Thursday, October 6, 2022

Puzzles and pasta, also wartime

Handsome Son visited yesterday, approved the crumble and demolished a large helping. He also helped me with the issue of my sister's Celebration of Life, next Sunday at her house in Ontario. 

I had been wondering about writing a little something for my nephew, who seems to be organizing everything, to read as part of the event and couldn't think what, the relationship not having been unmixed. Also I didn't know her as well as you might think, she having emigrated when I was very young. I'd seen her a few times at long intervals after that.

But he made a couple of helpful suggestions, he's really a good person to think things out with. Nonjudgmental, tactful. So now I'm set to write a little something.

I just read this

A fast read, sometimes funny, sometimes tearjerking, but good distraction when you aren't up to thinking deeply. 

It's set in wartime London, in the Blitz, the main character doing fire watch by night, office work in a women's magazine on the Mrs Bird column by day, sleeping when possible. The style is breathless beach read, though the subject matter isn't.

I'm about to embark on the next of the series, newly out, because I need distraction from today's dental work.

Yesterday I made a spaghetti sauce with the works -- Roma plum tomatoes, tomato paste, butter, onions, garlic, a lot of fresh basil and sage, Italian seasoning, chunk of Parmesan rind,all simmered for ages, for lunch today, cheerful food.

And I find a few minutes now and then with the current jigsaw is very calming, just a few minutes thinking only about shapes and colors.  

Speaking of puzzles, I follow Haggard Hawks the etymologist and love the esoteric musings on word origins, always a word geek 

Now and then they post a little puzzle and though I don't do puzzles much, once in a while, it's fun. 

There's a kind of unwritten secondary fun that goes on, where other posters who have solved it, instead of posting the answer, post funny clues to it, extending the game. 

Then there's always the heavy foot who doesn't grasp this and says what's the matter with you all, this is the answer, and posts it. Arghghgh. But in a way, funny too.

 Here's an HH if you're in the mood

- - - lpr - - -

The six missing letters are just two letters of the alphabet.

I'll post the answer later in the comments. It pays to read blogista comments, by the way, since some of the best material on the blog is to be found there.

Happy day everyone, life's a conundrum anyway, one step in front of the other.


Photo AC 

14 comments:

  1. Of this puzzle I think of "of" and I can prove that too.
    :)

    Thanks I love those kinds of puzzles.
    I don't watch this stuff as a rule, but this was...well I watched it. Fun with words if you are of a mind.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_UegL1R3X8
    Tom

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  2. Good luck with that writing, it can be difficult to do. Have you read The Queen's Corgi by David Michie? Fiction but couching life lessons. You might also enjoy The Dalai Lama's Cat...

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  3. I know whatever you write for her will be from the heart...Your pasta has made me hungry and the book sounds good. Are you familiar with the books of David Michie?

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  4. I think I'll be making a sauce today. Great minds and all that! Do you put a parm rind in your soup? That's also good.

    You and HS make a dynamic team. Whatever you write, you will write it well.

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  5. Is that Ontario as in where I live or a county somewhere in the USA?

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  6. Sandra yes parmigian rind is my secret weapon in soup and sauces and I rinse and reuse it, too, if it doesn't dissolve.

    AC yes, the relatives are Canadian.

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  7. E, thanks for the book ideas. I'm not familiar with them. Noted.

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  8. I figured out the HH! I enjoy word puzzles like crosswords and the daily Wordle.

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  9. Thanks TJ. Noted, as is your clever comment!

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  10. Love word puzzles. Your spaghetti sauce sounds delicious. Nothing better than a buttery, garlicky, tomato filled sauce.
    I had a tricky relationship with my mother and really struggled to write my part of the eulogy when she died. My brothers and I muddled through, though.

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  11. Dear Liz, I am good at little and this post is residing in a pretty silver cloud hovering right above my head.

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  12. OK, I struggled with the HH but I have no idea what it is. I'm depressed Debra figured it out! LOL

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  13. Okay since it's been long enough -- one comment actually gave a huge series of hints -- the letters are o and f. Foolproof!

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  14. I was happily reading the comments and was gratified to know that I figured out the puzzle right away. My word nerd-ism showing!
    AND...in the comments....there are books by someone named David Michie?? He HAS to be a relative of mine! Every Michie in the world is related somehow. Now I'm off to see what I can discover about him!

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