Glowing

Posted on December 20, 2012 by BGBowen

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This is my much beloved Poppit Child, doing her best to light our holidays.  I appreciate it , because unfortunately, the other world of violence towards women is still with us.  On Monday, I heard a story on National Public Radio about a gang of young men in New Delhi who stopped a bus, started robbing the people, and when a teenage girl protested, dragged her up to the front and took turns raping her.

How will she live?  How will we?

Tuesday, a group of Pakistani healthcare workers, all women and mostly young, were killed by local Taliban forces because they were giving polio vaccinations.   According to the December 19, 2012 Global Post:

“The Taliban announced this year that it opposes polio vaccinations if the West is involved.

The Taliban issued its decree because the CIA, during its hunt for Osama bin Laden in 2011, collected DNA samples under the guise of polio vaccinations, CNN reported.

Aside from that, Islamist extremists in Pakistan claim that polio vaccines are part of a US conspiracy to render the people of Pakistan infertile, pointing to foreign NGOs that support polio eradication campaigns while also promoting reproductive health programs in the country.

Polio is a highly infectious disease that cripples its victims very quickly, sometimes within hours. It’s an all but eliminated disease everywhere in the world except Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, where it remains endemic. The eradication efforts underway in Pakistan this week involved 200,000 workers trying to immunize 30 million Pakistani children, Al Jazeera reported.”

May the holidays bring grace and comfort to all victims of violence and the people who love them.  May we all glow with a personal commitment to love, compassion and justice for all.

Posted in Holidays, Politics, recipe, Sustainable Living, violence towards women | Tagged | Leave a comment

It’s Definitely Not Monday–What Are You Reading?

Posted on December 18, 2012 by BGBowen

Savory Diva GiftsBefore I “splain to you, Lucy” why this post is so obviously late, would you like to admire our Convivial Readers, Divas and Darlings Savory Gift Exchange from Sunday?  In no particular order, all ten of us contributed:  smoked salmon, homemade granola, cilantro pesto and homemade tomato sauce, pickled vegetables, amazing cheese ball, amazing cheese dip, pear chutney, homemade real vanilla flavoring,  savory roasted nuts, and holiday cards based on an exhilaratingly gorgeous elementary school mural.

So, my “splanation” for why this is late includes thoroughly enjoying my dear divas on Sunday, a very exciting job interview on Monday morning, knitting a project that has to be done by Thursday, making Italian bread bowls for the leftover chili (nicely stretched and enhanced by my Beloved), and then this morning we got the first snow of the season here.

What’s a woman to do but stop what she’s doing and gawk appreciatively?  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

OK, so I’m officially stopping my fulmination and getting to the subject at hand.  This week, I got a notice from my library that I could download  Take A Chance On Me, by Jill Mansell.  Take A ChanceSince Neil Gaiman was a bit gloomy and Queen of Dreams was reminding me of struggling with my own Mom, I gratefully sat for five hours until 3:00 am.   It’s certainly not “great” literature–it’s a quick,  almost frothy read.  All the characters have a bit “missing” at the beginning of the book, and all recognize and accept love at the end of the book.  To paraphrase a review from Good Reads:

“This book follows the lives of two sisters, Cleo and Abbie. Cleo believes she has found her Mister Right in the form of Will Newman, but is distracted by the charms of Johnny LaVenture (despite him being her personal childhood nemesis). Abbie is concerned about her husband Tom, who has become moody and sullen – when she finds out the reason her life is turned upside down…”

It’s set in a small English village, and the characters are quite enjoyable.   Mansell doesn’t dig too deep into her characters, and that’s too bad, because there are significant issues that could have been explored:  mental illness, alcoholism, adoption, divorce and even hyper sexuality.  But this is what it is, a good, light read for by the beach or snuggled under a warm blanket

To Be Read (TBR) or still Reading:

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Farm Fatale, By Wendy Holden

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And the Convivial Readers, Divas and Darlings have selected our January book:

The Language of Flowers“A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.”

Oh Frabjous Day, Calloo, Callay,
We chortle in our joy!

Isn’t it wonderful to be a reader?  Happy Holidays!

Posted in Books, Friendship, It's Monday! What Are You Reading!, Mailbox Monday, recipe | 3 Comments

Fabulous Friday-Convivial Readers, Divas and Darlings just have to have chili!

Posted on December 14, 2012 by BGBowen

Are you lucky enough to be in a fantastic book club?

Mine is beyond fabulous.  “The Convivial Readers, Divas and Darlings” originally started in 2006.  The original members all knew each other because they had worked at a local elementary school (sigh–prayers going out to the friends and family of the adults and children at the Newtown elementary school).  As a few people dropped out, they invited other people who worked in Bellingham schools to join the fun.  My great neighbor Dorcie invited me in 2008, and by 2009, our gang of eleven (the perfect size for drinking wine, eating and then discussing books and life’s persistent problems) was complete.

Currently, Gina is on hiatus, but she knows she always welcome to drop without reading  the book ’cause we love her and she is just so great, as are all the other divas, including:  Bev, Connie, Donna, Dorcie, Jane Joan, Joanne, Peggy, and Sandy.

What makes a great book group?  Soul.  Passion. Appreciation. Conviviality.  The Divine Divas  have all of these qualities in spades.   We laugh, we debate, we tease, we understand, and we support each other. When needed, we help each other out.  We always look forward to being together.

Part of that is that we’re all foodies, and like to cook for each other, including appetizers, salads, breads, main dishes/casseroles, side dishes and incredible desserts. The results are serving tables groaning with wonderful food.  And wine.  Even better, we try to cook food that relates to the book we’re going to discuss, and we have feasted on Spanish, Afghan, French, English, Pacific Northwest, and whatever folks felt like making.  Yum.

This month, we’re cookin’ cowboy style, in honor of our book, Holmes on the Range, by Steve Hockensmith.  It was a fun read, bringing Sherlock Holmes’ science of deduction to the wilds of a late 19th century Montana ranch.  Naturally, there’s some description of chuck wagon fare, the effects of beans on cowboy intestinal systems, and yes, less than hygienic outhouses.

So on Sunday, the my friends and I will gather to eat, drink, share the news and talk about the book.  Fortunately, I have a well tweaked Adobo Chili recipe that’s long on smokey flavor, but short on heat, and uh, no beans issues.

Find the recipe here, and have a fabulous weekend.

Posted in Books, Fabulous Friday, Friendship, Healthy Food, Neighbors, recipe | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments