KATHARINE HEPBURN'S BROWNIES

 I love that the old article said that 16 brownies could be made for $2.48 (to the penny) but I've never priced it out in recent years.

Sometimes it eerie when you’re thinking of something and then along comes an unexpected reference to it. Case in point: early this morning I was looking through my baking binder, searching for some goodies to make for Frank. I looked at but passed by a recipe from Katharine Hepburn that I usually make for brownies. And what came up in this morning’s New York Times daily recipe? Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies. Eerie. Cue the theme from The Twilight Zone.

The brownies in this morning's New York Times

The Times recipe is here.  There’s quite a bit of difference in the recipes, from the type of chocolate used to the oven temperature. Seeing as how the one I use is one I clipped from an issue of Woman’s Day in the 1980s, I’d go with mine. But then, you might want to try both recipes - extra goodies never go to waste

SOCIAL DISTANCING

Lately, I’ve been re-reading several historical romances and mysteries, both in books and on Kindle. Currently though, I’m reading a good, new contemporary novel. It just dawned on me that as I've been reading, I've been actively wondering why these people aren’t keeping a safe distance from one another as they should. Good grief, it’s fiction, not real life! I had to laugh at myself.

O.k., I think the current practice of social distancing has become a norm for me. I’m wondering how authors are going to handle storylines set in these first months of 2020, and I’m thinking that they just might not want to refer to this time at all. Are there any stories that were set in the time of the Spanish flu?

KODAK MOMENTS

Do you have in your memory any of what my brother calls Kodak Moments? They’re scenes that you always remember because they’re beautiful, heart-warming, amazing, or even startling? I added a little one, a thumbnail shot, to my own Kodak pix file this weekend.

I gassed up the car, I was on low, and because I was just across the way from Publix, and I thought to stop in for apples. I’m pretty well stocked up, but I’d forgotten to replenish the apple supply. I got more bananas too. As I turned down an aisle on my way to the checkout I came face to face with a gal wearing a surgical mask. It startled me a bit - wow! I’ll always remember that sight. I know that I'm taking this epidemic seriously, and I have evidence that others are too: empty shelves. But that was the first time I'd encountered someone with a real sense of self-protection.

Someone here in suburban Indian Land is really taking all this COVID-19 seriously. She can’t know who might already have it, so she’s covering herself - in more ways than one. It’s really here. The virus is here, and masks, though the CDC an the FDA say they aren't necessary or truly effective, will soon become de rigueur. I’m thinking that those Muslim gals who wear the niqab are way ahead of the curve.

I read this by a reporter for The New York Times, “The sad thing is: most people — this has been true in every epidemic I’ve covered, whether it’s Zika in Puerto Rico or AIDS in South Africa — don’t believe in the disease until they see someone get sick and die from it, someone they know.”

Well, I know of the daughter of one of our editors. She’s in Paris, and she has the virus. Before I see it I do believe it.

Stay well, everyone.

THOUGHTS ON A VIRUS

Hello to all my readers. I've not posted for about three months. Working on our community magazine - writing and editing - is taking a lot of brain time. I'm writing quite a few articles at the cost of neglecting my blog. Whereas in the past I could post articles the magazine didn't use, now I could post articles already printed in the blog. I've even gone back to my posts to get material to print.

What prompted me to post today is a post from one of my favorite blogs French la Vie. Corey Amaro posts every day. Her post today is especially apt for these recent times. I had to pass it on to you, as she passed it on to her readers.

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“A little different perspective someone just posted. Just a few positive thoughts to contemplate.There is so much fear, and rightfully so, about COVID-19. And, what if...”

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If we subscribe to the philosophy that life is always working out for us, that there is an intelligence far greater than humans at work...

That all is interconnected.  

What if… 

the virus is here to help us?  

To reset.

To remember. 

What is truly important.

Reconnecting with family and community.

Reducing travel so that the environment, the skies, the air, our lungs all get a break. 

Parts of China are seeing blue sky and clouds for the first time in forever with the factories being shut down.

Working from home rather than commuting to work (less pollution, more personal time). 

Reconnecting with family as there is more time at home. 

An invitation to turn inwards -- a deep meditation -- rather than the usual extroverted going out to self-soothe. 

To reconnect with self -- what is really important to me? 

A reset economically.   

The working poor.  The lack of healthcare access for over 30 million in the US.  The need for paid sick leave.   

How hard does one need to work to be able to live, to have a life outside of work? 

And, washing our hands -- how did that become a "new" thing that we needed to remember.  But, yes, we did.  

The presence of Grace for all.   

There is a shift underway in our society -- what if it is one that is favorable for us?

What if this virus is an ally in our evolution?  

In our remembrance of what it means to be connected, humane, living a simpler life, to be less impactful/ more kind to our environment. 

An offering from my heart this morning.  Offered as another perspective.  Another way of relating to this virus, this unfolding, this evolution. 

It was time for a change, we all knew that. 

And, change has arrived.  

What if...

- Gutpreet Gill

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