Still relevant

One year before his death, Martin Luther King delivered this speech at Riverside Church in New York City. He said, in part:

A few years ago... It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor -- both black and white -- through the poverty program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam and I watched the program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war, and I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube....

Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now...The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours...

...I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside; but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway.

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.

A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say: "This is not just." It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of Latin America and say: "This is not just."

The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just. A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war: "This way of settling differences is not just."...

...A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. America, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values. There is nothing, except a tragic death wish, to prevent us from reordering our priorities, so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war. There is nothing to keep us from molding a recalcitrant status quo with bruised hands until we have fashioned it into a brotherhood....

It's stunning to realize how relevant Dr. King's words still are today. Some things, it seems, don't change. 1968 Viet Nam. 2008 Iraq. Will we never learn?

Forty years ago

Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lot of people,
But it seems the good they die young.
I just looked 'round and he's gone.

Glad tomorrow is Friday

~I was hoping for a slow week this week. In truth, I 'm not sure what a slow week would look like. There is always something else to be done. But I did have time this week to reshelve all the books I've pulled off my shelves in the last couple of months and then stacked up willy-nilly, and sort out some of the papers that always are on the verge of being out of control on my desk. I always console myself when I look at my desk by thinking of the sign I once saw that said something like "a neat desk is the sign of a disordered mind" or some such.

~I had lunch today with a retired priest in our parish who (along with his wife) has become my unofficial mentor. I am ever so grateful for their wise counsel and support.

~We're in the process of envisioning what it might look like to do some things differently next year. But change is SUCH a hard thing in a church, in any institution I guess. There is so much potential for good if we can just move beyond the fear and anxiety that comes out when that c word comes up.

~I've been thinking a lot about leadership styles lately. How one shares "power" and authority (or doesn't), how a leader helps shape a vision for the future and/or acts as an agent for change as opposed to just trying to maintain the status quo, how one should respond to situations where risk is involved. I know much of this is dependent on a particular context, but it's interesting to try to think through how I might respond in this or that situation. I guess I'm thinking about these things as I try to discern what sort of position I might seek out next. For a long time I thought I never wanted to be in charge of a congregation. Then I progressed to thinking I could do it. So the question is, do I want to? And if so, what sort of congregation (to the extent that I have a choice). Sort of like the process I went through before I applied for academic jobs, although it feels more complicated now.

Photography class

~My photography class has met for four of its six sessions (although I missed one when I was in VT). So far I'm not sure that I've really learned anything much...I have spent some time on the internet reading up on some topics that were tangentially mentioned, but other than that, nada. Well, the instructor told us to always shoot in raw and not to crop but rather to frame everything in the view finder. Does that count? And honestly, I'm not sure that I agree about never cropping (of course, I'm not the expert...).

~For the next class we're supposed to bring in five prints for him to look at. That's a good sign, isn't it? And we're supposed to go on a shooting field trip one afternoon. So there may be hope yet.

~So this same instructor is offering an "intermediate" class when this one is over. The class description says that there will be assignments every week--really taking pictures! It sounds good--but the description of my current class made it sound a lot better than it really is. So my quandry: do I fork over another hundred bucks and give this guy another chance--and hope to really learn something?

~There really aren't any other options around here right now. I haven't been at all impressed with this guy's ability as a teacher, but I really want to take another class somewhere ...so we'll see.

Quidditch anyone?

This is awesome ...and hilarious, and perfect for a generation that grew up with Harry Potter. Grab your brooms and get ready for the next big collegiate sport!

Morning visitors

~I was sitting in the kitchen by the window this morning, reading the NY Times on line when I happened to look up to see this.

~I had turkeys in the yard once before, but they stayed out by the wall. Today they actually tried to eat out of the bird feeder.

~They are really interesting looking birds when you see them up close. You can begin to see why Benjamin Franklin thought they should be the national bird.

Random bits of my weekend

~Yesterday was the first Saturday I've had completely off since before Lent started back in February. I was very lazy all day. I did my taxes (thanks to Turb0tax.c0m) and was pleasantly surprised to find that I'm getting a decent size refund. Which will be spent to buy the Kid and me new glasses.

~I've watched two movies this weekend, too. Knocked Up (which I don't even remember putting in the Netflix queue but whatever) and When Harry Met Sally (which I still love). I really need to update the queue, though, and get some of the many movies I haven't seen in the last year!

~And I've futzed around with my pictures a lot, and did some reading on-line about lenses. I think I want to buy a macro lens. But which one? There is a 100mm f/2.8 that is rated highly for both macro and portraits. But alot of photograpers on-line whose pictures I admire seem to be using 50 mm lenses (not necessarily macro).

~I still haven't reorganized all the pictures I recovered after they were lost after my hard drive crashed. That is going to take hours and hours, I'm afraid.

~My original plan was to take this weekend and the coming week off--thinking that NSLS surely wouldn't give birth before her due date--which is tomorrow. But the best laid plans and all that....so when we got back, I decided not to take time off this week so that I can go back and visit again when the Kid has April break. But when I got to church this morning I had reason to wish I had just taken the day off. All sorts of things were going wrong...nothing major, but enough to be aggravating. And a lot of it things I really couldn't change--like the flower person forgetting to do the flowers.

~The biggest snafu was forgetting that this was the fifth Sunday of the month, and on the 5th Sunday we make a change in the liturgy (to Rite I). And no one remembered that when we made the bulletins this week. No one. So today the rector wants to know why we aren't doing it. And truthfully it never even occurred to me that it was the 5th Sunday. I don't like Rite I, so I don't know if he thinks I was trying to get out of it... but as I said, I wasn't originally planning to be here today, and I just didn't think about it. And I don't think anyone in the congregation knew the difference, either.

~I'm hoping this will be a quiet week at work--I really need to clean up my office--there are books and papers everywhere. More than usual :)

~I'm ready for warm weather, although I know it's unrealistic to hope for it anytime soon. That's is the hardest part of living in New England for me--worse than winter is the almost non-existent and very late arriving spring.

~I really hope that we learn something useful at my photography class tomorrow. I missed last week's class and I have no idea what I missed....it could've been great. I'll find out tomorrow.

Episco-meme

I've seen this at reverendmother's and elsewhere as the Presby-meme, and thought I would adapt it--so all you Episcopalians out there consider yourselves tagged!

1. What is your earliest memory of being distinctly Episcopalian?

~I'm one of those increasingly rare types, a cradle Episcopalian, and I can't imagine being anything else. And some of my earliest memories are of being in church--the beautiful little church in my father's home town. The prayer book is part of my consciousness, as is liturgy.

~I think the first time I noticed this was when as a fairly young child I went to church with my Methodist grandmother. I missed liturgy, even then.

2. On what issue/question should TEC spend LESS energy and time?

~Sexuality. Who should be in and who should be out. Who is "orthodox" and who isn't.

~I would add that the focus on these things is the direct result of a minority of folks who think that TEC has lost its way and who, instead of finding a place more congenial to their beliefs or working within the system, have determined to cause as much fuss and turmoil as they can, even to the point of destruction. IMHO.

3. On what issue/question should TEC spend MORE energy and time?

~Doing the work of the church. Providing a welcoming home for those who are seeking God and living out the baptismal covenant. Mission. Justice. Respecting the dignity of every human being.

4. If you could have TEC focus on one passage of scripture for a entire year, what would it be?

~The Sermon on the Mount--I cannot imagine a better guide for discipleship. Alternately Matthew 25:31-46 ...whenever you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me...

5. If TEC were an animal what would it be and why?

~An elephant. We have a long memory. And remember the story of the five blind men who were asked to describe an elephant? Each one had a very different description depending on what part he touched. The Episcopal Church is sort of like that in the best of all worlds--high church, low church, traditional, contemporary, but all in all still one -- sometimes unwieldy, sometimes ponderous, but still in all magnificent in ways, too.

A milllion $ Friday 5

What are five things you would want to do with a million dollar deposit in your bank account?

1. Pay off all my student loans and all my kids' student loans, and pay for the Kid's college.

2. Give a big fat donation to my seminary and to my church.

Those two alone could talk the whole million...but let's pretend there's still lots leftover...

3. Buy an apartment in NYC and one in VT--that would take over a million all by itself, but we're still pretending here...

4. Take the whole family on vacation somewhere really nice.

5. Invest in restoring old houses for affordable housing.

The deep and meaningful Winnie the Pooh personality test

Your Score: Tigger

You scored 17 Ego, 12 Anxiety, and 15 Agency!

And as they went, Tigger told Roo (who wanted to know)
all about the things that Tiggers could do.

"Can they fly?" asked Roo.

"Yes," said Tigger, "they're very good flyers, Tiggers
are. Strornry good flyers."

"Oo!" said Roo. "Can they fly as well as Owl?"

"Yes," said Tigger. "Only they don't want to."

"Why don't they want to?" well, they just don't like it
somehow."

Roo couldn't understand this, because he thought it
would be lovely to be able to fly, but Tigger said it was
difficult to explain to anybody who wasn't a Tigger himself.

You scored as Tigger!

ABOUT TIGGER: Tigger is the newest addition to the Hundred Acre Wood, and he lives with Kanga and Roo, because Roo's strengthening medicine turned out to be the thing that Tiggers like best. Tigger is bouncy and confident -some of his friends think he is a little TOO bouncy and confident, but attempts to unbounce him tend to be fruitless.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are a positive and confident person. You feel capable of dealing with anything and everything, and funnily enough, you usually ARE. You don't worry about much, and you love to go out and find new adventures.

Your friends and family might sometimes be a little exasperated by your boundless enthusiasm. You don't like to admit your mistakes, and when you find yourself in over you head, you tend to bluff your way out of things. You would be surprised, however, at how happy the people around you would be if you would actually admit to a mistake. It would make you seem more human, somehow.

Now it's your turn! : The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test

I actually took this a couple of times; I think this is my work persona more than my at-home persona. I scored as Eeyore one time, and Owl one time thinking of how I react in different situations.

Of course this is all just for fun :)

Whirlwind week

You know, it's been a wild and woolly week around here.

It was just a week ago that I was stepping into the midst of Holy Week, preparing for the intense stretch of liturgies that culminate at Easter. In that time I've written and preached three sermons, participated in six services, overseen a wonderful vigil, danced down the aisle, been the only vegetarian at a lamb roast dinner, talked politics with people who know much more than I do, skipped Easter day services, driven five hours each way to meet my granddaughter, paced in a waiting room, looked at incredibly beautiful mountains across a shimmering lake, seen snowcaps and skiers,found crocuses blooming by my back door, edited next month's newsletter, blogged every day, taken lots of pictures, loved my congregation, and felt ready to look for a new position.

Whew.

Back home again

~Now that NSLS has announced her presence, I can tell you that the beautiful baby's beautiful name is Julianna Iris--named after three great-grandparents.

~Julianna and NSLS came home today around noon, and because of his school and my work, the Kid and I had to leave about 2 this afternoon. Reluctantly to say the least.

~And Woman Warrior is due home from Korea on Friday...she thought she'd be back in time for the birth. But Julianna had other ideas.

~The weather was gorgeous the whole time I was there...cold but crisp...snow on the mountains, brilliant blue sky over the lake. I miss living there.

Sweet Baby

Happy Birthday!

She's here!

~Finally

~My little granddaughter was born at 7:22 pm and she's beautiful! Yes it was a long day. I will let NSLS tell you her name and the birth story, but Mom and baby are doing well.

~8 lbs. 5 oz.

~And did I say she's beautiful?

Happy Easter...and we're off

~No baby yet....at around 7 am she was 7 cm dilated and fully effaced. So it should be this morning! We're leaving as soon as we can finish getting ourselves together. It's about a five hour drive, so we'll be there by lunch time I hope.

~Stay tuned!

~And I guess this is as close to live-blogging the birth as I can get :)

She's having a baby!

~NSLS headed off to the hospital tonight about 8 with contractions 2-4 minutes apart. I haven't heard anything more so I'm assuming she was admitted.

~I toyed with the idea of getting right in the car and going, but I'm afraid I would get part way there and then get really sleepy so I suspect I will leave first thing in the morning. I'm coming down off my adrenaline high from a great Easter Vigil...and I am pretty tired.

~An Easter baby! Maybe anyway....

~I'll keep you posted!

Fat chance...

Don't panic, she says...

Well, I'm not panicked, but it certainly increases the number of things on my mind...

Stay tuned.

Holy Week--makes me tired

~As I wrote last year, I love the liturgies of Holy Week. I love the rhythms, the silent spaces, the dim light. the prayers, the solemnity. I love the way it all leads up to the joy of the Easter Vigil. But it really makes me tired. So tired.

~Happily I feel remarkably unstressed about it all right now. I worked at home yesterday and wrote two sermons. Today we had three services-two at our church and an ecumenical service at a nearby Lutheran church. In between I attended to details for the vigil tomorrow night. I still have one sermon to write, but sermon writing on Saturday morning is normal for me.

~I've never been a detail person, so I am befuddled at how I've become the detail person at work, especially when it comes to liturgies. And every Holy Week I give a quiet little prayer of thanks for my liturgics prof and the way he taught us to plan liturgy, and for all those hours in the sacristy during seminary. I have a typed out plan for how everything is supposed to go tomorrow night....and if it is reasonably close I'll be happy.

~The downside of being the detail person for worship is that it's been much harder for me to actually enter into the worship, to lose myself in it this year. Too many things running through my mind.

~And did I mention that I'm tired?

Spring? and other random thoughts

~The calendar says the first day of spring, but it hardly feels like it here. Of course, I know better than to expect spring much before May in this part of the country, but still....It's grey and gloomy and wet here. Yesterday as I left for work it was snowing, but that soon turned to rain and it's been raining ever since. At 8:00 am we had reached our high temp for the day, so it is going to be chilly again today.

~The good news, I guess, is that there are no drought warnings in our state as we move towards spring. Apparently in other parts of the state there had been for a while.

~It's Maundy Thursday, and having mostly finished up my office tasks to prepare for the weekend, I stayed at home this morning to work on sermons. I'm clearly avoiding that task at this point, but I need to get on with it. Tomorrow and Saturday will be very busy days.

~Meanwhile, we pass the 5th anniversary of the start of the Iraqi war. Five years ago I was in my first year of seminary, and we had many long discussions about "just war" and resistance and protest. That spring I prayed in a vigil at the UN several Fridays. Even as we deplored the war, we hoped for a quick resolution. And now? It's the war that seems to go on like the Energizer Bunny...only much more costly in every way. Enough. End it now.

~I've found the commentary about Obama's speech interesting. I shouldn't be surprised, I guess, at the reactions it is getting from some corners. But I still find it compelling, and I am more convinced than ever that if ANYONE can help this country turn around and get out of the hole the current administration has dug us into, it is Obama. (I know I said it before, but it bears repeating).

~Enough procrastination...

It made me want to cry...

~I was at work all day yesterday and had a service last night, so I didn't get to hear Obama's speech. I heard snippets on the radio, and it was impressive. But I just read the whole speech in the NYTimes. Wow. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm glad I read it rather than hearing it, I think, because I could really take it in. Powerful is an understatement.

~What strikes me is that Obama is a person who really GETS it. He understand where people are coming from and he understands what we need--as individuals and as a nation.

~If we don't elect this man--and not only elect him, but do everything we can to support him once he's in office--we will be missing the opportunity to turn this country around. If anyone can help heal us after eight years under Bush, it is Obama.

Yesterday's photography class

~was better...but I'm still not enthused. He threw a lot of terminology at us--iso, f-stops, aperature--and talked about the relationship between them; some of that I had figured out, but it was helpful to hear it articulated. And then he talked about the difference between JPEG and RAW and told us we should shoot in RAW--because it's better. Come on, you must have a more well formed reason that that!

~What is missing is actually doing ANYTHING with our cameras. He has slides he uses to show us what HIS camera is like. But there is no real life application at all. No assignments to go out and take pictures with various settings and then we'll talk about them. Or anything like that, which I guess is what I was hoping for.

~I'm going to stick with this class because I paid for it, and get as much out of it as I can. But I have a hunch that I will still be looking for something more.

Cardinal

This 'n' that

~It is a gloomy gray afternoon here...again. I mind less that it's cold than that it's so gray. It's sprinkling rain a bit, too. I think I am ready for spring. Normally I don't mind winter, but this one is wearing on me--the wet gloominess more than the temperature.

~Palm Sunday went well. Last year we processed from the public library across the street to the church, but because it was so cold this morning, we just walked outside from the parish hall to the church. Still, it was fun, and the whole liturgy went well.

~Because of a grant to our deanery, we have been given a copy of CS3 for the church. Woo-hoo! Except I don't know when I'm going to have time to learn to use it. (Wish it was for Mac!) I'm still lobbying for a church laptop--if I get that it will be windoze :( but I can bring it home to learn CS3 to use for church stuff.

~My photography instructor thinks that the upgraded version of iPhoto that runs with Leopard is as good as Photoshop Elements if not better. Anyone used it? We have Leopard on the iMac but not on my Macbook (although I do have an upgrade disc that came with the iMac...)

~One thing I did get out of my photography class last week--I think I want a lensbaby--it looked wicked cool.

~A friend at church is going to campaign for Obama in Philly during April break--the whole family is going. He's already worked for him a bit. Very cool.

~I've been toying with the idea of starting a letter campaign to Obama asking him to consider making his health care plan a bit more---generous? liberal? adequate? Do we think that would work? Really, campaign positions generally morph quite a bit by the time they are enacted, so why not? I've heard so many horror stories about inadequate health insurance lately--and that's people who HAVE insurance.

~I've watching the price of gas and the price of groceries climb steadily lately. It's not a pretty picture. Friday I spent over $40 for a tank of gas for the first time. And I drive a small car--I know most people have been over that point for a while. (Gas is higher than the national average here).

~I need to do my taxes. Ususally I have them done by mid February. Just haven't done it yet this year. Maybe tonight.

~Or maybe I'll just curl up with a good book :)

Cars

~This evening when I got in the car to go to work (and yes, I drive when the weather is bad and it's going to be dark when I come home; even though it's next door, it's a long dark driveway to walk up), the little generator light in the dash wouldn't go off. Actually, I didn't know it was the generator light; it looks like a battery, and since my car has a new battery I was surprised for it to be on. When I looked in the owner's manual it called this warning light the 'generator' light and said something about generator belts and such. So I guess I won't be driving anywhere tomorrow and Monday I'll be off to the repair shop.

~I know my car is just to the point where things start wearing out, and I shouldn't be surprised, but I always sort of resent having to have car repairs done. Irrational, I know. I just expect cars to keep on going. My car is technically almost 9 years old (it's a 1999 model) even though it has pretty low mileage (~56,000). I really shouldn't complain.

~Nonetheless, I still wish I lived somewhere where cars weren't essential. Knowing that I could always catch the bus or subway or take a cab or walk when I lived in the city was nice. Here if I don't drive, I don't get anywhere for the most part.

Friday Five~It's about time

~ a Friday Five about time--past, present and future....

1. If you could travel to any historical time period, which would it be, and why?

~When I was younger I wanted to live in the colonial period, someplace like colonial Williamsburg. Why? I read lots of those kids' biographies of famous people and many of them were set in the colonial period. And when I was older I read lots of historical fiction. I especially remember a great series that was set in Williamsburg, although I can't remember the names of the books. When I was in 7th grade we studied Virginia history and took a 3-day trip to Jamestown and Williamsburg. Of course, I romanticized it all. I wanted to wear hoop skirts and cook over a fire in a huge fireplace and spin wool on a spinning wheel. What was I thinking?!

~The one year I went to college right after high school I was going to major in history, and I toyed with the idea of trying to work someplace like Williamsburg, but life intervened and I never took that path.

2. What futuristic/science fiction development would you most like to see?

~I've never really thought about this one. I guess I might like to have a way to teletransport myself from place to place.

~Or how about a world in which humans have finally figured out that shooting and bombing each other doesn't make any sense?

3. Which do you enjoy more: remembering the past, or dreaming for the future?

~I've long had a ruminating streak and spent lots of time reviewing my past--recent and more distant. While I do think about the future, I don't try to dream it in any detail, because I know things never turn out like I imagine them. So I just don't go there except in generalities. But I do have lots of energy for planning things for the near future--new liturgies, events and the like, and envisioning how things could be. So maybe it's just my personal life I don't dream about.

4. What do you find most memorable about this year's Lent?

~Honestly, I've been so busy this Lent that in many ways it hasn't felt like Lent--except that Lenten activities are what has kept me so busy. I've been teaching a class on the prayer book and that has been really fun--reminding me what I loved when I was still in academia. I don't know if that is exactly memorable though.

5. How will you spend your time during this upcoming Holy Week? What part do you look forward to most?

~Preparing for and participating in liturgy. Palm Sunday, a tenebrae service on Tuesday, Maundy Thursday, three services on Good Friday, and of course, the Easter Vigil. I'm preaching twice on Friday (two different sermons--well, one is just a short meditation) and at the Vigil so I need to think about writing something soon!

~Holy Week is always a special time, but I most love the Great Vigil of Easter. Last year I really worked hard to plan the liturgy and I'm hoping that having done that, it will be a little less stressful this year--although it all worked out really well, so the work and stress paid off.

Bad habit?

~I have a long standing habit--no matter how tired I am, I stay up too late. Often I will fall asleep wherever I am (yes, sometimes even sitting at my computer), and doze for a while, but then I stay up. Tonight I wasn't even on the computer. After dinner I sat down on the couch to finish a novel, but I fell asleep. No wonder--I got up at 5:15 this morning. But when I woke up I still needed to clean the kitchen--I hate getting up to a dirty kitchen, and hey, I'm awake now.

~I think this habit goes back to when my kids were younger and feeling like after they were asleep was the only time I had to myself so I would stay up just to have that time. But I wonder if now is the time to train myself to go to bed earlier.

~I still like having time to myself at night though.

Recipes

In response to yesterday's post, recipes:

First the eggplant parmesan; I'd like to take credit for making it from scratch, but I didn't. I had a box of breaded eggplant slices that I think I bought at Trader Joe's, and I followed a recipe on the box, which amounted to layering sauce (from a jar) with the eggplant slices and shredded parmesan and then baking it. Easy and good--and not greasy at all like eggplant parmesan can be.

And the sweet potato soup--this recipe comes from the Moosewood Lowfat Cookbook.

Southwestern Corn and Potato Soup

1 cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 small fresh chili, seeded and minced
1/4 t salt
3 cups vegetable stock
2 t ground cumin
1 medium sweet potato, diced (about 2 cups)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
salt to taste

In a covered soup pot, simmer the onions, garlic, chili and salt in one cup of vegetable stock about 10 minutes or til veggies are soft. Ina small bowl make a paste of the cumin and 1 T broth, then stir into pot; simmer another minute or 2. Add the sweet potato and remaining stock and simmer for about 10 minutes until potato is soft. Add the bell pepper and corn and cookd covered for anothter 10 minutes.

Puree about half the soup in a blender or food processor and return to pot. The soup will be creamy and thick. Add salt to taste and gently reheat. If desired serve with lime wedges and fresh cilantro.

I doubt that I've ever followed the recipe exactly--I generally use more sweet potato and broth. (Maybe one reason I like to cook soup is because you don't have to be exacting). I just got an immersion blender so mine was smoother than usual this time (but it's so easy with an immersion blender!)--if you only do half in a regular blender you'll still have some chunks of veggies. Since I knew I wouldn't, I added the corn after I blended it.

It's wicked easy and it has no fat at all if you use no-fat broth. I use Imagine Organic Vegetable Broth which I think has a lot more flavor than Swanson's.

Enjoy!

I cooked

~Eggplant Parmesan --it was delicious, too.

~Last night I cooked sweet potato soup. The recipe called for a jalepeno pepper, which I carely seeded and diced, and then carefully washed my hands. But apparently not carefully enough, because a little while later I rubbed my eye----oowwwwwy. It really burned.

Disappointing

~That's the only word I can use to describe my first photography class. Given that we only have two hours a week for six weeks, and that the class was described as being for those who already have a DSLR, basic camera skills and basic familiarity with Photoshop/Photoshop Elements, I was hoping we'd dive right in. But the instructor spent the whole time talking about really basic stuff--like the fact that there are different kinds of lenses (no detail other than "normal", "wide angle" and "telephoto") and different kinds of memory cards and batteries, and different kinds of camera bags. D'oh. For this I do not need a class.

~I know that as a student in any kind of class I'm demanding. So maybe I expected too much?

~The instructor taught photography at a major university for 30 years and claims to be one of the first to embrace digital cameras in such a setting. So he SHOULD be able to teach us a great deal. I hope next week is better.

Not spring

~Despite the 50 degree temperature we had yesterday and the brilliant sun that was shining today, it is most assuredly NOT spring here. This afternoon I went to the nearest beach to walk a bit and take some pictures, and was it ever COLD! The wind was fierce and even though I'd dressed warmly (turtleneck, sweater, down jacket) I was really cold, and my fingers quickly became numb.

Rainy days and Saturdays

~We've had a lot of rain this winter, and today is more of the same. It's been raining hard since last night. At least we'll go into the summer with water levels high. And at least it's not quite as cold today as it has been the last few times it rained--frequently it's been just a little too warm for snow.

~I'm taking a bit of a mid-afternoon break after a four hour vestry "retreat" this morning --"retreat" in this case being used as justification for a longer meeting. We're doing long-range planning again, and it wasn't a bad meeting--just long. I have to go back to church at 5:30 for a "simple soup supper" and Lent program, which I'll enjoy once I get there, but right now, I'd love just to stay home and curl up with a good book.

~I finally did something I've been wanting to do for a while--I signed up for a photography class through the local art museum. It starts Monday, and I'm very excited to learn how to do more with my camera and with photoshop.

~How's your Saturday?

Found it

~The New Yorker article I mentioned below is here. (The whole article wasn't on line last week but now it is). It's an incredibly well-written and touching piece--a daughter writing about her father the bishop, a towering figure literally and figuratively. The publicity this article has received (much of it negative) does not do it justice. I look forward to reading the book which comes out in May.

Friday 5~Signs

What have you seen/ heard this week that was a :

1. Sign of hope?

~HRC's willingness to consider a joint ticket with Obama (although she wants to be prez--no surprise there). I still want Obama to be the presidential candidate, but I fear an all-out fight that lasts for months is tantamount to handing the reins over to McCain.

2. An unexpected word of light in a dark place?

~Words of affirmation from unexpected places during a hard 10 days of work

3. A sign of spring?

~In truth spring is at least a month to six weeks away in this part of New England. But there are some harbingers:
~Geese on the pond behind my house
~Birds singing in the morning
~A grackle on the feeder (not my favorite, but a sign nonetheless)
~Red winged blackbird sightings (not by me but in the area)
~Sprouts that will be daffodils just beginning to stick up through the earth
~Tiny crocuses (croci?) in the church garden (see picture)

4. Challenging/ surprising?

~Challenging but not surprising--the difficult parts of working with my boss that have a way of ebbing and flowing--recurring in the last few weeks and stressing me out a bit.

5. Share a hope for the coming week/month/year....

~This week: that I actually get today and Monday off without interruption, that our preparations for Easter go smoothly

~This month: I'm hoping to start a photography class, and I'm hoping our Easter celebration is more joyful than stressful. And sometime in the coming month I'm hoping that NSLS gives birth easily to my first granddaughter, and Woman Warrior returns from her travels.

~This year: Peace--on many levels.

Just annoying...

~The March 3 edition of New Yorker has an article I really want to read (the one about Bishop Paul Moore if you've followed that story) so Sunday afternoon I went to Borders to pick up a copy. But they still had the February 25 edition on the shelf. Fine, I thought, it will be out tomorrow.

~Tonight was the first time I've had a chance to go back. So what is on the shelf? The March 10 edition! So there was a three day window to get the last one?

~What was even more annoying was the attitude of the person at the information desk when I asked when editions changed. "I don't know." No offer to ask someone else. No concern at all.

~Really, there has to be some predictability to all this, doesn't there?

Why I blog

Tagged by Crimson Rambler:

Three reasons why I blog:

1. I have always had a ruminating, reflective, rehearse-all-the-details-of-my-life streak. I sometimes have a running mental commentary going, and I've kept diaries and journals from time to time. Blogging has turned out to be more fun. Increasingly I blog in a sort of stream of consciousness way, and it's probably often boring, but it has turned into a good daily exercise of sorts for me. And every once in a while I even write something serious.

2. An unintended benefit is the way it has allowed me and my daughters to keep up with each other. I was, in fact, a bit disconcerted when my daughters started reading my blog, but once I got used to it, it actually seems to be a good thing--they both have blogs now, too, which I check frequently. And with Woman Warrior living so far away it's been a wonderful way to keep up with the details of her life. It's also a way to keep up with a few real life friends as well.

3. Without knowing what I was doing I found myself in a blogging community. It's an interesting mix of moms, academics, and priest-types for the most part, and I've come to "know" smart, funny, engaging people I never would've met otherwise. I often feel a bit isolated where I am, and having bloggy friends has become important. Like any community, the blogging community shifts over time, and there are a few voices I miss (Phantom!), but new ones come on the scene, too.

I'm supposed to tag three people, so I pick you, you, and YOU...

Horrified

~Horrified by recent campus shootings, a state lawmaker here has come up with a proposal in keeping with the Taurus .22-caliber pistol tucked in her purse: Get more guns on campus.

~I'm horrified by campus shootings, too, but I'm more horrified by the notion that college students should arm themselves for protection. Please, no more guns!!

Primary redux

~I don't think I have ever been so on edge about a primary race before. Nor can I remember one ever being this close. I once thought that I could be satisfied no matter which democrat won, but now I am more and more feeling that it will be disastrous if Obama doesn't get the nomination.

~As for the republicans, I guess all we have to wait for now is to see who McCain's VP will be...

~Yay for Vermont for going for Obama--and the town of Brattleboro for passing a resolution calling for indictments of Bush and Cheney for violation of constitutional rights. Vermonters--you gotta love them.

~ETA: The networks are calling Ohio for Clinton, and Texas is neck-and-neck. I'm going to bed...I can't stand waiting to hear.

Voting nonsense

~There are many valid reasons why you might decide not to vote for someone--lack of experience, disagreement on issues, party affiliation, electability. But because you don't like the person's middle name? Not so much. I'm just saying.

Enlightening....or scary

~I bought this book today--I don't usually buy things like this, but as I leafed through it in Borders this afternoon, I was so surprised by some of it that I thought it was worth reading more of.

~I know we shouldn't be eating out so much, and we don't eat at Mickey D's or BK or places like that, but we do eat out. What I like about this book is that it points out healthy and unhealthy choices for a lot of different restaurants and kinds of restaurants (Thai, Chinese, pizza etc.). What surprised me was that some of what I thought were healthier choices apparently aren't.

~I was especially disappointed by some of the information about Panera, which had deluded me into thinking it was relatively healthy. I guess I should've known better.

Long day

~And tomorrow doesn't promise to be any shorter. I'm just really, really busy right now.

~Irony: The rector is away on vacation this week, and people keep saying to me, "Oh it must be really hard to do everything when he's away." Pay attention people: Him being away really only gave me one extra thing to do. I'd be this busy if he were here, too.

~And really, I'm doing a lot of fun stuff. I just need a few extra hours thrown in somewhere.

~jo(e) has a great idea about that. Can we elect her dictator of the world right now?

Leap Day Friday 5

Tell us about a time you:

1. Leapt before looked
3. Took a Leap of Faith

~I'm going to answer these two together, because when I look back over the last 25 years or so, it seems to me that there is a fine line between leaping before I look and taking a leap of faith. Because, honestly, if I had looked TOO much as some of the things I took on, I probably would've talked myself out of them. I've done things that people (especially my family of origin) have told me that I couldn't or shouldn't do. But so far anyway, it's always turned out for the best (see my other Leap Day post and I think you'll see what I mean.)

2. Leapt to a conclusion

~More times than I can recount here....

4. Took a literal Leap

~I am a physical coward so I've rarely done this. Once long ago, I leapt into a white water raft almost paralyzed with fear, but I ended up having a good time. But overall I'm pretty cautious and I like both feet on the ground. I sometimes wish this weren't so, but I think it is just the way I am.

5. And finally, what might you be faced with leaping in the coming year?

~In a month or so I'll be leaping into grandmotherhood. And a year from June, the Kid will be graduating from high school. As I posted last fall, that will mark the first time in 28 years that I haven't had a child in public school. And when he goes off to college it will be the first time in my life that I've ever lived alone.

~And sometime in the next year I will more than likely be discerning where God is calling me to be and looking for my next position. Lots of leaping to be done!

Leap Day

~So it's Leap Day. I don't know that I've every paid that much attention to Leap Day before, but last night I started thinking about what I was doing on previous Leap Days. Of course, then I have to blog about it. If anyone wants to consider it a meme, consider yourselves tagged...

~February 29, 2004--Middler year at seminary. That was a tough semester and no doubt I was sweating an ethics paper (detested that class not b/c of the topic but because we had an adjunct who was somewhat full of himself) or a church history exam or somesuch.

~February 29, 2000--I was "in the process, " at the very beginning stages. My parish discernment committee had just started meeting, and it was very scary and at the same time very exciting. And I had just submitted my tenure folder. Yes, that was a bizarre time--in a nerve wracking but good way. (And it all turned out well, b/c I got tenure and a year later was approved to go forward in the ordination process).

~February 29, 1996--In my second year of my tenure-track job, and five months separated from the Kid's father. Loving Vermont and my job, but kind of miserable in other ways.

~February 29, 1992--Back in grad school after a very short maternity leave. The Kid was 3 months old, the other kids were 16, 14, and 11. I was working in the advising center, adjuncting at the community college, and desperately trying to prepare for quals and write a dissertation proposal (ultimately it took me two more years to finish).

~February 29, 1988--In my first year at grad school, and I had just changed areas in my department (a story that perhaps deserves its own post someday).

~February 29, 1984--I had just started back to school the previous September, scared to death but ending up loving it. I was taking two classes that semester and trying to figure out how to go back full time the following fall (which I did). This was also the time that my marriage to TFoM(O)C was in its death throes.

I think that's as far as I'll go. Boy, looking at my life in four-year peeks makes it look sort of crazy...and I guess it was.

Anyone else? Mention it in the comments if you do this.

Playing with pixels

~In my bedroom I have wall paper that I really don't like....REALLY don't like. It makes my eyes hurt. I thought about putting a picture of it on my 365 blog, but decided it was too boring. But then I started to play with it...






~I really don't want these on my wall either, but I like the colors and patterns better...

tired

i don't know why i'm sitting here at my computer when i am so tired and i have to get up very early and i still need to read a couple of things but this is all i can seem to do.

iPhone

~Last spring when iPhones came out I thought they were cool, but I wasn't really interested in having one. Too expensive, and probably overrated is what I thought--meh.

~For his birthday the Kid got an iPod Touch--which is basically an iPhone minus the phone. He hardly lets me touch it, but my little exposure has shown me that it is tres cool.

~When we went to the Apple store last week I got to play with a real iPhone. Wow. Fun. So cool.

~My pda died a while back and I've been wondering what to replace it with. An iPhone would certainly do it.

~The drawback? ATT*T. The reception here is lousy and worse in other parts of New England where I sometimes travel. Just can't deal with that. I really think Apple made a strategic mistake in giving an exclusive deal to them. And iirc, it's for five years. That's a long time.

~Of course, the Kid thinks I should buy one anyway and "unlock" it to use it with my carrier. But I don't want to do that for a variety of reasons, not the least of which that it would void the warranty.

~So I'm considering other options. Blackb*rry? Tre*? I like the Blackb*rry P*arl the best from what I've seen so far. Any suggestions, bloggy friends?

February

~I thought I might escape the February blahs this year, but they seem to have caught up with me. At least it's almost March already.

~It's pouring rain outside again. That's been the pattern of the winter--lots of rain. Even when it has snowed it turns to rain before it's all over or by the next day.

~I had several posts in my mind yesterday when I had no time to write them, but tonight they are gone.

~I am really ready for this primary season to be over. I don't there is anything new any candidate can say at this point.

~I'm not supporting HRC, but I feel kind of bad for her. I think she gets unfair treatment. But I also think she needs to tone down her presentations. What ever happened to speeches that didn't sound like just a lot of shouting? Perhaps that's just the snippets I happen to hear.

~I've never been a fan of McCain and the more I hear about him, the less I like him.

~Maybe my brain will be back in gear tomorrow and I'll have something substantive to say. As if....

This week is not starting out so great

~What with all the computer stuff going on and what I can only describe as some bad behavior at work yesterday and today by people who ought to know better, this week is off to a rocky start. I'm just saying.

~To brighten things up here, and maybe my mood, here's a photoshopped version of the witch hazel I posted on my 365 blog. I love the colors in this one.

The good news and the less good news

~The good news: Boomerang found my files....and a lot of other crap too. Does anything ever really get erased?

~The less good news: After you find your files you find out that actually getting to keep them will cost you $200.

~I thought about it for a while...and then I paid up. I really wanted my pictures back.

~I hope this is the end of computer drama for a while.

Beyond upset

~All those documents, all my music, all 20,000+ photos that I painstakingly transferred to the iMac before I wiped out my hard drive? Gone. All gone.

~We saved them on the desktop, and for some reason the Kid didn't like them there and put them in another folder, which some how mysteriously was trashed.

~All gone.

~I know he didn't mean to do it, but damn...

I can't make a video

But I can post this one that Moreena made...pass it on--and donate for life.

Hanging out

~I've noticed this woodpecker on the feeder pole a couple of mornings this week--not eating, but just perching there. He stays for a while--10-15 minutes after I first saw him this morning, and who knows how long he'd been there before I saw him.

~The purple finch on the feeder stayed there for a while, too.

~And a titmouse took refuge from the snow on the window feeder.

No surprises here I guess

78%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Fixed

~I hope.

~I picked up my MacBook this afternoon at the Apple Store with a brand new hard drive, so all should be well. Although it did give me a bit of a scare after I installed Photoshop--it took a LOONNG time to restart--so long I was calling Apple when if finally came back on. I've restarted in once more since then and it was fine, so I hope that was some kind of weird fluke.

~While I was at the Apple Store I also bought a 500 gig external hard drive to keep pictures on. That should keep me in business for a while.

~Now I'm off to update my 365 blog.

Book meme

I've been tagged by Writing as Eliza to do this meme, on one of my favorite topics, books!

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more: The book closest to me at the moment is People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.

Find Page 123: Okay
Find the first 5 sentences: ok......1, 2, 3, 4, 5......

Post the next three sentences:

"Probably he disgusted her. Certainly he disgusted himself. Like the meat. Rotten. Rotting inside." (okay so do phrases count?)

BTW, if you haven't read this book, do so...it's a riveting story.

I'm supposed to tag five people, but I'm not sure I can think of five people who haven't already done this. But if you haven't, and want to, consider yourself tagged.

Field trip

~Yesterday when it became clear that the MacBook was really dead, I made an appointment at the Genius Bar at the nearest Apple Store, about an hour away from here. So this morning we set out in the rain to a shopping center closer to Nearby City.

~Apple stores are just fun. The Kid played with an iPhone and checked out the new MacBook Air and a keyboard he wanted to use with Garageband. And I got the bad news on the computer--needs a new hard drive. Well, not all bad news, thanks to Apple Care. But still.

~The other attraction at this shopping center was Whole Foods. I've been saying for months I was going to make a trip there, and this was the perfect opportunity. I've heard a lot of disparaging comments about Whole Foods lately--basically arguing that it was no better than any other chain grocery and worse than some. Well, maybe. But I like it.

~And for those who refer to it as "Whole Paycheck"--this one is cheaper than the more ordinary grocery store where I shop. Admittedly in the part of the state where I live everything is more expensive--gas was about 15 cents a gallon cheaper by this shopping center, too--but the things that I remember the price of were definitely cheaper at WF than where I normally shop. Plus the selection of fresh produce, good cheese, organic foods and the like was sooooo much better. So I'll be going back.

~Except that driving an hour each way to get groceries when there is a store 10 minutes away probably isn't the best environmental move.

~I'll be comptuerless til Friday when I go back to pick it up (no HD in stock), so I'll be stealing time on the iMac when the Kid is otherwise occupied. The irony of the laptop dying during his school break was not lost on him.

Lost

~I just looked at the files I transferred to this computer via firewire on Friday. And I've lost almost all the pictures I've taken this year. With the exception of two days worth and the ones I've posted here and on my 365 blog, they're all gone. Glad it's only February.

~2006 and 2007 seemed to be all there, so I don't know what happened to the rest.

~I'm really bummed about this.

Presidential meme for President's Day

How better to honor President's Day? Herewith, five Presidential questions.

1. Can you name the American Presidents we are honoring? Bonus: Any idea when their real birthdays are? (Don't look it up.)

George Washington--February 22
Abraham Lincoln--February 12

Because I'm old enough to remember when we celebrated them separately...

2. Why do you suppose car sales are an important aspect of our President's Day observations in the U.S.? (Feel free to be whimsical.)

I have no idea, and I can't even think of anything funny. Sigh. Because we're all about consumerism all the time?

3. Have you ever been President of a club or organization? How did that feel?

I was president of the condo association where I lived for one year in Vermont. And it was awful. Because the condos were being painted, and the contractor ripped us off to the tune of $30,000+. On my watch. Yeah.

4. If you could have dinner with any President of the United States no longer living, who would it be? Any particular questions you would like to ask? (Please feel free to substitute a nationally appropriate elected leader, such as a Prime Minister.)

Actually, the former president I'd most like to meet is Jimmy Carter, but he's still alive.

5. On a more serious note, what are the qualities you hope for in our next President? (As above for those who live in other countries.)

Honesty. Integrity. A clue about how real people live and a commitment to taking care of those in need rather than pandering to wealthy. A commitment to world peace. Humility. A real vision of justice, not vengeance.

More computer woes

~It seems that the noise I heard last night was an omen ... although the computer seemed to be working fine when I quit using it last night, this morning it was dead, dead, dead. Oy. I have an appointment at an Apple store about an hour from here tomorrow.

~Meanwhile, it's the Kid's vacation week, and he's horrified that he might have to share the iMac with me...in fact, I get to use it now because he's not home. We are so spoiled...

I don't like the sound of this...

~Just sitting here browsing through some blogs when I get teh beach ball of doom again, and my comptuer starts making some most uncomputerlike noises...a series of clicks with buzzes in between. The noises and the beachball of doom lasted 3-4 minutes, and just when I was trying to decide whether to shut the computer down, stopped.

~I hope this is just a fluke and not an omen of something bad to come.

Whew...

~After two hours on the phone with Apple, two hours transferring files that I hadn't backed up (ahem...) to the other computer via firewire, and two hours of reinstalling and re-updating everything on the hard drive, I seem to have my computer back.

~I guess I'm spoiled....I wore out three pcs over a ten year period without ever having this kind of difficulty, so I didn't expect it with my Mac.

~In the process of transferring files I discovered that I have something like 20,000 pictures--26 gigs worth. Yikes. I need to buy another external hard drive just for pictures, and I need to edit out some of the duds, which I haven't been doing. I have NSLS's wedding pix, too, and there are a lot of them. But still....

~I still have software to reinstall--Photoshop among others, which means that I can't update my 365 blog until I do it (and I took lots of pictures this morning)...and Office must come first because I have a sermon to write in the morning!

~I'm thinking now that all the trouble I was having with Firefox the other day may have just been the result of my hard drive going wonky.

Baptism

A Friday Five about baptism:

1. When and where were you baptized? Do you remember it? Know any interesting tidbits?

~I was baptised when I was six months old in the Episcopal church where my family were members. I don't remember it, but I've been told it was very hot (June in the south, no air conditioning). I wore the christening dress my older sister had worn, and because my arms were chubby (even then) the sleeves were too tight.


2. What's the most unexpected thing you've ever witnessed at a baptism?

~I'm not sure I can think of anything unexpected I've witnessed. I've always loved baptisms, and I love the sense of awe that comes with baptisms. I especially love the "You are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ's own forever" part--I get goosebumps.


3. Does your congregation have any special traditions surrounding baptisms?

~No traditions peculiar just to my congregation.

4. Are you a godparent or baptismal sponsor? Have a story to tell?

~I am godmother to my older nephew, but in my family that is really just ceremonial. NSLS however has a godmother who has taken it seriously, and it's a wonderful relationship. She did a beautiful toast at NSLS's wedding.

5. Do you have a favorite baptismal song or hymn?

~We used to sing this at my parish in Vermont, and we sang it last fall when we had a baptism at our parish retreat.

I Was There To Hear Your Borning Cry
By John Ylvisaker

"I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.

I was there when you were but a child,
with a faith to suit you well;
In a blaze of light you wandered off
to find where demons dwell."

"When you heard the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on;
You were raised to praise the living Lord,
to whom you now belong.

If you find someone to share your time
and you join your hearts as one,
I'll be there to make your verses rhyme
from dusk 'till rising sun."

In the middle ages of your life,
not too old, no longer young,
I'll be there to guide you through the night,
complete what I've begun.

When the evening gently closes in,
and you shut your weary eyes,
I'll be there as I have always been
with just one more surprise."

Chorus: "I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold."

Computer woes

~My beautiful one-year-old MacBook won't start. Ack.

~I'm on the iMac which I've hardly used since we got it--it quickly became the Kid's computer.

~Wow, is this screen big~

~Must go call Apple.

Frozen New York

Somehow this appeals to my sense of humor...

Let's don't go there...

As seen at Ruby's place...

In lieu of words

Firefox makes me crazy and other random bits of Monday

~Last night my computer starting running really reealllly  slowly, and every time I clicked on something I got the little beachball of doom while things loaded and loaded and loaded.  Thinking teh internets were just having a bad night, I took myself to bed with my new junk read (the new John Grisham novel) and didn't worry about it.  But this morning it was worse.  So I restarted my computer and tried again...and nothing would open right and I began to worry that something was wrong with my computer. I restarted it again, and tried to open other things first, before Firefox (which is normally the first place I go).  And they worked.  So I tried Safari -- and it worked.  Okay.  I've had trouble with Firefox before so I guess I wasn't surprised, but uninstalling it and then reinstalling it didn't help.  So I'm back to Safari. Or maybe I'll try Flock which I downloaded the last time Firefox went wonky on me but never really used.

~I tried to plan out my day off today so that by this time of day it wouldn't feel wasted, but things went awry.  First the computer boondoggle took more time this morning than I would've liked. Then I had to make an unexpected hospital call, which kind of threw me at first because the message I got made it sound quite dire and I left not knowing how long I'd be gone or what to expect.  Fortunately things weren't quite that dire. Yes, a parishioner is very sick, and I'm glad I went, but I think the message I got was the result of a process something like the game of  "secret" where one person whispers something into the next person's ear, and so on around the circle. 

~So here it is Monday night and I still have prep work to do for tomorrow, and laundry in the dryer and I never made it to the grocery store.  And I really need to feel prepared for the week, because it is another very busy one.

~But honestly, what I really want to do is just go finish my novel. 

Shifting weather

~The weather today was nuts. This morning when I left for church the sky was bright blue, the sun was out, and it felt like spring. The Kid and I went out for lunch after church (1ish) and there was a brief rain shower. Then between 3:30 and 5:00 we had cycles of intense snow showers interspersed with clearing skies and bright sun. We had snow pellets, which I haven't seen since living in VT. Now it is windy and much colder than it 's been the last week or so.

~Of course, I took pictures. Some of them are not so great because I got snow flakes on my lens--or rather on my UV filter. Ack--must buy lens hood.





There's one more on my 365 blog.

How come I never thought of that before?

When
God
made
you
there
was
silence
in
heaven
for
five
minutes.
Then
God
said:
"How come I never thought of that before?"

~Ralph Wright, O.S.B

Friday Five~~Keeping a holy Lent

1. Did you celebrate Mardi Gras and/or Ash Wednesday this week? How?

On Tuesday we celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a Mardi Gras theme. To "shrive" means to repent, and traditionally one went to confession before the beginning of Lent to prepare oneself. But today the focus is more on the "fat Tuesday" theme, and this year instead of pancakes we had "delicious potluck and decadent desserts." As I said to my congregation, if the purpose of a pancake dinner is to rid the kitchen of all the rich and fat foodstuffs we (theoretically at least) won't be eating during Lent, then this dinner serves the same purpose. (The choice was pragmatic, to be honest; no one wanted to be in charge of the pancake supper and this was easier to organize). It was great; we had lots of Mardi Gras beads and masks, the kids "put away the alleluias" until Easter, and we burned last year's palms to make ashes for the next day.

On Wednesday we observed Ash Wednesday with Holy Eucharist and the imposition of ashes, which I always find very moving. It was a long day, however, because we had four services and I preached at three of them.

2. What was your most memorable Mardi Gras/Ash Wednesday/Lent?

Observing Ash Wednesday at seminary was probably the most memorable, just because the whole community pauses. There are no classes; they have meditations in the chapel; meals are taken in silence in the refectory (the last part bugged me the first year, but I get why they do it.) At any rate, being someplace where the whole community is (mostly) taking part made it seem more serious than it had in my past. I've tried to keep that seriousness about the day with me.

3. Did you/your church/your family celebrate Lent as a child? If not, when and how did you discover it?

We did observe Lent when I was a child. We talked about giving things up, and we kids always had "mite boxes" to collectchange for "the poor" which we then took to church on Easter Sunday.

4. Are you more in the give-up camp, or the take-on camp, or somewhere in between?

I'm in the both/and camp. Giving up something just to give it up can be a bit meaningless (at least in my experience) if it's not done intentionally, and preferably accompanied by some sort of discipline or thoughtful activity--it doesn't have be something big, but it needs to be intentional.

5. How do you plan to keep Lent this year?

I'm still thinking it through--yes, I'm a bit late. Last year I gave up meat--the little meat I was still eating--because it seemed to be a good way to segue into a more complete vegetarianism, something I'd been wanting to do, and that was pretty successful. This year I am giving up Diet Coke because I drink a lot of it and it's not that good for me. I also want to eat more healthy food. I don't do badly now, but chips and cookies have crept back into my diet and they need to go.

I think that I am going to try to spend more time reading--as in reading books. I never thought that I would take that on as a discipline because I love to read, but over the last few years, it's become harder for me to sit down and read a whole book. I don't have large hunks of time, and because I'm often tired when I sit down to read, I fall asleep. And I have lots of books I want to read. What this means is that I will need to spend less time on the computer. I'm committed to blogging, but I may spend less time reading and just browsing around the web. We'll see.

I have a lot on my plate this Lent--I've taken on a lot a work. So my other goal is to keep positive and balanced about getting it all done. It's very easy to get frustrated and upset about how things go there but I just need to do my work and let some of the frustrating stuff go. Easier said than done. But yesterday was a good day in that respect.

Political humor

I received this in an email.. it's just too funny not to share...

The GWB Library

The George W. Bush Presidential Library is now in the planning
stages. You'll want to be the first at your corporation to make a
contribution to this great man's legacy.

The Library will include:

The Hurricane Katrina Room, which is still under construction.

The Alberto Gonzales Room, where you can't remember anything.

The Texas Air National Guard Room, where you don't
have to even show up.

The Walter Reed Hospital Room, where they don't let you in.

The Guantanamo Bay Room, where they don't let you out.

The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room (which no one has
been able to find).

The Iraq War Room.  After you complete your first tour,
they make you to go back for a second, third, fourth,
and sometimes fifth tour.

The Dick Cheney Room, in the famous undisclosed location,
complete with shooting gallery.

Plans also include: The K-Street Project Gift Shop - where
you can buy (or just steal) an election.

The Airport Men's Room, where you can meet some of your
favorite Republican Senators.

Last, but not least, there will be an entire floor
devoted to a 7/8 scale model of the President's ego.

To highlight the President's accomplishments, the museum
 will  have an electron microscope to help you locate them.

When asked, President Bush said that he didn't care
so much about the individual exhibits as long as his
museum was better than his father's.

Lent

A white post will only continue to be a white post
if it is painted every year;
otherwise it would become a black post.
Our lives are like that.
We need to share in an annual retraining period.
Otherwise our souls become tarnished,
our prayers mere words, our service selfish,
and our giving trivial.
Lent is a time fo renewal, of retraining,
of relearning

~G. K. Chesterton

Super Tuesday

~It looks like Clinton has won in my fair state. She was favored here, despite the Kennedys' endorsements (which I think still carry some weight in some parts of the state).

~For the first time tonight I actually feel worried that Clinton could win the nomination and then lose to McCain or Romney. I don't like that feeling.

~As much as I would like to stay up longer and see what happens, I am too tired. And who knows how long it will take to get a tally in California...

Another one got away

~I had something thoughtful in my mind to post tonight, but today was another day that just got away from me. So later...if I can hold those thoughts.

~I went down to church this afternoon to do a minor task to get ready for tomorrow's 7 am group only to find out that for the second time in as many days, what I'd set up early was undone by someone setting up for something else. We have got to find a way to stop working at cross purposes. It's not a good use of anyone's time, and frankly, it's aggravating.

~Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, and instead of a pancake supper, we're having a "delicious (potluck) dinner and decadent desserts." It serves the same purpose (getting all the sweet and rich and fatty things that we theoretically won't be eating during Lent out of the cupboard) and it requires less prep work. So we'll see how it goes. We have lots of Mardi Gras beads and masks, and a good number of people signed up.

~Lent is supposed to be a quiet reflective time. But for me it is going to be a crazy busy time. I don't mind--I just hope I can keep up with everything.

~As part of my Lenten discipline (more on that later) I'm giving up Diet Coke. Because I drink too much of it and because of this. Which is really a bummer, because I love my Diet Lime Coke.

Hope

Probably many of you have seen this elsewhere; I saw it at Songbird's place. It's worth repeating though.

Isn't this a good idea?

In Ireland plastic shopping bags are virtually unused. When a 33 cent per bag tax was imposed a few years ago their use dropped 94% almost overnight, and now they are rarely seen.

Why can't we do this?

As long as ten years ago the grocery store where I shopped in Vermont offered a rebate if you brought your own bags. You could bring back plastic bags, or paper, but the rebate (five cents per bag) was larger if you used cloth. And I did.

When I moved to the city I took my cloth bags with me but using them meant planning ahead. I was pretty good about taking them to do "big shopping" but less good about remembering to take a bag when I went somewhere "just in case."

When I moved here, where every single aspect of recycling is more difficult (no pick up, no bins in public places, etc.) the cashiers and baggers looked in askance when I brought my bags, but honestly, getting 10-12 plastic bags (because that's how they bag things) is just annoying. The last year or so the local grocery stores have become better about reusable bags. But I don't think they are fully on board.

I know Ianqui and others have been advocating this for while. I think this is an idea whose time has come. If it takes a tax on bags, so be it. What are we waiting for?

Random bits of the weekend

~Long day. The Kid had to be at school for Future Problem Solving at 7:30 am (but due to a snafu did not get to work on said future problem). And after that I worked on my sermon most of the day. Went to work about 3:45. Picked him up from his friend's house about 10:30. Why I'm still sitting here I don't really know. Inertia I guess.

~Am I the only person around who doesn't care about the Superbowl?

~My mind has been going full tilt the last few days. Lots to do and lots of stuff to mull over. Not sure where I'm going with all of it.

~I saw a picture of Clinton and Obama side by side and laughing. No matter which one you favor, you have to admit that it's a great day when our choices are between a black man and a woman.

~Edwards for VP?