Directions: To Follow or Not to Follow with Tea, Baking, Driving, and Social Distancing.

May 2, 2020 by JoAnna 31 Comments

Well, here’s something different!

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “directions.” Find a household cleaner/bottle of shampoo/something in the freezer/anything you can find with instructions on it, then copy down a single direction (just one) on how to use/cook/etc. your chosen thing, and make it the first line or word of your post. Then keep writing whatever comes out. Have fun!  __Linda G Hill

 

“Be sure to start with fresh cold water and bring to a boil. Pour over tea bag, steep for 4 minutes (or whatever time you like), remove bag.”

    (Directions from Ginger Peach Turmeric Tea)

I know we were only supposed to just copy down a single direction, but I’m not following that direction. Why do we need to be sure to start with fresh cold water? Fresh, okay, but cold? What happens if we start with warm water? Will the tea not work? I don’t think so. What I like about these directions is the part that goes: (or whatever time you like).

There was a time when I followed directions to the letter. It started in kindergarten and continued (with some exceptions in adolescence) for most of my life. Until now. Now, I’m retired. RETIRED. I only follow directions if I want to, if I deem it necessary, or for the good of the planet.

I’ve been making vegan banana bread without following directions or a recipe other than what’s in my head. After making banana bread for many years, I know that you mix the wet ingredients then mix the dry ingredients, then mix them all together. So I mash a couple of bananas, add a little oat milk, maybe some melted vegan butter (or regular butter because I’m not a perfect vegan). Then I mix the wet ingredients and put some flour on top, put a little baking soda and/or baking powder on top of the flour and mix that without dipping into the wet mixture. Then I mix it all together. Without eggs, it tends to be more dense and take longer to bake unless I add more flour. How long do I cook it? Until I can stick a knife or fork in and nothing comes out, or until it starts to turn brown on top. Then I turn off the oven and leave the banana bread inside the oven to cook a little more. Then I try not to eat it all in one day.

Driving is another matter entirely. I do follow directions from GPS or whatever, and I like them as detailed as possible. Give me landmarks. I will write them down even with GPS, until I know the route well, because I deem it necessary.

This is a good time to experiment with baking and creativity, but not with driving or social distancing directions. Keep your distance! Six feet apart is six feet apart, for the good of all. If the policy says, wear a mask, then wear a mask! And that’s all I have to say about that.

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For more directions on navigating the Saturday Stream of Consciousness, visit Linda:

https://lindaghill.com/2020/05/01/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-2-2020/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!