#WeekendCoffeeShare A Date With Dates

July 8, 2017 — #healthfood, #weekendcoffeeshare, cuisine, dates

dessert from the desert

20 pounds of dates

If we were having coffee this weekend in Tucson, I would try to cool you off and ask you to join in a rain dance before you go.  Our wildfires are very hard to control with no rain, so things are out of hand here in Arizona.  I know the weather is warm all over this summer, but we are truly surrounded by a burning ring of fire. We went out early this morning to a produce distribution near our home.  Our produce haul this week includes a 20 pound box of fresh dates.  They are beautiful.  Please help yourself to some while I pour you some iced tea. I will be studying Pinterest for date recipes to try that do not include baking…it is too hot for that. Sit back and tell me how your week and your writing has gone.  Is your muse treating you well?

If we were having coffee I would tell you I am really enjoying that Audible subscription I purchased.  I am tearing through the books, and loving the podcasts.  I may disable myself from true reading with my own eyes, but I think it is super fun to have a great voice read to me.  It is the perfect companion for my job.  I continue to learn more every time I go to work.  Yesterday I learned exactly where the big mesquite tree branch is in the parking lot.  I was leaving work, obviously kind of distracted, and backed right into said tree branch.  I had a long way to drive home with a shattered rear window, and later discovered body damage on the door that will require repair.  I had to stay calm while hoping my window would not drop out on the road behind me in severe heat. I made it into my garage, had some exchange with the insurance company, then slept on it.

Of course I wish I had not damaged my car, but I always ask “Compared to what?” I did not hurt anyone else or anyone else’s car.  I do have insurance coverage to repair the damage.  I reflected on the central messages of my most recent audio books…I decided this accident was the flash of reality I needed to sell this car and get a much smaller more efficient model. I can save money on my insurance premiums by purchasing a small car, so I am going shopping for a Prius.  I think it will be fun, and will suit my present lifestyle much better.  I am not in a big rush.  I have to get my car fixed in order to trade it in. This turns out to be some kind of turning point that will not require a dark night of the soul, just a car purchase. That is why it is an excellent idea to listen to Buddhist philosophy before you smash your rear window.  Since one never knows when one may smash a window, it is always good to listen to the Buddha.  The same might be said of death. Nothing is more valuable than equanimity.

How is your writing?  I am still enjoying tea reviews and weed Wednesday.  I shot some footage yesterday to use next Wednesday that I think will turn out well. My short fiction this week was again kind of gloomy and dystopian. The memoir book has been very helpful to me as a guide to creating fiction.  I have not written much of it, and have not thought about character development and story arc, etc.  Like my poetry, I have miles to go before I create my masterpiece, but I find the journey interesting and stimulating.

Speaking of stimulating, have some more iced tea.  I have Peppermint Butler brewed for a cool zing and a caffeine buzz. It pairs well with the dates.  If you know any simple, bacon free (I am a vegetarian), date recipes please let me know.  I think I might attempt date chutney, but I am low on ideas beyond that.

Please stay hydrated during your visit to our hellish weather. Visit our hostess, Emily, at Nerd In The Brain to stay in touch with this digital party.  Share your own post, drink some coffee, and let us know what is happening in your life.

#WeekednCoffeeShare

Since this is a digital and moveable feast, next weekend we will converge in New Orleans at the blog of our original coffee share hostess, ParttimeMonster.   We do this through the magic of the internet.  Thanks for stopping in today.

#WeekendCoffeeShare

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