Dry as Rain
Gina Holmes
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (August 17, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414333064
Description:
From the bestselling author of Crossing Oceans comes a powerfully moving story that tests the limits of love’s forgiveness. Like many marriages, Eric and Kyra Yoshida’s has fallen apart slowly, one lost dream and misunderstanding at a time, until the ultimate betrayal finally pushes them beyond reconciliation. Just when it looks like forgive and forget is no longer an option, a car accident gives Eric the second chance of a lifetime. A concussion causes his wife to forget details of her life, including the chasm between them. No one knows when—or if—Kyra’s memory will return, but Eric seizes the opportunity to win back the woman he’s never stopped loving.
My Review:
Dry as Rain is a completely different book than Gina Holmes’s freshman release, Crossing Oceans, but it is as well-written as thought provoking as Oceans. Told in first person male voice, this story explores the theme of death, like Oceans, but the death is a slow, lingering death of a marriage. By the time the reader is introduced to the characters the marriage has crumbled into full separation, it is at the point where those who vowed to love til death do them part now revile the very faces that made those promises. Bitterness, blame, misunderstandings and selfishness have replaced all that was good and promising in the marriage.
These hindsight-wisdom tinged details all come out through the inner thought life and conversations of the husband, Eric. The wife, Kyra is in no position to share her thoughts with the reader because an accident has left her without memories of the rancor. Because she believes that their marriage is what it once was, the doctor suggests that the couple reconcile temporarily until her memory begins to return. Eric is given a chance at a do-over. But can he possibly win back his wife’s heart before she sees the disaster of what their marriage has become?
Holmes successfully weaves in some story elements that would be soap-operish if not written with skill and capable hands. I was also impressed with the honest grit that Holmes realistically portrayed. The characters are an authentic mix of likeable and frustratingly selfish at times. Kyra is not as fleshed out as Eric because the story is written in his POV. There are themes in this novel that will make some want to avoid it as it hits heavy in areas that some Christian fiction sidesteps around. There are also Christian themes of redemption and forgiveness that might push some folks away as well. Quite a bit of time is covered in the novel, so there are months covered with just a few pages, but as much as that takes away from the intimacy, it does help with reader emotions. If you are seeking stories that stick with you and leave you with hope. This is one of those. Tired of the sugar-coated, sit-com-simple style of inspirational fiction that falls flat and leaves you hungry for honestly drawn, broken, but forgiven people struggling through life’s struggles by clinging to grace, then this is one to look into.
What a delicious day at (and off) the farm.
Perfect temperature. It might have hit 82, the sun was shining in the big, bright blue sky. An occasional cool breeze fluttered among the corn stalks where I harvested ear after ear of corn. The rows of corn cocooned me and I was very glad I was alone and not sharing space with snakes and bugs. Though I did nervously check from time to time. Our co-volunteer offered up her Smart Car as pack mule and we packed the trunk with three hundred ears.
While picking I noticed how absolutely satisfied I felt. The crack of the corn as I broke it from the stalk. It's sweet, earthy scent, released all around me while I was hiding in the Iowa jungle. All of this, and knowing that I was picking food to feed the body fed my soul. I'm guessing this is why one would "retire" by working ten and twelve hour days in all sorts of weather and back-twanging work.
For dinner we dined on corn just a few hours off the stalk, cantaloupe still warm from the sun, fresh tomatoes and peach basil lemonade. (eight fresh basil leaves, three cups of lemonade, two TBSP of peach jam and two handfuls of ice, blended.)
So I feel kind of guilty over yesterday's malaisical post (not to be confused with musicals which I hate. BTW fact that you were just dying to know about me.)
Here I am to rectify it. I will give you all you never knew you wanted but might have felt a teensy weensy spark of curiosity over...or not...you still get it, regardless of your want to know or not. And that spark of curiosity might have been more along the of indigestion and yet still...here it is.
And. At 1:45 p.m. it was only 79 degrees. It was beautiful and not horrid. So I guess the weather, the endless heatwave, the great outdoors offers no excuses. Ha.
My "chalk" outlined island. You can't possibly figure it out from the picture. But. I felt the need to share it. Next see the lovely red wall next to the marbleish looking step. That step is new and it is clad in my new floor. My floor has yet to be clad elsewhere which is why permanent marker was applied to it. The floor was an amazing price and we LOVE it. Faux but it looks so much like the tile in the adjoining room we were shocked. I feel like we are so close to getting this thing done. YAY!
Next. My $1.99 red purse. Okay. It's not Coach or Kate Spade or anything. But it's cute and has an inner section that is the wallet. It's way smaller than I normally carry. But I like it.
The red purse is posing with the now wrinkled from the dirty-clothes-pile maize sweater. Once it's washed and the weather continues to move toward fall...I'm so going to love it.
Pasta Rustica. Adapted from The Kind Diet cookbook.
Pasta of your choice. We used this one. But as I was rereading the ingredients whilst taking the picture I realized the dang stuff has eggs in it. So. Keep that in mind. I loved/liked it because it has lentil flour in it giving it extra protein. Prepare pasta according to instructions and set aside.
Finely mince two garlic cloves
Finely chop an onion
Dice an eggplant (or zucchini)
Chop/slice a handful or two of mushrooms.
And finely chop a small cabbage (or half of a large o
ne)
Dab (about a TBSP) fat (or broth) of your choice (olive oil, coconut oil, Earth Balance, Lard...whateves) into a skillet (large).
Begin sauteing garlic, onions, eggplant, mushrooms...when they look and smell almost done add the cabbage and cook for a few more minutes, stirring everything together. The cabbage will begin to turn translucent, that's a good time to stop. Mix the veggies into the pasta. Set aside.
In small bowl take 1/4 cup +(don't be stingy) soy sauce (or favorite equivalent) and mix with a 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/3 to 1/2 cup of your favorite marinara sauce. When mixed, dump over pasta and veggies and mix. Weirdly delicious. It reminds me of low mein. You could also add Kalamata olives, green olives, capers, other squashes/veggies.
And now the piece de resistance. MWA. No pictures. It was DEVOURED.
SERIOUSLY YUMMY CHOCOLATE VEGAN CHEESECAKE
Based on this recipe which was borrowed from another.
1 12.3-ounce package tofu (She used regular)
1 8-ounce package Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut milk (Silk's Chocolate Almond milk would work)
1 lb. dark chocolate (melted)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
* (cookie crumbs, fruit etc. if you want to go fancy)
She made a graham cracker crust: She tossed cocoa powder, a little sugar (a TBSP of each give or take) and a brick of graham crackers into the blender and added 2 teaspoons of Earth Balance til it all stuck together.
Blend tofu, Tofutti, sugar, milk together for several minutes. Add lemon juice, vanilla, cocoa powder and cornstarch, blend again. Finally add melted chocolate and thoroughly combine. Pour mixture into prepared springform (greased) already "crusted" or pie plate (ditto). Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. The middle should still move when removed from oven and nothing should be browned. Let cool. Then place in fridge. I would let it sit at least overnight in fridge and preferably 24 - 36 hours.
*She poured half the cheesecake mixture in prepared pan, then added a layer of crushed vegan cookies and then dumped the rest of the cheesecake mixture over that.
Hmmm. It's been awhile since I struggled with what to say at the Dregs. I'm blaming it on the Dog Days of Summer.... which I have never really researched but think means that there's a certain malaise that hits after the temperature hovers in the 90's for weeks on end and the grass begins to brown, crinkle and die. When the haze of humidity greets each morning and closes out each night, and everything just feels soggy and sloppy.
Part of me wants to give a weekend update...with a recipe. But the picture is less than appetizing. And the weekend was pretty low key.
I should go downstairs and take a picture of the island permanent markered outline in the middle of my kitchen floor. Major progress actually. It means that at any point I could walk in the front door and see flooring on the floor instead of in the boxes that lean against my pumpkin colored wall.
I found some sweet deals while thrift store shopping. But again, I'd have to remove my hind-end from the couch, go downstairs and snap a few pictures...and it's really, really not at the top of my list. However, the red purse is pretty fabulously cute and was only $1.99...and the maize colored sweater makes me hope for a long and early autumn.
I finished two of the books I've been plugging away at and I need to review them at Amazon. One of them will be here...when I get the review written. But the book is so good it needs to percolate in my mind a bit.
If you want my version of Pasta Rustica, I suppose I can post it....as long as no one makes comments on the unappetizing picture. I also could give a glowing review of the Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake that 24 tweaked and adapted for her sister's birthday. With the link and the changes she made. Dang. It was super, super tasty.
And look. I managed to fill a blank blog page with a lot of words and hardly any content. Yes!!!!
