17. May 2009 by Gennyfer.

My music taste is varied. I think I can find something I’d be willing to listen to in almost any genre. I’m not refined or cool when it comes to what I like but I am enthusiastic. My early memories are filled with musicians jamming in our house. While there were many things that were off in my childhood this is one of the happier memories. The creation of music, whether it evolves in to something good or never quite gets there is fascinating to me. Beyond a few childhood attempts at learning to play I haven’t followed this fascination in to making music of my own but I love listening.

I’m not much in to funk really. There are funk songs I like but I can’t name many. It would be strange for me to have had this long standing wish to see George Clinton & the Parliament-Funkadelic or to even know who they are. Unless you know the connection to one of my earliest music obsessions. One of the things I loved about the concert I saw last night reminded me of why I ended up there. George Clinton is a giving artist. He lifts up young artists and gives them a start in what can be such a cut throat industry. The whole group takes turn stepping back and allowing each other to shine. Years ago they did this for Prince. Whatever he learned from them musically, it seems,  Prince also learned how to share the stage and promote other artists. Listening to Prince when I was in high school and beyond has broadened my musical tastes. He’s turned me on to many other musicians and he created this longstanding wish to see George Clinton & the Parliament Funkadelic in me.

I loved the show. I loved knowing I had made it there after years of wishful thinking. Most of all I loved these two artists:

Kendra Foster who sang lead vocals on Bounce to This

Sativa, the granddaughter of the great George Clinton himself. She really smoked it in the song Otherside

They are both artists worth watching.

Posted in Thoughts | 1 Comment »

10. May 2009 by Gennyfer.

Start with the potatoes.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

6 red potatoes cubed

2 Tbs Olive Oil

2 tsps Crushed Rosemary
2 tsps Paul Prudhomme’s Meat Magic (this is the most perfect seasoning ever IMO)

Salt & Pepper to taste.

Pre-Heat oven to 375

Mix ingredients in a large bowl to coat the potatoes. Spread potatoes on a baking sheet. Set aside bowl.

Bake potatoes 30 - 45 minute turning every 15 minutes until fork tender. Broil the potatoes for 3 - 5 minutes turning once to get them browned & crispy.

Kielbasa Frittata

1 lb Keilbasa cut in to bite sized pieces

8 oz frozen peppers & onions.

8 eggs

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Salt & pepper to taste.

Cook kielbasa on high in a pan with a 1/4 cup of water. Stir frequently. After about 3 minutes add onions and peppers. Stir frequently. Cook until most of the liquid is gone before adding the eggs.

Meanwhile, beat eggs in the bowl saved from the potatoes. Add cheddar cheese to the eggs. Pour egg mixture in to kielbasa pan, turn the heat down to low. Stir to evenly mix. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese, salt, and pepper. Broil for 2 - 3 minutes.

Posted in recipes | 1 Comment »

6. May 2009 by Gennyfer.

I heard that you were having research done on this issue and had not yet made a decision. One of the reasons for this according to the news report was that you wanted to be sure that the rhetoric about rights not being equal was true, that civil unions are really not providing enough protections for same-sex couples.

I say it does not matter if all the rhetoric is true. It does not matter if every right is available in a civil union that is afforded to a married couple. What matters is the perception to my children, who are growing up right now viewing all of our societies romantic visions of marriage, that some couples do not get to achieve this dream. It is never easy to be in a minority. Singling out a minority and forcing them to use a different term for so momentous an event and such a vital dynamic part of our societal structure would make life more difficult. Corralling and marginalizing any part of our society weakens the fiber of the vision for democracy woven by our founding fathers.

I do not know if any of my five children or the nephew that lives with me is homosexual. I do know that they are the greatest pieces of my heart and the vision for the future that I will leave on this planet when I am gone. I do not know if they will ever directly benefit from this bill you will have before you soon, perhaps today, but I do know that my greatest desire for my children is that no doors are closed for them or any one else’s child before they have a chance to choose whether or not they want to walk through it.

Please Governor Baldacci open that door so that no one I love, no one at all, has to choose a second class version of marriage.

Posted in Political | 1 Comment »

6. May 2009 by Gennyfer.

      The kind of mother I am? One who says go for it despite the inner voice that shouts clean up will be awful. Confession time: Some of Suzanne’s are still on. We scrub with oil at bath time but her skin gets so red I don’t push it too far. By summer I suspect her tummy will be clean.

Love, as ever,

Gennyfer

Posted in Pictured | 2 Comments »

5. May 2009 by Gennyfer.

     Feeling sort of boxed in thematically by my blogs at Crazymom.com and Raising Maine has led me to do some writing over here. I enjoy writing on a parenting theme at RM and Crazymom is a strange labor of love but it can get very intense at times. Deliberate Living is a place for me to reflect on broader aspects of my life. Deep thoughts, fun fluff. Whatever I’m writing inside my head that I have time to extract to written word, that does not fit in my other two blogs, will pop up here.

    I set up the domain Deliberate Living a few years ago with some intention to do something more with it than I’ve done. My mother passed away, I started graduate school, we moved a family of 9 from Maryland and Pennsylvania to Maine. Life got more complex for a time, my focus was scattered. Now, here I sit “pen in hand” as it would have been said before computers, ready to make something of this Deliberate Living thing.

 Love, as ever,

Gennyfer

Posted in About Deliberate Living | 2 Comments »