Ben East Books

Author: Ben East

  • Don Turkey & Key Lime Pie

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , , , , ,

    Me bloggy familiars: recognize this? We made such pies a few years back. And we ate those discs of lemony lime so again Kodachrome the tarty goodness in oven-baked form. After Don Turkey loses his head we’ll top ‘em with cream. Whipping it first! (Did I say, Don Turkey, THE Donald Turkey? Pardon me, pardon…

  • Lost

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , , , ,

    Nothing in 2020 was immune to the pandemic. Even my hard drive crashed by June, shelved for months before a fix could be found. Well before my laptop’s demise, the year had already presented its share of challenges. Travel to Bhopal in January to support American blues performers at an international music festival. February dedicated…

  • Diwali. Art. Humanity.

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , ,

    Rangoli beside our door means one thing. Diwali! Colored powders, various beans, and a few candles set around the entry welcome our visitors. Our virtual visitors. Welcome, virtual visitors! See who has already come? The purple-footed Lakshmi tip-toeing around the fern. A confession: I’m no fan of rangoli. They irk me so. Such beautiful creations,…

  • Captain’s Blog…

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , , , , , ,

    Raw eggs hurtle toward earth. Our lunar descent vehicles promise soft landings. Of course, we lose a few  good eggs along the way. Big Red Dan was the first to go. Never even made it out of the living room. One short drop from shoulder height in his 12-straw craft, plus inner capsule, pushed his insides…

  • Don’t Kneel on Me

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in

    Who can watch the events in cities across the United States and not hoist a banner of some sort? Either you take a stand against bigotry, hatred, injustice, and division. Or you incite it with violent rhetoric from behind your hooded accounts on social media.     ##

  • Very Biryani

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , , ,

    Here’s a succulent dish: Biryani! Five layers of vegetable and rice pulao filling a casserole dish to the top. On the side, raita, a seasoned yogurt with diced tomato and shaved cucumber. I prepared the vegetables and rice separately, for the vegetables chopping eight cups of colorful peppers, broccoli, peas, carrots, and green beans into one-inch…

  • Winning

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , , ,

    The family sports teams are: sons v dad. Two on one. We compete in soccer, kickball, football. I make the rules. The boys don’t know all the rules. I design the rules to keep the action going, the ball in play, the competition fierce. Among the rules known to the boys: In soccer, no boundaries.…

  • Chinese Propaganda

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , , ,

    Now why should we doubt a video created by New China TV?       ##

  • Freedom! …and a Sammidge

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , , , , ,

    The scene last weekend in Raleigh, North Carolina, a state that has recorded 15,000 COVID-19 cases and over 550 deaths. Armed protesters, organized on a Facebook group called Blue Igloo, paraded through downtown carrying shotguns, pistols, and a sweet AT-4 anti-tank rocket launcher. Thanks Facebook! When they got hungry, they marched into a Subway restaurant (remember former…

  • Easter Egg Hunting

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , , ,

    I miss the thick green grass of Virginia’s Spring. I’m grateful for the patch of green I have, here in the middle of this concrete megacity, but I miss the wide open lawn where we gathered to hit baseballs every spring and summer. Oval-shaped, canopied in deep shade by a dozen oaks at the edges,…