Petrified Forest Trail, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
Dear Readers,
It's mega high time that I write to you, so I'll jump in, now that the muse has struck. I'm leaving the "Pandemic Times Ponderings" newsletter title behind us. Hopefully that'll be another push in the right direction of not-quite-there-yet post pandemic life!
I've been down under these past six months, trying to muddle through the stress that was piling up:
- By early May the diagnosis of celiac disease loomed for me. End of March I had begun to feel lousy, which eventually sent me on a quest to figure out why. By mid-June celiac was confirmed by blood test, endoscopy and genetic test. So I had to say good-bye to my beloved bread, yeast dough, thoughts of eating pretzels in
Germany or sesame bread rings in Jerusalem, should I ever be so lucky to travel there again. But you know what? After a few days of moping, I realized that I could do this gluten-free diet. Not that I really had a choice, it's the only way to get well again if you have celiac. I was already used to not putting every food in my mouth: I keep kosher, and for the past four years I stick, most of the time, to a low-sugar diet. So now I
"just" have to watch out for one more thing, which, thanks to all the gluten-free products on the market, is really only a challenge when eating out. And that we do rarely anyway!
- End of June I left my job of 12 years. It was uncanny how much stress that job had caused me, even though I worked only part-time as the editor for my kids' former school. The pandemic had much to do with it: The job got so much harder because I wasn't on the premises. The teamwork I'd always cherished was gone; the colleague I loved working with left; my phone
turned into a never-ending stream of work. Plus I took on the social media management, which became a source of daily pressure.
- July and early August were spent coaching my ADD-afflicted son through finishing two college incompletes and a summer online class. I've never done anything that laden with inner tension! Trying to meet deadlines while not being the one who executes the work was way more stress than meeting my publishing deadlines in the job I'd just given up! We did make all the
deadlines, and mid-August we packed him back off to college. Hopefully, with the support I got him, and being back in the classroom, it will be easier for him to manage his college life. Online school was just a disaster for him. I am sure many of you can relate! He's a junior now but it really doesn't feel like that. He lost 1.5 years of college life.
Looking west from a rest stop on I-94, somewhere between Bismarck and Fargo in North Dakota
After that pile-up of stress, my husband, daughter and I hit the road to visit North Dakota.
Our original plan of traveling to Israel in August had fallen through as that country is still closed to us foreigners. But we still needed to get away and see something new. I longed for wide open horizons, and wide open horizons we did see a plenty! My main goal, though, was to finally visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I love the badlands and have been to Badlands National Park in South Dakota several
times, but TRNP is just so remote, so far away from any other site, I'd never been able to include it in other road trips out west. So we finally did a road trip just to see TRNP. Along the way, we fell in love with North Dakota.
Looking west a rest stop along I-94 between Fargo and Bismarck,
Writing Family History Prompt:
Write about a family road trip.
On the Caprock Coulee Trail at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Unit
We really had a grand trip, and I'll be sharing photo essays of our adventures and discoveries in upcoming blog posts. Follow me on Instagram to already see some pics!
Speaking of Instagram: Could you please let me know where you prefer to hang out on Social Media? Just click here. Thanks!
I am asking because I am currently working on my next venture, namely offering my expertise in memoir writing, and specifically, writing family history stories, in online courses. Obviously creating an online business means growing my online presence, so I want to be where you are!
Becoming a solopreneur is a bit scary, I have to admit. It all rests on me! So I'm taking a class by the ever resourceful Susannah Conway to help me create a business that's me, and that I'll be able to sustain. I'll be sharing my process along
the way in this newsletter, on my blog, and on Instagram and Facebook. Stay tuned! As always, I'll be grateful for your support, ideas and comments.
In the meantime, I do have a live Zoom workshop coming up that you're welcome to join:
Shaping Family History into Compelling Stories
Wednesday, November 17, 10:00 a.m. - noon CST
Hosted by Congregation Beth El
Thankfully my new gluten-free diet does not prohibit me from making and enjoying glorious soups! I only have to steer clear of consommé mixes that contain some kind of gluten.
Chunky Curried Butternut Squash Soup
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Butternut squash, its color, smell and taste, are quintessentially fall.
I realized that years ago when I once made this soup in March, using a butternut squash that had lasted all winter. Wrong season! Just cutting it up I felt out of place.
So, to savor my favorite season, I always make this butternut squash soup come October.
Even though I love it, I used to push off making this soup as I find peeling it cumbersome. However, the soup is so worth it that I’ve accepted the nuisance of getting out my potato peeler to rid it off its tough skin. Thanks to that skin, butternut squash lasts forever on my kitchen window sill.
For this recipe you need (in addition to the ingredients below):
- A good hour to prepare and roast the squash before you assemble the soup.
- A potato masher and baking sheet, plus the usual soup-making items
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That's it for today. Do write back if you feel like it, and let me know how you've been doing over the past few months.
Be well, stay safe and healthy!
Best wishes,
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