Epilogue
When the girls were small and complained of being bored, I would have them run around the house. Was I crazy? Maybe, but if the action itself didn’t supply an exit to the feeling of being stuck, then the thinking processes of “what is Mom trying to demonstrate to us?” surely did.
I love to take property and make it nicer and more unique by sprucing it up — painting, making home improvements . . . and if that isn’t an option, simply by cleaning and rearranging the interior. I use the same approach in the kitchen. One takes an assortment of ingredients and creates a marvelous treat – call it a romantic stew – simply by accident. Essentially that’s the way I do everything, so it really is no accident that Romance Stew is the name of this little book. Surely you want to have some samples – right?
Savor these simple recipes and be reminded that heartburn is as common these days as heartache . . . I should know.
Beef Stew
1 pound of stew meat, seared and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
1 large yellow onion diced
1 large green pepper diced
1 small head of cabbage cut into small pieces
1 16-oz can of diced tomatoes
4 bouillon cubes
4 potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces – peeled or not
4 celery sticks cut into small pieces
6 carrots cut into bite-sized medallions
3 cups of water
Bring to a boil and then simmer for about an hour, until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
Potato Pudding
2 or 3 small sweet potatoes
Ginger, cloves and nutmeg.
¼ cup sugar
½ cup of molasses
1 small can condensed milk
2 Tablespoons bacon drippings
4 Tablespoons margarine
Becky Ruff 85
1 Tablespoon flour
Boil potatoes until tender; peel and mash. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Stir in the flour and cook until thick.
Fried Cornbread
2 c. yellow cornmeal
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic salt
4 tbsp. finely minced onion
Boiling water
1 egg
Vegetable oil
Place cornmeal in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, garlic salt, and onion. Pour boiling water over cornmeal mixture, beating rapidly until all cornmeal is moist; mixture should resemble a thick pudding Add egg and beat. Heat 1 inch vegetable oil in skillet. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls into hot oil. Brown on both sides.
Is it not good to remember that we’re all human? Perhaps we should look at this lifetime as a wonderful “day trip.” It may not prove to be everything we hoped, but if we can open ourselves to the “moment” of the experience right now, we will indeed experience it Right Now. It may not be storybook perfect, but is any storybook as perfect as the one that unfolds daily before our eyes, with more possibilities than any story could ever contain?! Does that sound paradoxical? Of course it does! And that’s what romance is all about: the paradox of the illusion and the fortitude to make the most of the path we chose “somewhere in time.”
Maybe the whole scheme isn’t as grand as so many life coaches and self-help gurus suggest, yet I find it utterly delightful that the media is swamped with these personalities all vying for the limelight in which to share their ideas.
My reality morphs between living as a passionate warrior and that of a serene student of attunement. The idea is to flow with emotions and thoughts as circumstances change – and then to re-focus. Each of us has our own idea of thriving passionately. Life becomes a game, with ethics as our individual hallmark.
What if the Real Truth is simply to find a merry-go round horse, climb on and ride . . .
The Broadway stage production of On a Clear Day by Lerner and Lane delivers a joyful message of love and the inter-connection of everything in creation. Be wonderfully free to follow your own path. And when the going gets tough or when fear sets in, know:
. . . There’s more to us than surgeons can remove
On a clear day, rise and look around you . . .
and you’ll see who you are. . .
So much more were we born to do . . . should you
Draw back the curtain, this I am certain
You’ll be impressed with you!
Don’t be afraid and turn up the volume!