Writing Is Enough. Except When It's Not

I tell myself: Less than one percent of material submitted is accepted. Only one can be the winner of a contest. Writing is subjective. Writing is enough. And it is.

Except, when it’s not.

Rejected. Winner-not. Two slap-downs to my writing ego within twenty-four hours. Again.
And I got past my allowed fifteen minutes of funk in good shape, I thought, but as I watched Maddie Rose smack-down Zoie with an ill-advised bid for play. I realized I was laughing so hard, I couldn’t stop crying. I’m relieved my husband was out of town. He doesn’t quite understand why I put myself through it. If I could stop, I would.

So, I took a bit longer feeling sorry for myself, than I usually allow. Maybe, a good half-hour longer, then I got busy. There is editing to do and I’ve signed up for another poetry class toward the middle of October. I need to do a bit of preparation for that because as I take the class I intend to continue with the edits as I am determined to finish this book to my satisfaction and send it out. I know it is taking on a lot, but I need this.

It’s that time of year. Oh, not of tangerine and burgundy leaves and slanted sunlight, not of fading gardens and harvest, although that is all true. Around this house, this time of year heralds a world gone mad, in my opinion. There is no account of why two people fall in love and autumn always brings this home.

End of September and first of October brings the loss of husband. Oh, he’s hanging around but mind, and attention, and brawn are all bent toward: HUNTING! Now, me? I’m on the deer and elk’s side, cheering for their team, making my own safety zone. If I’m recruited to beat the brush, I shoo anything I find in the opposite direction of the rifles. (You can see why I am no longer recruited. I am the odd one—That tree-hugger type.)

Hey, I make no sense, but I’m practical. I understand the theory behind hunting, I’ve eaten elk and venison, I love to shoot, but I can’t point a gun in the direction of anything living, except, on certain days, publishers, editors, and men in general, one specifically on certain days. That’s actually a lie. Four, on certain days. I raised three boys, but that’s another story all together, isn’t it? And am I wrong, don’t we women feel that way every once in a… all right…a lot?

Hunting in my husband’s family was the BIG EVENT, the traditional, the Christmas. It was planned for and reminisced about all year long. Male children (and later, female children) were pulled out of school, vacation days were used, gear was fixed, bought and packed. It was big. It is still big.

My contribution, then, is to help feed the bunch. Tradition now includes my mother’s chocolate chip cookies. These are one of the first things I cooked at home. The recipe originally was in a small Nestles Toll House recipe book that came with the chocolate chips many years ago. The book, the size of a recipe card is little more than a few pages bound together with two staples. It’s yellowed and stained but it makes me smile. My mother changed a few ingredients to please her tastes. She gave the recipe to her mother, who added cinnamon and cooked them a bit less, so they were softer. Both versions are childhood to me. I send these to the mountains with the guys.

Chocolate Chips with Oatmeal Cookies
4 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 cups shortening (must be Crisco)
11/2 cups brown sugar (dark)
11/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. soda
2 tsp. hot water
2 cups walnuts
1 lg. pkg. Nestles butterscotch chips (2 cups)
1 lg. pkg. Nestles semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
4 cups oats
2 tsp. vanilla
Sift together flour and salt. Cream shortening. Add sugars gradually, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Dissolve soda in hot water and add to creamed mixture alternately with sifted dry ingredients. Add nuts, chips and oats. Mix. Add vanilla. Drop by teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375º for 10 to 12 minutes. Note: You must use Crisco, the butter flavor is best. You, also, must use Nestles chips for this recipe to turn out right. (Try it with white choc instead of butterscotch)

Of course, they have to eat more than cookies. The guys each take a dish. This is a favorite of mine to fix, but I use this recipe a lot. It’s tasty and so easy. I love the lemony flavor. I serve it with rice and a green vegetable.

I got this recipe out of a magazine years ago and use it pretty much as is, except, I’ll use canned chicken broth instead of the water and bouillon cube as I have that on hand. I add about 1 teas. grated lemon rind to the flour mixture. I do not use salt. Adding the lemon rind compensates for that.

Lemon Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup flour
½ teas. salt
1/8 teas. pepper
Butter
1 cup water
1 chicken flavored bouillon cube
2 small lemons

Mix flour, salt, lemon rind and pepper. Coat chicken. Reserve flour mixture. In skillet over medium high heat, melt 3 Tbls. butter. Cook chicken until lightly brown on both sides. Add more butter, if necessary. (Use Teflon pan to reduce fat.) Remove chicken to plate. Reduce heat to low. Stir remaining flour mixture into drippings. Add water, bouillon cube and juice of ½ lemon. Stir to loosen brown bits. Return chicken to skillet. Thinly sliced lemons and arrange on top of chicken. Cover. Simmer 5 minutes.