I'm Almost On Time Today - LOL

I got to the bank on time, and got everything done in my very busy early morning. I apologize for running out of time yesterday. It's rare that I'll mess things up like that, especially on a non-swim day. But ... life happens - LOL. Today I at least have 15 minutes to post. 

Having that extra 15 minutes is SO important. 

It's winter dry now here in the Frozen Northlands. It's odd how winter can be so dry because we're in the snow belt, and we generally end up with a lot of moisture by the end of Spring. But, right now, we're fully into Autumn, and that's a drying out season. The trees shed their leaves (my yard is a carpet of chestnut brown in the front, and golden oak leaves in the back), and raking them becomes a priority. DH will have to start doing that, but he's so busy at the shop working on the inventory, etc., I don't know when/how he'll find the time. We've tried blowing them before, but we have a LOT of leaves - well more than 20 trees worth in the actual yard area, and more bordering the edges that we don't bother with. 

Most of our trees are maple trees - not sugar maples, just 
regular ones. But their Fall foliage is always spectacular - 
reds and golds - just stunning. Almost worth the work it 
takes to rake them up and get them into our compost pile. 

We've had a hard freeze now, so I'll have to check my herbs. Sometimes they can actually pass through a couple of hard frosts before dying down. If so, I'll get the last of the rosemary and thyme harvested and into the dehydrator. The last of the peppers got harvested and dried late last week. I'm very pleased with the crop I managed to get this year. Just wonderful - like sunshine in a container when I add some to my meals. 

I tend to powder my peppers instead of just grind them into 
flakes, but both are useable. It's lovely to have an assortment 
of them to take me through the snowy months. 

So, I'm off to the pool for my first swim of the week. I always look forward to being in the pool, even though it's total hell on my skin. Still, in my mind, it's well worth it. I need the workout, and I don't want to be on the treadmill six days a week. Plus, I have friends there that I've had for several years now (in some cases), and it's always a pleasure to catch up with them. So ... I'm out of here. I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow for a shopping, cooking and cleaning day. Be safe, be kind and Slava Ukraini. 

I'm Actually Slightly Early Today - Not Rushed! It's a Miracle! - LOL

Today is a busy day - I have to work, of course, but I also have my MCD course in the middle of the day, and I start the day out with a good swim while listening to the latest book in my series (which I successfully downloaded yesterday afternoon). Apparently, when I purchased the audio book for this volume in the series, I inadvertently chose MP4 instead of MP3 as a download mode. My headphones require MP3, so I went back in and downloaded the correct format, moved it over to the headphones, and voila! Success! LOL I think it's the last book of the series too. Then I'll move on to a different author for the next year+ of listening. 

I have too much open space in my brain these days, 
and according to the doctors, that's a problem - LOL. 
I'm not super happy about it, but I don't think there's 
much that I can do about it except learn to deal with it 
as effectively as possible for as long as possible. 

I have my MCD (Mild Cognitive Disorder) gathering this afternoon. I'm looking forward to it. We're going to be discussing the foundational pillars of living with memory loss, and today's pillar is Nutrition. It's one thing in my life that I'm quite conscious of and that I have put a lot of work and research into. I'm pretty confident that I'm doing this aspect of living with MCD in a very thorough way. 

My "Ogre Juice" recipe always changes to mesh with whatever 
looks really good in the produce section of the grocery store. 
The only guarantee is that it will be green - LOL - like Shrek. 
Thus, my nickname for the beverage/food.  

Speaking of food, I harvested the last of my hot peppers yesterday afternoon, got them washed, cut and into the dehydrator, and I should probably try to find time to take them out of the dehydrator when I get home from the gym. But, I might let them sit there until tomorrow when I can pull them and put them through the grinder so that I can add them to my spice jars. We're expecting a weekend of below zero temperatures, so I had to rescue whatever I could. It was a good year for my peppers. 

My dehydrator was packed full of peppers when I got it 
started yesterday afternoon. I'll check on them when I get 
home from swimming. I had them on a ten-hour cycle, 
and I think they'll be fine to pull tonight and process 
(grind) tomorrow. 

So, even though I'm early (for a change), I'm going to wrap this up and start my day. I plan on being back here tomorrow for a "day off" and a "Make Ogre Juice" day. I also bought some fresh cranberries from my co-op yesterday and want to make my cranberry sauce. I love fresh cranberries - they're VERY tasty and quite easy to cook and pulverize. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

I Guess I Had Food On My Mind - A Post About Food - LOL

Happy November - the threshold of Winter, a darkening of the days, a crisp to the nights, and snow. I'm quite sure we'll have some snow at some time this month - maybe a lot, but more likely just a reminder of what is still to come. I've already bought my foil pan for my Thanksgiving Day turkey, and am digging through my recipes to find the one I like/trust. Roasting a turkey is actually not that difficult, but I want the proper browning of the skin without having the interior too dry. I've had dry turkeys in the days of my youth (usually at my Tante Gerty's home - she wasn't a great cook). I didn't care for it then, and I don't like it now - LOL. 

There's a new recipe that I might try, it takes a bit less 
time, and if the turkey turns out looking nice and brown 
like this, I'd be totally over the moon. 

We haven't had a real freeze up here in the Frozen Northlands yet, so my pepper plants are still producing peppers. I've gotten a massive amount of dried peppers from them, which I've pulverized and put into jars for use in my cooking. Yum! 

DH planted five different varieties of hot peppers 
for me this year. They're almost done - it's getting too 
cold for them now - but I got a LOT of peppers off those 
plants. I was VERY pleased. 

Of course, today is a Monday so Chickie has the day off. (She also took Saturday off for some reason or other, so work is piling up for her do to when she gets in tomorrow.) We totally binged last night and ordered Chinese for dinner. I haven't eaten that for years - literally years. I always ordered a different meal when I was on a strict WildFit diet, but we indulged and got a double portion of yummy goodness last night, which I ate knowing I would put on a couple of pounds because of it. And yes, I was up three pounds this morning, but I declare the meal well worth it and the three pounds will be history by the end of the week. 

China Restaurant is our favorite Chinese 
restaurant. They have an extensive menu, 
they're excellent cooks, and it's a family 
run operation. They're close to the 
house too. 

So, I'm going to wrap this up and start my day. It's a busy one, and DH usually isn't a lot of help to me in the shop on Mondays, so I'll be grumbly too. But I have the second half of my Chinese dinner waiting for my dinner, so I won't complain - LOL. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back after my swim tomorrow morning. Slava Ukraini! 

It Wasn't a Bad Day Off and Check Out My Ristra Peppers!

I didn't get as much accomplished as I had wanted yesterday, but I'm still considering the day to have been a success. At this time of the year, I rarely get to everything on my "to do" list. I did pick up and assemble the frame for a piece I've been working on, I still have a minor re-do before I can cut the glass and call this one done. I'll try to get to that tomorrow. 

Just look at this gorgeous ristra pepper. It's 
turning gloriously red. I can hardly wait for 
the others to change as well. 

I had a bunch of green and yellow beans that we've harvested just crying out for cooking, so I grabbed a bit of time and got that done. They're FABULOUS! And, I took photos of my Ristra peppers to share. The one monster is turning gloriously red. 

I'm so proud of my ristra pepper. I wasn't sure if 
they would have enough summer up here to turn 
red, but I finally am getting the color I need. 

I didn't get any of the housecleaning done, that's mostly on Friday's agenda. But generally, I consider that yesterday was a good day and I got a lot of things done. I need to keep on track, the month is slipping/rushing by all too quickly and Sharon's visit is approaching. She won't mind a messy house - it's really just horrid in the computer room. Her room is just fine, her bathroom will be fine - I'll move my stuff into the upstairs bathroom for the few days she's visiting us, which will give her a bathroom of her own. I'm always scrubbing the shower, so that's not much of an issue either ... yeah, it's just general cleanup, a good vacuum, and getting my dragons dusted and preening once again. 

I need to pull out the gloves and the housecleaning supplies 
and tackle the house. I also need to vacuum - I have very few 
bare floors - I prefer carpeting. So, my next week will be 
filled with home maintenance - LOL. 

Reading the above, I guess I have a serious clean ahead of me for tomorrow - LOL. That's fine - it needs doing anyway and I'm pretty experienced at it after all this time. 

We're Down to 14 In LJ Idol and Voting (for Me and for the Nation)

It's Saturday, I had a great run, but that means I'm tight on time, and once again, I'm asking/begging you for your votes on my latest entry in LJ Idol. We're getting down in numbers, and two more of us will be eliminated after this vote. So ... the link to my story is: https://erulissedances.dreamwidth.org/1066103.html and the link for voting is: https://www.dreamwidth.org/poll/?id=32060 . There are only 14 of us left (I've NEVER gotten this far in any of my prior attempts) and I'm thrilled to be with all of these writers of great talent. I'd appreciate your vote if you think my story merits it. 

I don't think I've ever survived in LJ Idol 
quite this far before, and who knows ... I 
might be kicked off the island now. But, 
I'll live to write another story/theme if 
you cast your vote for my text of this week. 
The links are above and I thank you for 
reading and voting. 

Yesterday was packed full! I started the day with a good run, and grocery shopping. Then, looking at the time, I realized I was exactly on time to go to my old favorite library the Roseville Public Library, join the line, and vote in the Presidential election. So, I headed over there. I estimate I was within the first 50 people. It was a cold wind, and we were all shivering. The polls opened a little late (it was the first day for early voting, so they were still getting their act together). But, after almost an hour, I had voted and was on my way back home again. YIPPEE One vote for Kamala (and other candidates on a more localized level). 

I had the chance, I had the time, and I had the 
opportunity. So I voted on the first day that 
early voting was opened, and was one of the 
first 100 people to vote at my favorite library. 
Dusted and done! 

Once home I started cooking. I made my baked fruit for my next breakfasts, and pulled out the blender for my weekly Ogre Juice blend. After that was all over, I realized it was one of our last beautiful Fall days before Winter will come, and decided it was my last opportunity to harvest as many of my hot peppers as possible. My plants look vacant, but my dehydrator had two shelves full of peppers, and I ground those up this morning. I now have a respectable amount of powdered hot peppers to add to my cooking. WHOOT! 

My pepper powder isn't quite this green because I dry 
and powder ALL of my peppers - red, yellow and green. 
It packs a punch, though, and I'm looking forward to 
using it carefully over the winter months. 

I tried out a new toy this morning with my morning run. One of the items included in my treadmill purchase was a chestband for heart rate monitoring. I figured out how to get it on, and it fit well throughout my workout. But ... I totally forgot to pair it with the app, so I didn't get any downloadable information at the end. I'll make sure to get it paired sometime today so that Monday's experiment will be more fruitful. So, I'm off to eat breakfast, then leave for work. I hope all of you have a truly wonderful weekend and I'll be back with you on Monday. Once again, I'd really appreciate your vote if you liked my story this week. Be kind, spread love and Slava Ukraini. 

The New Dehydrator - Plus and Minus AND a False Alarm at the Shop

I took a deep breath yesterday (after grocery shopping and dropping a few things off at the electronics recycling location). It was time to open the box and test out the new dehydrator. I had ordered it on that Monday night when I was basically sleepwalking after an argument that DH and I had. I knew I needed something with more power, because my little one simply wasn't getting things dried out sufficiently and I had to toss things that were developing storage issues. So, I indulged and ordered a new one - not checking all three dimensions. 18" depth, fine. 12" width, fine. The height ... well, that turned out to be not so good - by about 1-1/2 inches. Oy! 

I finally could unbox and try out the new 
dehydrator yesterday. I really like it. It 
does a great job and it's really quiet. 

But I really wanted this new dehydrator. I didn't want to actually check it out if I didn't have a place in which to put it, though, so I started rearranging cupboards. It finally found a home in a different bottom cupboard, next to my stock pots and stew pots. It fills that cupboard completely now, but it has a home, so I brought it downstairs, harvested new thyme and rosemary (the last batch I had tried to dry had molded, so I tossed that out quickly). The idea with herbs is that they get crispy. I placed the herbs on the ultra-fine mesh that was included for that exact purpose and turned the machine on. Oh! It's really quiet. It will take me a bit to get accustomed to the controls, but that's a minimal thing. When I returned to pull the herbs out, they were wonderfully done. Crispy and absolutely perfect. I'm quite pleased. 

I adore Jalapeno peppers, and use them in a lot of my 
cooking over the colder months. There's nothing like 
a few pinches of peppers in a soup to make it zing! 

I then started a batch of three different hot peppers that I had harvested, but had been afraid to dry in the old dehydrator. I had Jalapeno, Serrano and Ristra peppers ready to be dried, so I cut them down. I decided to not cut too much, I wanted to really see how well the dehydrator removed the moisture. Peppers don't need to be crispy, they turn leathery when dried properly. I then put them through the blender/chopper and store them, adding them in recipes for the year. 

I'm not getting enough peppers from my Ristra peppers 
to bother making a ristra, so I'm drying them instead. 
They have a lovely flavor - not as hot as a Jalapeno, 
and a bit sweeter. It's why they have been tied into 
ristras forever and used in cooking throughout the 
year. As a New Mexican native, I'm quite familiar 
with ristras. 

My third type of pepper for the dehydrator 
yesterday was this one - Serrano. Serrano is 
mild, with lots of seeds. I cut all of my 
peppers apart and pull out the seeds. That's 
where the heat is, and I'm really after the 
flavor of the rind instead of the heat of the 
seeds. 

I checked the peppers this morning at 3:30 am and they were perfect. I pulled them, put all of the shelving, etc back into the dehydrator, and put it away into the cabinet. I'm quite happy. Of course, I'm also a bit off kilter at the same time because my security alarm company called me last night around 9:00 pm for a "front door breach and glass break" alarm. That's not what I ever like to hear, so I drove out immediately to check. Fortunately, this one was a false alarm. I called the company back and reported in that I had cleared and reset the alarm and that everything looked just fine. It's the regional Street Rod Championships Friday through Sunday, and there is increased traffic and probably some vibrations that are more unusual outside the store. It's possible that one of the cars set off my alarm with a loud muffler or booming bass from the radio. At least it was a false alarm, although I sacrificed almost an hour of sleep due to it. So, I'm out of here. I have a busy day at the shop ahead of me, but it's Saturday. It's a slightly shorter day and I get a Sunday off to relax. Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

Peppers and Belt Sanders - An Adventure in Texts

I've got my first load of the season in my little dehydrator. Two days ago I harvested the first peppers from the multitude of pepper varieties DH purchased for the garden this year. I currently have a Hot Banana, a Ristra Cayenne, a Jalapeno (fat and sassy), a Sweet Pepper and four Hot Peppers in my dehydrator. I dry them, put them through my mini food processor, and then into jars in my cupboard to use in my cooking for the coming year. It's like bringing a bit of July sunshine into my winter recipes, and I love it. 

A pepper similar to this - a Hot Banana Pepper 
is one of the five varieties currently in my 
little dehydrator getting dried for my soups 
and salads. Yummy! 

I've got to decide on a summer soup to make later today. I used up the last of last week's soup for yesterday's dinner, and need something for the upcoming week. Soup is always a winner, and I downloaded five different recipes to try a week ago. The first one was a grand success, I can't wait to try some of the other four I decided were worth the try. 

My Ristra Cayenne pepper is green, 
just like this photo. All the Ristra 
peppers I've known in the past have been 
red, though, so I'm a bit confused. I'll 
have to look this up and figure it out. 
Meanwhile, I've got one of these in the 
dehydrator too. 

So I'll actually have foodstuffs to get at the store today. Originally DH had been talking about having me work today while he did the fence, but the fact that it rained overnight and misted yesterday morning stopped that thought. We need that fence as dry as possible. The respirator arrived at the shop yesterday and I brought it home with me, so he's set on that. Oh! ... 

I think the belt sander looks similar to this, but 
it wasn't visible as I pulled into the garage. This 
is smaller than I envisioned, but it's probably more 
correct than the much larger version I had in 
my head. 

The latest DH "adventure" was the assembly of a belt sander that I had purchased for him more than a decade ago. I think he wants to use it to make the vegetable recycling bin, and yes, the belt sander would make it a lot faster than using the orbital sander. I'm grateful that I wasn't home. Here's the conversation on my phone: 

DH- Glad u not home, cursing up a storm trying to get my belt sander assembled after all these years. 

ME- So VERY glad I'm not home for that one. 

DH- Should never have gotten out of bed. Directions suck, I've lost parts, my headlamp is shot, and I don't dare use your flashlight the way today is going (I've threatened him with great bodily harm if he EVER uses my flashlight again - he's broken two of them and a good flashlight is hard to find.) 

ME- Probably wise to step back and have a soothing cup of tea. 

DH- I've been working in this for 4 freaking hours. Do you have a head lamp anywhere?

ME- No, my headlamp is tied into those eyeglasses I wear when I bead. Sorry. 

DH- I quit, you're gonna have to park in driveway for the next week. 

ME- Week!?!?! What the hell?!? I can if I have to, but really ... WTH???!!!

DH- I gonna have to wait til u get here and hopefully I can get this next part done. 

ME- OK. You need a second set of hands?

DH- I finally got light into it, but I can't get allen wrench to seat correctly, and when I do, it's up against the guard so I can't turn it. 

ME- That's a PITA. Is there a different type of wrench that might work? Maybe something used on cars?

DH- I think I finally got . Whoever engineered this outta be put out to pasture. What a stupic set up. 

ME- Only thing that matters is that it works. If I need to park outside for a couple of days, I'll manage. I swim tomorrow (Wednesday) and Friday and I'm off from work for three days in a row (jumping up and down for joy). I have lots of things to do, but not at the shop. 

DH- Now my lamp just fell on the floor and broke. 

ME- Shit! Really getting all the bad mojo! If it's the lamp, it's probably toast. If it's just the bulb, it's merely inconvenient. 

......

DH- Got it together finally. Gonna watch Vera and maybe eat whole container of ice cream. 

So ... quite the saga. Apparently he ended up putting it together, and disassembling it again at least five times because of dropped screws or other issues that cropped up. I think his headlamp is toast - but that's an easy thing to get at any hardware store. He says he knows where he wants to put it, it will take a bit of spring cleaning in the garage to clear that area, but it's actually a good place for it. 

So ... that was the long distance saga from yesterday. Me? I'm heading to the pool for a lovely outdoor swim on a perfect summer morning. Yesterday was a VERY cold in and out of the water, but the water itself was absolutely glorious, with a fabulous sunrise. These are the days that make my swim very worthwhile and enjoyable. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Peppers, Rocks and the Beginning of Fall - Things are Wrapping Up

Hello everyone. It's time for the Fall Equinox, so I'm looking back at Summer, and ahead to Fall and Winter. I'm actually fairly happy with how things have gone, although there certainly are aspect in my life that could stand serious improvement. Still, we had a pretty good Summer, not too horribly hot until those last days of the State Fair, and our Autumn is looking to be wonderfully colorful. I'll be driving around on Wednesday taking photos if the day is clear. If not, than hopefully Friday will be a clear one. 

My pepper harvest from Sept 22nd (there are a few 
cherry tomatoes in there too. Look at the size of those 
Jalapenos! LOL

I harvested the three largest jalapeno peppers yesterday, and all of the red, orange and true yellow Tabasco peppers. I still have quite a lot of peppers on that plant, and I'll let them ripen until frost, when I'll pull them and dry them. I sliced the jalapeno peppers into rings, and pulled the stems from the tabascos, put them into the dehydrator for a 12 hour cook at 125, which ended around 3:00 this morning. I checked on them about 4:30 am, pulled the dried jalapenos out of there, and reset the dehydrator for another 12 hours on 125 to (hopefully) finish out the tabascos. I guess it's time for me to find a good food grinder if I can't use my mini food processor, because I want these to be powdered. 

The Jalapenos cut up and ready for my dehydrator. They 
don't look as large now, to be sure, but they usually dry 
up beautifully and I'm really looking forward to grinding 
them up and using them in my chili and stews over the 
winter. 

Of course, me being a klutz (and somewhat stupid sometimes), I forgot to wash my hands after cutting up the peppers, and I rubbed my nose. OUCH! It took more than an hour for the irritation to calm down. Time and Vaseline did the trick, and hopefully I won't be that stupid again. *sigh* I know better, my brain was six steps ahead and not paying attention to what I was doing. 

My Tabasco peppers don't look quite as 
impressive, but they pack a punch. They're 
super spicy and wonderful. When I checked 
after 12 hours, these guys were only half 
done, so there's still in the dehydrator for 
another 12 hours. I'll check them when I 
get home from work tonight, and maybe 
they'll need more dehydration before they're 
ready to be put into my jar. It's hard to say. 
It would be faster if I cut them open, but I 
really didn't want to be bothered, truth be told. 

I also made my sheet pan fajitas yesterday, and that recipe is definitely a winner for me. It's so damned easy and tastes fantastic. I'm finally starting to use up some of the more unusual spices in my cabinet, and that also makes me quite pleased. So I'm set for meals for a while. I have the fajitas, and I still have two portions of tomato and pepper soup from Wednesday. I think DH might grill steaks tomorrow (if it's not raining). If it is raining, I'll use the broiler in the oven. Either way, we're having steak for dinner tomorrow night. 

I'm NOT buying any slabs tomorrow, I quite literally have no 
more room for any rough stone. I really need to get working 
on making pretty things with the stones that I have, and I 
have some scrumptious stone in my drawer. 

And tomorrow is also the day we'll go to the Gem and Mineral Show, which is always a treat. We'll skip Renaissance Fest this weekend (that will make two days that we skipped this year, but we're still fine on actual price per day for our season tickets). We'll relax, we'll look at pretty rocks, and we'll enjoy a lazy Sunday. Next weekend is the final weekend of Fest, and we'll definitely be there for that. We never miss an opening or a closing weekend. That's important - LOL. 

MN Renaissance Festival is a bit magical itself - and I 
do love going there. But I'm just as happy to not spend 
all day there too, especially when it gets colder. Over 
the years, we've stopped going from opening to closing, 
and have just relaxed into walking the circuit, catching 
up with friends who own or work for businesses there, 
and enjoying the outdoors for a few hours, before 
calling it an early day and returning home for drinks 
on the patio. I guess we're getting older - LOL. 

So I hope all of you, my readers, have a wonderful weekend and I plan on being back again with you on Monday. Whatever you're doing on this First Day of Autumn, make it count. Do something for a friend, help a child or an elder, rescue a puppy, whatever - do something positive in your little corner of the world. We all need positives in our lives, and good things radiate outward to affect others in a good way as well. Slava Ukraini. 

Peppers Lead To the Destruction of the Universe - At Least in MY Thoughts LOL

Today is supposed to be another hot, sunny day, and I have the "day off". I'm thrilled, because I might actually be able to enjoy one of the last warm days this year. The Jalapenos are ripening beautifully, and I'll be harvesting those and the majority of the Tabasco peppers today (ideally) or Sunday (not ideally, since we're supposed to have rain for most of Sunday). I'd like to get them harvested and dried so that I can start making some chili mixes and set up some jars to be used in cooking. But today will be busy, in any case. 

I'm looking forward to making some Tabasco powder from 
my peppers. I'd offer the recipe to you, but really, it just 
consists of "dry the peppers and grind them into powder", 
which I think anyone can do without a formal recipe. I'll 
be using my little dehydrator for these. I learned from the 
first experiments that it will take almost 24 hours to truly 
get dry. Any moisture will ruin the batch, so I have to be 
careful with this. I will need to get a good grinder too. My 
old coffee grinder is used for my metal clay work, so not 
safe for food any more. 

On today's agenda is making a batch of chicken fajitas to take me through a few days of meals, as well as my weekly batch of Ogre Juice. I'll certainly have my time in the kitchen, but hopefully will also get some computer time since I'm a bit backlogged on things there. Still, since it's going to be one of the last nice days this year, I'm also going to make sure I spend some of it outdoors. I'll feed the hummingbirds (although most of them have already left the area), I'll harvest whatever I can, and I'll try to enjoy the nice weather. All too soon it will be rain, and then snow, and I'll look back on today as a magical day of late summer. 

I make my chicken fajitas in the oven on a sheet pan, 
so they're super easy to cook and very tasty. I know 
I passed the recipe on to you within the past six weeks. 
I have all the ingredients, just need to slice everything 
up and slap it into the oven to cook. 

Still, time marches onward, ever forward, never back. Can you even imagine a world in which there is no time - no progression or recession, no movement forward or backward? Could there be function in a world like that? Or how about living backwards, like Merlin. According to legend, he lived his life backwards, becoming ever younger. His death was his birth. Warp your head around that for a moment. His life was one long regression into youth and finally, the womb once more. But would he have been born and relived his life as a common man? That might make an interesting premise for a novel, but my head gets stuck in the channels of how time progresses and can't quite wrap around all of the permutations that premise opens up. 

I prefer to think of Merlin as a magician instead of 
as a warrior, but in the King Arthur universe, he was 
most certainly both. Although he might have wanted 
to spend his life understanding the universe, he far 
too often had to pull a sword out and use it. A warrior 
magician is what he became in the legends. 

Carrying the time premise one more step, since the Universe is expanding ... will it eventually coalesce once more, only to rinse and repeat once again? If so, how many times, and in what infinite time period has that happened, and what, if anything, happens to the many inhabited planets scattered throughout the cosmos? How can anyone escape what is a world-wide, universe-wide reality and catastrophe? Would it be possible to be in a spacecraft and survive the total destruction and remaking of the universe? I suspect that even the Gods would find that difficult - or impossible - without porting into a different dimension. 

It's almost impossible for the human mind to wrap itself 
around the destruction of the Universe - how it could/will 
happen and what would exist afterward, if indeed anything 
would exist at all. The space/time continuum would be so 
messed up, my head can't wrap around the full ramifications 
of the end of the Universe. 

So those are my odd thoughts for this morning. Far, far away from cooking and cleaning, my mind focuses on the Universe and it's promises - good and bad. It could be a fun series to write, but I'd have to do a lot more world-building and wrap my mind around something that physics doesn't seem to support. Argh! LOL So ... have I messed with your minds also? Let me know in your comments. I'll be back on Saturday. Have an excellent day. Slava Ukraini.