Why is it taking you so long...

As a hopeful writer, I get many questions like:  “How much more do you have to finish your book?” And, “When will it be done?” “Are you half through yet?”  “I like the teasers I’ve read…can you hurry up and finish it! 

I get it, but I had no idea what a journey I began a couple of years ago, when I retired and decided to write a fiction novel. Let me give you a glimpse of why it is taking me a LONG time, and why the next one (if ever) would be considerably quicker.

             All I had ever written was sermons. Over two thousand of them.  That is vastly different from fiction (snicker, snicker…in some cases, not so much different).  I had not had any writing classes. No training. No experience and frankly, I didn’t know what most writers don’t even realize they know.  I had to learn it. I’m still learning it, and I’m not Mensa material.  So, it takes some time to, as I like to say, “build my wagon while I’m riding in it.”

            I have availed myself of 6-8 online MasterClasses from some of the best writers of fiction today. These are video classes with a syllabus to follow the lectures. These are on all aspects of writing fiction.  Very helpful…and time consuming. Each class is 8 to 15 videos. I have read books on point of view, plot, fiction in general, and numerous articles. I have done numerous exercises suggested in some of these books, and they have been helpful.  I have also purchased and read several novels just to see “how they did it.” Examples:  To Kill A Mockingbird, The Joy Luck Club, and reviewed others I’ve already read…for writing style. The research is daunting. I have spent months of research to make sure my “made up” story is plausible.  I have picked up many pointers. 

I also have the help of a writer’s group (about 4 of us who meet occasionally to go over our stuff and share ideas, etc.  I have a writing coach…my long time friend and retired high school English, literature, writing teacher…Beta Thompson Noel.  Spending time with her and her husband, Mike in Oklahoma City has been extremely helpful. She is really smart, but I try not to make a big deal out of that. She throws little suggestions and comments at me that I’m sure most writers know, but they are gold nuggets to me.  Another friend, Sarah Bunn, has helped me organize my many chapters into a chronological order that can work and keep me on track. Others have read a chapter here and there to give me insight and feedback. My question is:  if you read this…would you put it down or want to read more?  Bonnie has read most, of not all of it so far. She reads tons of books, so I figure if she would read it, its got to be OK.  She has been very encouraging.

            So, you can see, though the book is taking some time, I have not been sitting around doing nothing. If I knew it was going to be this involved, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to start.  However…NOW…I’d shoot myself before I’d quit.  Too much work behind me.

            Oh…I forgot…THE STORY.  That takes time, too.  The “think time” is incredible.  To create and get into the lives of each character and make sure they have a unique voice. My characters are REAL to me at this point. I know them inside and out.  I also have to try and make the story jive with all the times, dates, places etc…it all has to fit or readers will pick that up instantly.

            C.J. Box (writer of the Joe Pickett, Wyoming Game Warden series) writes 1000 words a day to crank out two novels a year.  In case you haven’t figured it out, that would be about 3 pages of most books. You have to know this stuff.  That doesn’t seem like a mammoth amount, but I struggle some days to write ONE GOOD PARAGRAPH. The trick is, KEEP WRITING…every day write something.  Put it down.  Keep going.

            Other than all this, and much more…its easy!  Oh, did I mention, that I also had the COVID-19 virus along the way.  So the next time someone says to you, “you should write a book,”  look them directly in the eye and swear profusely at them.  If that doesn’t shut them up…shoot them.  If you get thrown into prison, you might just have time to write a book.

Shrimp Alfredo with Pasta

A 15 minute meal 

1 cup cream:  821

8oz pasta:  300

3TBL butter:  306

1 egg yolk:  55

½ cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese:  216

20 medium shrimp:  100

Pinch of salt

Pinch of nutmeg

Granulated garlic (optional)

 

Total calories for 2 servings:  1798

Calories per serving:  899

 

Melt butter in sauce pan. Add cream over medium heat. Add cheese…stirring continually until melted. Add spices. Slowly stir in whisked egg yolk. If you desire a thicker sauce, you can add a 1 tablespoon of corn starch with ½ cup water. Add to the sauce. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the fully cooked and thawed shrimp to the sauce.  Spoon the sauce and shrimp over al dente cooked pasta (linguini or rotini).

He Brought The Light

He Brought The Light is a Christmas song written and recorded my father, Von Morgan, a number of years ago.  It is truly a beautiful piece, and I'm sure some of you have heard him sing it.  If can find my recording of it, I'll post it on my You Tube channel.  Here is part of that very special song.

He Brought The Light (click to play) Von Morgan

In the little town of Nazareth so many years ago

An angel came to a virgin maid with a message from God’s throne

He said, “Mary, you have found favor with God this very day,

You will bear His holy child, and Jesus will be his name.”

He’ll bring the light to a world in darkness

This little babe of Bethlehem

He’ll bring hope to the hopeless

In an age where sin abounds

From a humble lowly stable

Where wise men choose to bow

This holy child born in a manger will bring the LIGHT.

Bourbon Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

½ cup butter

2 pounds carrots, peeled, cut into equal-sized pieces

½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste

½ cup bourbon whiskey

⅓ cup brown sugar

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves for garnish (Optional)


Directions

Step 1  Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

Step 2  When butter foams up, add carrots. Season with salt and cook, stirring, until liquid from carrots evaporates and carrots begin to brown around the edges, 5 or 6 minutes.

Step 3  Reduce heat to medium-low. Carefully pour in bourbon. Cook and stir until bourbon is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Step 4  Sprinkle in brown sugar. Stir until carrots are almost cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Step 5  When carrots are nearly tender, raise heat to medium-high to thicken the glaze, 15 to 30 seconds.

Step 6  Season with cayenne pepper and ground black pepper. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with fresh thyme leaves, if desired.

Fake News

 

Fake News is a term that has become a common, every day expression aiming to discredit a particular news source.  The term has been made popular by President Donald Trump, though it is used by both sides in the political arena.

“Fake news is untrue information presented as news. It often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue. Once common in print, the prevalence of fake news has increased with the rise of social media, especially the Facebook News Feed.”   Wikipedia

By definition of the term fake news, the information is false, but it seems true. If it is too obvious that it is a lie, it won't have any, or the desired impact.

Biased news, and fake news are not the same thing, but they are first cousins.  To call either “fake” or “biased” news, NEWS, is a stretch. It is better labeled political gossip than news. News should be the simple facts, not spun sound bites, false information, half truths (which is another definition for a lie), character assassination, and partisan political strategies. 

It is hard to find a reliable (as opposed to fake) news source…harder still to have it accepted universally.  When a news source broadcasts or prints an item that reflects poorly on a specific politician or political candidate, it will be labeled by that politician’s constituency as “FAKE NEWS.”  The dog continues to chase it’s own tail.

TRUFFLES...so what's the big deal?

 

TRUFFLES

For those who want to know, but don’t want to do the research, let me give you the bare bones facts about truffles.

            By way of definition, a truffle is a fungus that is basically an underground version of the mushroom.  That is not totally accurate, but it’s close enough, and unless you really want to get into the science of the fungus it is all you need to know. One important fact is that, unlike mushrooms, truffles are not poisonous (as far as we know).  There may be hundreds of varieties, so that remains a qualified claim. However, if you are digging and find one, it is almost assuredly eatable. Truffles need other plants to grow, which almost always trees…a variety of trees.  Truffles get sugar from tree roots and in turn give trees nutrients that they need. The most sought after truffles are from Italy, Spain and France.  Australia also produces truffles, as does the United States, but normally they are of a lesser quality. China (here we go again) has found ways to artificially treat their truffles (which are of a much less quality) and pass them off on the world market as European truffles.  They charge much more than they are worth and so those who buy the fungus must beware and know what they are purchasing.  Chinese spores have been transplanted in other geographical areas, which is also a problem for truffle production and harvest.  Yep…China has even adversely invaded the truffle market.

            There are basically three varieties of truffles used for culinary purposes.  The most prized, and expensive is the white truffle.  The black and summer truffles are the other two, with the summer truffle being the least aromatic, flavorful and least expensive (about 1/10 the price of a white truffle).  Flavor and aroma comprise the value of the truffle, and the white truffle excels in both areas. (pictured in order above: white, black & summer).

            What makes a truffle smell as it does (a bit of an earthiness)? It is the chemical dimethyl sulfide. This is a sulfur compound that is found in rotten cabbage and ripe cheese.  It is the same chemical, that funky earthiness, that is also present if farts!  So there you go.  No wonder they are so high priced.  Some contend that the white truffle, pound for pound, is the most expensive food item in the world, and basically it is just an underground mushroom fart.  Think about that the next time you are tempted to have your pasta dish topped with shaved truffle.  There is certainly more to learn, but this is likely adequate for the average person.

  Bon Appetit!

Not everyone...

 In our current national climate, there is a tendency to label nearly everyone by extremes. This is usually done to make an emphatic point about one’s personal beliefs. It is never helpful and nearly always inflammatory.  It polarizes us rather than promotes working together toward a common good.

Not Everyone…

·        Not everyone who votes progressive or Democrat is a baby killer.

·        Not everyone who believes in immigration laws and secure borders hates immigrants.

·        Not everyone who believes in traditional one man, one woman marriage is homophobic.

·        Not everyone who opposed Obama and his policies is racist.

·        Not everyone who supported Bernie Sanders is a communist.

·        Not everyone who chooses to march or demonstrates is a hoodlum.

·        Not everyone who voted for Hillary Clinton hates Republicans.

·        Not everyone who voted for Donald Trump hates Democrats and Progressives.

·        Not everyone who votes Democrat is going to hell.

·        Not everyone who votes Republican is misogynist, and racist.

·        Not everyone who owns or carries a gun believes in violence.

·        Not everyone who believes the Second Amendment is wrong is a communist.

·        Not everyone who does not embrace global warming is anti-science.

·        Not everyone who wears a mask for health purposes is uninformed and manipulated.

·        Not everyone who supports Black Lives Matter is a radical Marxist.

·        Not everyone who does not support Black Lives Matter is racist.

EVERYONE who lives in the USA is a valuable person and is free to embrace the candidates, personal beliefs, public policies and politics of their choice.  It would serve us all to treat each other as such.

Meet Your Meat

 

The grading of USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) inspected beef is what the average American is concerned with when purchasing beef to eat. Beef steaks, typically the highest, most desirable cuts vary greatly and need to be minimally understood in order to purchase the quality you desire.  There are basically 3 world areas that grade beef:  Australia, Japan and the USA.  Argentina, which exports a significant amount of beef does not typically use the accepted grading methods of the other three producers. Wagyu beef, from Japan, is a very high dollar, and high fat content beef that I won’t get into here. 

For typical USDA beef there are 5 grades, and only three from which you would typically purchase steaks for your grill.  They are Prime, Choice and Select.  There is some variation within these grades, but not officially.  If you see a steak labeled other than prime, choice or select (such as blue ribbon select), it means nothing and is an attempt to get a better price for a standard quality of meat.  There are three basic categories (sometimes listed as 5) below select, but they are not typically for consumption as steaks or roasts.  If they are labeled standard, commercial or utility….don’t buy them to eat.  Typically these grades are for processed (hot dogs) and even dog food.  It does not mean they are bad or dangerous. The USDA inspects them. They are just not suitable for preparing as primary beef presentations.  Much of this beef is from non-beef producing cows, such as dairy breeds or very old animals with extremely low fat percentages.

BMS (beef marbling score) is how beef grades are determined. Though the USDA evaluates and considers a number of factors, such as age of the carcass, bone density, etc, the BMS is the primary focus on grading.  The USDA grades a carcass, not an individual cut of beef.  This grading is done between the 12^th and 13^th ribs, in the ribeye portion of the carcass.  The intramuscular fat content in that area is what determines the grade of the carcass.

Grass fed beef has become very popular. It is fattened on grass and hay, not grains (mostly corn).  Though there are some good results in terms of flavor and even tenderness, a grass fed steer will not reach a prime grade….hardly ever.  Don’t be fooled here.  Marketing will try and convince you otherwise, but it just isn’t so. Argentinian beef is mostly grass fed in the Pampas region of the country. They are left to grow and fatten on their own, and rarely locked up to “finish” them in a feed lot. That is why the beef is desirable around the world.  I have eaten Argentinian beef on several occasions, and it was very good. It had excellent flavor, but not the “melt in your mouth” tenderness of grain finished USDA prime beef. 

Growing up on a farm/ranch, I was raised on “field to fork” beef. It was not graded, and it was mostly grass fed, with the possibility of grain finishing for a few weeks before slaughter. If you have access to that kind of beef (local producers, etc) and you find it satisfactory, then, by all means, go ahead.  However, don’t think you will be getting a “better” steak in terms of flavor and tenderness. You may get healthier beef, but to get the high end steak house products (such as Ruth’s Chris, etc), you will need to purchase dry aged, prime beef that has been grain finished and graded as such.

Costco and Sam’s usually have one section of Prime cuts.  That is where I look when I want a very good steak.  Choice can be really good, too, but not as consistently as prime. Just a note: if you are buying sirloin or cheaper cuts, don’t get the prime. It isn’t worth the extra cost. Also, if you buy “prime rib,” that is not a grade, it is a cut of beef.  Don’t be fooled. Hope this helps to understand what you get when you are buying beef for the grill. As in most things…get the best you can afford. If you do purchase prime ribeye steaks…PLEASE use salt and pepper only.  Don’t marinade them and hide the A1 sauce. Those are methods of improving choice or select beef.  If anyone asks for ketchup, just SHOOT them. 

Former President Barack Obama Addresses The DNC

 

Listening to what was not said in President Barack Obama’s speech to the DNC.

The Obamas entered the White House with a $1.3 million net worth in 2008. That grew to at least $40 million by 2018. The six-figure pension all former presidents receive has significantly contributed to the Obamas' net worth. Today it is at least $70 million. The New York Post recently pegged their fortune much higher, at $135 million.  

Forbes reported that the Obamas spend a significant amount of their money on philanthropy. From 2009 to 2015, they gave $1.1 million to charity.

This does not include Obama's biggest donation to date: his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize award in 2009, all of which he donated to multiple charities.  (Business Insider)

So, let’s figure $1.1 million philanthropic giving, plus $1.4 million to various charities, for a total of approximately $2.5 million dollars.  While commendable, it does not exactly mark them as generous philanthropists extraordinaire!   With those dollars, in that timeframe, our (my wife and I) own “charitable giving,” at our current percentage rate of giving which has a 50 year history of consistency, would have been in the neighborhood of 15-20 MILLION DOLLARS…just for perspective from a normal American family.  And if you take out the money President Obama received, and gave away (in and out) for the Nobel Peace Prize, which no one really knows how he won, and was somewhat embarrassed to receive, then you are back down to a bit over a million bucks.  Sounds big, but it is in reality, a pretty paltry sum.

I don’t begrudge Barack and Michelle Obama’s hard work, speaking engagements (some of which were over $400K each), bestsellers, Netflix and future book advancements, etc.  They have capitalized well on their years in the BIG HOUSE. But it reeks to high heaven when he talks about how we need more tax dollar give-away programs, government restrictions and a socialistic run country.  CAPITALISM (not socialism…however you want to define it), with capital letters, is what made him rich beyond belief, and he surely did not mind using its advantages for personal gain. And the amount he has given back is a spit in the ocean.

And then he says in his well delivered speech to the Democratic Convention:  “No one should use their office to enrich themselves…”

Is he the only one who has done this? No…not the point. He is the one who gave the speech. It isn’t a guilty by comparison issue.  His guilt lies in being driven by the same greed and self-serving strategies he is accusing in others. Former President Obama, you did well…you made a fortune from being president…I don’t fault you for that. Just be honest enough to say, “I got filthy RICH as a result of being president of this amazing country and what its capitalistic opportunities presented me.”  

The Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper's Honey Hot Glaze Sauce

Gatekeeper’s Honey Hot Glaze Sauce

for chicken and fish

·        ¾  - 1 cup Honey

·        1TBL soy sauce

·        1TBL Franks’s Red Hot / or Wing Sauce (or other hot sauce you choose)

·        1 TBL apple cider vinegar

·        ½ tsp dry ground mustard 

·        2 TBL brown sugar

·       1 tsp red pepper flakes (or something equivalent)

·        2 cloves fresh chopped garlic

·        ½ tsp fresh ground pepper

·        2 or 3 frozen cubes (ice cube size) of fresh lime juice (or orange juice) ¼ to ½ cup

·        ¼ cup a good white wine (Grower’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc) from Trader Joe’s is an excellent organic wine from the San Joaquin Valley in CA.

I use my Braun hand held blender (you can use a blender, but it dirties one more dish). Blend everything well, and simmer in a small sauce pan on med-low heat for about 20-30 min to reduce the sauce and intensify flavors.  Let it cool….baste chicken toward the end of grilling (last 6 minutes). Baste again when taking it off the grill.  Use some on basmati rice, if serving with your protein. This is not an exact recipe. I didn't measure anything exactly, but this gives you a way to make your own sweet hot  glaze/sauce that is so much better than those you buy.

Some things I have been learning, or trying to learn....

…and it isn’t all that easy at times.   

       

·        I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, and I don’t hate them for it.
·        Just because I may disagree with what it said or written, I don’t have to always speak my mind.  I can disagree silently, which at times is more powerful statement. It isn’t the same as “giving in.”
·        Just because something is the “old” way and it is more comfortable to me, doesn’t mean it’s the best way.
·        Just because something is new, and is standard practice today, doesn’t mean it is a better way.
·        History really does repeat itself. If I want to know the outcome of something, then look for what has produced in the past.  There’s nothing new under the sun.
·        There is wisdom with age. There is energy with youth. We need balance, not competition against each other.
·        If I continue to spend more than I make, I am headed for a crisis.  Guaranteed.  If I constantly take more than I give….same thing.
·        A two party system is helpful in creating healthy tension. You don’t have to agree with the opposition to honor the process. Hating each other helps no one.
·        Personal attacks and character assassinations are almost always more revealing about the person attacking than the intended target.
·        Sarcasm is not nearly as amusing as it used to be. I guess I have just had too much for awhile.
·        I need to re-think what I say about specific races, religions, sexual orientations, socio-economic classes, education, liberals and conservatives. The important word here is “think.”  Is it helpful, degrading, uplifting, critical, supportive, racist, true, ridiculous or enlightening. And the big one…is it necessary or needed?
·        Nearly all comparisons of who people are and what they are will be destructive in the end.  Comparisons are usually unholy biased opinions. They give value, or take it away on the basis of what I think. Let things and people be who they are on their own….not in comparison to something or someone else.
·        Blessed are the peacemakers, they will be called God’s own children.

Toward a secure border

Some of my conclusions after reading volumes of articles, reports, interviews and seeing hundreds of photos and hearing from those who deal with illegal crossings on a regular basis.

1.     A wall alone will not work

2.     A barbed wire fence, or no barrier at all will not work (it isn’t working now)

3.     Illegal immigration crossings have decreased, but drug smuggling has increased.

4.     Increase the effectiveness and speed of LEGAL entry, and relax the restrictions for those seeking a better life. Easier access to “green card” availability. Make it more advantageous for good people to USE THE GATE we provide for entry, rather than illegal entry.

5.     Drug usage and trafficking must be a priority of time, energy and money.

6.     Increased surveillance tactics have greatly affected illegal immigrant crossings

7.     Drugs and human smuggling as increased. Technology and electronic surveillance alone will not stop drug cartels.  Deadly force must be an option.  It is the ONLY thing the cartels will pay attention to (it is their methodology for dealing with problems)

8.     A secure border (including a barrier/wall/fence) is a humanitarian effort. It will save lives and decrease the huge percentage of women and children being physically and sexually abused in illegal crossings.

9.     A combined approach is the only answer that makes sense and has a chance of working.

NO plan or approach is fool-proof.  There will always be some illegal breaching of the national border. 

My Conclusions

The plan for a secure border must include 

·        Use of top notch surveillance and electronic equipment, including drones/unmanned, and armed aircraft

·        Detection equipment to pick up the drug cartels spying activity on the US Border Patrol and other US Government agencies

·        A secure barrier, not necessarily a literal “wall”

·        Enough manpower (military and civilian) to patrol the entire border with regularity and with varying schedules that cannot be tracked

·        DECLARE WAR ON ILLEGAL TRAFFICKING: With zero tolerance for any and all leaking of information, or giving assistance to the illegal drug and human trafficking industry.

No good answers

Statues and Monuments

         

There is much talk today about statues, monuments and military installations named after Confederate generals and other Southern dignitaries.  What is the right thing to do?  That is a can of worms that will never be fairly negotiated. There are too many inconsistencies that rise up when you start tearing down statues and monuments and renaming things. If you tear down and rename everything that is offensive to someone, or to a group of people, you will soon find there is no good place to stop. If fairness is the guiding rule, then at least three of the four faces on Mount Rushmore should be blasted off the Black Hills granite outcropping. Or, how can you have a monument carved a few miles from Mount Rushmore of Crazy Horse, who helped wipe out the U.S. 7^th Cavalry at the Little Bighorn? Washington and Jefferson were both slave owners, so they would have to go (not to mention the Washington and Jefferson Memorials in Washington D.C.). Teddy Roosevelt’s expressed opinion was that the “only good Indian was a dead Indian.”  He felt that Indians were a great impediment to settling the West.  He favored extermination.  That leaves Lincoln.  See the problem?  Leaving Roosevelt on Mount Rushmore, which is at the heart of land considered sacred to the Sioux Nation, is analogous to raising a statue of the Japanese Emperor, Hirohito at Pearl Harbor or of Adolph Hitler at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France.  My point is that there are existing monuments which are highly offensive to some of our American population, and we aren’t about to tear them down. This whole initiative quickly becomes a “how can you do this, if you don’t do that,” contest.  There is no good place for it to end.  I suppose the only thing we can reasonably do is choose to see many statues and monuments as historically significant and not as indications of honor.  Good luck selling that idea to those who are offended.

Gatekeeper's Food List

Gatekeeper's Foods

·        Cole slaw

·        Potato salad

·        Pasta salad

·        Fresh salsa / Pico de gallo

·        Dill hot dog relish

·        Banana pudding

·        Chocolate chip cookies

·        Buttermilk cornbread

·        Buttermilk biscuits

·        Sausage gravy

·        Buttermilk pancakes

·        Smoked pork butt (pulled pork)

·        Pork ribs (spare, St.Louis & baby backs)

·        Tri-tip beef roast on the grill

·        Chili (with beans)

·        Omelettes (cheese, ham & cheese, or Mexican)

·        Potato soup  (Bonnie’s recipe)

·        Pot roast with carrots and potatoes

·        Meat loaf (still a work in progress)

·        Hacienda sauce/dressing  (mayo base with a Southwest flavor)

·        Chicken breast (butterflied, marinated and grilled…for sandwiches or salads)

·        Prime rib roast

·        BLTs (grilled bacon)

·        Smoked salmon

·        Grilled salmon

·        Steak (grilled to a perfect medium rare) Wood fire rib eye cap steak (specialty)

·        Collard greens (bacon or smoked meat, water (or stock) and let ‘em cook)

·        Sauté mushrooms

·        Peanut butter cookies

·        White albacore tuna & romaine lettuce wraps

·        Gatekeeper’s Meat Rub

Some of my favorite ingredients, spices, flavors and condiments

Gatekeeper’s custom meat rub; cilantro; fresh basil; fresh ground black pepper; pink Himalayan salt; Lawry’s Season Salt; Frank’s Red Hot sauce; Cholula; California Pepper Plant sauce; Sam’s Bleu Cheese dressing/dip; fresh garlic; soy sauce; onion flakes; smoked paprika (from Spain); wine; cumin; rosemary; Hidden Valley Ranch dressing seasoning package, Litehouse cole slaw dressing

The Gatekeeper's Meat Rub

Magic 12 Meat Rub

4             TBS  smoked paprika (imported from Spain)

1 ½         TBS fresh ground black pepper

4             TBS minced dry onion

1             TBS granulated garlic

2             tsp cumin

1             TBS semi-coarse ground pink Himalayan salt

2             TBS Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

½           tsp cinnamon

1             tsp cayenne or red pepper

2             tsp dry mustard

2             tsp dry coriander

2             tsp dry oregano