“Before you give up hope, turn back and read the attacks that were made on Lincoln.”
— Bruce Fairchild Barton (1886 – 1967)
American author, advertising executive;
NY politician, US House of Representatives (1937 – 41)
Don’t let chaos drive you crazy. Never give up. Never lose hope!
Photo by Adam Nemeroff
“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear, and the blind can see.”
— Mark Twain (1835-1910)
19th Century American author and humorist;
pen name for Samuel Langhorne Clemens
We can choose to be rabid in our righteousness… or we can choose to be compassionate in our common humanity.
Photo by Katelyn Perry
Perfect for National Compliment Day:
“We’re not getting older, we’re getting BETTER!”
Okay… now you say it to me.
“‘History repeats itself’ and ‘History never repeats itself’ are about equally true… We never know enough about the infinitely complex circumstances of any past event to prophesy the future by analogy.”
— George Macaulary Trevelyan (1876 – 1962)
English historian
Celebrate National Southern Food Day. This is a cuisine smothered in YUM! Go for fried chicken, barbecue, catfish, grits, biscuits, gumbo, peach cobbler, jambalaya, fish dip, and soooo much more!
Today we offer Zesty Gumbo Kebabs, originally published in “Dockside Dining: A Second Helping” in 2014.
Zesty Gumbo Kebabs
We love grilling and often prep a variety of foods to serve as large or mini kebabs. With this recipe, use your favorites: kielbasa, sausage, chicken, shrimp, and/or meatballs, plus fruits and veggies.
24 slices (3/4 – 1” thick) kielbasa and/or spicy chicken, meatballs, or pork
6 links sausage, cooked
24 large or x-large raw shrimp, shelled & deveined
24 chunks pineapple or peach
2 sweet red bell peppers, cut in a total of 24 (1”) chunks
3 fresh, thin zucchini, not peeled, cut in a total of 24 slices
Other veggies, such as slices of fresh corn on the cob, mushroom caps, cherry tomatoes, or chunks of sweet onion
1 small can frozen limeade concentrate (about 1 cup)
¼ c virgin olive oil
¼ – 1/3 c your favorite hot sauce (such as Mike’s Red Hot)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded & finely chopped
On 12 metal or warm water-soaked bamboo skewers, threat proteins, veggies, & fruit, alternating for color (or cooking each type all together, as you prefer). Mix remaining ingredients together and drizzle or brush over prepared kebabs in dish with sides. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Grill 5 min per side on cooking oil sprayed med-hot grill, basting with marinade. Serve over hot rice. Makes 6 entrée servings of 2 skewers or 12 tapas kebabs.
KISS Note: Do not marinate longer than 1 hour. The citrus in lime literally starts to “cook” the shrimp, as when making ceviche.
Photo from Library of Congress
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
— Ronald Reagan (1911 – 2004)
American actor & California Governor
40th President of the United States (1981 – 89)
“It is better to light a candle than to curse at the darkness.”
— William Lonsdale Watkinson (1838 – 1925)
English minister (in a 1907 sermon)
(Quote was popularized by Eleanor Roosevelt.)
Let us choose to light candles, rather than make the darkness even darker.
Photo by Ditto Bowo
“We have committed the Golden Rule to memory; let us now commit it to life.”
— Edwin Markham (1852 – 1940)
American poet
That rather well sums up “Compassion, and Other Life Seasonings”, my latest edition in the Life Seasonings mini guide series. We can all do better.
Are you ready for some football!!??!
(I know, you can’t tell which team I’m rooting for.)
Photo by Roberta Sant’Anna
“We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.”
— Stevie Wonder (1950 – )
American singer, songwriter, & musician
On National Nothing Day, we are supposed to do nothing but relax and take a breather from the daily pressures. (Okay… comedy and sarcasm seem appropriate.)
“Old age ain’t no place for sissies.”
— Bette Davis (1908 – 1989)
American actress
There are many great quotes about aging. The bottom line remains true… With old age, our eyesight may weaken, but our ability to see straight through people grows stronger. Little is clearer than that.
Photo by Helen Lopes
“If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832)
German writer & polymath
We all need to do better at helping each other become what we are capable of becoming, with love and compassion ruling our hearts. We can do this.
“It isn’t what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters.”
— Unknown
My most sincere thanks and gratitude to each and every person in my life who has made a compassionate difference… even when I may have failed to tell you how precious you are.
Photo by Rajvir Kaur
Celebrate National Rubber Ducky Day. Per “Sesame Street,” January 13th is Rubber Duckie’s birthday, so sing along if you recall #16 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1970.
Photo by Wesley Tingey
“History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.”
— Dwight Eisenhower 1890 – 1969)
American military officer &
34th President of the United States
Photo by Dan Cook
This is just one of many delightful messages I have received from a dear friend. Each line widened my smile and brought more laughter. May you also enjoy!
I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 60 years later.
I don’t have to go to school or work. I get an allowance every month.
I have my own pad. I don’t have a curfew.
I have a driver’s license and my own car.
The people I hang around with are not scared of getting pregnant and I don’t have acne.
Life is great.
I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People get out of the way much faster now.
Gone are the days when girls used to cook like their mothers.
Now they drink like their fathers.
I didn’t make it to the gym today. That makes five years in a row.
I decided to stop calling the bathroom “the John” and renamed it “the Jim”.
I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.
Old age is coming at a really bad time.
When I was a child, I thought “nap time” was a punishment. Now it feels like a small vacation.
The biggest lie I tell myself is… ” I don’t have to write that down; I’ll remember it”.
I don’t have gray hair… I have “wisdom highlights”! (I’m just very wise.)
If God wanted me to touch my toes, He would’ve put them on my knees.
Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven’t met yet.
Why do I have to press one for English when you’re just going to transfer me to someone I can’t understand anyway?
Of course, I talk to myself. Sometimes I need expert advice.
At my age “Getting Lucky” means walking into a room and remembering why I came in there.
I have more friends I should send this to, but right now I can’t remember their names.
Now, I’m wondering… did I send this to you, or did you send it to me?
We can choose to rant and rave… or not. We can choose accusations and name calling… or not. We can choose to support each other and work together… or not. I choose strength through compassion and unity.
“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”
— J.K. Rowling (1965 – )
British author & philanthropist;
From her “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
Photo by Ben Kerckx
On National Static Electricity Day, have fun exploring the science. Rub some balloons or scuff your feet along a run before touching a doorknob. You remember! January 9th is the one day each year when it’s fun to recognize the imbalance of positive and negative charges. (Hah! Love those double meanings.)
“I shall derive great satisfaction from a cooperation with you in the pleasing though arduous task of insuring to our fellow citizens the blessings which they have a right to expect from a free, efficient, and equal government.”
— George Washington (1732 – 1799)
Commander of the Continental Army;
1st President of the United States (1789 – 1797);
Words from his first State of the Union address to Congress in Federal Hall in New York City on January 8, 1790
(Photo by Brigitte Werner)
Celebrate National Slow Cooking Month with a pot of splendid chili… either with meat or without… with beans or without. Do what pleases your taste buds on a chili evening!
We created a smashing rendition for our last bonfire in 2025. This baby is meant for the slow cooker. Dig in!
Café Martin Chili
Not a true Texas-style chili; this has some beans. However, you can easily eliminate them and get back to chili’s roots, if desired. Regardless of your preference, here’s the recipe we created for our 2025 bonfire. It got lots of positive feedback as the best chili ever… both the regular and vegetarian variations!
4 T each: oregano and chili powder
6 T ground cumin
1 T each: cayenne pepper and smoked paprika
2 env dry onion soup mix
1-2 lbs Mexican chorizo (no casings)
6 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 lb sweet sausage (no casings)
2 lbs steak strips
3 lbs steak cubes
3 lbs ground beef
6 large, sweet onions, chopped
1 bunch celery hearts, chopped
3-4 c beef bone broth
1 large can tomato puree, mixed with 1 small can tomato paste
1 large can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 large can original Ro-Tel diced tomatoes & green chilies, drained
2 (4-oz) cans diced mild chilies & liquid
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can cannelloni beans
1 can seasoned black beans
Toppings: shredded Monterey Jack cheese, chopped onion (sweet or red, as you prefer), pickled and/or fresh jalapeño pepper slices, sour cream
Combine seasonings and onion soup mix; set aside. Cook, stirring to crumble, the chorizo and all other sausage meats over med-low meat for 6-8 minutes in a large skillet. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage into very large bowl. Cook beef strips and cubes, stirring occasionally, for 4-6 minutes. Stir into cooked sausage. Repeat with ground beef, stirring to crumble meat as it cooks. Transfer to meat mixture. Drain off excess oil, reserving 3-4 T in skillet. Cook and stir onion over medium heat for 2-3 mins before transferring to meat mixture. Repeat with celery. Stir the seasoning/dry soup mixture into the meats thoroughly. Transfer to slow cooker/s and stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 1-2 hour. Shut off heat and cool, refrigerating overnight. (Can freeze, if desired, at this point.) Cook the chili on low heat for 2-4 hours before serving with your choice of toppings on the side.
KISS Tips: This makes enough to serve 30-40 people, so it’s perfect to make ahead and freeze. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before doing the final cooking time. We serve chili with buttery garlic/onion bread and a fresh tossed salad. Chili is also great served in soft taco shells with slices of fresh avocado and a sprinkle of chopped onions and a bit of salsa.
KISS Variation: To make Vegetarian Chili, eliminate all the meats. Sauté a large package of fresh baby bella (or other) mushrooms, diced along with the onion and celery in 4 T butter. Season as above, replacing beef bone broth with 2 c vegetable stock. Add the puree, tomatoes, Ro-Tel, and chilies as above. In addition to the 2 cans of kidney beans, add 2 cans each: seasoned black beans, pinto beans, cannelloni beans, and lentils, all rinsed and drained. Stir in kernels from 3 ears of corn on the cob (or 2 c frozen baby corn). Of course, you could use just kidney beans, but this combination is delightfully colorful and tasty.
Photo by Amit Lahav
“You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans.”
— Ronald Reagan (1911 – 2004)
American actor & California Governor;
40th President of the United States (1981 – 1989);
quoted in Observer, March 29, 1981
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
— Henry Adams (1838-1918)
American historian & teacher
I enjoy sharing recipes on my website and social media articles. In 2025, I am pleased to note that I shared more than 2 dozen recipes with you. They ranged from appetizers (like Super Simple Beet Hummus Avocado Toasts)
…and beverages (like the Super Simple Bellini) to soups (like Manhattan Clam Chowder and Creamy Mushroom Soup)
…to entrees (like KISS Lobster Thermidor and Super Simple Beef Stroganoff) and desserts (like Potato Chip Cookies and Mom Burnham’s Whoopie Pies). You can find them all in posts from 2025 on this site, in case you missed one!
This year, I begin with a favorite appetizer… or entrée, if you prefer. It doubles and triples easily and works with any of the included sauces, a favorite of your own, or even a bottled option, such as Sweet Thai Chili Sauce.
Super Simple Coconut Shrimp
While I have been making Coconut Shrimp since the 1970s, this Super Simple rendition sprang to life when I started making them more often for a dear girlfriend. So easy and so tasty, too!
1/3 c coconut flour
½ tsp each: fine sea salt & ground black pepper
2 x-lg eggs, beaten with ¼ c monk fruit (or sugar)
¾ c panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1¼ c shredded coconut (sweetened or not, as you prefer)
1 lb large (16-20 count size) shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied, if desired
Coconut oil
Combine flour, salt & pepper in 1 small bowl. Place beaten eggs in 2nd small bowl. Combine panko and coconut in 3rd bowl. Dip each shrimp in flour, then in eggs, and then in coconut crumbs, pressing to help coating adhere thickly. Place on wax paper in single layer. Once all are complete, warm 1” oil over medium heat. Work in batches and fry shrimp, 1 min per side. Remove from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. (These freeze well at this point, too. To serve, thaw and reheat 5-6 min at 350°F.) Serve with your choice of dipping sauce. Makes 16-20.
Pina Colada Sauce
¼ c sour cream
¼ c pina colada drink mix
¼ c crushed pineapple (juice-packed)
Combine and process with an immersion blender to your desired consistency.
Mustard Sauce
½ c Dijon mustard
2 T each: brown sugar & white wine
1 T freshly squeezed lemon (or lime) juice
Combine and warm just enough to melt the sugar.
Peachy Sauce
½ c peach preserves (or a marmalade)
2 T white wine
1 T lemon juice
Combine and serve at room temp.
“Running away will never make you free.”
— Kenny Loggins (1948 – )
American singer & songwriter
Throughout 2025, I posted more than 225 quotations, proverbs, and witticisms from a broad range of people and centuries. I shared words from pacifists and activists, conservatives and liberals, soldiers and sculptors. Notable Quotables hailed from humorists, humanitarians, and historians, as well as from playwrights, performers, and critics. We heard from musicians and physicians, cartoonists and coaches, along with scholars, satirists, and superstars. Whether the words hailed from Founding Fathers, Nobel Laureates, or philosophers, I truly enjoyed reading and sharing thoughts that inspire, encourage, and help me feel grounded. I hope that a few touched you, too. Naturally, I look forward to sharing more words of wisdom and wackiness in 2026.
“Famous remarks are very seldom quoted correctly.”
— Simeon Strunsky (1879 – 1948)
Russian-born American essayist
I know! But I will try my best, for great quotations often succinctly express our jumbled thoughts or deliver a touch of compassion or encouragement that we may have needed precisely at that moment.
“Life has got to be lived — that’s all there is to it.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962)
American First Lady, diplomat, and activist
Photo by Kateryna Hiliznitsova
Happiest New Year wishes to you!
“Life is too short not to celebrate nice moments!”
— Jürgen Klopp (1967 – )
German football manager
Photo by Gerd Altmann
Do not be intimidated. Live positively, hopefully, and fully.
“Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.”
— Robert H. Schuller (1929 – 2015)
American Christian pastor, motivational speaker, & author
A new year is just ahead. My wish is that you can make it a great one.
Photo by Katelyn Perry
Goals
If you are uncertain, timid or vague,
If you are not sure which is the way.
If you are concerned what the future will bring,
If you are dissatisfied with any old thing.
If you are fearful of what tomorrow may be,
If you are willing to forever be free.
Then you need to take hold of your life from this day,
And you must plan a far better way.
It’s goals that you need to straighten you out,
To smooth out the paths and to get you about.
For goals set a sight that is clear and is bright,
And goals give you purpose to strive and to fight.
Your life is of value and the world is your home,
So stop now and think of where you should roam.
Just make a new start, to win and to claim,
A fresh firm new goal with a definite aim.
Then chase after your goal with a desperate desire,
With passion and excellence, as if you were on fire.
Do not be timid or reluctant or slow,
Just move into top gear and let all systems go.
— Peter J. Daniels (1932 – )
Australian author (from May 15, 1986)
Photo by Dimitris Vetsikas
“You have not converted a man because you have silenced him.”
— John Morley (1838 – 1923)
British statesman, writer, & newspaper editor
When someone is bullied into silence or socially withdraws because others are constantly whining and ranting their divisive opposition, that someone’s core beliefs may actually be strengthened.
I know mine are. The silenced bird still sings in her heart.
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
— Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948)
Indian lawyer and political ethicist
Photo by Allec Gomes
“There is a tendency for things to right themselves.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)
American essayist & philosopher
That sums up politics in America. While some seek change, others are grateful that change has happened. And so it goes.
“Spend enough time around success and failure, and you learn a reverence for possibility.”
— Dale A. Dauten (1950 – )
American businessman, innovator, & author
Photo by Steve Johnson
“It is health which is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
— Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
Indian lawyer, spiritual & political leader, & nonviolent resistance advocate
“Happiness is a warm puppy.”
— Charles M. Schulz (1922 – 2000)
American cartoonist
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
— Dalai Lama (14th is Tenzin Gyatso, born 1935)
Spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism
With all the bigoted and needless violence of late, I find it interesting that my newest book in the Life Seasonings series is titled “Compassion: and Other Life Seasonings.” It just went “live” on Amazon in paperback and ebook formats. Compassion… a necessity.
Photo by Jayson Hinrichsen
“Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination.”
— Mark Twain (pen name for Samuel Langhorne Clemens) (1835 – 1910)
American writer & humorist
Hah! Rather redefines giddiness!
Find lots of happiness insights in the “Happiness: and Other Life Seasonings” guidebook.
Photo by Polina Kuzovkova
“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
American social activist & stateswoman
US First Lady: 1933-45; Ambassador to UN
Throughout the year, but especially at Christmas, I express my deepest gratitude for my wealth of friends, all of whose footprints are forever in my heart.
Cathy & Mom at the Lucky Lobster Company, Dunedin, Florida
Thanks, Mom, for being the wonderful person you are!
With Mom & Sir Ronald at Mystic Fish, Palm Harbor, Florida
Sir Ronald and I have been enjoying our visit with Mom. At 95 years young, we are blessed to see her thriving in life. At the end of the month, she is retiring from her 15-year volunteer gig running a card shop at her apartment complex.
She is ready to slow down…. Swimming in the pool 2-3 times a week, her women’s club activities, fun chorus schedule, various card groups, lots of dining companions, and a huge array of community events keep her very busy.
Hot Buttered Lobster Roll (sans roll) at Lucky Lobster Company
She has always been my greatest cheerleader. We loved sharing time with her again and treating her to some of her favorite restaurants.
Lobster Roll at Cafe Alfresco, Dunedin, FL
Bouillabaisse – Mystic Fish, Palm Harbor, FL
Fried Clams appetizer at Lucky Lobster, Dunedin, FL
Oh, yes… enjoyed lobster rolls,
bouillabaisse,
fried clams,
Root Beer Float – Cafe Alfresco, Dunedin, FL
a root beer float,
Grouper Bites appetizer – Cafe Alfresco, Dunedin, FL
grouper bites,
Pretzel-Encrusted Grouper – Mystic Fish, Palm Harbor, FL
pretzel-encrusted grouper,
Grouper Tacos, Lucky Lobster Co., Dunedin, FL
grouper tacos,
Key Lime Pie
key lime pie, and more!
Lamb Chops at Bascom’s Steak House, St. Petersburg, FL
(Mom taught me to cook and enjoy great food!
Key Lime Pie at Bascom’s
When in Florida, we especially enjoy grouper & key lime pie… in any order.) We love you to the moon and back, Mom.
“A smile can open a heart faster than a key can open a door.”
AND it’s beautifully contagious. Pass it on.