"Nice" Cream

 

"Nice" cream is WW-speak for a banana-and-other-ingredients substitute for ice cream.  It isn't bad.  I'm a fan of the cocoa-almond smoothie that I divide into half-cup servings and freeze.  It has bananas, frozen cherries, cocoa powder, and peanut powder in it which makes it rich and an icy analog for ice cream.



 
The other version I made was with frozen peaches, strawberries, pineapple, and mango--and bananas with just a little skim milk to aid the whirring up.  It tastes more like sherbet than ice cream.  I like them both and am trying very hard to stick close to WW.  Something has to make me feel more cheerful.  Maybe losing some weight will help...


One thing we all know makes everyone cheerful is sunshine and we had some today.  I especially liked the edge of the clouds against the blue sky.  I thought that the clouds were moving away to the east (right) but evidently the wind shifted because the clouds moved to the left (west) and they rarely do that.  Very confusing.  But we had hours of sunshine today and I did feel happier.  


I had a good trainer session and spent some time sending some unfinished manuscripts to my kindle so I can read them while I'm traveling to figure out what I need to do to finish them.  I've always felt kind of bad that I have so much unfinished writing hanging around but now that new ideas are scarce I'm happy to have them to keep me occupied and so my brain doesn't turn off completely.

06 February--Barbara Malcolm, Three Cheers for Murder. 

Friday evening Marlene’s eyes were repeatedly drawn to the door of her bookstore.  She shuffled the various orders and trade magazines on her desk behind the counter but didn’t get anything done.  She was waiting to hear a car, see a face.  A strangely dear face she’d known less than a week.  Glancing at the clock she saw it was nearly 9 pm, closing time.  She sighed and checked the door again.  Still no one.  Determined to get something, anything, done this evening she refocused her attention on the papers in front of her.  Clenching her jaw, she concentrated on matching orders with the ads she’d marked in the various magazines, talking to herself. 

“There, there’s that book that Mrs. DesFresnes has been looking for.  Send her buy order to the dealer.  Use E-mail.  It’s quicker.  Now didn’t I see that Steinbeck first edition somewhere.  Hmm, yes, here it is.  Too high for Cecilia’s budget, I’ll bet. Oh well, I’ll send a bid anyway.  Maybe we’ll get lucky.” 

The bell on the door tinkles, Marlene looked up.  Sighed.  It’s Lieutenant Graybow. 

“Oh, Len, you look so tired.  Let me just close up and I’ll make you something to eat.  Hungry?”

“Yeah.  It’s been a long day.  Archibald and I have been working nonstop on that Davis woman’s murder.”

“Any breaks yet?”

“No, not really.  We don’t know more than we did five days ago.  It’s getting pretty frustrating.”

As they’re talking Marlene was moving about the shop reshelving books, drawing the shades, switching off lights, locking the door.  “Well, let’s not think about that now.  There, I’m ready.  Let’s go upstairs.”  She held out a hand to him.  He walked toward her, took her hand, and they left the darkened storefront through the back door.  Up the dim stairs to Marlene’s apartment.

Once inside the cozy living room, she took the lieutenant’s jacket, hung it in the closet and moved toward the kitchen.  Turning, she said, smiling, “Come, sit at the table and keep me company while I get us some dinner.”

There was a bluejay at the birdbath for less than a minute today.  Not nearly enough time for me to dash for the camera but it sure was nice to see him or her.  I'm annoyed that the bluejay males and females look the same, I want to know what or who I'm looking at.
--Barbara

Scribbling

I met ACJ at The Attic Cafe & Books this afternoon for a couple hours of writing.  This measly page is all I managed.  We talked about my pitch, how things might go at the writer's conference, the state of my grief (which is a constant companion; that surprises me for some reason).  I've got a couple more novel manuscripts, neither of them finished, so at least I've got something to work on until the day that ideas start coming back.






I got to pick up my assistants early today since LC has been sick and isn't back up to speed.  They had a cardboard box that was a fairly popular plaything this afternoon.  For siblings they play together well.  DIL1 came home early so I've got a little blogging time before I too hit the hay.




05 February--Barbara Malcolm, Three Cheers for Murder. 

             Late Thursday afternoon, a young woman entered The Alchemists.  Cecilia looked up to see a striking blonde striding to the counter.  The woman wore a severe dark pantsuit and black leather boots that accentuated her height.  Her athletic shape and steely look were softened by her baby face and tousled hair.  Her blue eyes were reddened as if she’d been crying. 

“Can I help you?” Cecilia asked.

The woman consulted a list she pulled from her flat black leather purse.  “Yes, I need some Sea Glass cream, the 4 oz. size, Peppermint Foot Cream, some bath salts, and Plum and Lime lip balms.  What fragrances of bath salts do you have today?”

Cecilia picked up a basket from the stack at the end of the counter and walked around to select the items her customer needs.  “Step right over here.  These are the bath salts I have right now.  Let’s see.  There’s Serenity, it smells like mint and oranges.  Here’s Sea Glass, but you want that in cream.  Also, Vanilla Musk, Seduction, and my favorite, Paradise.  I just love to soak in a tub with a good book and Paradise is the scent I usually choose.  I think it smells like a tropical island, kind of coconutty, and that’s my dream relaxing spot.  Of course, I’d be happy to make up a custom scent just for you if you’ll tell what you’ve got in mind.”  She smiled and stepped aside to allow her customer to consider her choices.  Cecilia moved around the small shop gathering the other things the woman ordered.  Watching her sniff the bath salts Cecilia realized that she’d seen the lady at the club.  When the customer came back to the counter with her selection Cecilia said, “Don’t I see you working out at the club?  I don’t get there but once a week. I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”

“Oh, I’m Kimmy Neal.  Yes, it seems I spend most of my time at that club.  Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing you there.”

“Like I said, I don’t get there often enough but I sure enjoy it.  Do you work there?  You were helping Tiffy Davis with one of those torture machines when I saw you last.”

Cecilia was surprised to see Kimmy’s eyes fill with tears and Kimmy lean her forearms on the counter and begin to sob.

“Yes, I was helping Tiffy.  She was my best friend.  Now she’s dead.  Who could have done that to such a wonderful girl?”

Cecilia, shocked at the dramatic reaction to an innocent remark, guided the sobbing woman to a chair.  She grabbed a box of tissues and pulled up another chair to try to stem the flood.  “Tiffany Davis was your best friend?  I’m so sorry for your loss.  Why don’t you tell me about her?  It might make you feel better.”

With much sniffling and hiccupping Kimmy began to talk about her days as a cheerleader with Tiffy and Teddy.  How they went to college together.  How they and their husbands had done so many fun things together.  Catching sight of Kitty’s Korner, Kimmy talked about Kitty as their coach.  That Kitty was much more than a coach, she was a surrogate mother to the cheerleading squad.  Marlene didn’t take advantage of all that Kitty could have done for her.  Frumpy Marlene, always going around in ugly clothes, reading boring books, when if she’d followed her mother’s advice, she could have been popular and happy like the three of them were.

Cecilia was amazed at the outpouring of emotion and information from the unhappy woman.  She patted her hand and made soothing noises and soaked up everything Kimmy had to say.  She heard about Kimmy’s unhappy relationship with her husband, Dwayne.  She heard about Kimmy’s reluctance to pursue an opportunity suggested to her by Lars, the pro at the club, to become a fitness trainer.  How Kimmy worried that her friends would think less of her if she worked at the club.  Cecilia reassured her that her real friends only wanted her to be happy and if that meant working as a trainer at the club that was okay.  She told Kimmy that what other people think isn’t as important as how Kimmy herself felt.  And if she got personal satisfaction from helping people get fit, no one should deny her that satisfaction.  Cecilia felt these were the sort of things Kimmy should have been talking to her own mother about.  Why do people tell her such personal things?  Maybe the world was short of people who really listened.  Maybe that’s why virtual strangers seemed so comfortable unburdening themselves to her.  After a while Kimmy got control of herself and apologized for falling apart.  Cecilia reassured her that was just fine.  She was happy to provide her with a shoulder to cry on.  Kimmy collected her purchases, paid for them, and left the store.  Cecilia was relieved that no one else had come in during Kimmy’s visit.  It would have been difficult to tear herself away from someone who obviously needed her.     

You know what's annoying? Giving yourself a small cut on a finger of your left hand and then trying not to let your yarn saw its way to the bone in the cut.  Ouch.
--Barbara

Making a List

I'm a list maker.  Most of the entries in my journal are lists.  I had to make a new list today for what to pack when I go to Florida next week.  I know it's early to start packing but I'm in the throes of the "I'll just stay home" portion of trip prep.  Oh, not that I don't want to go but every time I slide into feeling that there's too much to deal with and organize so I think that I'll just stay home.  I never have and I won't this time, but making a list and starting to pack helps.


I did some Wii step aerobics this morning and then went to the Y this afternoon to walk on the treadmill.  My right knee is a little achy.

On the way home I stopped at Meijer because I found a recipe this morning and wanted to make it.  It's Sloppy Joe Spaghetti Squash Bowls and it's WW.  You halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, and bake it.  In the meantime you saute onions and ground turkey, add no-salt tomato sauce, a little brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  I added a Tablespoon each of Worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard to make it taste more like Mom's sloppy joe recipe.  When the squash is cooked you fork the strands a bit and then scoop half of the sloppy joe into the shell/bowl, top it with low-fat shredded cheese, and broil it for a minute.  Garnish with a little sliced scallion and eat it up.  It was a good thing that the biggest squash at the store weighed just over two pounds because I never in a million years would have been able to eat half of the three pounder the recipe called for.  You heard me right, you chop the squash in half because you're making two servings.  I doubled the sloppy joe because the ground turkey only comes in pounds and I figured that it'd be better to have on hand all made up.  It was pretty darned good except for the cheese not really melting.  In the picture it looked all gooey, but in reality low fat cheese doesn't get gooey, it gets weird.  I think next time I won't try to melt it.


04 February--Barbara Malcolm, Three Cheers for Murder. 

--Cecilia calls her daughter, Marie, the next morning to complain about the way Archibald whisked her out of the crime scene.  Marie is outraged and Cecilia is a little giggly and girlish about the event.  Marie and Cecilia talk about the murder.  Marie is concerned that her mother might be in danger.  Cecilia reassures her that nothing will happen to her.  Besides Detective Archibald volunteered to protect her, even offering to stay over if it would make her feel safe.  They laugh over the thought of Cecilia having a man sleep over.--

This's another one of those reminder segments.  I was going to leave it out but I thought it was info you'd need.  You'll understand why later.  Hey, don't look at me like that, it's a mystery.

It was sunny for part of today which probably explains why I was a little peppier.  It's supposed to get colder tonight and be mostly cloudy for the next few days.  Not fair.  It's supposed to be warmer when it's cloudy not colder.  Wah!
--Barbara