A Real Live Magazine

The arrival of Spring inspired me to clear out many old magazines.  As a reader and writer, I have a hard time getting rid of print material, especially books and magazines. I must read each one thoroughly before I recycle it. Since my early career days, I've often had a subscription to Essence magazine. It was so rewarding back then to see women who looked like me on the cover of the monthly issues. (Shout out to Ebony and Jet, too.) A couple of years ago, however, I had such a backlog of magazines I needed to read that I stopped the subscriptions. Being an author now takes up a lot of my leisure reading time. Yet, I saved these 3 old issues to read. I enjoyed them so much that last week, I renewed my Essence for a year. Hope I can keep up with the reading. If not, I guess I'll have to read them on my tablet, but it's not the same experience for me as turning those real paper pages.

Smiles.

Sylvia

www.sylviabrownroberts.com

A Situation in the Soup Aisle

While at the market, I saw something that bothered me. I heard a man's angry voice when I turned down an aisle. It was a soft voice, but it was angry. I looked up from my shopping list when I heard the tone. I saw a senior man and a senior woman standing at a shopping cart in the soup aisle. The woman had a purse and a wallet in her hands.
"You do this every time! Look through everything in your purse. You always do this, Clara, every time we come out for groceries. What a dizzy wife you are! Next time, give me the credit card before we leave the friggin' house! You'd better find that credit card!"
I watched the senior woman search frantically in her purse. She was silent, her fingers moved all over her wallet. When he scolded her, she looked up at him while the words came out of his mouth, like she was trying to show she was paying attention to him. When he stopped fussing, she looked back down at her task.
I became angry, because it seemed to me the woman was being bullied.  I was about to step in, but thought, "Wait, did you assess this situation correctly, Sylvia?" I walked over to another aisle so I could settle down, and then address them with the right tone and spirit.  In less than a couple of minutes, I returned to the soup aisle. They were gone. I spent the rest of the afternoon wondering if I should have done more. 
Your thoughts?
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Bone Broth

I tried bone broth at a new restaurant. I think it's trending now, and I'm told that it's healthy. Isn't it interesting how some trendy practices and foods remind you of practices and foods from the elders in your family?

 The eatery specializes in ramen. Many of us know about ramen noodles from the days when we were poor college students, but this ramen is different, upscale and well presented. It's not the 4-pack that costs a dollar and has a powdered flavor pack. I ordered fresh noodles served with scallions, a slice of pork, and another veggie. There was chili paste on the side. The main thing, though, was the aromatic, dark bone marrow broth I mixed with the noodles and veggies. It had a good, earthy taste. It felt like it was good for my belly. It reminded me of the  the chicken bones used in the home made soups of my elders, who said the flavor in the bones made the soup good for you.
Getting hungry!
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com