The Crab Chronicles

Storms and Old Photos

Yesterday was a stormy day from hell, and I spent the entire morning anxiously watching the pouring rain and wondering if my backyard was going to flood. Finally, in early afternoon, when my backyard was an enormous pond of dirty water, the rain stopped.

About 30 minutes later I took Lola for a long walk. Sun was shining on all the leaves and debris, but at least we didn't have to deal with a tornado scenario.

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I was sitting on the sofa last night watching TV and eating a snack, and I felt something on my left hand and looked down and there was a palmetto bug on my hand. I screamed and jumped up so fast I scared Lola. HATE those things. Thank goodness the bug guy came today!

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I was trying to semi-clean up my desk and I found a package of old photos my aunt gave me some months ago, and I decided to scan them in.

below, my grandparents Bob Hasty and Wilma Butler Hasty, about 1949

below, Mom when she was about 16 or 17

above, Mom and Dad in 1981
below, Mom and her two older brothers, Bobby [with beard] and Don

below, a rare photo of me in a bathing suit... [I was 15]

Cars and Veggies

We are having severe thunderstorms and buckets of rain are falling so my plan today is to.... not leave the house. So glad I can do that.

Michael went out of here without an umbrella, wearing little thin canvas shoes. I tried to get him to dress better, but it did no good.

We went yesterday and rented him a car, so he can drive himself places until we find out what's up with his car that was beat up pretty good the other day. This is what he is driving, for the moment:

He was not too happy about it at the car rental place. Wasn't the "cool" car he was hoping for.

Then he drove it around a bit and changed his tune. I drove it a little, in the neighborhood. It's a 2013 -- far newer than any car we've had around here in ages. My car is a 2003. Lots of cool things on this little car. Big drawback is there's almost no trunk room.

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Years ago, at a Chinese restaurant, I tried a vegetable called broccolini. I am not overly fond of broccoli, but I liked broccolini. So when I saw some at the Buford Highway Farmer's Market the other day I bought it, planning to make it for Bruce. He had brought fresh asparagus, however, and steaks. So I cooked it last night.

above- what it looks like uncooked (tossed with olive oil and spices)

I found a recipe for Roasted Parmesan Broccolini and went pretty much by that, except I used garlic powder and onion powder instead of pepper. It was very tasty, but rather tough.

Mother ate one bite and it gave her an upset stomach. She has a hard time digesting vegetables.

We also had salmon and baked potatoes.

Altogether a terrific meal, except for the broccolini being too chewy. Next time I will try boiling it before I add the seasoning. Most veggies are great when roasted, not all though...

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We've had unseasonably warm weather recently and the flowers and veggies left in the garden have really benefited. My yellow roses in the front yard, shown below. I think of them as my Tennis Roses, because I got them as a gift for co-coaching Michael's tennis team. You can also see, just past them, the azaleas..

 Y'all stay dry!

Cooking With Wine

My brother came in yesterday and it's always fun to have him home because he likes to cook. So we talk about food and cooking, and swap ideas on different ways to do things in the kitchen.

And no, in case you are curious, my brother isn't gay. I've known him my entire life, including throughout his 15 year marriage, and I can promise you he's not gay -- not that there's anything wrong with that.

He is thrifty. After he got divorced some years ago he realized that eating out all the time is expensive. So he taught himself how to cook.

He had always been great at grilling, and he could cook a few things, but his wife was a gourmet cook and did most of the food prep. Once she was gone, he was free to figure out for himself what to cook. He tries to eat very healthfully, so he cooks a lot of broccoli, spinach and brussels sprouts, etc.

Last night, he made steaks, french bread, asparagus wrapped in bacon and broiled [yum!] and the tastiest mushrooms ever.

I don't much like mushrooms, unless they are disguised - as in, filled with cheese and breadcrumbs and crabmeat.

The recipe below uses canned mushrooms, or you can use fresh. He used canned.

 

Bruce's Mushrooms

1 onion, chopped coarsely

1-3 cloves of garlic, sliced or minced

1 1/2 cups of Marsala wine

1/2 stick of butter

2 cups of mushrooms

Put all ingredients into a saucepan and simmer until liquid is reduced by about 50%. Use as a sauce over steak, or just eat on toast. YUM.

 

This is the wine he used. He said it tastes.... not so good. Cooks great.

NOTE: I don't drink because alcohol exacerbates my menopause symptoms. However, these mushrooms were wonderful. The alcohol was cooked out of the mushrooms.

Car Tales

What a weird 24 hours it has been.

Michael was in a car accident last night. He is fine. Car, not so much. Don't want to say more, but he was really bummed. I was just very thankful he is unhurt. I told him, cars can be replaced, unlike people.

I also told him not to beat himself up about it. Everyone I know has a car accident story. That's why teenager car insurance is so pricey.

When I was 19 my dad bought me a VW Beetle, a car I'd always wanted. It was a stick shift. I had no idea how to drive it, and lessons didn't help - what I thought was 1st gear was actually 3rd, or something like that... I was on a residential street trying to get up a hill and another car t-boned me. I have a nice scar on my elbow as a result. The angels were watching out for me though, because I wasn't seriously hurt. The car was totaled.

For the next 3 years I drove junker cars my dad got off the bank's repo lot. He could always find me a junk car to drive. I learned how to change tires, how to check oil, add water, etc.

It was only when I'd finished college and was back home and working that I was able to get a halfway decent car, a VW Rabbit. When it got over 60 mph it shuddered. I was just happy that I wasn't embarrassed to be seen driving it. 

When my brother got his first decent little car, a Datsun, he didn't have it long. He totaled it on an icy mountain road one night and had to hike to the nearest place with a phone and call dad. It happened to be the Cocke County [TN] sheriff's office. Dad was horrified to get that call, until Bruce busted out laughing and explained what happened. Bruce had been lucky that he'd had jump school training and knew how to tuck his body so that when the car rolled down the mountain he wasn't hurt.

My mother is the only person I know who has never been in a car accident, not even a "fender bender." She bumped the side of the garage once, I think, but that damage  was very minor.

My brother came in this afternoon and we will celebrate his birthday tonight. It's always good for Michael to hang out with Uncle Bruce.

love this photo made by my buddy Elizabeth Harper in England

 

It's All Connected

I have a theory that everything in one's conscious and subconscious minds are connected, and each influences the other a great deal. I don't expect to win a prize for that thought or anything... it's just interesting.

So often, I will think about something in an idle moment and then it will manifest. I wished I had some Thai noodles last night, then found some in the pantry. I fixed them and added some soy sauce and Aidell's Chicken and Pineapple Meatballs. YUM.

I dreamed last night that I was a farmer, somewhere in South Carolina. I also had a stepdaughter - but no husband. Go figure. I liked that kid.

We made pies, too.

I think the pie thing is attributable to watching Men in Black 3 the other night. Pie is a key ingredient in the film; a very zen thing.

I have been trying to teach myself to make a good piecrust from scratch, rather than buying the pre-made ones. So far, the results have been disappointing. Of course, if I bought myself a rolling pin instead of using a glass, it might help. Mother has a great rolling pin and we don't know where it is; possibly the garage. My garage is like a black hole.

When Mother and I moved in together in 2005, everything we couldn't find a place for in the house went into the garage. Now, about once a month Mother says "I used to have a _____ but I don't know what happened to it." I usually just say "It's in the garage." I always think... in the garage somewhere... OR it was sucked into an alternate reality and we require the services of a shaman/psychic/voodoo detective to find it.

There's an idea for a TV show -- Psychic Detective. Or Voodoo Detective. I don't watch much TV but it seems to me there are variations on that theme already. The Mentalist seems to fall in that category, though I've not watched it.

I finished watching the entire first season of The Blacklist. Now I have to try and remember when it's on TV and watch it and put up with commercials. I adore James Spader in that part. I've always thought he was a hottie, and even now that he's lost some hair he's still pretty cute.

Now I must confess to a weird little habit. I like to go on YouTube and watch clips of certain actors on talk shows. I never watch talk shows but I like to see the clips where Jimmy Fallon or Letterman talk to interesting movie or TV stars. I found a clip of James Spader talking about Comic Con and he sounds like a loon. And not in a good way. Wow.

The stars who sound bright and funny and articulate on the talk shows are almost always British. American stars usually sound goofy. The most doltish British actor always sounds more erudite than our actors. Maybe it's just the accent. I remember watching Paul Bettany on a talk show clip and he was asked about training for a sports movie and he said it was very difficult because "I have the body of a reader."

OK, so... not much more to tell. My brother is supposed to come in tomorrow for a visit. His birthday was yesterday but we will have a birthday dinner for him tomorrow night. Hopefully it will be fun, even though Mike has to work.

love this photo by my cousin Linda Harris... I am a total sucker for sunsets at the beach [I should be writing cards for Hallmark..]

Tucker Meat Market

My grandfather owned a tiny general store during the Depression, and my dad and his brothers often spoke fondly of those days. They didn't have a lot of extra money for things like shoes but they always had enough to eat, which was more than a lot of folks during that dark time in history.

Some of my favorite stories my Dad told involved shenanigans at that little store in Hephzibah, Georgia. Dad and his brother Bob got into a fight one day over "hunkies" -- ice creams on a stick. The fight evolved into one involving knives and boards and well... it was embroidered a lot I think, depending on who was telling it. That's OK.

The point I wanted to make was I have a great fondness for family-owned small businesses.

I have been delighted to find a local store that lives up to my high expectations of what a family owned store ought to be, even in 2014, Tucker Meat Market.

It's right across from Sherry's produce, on Brockett Road, where I usually buy all our vegetables. So one day I decided to stop in the meat market and see what was up. Unlike generations before me, I had never been in a market devoted exclusively to meat.

It's a clean, well lighted place, and there are lots of other products besides meat -- farm eggs, drinks, BBQ sauce, chips, buns -- but meat is the main product.

Since I've been shopping there for some months now, I can tell you that their chicken, pork, beef, bacon, etc. - it's ALL good. Even their frozen seafood is far better than what you find at, say, Kroger.

They get their meat from a family farm, Deep South Graziers. I took some time to read that website. These people raise meat responsibly and right. I learned a lot by reading that site, and I came to respect the Campbells.

Now, 6 months ago I would have said I don't honestly care where my meat was raised or if it's fed TV dinners or popcorn or bubblegum. Just being honest here. I can tell you this however: I have been converted, praise the Lord. I now only want Tucker Meat Market meat. Why?? It's not only local and organic and all that good stuff. The meat is delicious. Heck, I will go a step further:

IT'S THE BEST MEAT I'VE EVER TASTED!!

No wonder everything I cook from the Tucker Meat Market meat is better. The texture is softer and has a better mouth feel, and the flavor is just phenomenal. It may be slightly more pricey than Kroger or Publix but it's so worth it.

For my birthday this past July, I got tenderloin steaks and my brother cooked them. Best steak EVER. Melted in the mouth.

I went in there yesterday and got some cube steak and some frozen shrimp -- which are terrific, despite being frozen -- and since I was really hungry I decided to let them make me a hamburger.

[I would normally have bought more but since Michael is deliverying food for Bambinelli's, he usually makes dinner off of that food, so dinner for me and Mother is a far smaller meal.. Didn't mean to digress...]

Part of the Tucker Meat Market is a little area where you can buy hamburgers, chips, and drinks. I got burgers for myself, Michael, and Mother yesterday. When I got home I was tickled to discover these burgers were huge and flavorful and just delicious. Much like homemade. Even better than 5 Guys. [Just wish they had those 5 Guys fries...] They packed the burgers to go and they arrived still hot.

Now I plan to go there in late afternoon and get burgers for dinner at least once a week. They were THAT good.

I also like the fact that the meat market offers discounts to seniors, soldiers, firemen, and policemen.

So if you are in Atlanta, head on over to the Tucker Meat Market, even if you have to drive a bit. [It's right off Lawrenceville Highway.] It's worth the drive!! Seriously. Get some burgers to take home. You will be happy you did.

above - Grandpa Hasty and his prize cow -- I come from a long line of farmers

Noise and Bustle

The past few days have been a blur of activity but I thought today I could sort of catch up with myself and not be too stressed out and busy.

There's a Russian proverb that goes something like "Man plans, God laughs."

Our back patio has been growing a nice covering of mold or fungi or something that turns gunky and slippery every time it rains, so today we are getting it pressure washed. My neighbor who does handyman type jobs is handling it right now. I am so glad it's getting done.

I am also so tired of the sound that machine makes. It's like the world's biggest vacuum cleaner hooked up to a very loud motor.

Earlier this morning [8:25] we were delighted with the sound of something like a dentist's drill while he re-grouted my bathtub, also a very necessary job.

Lola barked nonstop through the re-grouting.

She barked quite ferociously, but she never left my side. I don't know if that was her protective instinct or if she was thinking I would protect her from the man making all the noise. Even though he came over and talked to her and petted her, and he has been here before, she was utterly suspicious.

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I am trying to spiff up the house [carpet cleaners will be here next week] because I am having all of my Hasty relatives over for lunch on Sunday October 19th. I am making barbeque, likely in the crock pot. Everyone else will bring a side dish or a dessert. I did this once before, a few years ago, and it was great fun.

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Michael has a day off from school today, ostensibly to study for midterms, but since he has been racking up the $$ from his restaurant job, he announced he is getting a new tattoo.

Yes, I just shook my head too.

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The noise has stopped. Now I only hear birds in the backyard. Thank you Jesus.

Below, a house I love. Love the porch.

 

The Good Lie

It's rare that I see a movie and cannot stop thinking about it later, but that's the case with the movie I saw yesterday, The Good Lie. Reese Witherspoon features prominently in the ads for the movie, but her role is actually a supporting role. She doesn't have much screen time.

However, her role is pivotal in the story, and she gives an excellent performance. Her character isn't all that nice, but you don't hate her.

The actual stars of the movie are unknown actors, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, and Kuoth Wiel. They play young adults who leave a refugee camp in Kenya after 13 years and travel to America.

I read a review that said something about this movie being Reese's version of The Blind Side, which is not a valid comparison at all. That movie was about a wealthy white family adopting a black teen. The Good Lie is really focused on the children, and there is no white person in the film rescuing them.

The first 45 minutes or so of the film, we see the children in their village and the soldiers who come and kill their parents and others. The children walk, alone most of the way, first to Ethiopia and then to Kenya, a journey that takes many months and causes the deaths of some. I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat during those scenes. They are remarkably tense. The child actors are amazingly talented and natural.

When they come to America, I was still tense. I know what it's like to bring a child to America who has almost never ridden in a car or eaten in a restaurant, or slept on a bed with sheets. I was instantly aware of the huge cultural divide between the Africans and the American culture, where outdated food is thrown away by grocery stores rather than given to the hungry.

My friend who saw the film with me got a little weepy. I got tears in my eyes a few times, but I couldn't really give in to emotion or I would've started sobbing uncontrollably.

I have been to orphanages and looked into the eyes of children who will never have a real family, or a chance at a decent life. If I let myself dwell on those experiences I won't be able to function and take care of my family. Sometimes in my darkest moments I castigate myself for not doing more. I adopted two children. I did my best to help them. My son is going to be fine. My daughter... I hope she will be OK one day, after she learns some more life lessons. I wish I could've done more.

Doesn't matter if we're talking about African children, or white Russian children, or ethnic Kazakh or mixed race children. Children are children.

Here's something most people never think about, most Americans anyway. Surviving tragedy and emotional trauma always leaves emotional scars on children. Always. Some can cope better than others. We see that in the movie, some of it. They don't just come to America and instantly everything is cured and they are deliriously happy.

I don't mean to give the impression that this movie is all sad and depressing. There are moments of laughter, healing laughter.

I want to promote this film in any way possible. I want it to find an audience.

The film does an incredible job of showing the stories of the Africans and their struggles. It's not focused on "white folks helping black folks" - although they are helped by faith-based groups. It's about the Africans themselves. White characters are not the main ones.

If you like human stories, stories that are real, about people -- as opposed to cartoon characters where something explodes every 10 minutes -- you will love The Good Lie.

 

Movies for Everyone

Movies are an important component of the American culture, and I love to ponder the ways in which movies influence our lives. However, there's often a major difference between movies that heavily influence and/or delight one generation and what influences and/or delights the next generation.

For example - my mother has always loved the 1942 movie Mrs. Minniver, a drama about a British family dealing with World War II. Mom remembers WWII very well, and I think that's why the movie resonates with her. I saw it years later and thought it was rather silly and phony. The fact that Greer Garson later married the actor who played her son also tainted my view of the film - not fair, but it did. (There was a subtextual ICK factor there...)

Another example...

I remember 1976 very well. I started high school that year. Everyone was getting into the spirit of the movie Rocky. Sylvester Stallone was a new face and although not conventionally handsome, it was the classic underdog story, and everyone loved it. We could all relate to Rocky's story because everyone has felt like a loser at one time or another. He probably single-handedly popularized the sport of running because before that I don't remember anyone running for fun. You only ran in gym class, or if you were late to catch the bus. We also liked the movie. We also loved the fact that it was also essentially Stallone's story -- Hollywood outsider writes, directs, and stars in a huge hit.

However, it hasn't held up all that well, years later.

My friend Cindy LaJoy showed the movie Rocky to her kids recently. Here are some of the comments she got from her kids: "I can't understand a thing he is saying!!" [her youngest son said] "I just don't get boxing at all. Why would anyone with half a brain want to get into a boxing match with someone and get their face bashed in? That just doesn't seem like a smart thing to do voluntarily."

Different generation. Different perspective.

I remember when the movie The Exorcist came out, in 1973. It was a big budget, slick Hollywood horror movie. Most horror movies in those days were low budget things, not flims with big stars and popular music. Plus, The Exorcist was a major event when it was released. People were fainting and having heart attacks in the theaters. Religious folks were condemning it because there's a lot about God and Catholicism in it. Everyone was terrified by that movie. I wasn't allowed to see it. When I was in college, I finally saw it on campus and found it pretty scary, but by then I'd seen a few other horror movies that were more sophisticated and slick, and The Exorcist seemed rather quaint and dated.

Skip ahead to about a year ago when I showed Michael The Exorcist. He thought it was idiotic and silly. NOT scary. Not at all. In fact, he found the slow pacing rather boring and was more interested in playing a game on his phone. (Maybe that's why movies today have to have huge, over-the-top violence and explosions and all - they are competing for kids' attention with so much other stuff.)

It's rare to find a film that multiple generations can enjoy and appreciate, year after year.

I was watching a terrific but rather underrated film the other night, The Bucket List. It deals with something we will all face one day, death. It asks some big questions about life and death and relationships. It has a lot of truth in it. It's also very funny, in spots.

Another wonderful and enduring film is The Color Purple.I have seen it countless times, and it still affects me every time. It's not just about racism, or cruelty, or perseverence. It has so many themes in it, and it emcompasses so many human issues that everyone can relate to.

Finally, there's one of my favorite films of all time, Local Hero. It's set mostly in Scotland, about a small town that a big company wants to buy and destroy. It's got a lot of subtle humor, and every time I watch it I giggle at something different.

In the end, the movies that I think last and will be valued 100 years from now are not the ones with the biggest explosions or the biggest box office returns. I think they are the films that illustrate issues and values shared by all humans - love, death, courage, sacrifice, family.. These are the big themes, the ones everyone can understand.

 

Rainy Day Okra News

Even if I wasn't sitting right next to a window I could tell it's a rainy, yucky weather day because my computer is slower than molasses, and Lola has made it clear she plans to sleep all.day.long.

Happy to know I can get away with not going anywhere until later this afternoon...

Had a busy day yesterday and there's good news on the job front but I am not ready to share it yet. Suffice to say, things are looking up.

As you know, Michael is working delivering food for Bambinelli's, the little Italian restaurant 5 minutes from the house. He likes it, even though when there are no deliveries he's just helping in the kitchen. It's not "boring" - which lifeguarding was, he says. The chef likes him, and he keeps coming home with food - pasta, hot rolls, a lovely piece of fish. Clearly they think he's too skinny...LOL

 

He didn't work last night but Wed. night he came in with $57 in tips. I told him he cannot plan his next tattoo until he first gives me the $300 for school fees which will be due in January... My only concern is that even at 25 hours a week he needs to keep up with his schoolwork first.

 

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Just when I marvel at the sophisticated and diverse cultural climate of Atlanta and take pride in my city and my state (well, most of the time...) I spot a story like this one and think DANG Y'ALL! It's OKRA, not pot. Wow.

 

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I am dying to see a new movie out called The Good Lie. My friend Kathi Frankel helps an African refugee family and so the story resonates with me. (I wrote about that story here.)

 

Although illegal immigration is a huge problem here in America, I cannot  side with the "send them all back" folks. The problem is too massive and too complicated. There has to be some sort of amnesty for people who are truly good folks, who work hard and stay out of trouble and simply want a better life. Michael has friends who fall into that category.

 

If we get those families paying taxes and contributing to the system it's a win-win solution.

 

We must always choose to be compassionate to people who come here from other countries. We are so fortunate to live here in America. It's a country built by immigrants. We must never forget that.