Category: blogging

Poem: Sturbridge, Massachusetts

corey
Sturbridge, Massachusetts
by Joanne Corey

people envision honeymoons
in romantic cities
     Paris
     Rome
tropical islands
     Caribbean
     Hawaiian
wonder-of-the-world-and-traditional-honeymoon-capital
     Niagara Falls

we chose an 1830’s living-history museum
     village green with church and general store
     blacksmith, cobbler, potter
     draft horses pulling a hay wagon through a covered bridge
     water-powered sawmill, grist mill, carding mill
     pastures, fields, barns
     farmhouse kitchen with creamery attached

perfect for a pair of New England history buffs
with limited time and budget
on their first-ever vacation together

*****
This poem and photo first appeared here:  https://silverbirchpress.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/sturbridge-massachusetts-poem-by-joanne-corey-my-perfect-vacation-series/ . I decided to post it today as I am trying to struggle through my email backlog so I can get back to writing blog posts, including some more about our recent Third-of-a-Century anniversary getaway. This at least is in keeping with the wedding anniversary and travel theme. And, yes, that is B and I cutting our delicious spice with buttercream frosting wedding cake.
— JC

One-Liner Wednesday: R&R

“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer.”
— Leonardo da Vinci

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find you how here:  http://lindaghill.com/2015/10/21/one-liner-wednesday-the-past-meets-the-future/

SoCS: still away

I am still away on a long weekend trip with B to celebrate our Third of a Century wedding anniversary. We had to be apart on the anniversary date in June, so we – okay, I – came up with this commemoration plan instead.

We had a lovely breakfast at the B&B this morning, featuring fantastic apple cider pancakes and a maple apple crisp that was one of the most delicious things ever. The innkeeper joked that because they didn’t serve it with ice cream, it was a breakfast food rather than a dessert. Of course, we agreed. As native New Englanders, we know things like fruit pies are perfectly acceptable breakfast foods!

Not sure what else we will be doing today. I still wanted to participate with SoCS, but didn’t want to devote much time to a long post.

Can you blame me?  😉
*****
This post is part of Linda’s Stream of Consciousness Saturdays. The prompt this week is “still.”  Join us! Find out how here:  http://lindaghill.com/2015/10/16/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-oct-1715/

SoCS badge 2015

update on record likes

Last night, I posted about getting a notification that I had reached a new record for “likes” in a day.  I did get a few more likes before midnight to boost my total a bit further.

Just thought I’d let you know that my final tally and new daily record for likes is 59, shattering my old record of 48.

Thanks to all my readers and “likers”!

JC

One-Liner Wednesday: Words

“Words are a path to the mind; poetry is a drug for the soul.” 
– J. T. Carlton
http://jtcarlton.com/2015/08/09/words-vs-poetry/

This post is part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays. Come join us! Find out how here:  http://lindaghill.com/2015/10/14/one-liner-wednesday-im-driving-here/

Most likes!

While watching the first Democratic Party debate, I am also perusing some blog posts and got a notification that today, Tuesday, October 13, 2015 is my best day for likes ever here at Top of JC’s Mind. Yay!!!

And there are a couple of hours left, so who knows if I may wind up with more than the 49 that has set the new record for me?

Thanks to all my visitors! I appreciate you stopping by!

Indian Pudding recipe

Yesterday, I posted about my poem “Making Aunt Gert’s Indian Pudding” which precipitated several requests for the recipe. So, here it is, with various notes, because I can never seem to share a recipe without side commentary. Sorry that the measurements are all US ones.  The recipe is pretty forgiving, so if you do have to estimate amounts, don’t worry about it.

Indian Pudding

2 Tablespoons cornmeal*
3 Tablespoons tapioca
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup molasses
1 quart warm milk
1 cup cold milk
butter size of egg

Add first four ingredients to molasses – then add cold milk and mix well. When the quart of milk is thoroughly heated, add gradually to above mixture. Pour into buttered 2-quart casserole. Add butter and bake two hours at 300 degrees F.  Stir occasionally first 1/2 hour.  Serve with ice cream.

*For a thicker texture, increase cornmeal to 6 Tablespoons and stir occasionally for the first hour. I’ve been doing this variation lately.

Other notes:
I’ve made this with whole milk, 2% milk, skim milk, and lactose-free milk. I have absolutely no idea what would happen if one attempted it with soy milk or almond milk.
It’s best to bake this a day ahead and then store in the refrigerator. The flavors seem to meld better after they set.
You can reheat individual servings in the microwave or reheat the whole casserole dish in the oven or microwave. You definitely want to serve it warm so that the ice cream melts over it as you eat it.
You can experiment with adding spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. I happen to like this recipe without them, but many Indian pudding recipes do add them.
Indian pudding is deceptively filling. Don’t try to eat a large bowl unless you are very hungry.

More (poetic) squealing!

I just got word that my poem “Lessons from Mahler” will appear in the upcoming When I Hear That Song series from Silver Birch Press. So, yes, more excited squealing is occurring!

I owe a huge THANK YOU to all my poet friends who helped me through the editing process, with a special shout-out to Heather Dorn, director of the Binghamton Poetry Project, who introduced me to the haibun form during our summer session this year. Haibun is a poetic form that combines prose or other verse with haiku.  I am not known for my ability to write in forms, so this publication will mark a first for me.

You can be assured that the link to the poem will be appearing here at Top of JC’s Mind when it is published. Stay tuned!

Poem: Making Aunt Gert’s Indian Pudding

I am very pleased to announce that I have another poem published today!  The blog of Silver Birch Press has published “Making Aunt Gert’s Indian Pudding” as part of their “My Sweet Word” series. You can find it here: https://silverbirchpress.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/making-aunt-gerts-indian-pudding-poem-by-joanne-corey-my-sweet-word-series/

Enjoy!

Update:  The recipe is now available here:  https://topofjcsmind.wordpress.com/2015/10/13/indian-pudding-recipe/

SoCS: Singing

Singing has been a constant in my life. As a child I sang at school and at church. In high school, I sang in the mixed chorus and in my final year made the Girls’ Ensemble. I could sing, do (simple) choreography, and smile all at the same time! I also was in a few musicals, nearly always in the chorus.

I really learned to be a good choral singer in college. At Smith, I finally learned to sing classical music, everything from Gregorian chant up through newly composed work. Granted, in those days, we sang Western music only. Today, I would probably get to do some world music as well. I also got used to singing in different languages. While I had sang mostly in English, with a bit of Latin, before college, I sang frequently in Latin and German, with some Hebrew and French.

For the past 33 seasons, I have sung with the Binghamton University Chorus, which is a town-gown group, meaning we have students, faculty and staff from the university, and community members participating. Some of our members are in their 80s; I know of at least one who has reached her 90s!

I hope that I will still be singing, if I am blessed enough to reach that age.

As the hymn says, “How can I keep from singing?”
*****
This post is part of Linda’s Stream of Consciousness Saturdays. The prompt this week was to begin the post with a word ending in -ing. Please join us! Find out how here: http://lindaghill.com/2015/10/09/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-oct-1015/

SoCS badge 2015