Muse

I've been distracted, excited. I even go to bed at night willing myself—daring—to dream about it.

Now, I see the scattered bits and pieces, free-floating and ephemeral, seemingly random even as they begin to gather, merge. It's taking shape; nebulous edges coalesce then cleave—sharp, defined. I can almost give it a name and try to define it.

I understand its inner conflict—oh, sadly so, I know it all too well. Still, I'm inspired to tell the story...even that ugly, unfortunate segue.

Or perhaps I am inspired because of it....

Time will tell.

~ Robin

The Invention Of The Time Machine

Right after man invented the television, I'm quite certain he must have gone straight to work on the remote control. After a bit of research, I've learned that the first television remote, "The Lazy Bone", was invented in 1950. It was an awkward device connected to the TV with a bulky wire that was never popular because people were always tripping over the darned thing. Back to the old drawing board....

The infrared TV remote that we all know and love to hate was finally perfected in the early 1980s.

Now, for over two decades, women have been wryly noting man's obsessive/compulsive fascination with his remote control. In fact, their husbands' behavior is so cliché, it's become a long-standing joke and has undoubtedly been the subject of several psychological studies involving billions in federal grant $$$$.

My own husband, Dan, is no exception to the psychosis. When we finally find time to settle into our chairs in the evening, he carefully arranges his devices so they're close at hand and promptly takes charge. Over the years, I've learned it's simply less contentious to just let him have the damned thing. I'm not all that fascinated by television, anyway... well, except during Ghost Hunters, Wednesdays from 7 - 10 PM EST on the Sci-Fi Channel. Dan's not an idiot. He's learned I'll fight like a crazed she-bear defending her cub to protect my right to see what *I* want one evening a week. Granted this small concession, the remainder of the week I graciously yield control of the remote control to him.

However, if simply sitting back to observe a man constantly flipping channels, fiddling with the volume and the "Mute" during commercials and scrolling up and down and back and forth as he scans the guide wasn't bad enough, now, with the invention of TIVO and the DVR, man has been given access to a fourth dimension—Time.



Thanks to the evil scientists at Dish Network, my husband now has the ability to back up and replay every little detail that catches his eye. Honestly, I never know if I'm in "Live Mode" or reliving a scene from our recent past. Sometimes he'll spend what seems an eternity scanning back and forth in time to finally locate whatever in the heck it was he wanted me to see. I worry that we may or may not ever make it back to the present. It's madness, I tell you!

Hey, wait! You know, I've just realized there might be some small benefit to the insanity after all.

When I'm running late for work, I can just explain to my boss, "Sorry! I thought Robin Meade was in 'Live Mode.'"

Being a man, I'm sure he'll understand—perfectly.

~ Robin

Just "Venting"

Although I've been pretty busy with a Christmas project this week, that's actually just a lame excuse. Fact is, I've run out of steam. Mind you, that's not a bad thing. For me, it's simply the way I write...or rather, the way I don't write.

You've seen or heard about Old Faithful at Yellowstone? Well, once every ninety minutes or so, the famous geyser builds up enough internal pressure, a massive irrepressible force seething just beneath the surface, until it suddenly erupts, spewing a great plume of steam high into the sky. On and on, the jet of steam escapes, violently at first then slowly, ever so slowly, that pent energy is gradually spent and the once-great geyser simply fades away into its vent.

Not to worry if you missed it because, regular as clockwork, it'll be back to erupt once more in about ninety minutes. Time and time again, it will be just as hot and just as magnificent as it ever was or ever likely will be.

After so long a time, I've come to realize I'm a bit like that geyser. I can go along for weeks or sometimes a month or two at a time, spewing whatever comes to mind all over the page here until, eventually and at last, I feel drained. I just don't have any words left to offer. Then I'll rest, all but exhausted by the effort.

However, I know the compulsion to write will always be there, perhaps not as urgently for the moment but slowly building over time until I'm full beyond capacity, ready to bust with the need to say something—anything—to get the words off my mind before my head explodes.

Steam Engine
Now—while I'm just sitting here catching my breath, waiting for the inevitable—if only I could devise a means to harness all that steam, you know, make it more productive, put it to work for me....

Ah, now that would be a marvel!

~ Robin

"Toss" out that iceberg lettuce!

I don't have a lot of time to write to you today before I leave for work. I've squandered my morning sitting out on the back porch with Maisy, watching the Leonid Meteor Shower. It was nice viewing, but—*Brrrr*—it's darn cold out!

So, as I sit here trying to thaw all the bits and pieces near and dear to me, I can practically guarantee the Geminids show (December 13/14) will have to go on without me next month. ;)

I did want to take a few minutes to talk about what is often the most neglected course with dinner—the salad.

We've sure come a long way from once-upon-a-time when we tossed a bit of iceberg lettuce in a bowl with a chunk of greenhouse tomato and drowned it all in a thick coating of Thousand Island dressing. But, seriously, who could blame us? Iceberg lettuce might be fine shredded as filler in a taco shell, but it's a sorry excuse for salad fixins given the alternatives you can find at the market today.

Last night, I was warming-up some leftover Golumpkis for supper. Now, I know folks usually grimace when you mention leftovers, but, believe me, cabbage roll-ups are even better on Day 2. Because my mom made these Golumpkis, I KNEW they were going to be delicious. However, since I didn't have another side-dish planned, I thought a nice salad would round-out the menu.

Although I'm a huge fan of fresh spinach, romaine and those tender baby greens most often labeled as "spring mix," my absolute favorite dinner green is "living" Butter Lettuce.

You can usually find butter lettuce sold in a large plastic clamshell. This special variety of loose leaf head lettuce is grown in water (hydroponic) and packaged with its root ball intact. It has a delicate mild-to-sweet flavor with a firm-crisp texture. I swear, it's so tender and delicious, you can even eat the stems. At the end of the day, you only need to toss away the root ball.



In fact, this lettuce is so special, it deserves a plate of its own. I served it here on a large glass dinner plate. As the leaves fan out in all directions, a little lettuce offers a lot of plate coverage.


The real beauty of this salad comes from what you use to compliment the greens. It's no secret that we eat with our eyes, so I try to decorate the plate like a painter's palette—with lots of color.

I almost always have carrots and fresh tomatoes in the vegetable bin, so that's a given, but don't stop there. Frozen sliced peaches are perfect to keep on hand because you only need to pull out a few at a time. Thaw and cut them into bite-size pieces right over the salad. Don't have peaches? Slice up a bit of cantaloupe melon. Just don't be afraid to risk something different. I also tossed on dried cranberries, chopped salad olives and pine nuts.

But the what really makes this salad amazing is crumbled Tomato-Basil herb Feta cheese. There's just something about the pungent flavor of the Feta that compliments the sweet fruits.

Finally, serve the salad with raspberry vinaigrette, a balsamic vinegar infusion or Italian. It's all good... oh, and you can just put that thick, heavy dressing right back in the fridge. This salad definitely won't want its living lettuce "smothered." ;)

~ Robin

The Man I Thought I Knew

Just when you think you know a guy....

We've been going to Clyde's Place, located in beautiful, downtown Carp Lake, once or twice a year for many, many years to hear itinerant entertainer and comedian, Wayne Faust, perform. Wayne is always a little risqué, always a little sassy and always a LOT of fun.

Last night, when we stopped in to enjoy his final performance before he moved on, Wayne mentioned that some of his music is up on YouTube (you know, besides the video I posted from his show last spring), so this morning while I was slumped over my first cup of coffee, I looked him up.

What I found absolutely blew me away. This was a side of Wayne I'd not suspected but probably should have.

For here I'd discovered another "Wayne Faust"... not the man I thought I knew.


~ Robin

Quick and Easy Beef Pepper Steak

Last night, neither Dan nor I were feeling great (We're sharing a head cold. Ain't love grand?), so although we usually go out to dinner on Friday night, I cooked, and we stayed home.

The occasion called for something that didn't require a lot of effort because I really did feel lousy. This "quick and easy" beef pepper steak was on the table in a half-hour, about the time it took to cook the rice.

What you'll need:

1# lean beef, sliced in thin strips
2 T Canola or olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, sliced in julienne strips
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 sweet red pepper, sliced
1 large can stems and pieces mushrooms, drained
2 cloves of garlic, minced (or dry, granulated garlic to taste)
1 medium tomato, cored and cut in wedges
2 cups cold water
2 envelopes of McCormick's Brown Gravy mix
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 servings cooked long-grain white or brown rice

It really doesn't get easier than this. While your rice is cooking on the back burner, just brown the beef, onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil until tender.

Add 2 cups of cold water, 2 envelopes of brown gravy mix and the tomato wedges. Continue to cook over medium heat (stirring frequently) until the gravy thickens, about 3 or 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over hot rice.

You can also use halved cherry tomatoes if you like, but do wait until the end to add them as they tend to get mushy if they're cooked too long. You want your tomatoes to still be somewhat firm when you serve the dish.

Don't care for rice? This recipe tastes great served over wide egg noodles. Also, while I wouldn't promote McCormick's Brown Gravy mix as a healthy dining option, it is worth noting that a 1/4 cup serving of their gravy is only 20 calories. You get the satisfaction of the comfort food you crave without totally blowing your diet. Yay! Quick as that, dinner is served.

BTW, I feel much better this morning; thanks for asking. :)

~ Robin.'

The Business of Mentoring Optimism

Last night I was reminded, not once but twice, of the empowerment to be found in words of encouragement—felt the warm glow of optimism as a light at the end of a very cold, dark tunnel.

First, I was touched by a column I happened to read that was written by the editor of our small, local newspaper. There he put aside his own pride in order to let the struggling families in economically hard-hit Northern Michigan know that they're not alone in their financial misfortunes. He shared his own story and his message that there is help out there if only you've the courage to now put aside your own pride and just ask for help.

Then at 9 PM ET, CNBC broadcast a special town hall meeting held at Columbia University. There to take questions and speak to business students from the school were two of the wealthiest and most influential business leaders of our age, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates.

[See the CNBC Transcript]
Several points they tried to hammer home really resonated with me. First and foremost, ethics is a lesson that is more effectively taught to our youngsters at home rather than as a course in a business school.

I'd like to add that I've found children learn best by example. If mom and dad think only about the business of the almighty dollar and the acquisition of personal wealth with scant regard for the ethical impact of their actions, Jr. probably isn't going to much care who he mows down while in hot pursuit of his own financial goals later in life.

We simply must advocate and nurture ethics and empathy in our children, because if they don't *get it* by the time they leave for college, they probably never will.

Also speaking on the spirit of capitalism and the subject of greed and the part it played in the recent financial crisis, Warren Buffet had to say:

"It certainly played a part. We have always had greed. That didn't get invented in the last few years. And greed, fear in the third quarter -- I mean, the American people were really panicked there for a while. And it affected their -- it started out on Wall Street but then spilled over into the general economy subsequently. But we're never going to get rid of greed. We're never going to get rid of fear. What we do have is a system, as Bill said, a market system where we have the quality of opportunity and the rule of law combined to unleash human potential in this country over the last couple of hundred years to the degree nobody would have believed possible a few centuries before that. There's nothing that's gone wrong with that system. Our economy was sputtering and still is sputtering some. But we've got the greatest engine ever devised. And it's just beginning. Greed will continue. Don't worry about that. What drives the American system is the quality of opportunity in a market system and the knowledge that when you get out of here [college], you're going to enjoy the fruits of the knowledge you have gained. And it will keep working."

When I finally drifted off to sleep last night, I felt very good about the promise and the future of our country and profoundly grateful for the everyday heroes among us with the courage to encourage.

~ Robin