A Poem about Caring for Others

Ana and Clio, and sometimes Matt and Julio, volunteer regularly at the local community center and soup kitchen. On Ana's planet, Thomo, such matters are effectively dealt with by family groups, the clans, and she finds it hard to understand how so many of us are willing to leave such important services to other people.

The poem "People Who Take Care," by Nancy Henry, made her weep. A fair amount of her philanthropic funds are devoted to fostering community organization.

She and Matt have had many conversations about the way so many people on Earth put money before everything else. Matt couldn't be optimistic about the effects of her efforts. He showed her a quotation in the Oxford English Dictionary from 1688: "Money will make the pot boyl though the Devil Piss in the Fyre." Clearly, it isn't a new problem.

NOTICE: Sadly, links to some poems in Ana's blog have been taken down. But there are often other ways! Please see the workaround!

The poem closest to Ana's heart

A poem about daughters grabs Ana
TWO poems about children hit Ana hard

A poem about getting things done

A love poem to a cat

A poem about an animal makes Ana weepy

A poem Ana loved after watching her husband rehang a door

A Valentine's Day love poem

Lots more in the right column under the photo of the LOVE sculpture.
Meet Ana Darcy!

Language Quiz Answers

Once again, we consulted a language expert for our replies to Ana's questions.

1. As for ginger/finger/singer, English spellling versus pronunciation is an old, old problem. It started about the time printing did, in the late 1400s. Printing tended to fix the spelling and pronunciation of the time, even though the spoken language has been changing ever since. For the most part, spelling changes have lagged behind, because they've been printed. Thus, for example, we need the "silent e" simply to signal the difference in the vowels in words like "sit" and "site," or "bat" and "bate." That's all the "silent e" does--denote a different preceding vowel.

With "ginger," "finger," and "singer," we don't have enough symbols in the written language to properly render the way the words are said. The International Phonetic Alphabet has the symbols, but few people know those. So we simply have to learn to pronounce the words correctly despite their spelling.

2. Ajo is "garlic." Oja is "leaf." Ojo is "eye."

3. English has more than ten vowels. The number depends on the dialect of English.

4. The English verb has two tenses. That's correct: two.

Any questions? Comments?

Recipe: Potato Pizza

In Distant Cousin: Regeneration, Ana's friend and bodyguard, Rob Coombs, discovers that a pizza made with no tomato sauce and slices of potato can be a wonderful thing. If you haven't tried one, it's easy and delicious.

It's always best to make your own pizza dough, and to let it rise. Coat it with a little olive oil, add thin slices of raw potato, fresh mozarella, garlic, and sprigs of fresh rosemary. Bake!

Language Quiz Time!

Ana, being a non-native English speaker and Spanish speaker, as well as a few others, naturally notices odd things that we natives might not see.

1. For example, she notes the spelling of these three words is very similar, yet the pronunciations are different. Why is this, she asks?

ginger finger singer


2. Here are several Spanish words that gave her trouble for a while. Can anyone match them up with their meaning?

ojo garlic

ajo leaf

oja eye


3. How many vowel sounds does English have?

5

6

7

8

more than 10


4. How many tenses does the English verb have?

2

5

7

more than 7

Answers HERE.

Two More Love Poems

If you know anything about Ana you know she likes love poems. Here are two sweet ones whose images appealed to her, the one partly because of late-night air travel, and the other, well, it just appealed to her and let's leave it at that. It can be said, however, that she does love the music of Boccherini.

****NOTE: these links have been taken down, but there is still hope for finding these fine poems. See here, please!

"Night Flight," by George Bilgere

"Quietly," by Kenneth Rexroth

Many more, in the right column under the LOVE sculpture!

Now, meet Ana Darcy!

Korean Carne Al Pastor?

Carne al pastor is a Mexican dish of shredded bits of marinated pork and beef, grilled, on a fresh tortilla with diced onions, shredded cilantro, and salsa as an added option. (A good choice for the salsa may be found here.) It is a wonderful dish.

Ana Darcy Mendez cleverly modified this recipe in Distant Cousin: Regeneration. Creative cooks might wish to experiment with her idea.

She used only shredded pork, and caramelized it. That is, not to get too specific, the pork is sauteed with a little salt, a little sugar, and a little butter until a sauce is formed and the bits of meat become browned and take on a nutty flavor. The meat is spooned into a fresh tortilla (flour or corn--your choice), and a second sauce is added on top, made of toasted, crushed sesame seeds and chopped cilantro leaves, mixed with a little key lime juice. As near as we can tell, this is apparently an item of Korean cuisine which she has adapted into the New Mexican style.

We welcome pictures and accounts of anyone's results!

MORE exotic recipe ideas in the right column under the photo of cranberry-apple pie, including:

Ana's Chinese/TexMex/Italian fritattas

Ana's Thai-style coconut shrimp

Ana's near disaster in the kitchen: improvising under pressure

Pizza experiments!

Now, meet Ana Darcy!

Whoa! Good news? Bad news?

This just in! We have been contacted by readers of Distant Cousin: Regeneration, with their reactions. They all loved it, but one reader said the parts dealing with (spoilers omitted) gave him nightmares. Another said she gasped out loud when she got to the part where Ana (spoiler omitted). She was reading in a doctor's waiting room at the time and hoped the people around her realized she was merely enjoying a good story. A third said the scenes at the (spoiler omitted) and the (spoiler omitted) actually made her weep. She was riding the subway at that point, and, like the previous reader, hoped those nearby would understand it was because of a book.

Full disclosure: the first reader grew up in El Paso. Once you've read Distant Cousin: Regeneration, you'll understand.