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National Gingerbread Day 2024

With the warmth of 🌞 Summer 🔥 and the zest of Christmastime, it’s National Gingerbread Day!

Ginger

Ginger is often called a root, but it is actually a rhizome, which means it is an underground stem that sends shoots and roots laterally in all directions. This is why ginger often looks so gnarly and knobby, making it tough to know where to get started when prepping it. ~Sohla El-Waylly

So again, like the Coq au Vin, this seems an odd time of year to have this particular treat as a national day of. I’ll take it just the same.

I happen to like gingerbread, whether it’s in cookie or cake form.

I was feeling pretty spicy yesterday when we put the air conditioners in the windows. Our room and the boys’ room are relatively accessible but the living room and the girls’ room windows have thick bushes in front of them.

Makes it a chore and a bit of a hazard to put those units in. I put our short step ladder to work at the girls’ room window, but the living room window was another matter altogether.

I had to get in on these knobby, gnarled branches and stand in this Shaolin torture stance while I tried to tape up the windows (to keep the bugs out).

It was harrowing, but my house is no longer a sauna. That will go a long way to help me maintain focus on work.

My brain has been dreadfully scattered lately, so anything that can restore a modicum of comfort is to be commended.

The Gingerbread Man | Fairy Tales | Gigglebox

Gingerbread

Small Loaf Gingerbread Cake – So Easy And Soooo Good

For a lot of us, gingerbread is uniquely associated with Christmas. Having gingerbread in early June seems as incongruent as having egg nog or plum pudding out of season.

Why? Who knows? Gingerbread is tasty no matter when you make it. Certainly the rich, spicy flavors suggest 🍂Autumn🍂 or Christmastime more so than today.

Yet, here we are. A sprinkling of confectioner’s sugar gives it that little pop (and suggests a holiday snowfall), but I’ve always preferred my gingerbread cake with a massive dollop of whipped cream.

Ginger Man

It humbled me and taught me lessons. ~Scott Grimes

I’m not sure about other writers, but I’ve definitely got a head cast when I’m writing my books.

Sometimes, they’re completely fictional people who happen to fit the story. Sometimes they’re the actual actors I could imagine playing the roles if it was ever adapted for the screen.

In particular, for The Sentinels, I’m picturing certain characters being portrayed by specific actors whose work I enjoy.

In particular, Tim “Foxfire” Wisler is being played by Scott Grimes of Band of Brothers and The Orville.

Season One: Gordon Malloy Clips

Tim has that nice guy energy that Scott plays so well. As the Sentinelsverse’s first publically known, somewhat famous superhero, Tim is one of the founding members of The Sentinels.

Technically, Matt “Captain Freedom” Freeman predates Tim by decades, but he was more of a military secret weapon than a superhero in the comic book sense of the term. Matt has always been played by Terry Crews when I’m playing the story in my mind. Terry has an incredible comic style, but also plays straight drama with a lot of heart. He was particularly good as Julius on Everybody Hates Chris.

Terry Crews Breaks Down His 10 Most Iconic Characters | GQ

The other founding member of The Sentinels is Lucius “Lucky Dog” Deagle. Lucky doesn’t have powers. He’s a lawyer whose godfather turned out to be Captain Freedom. Matt saved him from being run over by a DUI who jumped the curb and became obsessed with comic books. After all, if his own godfather was a superhero, there had to be more out there. Lucky dreamed of the day when there’d be a real life team like the Justice Society of America, the Justice League or the Avengers. My head cast has Lucky as Willard Pugh from The Color Purple and Robocop 2.

RoboCop 2 (1990) – Detroit Mayor 😂😂

For Mary Christmas, I picture Brigid Brannagh in her appearance in NYPD Blue, but I could also see AnnaSophia Robb from Soul Surfer and Bridge to Terabithia taking the role.

I don’t really have anybody picked out for Tanda, but Chloë Grace Moretz from Kickass and Carrie could certainly handle the stunt work and the emotional range of Tanda’s struggle to be a superhero.

For my Holiday Season Serial Romances, I don’t usually envision celebrities. They’re just made up everyday people who are typically an amalgam of people I know and the countless faces you encounter at the mall, at concerts, the beach or anywhere you might wander.