Nice Facebook juxtaposition

On the left side of the screen:
"The Girl Effect (www.girleffect.org).
Change starts with a girl."

On the right side of the screen:
"Do you know about the Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori?"

Yet another golden tail

This is Harley, my sister-in-law's gentle basset hound. Harley appeared in her driveway, a half-grown puppy, about thirteen years ago. He arrived with a scar on his nose and a broken rib. I wonder if he sensed that there was already a basset in that house (Rosebud, the queen, gone on several years ago) and that he would be safe and loved there? Harley was a good companion all of his life; he loved people and other dogs, and got along with everyone. He became blind a couple of years ago, but didn't lose his interest in people or his love for life.

I wish I had a photo of his other side; he had a perfect white UT Longhorn right in the middle of his left side. Good thing my SIL wasn't an Aggie.

Recently Harley has had very little energy, and last week my sister-in-law found out he had lymphoma. Yesterday Harley had no more strength left, and it was time to let him go. He was a very good boy, always. I hope that when we get to the Bridge we'll hear Harley, "Aroo"ing to welcome us.

Random stuff

• Valentine's Day: Beautiful flowers, candlelight, the good china, and our traditional beef stroganoff and molten chocolate cakes. So far, so good...until we looked up from our mutual reverie just in time to see...the dog, peeing in the living room.
• This came on the heels of a relaxing afternoon, enjoying a glass exhibit at the Center for Contemporary Craft, then driving past our old duplex in West U. and remembering strolls through the neighborhood, nearly eighteen years ago.
• Unbloggable extended family stuff is driving. us. nuts. Prayers for patience and wisdom are appreciated.
• On Sunday, the congregation voted to call our new pastor. No dissenting voices were heard. (Yet.) I'm so glad he will be here soon, but actually a bit sorry to see the PNC come to an end.
• At work I made a stupid mistake that will affect the provision of services for one of our clients. I have an idea about how to rectify it, but I will have a lot of egg on my face. "What! You mean you're not perfect?" my friend D said. No, I surely am not. I hope that straightening this out will be less miserable than I anticipate.
• As Scarlett said, I'll think about it tomorrow. Good night.

Friday Five: Pets

Sophia says:

My son's tiny beloved lizard, Elf, is looking and acting strange this week. His skin/scales are quite dark, and he is lethargic. We are adding vitamin drops to his lettuce and spinach and hoping and praying that he is just getting ready to shed his skin--but it's too soon to tell. Others in the ring have also been worried about beloved pets this week. And, in the saddest news of all, Songbird has had to bid farewell to her precious Molly, the amazing dog who is well known to readers of her blog as a constant sacrament of God's unconditional love. So in memory of Molly, and in honor of all the beloved animal companions who bless our lives: tell us about the five most memorable pets you have known.

This has been a difficult week. Sadly, Lutheran Chik's beloved Cassie went to the Bridge this morning too. I am sure LC would appreciate a kind word tonight.

I have been owned by five dogs:

1. Boots was a black puppy my dad brought home from somewhere out in the country (bought from someone who had a litter, I think--not a stray) when I was about six. He grew up rambunctious and wild, and I was too small to manage him. I don't think average families put the effort into training their dogs then, that most people do today. My dad used to recall Boots jumping on my friends and me and knocking us down, and would say, "He didn't have a brain in his head." My parents gave Boots to a family with several boys who could run and play with him and wear him out! I saw him occasionally when we happened to drive past their house, but never got out to pet him.

2. After Boots, we went to the local shelter and I picked out a friendly yellow puppy that I named Chips. We dropped him off at the vet to be bathed and wormed, but Chips never came home. Mama told me, very gently, that he had died. Years later I understood that, like most dogs at the shelter, he had probably been very sick and the vet had euthanized him.

3. Then we had Janie--short for Lady Janice of Elmwood (our subdivision). A big Beatles fan from an early age, I named her for Paul McCartney's girlfriend, Jane Asher. She was described as a "field cocker", some mix of cocker spaniel and a leaner, rangier breed. Janie was our companion for about nine years. She loved my mother and would follow Mama around the yard while she gardened. After we sold our house at the beginning of my senior year in high school (a story for another day), Daddy gave her to a farmer friend who gave her a loving home. Many years later Daddy told me that Janie had died peacefully in her new home about two years after she left us.

4. I didn't have an animal companion again for nearly twenty-five years. Then I found Zorra, my precious girl. Two years after her death I remembered her here. She was the most beautiful, funny, maddening dog I have ever known. There will never be another like her.

5. My sweet Amie is lying at my feet right now, waiting for her daddy to come home. In late 2004 I started looking for another heeler because we thought Zorra might need a companion (alas, Zorra didn't agree, but that's another story), and on Petfinder.com I saw a sweet-looking dog described as a "quiet, unassuming, slightly overweight older dog who likes to sit back and watch what's going on." The dog was described as a male, and they had named "him" Frayser. Frayser's picture touched my heart, and as I told the Scientist, "No one is going to go to the shelter to get a fat old dog." So I took the car and the Scientist loaded Zorra into the truck (so they could meet on neutral territory) and we all headed to Lockhart, Texas to bring Frayser home. Well, he was a she, and much older than advertised. She took immediate possession of the Scientist, warning another dog to leave him alone before we ever left the shelter! Zorra kept her distance. I drove Amie home, softly talking and singing to her most of the way. She wasn't too sure about Zorra (and vice versa), but she became attached to her humans very quickly. She is still a quiet dog who likes to sit back and observe before getting involved. She has survived homelessness, shelter life, and cancer surgery with a sweet, loving spirit, and I love coming home to her every day.

Here's my favorite picture of Amie and Zorra, sitting on the back porch with the Scientist's mom:
Zorra, as always, is queen of all she surveys...poor Amie seems to be wondering, "When is this thing going to turn on me?"

Friday Five: My Favorite Things

Just a few, off the top of my head:

1. An uncommitted Saturday morning, to sleep in as long as we like (snuggled in another favorite thing, flannel sheets, this time of year), followed by a leisurely brunch of eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, scones, biscuits, or some such things....all from scratch...and good coffee, lots of it...and the newspaper. (I know I'm behind the times, but I still believe a literate household includes a daily newspaper. And yes, I can read the news on my laptop, but that's no fun at the table.)

2. An equally uncommitted Saturday afternoon and evening, to spend "inside the Loop", wandering through museums and galleries, followed by dinner at some interesting new place.

3. Watching Amie jump, dance, and frisk like a puppy when it's time for her walk or when she's just saying, "Yes! Please, please, I DO need to go outside!!"

4. Cooking and eating. The co-op had a special on chicken wings this week, so we're having chicken wings Hawaiian tonight--an old favorite I haven't fixed in a long time.

5. The sound of the garage door going up, telling me the Scientist is home. Won't be long now--so I'd better go get started on those chicken wings!

Friday Five: HGTV Edition

Will Smama says: Greetings all!

As some of you may know I am in the midst of my first home purchase. It is a new-build and so some of the fun was picking out upgrades and major decor items to my taste rather than walking into a previously owned home that needed to be upgraded room by room (pink and teal tiles in the bathroom, anyone?). As much as decorating is not my thing, I did try to embrace the moment because just how many times do you get to have a do-over on kitchen cabinets/floors/countertops?And so, my questions to you this fine Friday involve your home past, present or future...

1) If you could, what room in the place you are currently living would you redo first?
The master bathroom. I would tear out the tub and shower and put in a much larger shower stall with two shower heads, a place to sit, and, let's say, 13" blue/gray tile instead of the institutional-looking 6" white tile the builder installed. Then I'd replace the old tub with a whirlpool tub (the bathroom is already wired for one, but we couldn't afford such fancy options when we built this house). I'd probably have to give up some closet space for my great big shower stall, but it would be worth it.

2) What is the most hideous feature/color/decor item you have ever seen in a home?
We moved back to Texas from California in 1991, and began house hunting. Before we decided to build new in the 'burbs, we looked at lots of close-in homes from the 1950's and 1960's. Nothing in our price range had had many upgrades. The one that made the most lasting impression was the early '60's ranch house with the vivid royal blue shag carpet, and the fire-engine red kitchen cabinets...Then there was the house on which we actually made an offer (SO glad that didn't work out); the tile in one bathroom was bright pink, and in the other, lime green.

3) What feature do you most covet? Do you have it? If not, is it within reach?
We've been upgrading the kitchen little by little, and our Christmas present to each other was something I've wanted for years: a really nice gas range. The Scientist insisted that we get the model with the convection oven! I confess we haven't tried that out yet--but we will.

4) Your kitchen - love it or hate it? Why?
I love my kitchen. It's roomy, sunny, and there is a good flow from the work area to the breakfast area and the living room. As in every home, when we have a party, the kitchen is where people tend to gather, so I'm glad it's fairly large and open. We put in new tile and wallpaper about five years ago, added new window shades after that, and in the past few years have replaced all of the appliances except the refrigerator. This week we finished repairing the recent damage to the breakfast area, and were so thankful that we had JUST BARELY ENOUGH of the kitchen wallpaper that we still like! I wasn't looking forward to wallpapering the whole kitchen again!

5) Here is $10,000 and you HAVE to spend it on the place you are living now. What do you do?
Oh boy! See #1 above...or maybe I would finish the kitchen with solid granite countertops and real oak cabinets to replace the "oak" veneer cabinets that the builders installed.

BONUS: Why do you think there was such a surplus of ugly bathroom tile colors showcased in all homes built from the 1950's right through the early 80's?
Well, of course in those days, people didn't think bright pink, lime green, or turquoise were ugly colors for tile (or bathtubs and toilets!). They thought their tile was beautiful and very stylish. Even the earth tones from the 80's and 90's look kind of funny to us now. Wonder what people will think of our current decor in 20 years?

I love being married to a man who calls home to say, "I'm going to stop at Lowe's and pick up a new toilet, but I wanted to call it to your attention that there is a beautiful moon out."

A Cabin Fever Friday Five

Singing Owl has cabin fever, and reports:
Here in snow country we are settled in to what is a very long stretch of potentially boring days. The holidays are over. It is a very long time till we will get outside on a regular basis. The snow that seemed so beautiful at first is now dirty and the snow banks are piling up. Our vehicles are all the same shade of brownish grey, but if we go to the car wash our doors will freeze shut. People get grumpy. Of course, not everyone lives in a cold climate, but even in warmer places the days till springtime can get long. Help! Please give us five suggestions for combating cabin fever and staying cheerful in our monochromatic world?

Well. I admit that relating to this dilemma is not easy when today's forecast is "sunny and 78 degrees", and the camellias are in bloom. So I started thinking about what I like to do in mid-August, when it's 98 degrees outside with 90% humidity, and I hunker down in the house, thankful for central air conditioning:

1. Make a list of all the movies you've been wanting to see (having a Netflix queue helps, of course), and watch one or two per week.
2. Play your favorite music. Sing along, loudly.
3. Think of a meal that sounds interesting and delicious, and prepare it with your favorite kitchen assistant at your side. If you are so inclined, open a special bottle of wine to accompany it, not the everyday stuff. (Go ahead! What are you saving it for?)
4. Read, read, read. Nothing heavy, though; light fiction and travelogues are perfect.
5. This does NOT apply to me, but if you are crafty like Mindy, or love to sew, make something colorful and cheerful.

Well, it's supposed to be colder tomorrow, so I guess I should go out and pull weeds now. I'd rather stay inside!

Rosa Sat...

(Thanks to my friend and pastor Becky for posting this first...)

Friday Five: Take Me, Baby, or Leave Me

Thanks to Songbird for today's musical F5:

Although written by a young man, this song from "Rent" became an anthem for women of a certain age ready to be taken on their own terms. Maureen and Joanne love each other, but they are *very* different.

Whether it's new friends or new loves or new employers, what are five things people should know about you?

1. I like people, but I'm very introversive and I need a lot of alone time. Sometimes in groups that need overwhelms my social skills, and I can come across as aloof or even a bit odd. It's not about you. (well, maybe sometimes it is :)) Give me a little time alone and I'll be back, ready to have fun.

2. I love good food, creatively prepared, but I'm not an insufferable snob about it. I'll go eat wherever you want to go, but if you ask me where we should go I'll have a good suggestion. And if I offer to cook, take me up on it.

3. Psychology is my occupation, not my life. Please don't come up to me at a social gathering looking for free advice about your love life, your unruly child, or your family of origin. I'll be happy to give you a referral.

4. If I haven't had my coffee yet, approach at your own risk. Just one cup in the morning, but I need that one cup!

5. I'm a proud Southerner/Texan who can't imagine living north of the Mason-Dixon line. For one thing, folks talk funny up there. For another thing, I'd freeze!

Here's a bonus: I bet I can answer nearly any trivia question about American or British popular music, 1964-1974. Go on, try me!

Weekend odds and ends

• As we were sitting down for dinner on Friday night, the Scientist asked, "Why is the floor wet under this window?" Answer: because the 17-year-old toilet upstairs had suddenly outlived its usefulness and had begun to pour water down the wall. I called the insurance company, and within the hour two gentlemen appeared with enormous fans and dehumidifiers to assess the damage and begin drying it out. The fans are noisy, but we don't care. It appears that we caught it so soon, we may not lose any sheetrock. No claims adjuster as of yet, though.
• I am reluctantly concluding that I need to go buy some doggie diapers for a forgetful little old lady with four legs, who has chosen the dining room as her new potty.
  
• I am thankful that I have only some insignificant little First World problems such as these.
• After I went and got us some kolaches (no pancakes after all, with the kitchen area in chaos), we took a break from all of the above to see an interesting exhibit at the Museum of Natural Science, The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story. Lots of ossuaries and other artifacts to delight the Scientist, and I also enjoyed the ancient manuscripts, including a section of Isaiah from Qumran and a number of NT texts, including one that included the last few verses of Ephesians, followed by the beginning of Galatians (instead of the other way around), and another with a little of the Gospel of John. The epistles text was the oldest of those NT manuscripts, dating to about 150-200 CE. We've seen some of the Dead Sea Scrolls before, but I think this was the first time we'd seen early NT manuscripts. A Saturday spent wandering through a museum, followed by dinner in town (seafood this time), is our favorite kind of Saturday.
  
• Now I have to go work on the PNC's brochure that soon will introduce our new pastor to our congregation! Bye.
  

Friday Five: Pancakes

Thanks, Sophia, for a fun Friday Five!

1. Scratch or mix? Buttermilk or plain?
Scratch, always. The Scientist is my pancake chef extraordinaire, and always consults a recipe from an old Southern Living cookbook called Southern Country Cooking. The combination griddle/waffle iron we received at a kitchen shower 26 years ago is still going strong, and it gets a good workout. We use buttermilk whenever we can, but yogurt (maybe thinned with a little milk) is an adequate substitute.

2. Pure and simple, or with additions cooked in?
The simplest is the best...unless we happen to have some fresh blueberries!

3. For breakfast or for dinner?
Our favorite time for pancakes is Saturday brunch. Not every Saturday is leisurely enough for such a lovely and civilized meal, so the Saturdays that are, are special.

4. Preferred syrup or other topping? How about the best side dish?
I prefer honey, while the Scientist likes Lousiana cane syrup. We usually have either sausage patties or very crisp bacon alongside.

5. Favorite pancake restaurant?
I may have to surrender my foodie credentials for saying so, but I love to go to IHOP!

Bonus: Any tasty recipes out there, for pancakes or other special breakfast dishes? Bring 'em on!
An outstanding recipe for banana-caramel pancakes appeared in Bon Appetit about three years ago and can be found here. It is basically buttermilk pancakes with a banana mashed into the batter, then a sumptious syrup is made with bananas and brown sugar. It's like Bananas Foster over pancakes, only without the rum. (Rum pancake syrup? Interesting thought.) These pancakes are so special, we only (and always) make them on Christmas morning. You may wish to indulge sooner!

P.S. The Scientist just walked by and innocently asked, "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?" What do you suppose I said?

Another great one is gone

Let me take a moment to remember the great singer/songwriter Delaney Bramlett, who died yesterday at 69. He and his then-wife Bonnie and their band Delaney & Bonnie & Friends toured with Eric Clapton in 1969, and made a fabulous live album with him that was part of the soundtrack of my high school years. Both Delaney and Bonnie were powerful singers, and played with a great backup band including Carl Radle on bass and Jim Gordon on drums. Delaney wrote or co-wrote a number of popular songs from that period ("Superstar", "Never Ending Song of Love").

YouTube is not cooperating with me today, but the link is to a clip from a 1969 BBC performance with Eric Clapton and Dave Mason. (Dave Mason wrote "Only You Know and I Know", but Delaney and Bonnie's version is better.) I think the gentleman in the green sweater, on Bonnie's left, is Bobby Whitlock, a mighty soulful singer and keyboards player himself, who later joined Clapton in Derek and the Dominos. Although I wouldn't want to be fifteen again, I enjoyed traveling back in time for a few minutes while watching this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir2eAEhtXvE

Rest in peace, Delaney, and thank you for the music.

Carol - Written in 1946
Flocks feed by darkness with a noise of whispers,

In the dry grass of pastures,

And lull the solemn night with their weak bells.

The little towns upon the rocky hills

Look down as meek as children:

Because they have seen come this holy time.

God's glory, now, is kindled gentler than low candlelight

Under the rafters of a barn:

Eternal Peace is sleeping in the hay,

And Wisdom's born in secret in a straw-roofed stable.

And O! Make holy music in the stars, you happy angels.

You shepherds, gather on the hill.

Look up, you timid flocks, where the three kings

Are coming through the wintry trees;

While we unnumbered children of the wicked centuries

Come after with our penances and prayers,

And lay them down in the sweet-smelling hay

Beside the wise men's golden jars.

Thomas Merton

Exmas or Crissmas?

A Lost Chapter from Herodotus
by C. S. Lewis

And beyond this there lies in the ocean, turned towards the west and the north, the island of Niatirb which Hecataeus indeed declares to be the same size and shape as Sicily, but it is larger, and though in calling it triangular a man would not miss the mark. It is densely inhabited by men who wear clothes not very different from other barbarians who occupy the north-western parts of Europe though they do not agree with them in language. These islanders, surpassing all the men of whom we know in patience and endurance, use the following customs.

In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound they have a great festival which they call Exmas, and for fifty days they prepare for it in the fashion I shall describe. First of all, every citizen is obliged to send to each of his friends and relations a square piece of hard paper stamped with a picture, which in their speech is called an Exmas-card. But the pictures represent birds sitting on branches, or trees with a dark green prickly leaf, or else men in such garments as the Niatirbians believe that their ancestors wore two hundred years ago riding in coaches such as their ancestors used, or houses with snow on their roofs. And the Niatirbians are unwilling to say what these pictures have to do with the festival, guarding (as I suppose) some sacred mystery. And because all men must send these cards the market-place is filled with the crowd of those buying them, so that there is great labour and weariness.

But having bought as many as they suppose to be sufficient, they return to their houses and find there the like cards which others have sent to them. And when they find cards from any to whom they also have sent cards, they throw them away and give thanks to the gods that this labour at least is over for another year. But when they find cards from any to whom they have not sent, then they beat their breasts and wail and utter curses against the sender; and, having sufficiently lamented their misfortune, they put on their boots again and go out into the fog and rain and buy a card for him also. And let this account suffice about Exmas-cards.

They also send gifts to one another, suffering the same things about the gifts as about the cards, or even worse. For every citizen has to guess the value of the gift which every friend will send to him so that he may send one of equal value, whether he can afford it or not. And they buy as gifts for one another such things as no man ever bought for himself. For the sellers, understanding the custom, put forth all kinds of trumpery, and whatever, being useless and ridiculous, sell as an Exmas gift. And though the Niatirbians profess themselves to lack sufficient necessary things, such as metal, leather, wood and paper, yet an incredible quantity of these things is wasted every year, being made into the gifts.

But during these fifty days the oldest, poorest and the most miserable of citizens put on false beards and red robes and walk in the market-place; being disguised (in my opinion) as Cronos. And the sellers of gifts no less than the purchasers become pale and weary, because of the crowds and the fog, so that any man who came into a Niatirbian city at this season would think that some great calamity had fallen on Niatirb. This fifty days of preparation is called in their barbarian speech the Exmas Rush.

But when the day of the festival comes, then most of the citizens, being exhausted with the Rush, lie in bed till noon. But in the evening they eat five times as much supper as on other days and, crowning themselves with crowns of paper, they become intoxicated. And on the day after Exmas they are very grave, being internally disordered by the supper and the drinking and reckoning how much they have spent on gifts and on the wine. For wine is so dear among the Niatirbians that a man must swallow the worth of a talent before he is well intoxicated.

Such, then, are their customs about the Exmas. But the few among the Niatirbians have also a festival, separate and to themselves, called Crissmas, which is on the same day as Exmas. And those who keep Crissmas, doing the opposite to the majority of the Niatirbians, rise early on that day with shining faces and go before sunrise to certain temples where they partake of a sacred feast. And in most of the temples they set out images of a fair woman with a new-born Child on her knees and certain animals and shepherds adoring the Child. (The reason of these images is given in a certain sacred story which I know but do not repeat.)

But I myself conversed with a priest in one of these temples and asked him why they kept Crissmas on the same day as Exmas; for it appeared to me inconvenient. But the priest replied, It is not lawful, O Stranger, for us to change the date of Crissmas, but would that Zeus would put it into the minds of the Niatirbians to keep Exmas at some other time or not to keep it at all. For Exmas and the Rush distract the minds even of the few from sacred things. And we indeed are glad that men should make merry at Crissmas; but in Exmas there is no merriment left. And when I asked him why they endured the Rush, he replied, It is, O Stranger, a racket; using (as I suppose) the words of some oracle and speaking unintelligibly to me (for a racket is an instrument which the barbarians use in a game called tennis).

But what Hecataeus says, that Exmas and Crissmas are the same, is not credible. For the first, the pictures which are stamped on the Exmas-cards have nothing to do with the sacred story which the priests tell about Crissmas. And secondly, the most part of the Niatirbians, not believing the religion of the few, nevertheless send the gifts and cards and participate in the Rush and drink, wearing paper caps. But it is not likely that men, even being barbarians, should suffer so many and great things in honour of a god they do not believe in. And now, enough about Niatirb.

(from God in the Dock)

The Nacirema are a lot like the Niatirbians, yes? With all the hurrying, and all the lists we have made today, let's stop, take a breath, and be thankful that we are here for Crissmas, not Exmas.

Friday Five: Countdown to Christmas Edition

Songbird admonishes us:

It's true.

There are only five full days before Christmas Day, and whether you use them for shopping, wrapping, preaching, worshiping, singing or traveling or even wishing the whole darn thing were over last Tuesday, there's a good chance they will be busy ones.

So let's make this easy, if we can: tell us five things you need to accomplish before Christmas Eve.

OK, this IS easy. On my reduced schedule this year, most things are done. I still need to:

1. make fruitcake cookies (this will happen today)
2. make broccoli salad, twice--for a party tomorrow night, and for Christmas dinner, which we are NOT hosting
3. haul a large frozen turkey, which we did not use at Thanksgiving, to the home of our friends with whom we will be having Christmas dinner
4. wrap one more present for the Scientist, after it arrives
5. listen to my favorite Christmas music, rest and consider the Lord's coming

May the peace and joy of this season enfold each person who reads this...beyond all the sermon writing and last minute service planning; beyond all the cooking, baking, shopping, and wrapping; beyond the travel hassles; within and beyond the grief that this season heightens for many; may Christ be born anew in us all.

Winter rest

Three weeks later. I'm feeling well enough now to treasure these last quiet, solitary days at home, which will be over all too soon.

The tree is finally decorated, and lovely--it is good company for me when I'm on the couch and Amie has retreated to the Scientist's closet to snooze. Between my convalescence and the Scientist's schedule, the naked tree sat in the living room for three days before we finally "dressed" it. We have spent most of this week decorating a little at a time, rather than the do-it-all-in-one-night approach we usually employ. What a pleasure to say hello again to each old friend as I take it out of the box--Santas, stars, and angels alike.

I collect Christmas angels. I didn't know that until the day, some years ago, I realized there were more than twenty on the tree. Each one reminds me of a particular vacation, or the friend who gave it, or a Christmas forty years ago. They probably number about thirty-five now, not counting all the freestanding angels arrayed on the oak buffet in the foyer. The Scientist said, "It looks like you've got all the heavenly host in here."

The Scientist is away, overseeing a clinical trial, but will return tomorrow night. Please pray for the patient who will undergo this experimental treatment tomorrow.

Shopping (mostly online this year) is done, wrapping is almost done. I'm waiting for one more book for the Scientist--a book about the Minoans, to accompany the tome on the Mycenaeans that has already arrived.

Not singing in the Christmas concert this year was hard, but getting to just sit and enjoy it was fun. The most beautiful piece was an obscure cantata that deserves to be heard more often, Ralph Hunter's Sing Noel. I can find only one recording, by Gloriae Dei Cantores. It's a thoughtful and creative medley of carols, but is seldom performed--in fact our choir director described our presentation as its "Southwest premiere". If it were better known, it would become a mainstay of Christmas concerts.

This afternoon's dilemma: will the pleasure of making fruitcake cookies outweigh the aches and pains that probably will follow? Maybe I'll wait and make them this evening. Maybe I'll just lie here on the couch and look at the tree for a while.

Sabbatical

That's how I've decided to treat the next six weeks...can't work, can't drive, can't do much of nothin' but I can take advantage of the time I've always wanted to have at home. This is how my typical weekday is shaping up:

7:00 get up, shower and put on fresh nightgown, have breakfast with the Scientist
8:00-12:30 check e-mail, blogs, etc. etc. and read on the couch (I'll share what I'm reading in another post)
12:30-1:00 sit up, make a sandwich
1:00 creep upstairs (slowly, oh so slowly, and backwards) and watch Northern Exposure
2:00-5:00 (after creeping back downstairs) take a nap
5:00-7:00 dawdle around, attend to Amie, put casserole in oven (Casseroles! Do we have casseroles!)
7:00-10:00 eat and hang out with the Scientist
10:00 and so to bed.

Not bad for now, but I think it will start getting old soon. Also, I probably won't need quite so much nappage in a couple of weeks. I am planning to use this time to read, certainly, but also to write; and I will be spending more time in prayer too.

Anyway, that's my day. How was yours?

Mix and Stir Friday Five

As we enter the big baking and cooking season, Songbird asks:

1) Do you have a food processor? Can you recommend it? Which is to say, do you actually use it?
Although I enjoy fancy gadgets as much as anyone else who loves to cook, I have never owned a food processer. Between the KitchenAid mixer, its attachments, and the blender, I've never felt the need for one.

2) And if so, do you use the fancy things on it? (Mine came with a mini-blender (used a lot and long ago broken) and these scary disks you used to julienne things (used once).)
I would, if I had them!

3) Do you use a standing mixer? Or one of the hand-held varieties?(And isn't that color delightfully retro?)
My cherished KitchenAid mixer, which looks exactly like the beautiful blue one in Songbird's picture except that it is white, is about twenty years old and going strong. Of the three attachments shown in Songbird's picture, the dough hook gets the most frequent workouts at our house. The Scientist loves to make bread with the KitchenAid. I often use the impressive-looking shredder cone attachments (sold separately) for grating lots of cheese or veggies. After the little hand-held mixer that predated our marriage finally died a couple of years ago, I got a three-speed KitchenAid hand-held, which works like a little champ and does everything I need it to do.

4) How about a blender? Do you have one? Use it much?
Yes, mostly to make pesto--or this soup (adapted from Mariquita Farm), which is a great way to use up carrots:

Carrot and Cumin Soup
1 large onion, chopped
5 or 6 carrots, thinly sliced
3 T. olive or canola oil
1 tsp. ground cumin (or maybe just a little more, not too much)
1 tsp. salt
4 cups water or stock
Cook onion in oil until soft. Add carrots and seasonings and cook for a minute. Add water or stock and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, until very soft. Puree in blender (be careful!). While the soup cooks, toast about 1/4 c. chopped pecans in a 350 degree oven for about six or seven minutes--just until they darken slightly--and toss with a little melted butter. Sprinkle them on top of soup when serving. This makes about four big soup-bowl-size servings.

5) Finally, what old-fashioned, non-electric kitchen tool do you enjoy using the most?
I use a good old-fashioned balloon whisk for sauces or gravy, at least once a week. I don't know what I would do without it.

Bonus: Is there a kitchen appliance or utensil you ONLY use at Thanksgiving or some other holiday? If so, what is it?
I had to think about this for a while! All I could come up with, is the cheesecloth that I oil and use to cover and baste the Thanksgiving turkey!

P.S. I'm home taking it easy after dealing with some medical stuff, and won't be cooking or baking next week. Waaah!

How many people do you know who would be sad about that?

Friday Five: Funny Papers

Thanks, PG, for this fun Friday Five!

After an exhausting election here in the states it's time for some spirit lifting! Join me with a nice cup of tea or coffee or cocoa and let's sit back and read the Funny Papers!

1. What was your favorite comic strip as a child?

Well, I always read Peanuts, of course, but for some reason I liked following all of the "soap opera" strips too, and I still do. (A bit of trivia: when my parents sold their house and moved into an apartment, they wound up in Apartment 3-G.)

2. Which comic strip today most consistently tickles your funny bone?
Nearly every day I laugh out loud at Get Fuzzy.
(ETA: Unlike me, Nachfolge took the time to show you why.)

3. Which Peanuts character is closest to being you?

Which Peanuts Character Are You?
	You are Schroeder. You are brilliant, ambitious, and brooding; you tackle tasks with extreme focus. People don't always interest you as much as other pursuits, though, so you can come off as aloof.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

I don't think this is accurate, though. Maybe the "brilliant, brooding, and aloof " part. ;)

4. Some say that comic strips have replaced philosophy as a paying job, so to speak. Does this ring true with you?

Well, I think that many of the most popular strips have addressed the mysteries and foibles of the human condition with humor--and that's why we have loved them.

5. What do you think the appeal is for the really long running comic strips like Blondie, Family Circus, Dennis the Menace as some examples?

They remind us of a time that seems to us now to have been gentler and more innocent, although it really was not much different than our own. Of the three examples given, Blondie is the only one that has become even slightly contemporary (e.g., Blondie now has a career, Dagwood has a computer on his desk). The gender roles in Dennis the Menace, for example, are preserved in amber, ca. 1955.

Bonus question: Which discontinued comic strip would you like to see back in print?

Oh, no, just one? How can I possibly choose among Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County, and The Far Side?

And now a little story: The time: summer of 1990. The place: a quiet (at least it was when we came in), attractive little restaurant in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA, where the Scientist and I were vacationing after attending a friend's wedding in Tacoma. At a nearby table were two couples, one about our age (early thirties) and an older couple who appeared to be the woman's parents. The younger man spent the entire meal loudly haranguing his in-laws about matters political and social. Everyone in the restaurant received the benefit of his opinions. Finally they finished eating and left, and again the little restaurant was quiet. Our waitress rushed over, all giddy, and gushed, "Do you read Bloom County?" "Used to," we replied. She nearly squealed. "That was Berke Breathed!"