November is almost gone!

Catsup, no…that’s not it.
Ketchup? Nope, wrong again…

Catch Up! Yeah, that’s what I’m trying to say!

I am in catch-up mode since launching Never at a loss for words. This is my first monthly newsletter, and the month is almost over already.

It contains pieces you may have already read if you are one of the thirteen brave souls to subscribe. If you are not among the baker’s dozen, no fear, you can click that button below at any time. And, just as easy, you can unsubscribe.

I think we can agree this year has been a challenge. I buried myself in creating the website, and in volunteer work. While both projects have been rewarding, this one turned out better when all the ballots were counted. I hope you enjoy the fruits-of-my-loom as I present this first issue of woven work for your consideration.

my news…

I made a trip to Madison, Wisconsin to share birthday and Halloween fun with Josh, Summer and Sunshine-Blanket Witch (Blue). We took in the Pumpkin Fest in Sycamore, Illinois with Deb and Jim (Summer’s mom and dad) and a plethora of family and friends.

Getting there was a challenge. First I had to decide to fly rather than drive. The decision was easier once I realized flying would net me four additional days to spend with cool people. So I bumped it to first class…because why not? If it’s gonna crash, I go out with not only a bang but more leg room.

I add a couple of notes here to help others who hate flying as much as me but may have to do it anyway.

1. While first class is definitely better for the legs, it is not satisfying if you are hungry. They ply you with free adult beverages. I decided that is done to distract you from the lack of food (an actual meal) offered. I did consume two of United’s “snack” boxes (nuts, crackers, cheese, etc.) which were fine for an appetizer and “free” with the added cost of the ticket. But if I had been sitting in the less-than-first class section, they would have cost $15 each. So, plan accordingly at 3 in the morning because you are “wheels up” at 5 am.
2. For the extra bucks spent on the hunger seats, I was able to check two pieces of luggage for “free,” and bonus, they both arrived at the final destination at the same time I did. I have heard sad tales of that not always being the case. Figuring out what not to pack in two bags was easier than what to pack, read: I over packed. And yet, I wore the same outfit for three days straight due to packing nothing than made sense. Just a sampling: eight pairs of socks, two tops neither of which fit any occasion, and two pair of boots that remained in the bottom of one bag, never seeing the light of day.
3. Pre-flight plans that failed miserably…
   I booked the flights, including my TSA number proudly. And on the way out the door at oh-dark-thirty when Brooke arrived to take me to GEG, I grabbed the passport out of my desk just in case. You never know when you will need extra identification; I have changed my hairstyle since the last photo. I checked my bags at the counter and headed to the TSA line, smug in my snuggly laced New Balance shoes. I step on the line in front of the face scanner as directed by the security staff and hand her my passport. I smile confidently. She looked through the lens, down at the document in her hand, then peered into my eyes and asked in an accusatory tone if I had another form of ID. “Well, sure, my driver’s license but what’s wrong with using a passport?” I asked a little put off. She takes my license and spends a good bit of time comparing my expired passport to my recently updated license, then comparing both to my wary self standing in front of her. Then she asks me why I’m in that line…the TSA line. “Because I have a TSA number…” I murmur with less confidence. “There is no TSA # on your ticket info. What makes you think you have TSA standing?” I reach for my phone where I have all my logins, passwords, identification, blood types, birth dates, license plates numbers – where I have my life stored alphabetically in “Contacts.” I pull it up and show her the number. She types it in…it too has expired, two years earlier. For the record, my driver’s license was just renewed in August, and my passport was renewed as well, and was safe and secure in my desk at home, hiding behind the funny birthday card a friend gave me. I keep it there, behind the card, you know, for security reasons. Ultimately, I did get through the scanner in front of all those other non-TSA people still standing in line. I think in the end the agent felt sorry for me being senile and discombobulated. Not sorry enough to allow me to keep my New Balance tennies on my feet though.

It was a wonderful trip in spite of me. Who knows, with enough Valium I might fly again, with or without a plane. But I have applied for a new TSA number just in case. I don’t want to be viewed as trying to work the system with my confused- little-old-lady schtick.

Now, on to the other November offerings!

Soup… season to taste

Soup is so easy. Two favorites are Borscht (my dad made it often) and Corned Beef brisket. Let’s serve the latter.

Cut one brisket into 2″ cubes, reserving all juices from the package
Saute lightly in a little oil of your choice in a large soup pot or dutch oven
Add water, juices from the package, and the little packet of seasonings if one was included. Don’t salt yet…
Add chopped veggies (carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and green cabbage), two cans diced tomatoes, and can of who kernel corn.
Cook until meat is tender.
Serve with dollops of sour cream and hot corn bread.

Poetry of the season…

It begins
– the quieting season –
with darkness earlier each day,
to me it calls
as I short cut through the trees
And watch then
as the change becomes,
summer leaves as
autumn falls.

Ode to Woolen Sox

Short Story…

Hi Daddy, it’s me
(previously published, but fits the seasonal theme…)

Final thoughts…
Plutonic

A plutonic relationship is the best that one can hope for when that FloridaMan from Mars meets a SmartWoman from Venus for a date, only to discover it is not a match made in heaven.