘s favorite recipe is Caponata stew recipe
• Tommie from Tuesday Update‘s suggests Tavolini as a great place for recipes
• The Bumbles suggests Queen of the Castle as a great place for recipes
• Flowering Shrub suggests 24 hour beef roast, Vegetarian Shepard’s Pie, and Red-Peppered Sauce Halibut

Check out the new and improved Thursday 13

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