All posts by Laurie Graves
In which Instructions Are Provided for Using Dear Old Classic Editor so that the Terror of Block Editor May Be Avoided
It is unusual for me to post two pieces in the same day, but I came upon such brilliant advice from the blog The Belmont Rooster, that I decided to break with precedent. As the title of this post suggests, the advice involves instructions for continuing with Classic Editor, which is clean and easy to use.
From reading other blogs, I know there has been much consternation with the new Block Editor. I understand. I, too, hate the new system, which I find ugly and clunky. (Some bloggers do like it. After all, it takes all kinds to make the world go round.)
For those, like me, who would rather use Classic Editor, click on the link I provided above with The Belmont Rooster, and you will receive step-by-step instructions.
Here they are in short:
“Scroll down to “Posts” and click or click on “All Posts”… DO NOT CLICK ON “ADD NEW” OR IT WILL TAKE YOU THE NEW EDITOR.
“After clicking you will see “Add New” with an arrow next to it.
“When you click on the arrow you are given the choice to click on “Block Editor” or “Classic Editor”.
“There it is… The Classic Editor. Without having to upgrade to the business plan.”
And, dear blogging friends, by following those instructions, I was able to do this post in Classic Editor.
Easy peasy.
Hot dog!
A Satisfying Sunday
Sunday was one of those happy days where everything just chugged along in a quiet but satisfying way. In the morning, we Zoomed with “the kids.” It’s always wonderful to see their faces, especially since we won’t be seeing them in person until next summer at the earliest.
After Zoom and lunch, I made a lentil soup for our supper. My blogging friend Mr. Tootlepedal frequently makes lentil soup, and I vowed that as soon as the weather was cool enough, I would make some, too. Well, it’s October in Maine, and the weather is certainly cool enough now for lentil soup.
I follow a recipe from a Moosewood cookbook. I make modifications—that’s the kind of cook I am—but the results are always good. This soup that will be on a regular rotation for our supper until it gets too hot in the summer. Best yet, a serving size has a reasonable amount of carbs. It’s a hearty and filling soup with lots of spices. Perfect for a cool, fall evening.
Back before I lost weight—about 30 pounds ago—making soup would have pretty much done my knees in, and I would have had to rest before doing anything else. But losing that weight has put a new spring in my step, and after cleaning the kitchen, I was ready to head outside for a fall chore.
What to do? How about rake the driveway? Because we live in the woods, this must be done regularly when fall comes.
Before:
And afterward:
When I was done, I went out back to sit on the patio—something I won’t be able to do much longer. Naturally, I took my camera with me, and I was able to snap a picture of this fine fellow.
I think it is a purple finch, but I know house finches look similar. Any thoughts, blogging friends?
For the past week, this finch and his mate have been coming with a gaggle of fledglings, and how I love to watch those youngsters flutter and beg for food from the adults. I always have tender feelings for fledglings who look full size but are still immature and uncertain.
Right now, their parents feed them, but the day will soon come when the parents decided that it is time for the fledglings to feed themselves and make their own way in this wild, beautiful, dangerous world.
It is the way of things. But nonetheless it makes me teary eyed to think about it.
Friday Favorites: A Blessing of Leaves
On Wednesday we had a wild rain, much-needed in our drought- stricken state. With the rain came a wild wind that knocked power out to 114,000 homes in Maine, including our home.
But glory be, our power was only out for a few hours. Clif and I practically had to pinch ourselves to be sure we weren’t dreaming. When our power gets knocked out, it can be out for days and days. Sometimes even a week.
The wind blew leaves and pine needles everywhere.
On our front steps,
In the backyard,
in the birdbath,
on top of the glass table,
on the bulkhead door to our cellar,
and, on the ground where the sun could shine through the leaf.
Now, you might be wondering exactly why this post qualifies as a Friday Favorites.
Maybe it’s because the sun came out and the yard was aglow and everywhere was the nutty smell of autumn. The leaves seemed like frisky sprites that had come for a visit.
Yes, the leaves will need to be cleaned from the yard, but for now I am just going to revel in a Maine autumn day, after the storm, when the rain came and went and the air cleared and everything seems as fresh as clean laundry hung on the line.
Despite all that’s going on in this country, it felt like a day to rejoice.
Here is Thistles and Kiwis take on the week’s small pleasures.
And All Things Bright and Beautiful’s small pleasures as well.
Let’s hear it for small pleasures!
Addendum: What. A. Week. Just learned that the president and the first lady have tested positive for Covid-19. Hardly a surprise as they, along with their team, have been so irresponsible about mask wearing and social distancing. However, over the years, I have worked hard to cultivate the Buddhist notion of compassion toward all, even to those who don’t seem to deserve it. Perhaps they need it most of all. I wish the president and his wife a speedy recovery. I also hope that from now on his supporters will realize what a serious disease this is and for God’s sake start taking Covid-19 seriously by wearing masks, social distancing, and doing what they can to stop its spread.
Golden Spinner
Yet Again Throwing Carbs to the Wind
In September and October, there is no finer place to be than Maine. The asters are in glorious bloom by the side of the road.
And many of the trees are a blaze of color. In autumn, I give thanks that I was born in Maine and have chosen to stay here.
Yesterday was Clif’s birthday and yet again we threw caution and carbs to the wind. We went to the Red Barn for some of their delicious fried seafood—scallops for Clif and shrimp for me. Very tasty.
I am sorry to report that masks and social distancing seemed to be optional, which meant we weren’t quite as relaxed as we might have been. Because we were outdoors, we weren’t terribly worried, but why oh why can’t people wear a mask when they pick up their orders and/or keep their damned distance?
An interesting sign of the times. The Barn has invested in bubbles for small groups to gather. They plan to install heaters so that outside eating can continue into November and December, when the glories of fall have passed and Maine weather is usually pretty brisk.
On their Facebook page, the Barn has stated that they have a cleaning regimen to make the bubbles safe for customers.
We’ll probably pass on using one of the bubbles. Our dietary regimen and our budget pretty much preclude eating out most of the time. But I know that many restaurants are struggling during this pandemic, and the bubbles might be a safe way to extend the Barn’s on-site dining during the pandemic.
On his birthday, Clif found something in our local grocery store that made him very happy—a low-carb beer that actually tastes good.
This is the trick for staying on a strict diet—finding substitutes that taste good so that you don’t feel deprived. Clif and I have managed to find many replacements for high-carb, high caloric treats. (Of course, we also eat lots of fruit and veggies and other healthy food.)
I just ordered a tin of chocolate mint tea in the hopes that it might satisfy my sweet tooth (teeth?).
Stay tuned.
And if any of you have suggestions, please chime in.
Favorites in Fraught Times?
In these fraught times, it is sometimes difficult to focus on the small joys of life that I feature in my Friday Favorites series. In brief: Worldwide, there is climate change and the pandemic, which continue to grind everyone down. In the U.S. we have the most odious and incompetent leadership that I have ever had the misfortune to see. The pandemic is minimized to the point where it is more or less allowed to rampage at will. Over 200,000 people in the U.S. have died because of Covid-19, and the numbers continue to rise. Mask wearing has become a political issue, and a few months ago, elders were encouraged to face death to keep the economy going.
As if this all weren’t bad enough, the U.S. seems to be on the brink of a dictatorship as President Trump makes plans to do whatever it takes to stay in charge, regardless of the results of the upcoming November election. (For a cogent description of Trump’s plans, read the excellent Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American: September 23, 2020.)
Finally, the cherry on this toxic sundae is that once again the Republicans are on the rampage against the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Never mind that millions of people, including me, depend on it for their health insurance. The Republicans want to abolish it, and hope that the Supreme Court will soon rule in their favor. I try not to think too much about what will happen if, at last, the Republicans are successful in demolishing the ACA.
We live on a tight budget, and there is no way we can afford to buy health insurance at market-place rates. Plus, I have had breast cancer, which qualifies as a pre-existing condition. So if the Republicans succeed in their mission, I am out of luck.
Sorry that this is such a pessimistic Friday post, but the bad news Just. Keeps. Coming.
Somehow, it seems frivolous to post pictures of, say, ice cream or omelets or a favorite music video while the country is literally and figuratively on fire. On the other hand, with all that’s going on, it seems like an act of defiance to enjoy the small things in life.
Drinks outside on a warm autumn evening,
a bright leaf that has fallen on the patio,
and chickadees that come to drink from the ant moats above the hummingbird feeders.
Heather Cox Richardson ends her September 23 piece with this small note of hope: “[T]he future remains unwritten.”
Yes, it is, a tiny ray of light in an otherwise dark landscape.
Sunlight on Fern
That Nip of Fall
Just like that, fall is here. It seems that only a short time ago we were using the air conditioner. However, the temp has dipped so low that there have even been frost warnings all over the state. So far, our cozy home in the woods has escaped being nipped by frost. Nevertheless, we have to use heat in the morning and at night. Too sudden? You bet. But this is Maine, and that’s how the weather rolls here.
Fortunately, it gets warm enough in the early afternoon for lunch on the patio. Yesterday, Clif grilled Beyond Beef burgers, and as a side, I had some little tomatoes courtesy of our own Farmer Kev. How nice it was to eat in the sun. (Again, what a change from a mere couple of weeks ago.)
The garden is definitely past its best.
But along the edge of our yard, asters are still in bloom.
And the leaves are just beginning to change.
This is a busy time for me. The proof copy of my YA fantasy Out of Time is in. Now begins the extremely picky task of going over the book line by line to catch any errant typos or formatting errors.
Onward, ho!
A Time for Mourning
By now I’m sure all of you have heard about the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a woman who looked like a dove but had the heart of a lioness. She fought tirelessly for women’s rights, which, in the end are human rights.
Heather Cox Richardson, in her Letter from an American, writes, “Justice Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 15, 1933, in an era when laws, as well as the customs they protected, treated women differently than men. Ginsburg would grow up to challenge the laws that barred women from jobs and denied them rights, eventually setting the country on a path to extend equal justice under law to women and LGBTQ Americans.”
Richardson goes on to quote Ginsburg, who in turn quoted from the abolitionist Sarah Grimke: “I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.”
I’ll stop here. Much will be written and said about Ginsburg over the next week, and I don’t have anything new to add. But I wanted to take time to honor this remarkable woman.
Rest in power, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and many, many thanks for all that you did. You rose to the top and made the world a better place. Alas, the same cannot be said of all who achieve great power, and your shining example will not be forgotten.
Notes From the Hinterland 