Eva Pasco's Blog - Posts Tagged "nostalgia"
Eva’s Byte #267: A Taste of Nostalgia
Seizing a golden opportunity to savor a repast from the past.
In retrospect, I view life through the lens of pre-Covid-19 and during-Covid-19, wondering when I’ll be able to reference post-Covid-19.
Following social-distancing protocol, my cousin and I enjoyed a brief long-time-no-see visit outdoors the other day. We conducted an exchange: I handed over a package of seeds and pods for her to plant in her garden. She handed me a bag of fresh goodies obtained from her neighborhood Italian bakery.
Pre-Covid-19, I’d been in the habit of stopping at that same bakery once or twice each week to purchase their spinach calzones. I’d foregone this ritual when the pandemic struck mid-March, having to rethink my daily lunches.
A taste of nostalgia rekindled love at first bite into the delicious crust of a calzone stuffed with spinach and sliced black olives. Just one of several coveted goodies inside the gift bag.
In my capacity as writer, I’ve rekindled the taste of nostalgia through various references to the Sixties as they tie in with the plot throughout my Contemporary Work in Progress. In the throes of composing chapter 50, I’m delving into the protagonist’s liberal attitude and her bohemian, Hippie attire. She’s a spunky gal who defies conventions, remains true to herself, and idolizes Janis Joplin.
Citing a Janis Joplin “pearl” of wisdom—“Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.”
*My sincere appreciation if you’ve read this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
In retrospect, I view life through the lens of pre-Covid-19 and during-Covid-19, wondering when I’ll be able to reference post-Covid-19.
Following social-distancing protocol, my cousin and I enjoyed a brief long-time-no-see visit outdoors the other day. We conducted an exchange: I handed over a package of seeds and pods for her to plant in her garden. She handed me a bag of fresh goodies obtained from her neighborhood Italian bakery.
Pre-Covid-19, I’d been in the habit of stopping at that same bakery once or twice each week to purchase their spinach calzones. I’d foregone this ritual when the pandemic struck mid-March, having to rethink my daily lunches.
A taste of nostalgia rekindled love at first bite into the delicious crust of a calzone stuffed with spinach and sliced black olives. Just one of several coveted goodies inside the gift bag.
In my capacity as writer, I’ve rekindled the taste of nostalgia through various references to the Sixties as they tie in with the plot throughout my Contemporary Work in Progress. In the throes of composing chapter 50, I’m delving into the protagonist’s liberal attitude and her bohemian, Hippie attire. She’s a spunky gal who defies conventions, remains true to herself, and idolizes Janis Joplin.
Citing a Janis Joplin “pearl” of wisdom—“Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.”
*My sincere appreciation if you’ve read this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
Eva’s Byte #397 – Christmas Boughs
How lovely are thy branches!
Harking back to Christmases of yore, I fondly recall some of the loveliest decorations of all. Those which graced the boughs of live balsam firs or artificial trees which took a stand in front of the living room picture window at my childhood home.
Multicolored string lights: nothing dainty about them, but they glowed and that’s what counts.
Shiny Brites: those delicate, glossy ornaments in tulip shapes and rounds with intricate patterns which shattered so easily.
Tinsel: I never knew a package of “icicles” was considered expensive, and only wealthy families decorated their tree branches with tinsel. Perhaps that’s why my sister and I would try to salvage most of the strands and put them back in the package.
Angel hair: out of the box and onto the boughs, my mother spread it thinly across the branches. Made out of spun glass (fiberglass), it caused her skin to itch. Fast forwarding to today, most stores don’t sell the original stuff anymore.
In my capacity as a writer, I’m drafting chapter 24 (1031 words thus far) of my Contemporary work in progress. My characters are dashing through the Christmas season.
*May the spirit of Christmas shine from the light within our hearts.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
Harking back to Christmases of yore, I fondly recall some of the loveliest decorations of all. Those which graced the boughs of live balsam firs or artificial trees which took a stand in front of the living room picture window at my childhood home.
Multicolored string lights: nothing dainty about them, but they glowed and that’s what counts.
Shiny Brites: those delicate, glossy ornaments in tulip shapes and rounds with intricate patterns which shattered so easily.
Tinsel: I never knew a package of “icicles” was considered expensive, and only wealthy families decorated their tree branches with tinsel. Perhaps that’s why my sister and I would try to salvage most of the strands and put them back in the package.
Angel hair: out of the box and onto the boughs, my mother spread it thinly across the branches. Made out of spun glass (fiberglass), it caused her skin to itch. Fast forwarding to today, most stores don’t sell the original stuff anymore.
In my capacity as a writer, I’m drafting chapter 24 (1031 words thus far) of my Contemporary work in progress. My characters are dashing through the Christmas season.
*May the spirit of Christmas shine from the light within our hearts.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
Eva’s Byte #415 – Popovers
During our Easter holiday get-together, a topic popped up during a conversation between my mother and me: popovers.
A light roll made from egg batter which swells or “pops” over the top of the tin while baking, the popover can be topped with butter. Versatile at any time of the day—why not top it with jam, fruit, or whipped cream?
My mother and I recalled enjoying our popovers smothered in butter, straight from the oven. Servers at two of our favorite bygone restaurants, Cock n Kettle and Anthony’s Pier 4, table-hopped more than once to prop a popover on your plate.
For those adventurous in procuring a recipe to bake your own, some baker’s tips I’ve come across:
A muffin tin will do. But, a popover pan will yield popovers with a taller base and a more defined cap.
Some bakers claim that resting the batter overnight, covered and refrigerated, enables the popovers to rise higher and they’re less prone to collapsing when you remove them from the oven.
Preheating the oven to 425 degrees creates the steam necessary to make the popovers pop. Finishing halfway at a cooler temp of 350 degrees ensures the outside doesn’t overcook before the inside stabilizes. It’s tricky!
And, it goes without saying—serve hot!
In the capacity of a writer, I’m hot to trot along the trail of drafting chapter 30 (1468 words thus far) in my Contemporary work in progress.
*May each of us be ready to strike when an opportunity is hot.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
A light roll made from egg batter which swells or “pops” over the top of the tin while baking, the popover can be topped with butter. Versatile at any time of the day—why not top it with jam, fruit, or whipped cream?
My mother and I recalled enjoying our popovers smothered in butter, straight from the oven. Servers at two of our favorite bygone restaurants, Cock n Kettle and Anthony’s Pier 4, table-hopped more than once to prop a popover on your plate.
For those adventurous in procuring a recipe to bake your own, some baker’s tips I’ve come across:
A muffin tin will do. But, a popover pan will yield popovers with a taller base and a more defined cap.
Some bakers claim that resting the batter overnight, covered and refrigerated, enables the popovers to rise higher and they’re less prone to collapsing when you remove them from the oven.
Preheating the oven to 425 degrees creates the steam necessary to make the popovers pop. Finishing halfway at a cooler temp of 350 degrees ensures the outside doesn’t overcook before the inside stabilizes. It’s tricky!
And, it goes without saying—serve hot!
In the capacity of a writer, I’m hot to trot along the trail of drafting chapter 30 (1468 words thus far) in my Contemporary work in progress.
*May each of us be ready to strike when an opportunity is hot.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
Eva’s Byte #518 – Gone the Way Of
In our current period of human history often referred to as the Information Age, so many things this Baby Boomer grew up with in the Sixties have gone the way of the dinosaurs.
To cite a few:
Easter outfits comprised of bonnets, white gloves, and black patent leather Mary Janes.
Typewriters, Wite-Out, and carbon paper.
Rotary dial phones, telephone booths, the White Pages, and Yellow Pages.
Digital technology has rendered cursive writing an endangered motor skill.
All of the aforementioned and more have potential for a comeback in fiction. For one, the wall-mounted, rotary dial phone made an appearance in my Contemporary, ‘Aileen’s Guesthouse,’ set in the Seventies.
Also taking place in the Groovy Decade, my current Contemporary in progress. At this point in time, I’ve tweaked the draft of chapter 11 to 1602 words. I’m currently drafting chapter 12 (987 words thus far).
*May each of us move forward while effectively bridging the past and present.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
To cite a few:
Easter outfits comprised of bonnets, white gloves, and black patent leather Mary Janes.
Typewriters, Wite-Out, and carbon paper.
Rotary dial phones, telephone booths, the White Pages, and Yellow Pages.
Digital technology has rendered cursive writing an endangered motor skill.
All of the aforementioned and more have potential for a comeback in fiction. For one, the wall-mounted, rotary dial phone made an appearance in my Contemporary, ‘Aileen’s Guesthouse,’ set in the Seventies.
Also taking place in the Groovy Decade, my current Contemporary in progress. At this point in time, I’ve tweaked the draft of chapter 11 to 1602 words. I’m currently drafting chapter 12 (987 words thus far).
*May each of us move forward while effectively bridging the past and present.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
