The We, the I, and The Band Plays On.

We

When E.L.E. pays visit
whether from disease, famine, meteor, or thermonuclear fire
we look to God and Heaven.

We think about Extinction Level Events
when annoyingly distracted
from our own fragile mortality.

We rise to modern speculations
from “Gods” Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos
and a future for humankind.

We envision great migrations to new worlds
Terraforming Mars and beyond
to a sustaining engineered future.

Civilization morphs
to a utopian  nirvana,
our own created earths, winds, and fires.


I

I  revel in this collective prospect,
all together striving as one,
a continuium without strife.

Will there be trees
under which I can dally
watching dragonflies skip the pond water ?

Will there be thieves (or worse)
to disrupt my outworld tranquility,
or will I not have anything of “my own?”

Can I be sure a microbe won’t
hitchhike an escape
with it’s own vision of Heaven ?

Will there be a Mrs McConnell
whose baked pie smells escape
into my open windows hanging on sweet spring breeze?

Thoughts of a stainless steel and plastic life hereafter
dull my anxious anticipation
to leave these planetary bonds.

I must say for now
thoughts turn to the night of “Titanic”
where for so many the band played on.

So, Messrs. Musk and Bezos
your godly visions are very bright and visionary
but, no thank you...

My Heaven is right here.    
I’ll  just stay and watch the show
until icy waters envelop.

Jerry's Mango Cheesecake

Jerry’s Mango Cheesecake Recipe 

Posted per request for Caribbean recipes. Prep time includes standing time and cooling time (5 hours) .Recipe source: Turtle Bay Cookbook with modifications by Jerry
6¾ hours | 5½ hours prep 

1 10inch cake  ingredients

Crust

· 1 1/4  cup graham cracker crumbs (see  below)
· 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (see notes below)

· 1/4 cup brown sugar 

· 3 tablespoons butter 

Cake

· 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 1/2 cups sour cream
· 3 eggs
· 1 1/2 cups mango puree (made from ripe mangoes or use thawed frozen mangoes)
· 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
· 1 teaspoonlemon juice
· 1 1/2 cups sour cream

· 1/2 cup sugar 

Glaze

· 2 tablespoons apricot jam
· 2 tablespoons corn syrup
· 1 teaspoon lime juice

· 1 teaspoon cider vinegar 

PREP
1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Butter a 10-inch springform pan and set aside.
3. Combine first 3 ingredients (graham cracker crumbs- sugar) in a small bowl.
4. Stir in melted butter.

5. Press mixture into prepared pan.

6. Combine cream cheese and sugar in a food processor or blender; process until combined.
7. Add sour cream, eggs, mango puree, vanilla and lemon juice; process using on/off turns until combined.
8. Pour mixture into prepared crust.

9. Bake for 1 hour or until set.

10. Let cheesecake cool for 1 hour.
11. While cheesecake is cooling prepare topping by combining sour cream and sugar in a food processor until combined.

12. Preheat oven to 350°F.

13. After cheesecake is at room temperature (1 hour cooling at room temperature), top cheesecake with topping.
14. Bake 4 minutes.
15. Remove from oven.

16. Chill for at least 4 hours.

17. Prepare garnish- Process glaze ingredients (apricot jam- vinegar) in a food processor.
18.  Spread glaze over chilled cheesecake before serving.

Jerry’s Note: I made the following modifications:
1 . I reduced the graham crackers to 1 cup chocolate wafters -crumbled  and substituted  macadamia nuts for the walnuts , increasing them to ½ cup.
2.  I baked the crust in the springform pan at 300 degrees for 8 minutes and let cool before adding cake batter.  The nuts can burn quickly so watch this bake carefully.
3.  I increased the eggs to 4.
4.   I added ¼ cup Rumona or  Rum Jumbie Liqueur to the batter.
5.  I increased  the first bake for 1 hour 13 minutes as one hour was not adequate. I       increased the cooling time to 1 ½ hours
6.  I increased the second bake to 8 minutes at 350
6. The four hour chill is MINIMUM to have the cheesecake set properly. Don’t rush it.
7. I eliminated the apricot glaze and served cake slices in Liquor/mango puree