Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes

To watch the January 6 hearings, or not?

Date: June 10, 2022

Author: Bobbi Holmes

This post is not political. It’s not about bashing those for or against Trump supporters.

This post is about being a responsible American. Americans who can legally vote have a duty to not just show up at the ballot box, but to be as informed as possible before casting any vote. Being misinformed when voting is not good for our country.

But how does one become informed? On social media, when two people from different sides of the political divide debate, it’s common for one or both to accuse the other of being misinformed because they watch fake news.

What is news? Is it a meme you saw on social media that you agree with?

Is it an anonymous poster that shares some titillating political tidbit that you find believable?

Is it what your favorite political commentator who shares your political views tells you?

Is it what the reporter tells you on the local news?

When I was studying journalism in high school and then in college, we were taught that a reporter should report just the facts as he or she knows it—not their opinions on the facts. That’s what a commentator does.

What the reporter tells you is only as good as his or her source—which goes to reason that you should probably discount what the anonymous poster says, as it’s impossible to evaluate the source.

If you want to become informed, you need to drill down to the original source. And even then, you must objectively evaluate that source, weighing it against other credible sources.

Learning the truth is difficult. But as Americans we have an opportunity to learn the truth about what happened on January 6—not just what your favorite commentator told us happened. We can do that by watching the hearings and see for ourselves what the witnesses (the sources) are telling us while under oath.

If those elected officials on the Jan 6 committee are being bias or unfair, see it for yourself. Watch the questions they ask and the facts they present. Listen to the answers given them by the witnesses. See it with your own eyes and ears. Don’t rely on the slanted view someone on the news tells you. This goes for either side of the political divide.

If someone fervently tells me not to watch it, I wonder, why? Why don’t they want me to watch it?

I was in college during the Watergate trials. At the time I was living at the home of my sister’s in-laws. Each day after school I would return to where I was staying and watch the Watergate hearing on TV with my brother-in-law’s grandmother, a loyal Republican.

Forget cheese cloth for straining yogurt…

Date: June 9, 2022

Author: Bobbi Holmes

Categories: Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes

Comments: 2 Replies

Yogurt so thick it sticks to the spoon when held upside down.

Consider this a public service post for those out there planning to make homemade yogurt and intend to strain it to make Greek Yogurt.

If you Google straining yogurt, you’ll likely find a variety of blog posts telling you how to strain yogurt using cheese cloth. Or if you don’t have cheese cloth, using something like a colander. I have just one word for those methods, YUCK.

If you want more words, let me add messy and inconvenient.

I started making homemade yogurt over two years ago, and it has become one of my favorite things. I’ve probably already posted on it. I started out using my bread proofer, but then switched to the Instant Pot, because it is just so much easier.

After making the yogurt and chilling if for a few hours I like to strain it—and no, I don’t use cheese cloth, nor a regular colander. Remember, I just said I switched to the Instant Pot for making yogurt because it was so much easier—and for the same reason I use the gadget in the photo above.

It’s the Euro Cuisine Greek 2-Quart Yogurt Maker that I bought at Wayfair. It currently cost just under $42, but they have another one—same brand—that goes for around $25. Not sure what the difference is between the two. But I bought the more expensive one about 2 ½ years ago and love it.

Why buy this when cheese cloth is cheaper, and you might already have a colander? It’s easier and neater.

After my yogurt chills I fill the gadget with my yogurt, put the cover on it, and set it in the refrigerator. It serves as a strainer and yogurt carton. The whey goes to the bottom. The longer you leave it sit, the thicker it becomes. As you can see by the picture of the upside-down spoonful of homemade yogurt, it is pretty think. That spoonful in the picture tasted a little like cream cheese. I’ve also used it in recipes that calls for cream cheese.

But that is too thick, you say. Simply scoop your yogurt into a serving bowl, stir in a spoonful of whey or two, until you reach your ideal consistency.

The problem with the cheesecloth or colander option, you can’t just forget about the yogurt when it’s straining through cheese cloth—not to mention the clean-up, mess, and needing to transfer it to another container.

Yet, sometimes I transfer my strained yogurt and whey to glass jars, so I can add the rest of the yogurt to the strainer. Or, sometimes I simply wait until I’ve eaten what was in the strainer, until I add more.

So, if you decide homemade yogurt is for you—and you want to strain it to make Greek yogurt or cheese, then I recommend a gadget like this one. I believe it is well worth the money.

You’re welcome.

My thoughts on Pride Month…

Date: June 5, 2022

Author: Bobbi Holmes

Categories: Bobbi Ann Johnson Holmes

Comments: 2 Replies

I never considered myself a prude. But perhaps I am when it comes to sexualizing children. It’s currently a hot topic, and I suspect when people say “sexualizing children” they don’t always mean the same thing. It seems these days, we all speak a different language.

I’ll be 68 this year. My mother raised me to believe sex and love went together. Sex was not something to be ashamed of, yet Mother typically discussed sex and marriage together. She often spoke of her own parents, who adored each other, and often cuddled on the sofa in their living room. I never met my grandfather, he died when Mom was a little girl. But the memory of her parents snuggling and smooching on the sofa is one that stayed with Mom.

While my Haunting Danielle books are G-rated, the books under my Anna J. McIntyre aren’t. And for a while I dabbled in writing erotica, which I found fun and more a writing exercise. For the last seven years I’ve focused primarily on my Haunting Danielle series.

And while I have no problem with erotica or R rated work—I don’t believe it’s for children nor do I ever feel comfortable featuring children or minors in erotica scenes—even if it is a fantasy scene where the character is an adult play acting. I find that creepy. And in some cases, illegal.

I also cringe when a woman calls her lover “Daddy.” Maybe I am a prude, but it makes my skin crawl.

I remember once, when I was babysitting my young niece, she wanted to play dress up. I brought out some makeup—and then froze. I could not bring myself to put makeup on that innocent face. Even in play. I ended up applying a little blush to her cheeks, but that was about all.

I imagine I will be offending some people when I say—I am also uncomfortable with little girl beauty pageants. I don’t like the idea of all the makeup, adult poses, and parading the young girls on stage, as if appearance is her primary attribute. Maybe it is the Feminist in me, but I suspect it is also the Mama Bear.

To be honest, I’m not a fan of any beauty pageant. Yet, you won’t see me protesting pageants. While I have the right to find them distasteful, those who wish to enter pageants have the right to do so. We don’t have to all like the same thing.

This month is Pride Month, which I support. I believe we all have the right to love who we want.

Over on Twitter, someone who did not support Pride month shared a photo with me showing a little girl holding a rainbow flag, while looking at two scantily clad men dressed in BDSM attire, kneeling before her. The person wanted to know my thoughts on the photo. If I supported Pride Month, I must also support what was happening in that photo. Right? No.

My thoughts on the photo? Right up there with the little girl beauty pageants. Inappropriate and unnecessary.

I see nothing wrong with my young grandchildren learning that little Billy has two moms, or that Suzie has two dads, just as little Andy has a mom and dad. But I don’t want my young grandchildren shown graphic photos of what any of their parents do in private.

While I believe in sex education, I see it as something that comes in age-appropriate stages. And in my opinion, it is appropriate for a kindergartener to learn parents sometimes come in a matching set.