Happy Hour January 11
Happy Hour With Ruth & Roxy: Show Notes – January 11, 2024
Happy Hour Overview
In Happy Hour January 11, Ruth & Roxy discuss Zoom, authenticity, how the current cold snap is making them want to move to the tropics, the soothing power of a medicinal drink from Africa called dawa, and the one word Roxanne knows in Swahili.
Trying New Things
We can all do hard things, but only if we embrace failure. The first time we do anything new will probably suck. We need to do it anyway because we can only get better – like us and this podcast! We don’t love Zoom, but today, with me (Roxy) down with a cold I’d rather not bring to Ruth’s house, Zoom was the better option. Yes, we know the production values aren’t great. But we showed up anyway. Perfection is the enemy of done. (Or something smart and pithy like that.)
Ruth noticed recently on a Facebook community we’re in for Supernatural, the virtual reality workout we both do, that some folks were complaining about the coaches. These participants wanted to do their own workout without commentary. Well, that’s not how Supernatural works. The exercise platform encourages community and engagement. For people who haven’t experienced a lot of success in team sports or traditional exercise programs, the instruction, the rah-rah and the “way to go, athlete!” from the coaches is a huge draw. But not everyone wants or needs the same thing. This might mean that instead of complaining about what’s not working for you, you need to search elsewhere for the program that fits you better.
Same goes for us. If you love our Happy Hours, great. If we’re not a fit for you, no problem. We’re here to find our particular tribe of listeners, and we’ll take all constructive criticism. What we won’t do is change to something that isn’t authentic to us or that will compromise the community we’re building.
It’s Cold, Roxanne!
Ruth says this at least three times a day right now. It’s minus fourteen degrees in our area of the world and so windy, the road is blocked by fallen tree limbs and left us without power for 12 hours. We’d love to be recording Happy Hour from somewhere warm, Africa for Ruth, Hawaii or Mexico for me. But would we move there permanently? Or even for a few months of every year? Neither of us have done that but we know others who have. What are the pros and cons of moving to a new country? What does that feel like? Tell us the challenges, the joys, what drew you to your new home country, what you miss about your old home. We’d love to hear from those of you who’ve done it.
Just in case – and because she knows she’ll be back in Africa – Ruth is learning Swahili. I know one word: Owodunni. It’s Swahili for “it is good to have money.” We found it in a baby name book. Yes, darling firstborn, that could have been you.
Books, Books, Books
I’m always reading a few different books. Right now in non-fiction, it’s The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. Surprisingly entertaining reading for a heavy subject, this fascinating book explores the effect of trauma on the brain, mind, and body. For fiction, I’m reading Harlan Coben’s The Match, a thriller about a man who was rescued from the woods as a feral child, who later discovers biological relatives through DNA tests. Who abandoned him? Why? How did he survive? Why can’t he remember any of this? Harlan, you owe me a few hours of sleep!
Happy Hour Gratitude
I’m grateful for the dawa Ruth sent over before we began our Happy Hour recording yesterday. Ruth first tasted this when she was on safari and got the dry cough that is common for visitors to that climate. The guides brought her this steaming beverage made of tea, spices, citrus, honey and being Ruth, she immediately got the recipe. It’s lovely.
Because reciprocity is the name of our game, and it’s not Happy Hour without wine, I made a pot of Vin Brule. I was introduced to Italy’s answer to mulled wine by my son-in-law, over Christmas. Naturally, his was better, but mine was pretty good, too. I used a combination of recipes but mostly this one from The Mediterranean Dish.
We’re both so grateful for YOU! It’s so wonderful to see so many people supporting our venture and joining our community! Thank you for being here!
Stay Connected with Happy Hour
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Thanks again for being here – see you in two weeks and until then, what do we want?
More Happy Hours | Less Bullshit
Love Note from the Lake January 2024
Welcome, January 2024!
The New Year has landed, people, and for us, that means COLD, with snow in the forecast, no surprise. Because it’s too cold to spend much time outdoors, I’m getting lots done inside and this year, that means….. yes, new books! But it also means another special surprise. (Read on, dear reader!)
But first… let me introduce the latest little man to steal my heart! My grandson Archer was born just before Christmas, making his parents and big sister very happy, and thrilling the rest of the family, too. Isn’t he simply perfect?
Coming February 13, 2024
DNA doesn’t lie. But people do. THE RANCHER’S LOST BRIDE, the second book in my Lost Malones of Grand, Montana series launches February 13, continuing the story of a mother’s love and loss… and a family finding its way back together. This contemporary reunion romance is ultimately about what defines family… and how it might not look the same for everyone.
Leila Monahan is creating her dream family, but when her fiancé gets cold feet, she sends him packing. A sperm bank would be easier but first, she’ll take a DNA test. She doesn’t care about finding her birth parents, but her future children might. The surprising results are nothing to the shock of seeing her first true love back in town, with an eight-year-old daughter.
Sawyer Lafferty loved Leila, but her desire to get married—at nineteen!—sent him running. Before settling down, he wanted an education and opportunities. But those, and any future with Leila, vanished with the unexpected arrival of his baby girl. Now a single dad with full custody, he’s come home to manage Grand’s new therapeutic riding stable and rebuild his life.
Leila is gutted to learn that Sawyer wanted a family after all—just not with her. But little Piper quickly captures her heart, and when Sawyer shares the circumstances of his marriage, the spark they once had flares back to life, but is it enough to sustain them? Or will the secrets and lies surrounding them douse it forever?
Cover Reveal!
Book Three in my Lost Malones of Grand, Montana series is called THE MAVERICK’S SURPRISE FAMILY. Set on a therapeutic horseback riding ranch, this book features a hero with a disability, something I haven’t done for a while. I’m in the final stage of revisions now and I’m excited about how this story is continuing the series. MAVERICK launches in August, 2024
He’s a loner….
Outdoor adventure guide LUCAS LANDRY is happiest leading bucket-list wilderness trail rides, because on horseback, he doesn’t need his despised cane. But he returns to civilization when potential biological relatives contact him. He’s never sought the birth family that abandoned him, but curiosity overcomes suspicion, and he finds himself in Grand, Montana, where he hears an origin story unlike anything he expected. An emotional reunion with siblings he didn’t know existed leaves him shaken and vulnerable.
She’s done with passion…
Therapeutic riding stable owner and widow BAYLEIGH SUTHERLAND is floored by her attraction to the man renting a cabin on her ranch. He’s tough, hurting, too young, and all wrong for a single mom with a teen son. But the spark between them is undeniable. As is the positive pregnancy test several weeks later.
Who will compromise?
Bayleigh wants her miracle baby, but she won’t rob Lucas of the footloose lifestyle that sustains him.
When Lucas learns Bayleigh’s secret, he has a decision—return to the safety of the wilderness, or step into a life he never knew he could have.
And now… a SURPRISE!
I have some exciting news – my friend Ruth and I have launched a podcast – Happy Hour with Ruth & Roxy.
Here’s a brief history: we met when we became next-door neighbours in our small gated community near Cultus Lake, BC. It was the first year of COVID-19, but nevertheless, friendship blossomed immediately.
On paper we should not work as friends. Ruth is from downtown Toronto, while I’m from small town Saskatchewan. I grew up in (and left) a conservative religious community, while Ruth might have gone to church once. Ruth is up at 4 a.m. I get my best sleep between 6 and 8. I’m a mother and grandmother… Ruth finds infants slightly terrifying.
Yet, as different as we are, we have much in common. The dealbreakers first: dogs and wine. Then we learned that we both work with words for our careers, me as a USA Today best-selling author and content editor, Ruth as a journalist, communications professional and content creator. Quickly we realized the most important thing: our values align. That matters. A lot.
The backyard Happy Hours started naturally, on one deck or the other, distanced, under electric blankets during the cold months, or on the patio in the summer. We met by video, when necessary. We discussed what’s on our minds, from serious to ridiculous, fun or quirky, political or random. We talk about travel, food, cooking, baking, books, ideas, dreams, challenges and adventures. It’s always interesting and often hilarious – sometimes even on purpose!
Those Happy Hours saved our sanity during those difficult years and they’ve continued. One day, it hit us: what if there are others out there who feel disconnected or lonely or just want a couple of gal pals to hang out with at Happy Hour? And boom: Happy Hour with Ruth & Roxy was born.
In figuring out what our Happy Hour podcast would be, we thought about what we want in life. It boils down to this: More Happy Hours… Less Bullshit. If we’re honest with ourselves – it’s what we all want out of life – especially these days.
The goal of Happy Hour with Ruth & Roxy is to share a podcast episode every two weeks, with blog posts covering the no-podcast weeks.
Naturally, I’ll talk books, because I gotta be me… but it’ll be a meandering conversation about stories of all kinds. We’re not experts; we won’t be solving anyone’s lives; you probably won’t learn much from us. But we hope you’ll feel like you’ve been part of a fun conversation, that you feel heard and accepted.
Take a look. See what you think. Welcome.
Starting Sourdough
- At October 09, 2023
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Baking, Roxanne Writes On
- 0
Starting sourdough, yeah, it’s a challenge. But so worth it!
Making a sourdough starter isn’t hard. You mix equal parts flour (I used whole wheat) and water (bottled, so there’s no chlorine) in a bowl, cover it lightly with plastic wrap so nothing gets in it, but it can still “breathe” and then leave it. Stir it down once daily for three days and voila. You should end up with a yeasty, bubbling, warm mass of fermented grain that can be used in place of commercial yeast to make bread.
Why? You might ask. When you can buy perfectly good bread at the store?
If you like food (which I do) and you like the science of nutrition (ditto) and you’re a creative type up for a challenge, this is a fun one. I was looking for a fun challenge and I also get a little bent out of shape about how badly bread is maligned in current thinking. In fact, according to Michael Pollan, see earlier post, it’s not that bread is so bad for us. It’s that some bread as it’s made today is bad for us. Whole grain bread, made with minimal ingredients, and sourdough culture instead of fast-acting yeast, is a whole other ball game.
Grains have a natural protective shell that allow animals and birds to eat and then disperse still-viable seed that can then take root elsewhere, propagating the plant. Eating a bag of wheat won’t provide you with much bio-available nutrition.
Grind that wheat into flour and the nutrients become far more available. But still not great.
Enter the magic of fermentation. Introduce friendly bacteria in the form of sourdough starter to that mix of flour and water, give them time to work, and they break down that protective shell for us. The nutrients in the grain become far more digestible, providing a higher-quality food product.
Not to mention more delicious. Come back tomorrow to see what I baked.