away from meat

 There are three winter squash left to use up, and they are starting to show some signs of age, so I definitely want to stay on top of it so they do not turn bad.  This has been a very good shelf life, I must say.  Love these autumn frost squash!  

One of the first recipes I started making with them a couple of years ago when I had an overabundance was a stuffed squash with sausage, apples, celery, mushrooms, wild rice, etc.  It takes some time to prep but is very satisfying. 

But, I don't really want to eat meat.  It turns my stomach.  But I do have some "beluga lentils" that I just got which are clamoring for a purpose, and I think that I may use them for this - just need to sort out the seasonings that I want.  I do another lentil squash dish but it is heavily seasoned with cinnamon, pomegranate molasses, and such.  This one I want more with the sausage flavor, without it actually being sausage.  So, I'll give it a go. I would use tofu but I already have tofu leftovers for the next few days (with broccoli).  I also want to cook black beans today to eat in corn tortillas I'd picked up on sale and froze.  I can eat leftovers for breakfast as well as lunch and dinner, a good break from bread - though of course, toasting or microwaving is about all the breakfast prep I want to do before work; anything more elaborate won't be done.  

I woke up very late this morning, nearly 9 am.  I will shower soon and head out for some errands before I lose all steam.  Not much steam to start with today.   

Speaking of former houses, I also appreciate my experience for guiding me well, relatively speaking.  I remember in a town I lived in a few years ago, I was being shown houses right next to water and in low ground.  I asked if people weren't worried about flooding and I was scoffed at.  Within two years, there has been massive and catastrophic flooding exactly where I was talking about.  Hello?  Do not have to be an expert to see it.  Or even where I am, when I pointed out how trees are close to power lines and people scoffed.  And then we lost power for many days in an ice storm exactly for this reason.  I'm better prepared for when that happens again, with a stocked woodshed and campstove.  I'd left all my gear behind when I'd left New Orleans, with some myth of only that place requires preparation.  No, we need it all over.  Obviously it was clearer there, as I arrived right after Katrina.  I kept a hatchet and an inflatable raft in my attic, just in case.  And I don't quite need that level of prep, but there are other concerns of course.  Power and heat is key.  I got spikes in case another ice storm makes the roads impassable again.  I should probably get chains for my car.  Though I'm more of a hunker down in place kind of person.  

OK, time to move into this day, slowly slowly.   

And ... actually no.  I don't want to go do errands.  I still don't feel well.  Maybe i'll move slowly in the house and yard but that's it.