Living Reality

My Vote Doesn’t Matter

by ladypbwiggins

How much effort do you put into stopping something that doesn’t matter? I suspect very little to none. If your vote doesn’t matter why are people working so hard to make it difficult for you to cast it? Why are they closing polling places near you? Why are they trying to institute disguised poll tax on you before you can vote? Why is mail-in being questioned during this pandemic. It’s been working in several states with no problem? Could it be that once that ballot is placed in the mailbox it is a federal offense to tamper with it? Seems like a lot of effort if it doesn’t matter.

There are very real reasons you should vote. I’m speaking to my Black family now. Many have bled and died so you could. It was a birthright that we were denied. Did they, your grandparents, great-parents go through that because it really didn’t matter. They recognized that it gave them a powerful voice that they had been denied.

Additionally, if you don’t vote you prove Massa was right. You aren’t capable of making such weighty decisions. You are triflin’ and lazy. You need the safety and protection of Massa on his plantation. You will get scraps to eat, a few rags to wear and a shack to live in and it’s not free. You will have to accept working hard for no wages, rape when he feels like it, beatings because you forgot and tried to express independent thought. This is what giving up your powerful voice will look like once again.

I, for one, will not return to this. I lived through the 60’s struggle. I lived in the Jim Crow south. While I was never beaten, I had friends who were. I lived under the daily threat. I went to the meetings and participated in local marches that could have resulted in that kind of brutality. I saw the look on my grandparents faces when they had to swallow their pride and go to the back door to get food at roadside restaurants. I had to watch my strong, proud great-grandmother say yes m’am to a white girl younger than me because it meant survival. I had to live with the colored/white only signs. The accommodations were separate but not equal. I lived the “back of the bus” experience. I also participated in the boycott. That was economic power in action. If am going to live and work on this plantation called the United States of America, I am going to have a say on how it’s run. I am going to have a say in the laws, privileges, benefits, punishments and my relative safety.

Your vote matters. Don’t give up your power. Don’t become a slave because of cynicism, past disappointments, a feeling of powerlessness. These are the tools Massa is happy to use to get you to give up your power. If nothing else vote to make him a lie.

VOTE! It’s your voice. It’s your power. It matters!

Too, Too Much!

by ladypbwiggins

It’s just too, too much. Everyday we are bombarded with stressful information. Information I want to turn from but it is important to my life to know. Covid 19 cases increase, voting the primary run-off, to mask or not to mask, more police brutality, White House, the global news, . The list could go on but as you can see it’s too much for one brain to handle on a daily basis. All of that and family needs have not been addressed.

Being overwhelmed in this confined space on the daily can lead to depression. Don’t let it get to you. Take care of your mental health. Find a way to make the data flow less or slower. Unfortunately it is going to remain too, too much!

Thank Henrietta Lacks You’re Alive.

by ladypbwiggins

Just watched “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” an HBO presentation on Hulu. I knew the story of her life from the medical perspective but I didn’t know the story from her family’s perspective. Her contributions to life is of global proportions. It is worth watching and not just for black people. I wondered while watching how many people who hate us have received life saving treatments made possible by the cells of Henrietta Lacks. I know there are more details not given in the movie. There always are.

Aguafaba

by ladypbwiggins

For several months I’ve been reading about aguafaba and it’s uses. I even saved it in the fridge. Didn’t use it though. Oh, wait. I assume you know what it is. It’s the liquid or pot liquor as they call it in the south left after you cook chickpeas. Most of us toss it after straining the chickpeas. I finally used it in my gluten free waffle recipe.

Now you can’t just pour it in. It has to be whipped. I am lazy so I used my immersion blender instead of a whisk to do the work.

After I achieved a whipped egg white consistency, I added it to my batter. Like egg whites, the aguafaba adds moisture so I slowly added the milk a little at a time. I didn’t want to make the batter to liquidy. The results were beautifully crispy on the outside, tender on the inside waffles. Aguafaba will definitely be added to my egg replacement arsenal.

Partially eaten waffles😄

I forgot to take a picture before we began eating so I had to snatch my hubby’s plate from his hands.

Garden Goodness!

by ladypbwiggins

This year my daughter and I resumed our gardening efforts. The shelter-in-place gave her and her husband time to plant their garden and it is flourishing. Mom and Dad are reaping the benefits too. I planted peppers and basil in pots.

Sriracha and Time Bomb
Pickling cucumbers

I must admit that I cheated a little. I added the cucumbers and peppers to some existing pickle juice. But I expect to have good, zesty pickles never the less.

Mourning My Friends

by ladypbwiggins

Recently I lost several friends. They have been my companions for over 25 years. We have seen the ups and downs and the short and long of it. Today I begin anew. Today I begin life without dreadlocks!

😄😄😄

Raw Bread

by ladypbwiggins

One of the things I am always in the search for since changing our dietary lifestyle is a good bread for sandwiches. I found one made of nuts. It was good but I thought could there be one without nuts. So to the internet I went. I found one that uses cauliflower and zucchini as its base.

This particular recipe gave the mouth feel of soft fresh baked bread but the taste left a lot to be desired. For one thing it was too salty. I am not printing the recipe because I don’t want to give another raw foodie a negative comment. Some people liked it. I will continue my search and experimentation. Hemp and sunflower seedseds as the base is next. In the mean time I have my bread made with nuts.

Disturbing My Peace

by ladypbwiggins

In that early morning quiet there is an indescribable peace. Birds are not even singing yet. It is a calming, stressless atmosphere. There is no desire to think about reality. Just dream and meditate. A time to hear and feel the Presence of God.

What was that? Noise!

A car just drove by, its music blaring. Someone dropped what sounded like wood slats. Man!They woke the birds. With each added sound, the reality of responsibility crept in to disturb my peace. Now it’s time to work. All I have left is the memory of early morning peace and calm. And I’m not even a morning person. 😀

Excalibur HELP!

by ladypbwiggins

I have been wanting to return to more of a raw eating lifestyle but a lot of things I wanted to prepare could not be done on my dehydrater. I wasn’t sure we would continue this lifestyle so I bought a cheapy. I decided to use some of that stimulus money to stimulate myself. I bought an Excalibur. I bought a refurbished 5 tray. The size is enough for my husband and I and the price was great. My first goal was to dry onions, veggie burgers and to SAVE the mushrooms. I am tired of mushrooms going bad before I get to use them. Dried veggies are going to stock my pantry.

Today (Tuesday) I made 2 trays of crackers and 3 bread loaves. Tomorrow I plan to make croquettes. Yum,yum.

We have been vegan but the cold weather encouraged cooking. The Impossible Whopper and Beyond Meat Burger made it convenient so I got lazy. Now I am back and ready. We want be 100% raw because my husband wants some cooked meals but most will be. I can already feel the difference.

I have more planned, especially my weakness, baked goods.

Technique Mastered!

by ladypbwiggins

A few weeks ago I posted my desire to make a Chickpea Flour Omelette . The source of the recipe I used admitted that while the recipe is simple mastering the technique may not be. I burned the first attempt. The second was a mushy mess. Today I tried again. I achieved success. So what was the difference? The temperature or heat setting. However your stovetop determines a medium setting that is the one you want. I also used a tip from another source; cover the skillet for even cooking. My taste tester, my hubby, said it was good.

Now I can tailor the flavor profile to our taste. My first tip is to use leftover veggies already cooked. It saves time and avoids waste.

Egg-free Chickpea Flour Omelette