SWAN ART + FISH TACOS + TRIVIA + SOCRATES WISDOM
Wednesday greetings –
Shazam (!) and just like that May has arrived!
Time (weeks, months) seems to pass and sneak up fast.
Presenting Wednesday Reader full of fun and fascination.
Beginning with:
LESLIE ELMAN’S TRIVIA AND FASCINATING FACTS
Mittens + famous writers’ being rejected + porcupines. Intriguing.
QUICK QUESTION
I didn’t or don’t recall every having an imaginary friend as a kid. However, I remember my grandma telling stories about Boo-Boo-Shorty – the imaginary friend my uncle had as a kid. Funny! Did you have an imaginary friend as a kid?
SOCRATES ON GOSSIP
Is a straight-up thinking piece. I sure am gonna mind my words before uttering anything called “gossip” from this day forward!
FISH TACO RECIPE
Is outstanding! Give it 30 minutes of your time in the kitchen and reap/eat the reward.
LAUGHED OUT LOUD
At Tracy Beckerman’s column. As Always. She’s a talented, hoot of a writer!
THANKS ALL FOR SLIDING BY TODAY
We appreciate you + sharing + caring + commenting. HUGE
Shout out to Linda and Joanne – 2 new subscribers to Daymaker Readable Art Community!
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
CATCH YA FRIDAY
SAME TIME
SAME PLACE
READY?
SET.
HERE WE GO!
POP QUIZ
- WHICH COLORED GEMSTONE IS A VARIETY OF THE MINERAL BERYL?
a) Emerald
b) Lapis Lazuli
c) Ruby
d) Sapphire - “Six of One,” “Across the Hall” and “Insomnia Cafe” WERE REJECTED TITLES FOR WHAT LONG-RUNNING SITCOM?
a) “Frasier”
b) “Friends”
c) “Seinfeld”
d) “Two and a Half Men” - THE PORCUPINE IS USED AS A SYMBOL FOR WHAT ORGANIZATION?
a) AFL-CIO
b) Greenpeace
c) The Libertarian Party
d) Phi Beta Kappa
QUICK QUESTION
DID YOU HAVE AN IMAGINARY
FRIEND AS A KID?
POP QUIZ ANSWERS
- Emerald is is a variety of the mineral beryl.
- “Six of One,” “Across the Hall” and “Insomnia Cafe” were rejected titles for “Friends.”
- The porcupine is a symbol for the Libertarian Party.
~ Leslie Elman, Trivia Bits
COPYRIGHT 2024 LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
SOCRATES TELLS A STORY ABOUT GOSSIP
And the story goes:
In ancient Greece (469-399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.
One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, “Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?”
“Wait a moment,” Socrates replied. “Before you tell me I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test.”
“Triple Filter?” said the man.
“That’s right,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my student, let’s take a moment to filter about what you’re going to say. The first filter is TRUTH. Have you made absolutely sure that what you’re about to tell me is true?”
“No,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it and …”
“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of GOODNESS. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?”
“No, on the the contrary,” said the man.
“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about my student, even though you’re not certain it’s true?”
The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.
Socrates continued. “You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter – the filter of USEFULNESS. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?”
“No, not really.”
“Well,” concluded Socrates, “If what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell me at all?”
The man was defeated and ashamed.
This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.
~ Author unknown ~
from my wonderful collection of emails – 2008
BE LIKE A SWAN,
PADDLING MADLY UNDERNEATH THE WATER
BUT APPEARING SO GRACEFUL AND
ELEGANT ON THE SURFACE.
INSTANT KARMA
EXPRESS GLEE
RIDDLE ME THIS
I NEVER LEAVE THE WATER, BUT I
BREATHE AIR. I LIVE IN A SCHOOL ALL MY LIFE.
WHAT AM I?
FISH TACOS
These tacos are fantastic!
Plate them with seasoned black beans, a tiny little “side salad” of thinly sliced iceberg lettuce topped with super small diced fresh tomatoes, lime wedges and salsa verde = green salsa.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound fresh fish, such as salmon, tilapia, mahi-mahi, or any flaky, white fish
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil, plus additional oil for the tortillas
- juice of 2 limes
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 large jalapeno, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
- 8 white corn tortillas
- salt and pepper to taste
- lime wedges
NOW WE PREPARE:
- Dice the fish into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, minced jalapeno, minced cilantro leaves, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin.
- Add the fish chunks and gently stir in.
- Let marinate for about 20 minutes.
IN A SKILLET OVER MEDIUM-HIGH HEAT
- Add the cooking oil and blanch the tortillas, one at a time, in hot oil until the tortillas are soft – about 20 seconds per side. Add more oil if necessary.
- Place the softened tortillas on a paper-towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
REMOVE EXCESS OIL FROM SKILLET AND RETURN TO MEDIUM HEAT
- Add the fish mixture and cook for about 10 minutes, until cooked through.
DIVIDE
- Cooked fish and place an equal amount on each of the 8 corn tortillas.
- Fold the tortillas into a taco shape and place on pretty medium size plates – 2 – 3 per plate
SERVE WITH
- Seasoned black beans
- Tiny handful of iceberg lettuce topped with diced tomatoes
- Salsa Verde
- Fresh lime wedges
- Frosty mugs filled with Cerveza (!)
RIDDLE ANSWER
A DOLPHIN
LOST IN SUBURBIA
THAT’S THE WAY THE BALL BOUNCES
BY TRACY BECKERMAN
“I saw you throwing the ball for the dog outside this morning,” I said to my husband. He was making himself some eggs while the dog lay panting on the floor.
“I did!” he said enthusiastically.
“You used the wrong ball,” I said, walking past him to pet the panting dog.
“What do you mean?”
“You threw the green ball that has the treats inside,” I said. “You’re supposed to throw the yellow ball with no treats.”
“What are you, the Fetch Police?” he said as he flipped his omelet.
“No, but when you use the green ball, the treats inside get dirt and dog drool all over them.”
He shook his head at me. “I don’t understand. Don’t the treats get dog drool all over them when the dog eats them?”
“Yes. But this is dirty dog drool.”
“Is there such a thing as clean dog drool?” he asked.
“I’m serious.”
“I’m not going to stop using the green ball,” he said defiantly. “It has a better bounce than the yellow ball, and he likes to catch it on the bounce.”
I glared at him.
“BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO WASH IT, AND IT RUINS THE TREATS INSIDE!” I bellowed. I stormed out of the room, then stopped, turned and yelled over my shoulder, “AND THEY’RE ORGANIC!”
I shouldn’t belittle the importance of this topic. The dog’s favorite toy is the green rubber ball with the treats inside. When he pushes it across the floor with his nose, the treats will come out of a hole on each end. According to the dog toy people, this is supposed to be very intellectually stimulating for dogs, which would mean at least one-third of the family was being intellectually stimulated while the other two-thirds were fighting over dog balls.
The problem was, when my husband threw the green ball outside, it would get filthy and the treats inside would also get filthy and wet, and they wouldn’t come out when the dog pushed his ball across the floor. Then I’d have to fish out the dirty, wet treats from a little hole in the ball with my pinky finger and be really annoyed because, clearly, this is the most pressing issue on the planet right now.
I stewed in the other room for a while but then realized it would be best if we tried to be adults and worked on our ball issues.
“Honey, I’m sorry I barked at you about the dog balls,” I said as I came back in the room. “It’s stupid. And really, I’m just thankful that, with everything that’s going on in the world, we have each other.”
“And I’m thankful for you, too,” he said, then kissed me. “The dog has a lot to be thankful for, too.”
“Why’s that?” I said.
He smiled. “At least he has two balls.”
~ Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble.
COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM
Fascinating Stuff
FASCINATING STUFF
- Scrofula is a swelling of the lymph nodes related to tuberculosis. From the 12th century until as recently as the 19th century in England and France, it was known as “King’s Evil,” because people believed that a touch from the king could cure it. Weird but true: People clamored to see the reigning monarch hoping to be touched and healed. It’s estimated that England’s King Charles II touched more than 96,000 sufferers over the course of his 25-year reign, each of whom was given a small medallion to signify they’d received the healing touch.
- The tale of J.K. Rowling’s 12 rejections for the first book in her Harry Potter series is widely told, but Rowling’s tally seems minimal compared with other writers’ collections of rejections. Sylvia Plath, the esteemed poet and author received nearly 50 rejections from Seventeen magazine alone before her story, “And Summer Will Not Come Again,” was published there in 1950. Jack London collected some 600 rejection letters in his career. They’re in the museum collection at Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, California.
- Among the many cultural treasures that Latvians hold dear, knitted mittens incorporating symbols from Latvian folklore might be the most charming. Traditionally, a Latvian bride’s dowry would have included dozens of pairs of mittens to be given to her new family. Today, mittens still are given as tokens of affection and respect on important occasions. That’s why when NATO held a summit in Riga in 2006, Latvians knitted 4,500 pairs of mittens as gifts for the delegates.
- The best places on Earth for unobstructed, unadulterated views of the night sky are natural areas that are free of light pollution. DarkSky (formerly known as the International Dark-Sky Association) maintains a list of them — from !Ae!Hai Kalahari Heritage Park in South Africa to Zselic National Landscape Protetction Area in Hungary. The towns of Castle Valley, Utah, and Jonestown, Texas, as well as the Oregon Outback region in eastern Lake county made the list earlier this year.
- Porcupines are excellent tree climbers. With their waddling gait, they might not look agile, but they can shinny up a tree trunk, strip it of its bark and continue on to the upper branches, where whey will feed on leaves or evergreen needles. Often, porcupines will nest in trees to be close to their food source and safe from predators, but their chubby bodies pose a functional dilemma: Not only do porcupines live in trees, but they also tend to fall out of them.
~Leslie ELman, Trivia Bits
COPYRIGHT 2024
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
The idea of a chubby porcupine climbing a tree made me chuckle. And the idea of said porcupine falling out of the tree – well, a wincing chuckle 😉
“Fish Tacos” on the Daymaker headline grabbed my attention and the recipe did not disappoint. As a hardened fish taco addict – no, I don’t need any help thank you – I devour recipes for same and loved that this one has a tangy rather than a creamy sauce. Can’t wait to try! And now that my better half has finally tasted – and liked – fish tacos that opportunity will be soon. Yay!
Also enjoyed the wisdom of Socrates and the swan proverb and art.
Happy Day!
Power to the chubby porcupines that can climb trees and make us chuckle thinking about such! Ha
Fish Tacos won’t disappoint – especially if you’re a hardened fish taco fan!
Socrates wisdom is a “tuck in the back of our minds” thing for sure! Same – swan proverb.
Thanks HUGE for your love and support and valuable input to Daymaker via sharing + caring.
Your beautiful writing skills and thoughts totally add to the episodes.
HAPPINESS
Daymaker asks if we had an imaginary friend when growing up? Great question to think about. However the answer is NO. I had 5 brothers that kept me well entertained.
Now for Porcupines climbing trees? Never did I imagine such a thing. We had porcupines on the ranch that an occasional cow and even our dog got a mouth full of painful quills that had to be pulled out with pliers, however looking for a porcupine in a tree never occurred to me. Porcupines have my respect. They have no patience for nonsense!
Hahahaha, Marty !
No doubt 5 brothers kept you well entertained. Fun stuff and memories.
Regarding porcupines — thumbs up to “they have no patience for nonsense” and have your full respect! Agree.
We appreciate ya.