In life, I have come to realize that not all ideas are good ideas. But life is about taking risks, and yesterday, one of those risks paid off. For Veterans Day, I was going to write a longer post centered around the Shakespeare quote: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother.” But instead, it was breakfast for the family. Such is the life for a former action guy…
My go-to for breakfast is typically Apple-Cinnamon pancakes, but I did not have my apple pie filling, and I wanted to do something different. As I rummaged through the pantry, I discovered I really only had two pancake options: blueberry or pumpkin. ‘Tis the season, so I chose pumpkin. I do not regret this. In fact, both, Numbers 3 and 4, said they were better than the apple-cinnamon! Five out of five stars, highly recommend. The whole recipe is linked below, but before we get there, I think we should paint the picture a bit first. Let’s start with a post-50 life. I am not too big to admit that I do not see as well as I used to, and sometimes I forget things. Well, those two traits came together when I forgot my glasses at an Airbnb in Charlotte (I am actually wearing them now because they were on my front porch this morning. Thanks, Jim and Dave!) Yesterday, I was searching the cabinets and cooking in the wife’s turtle print, not quite right prescription. Regardless, I was cooking inspired. And inspiration in our house means changing recipes. I looked and thought the recipe would be better with buttermilk, and we just happened to have buttermilk in the fridge. However, one aspect of life post-50 is the perception of time. The buttermilk poured out of the container with a plop which led to a quick Google search of “how chunky should buttermilk be.” Now, I could have saved some time by noting that we are actually in November, which is clearly past the October 15th expiration date. But that whole time, vision, not quite right prescription thing… So, no modifications to this recipe except that I didn’t have ground ginger. The only real modification I made was doubling the recipe, which gave me 33 pancakes. In closing, our service doesn’t end when we take off the uniform. Life comes at you fast, I hope you get a chance to slow down and make them too, they really were quite good. Five out of five stars, highly recommend.
The Salty Marshmallow – Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
▢2 Cups All Purpose Flour
▢3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
▢1 Teaspoon Salt
▢1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
▢1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
▢1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
▢1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
▢1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
▢1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
▢1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
▢2 Large Eggs
▢4 Tablespoons Butter Melted
▢1 1/2 Cups Milk
For the instructions, follow this link. Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes – The Salty Marshmallow
Lunch Box Quotes are notes I usually include in the kids’ lunches. Since Number 1 is off in college and Number 2 is skipping lunch now (he’s trying to cut weight for lacrosse), they both get a text. Number 3 and Number 4 get handwritten notes on napkins.
Visual credit to – Featured Image: Photo Credit: Me
Quotes: @WordsnWisdom26 @Gentleman_Ways @CowboyGospeler @readswithravi @arealmofwonder
Quotes:
1. “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” – Goethe
2. “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother.” – Shakespeare
3. “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” – Proverbs 24:16
4. “It’s not the number of hours you practice, it’s about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice.” – Kobe Bryant
Bonus Quote: “The days are getting shorter and colder, but I ask you to remember: even as the Winter comes in, there is Hope and there is Light.” – Seamus Heaney
Sources:
You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.
— Goethe https://t.co/4c5AqfLR2C
— Words & Wisdom (@WordsnWisdom26) November 9, 2026
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother.”
Shakespeare wrote those lines more than 400 years ago, but every soldier knows the feeling. The men and women I served with were my band of brothers and sisters. Though time and distance scatter us, our bond never breaks.
This Veterans Day week, I dedicate this one to every soldier who ever stood beside me. I am proud to have served with you.
(Henry V, 1989)
— The Ways of A Gentleman (@Gentleman_Ways) November 9, 2026
for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity
⏤Proverbs 24:16 https://t.co/7tV4KeNgFi— Cowboy Gospeler ✞ (@CowboyGospeler) November 9, 2026
Kobe was right when he said:
“It’s not the number of hours you practice, it’s about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice.”
— Reads with Ravi (@readswithravi) November 11, 2026
“The days are getting shorter and colder, but I ask you to remember: even as the Winter comes in, there is Hope and there is Light.”
~ Seamus Heaney https://t.co/DkfPxHUgJT— Cian McCarthy (@arealmofwonder) November 11, 2026