One Minute Wit
Baking Tips
by Chef Mark Starlin
When making a cake,
be sure you don’t accidentally mistake a bag of cement mix for flour.
50-Word Story
A Rose Grows
Rose hated her name. It seemed so old-fashioned and out of place on the concrete streets of the city.
Rose studied hard, and after college, got a job outside of the city. Way outside. Montana.
Rose met a man who was part cowboy, part poet. He said, “It suits you.”
Kind Of Like A Poem But Not
The Mountain Man
There once was a mighty mountain.
It rose high in the fine state of California.
High enough to laugh at the heat of the desert below and frequently clothe itself with a blanket of snow.
Many a man admired its beauty and dreamed of living on it.
There once was a mighty man who said,
“I will conquer that mountain.
I will build a cabin.
I will raise a family.
I will be a good man.
People will know my name.”
Well, I forget his name.
But I am glad he built the cabin I live in.
And I am glad I learned to play the harmonica.
Mountain men should be able to play harmonica.
Inspired by my brother, a mountain man.
Remembering Childhood
Do You Remember That Winter?
The snow fell silent and heavy. As I watched out my window, the midnight moon cast its reflective glow on a cascade of infinitely different flakes, illuminating them and filling me with a sense of wonder.
Through the night, the sky never relented. Perhaps it was enchanted with its own creation and could not bear to stop.
By morning, all schools were closed, to the great delight of every human of school-attending age. It would be a day of snowmen, snow angels, snow forts, snowball fights, sledding, cold hands, wet feet, and rosy cheeks. In other words, heaven.
After putting on many layers of clothing and struggling with snow boots, we were ready to fully embrace this winter wonderland. Sledding was, of course, our first priority. So we headed to the hill awaiting in the field at the end of our street. The snow was piled higher than I had ever seen.
We began climbing a snowdrift. The climb seemed to take forever. Our overabundance of clothing made the climb even more difficult. Eventually, we reached the top. We were getting light-headed. Not just from the climb, but because we realized we had reached the Moon.
We figured we were high enough for a good run, so we started sledding back down. Along the way, we both started getting a little peckish. Fortunately, we noticed we were getting close to the International Space Station. So we stopped for lunch. Which wasn’t very tasty. But we were polite and said, “Thank you for lunch.” Then we got back on our sleds and kept going.
It was an epic ride. On more than one occasion we had to dodge mountain goats heading up. And I am pretty sure we passed a Yeti.
Finally, we got back down to Earth, hit a bump, and flew off our sleds, and rolled in the snow. We laughed and pulled the snow out of our shirt collars. Then you said, “Aw, Man. We should have taken a selfie when we were on the Moon.”
So we started climbing back up. But then the sun came out and the snow started melting.
Remember that?
I grew up in Michigan, so this was an annual event (except the selfie part.) 😉
Happy Monday.
Mark
I do remember that winter! Great story, Mark!!!
Re: “Do You Remember That Winter?” — it was all good until near the end. Selfie? What? Kids in the 20th Century? 🤔 But I see you recognized the anachronism. 👍