Zucchini and Eggplant with Sage (Salvia Officinalis)

Today I was asked: What are you having for dinner?

Good question, next question. No, be serious.

I did just buy some fresh zucchini this morning ans still had half an eggplant at home, as well as tomatoes in abundance. That would be my dinner.

Can I have some too? - Sure, you can. But as you live elsewhere, how will you get it?

I decided on taking some photos to share the cooked food. And how I prepared it.

So here is my recipe:

1 medium sized Zucchini, 

1/2 Eggplant

1 Spring Onion

4 medium sized Tomatoes

salt, pepper, curry, red ground pepper, and sage 

(I used dried one)

Cut up the vegetable to bite sized chunks,

peel the tomatoes, 

add some vegetable oil into a flat deep frying pan,

toss in  the eggplant and zucchini first,

add the onions and 

don't forget to stir all the time.

Once the eggplant seems to be as well as cooked,

add in the tomatoes with all their juice 

(if necessary you can add some water here),

stir, and add the salt and spices.

Let simmer for about 3 - 5 minutes.

Done!! 

Preparation and cooking time all over is about 30 minutes.

Best served with rice. 

It has a nice Italian sauce taste to it. 

Good Appetite........... =)

The photos:

Zucchini and Eggplant ready for frying.

The Spice.

Simmering to the right consistence.

Enjoy your dinner!!!

Female and Male Cardinal - painting update

It has been some time that I'm now working on these two. Well, I did a lot in the start and then I was busy with other things, like writing.

If you want to check the process: April was the start
And not long after there was the update to the female.

I did post another update middle of May by simply posting an image to my G+.

So, this weekend I had a little time to work on them again.

Both of them side by side, a bit blurry.

It sure was fun to work out the twigs and how the bird feet should go around them for good hold. I took photos of them a bit later again, separate:

female

male

And yes, I nearly spoiled the male painting as I was adding the first leaves, too dark and with the wrong brush. I put some white over it (nearly spoiling the already done background) and hope to be able to re-do the leaves better and without the tiny mishap being noticeable.
The female bird as such is done (feet and some smaller details only left to do), the male is only basic color and face done. The twigs will still get some small leaves and flowers. depending on my mood these can be done by next weekend - or take another month or two to be finalized. I have no hurry.

=)) Will let you know for sure once they are done, maybe even an update in between again.

How do you write?

This was asked more than once on different communities on G+ about writing in general:

 I would love to have some thoughts on some aspect of your writing process: character development, story/plot mapping, etc.

Well, on first thought not as easy to answer for me as it seems. See, I don't plan my books and stories. I just write them. So, I questioned myself on these things about writing. 

"But you must have some idea about what you want to write?"

Yes, I do. I mainly get the ideas for my stories while I'm sleeping, dreaming. I don't dream the stories in words. It's the images, emotions that stick. To put that into words forms a story. Or two.

"So, the stories are always about you?"

NO, not at all. Sure, some traits of my character and personality do come through in the stories. Very often though it's how I am NOT. Maybe, how I want to be. Usually a completely different character than me. It's more like listening to some people telling you about their life and then you write that down in your own words.

"Ah, more like writing biography. Packed in a nice story."

Yes, I guess you could call it that. Not a full biography though. Only one event or experience that deemed important to be remembered and passed on. It can be the story of just one day, a few weeks - or a lifetime to tell this relevant topic.

"All drama then. With tension and action."

Hahaha, not all of life and life changing events are dramas. Some can be very subtle little things. Like waking up one morning and noticing the warmth of the sun on your face shining in through the window. A phrase overheard while riding the bus to work. A smell that makes you recall memories long forgotten. All these things can make lovely stories too.

"No drama at all; no action? You know, like in the movies?"

Some stories might have drama, action too. If it helps to get the point across I will write it that way. But most of my stories are on the happy side. The nice things that happen to you. Finding friends when you feel alone, being accepted for what you are and treated with full respect, tackling difficult situations and not being crushed by them. There is so much happiness and positive things in the world. Why neglect them and only write about the bad and ugly; the horror and drama and sad things. No needed to add to all that "negative" stuff around us. Sure it's there, but it won't go away when we focus on it so much. See it, change it (or do your best to change it) and be happy. Life is for living and loving, not mourning and being depressed.

?

I'm not saying my characters are happy all the time and don't feel sad or anxious. They do. But they don't get stuck in those feelings. They actively (there you have the action) do something about how they feel. And it can get them into tricky and dangerous situations too.

"OK, I think I get how your characters are. But what about the plot, the development of the story?"

Well, I start writing with the emotion of my character in mind. Of how they feel in the main situation I'm writing about. So far, I do start at the beginning of the book and write it through until the end; just as you would be reading it. Not a later episode first and then some earlier stuff. I tried that once and I got all muddled up, repeating things I already had written about but in the wrong order. While editing the story, I might add a paragraph or move it around a bit. But mainly the story develops as I write it. Not after a plan. Sometimes I'm surprised myself at how the story ends differently from what I had in mind when I started out. But the overall message it has doesn't change.

"And there is always a happy end?"

A happy end or more often an open end. Life doesn't stop just because you managed to go through a situation. The character surely will have more such events to go through in his or her life. But it's not important to that one story about him/her.

"Doesn't it get boring to write this same kind of plot of mastering a situation, successfully?"

No, not at all. As each person in the world is unique so are my stories about them. They are all written in different styles and genres. Not one label for all to place them under.

"All the stories are then based on live on Earth. In a kind of world you live in as well."

Those are the easiest to write. No need to "invent" words for things that don't exist. But I do write stories about other beings too. Like the one in "Forgotten". That was very hard to write as those beings actually don't have gender like humans have. Or don't use names. I had to come up with something to describe this and pack it into a story a reader can relate to. I'm not sure if I succeeded in that fully. From the feedback I received I know some people find it heard to think outside of human gender when reading about other beings.

"So you do world building in some of your stories. How?"

World building is such a big word. I don't built a world. I dive into the one I conceived. I paint a picture of the landscape and living situations with my words. Like an artist creates a landscape on canvas with paint and other materials. Just as every being is unique so is the world they live in. It may touch the one you live in. Or be completely different. So different that you don't understand it.

"No planned character development, no plot mapping, no world building. Don't you think about the readers?"

I, as author, don’t write for a certain audience. or readers. I write for everyone, knowing that many will not really understand what I'm writing about; and may, or may not, enjoy reading my stories. If the reader can dive into the story and have the same images in mind as I had when writing it, great. If not, well, there will always be other stories to read and write.

I think, this sum sit up quite nicely. And as I get dreams every night, sometimes even more than one, I guess, I won't run out of ideas for stories. Or ideas for creative paintings. ;-)

Relaxing and thinking about what to do next.

Another Garden Experiment - Update Spring 2013

Maybe you still remember the bush that has gotten replanted into ever smaller pots over the years?

This is what I wrote in the Autumn update.

I guess it's time for the Spring, nearly Summer update of this "Bonsai" bush experiment.

Although it was a very wet Winter and Spring, the bush did not drown fully or freeze to death outside.

A bit later than the other years it did get it's flowers too.

Only one twig, and a few leaves. The other branches do seem to be dried out and dead, before I had planted it into the white bucket.

Here some photos I took of it recently:

Lots of water covering the soil.
I remove it regularly, as I have not yet managed to make drainage holes into the bucket.

A closer shot of the flowering twig in the middle of the bush. 

And a close-up of some of the tiny leaves sprouting.

Hopefully, I can find a better place for this bush to grow at permanently very soon. The rest of the garden is in good shape; the palm trees, for which this bush had to move, survived the Winter too.

=) Happy gardening to you.

Why Science Fiction? Guest post by Jamie Sheffield

Following, a guest blog post Jamie Sheffield wrote for me as part of the "Writers Robin Round".

I also have written a blog post for him. My post on his blog.
Here is what he wrote:

When I first talked with Micha Fire about each of us writing for the other's blog, she suggested I write a ‘food for thought’ article about Science Fiction. I was initially unsure of what to talk about, but have been thinking about it for some time, and have some snacks for thought about SF. 

Science Fiction is a genre that encourages the exploration of ideas or questions or philosophies through the application of various elements that support (and even require) the readers’ suspension of disbelief in ways that would not be reasonable in other types of fiction … some of the elements include:

Alternate timelines resulting in a changed history or future

Other worlds, outer space, the center of the Earth, etc.

Non-human characters - aliens, mutants, robots, etc.

Futuristic technology/scientific advances - devices or altered scientific principles

Different social or political systems or structures – post-scarcity, dystopic, post-apocalyptic, etc.

Evolved abilities like telepathy, pyrokinesis, mind-control, and teleportation

Building a story and/or world around one or more of these elements of Science Fiction allows the author (and by proxy, their readers) to explore thoughts and ideas and moralities outside of those presented by the ‘real world’. At the end of the day, it’s the exploration of these ideas, more than the special effects that makes great Science Fiction work for me. 

“Ender's Game” is a great example of astonishing technology and the threat of alien beings forcing the reader to focus on questions of morality and warfare and responsibilities to individuals versus society.

“Jurassic Park” grabs readers with a fast-paced story teeming with ferocious, cloned, dinosaurs, but the questions of scientists’ responsibility to carefully manage the power and knowledge gleaned from their predecessors ‘ work is what stays with you, long after you have finished reading the book.

“Dune” brings readers to a richly detailed universe that is hugely distant and different from ours, and allows readers to explore the concepts of power and scarcity and control and uprising and political intrigue and interdependence in the course of a rich and rewarding story.

“The Yellow Pill” is a brilliant short work that pulls readers into a discussion of perception and reality and the ways in which people choose to deceive themselves in order to go about their daily lives. 

I've read hundreds more novels and shorter pieces that use the elements of Science Fiction to help the reader crack open the accepted views of reality and normalcy, to allow us to look at some aspect of the world or our lives in a unique and telling manner; sometimes the best way to look at something is to turn it on its head, and that’s what Science Fiction allows readers and writers to do.

The stories that have changed my life the most, and stayed with me the longest have all been Science Fiction.

Jamie Sheffield

Short Bio

Jamie Sheffield lives in the Adirondack Park, and when he's not writing mysteries set in the Adirondack Park, he's probably camping or exploring the last great wilderness in the Northeast.  He has been a Special Education Teacher in the Lake Placid Central School District for the last 15 years.  Besides writing, Jamie loves cooking and reading and dogs and all manner of outdoor pursuits.  "Here Be Monsters" is his debut novel.

Other info and pictures and such can be found on my website at: http://www.jamiesheffield.com/p/media.html

My website is www.jamiesheffield.com

My Amazon author page is at: http://www.amazon.com/Jamie-Sheffield/e/B00AVJVYHS

And yes, I agree that reading Science Fiction, no matter if it is old ones or newer releases, can open your mind to see things differently. 

So, as writer with an open mind, I tend to write in Science Fiction style, however I do not stay strict to the genre. It might as well contain Psychology,  Romance, Speculation, Utopia, Fantasy or even Magic fiction ideas. Sometimes even Thriller or Horror though that is not so much to my likes. 

I'm more of a happy, optimistic writer; sharing the good and positive in this world. 

Happy reading, Science Fiction if you want. =))

Low water in the creek - 2013

I haven't posted much about the creek running thought our village and flowing along the train tracks this year.
Why? Because there was not much to post.

In the early months it kept low - about the same as last year. With little snow and rain in the winter months it had no chance to get much higher overall and stay that way.

Lots of dry ground with the low water
and cold temperatures.

The water itself is not frozen over.

High banks due to low water in Winter.

This month though, it rained a lot. Especially in the last few days, so the soil here is over saturated with water. Anymore water raining down on it will just run off. And so, we now have HIGH water in the creek. Not yet overflowing. We had that once after a downpour last Summer. Now, it's a few low fields flooded, but not from the creek. The water just has no chance to run off properly.

The creek in the village has high water - but still can take a lot more before it overflows here.

The other side of the street, where the other creek, the "Lillach" joins the one above.
Notice the darker water: it's clearer, the dirty one has a lot of "chalk" in it
hence it's name "Kalkach".

Along the train
this part of the creek has been blocked

as there is a house right below the water level.......

Further down the train tracks; the path going under the tracks is flooded -
the bridge of the path alone the track is still clear.

These last photos were taken on Friday, it is still raining. At least until Monday this high level will stay. Then the weather is supposed to change with more warmth and less rain.

Female Cardinal - update

I started out with this a few weeks ago.
Female Cardinal and male Cardinal

In the meantime I have only worked very little and only on the female.

Here are the two shots I have made to document my progress. And notice eventual errors early enough. So that I can still correct them.

Just the brownish grays here.

Adding a little red already; and yellow and white.

It sure looks  cute already.
I hope, I can keep that look on the bird.

=))