A frustrating day

It's been a very frustrating day as far as writing's concerned.  I got up shortly after 3 a.m. because I just couldn't sleep, but found I couldn't write, either - my creative muse had abandoned me and gone off somewhere on her own.  I filled in the time by carrying on with the cleaning up, sorting out and disposing of stuff that's been ongoing since we moved house a few months ago.  I'd like to be finished with that process by the end of the year, but it'll probably take longer than that.  We'll have cut down our possessions by close to half when it's all over - an essential prelude to likely moves in future.  If you can't afford to pay someone to pack and move everything, your only alternative is to travel light!

I'm also having to scale back my involvement with helping disabled and handicapped people to learn to shoot.  In one sense, that's the product of past successes, in that a number of people in other cities around the country are now teaching such students in their own areas.  That's very good to see.  On the other hand, my own partial disability and other demands on my time have meant that I simply can't do as much in that area as I used to.  That's a sad thought, but that's life, isn't it?  As Teddy Roosevelt famously advised, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are".  When you can't, or don't have, find something else you can do.  (On the other hand, reducing my activities in that area means I can dispose of several firearms that I've used to teach others.  That'll help reduce the ammo I need to keep in stock, and the bulk and weight of things I have to move.)

This evening's supper produced another amusing insight into American food.  I cooked a meaty beanless chili for Miss D. and myself as part of the high-protein, low-carb diet we're following at the moment (which is already showing encouraging signs of early success).  To my surprise my wife wasn't happy with the chili, saying that it might work as a pasta sauce but it certainly wasn't chili as she understood it - too much liquid.  I explained to her that this is how I was taught to make chili in Louisiana and south-east Texas when I came to this country.  We had a long and amusing discussion about chili as it's found in different parts of the country, and she's promised to make me chili her way - so thick that when it cools, you can cut it into slabs with a knife.  As far as I'm concerned that'll make it meatloaf rather than chili, but we'll see . . .

I'll try to be more creative tomorrow, and put up some more blog posts.  Until then, sleep well, y'all.

Peter