Little Nell's Funeral

Allo folksies, Fourth day in the NaBloPoMo December daily blog posting thingamabob. only 27 more blogs to go. Here's the rest of the story!

ஜ~§Quote of the Day§~ஜ

What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?Henry David Thoreau

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

How does playing video games give you an edge in real life?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Divisive
PRONUNCIATION: [di·vi·sive] adj.
MEANING: Creating dissension or discord; Causing disagreement or hostility within a group so that it is likely to split.
ETYMOLOGY: c.1374, from O.Fr. division, from L. divisionem (nom. divisio), from divid-, stem of dividere
USAGE: "Culture is after all a dainty and divisive quality, and can not reach to the depths of humanity."

ஜ~§What I'm Reading§~ஜ

Nora Roberts: The Pagan Stone

Synopsis: Shared nightmares, visions of blood and fire, and random violence plague the longtime friends andQuinn, Layla, and Cybil, the women bound to them by Fate. None of them can ignore the fact that, this year, the demon has grown stronger -- feeding off the terror it creates. But now the three pieces of the bloodstone have been fused back together. If only they could figure out how to use it.

A gambling man like Gage has no trouble betting on his crew to find a way. And though he and Cybil share the gift of seeing the future, that's all they have in common. Were they to take their flirtation to the next level, it would be on their own terms, not because Fate decreed it. but Gage knows that a woman like Cybil -- with her brains and strength and devastating beauty -- can only bring him luck. Whether it's good or bad has yet to be determined -- and could mean the difference between absolute destruction or an end to the nightmare for Hawkins Hollow.

ஜ~§What I'm Watching§~ஜ

Tonight is: Ugly Betty, Smallville, Grey's Anatomy, Supernatural and ER.

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Little Nell's Funeral
some reformatted paragraphs from The Old Curiosity Shop
And now the bell, -- the bell
She had so often heard by night and day
And listened to with solemn pleasure,
E'en as a living voice, --
Rung its remorseless toll for her,
So young, so beautiful, so good.
Decrepit age, and vigorous life,
And blooming youth, and helpless infancy,
Poured forth, -- on crutches, in the pride of strength
And health, in the full blush
Of promise, the mere dawn of life, --
To gather round her tomb. Old men were there,
Whose eyes were dim
And senses failing, --
Grandames, who might have died ten years ago,
And still been old, -- the deaf, the blind, the lame,
The palsied,
The living dead in many shapes and forms,
To see the closing of this early grave.
What was the death it would shut in,
To that which still could crawl and keep above it!
Along the crowded path they bore her now;
Pure as the new fallen snow
That covered it; whose day on earth
Had been as fleeting.
Under that porch, where she had sat when Heaven
In mercy brought her to that peaceful spot,
She passed again, and the old church
Received her in its quiet shade.
They carried her to one old nook,
Where she had many and many a time sat musing,
And laid their burden softly on the pavement.
The light streamed on it through
The colored window, -- a window where the boughs
Of trees were ever rustling
In the summer, and where the birds
Sang sweetly all day long.
Charles Dickens

ஜ~§Recipe of the Day§~ஜ

Thai Beef Salad

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons fish sauce or reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 head iceberg lettuce, halved, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
3/4 pound sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and thinly sliced
3 jalapeno or serrano chili peppers, seeded and minced
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 orange, peeled and white pith removed, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

Stir together fish sauce (or soy sauce) and brown sugar in a small bowl. Arrange lettuce on a platter or individual plates.

Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir-fry beef, in batches, until browned on the outside and still pink inside, 30 seconds to 1 minute per batch. Spoon over lettuce.

Add the remaining 1 tsp. oil to the skillet and cook chili peppers, onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the fish-sauce (or soy-sauce) mixture and bring to a boil, stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in orange and cilantro. Spoon over lettuce and beef, sprinkle peanuts over top and serve warm.

Brightest Blessings,

~S~