Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Home Girl Making It In The Film Industry. Plus- Jelly News

 First let me say that the gumbo I made last night was delicious. I'd never made gumbo in my life! I guess I always thought you had to be a tenth-generation Cajun to make good gumbo or at least be infused with some sort of mystical power and know the properties of plants and herbs found nowhere in the world but deep in the swamps of Louisiana. 
Turns out that although I'm neither of those things and I'm not sure my gumbo was what you'd call authentic, my gumbo sure wasn't bad. I made my first real roux, which is what had always scared me away from gumbo. THAT process did seem like magic to me. Mixing a fat and flour to make a thickening agent is something I can do in my sleep but to cook it long enough to have it turn dark, shiny brown without burning it? 
Daunting. 
But I did it and the rest was not very hard. Making the roux wasn't very hard either and despite the fact that some recipes say you have to stir that roux for forty minutes or so, mine darkened in the most lovely way in about ten minutes. So. Don't believe everything you read. And honestly, don't believe everything you believe. 

I had an appointment to get my teeth cleaned this morning. I've been putting it off forever. When I made an appointment for September way, way back in June I had no idea that Covid would still be affecting our lives so profoundly. And I could have canceled and rescheduled but I just wanted to get it out of the way and I have an almost neurotic fear of developing some sort of horrible tooth problem without knowing it so off I went to the office where I had to sign a form which made me feel after reading it as if I was definitely going to get Covid from getting my teeth cleaned and that I was signing away my rights to sue them. 
Whatever. Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the winds.
My teeth and gums are fine. I have stellar dental health. Now let's hope I don't come down with the virus. Tallahassee is not a very healthy place to be right now. Between August 2 and September 4, there were over 850 cases of confirmed Coronavirus at FSU. That's students, facility, and staff. That doesn't even sound possible. And yet, it is. I fear so much for Lily and May who both work with the public in grocery stores. Lily's Publix doesn't have that many students as regular shoppers but it has some and of course the virus does spread from one population to another and May works at the Co-op where a lot of students do shop. 
May they be safe. Please.

After I came home I decided to tackle that jelly again. I poured it all out and went through the steps I listed yesterday and discovered that some of it had gelled a bit. But I just boiled it all down some more and added a little more sugar and more Sure Jell and it's so pretty


and it really tastes nice so I decided to go pick some more beauty berries in the yard and make another batch while I was at it. So I did. 



That's all of it right there. Jars and lids sterilized, end product processed in the canner. I hope it's fitten, as they say, to put on biscuits. I may or may not ever make beauty berry jelly again but I have now done it. 

Two gustatory firsts in one week for me! 

I know I've spoken here before about the musician Bill Wharton, aka The Sauce Boss, and how he was the second person I met in Tallahassee in 1974 and how he and his wife Ruthie took me under their wing when I desperately needed a wing to be put under and when I met them, they had two little girls, Annie and Mary. Annie was four, I think, and Mary was three. Those beautiful little elfin hippie babies grew up to be the most amazing women. Annie lives in LA and works in the art business and Mary lives in NYC and produces films. Her latest film is getting all sorts of acclaim. Won a bunch of awards at the LA Film Festival including Best Picture. Her daddy, Bill, also won one for musical score. The name of the film is Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President and I cannot wait to see it. Here's the trailer. 



Y'all! It looks amazing! And from what I've read, it's a film that has great resonance in our time, right now. I don't know how most of you feel about Jimmy Carter but I loved that man. Still do. I mean- how can you not? I'm not going to say he was the best president we've ever had but I will say that he was quite possibly the best man we've ever had as president. 
So anyway, I'm very excited about that and I can't begin to tell you how incredibly proud of Mary I feel. I can't really say I'm surprised she's achieved the honors she's receiving or that she chose the career she chose. I can remember distinctly sitting on the front steps of the Wharton's house way, way back even before Carter was president, listening to Mary tell me about a movie she'd seen. Even at the age of four or five she had a director's eye. She told me about every scene, every plot twist. It went on for longer than the movie probably had. And her parents raised her in a house that was full of music and art and goofy hippieness and absolute love and acceptance. I feel lucky to have been a witness to that. It helped inform me as to how I wanted to raise my own kids. 

It's raining. I'm going to go dump the water out of the canning kettle and clean up the last of my jelly-making mess and heat up the leftover gumbo. It's been a better day than yesterday was. At least it has been since I got out of the dentist's office. 

And let me say that Bill Wharton has become known for making a huge pot of gumbo on stage as he plays and has fed countless people who have come to hear the blues. His charity is called Planet Gumbo and he has played at many, many homeless shelters, made gumbo, and fed the folks in more ways that one. 




Love...Ms. Moon






23 comments:

  1. You exactly pegged Mr. Jimmy. I love you for that. He IS the best man that's ever been in the White House.

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    1. He's such an example of what a real Christian is in my opinion.

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  2. this post , the jelly, the gumbo, the trailer, everything has a cool factor off the charts, dear Mary! I am
    so looking forward to seeing the film! Carter has always been a fave, and I did not know that he was this cool!!! Holy smoke!

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    1. Friends with Bob Dylan AND Gregg Allman AND Willie Nelson?
      Yes, please.

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  3. You’ve summed up perfectly what I love about Jimmy Carter. He’s the definition of a fine man. I’m definitely going to see that! Good roux makes good gumbo. I’ll make a big pot of “ gumbo juice” and freeze some for quick dinners later. Much love.
    Xoxo
    Barbara

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    1. That's a good idea, Barbara. Freeze-ahead roux.

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  4. Those bubbles are sitting on top of real jelly, m'am. As a friend of mine would have asked, you fixin' to make more?
    I loved Jimmy Carter, the good man. I worked so hard for his reelection. It was cruel. Do you remember when America asked him questions?

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    1. I think I've made all the beauty berry jelly I'm making for this year at least.
      And we say "fixin'" to do something too.
      It was horribly cruel when Carter lost to Ray-Gun. Ugh. I still can't stand that man even though he's been elevated to sainthood in the Republican party.
      I do remember when he'd answer questions. Do you remember the skit on Saturday Night Live where a guy having a bad trip called him and Jimmy (Dan Aykroyd ) told him how to handle it? I'll never forget that.

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  5. always loved Jimmy, the finest of humans in all ways. That is almost how I feel about Joe.....so I am SO cautiously hopeful. Glad jam rescued.....and dental visit done! I am happy today because I tackled a much dreaded Dr. visit....which went very well beyond belief.... given the major anxiety I had about it. Plus....our weather has shifted and it is down into 70's instead of 115....... sleeping with a blanket tonight has never been more appealing and I feel like a whole new person, ie almost myself today
    Susan M

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    1. Cooler temperatures! Hurray!
      And getting your doctor's visit done- you are brave, woman!
      Cautiously hopeful. Yes. I am too. But also terrified. I think Joe's a good man. I really do. I'll be happy to vote for him.

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  6. You know some cool people. so glad the jam and gumbo were successful. I cancelled on my dentist this morning, Don't want to risk public transport. The drivers have to get close and buckle you in and down and that is just too close for comfort without a vaccine. Apparently

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    1. a lot of folks are cancelling according to the office. You should be okay in your own car and as long as they sanitize.

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  7. Now I really want to see "Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President". Perhaps one day Mary will make a follow up movie: "Donald Trump: Fascist Fake President".

    P.S. Is there going to be a nuclear war? It's just that I am wondering why you made so many jars of beauty berry jelly?

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    1. So far all of Mary's films have been about music and musicians. So I don't know that she'd do one about DT:FFP. Good title, though.
      Wouldn't it be amazing if beauty berries were an antidote to radiation? There's something about them that make me think they must have some medicinal properties. But no. I hope there's not going to be a war of any kind.

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  8. I like "don't believe everything you believe." That's an excellent life motto!

    I haven't heard about that movie but it sounds fascinating. I hope we get it over here.

    Good for you for making another go of the beauty berries!

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    1. I agree with you, Steve, about not believing everything you believe. I like that one.
      I'm going to link a place to stream the movie. That's how we'll probably see it.
      I'm glad I didn't just give up on those berries.

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  9. well, I looked it up and I see they are not poisonous. seems to be an awful lot of trouble though. sort of like making prickly pear jelly which my mother would do when the tunas were ripe on the big prickly pear on the corner of the lot at the beach house when we had it.

    I loved Jimmy Carter too, voted for him both times. he is definitely a man that walks the walk.

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    1. It wasn't really that hard, Ellen, especially when I figured out that if you smash them before you add the water it works a lot better and is easier.
      Was the prickly pear jelly good? I've always wondered about that.
      Yep. Jimmy not only walks the walk, he builds the houses.

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  10. That jelly looks ah-mazing. And I love Jimmy Carter, too, what a pure hearted man. And kudos to your young filmmaker, you must be so proud of her. I will have to find her film.

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    1. I AM so proud of Mary although I have no reason to claim anything about her. I've just known and loved her for a long, long time. And her parents, too.

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  11. I agree with you about Jimmy Carter - he is a good man. Whether you can make it as President by being a "good" man I don't know, but her certainly shines as a beautiful soul!

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  12. Great cooking firsts here. And such a packed full post, thank you. Carter is a very decent man. Such a contrast to some.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.