Author: Rohvannyn

Rohvannyn Shaw, an Arizona author and illustrator, runs the blog Mindflight and also the art site, rohvannynshaw.com. Educated at the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Visual arts degree, she comes from a family of writers. She has edited several books, both fiction and non fiction, collaborated on three poetry chapbooks, and illustrates stories and poetry as a sideline. Her recent novels, Rageth and The Dice of Fate, are available on Amazon.com. Her ebook, Quests of the Avatar, is available free on Mind-flight.org. Her new book of comedy, How to P!ss Off The Customers, is out now and available. More to come!

Sunday Morning

Food and Cooking

It’s quiet, just the way I like it. I wake up a bit late, maybe a half hour after I wanted, but I don’t worry too much because it’s Sunday after all. I dodge cats all the way though morning routine – fluid exchange, shower, brushing hair, dressing. Shinji, my 15 year old Siamese mix, plays his usual game of getting in my way, cris-crossing my path and then running away when I try to pet him. Silly boy. I’m glad he’s still capering like a much younger cat. He was a rescue, his Other Mom died about a year ago. It took him months to get over his depression. Amazing how many people still think cats don’t love!

My slightly younger cat, a fine 12 year old queen calico, greets me out in the living room. Everything is still a little chaotic this soon after my move and the house is still rather empty in certain places and cluttered in others, with painting supplies and tools on the bread making counter and paint cans scattered hither and yon. Everything will come together, I know.

Eventually I say goodbye to the spouse and make it out of the house. The morning is still fresh and new. I back out of my steep driveway, careful to watch and avoid the parents having a morning walk, little kids attached by the oldest leash of all – their hands. I smile at the pink clad youngsters. Nice to see people being outside, just to be outside. I pull out and head to my first grocery stop, gritting my teeth as I pass over the one mile of potholed road that bears little resemblance to a proper city street. It smooths out just as I get to the store.

The aisles are quiet and the employees are fresh. I catch a yawn or two. I love being here at this time, when everything is new and organized and I don’t have to fight for my position in the aisles. I start playing my favorite bargain game. Recalling what other stores charge for things, I buy, or don’t buy, crossing things off my list as I go. This can of chili? There’s a screaming deal, I’ll buy extra to put by. That condiment? Stuff must be made of hand picked saffron for the price they charge. I’ll get it at store number two. And so on. I get out of there with a total that’s way under budget. There’s only one cashier, at the express line no less, and my cart is way over 15 items. I chat with her as I help her get things moved through quickly.

On to the second store, where I pick up the things I passed over at the first. I see a firefighter buying massive quantities of beans, I chat with him as I pick out my diced tomatoes. Fresh salsa is in the offing, traditional Shaw family Scottish salsa. Scottish salsa, you say? Aye, and we used ta make it with onions and turrrnips, but t’was improved greatly after the New World was discovered. Last minute, I remember the cilantro. Can’t have good salsa without fresh cilantro.

I come out of the store smiling, still under budget. It’s a lovely sunny morning. An acoustic version of “Who’ll Stop The Rean?” comes on the car radio. I answer the question – nobody stops it, you have to move away from it. I pull into the drive and commence stocking the pantry, gently shooing cats out of the way, breakfast burritos on the brain.

Shaw Family Salsa Recipe

6-8 pickled jalapenos

1 large can diced tomatoes

1/2 small red onion

1 handful fresh cilantro

6 cloves garlic, peeled

Salt to taste

Plenty of Cumin

Blend thoroughly, can store in fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Voyage into Suburbia – and bonus recipe!

Personal Growth

I’ve bounced around a lot, lived in plenty of different places so far. I’ve lived in small towns, in huge cities, in a cabin deep in the woods, in a tent in the desert, on an Indian reservation (what they themselves called it, by the way), in a trailer at a trailer park, at a small airport, in college dorms, in apartments both good and bad.

Now I embark on the strangest journey of all.

I recently moved into the suburbs.

It’s a strange world of single family houses, personal mail boxes, polite neighbors, friendly cashiers at the grocery store, remodeling, painting, grilling on weekends, commuting to work, pool care. Dogs being walked on leashes, people going on jogs voluntarily, kids playing in yards.

Of course I’ve seen many of these elements before but having them all together is quite amazing.

Home Depot and Lowe’s have never been quite so exciting. With my intrepid spouse at my side, we plan what we will do with our house, and how to make it a home. We think about painting the living room white and hanging black curtains, or turning it into a small dojo. We plan our study and our art studio. We set up our kitchen and actually choose a decorating theme. We fret over the HORRIBLE colors of paint the last owners put up, and wonder how any sane person could actually like those shades of dirt-green, off-white and off-pink. We worry about yellow algae in the pool and termites in the beams. We celebrate every time I manage to grill a good piece of meat. We have no landlords, no surprise inspections, and no neighbors sharing our walls. There’s breathing room. And huge lizards in the shed, and dragonflies skimming over the pool in the morning.

There’s moonlit nights and there’s quiet inside our brick walls. There’s peace in our hearts. This isn’t an end to worry, or to trouble, but it’s a different world than I’ve ever known before.

As a reward for reading all this, I’ll give you something.

If you like corn at all, you owe it to yourself to try it grilled. I haven’t been much of a corn fan but was shocked when I tried it. I’ve never tasted corn that was so sweet and flavorful! Here’s my simple recipe.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

You will need:

Corn on the cob, out of the husk and silk picked off

Butter or margarine

Freshly cracked black pepper

Sea salt or kosher salt

Aluminum foil – approximately a square foot for each ear

A grill – gas, charcoal, yours, a friend’s, whatever you can find

Here’s what you do.

Lay out your foil, shiny side up.

Spread butter on the corn, lay it on the foil.

Sprinkle on salt and pepper.

Roll corn up in the foil and close the ends.

Roast on the grill for about twenty minutes. You can put it on indirect heat next to your main dish if you want. Turn a couple of times.

Carefully unwrap the corn and eat. You’ll find that it’s juicy, sweet, and the heat really brings out the flavors. Enjoy!

Grill Meditations

Art of Womanhood

When people discuss grilling, they talk about delicious food, low fat methods of cooking, good times with friends, being outdoors, methods of basting, foil wrapping, marinating, and more.

There’s something else that grilling can do for you.

It can be a few minutes of peace and quiet, where you can sit out in your yard or on your balcony, and just watch the world go by.

Never leaving a fire unattended means not running back into the house to do a bunch of things – the short waiting time reduces the temptation to do other activities – and it can form a little pocket of peace in your day.

If you use a manual timer (like I do) it can even be soothing.

So if you do grill, next time you throw something on the grate, take a few minutes to sit down with a cool beverage, breathe in and out slowly, watch the sky, and set down all your burdens.

You’ll be glad you did.

Early Rising

Classic Skills, Uncategorized

It’s so easy to be a night owl. I was. I may be again someday. I have worked swing shift for years and years. I finally found a job that starts no LATER than eight but we can show up at six thirty if we want.

I thought “Argh! I’m used to getting up at nine! Going to bed at two or three! I’m an incurable night owl! How can I ever adapt? Why would I want to?”

There was angst, trust me.

Then I moved into my new house. Everything was so topsy turvy, and I was so tired from all the hoop-jumping with the overly long loan process, not to mention packing, cleaning, hauling, cleaning, moving boxes, putting things away, and worrying about car troubles – I was ready for bed every night by ten.

I decided “It’s a heat wave right now. It’s already over ninety by the time I have to drive in. I’m going to get up early.”

It felt strange at first, but I realized I really liked it. It’s so cool and quiet in the morning. The traffic is light. It’s not so stressful to commute. The people at work are quieter at six thirty and we can get a lot done before the rest come in at eight. There’s a bit of camaraderie between all the early folks.

I mention all this because it can be so easy to think “I can’t change, I have to do this because x and y and z,” and by doing that you might actually be missing out on a lot. Getting up early can give you a little more time in the morning, to get ready for the day, have caffeine of some form, maybe even sit down to eat breakfast. Who knows?

Hopefully life will allow me to stay an early riser for a while!

If you don’t get up early now, and you get a chance to try it, you might like it.

August Skies

Photography, Uncategorized

In my new suburban paradise, I have seen some beautiful skies. It’s the middle of Monsoon, which has been a bit odd this year. Not as many big storms, more hot and muggy days. It’s all right. Weather varies, and no one can predict it all the time.

Mindflight may be taking a new turn, but it is certainly not gone. Much has changed in my life but my priorities are the same. I want to share inspiration that will remind everyone to reach toward their dreams. In fact, now I want to do that more than ever! More details in days to come.

Here are some skyscapes from my new neighborhood – which I love. Expect to see ideas for home improvement projects and possibly some grilling tips as I settle into home ownership!

Juxtaposition

Tips for Artists

jux·ta·po·si·tion

ˌjəkstəpəˈziSH(ə)n/

noun

noun: juxtaposition; plural noun: juxtapositions

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

“the juxtaposition of these two images”

This is a rather useful concept in art. The contrast of opposites can really help bring out the idea you are trying to communicate. In this sketch, for example, I have a Twi’lek woman fleeing from a massive ship that is just coming in to land. I was tempted to set the scene at a bloody sunset. Instead made the sky a clear blue through the clouds of dust as a way of alluding to the shattered peace this ship has caused. Whether or not my art was effective, juxtaposition is something to keep in mind as a form of contrast.

extermination ship adjusted.png

via Daily Prompt: Juxtapose

An Archaic Thought

Classic Skills

Courtesy Meme.png

Perhaps I should share a bit about why I was moved to make this meme. Right now the people of the US are beset by divisiveness. There are many groups trying to “stir the pot” and cause more contention, because not only is a house divided more likely to fall, but it’s easier to make a profit from. Unhappy people buy more goods, trying to buy happiness. I see this in Democrats and in Republicans both, so I’m not pointing fingers in either direction, but rather thinking about what’s good in the world rather than what’s bad.

At my favorite coffee shop, there are some guys who are from Africa. I don’t understand a word of Swahili and they understand a few words of English, but smiles are enough. I like those guys. They are sweet and polite, despite the language barrier.

At my favorite grocery store, I see recent immigrants all the time. They are mostly refugees from various war torn countries. I love hearing them speak in their native tongues, and once again, smiles and polite gestures aid in communication. The people who run that store are Vietnamese – and I don’t speak their language either. Little bows are good though, gestures and more smiles. I speak a bit of Spanish and use it at my local carniceria along with much laughter.

Once when I was new to Arizona, my battery went dead in my car. I had no money for a new one and no way to get a jump start. I hoped for someone to come along to help me out. Finally I was in luck. There was a young guy in a brand new truck who parked nearby. I politely asked for help. And got turned down flat – he was worried that his new truck would be damaged by jump starting my little sedan. He left.

Along came another truck. Not shiny, quite dented, with a work rack on back. Out came a deeply suntanned fellow with a wide hat. I think he knew two phrases of English – please and thank you. We understood each other though and he helped me get going again. With a hearty muchas gracias, and a vaya con dios, we parted ways.

Language was no barrier. Perhaps the young fellow really would have damaged his truck to jump start my car – but I’m not so sure. His heart was a bigger barrier to helping than language, as he spoke perfect English.

A smile, a bow, a handshake, a fistbump – they are all part of our common language that does not depend on words.

via Daily Prompt: Archaic

Happy Mother’s Day

Exploring Poetry

Mom is the core of the family… here is what my Dad and I made for Mom and sent her today. He wrote the poem, and I chose the photo – it’s of Priest River, Idaho, which is where we spent a couple years homesteading when I was young.

Mother's Day 2018.jpeg

via Daily Prompt: Core

Sourdough Bubbles

Classic Skills

I had a strange thing on my bucket list. Ever since I heard about sourdough cultures, I always wanted to raise one. That odd little dream has been realized and it was easier than I had ever thought it would be. I busted several myths, too.

First of all, I’d thought that if I didn’t have access to a sourdough starter that was old and pedigreed, my bread wouldn’t be very good.

WRONG!

“Bob” is about three weeks old and is producing delicious loaves and rolls.

Then I thought that if I DID want an old and pedigreed starter, I’d need to pay a lot for one or know somebody.

WRONG!

Thanks to the fine folks at Carl’s Friends, you can get one for the price of postage.

I thought you’d need a bunch of fancy equipment and materials.

WRONG there too! I was able to do it with nothing but flour, water, time, and the warm spot on top of my hot water heater.

I am not going to tell you how to make a starter other than to say that it’s actually pretty easy. I’ve included the article I used at the bottom of this post.

However, there is something so amazing about mixing flour and water, feeding it every day, and after a couple weeks of waiting having a wonderful, bubbly, symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria ready to lift my dough. That’s why I’m calling my second culture (the one from the Carl’s Friends site) “SCOBY-wan Kenobi.” I named my own culture, Bob, after my coworker’s split personality. Long story.

The bread from this process has been light, wonderfully flavored, and filled with bubbles to an extent I haven’t been able to achieve with yeast. Having “Bob” to feed every day has been oddly like having a pet – or an alien creature that bubbles energetically when I Feed it flour and water. It has rhythms and behaviors, of a sort, all within its little plastic crock. I can even refrigerate or freeze it if I want the culture to cool its jets a bit and give me some breathing room.

So far, baking sourdough has been a fun and rewarding project! Here is my latest bake. If anyone wants to know where I got those rings, here is where I got them.

sourdough loaf 900 — Loaf from last baking – using only four ingredients!

sourdough bun — Eight of these little beauties came out of the oven last night.

When I bake sourdough, I don’t think it’s all just my doing. It’s a partnership between me and my starter. As with anything, if I treat that starter well, I’ll get great results. If I neglect it or don’t understand it, my efforts will fall flat. Maybe it’s just the culture getting to my brain, but I get philosophical when I bake.

For those who want to join me in this wacky, bubbly journey, here are my sources:

Carl’s 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter: http://carlsfriends.net/

How to make a Sourdough Starter in 7 steps: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/7-easy-steps-making-incredible-sourdough-starter-scratch/

Where I bought my rings and other kitchen equipment: https://amzn.to/2HYDwKH

via Daily Prompt: Bubble