Writing Reality

  My conservative Jewish husband would have loved the ham I made for Christmas. Tongue in cheek, laugh now. Yes, he would’ve. And my second batch of potato pancakes were a hit. Not bad for a shiksa — along with my apple pie, and dare say the cinnamon buns I made on December 23rd, that my youngest hadn’t dove into, but I had. Woofing down a quarter of the batch and freezing the rest; however, my Norwegian Breads… ehhhhhhh not so much. Albeit this is our sixth holiday season without him. I did our eight nights of Hanukkah solo as one child now lives and works thousands of miles away and the other one is now on college break spending most hours with the friends in town that she enjoys, as she doesn’t get to spend time with them when away at college with her studies. Too, our happy hopping pets have all passed. Yeah, that was my 2025, as two of our three pets passed in 2025 three months apart. One unexpectedly. It was crazy indeed. Seven people I knew having had medical emergencies bet...

“Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts.”--- Albert Einstein I love this saying because I’ve always dreamt big. I’ve accomplished quite a bit. I’ve accomplished what appeared impossible for me to do. When I dream at night, the dreams have either held hope or a warning. And I am grateful that I have dreams while sleeping and in my waking thoughts. This morning as I awoke, I wondered if I hadn’t dreamt big—Having had big goals, would I have felt this level of fatigue currently? I understand much of my fatigue is ‘tis the season’. Yet also it is due to my coming to terms with loss and vast changes in my life over the past six years. I reminisced over the past couple of days as I felt more sleep was needed to the point, I’d slowed the amount of running I’d been doing over the past month, and years. Anyone knowing me would know this would not be a choice, unless forced either by something out of left field or ...

  As I watched much of the Rob Reiner special last night, some of which I knew about him. Yet, there was much I hadn’t known about him or his wife Michele.   The show demonstrated Mr. Reiner’s incredible creativity that I can say I had no idea about.   I was shocked that he hadn’t won an Oscar. But at the same time, he didn’t seem to be affected by that either. Mr. Reiner just moved along entertaining audiences across the globe, regardless of his personal life’s situations. That is a branch that is hard to reach—professional, remaining professional regardless of one’s own circumstances in life. Yes, we all battle with it, life’s circumstances that is. Yet not all of us are so exposed to other’s views. We may be our town’s whisper, if that, which can be healthy, surely a bit more manageable way to live. My goal has always been, not to be noticed. Yet, to make good money to survive, support my family and be able to give money and time to charitable organizations. I can sa...

Currently pet-less, I’ll wait a year or so before considering having a pet or so once again. We lost two of our three furry little pets this year. Cocoa Bean died on his 8 th birthday in December 2024. In people years, that’s 144 years old. He was such a good little man too. He got to play with his bunny sisters three hours per day free-range in three rooms. He copied their good litter habits too, while he was out exploring, eating and sometimes napping next to them. The three pets kept each other company. Cocoa Bean was my Guinea Pig. In February this year, Aspen Norm’s half wild bunny who was about to have her ninth birthday (which would be about her late eighties if she were human) had a massive stroke on her left side. This occurred without notice, I stayed with her, praying, talking to her and gently petting her with light lavender till she passed 30 minutes later. As I was preparing for my 2 nd solo drive from the east coast to the west coast, I awaited the arrival of our...

  Today, I was going to write our holiday letter, but I’m not so sure that this will turn out to be that, yet. Although I’m much less the ehh… hmm procrastinator than my husband appeared to be. He a typical Cancer, Crab moving from side to side checking every angle kind of guy. Me, I like the heat or rather extremes including the cold weather ones, that’s what has appeared to where I seem to thrive most likely.   It must be the Scorpio sign I’d been born under. I’m not impulsive. I’m just like, ‘Yo! Let’s get a move on here.’ Even if I don’t know the complete result. Most things my husband and I thought in unison on. I know so now, even going on year six of my widowhood.   Such he’d said many years ago, “Hey. I called up our phone company and guess what?”   He’d paused as I perked up like a yellow lab ready to get a snack. “Yeah?”   He’d continue, “They got this thing called Fios.” I’d listen then say, “Should I get a cup of coffee?” He’d pause, “No. I alrea...

  JodyLynn's Banana Pecan Cake  Preparation 20 minutes. Cook time 35 minutes @ 350 degrees Fahrenheit 2 1/3 cups flour 1/2 cup of Maple Sugar (Vermont) 1/2 cup of granulated sugar 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 medium ripe bananas (they can have a little green on their skins) 2/3’s a cup of buttermilk 2 large eggs or equal amount of egg whites 1 cup of pecan halves (you can use pecan pieces if that’s what you have in stock) 1/4 cup of Smuggler’s Notch Bourbon Barrel Maple Syrup ½ teaspoon banana extract 1/3 cup of coconut oil 5 tablespoons salted butter softened 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream Coconut oil spray 2 - 8x8x2 inch Square baking pans Start with the top five ingredients and the pecans and mix thoroughly. Then in a separate bowl mash the bananas then add the buttermilk, eggs, SN Syrup, banana extract, coconut oil, butter and the sour cream and beat for a minute or so till blended completely. Then gradually add the bowl...

Version shown with no sunflower seeds   Squash-Grain Casserole Recipe---Jody-Lynn Reicher Way back for about eight years, we started doing Thanksgiving differently. Basically, I told my in-laws I would do the whole thing. Yet my mother-in-law lived 15 minutes away and she would be the host. She had a bigger home, she liked hosting at her home, and she had a dishwasher as we'd use her dishes and silverware for Thanksgiving. So here, I'll share one of the 26 dishes I'd prepared with the turkey and brought over to her home. Only the first of two here today, are ones I'd just started making for the first time this year. The first is a squash grain dish I'd ordered out when visiting Vermont in October this year. I had it twice and decided it could be prepared in various versions depending on the aim of who's eating it and if it were meant as a week's long side or as part of a holiday meal or going solo for the week and wanting to have a one dish meal that was b...

I'm uncertain if I actually made a list when I was age seven; however, it went something like this: "Dear God, Please make me as courageous, brave and strong as King David, but without the bad things like adultery. And I want poor people to have money. I think the rich can give it. Amen. Oh, and I'd like a dog, please. Amen again." By the way, after begging my parents since age four for a dog of my own, I received one for Christmas six years later. I'd pray some more. Humbly, bless myself and ask God to please wake me up in the morning with health and if not please take my soul to heaven to be with Him. Yeah, that was me, a baptized Catholic girl, aged seven with a Lutheran father and a Catholic mother. My mother was not keen on the Catholic Church. Four years later, I'd find out why. Why my mom would change churches and get us into the Church of the Nazereen before I was age seven and my brother before age nine. I can say the three of us truly enjoyed the Chu...

As I listen to my newly delivered Soul and Motown 1960s and 1970s CDs in my car. I'd received them for making a donation to public television. This was the music I truly dug as a kid. My parents I'd thought didn’t understand what I'd requested when asked what I'd want for a Christmas gift; however, I'm someone that allows reflection of attitudes even as a child. And what occurred was that I couldn't wrap my mind as to why my parents never bought me the records by the artists I'd listed on my Christmas list, neither had I inquired. Although we could afford buying me that for Christmas, as they'd tell me what I was entitled to ask for. Then they would give a surprise gift for each of us, and a group gift or two to share such as a plastic sled and/or a game like yatzhe.  Going back to my vinyl record selection every year since about age eight was the same. As we awoke on Christmas Day we'd stay in our beds and open our stockings that were placed at the ...