What it Once Was

It's 6:30am on Friday.  Based on what the news is saying, it's in the low 20's outside....windy, too.  It's still dark so I can't see for myself, but I'm thinking that it will be mostly sunny this morning.  Thank God I'm not driving between Raleigh and here today - they've got ice and other traffic dangers going on north of here.  At least here, I'm relatively safe.

My dad didn't cook much.  I remember him cooking 2 things, one of which I'll never cook myself.

The first was chopped liver.  He had a hand grinder and would put in the liver, and schmaltz, and chopped onions, and boiled eggs.  It was quite the production.  And although I absolutely HATE liver, somehow chopped liver doesn't taste like liver to me.  The process of grinding it and spicing it somehow transforms it into something else, and I won't let my mind go back to the fact it's actually liver.

The second thing he cooked was eggs.  He liked to cook eggs, and took pride in being some sort of egg "chef".  Personally, I think I've taken that talent far beyond he ever did but that's partly because his taste in eggs was simpler than mine is.

The reason I mention that is that I've already made my morning omelette... cheddar cheese, salsa, a little bit of sour cream.   Yummm.  It was worthy of some high falutin' restaurant Sunday brunch somewhere.  It was a good way to start a day.

Lots going on today.  Lots going on this weekend.  Tonight E and I are going to see Robin Williams here in Charleston.  The Boat show is here this weekend - I'd like to go there, too. 

I'm watching what's going on with gun control and find it to be misguided and wrong.  I have stated my opinion here before.  There are so many other issues to deal with.  I get emails from the White House trying to sell their gun control plan and asking for my support - I delete them.  I'm not a member of the NRA, but as I said previously while some of the points might be reasonable the bigger picture "bans" are not.  I'm taking a friend's daughter who has never been shooting before to the gun range today. 

I've been watching Ken Burns documentary on the Civil War and I'm finding it more fascinating now that South Carolina is home.  It's an "interesting" state with an incredible history.  It's the exact opposite of how I felt when I lived in Phoenix, where it's spreading into the desert in all directions and really has no singular identity or history.  Here, history is in every building, on every street.  John C. Calhoun's house is a half mile from here.  A half dozen signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried within walking distance of where I live.

But one of the reasons I find it so intriguing is some of the letters that they read from various soldiers, politicians, political figures, and just general "folk" that give Ken Burns' documentaries such a personal feel.  Back in the day writing letters was an art, an expression of deep emotion, a true opportunity for self-expression.  Simple letters home are from son to mother, or father to son, or husband to wife - carry as much weight as any complete book or novel.  Some of them are truly extraordinary, and it's a shame that, over time, we've lost that.  Texting, brief acronyms, "tweets" measured in characters have now become our main modes of communication. I suppose my blog is my own personal way of communicating...

Speaking of letters, I saw a letter written by an 11-yr old wondering why President Obama didn't mention trans people in his inauguration speech (link here).  I agree with her.  I don't think we got forgotten.  I think it was by design. And frankly, although I continue to support our President in most things, I know I'm not alone in acknowledging that my personal opinion of him is not what it once was.