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    • Island Spirits

      Posted at 4:43 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on October 31, 2019

      Deserted IslandWhen a man gets to a certain age, it is time for him to set out on his own, or at least that is what he tried to tell himself as he readied his boat for the journey. He had been sailing these seas with his father since the day he could walk, he knew them better than he knew the land. Of course, where he was going, he would eventually leave his home waters, and that is where the test of his strength and abilities would come in. 

      His vessel might have been ready but it took a few more days before the winds were right for his passage. It was a warm clear night and the moon had just risen when he was awoken by the thick perfume of flowers in the air, the winds had finally shifted, it was time to go.

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      Posted in Story Shelf | 0 Comments | Tagged 2LWA, BoatingLife, Books Inc, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, ShortStory, ToLiveandWriteinAlameda, VivoOSonho
    • GO To Tuesday: Almond Stacks

      Posted at 9:25 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on October 29, 2019

      IMG_7978This quick sweet uses two ingredients and takes all of 5 active minutes, plus 10 of baking and another hour for cooling. Of course you can find these at a huge discount at our Alameda Grocery Outlet.

      These make a great dessert bite and are perfect for those who like to give homemade holiday gifts. Place in an airtight container with a bow, or combine with our baked treats in a fancy tin.

      Variations: The measurements don’t have to be exact; if your packaging is an ounce bigger or smaller, it doesn’t matter. Also, switch up the color and flavor by trying different types of chocolate chips. These happen to be butterscotch, but I’ve also done them with milk and white chocolate. A sprinkle of sea salt after making the stacks is also a nice touch.

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      Posted in In the Galley | 1 Comment | Tagged AlamedaGroceryOutlet, BargainMarket, BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, GOAlameda, GroceryOutlet, homeofWOW, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, shoplocal, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • Smart or Beautiful

      Posted at 1:58 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on October 17, 2019

      39273629_10217628003915658_3741638223940550656_nI’d awoken with a sore throat and a fever, so mother made me stay home. Daddy went to work and my sister left without me to walk the short distance to school with the kids from the block. I spent the morning on the couch bundled up in blankets, engrossed in one of the “Little House on the Prairie” books and sipping ginger ale through a straw from a nearby TV tray. Mother went about her daily housewife routine of making beds, starting a load of laundry, arranging the front window drape pleats, and raking the shag carpet.

      After clearing my lunch of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup and Saltine’s, mother told me that it was her turn to host the monthly book club and the ladies would arrive at 1 pm. I was to take a nap in my room and behave myself. I had no idea she read books, let alone was a member of a book club. Being in sixth grade and self-absorbed, I never took notice of what my parents did outside of what involved me.

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      Posted in Story Shelf | 0 Comments | Tagged 2LWA, LivingTheDream, ShortStory, ToLiveandWriteinAlameda, VivoOSonho
    • Five

      Posted at 5:55 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on October 3, 2019

      Hunting KnifeElizabeth frowned at her monthly planner entry for August 15th. The heart with the number “5” inside was drawn before the new year, when things were still good. She planned on serving him with divorce papers soon and wanted to keep things amiable until then. A present was just the thing.

      According to etiquette expert Emily Post, the traditional gift for fifth anniversaries should be made of wood. Although if you followed the updated modern list, silverware was the suggested token of love. Elizabeth pondered ideas from the internet.

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      Posted in Story Shelf | 0 Comments | Tagged 2LWA, BoatingLife, Books Inc, DogOnboard, LivingTheDream, ShortStory, ToLiveandWriteinAlameda, VivoOSonho
    • Chicken Tapenade

      Posted at 4:40 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on September 24, 2019

      Chicken TapenadeTo be honest, hubby and I aren’t fans of chicken breast. We prefer thighs which are juicier due to the higher fat content. But every now and then I feel like doing something fancy with chicken and opt for breasts especially when stuffing. Using olives marinated in olive oil kept these moist and flavorful.

      I generally get my proteins from the butcher counter rather than the prepackaged section, as I can assure that the pieces are all similar sized for even cooking. These particular breasts were huge at almost a pound each, which makes stuffing them fairly easy. I made three breasts and served four people with a small portion left over for lunch.

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      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • Small Town Politics

      Posted at 6:09 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on September 12, 2019

      imgres-1The Littletown League of Women Voters mayoral candidate debate had just begun when the fire alarm was sounded. After 30 minutes and an “all clear” from the Fire Chief, the crowd filed back inside. It was apparently a faulty alarm but they had dragged in the hefty fire hose as a precaution and it now lay smack dab down the middle of Uncle Joe’s All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Buffet. It would remain until the investigation was complete in an hour or so, and the debate needed to get underway and wrap-up before the restaurant opened for the Early Bird Special crowd.

      “Alrighty, folks, let’s settle down and resume our debate,” LWV President Nancy Brown said into the microphone. “We’ve made our introductions and we’ll start over with the first question.”

      “That’s not fair! Billy Bob and Carl already answered! Skip them!” stated Susan Smith, one of the four candidates seated on the little platform usually reserved for the oyster shucking station.

      Nancy was not fond of having her authority questioned. “I said we’re going to start again. No more from you Susie, or you can follow that fire hose into the kitchen to cool down.” 

      “Quiet, please. Question number one. ‘Our city is in a budget crisis. How would you address the looming deficit?’ We’ll begin with you, Susie, since you’re so eager to answer.”

      Susie straightened with the attention, then leaned in to the microphone.

      “By electing me, there will be no deficit. I will make better decisions than our current mayor and spend our money on more important things than a new golf course.”

      Ron Matthews, the current mayor, jumped up from the table, knocking his chair off the stage. “Hey, that’s dirty talk. I was told there’d be none of that. I’m not putting up with lies.”

      Susie retorted, “It’s the truth. You promised that Booneville would pay for the course since it borders their town. You lied and now we have a bulldozed plot of land that no one can use unless we pay millions to finish it.”

      Billy Bob Jackson chimed in, “Who golfs in this town anyway, besides you? You’re nothing but a carpetbagger from fancy schmancy Florida who bought the last election.”

      Nancy called for order, but it was too late.

      Candidate Carl Deaton joined the attack, “And how about all those conferences? Why do you need to go to the state capital and DC all the time? We don’t want any corporate money. We take care of our own.”

      Mayor Matthews wasn’t having any of it. “That’s it. I’m done. Y’all can debate without me. I don’t have to take this.” And with that he stepped down and promptly tripped over the fire hose.

      The audience wasn’t sympathetic and snickered as he picked himself up, brushed off his suit and stomped out of the restaurant.

      Nancy took charge. “Enough. Let’s move on to the next question. ‘What is your position on climate change and how it affects our town?’ Carl, you’re up.”

      “There’s no such thing as climate change and ya’ll know it. God has a plan and if we pray hard enough, we’ll all be safe from storms and floods.”

      Lots of nods and a few hearty amens from the audience were offered in reply.

      “Billy Bob? Your take on climate change?” prompted Nancy.

      “Well, I’m not much of an environmentalist, but I have a plan to build a dam that diverts the water before it overflows. Booneville won’t like it much, but that’s their problem.”

      This brought hoots and whistles from the audience.

      “And Susie? Your turn.” said Nancy.

      “Instead of putting more money into studies, let’s move the trailer park from the edge of the lake to higher ground, then everyone will be safe.”

      Billy Bob interjected, “Talk about self-serving. You live there and want a free ride!”

      Nancy stepped in front of the stage, looking at the candidates sternly. “If y’all don’t behave, I’ll just shut this down. These are serious questions about problems facing Littletown. We need to address our budget, response to disasters and so much more. We need a strong leader to drag us into the 21st century instead of being stuck in the Leave it to Beaver days.”

      Someone in the audience started the chant, “Nan-cee, Nan-cee, Nan-cee!” Others joined in and soon the whole room was booming.

      Nancy put up her hand and called for quiet.

      “That’s mighty nice of y’all to think that I’d make a good mayor. I’m not sure I’m up for the job. But neither are any of these yahoo’s sitting on the stage, or the buffoon we elected four years ago.”

      She looked out at the packed room. It was the biggest building in town and at least half of the citizens had turned out for the debate, with every seat filled and a handful standing at the back. 

      “Let’s take a little poll. If you would support me as a write-in candidate for Mayor, stand on this side of the fire hose. If you think someone else would do a better job, move to that side.”

      The candidates’ protests were drowned out with the ruckus of people standing to take sides.

      Before much movement had taken place, the Fire Chief strode into the room announcing, “Sorry, folks. We have to shut this little party down. The fire alarms are malfunctioning and it’s not safe until we have them fixed.”

      And with that, the sprinkler system activated and the Littletown Mayoral candidate debate was officially over.

      ###

      Written July 14, 2019 for submission to the NYC Midnight 11th Annual Flash Fiction Challenge. Thousands of world-wide writers were divided into over a 100 groups of 15 and given prompts of genre, location and object. We then had 48 hours to submit a story of up to 1,000 words using the prompts. The stories will be critiqued by professional judges and given points and then Challenge #2 will be announced on September 13th and also critiqued and given points. The writers with the five highest top point totals in each group after the first two challenges will move on to round three in November. The top three writers in each of these groups will then move on to the final round in December. 

      The prompts for Challenge #1 for my group were: Political satire in an all-you-can-eat restaurant with a fire hose. 

       

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      Posted in Story Shelf | 0 Comments | Tagged LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, SailingWriter, ShortStory, Tayana, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
    • GO To Tuesday: Baked Pears

      Posted at 10:23 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on September 10, 2019

      Baked PearsMy husband and father-in-law love sweets and dessert is always highly anticipated after I’ve made a nice dinner. I often make complicated baked goodies but in my pursuit of eating healthier I’ve been working on new ideas. This one satisfies the sweet tooth and is so easy to whip up in minutes. Better yet, all ingredients are readily available at our Alameda Grocery Outlet.

      Pears are a great source of Vitamin C (one provides about 11 percent of your daily recommended allowance) and also boast low calories and high fiber, making it a great choice for those looking to loose weight. Honey is a known antioxidant and many feel it is a good replacement for processed sugar.

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      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged AlamedaGroceryOutlet, BargainMarket, BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, GOAlameda, GroceryOutlet, homeofWOW, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, shoplocal, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • The Predetermined Path

      Posted at 12:32 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on September 5, 2019

      HImalayas

      ‘There are hundreds of paths up the mountain, all leading to the same place, so it doesn’t matter which path you take. The only person wasting time is the one who runs around the mountain, telling everyone that his or her path is wrong.” ~Hindu Proverb

      Prisha could see the merit in following the predetermined path her parents had so carefully laid out for her. She had just graduated magna cum laude from Cal with a business degree. Next week her father would name her general manager of the newest addition to the family hotel chain, due to open in a year.

      In the meantime, she’d travel to India and meet with the matchmaker selected by her maternal grandmother. By the end of summer she was expected to be engaged, with the wedding to be held in December. They would return to America and her new husband would work for her father, learning the business to eventually take over as she was the only child and a son must inherit the dynasty. She’d manage the new hotel until she had children, then she would be a stay-home mother. Just like her mother and grandmother and every other woman in her family before her. It would be a good life.

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      Posted in Story Shelf | 1 Comment | Tagged 2LWA, SailingWriter, ShortStory, ToLiveandWriteinAlameda, VivoOSonho
    • Raspberry Plum Galette

      Posted at 5:23 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on August 27, 2019

      Raspberry Plum GaletteGalette from the Norman word “gale” meaning flat cake is a term used in French cuisine to designate various types of flat or freeform crusty cakes. For me, it’s a much easier way to make a version of pie! 

      With all the wonderful summer stone fruit available right now, this is a no-fuss dessert that presents and tastes beautifully.

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      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • Promises Kept

      Posted at 12:28 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on August 22, 2019

      imgresThe petite redhead sidled up to the man in uniform sitting at the far end of the bar, leaning in to showcase her ample bosum. “Hey, Sailor, buy a thirsty girl a cold drink on a hot day?”

      “Sure. What are you drinking, mam?”

      “Mam?! What the fuck? I’m not your mama. You can shove your drink up your ass!” she spat at him as she flounced away in a huff.

      The bartender, drying glasses at the other end of the bar, gave a hearty laugh. “We got a saying around here, “Class Is As Classy Does.” Don’t mind her. Lola gets pissed off if every stranger doesn’t fall all over her. She’s harmless and decent. Get you another one?”

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      Posted in Story Shelf | 0 Comments | Tagged 2LWA, ShortStory, ToLiveandWriteinAlameda, VivoOSonho
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    Heidi Benson Stagg

    Heidi Benson Stagg

    I live aboard a 42 ft Tayana Vancouver sailboat, hull #5 laid in 1979, with my husband and little dog. We left our berth of 15 yeas in Alameda, California in the Fall of 2022 and now live in La Paz, Mexico. I enjoy blogging about our journey, cooking in my tiny kitchen and writing short stories.

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