A room with a view
I've read about the blogger blues, those stretches when lack of time, inspiration and/or interest keep bloggers away from the keyboard.
After two years of steady posts on either Cancer Banter or Open Mouth, Insert Fork, I thought I was exempt from the blues. But then it struck: two blogless weeks and the admission that I felt the "blah" in blogger.
I haven't felt like blogging or cooking. I've been making reservations, not meals; taking out, not baking in. My few attempts behind the burner have not not been blog-worthy. I tried a promising recipe from Bon Appetit for golden beets and beet greens on farfalle. I even spent a whopping $6.00 on organic yellow beets from Whole Foods, but the dish, like my mood, was a bore. (If you try this and like it, please let me know.)
Beauty and the bore - good looks, little personality
To paraphrase Ecclesiastes, "For everything there is a season. A time to blog and a time to give it a rest. A time to cook and a time to put away cooking things." Or something like that.
I've noticed the same thing in my garden. The citrus trees are exploding. The avocado tree has donated a few fruits, and the apricot tree promises a bumper crop this season.
The fruits of no labor
The one blight was a haunted looking plum tree. In spite of its deathly demeanor, just last year it bore the sweetest, over-the-sink juiciest fruit. I couldn't bear the thought of pulling the plug.
Disney called. They want their haunted tree back.
I soon realized, though, that its season in the sun was over. Before making mulch of the tree, I found a local fruit grower who came to the house and cut scions (budding limbs) to graft into his own plum tree.
I recently received word that the graft was a success. My plum tree lives on in La Canada.
A time to die. A time to grow. And a time to start blogging again.
14 comments:
SC, glad to have you back from your vacation.
This K9 was starting to starve. I was beginning to wonder what new home would I sniff around for my next meal.
Lovely post and lovely pictures. It's always good to take a step back and look around.
How about "They Lied! Lousy recipes from glossy pages." I look forward to reading what you'll be doing with the apricots...
Thanks, CP and AH.
Desiree, or, a variation on the TLC program, "Can this recipe be saved?" I hope so. I have four servings of the beet pasta in the fridge. I'm thinking of adding a splash of balsamic vinegar and substituting goat cheese for parmesan cheese. You can't go wrong with goat cheese.
I love the term "over-the-sink" fruit. Must remember to use it.
Oops - That's not a TLC show. "Can this marriage be saved?" is a popular, long-running column in LHJ (Ladies Home Journal). I was thinking of "What not to wear," or my new show idea, "What not to cook."
That's weird... I've been on a blogging break, too! Maybe it's the weather... As usual, loved your post! Keep it up. Love, n
I've been doing a lot of pulling in my garden. Today I pulled a Cumquat and a Valencia Orange. I didn't nurture them properly and the suckers thrived at the expense of the fruit bearing branches. Maybe I'll replace the cumquat with the aloe tree Karen gave me.
I think there's a vendor at the Pasadena outdoor market that sells colored beets.
ditto on blogging burn out...
how are the bees doing with all the flowering going on? (put it on my blog, I'm doing a survey)
Oh no! That plum tree did have the most delicious fruit. But I'm glad the graft was a success and it lives on.
I've been taking a blogging break too. We all need a break now and then.
I'm big on obeying my whims and desires, even if it means obeying writers block. It is what keeps me sane. If I have the energy to write, I do. If not, I watch trashy cooking shows. Some how or other I always manage to meet my deadlines. I think I learned this attitude while having cancer and succumbing to my body. You can stop, the world goes on without you, and when you are ready you will find a way to jump on again.
Welcome back.
PA is right about the Farmer's on Saturday. They have beautiful beets for maybe $1 or 2 a bunch. I'm going to get some to pickle, since the beets I grew at home turned out to be Kale.
That's the one thing about blogs. They can take over your life! A vacation from anything time-consuming and all-consuming is a wise move. Try to do it now and then. You recharge, and come back refreshed and wanting to write, not dreading it.
Nancy, I think an occasional break does us all good, especially when we're involved in lots of interesting non-blogging projects.
Thanks, Linda. I'll look for a poem from you about juicy fruit.
PA (and AH), I saw those yellow beets at the farmers' market on Saturday and kicked myself for paying double at Whole Foods. I audibly gasped when the cashier told me the price.
I am having such a good time watching the swarms of bees in the back yard. No bee shortage here. They especially like the lavender.
WC: I'd almost forgotten that you got to taste the juicy plums. Heavy sigh. I'll miss them and will have to see if I can taste the reincarnated fruit.
Kairol, I like "when you are ready you will find a way to jump on again." Remember those old manual merry go rounds in parks? (They've probably been outlawed by now.) Someitmes I would run around a few revolutions before having the nerve to jump on, but jump on I always did.
Carolyn, You're right. Funny how blogging and writing are fun again after my little break.
I'm so glad about the rebirth of your plum tree!
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