Writer's Block Could Be Over...

If you like to write and you write as much as you can then you probably know what it feels like to get writer's block. I've never experienced it until July of 2012. Somehow losing my mom made me lose my urge to write. It's kind of like the reader who will read and read and read and then, for no reason, the reader might not read again for a couple months. I've had that happen.

Well, recently I've been feeling the urge to write coming back. I wake up at 4am, nothing new there, but running through my head are a million things I want to write down. Indeed there is so much that I can't keep it sorted out and my mind goes from one subject to the next before I can finish a complete thought. I figure this must mean I need to write it down so I can make room for more. Out with the old, in with the new sort of thing.

So for those of you who enjoy reading my posts, I suppose you'll be in for a treat for a while unless the evil writer's block comes back... boooooo!!

I recently entered the realm of facebook and I find that while it is nice to be in touch with everyone, it is also extremely high maintenance. I typically log on once or twice a day, depending on the weather, and in doing so I'll see that I have upwards of 30 something "comments," "likes," or shared things to my timeline (whatever that means!). It's all so confusing and sometimes I just have to let it go.

I do love seeing pictures of friends and family in other states and I'm especially fond of the chat option. It makes me laugh when people say funny things in their comments. That's about the extent of it. I'll keep going on so I can keep seeing everything everyone says but for now, the blog calls...so I must respond.

I've written about people and animals and I've written lots and lots about food. Part of this post will be about what I've been reading.

 I've been reading a lot of magazines now that the weather keeps me indoors. One of them is called "MaryJane'sFarm" and I find it to be fairly interesting. Some articles are a little high-falutin for my tastes but other things are incredibly important to me. For one, she always has updates on what is in the food we eat or how the food we eat is grown. Those articles teach me so much about the way the government controls the ingredients, the labeling, or the lack thereof.

The government doesn't feel the need to require growers to label foods that are grown using Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). The seeds are modified to make vegetables grow faster, taller and provide more yield. Granted, I can see the growers standpoint. They make more money. But we EAT this stuff. It's not a natural vegetable after modifications have been made to it. Why modify a corn plant? The corn will grow and it will provide what it can based on the soil, the temperatures and the watering.

The biggest opponent of requiring labeling is Monsanto. They spend millions (literally) of dollars annually to prevent the labels from indicating a GMO was used. They are also the biggest seller of GMO seeds so it makes sense they would spend that kind of money, right?  If the GMO seeds don't present any sort of health problem, why would Monsanto be so afraid to label them as such????? Again, we EAT this stuff.

There are small seed companies out there, you really have to look for them, who sell non-modified seeds. They are few and far between but wouldn't you agree they are worth the search just to know your food has not been strangely modified in some way? I'll get off my soapbox now :)

I like the magazine for that sort of information and also because it allows the readers to write on a variety of subject matters and then they publish what readers have sent in. Some of the people write the most beautiful stories. They keep them short, usually only one page, but they are so heartfelt! I like knowing that this magazine promotes the average person by publishing their works.

I've also been reading "Prevention" magazine. I'm not so impressed. I like the exercises they give and some of the articles are of interest to me but it seems to me their main goal is promoting their advertisers. I get it, that's how they make money. I just don't like being bombarded with ads, little cards that are perforated for you to pull out and the constant reference to websites. I'm not saying for you to skip "Prevention," I'm just saying it's not a favorite of mine.

The recipes sound interesting until I read all the ingredients. I find, for the most part, they include things that I just don't keep on hand. Things like Sesame Oil or Thai Chilies. Things like flax seed and panko breadcrumbs. I guess I'm a more down-to-earth type cook. Do you keep these things on hand?

Other than the magazines, these days, thanks to my sister-in-law, Gerry, and my dear friend, Sydna, I'm addicted to Pinterest and Etsy. I get lost in all there is to read about on these sites. My goodness, it's amazing what people are doing, selling, creating and sharing. I love Gerry's interior decor pictures on Pinterest. She has a classy but calm style with just a bit of country to make it feel homey. I love Sydna's flowers and I'm constantly wanting more of the overload the sites provide.

The sites distract me from the fact that I can't go plant or harvest something. I can't can any vegetables but I can read all about what other people have canned and make notes for the upcoming season. Tomatillo salsa is definitely on the list again. This time I think I'll grow my own!

As is typical of my writing, I tend to slip into the food conversation. It can't be helped. I found the recipe for the tomatillo salsa in an old canning book that belonged to Wally's grandma. I had everything except the tomatillos...it was then that I was wishing I had grown some but I knew a trip to the store was in short order. These little green veggies are pretty cheap at the store so I bought a bunch of them. It was a lot when I looked at them but when I started on the recipe I found I could have probably used twice what I bought.

I peeled them, chopped them, added them to the other ingredients and then poured the mixture into my jars. The amount I bought filled just 5 little pint jars. Everyone wanted a jar. Who knew it would be so good, so popular, so easy??? I hope it's just as good this year! I'll make a few batches now that I know what I need. lol

Well my seed packets have been gathered, I have some starter pots in the shed and bags of potting soil for the seeds that will start out in pots. I'm ready to garden but the weather is not ready to let me start. Indeed, the weather-person is calling for a wintry mix come Wednesday. That's really not good for planting lol!  

We won't have it near as bad as the folks up north - thankfully - but we still won't have consistently nice weather days until spring so it's wait, wait, wait for now. Those of you in FL should have your gardens ready for planting this weekend. Peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, squash... all those veggies are good to go in FL weather. In fact, if you wait much longer, the heat will get to be too much for all but the peppers.

So go get your hands dirty and send me pictures of what you're growing! I can't wait to see your crop :)