Pieceful Slumber

Happy New Years

2011-12-31T10:33:00.001-05:00

My most popular post of 2011? Actually a post written on the eve of 2010 called
Another New Day:

Arbitrarily it is the end of a year and the end of a decade. An ancient Roman-based calendar obliges us to consider tomorrow January first as the demarcation of a new year: 2010. For weeks (or months) we will continue to write 2009 on our checks, not ready to give up the old year, not ready to embrace the changing times as the years zoom away from us.

The date marks no change of seasons. We are in the midst of winter and winter will continue into the new year. There is no high holy feast to observe, no pre-calendar pagan rituals harking us back to a holiday mood. There is no reason tomorrow should be anything other than another quotidian sunrise and sunset. Another ordinary day.

Yet offices are closed, tomorrow there will be no post, and everyone goes about today with good wishes and cheerful greetings. The midnight sky will be interrupted by fireworks and dropping pickles, apples, roses, crystal balls.... each timezone will countdown to this one instant, this thin line between two ordinary days on a calendar, a separation between old and new.

We go about with Hope brimming over, Expectations and Good Intentions leading our way...This year we will do better. This is the year. Everything will be different this year. Are we deluding ourselves? I don't think so. Somehow, even though it is just another ordinary day it is still a day of promise.

Anne of Green Gables says "Tomorrow is always new with no mistakes in it -- yet." we are never more aware of this truth than at the new year. Tomorrow the whole year will be New, with no mistakes in it -- yet. Despite our best intentions the coming year will fill up with mistakes big and small. But for right now it lies ahead of us level and clean like the blanket of new fallen snow outside my window. What tracks we will make through that unbroken white! For now the expanse lies clean at our feet.... 10...9...8...7...

When morning comes remember, every day begins fresh and new and blank waiting for us to make something of it. Will it be a holiday? Will it be a day when we wish each other well? Will it be a day when we spread a message of Hope? We get to choose -- all year long.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T09:57:00.000-05:00

For unto us a Child is born...
In case we couldn't understand why the Lord God on His throne would bother with us.

For unto us a Savior is given...
In case we didn't know how much our Omnipotent Creator loves us.

And His name shall be called Emmanuel...
In case we didn't realize He is always with us.

Cold Rain, No Snow

2011-12-16T09:20:00.000-05:00

Rain drops hang like crystal earings on the apple tree.

2011-11-24T10:24:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving

Exceptions

2011-11-13T14:25:00.001-05:00

When you pick up your coffee at the fast food restaurant or the coffee shop on the way to church -- does it not occur to you that you take the coffee to church but do not allow the coffee-maker the same privilege? Are they the exception? Sunday is a day off when people go to church, unless they make a heavenly espresso? Those people don't need church?

When you decide Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to pick up a few things at the store -- does it never occur to you that you are the reason employers think stores should be open on Sunday? You are the reason people who are honest about not wanting to work on the Sabbath cannot get hired at those stores, the reason "mandatory Sunday" policies are in place for those jobs, the reason fellow Christians have not been able to participate in Sunday fellowship for years because they have to work instead.

At my place of work I am an exception, I recently faced a battle to protect the day I gave to God from the encroaching demands of my job. The stand I took was not popular. I have been forced to make many painful sacrifices in my life in order to keep the Sabbath day as "set apart" and my co-workers and supervisors are still a bit squiffy about the whole thing. Honestly, I'm still upset too -- I think we should close on Sundays and all be off that day.

When you decide to eat lunch at a restaurant after church instead of going home to cook your own lunch because that would take too long -- do you ever do the math to realize that your meal was prepared by someone who clocked in to start preparing your meal about the same time you sat down to listen to that excellent sermon? Or do you think the restaurant you frequent it an exception? They have a magic wand that prepares your food.

Sure you're not cooking your own meal not even taking your food out of a crock pot or heating up leftovers, so you're not working on the Sabbath. But isn't a little too much to claim that Sunday is a day of rest and then expect others to work that day?

So to the friend who persists in asking every Sunday, even though he knows my answer will be no...
NO! I will not be going to lunch after church. I will not "make an exception." I don't want to make an exception. Stop asking me to.

The Least of These

2011-11-03T10:45:00.000-04:00

You've seen those birds, right? The ones in the dried flower department, made out of mushrooms and lichen. The ones that look like this little guy.

For almost twenty minutes my little mushroom bird flitted from one weedy herb garden bed to another, feeding on seeds while my zoom lens tried to capture a good photo through the glass of my back door.

And then my mushroom bird flew away. Last night my sister helped me identify my feathered friend, we looked through the field guide and after much consultation over warblers and finches dismissed all of those possibilities when we discovered the Least Flycatcher.

The range is right, the markings are right, the size is right... Meet Empidonax minimus the smallest eastern flycatcher.

Smile

2011-10-28T11:42:00.001-04:00

What's better than peanut butter on apple slices? Peanut butter and mini-marshmallow apple smiles. :) The four year olds just want to eat them; the five year olds want to put on the "teeth" for themselves.

The West Gate

2011-10-18T21:20:00.001-04:00

I'm pretty sure this will be taken as a sign that I've read too much Tolkien, but my first thought when I saw this small arch shaped rock formation? "That looks like Durin's door, the west gate of Khazad-dûm." (Translation: a magically-sealed arched-rock door into a long abandoned underground city built by dwarfs, one of whom was named Durin.)

I was tempted to wait for moonlight to see if the special mithral inscription would show up.

What I Did This Summer

2011-10-14T16:46:00.000-04:00

Off and on all summer I have been working on this pair of box-weave knit socks in a soft alpaca yarn. Somehow the first one was so much fun to knit but the second one took FOREVER to finish. They are finally done now and just in time for the toasting of toes in these cooler nights.

These apples are from a pick your own orchard I found a few hours drive from me. Why are they not my own apples? Well, remember that groundhog? She turned into three groundhogs.

I set the trap and caught one; it now lives in a nice meadow in the uninhabited realms of national forest. Then I set the trap again.

The trap caught another animal almost right away. Thing is, groundhogs aren't black and white striped! I had caught a skunk. I dressed in my oldest grubbies, covered myself with a trash bag, tied my hair inside a grocery bag, and armed myself with a wire coat hanger so I could hook the latch open without getting too close. There will NEVER be photos of that moment.

I managed to release the skunk without getting sprayed but I haven't dared to set the trap again. Thus the groundhogs have had free reign in the garden and orchard this summer. The conveniently short dwarf apple trees have been completely relieved of harvest by the giant groundhog who stands on her hind legs and bends even the higher branches down to eat the fruit.

I also made a lot of cookies over the summer for various functions. These I took a picture of because they were bunny shaped cookies, whereas most of the cookies I make are simply that round lumpy predictable cookie shape. Very edible and not necessarily un-photogenic, but somehow the bunnies just seemed more photo-worthy.

... And We're Back

2011-10-14T15:01:00.000-04:00

Summer is drawing to a close and morning comes with veils of fog.

Sorry about the lack of posts this summer, turns out dropping my laptop was not the best thing for it; but let me just say I love being able to use a coupon on top of a discount to a reduced price (plus a store credit) to purchase my spiffy new computer for less than half price -- even though it meant waiting a couple months for the new laptop.

Hot Enough to Fry a Groundhog?

2011-07-28T17:03:00.003-04:00

So imagine my surprise: I go out the back door, turn to go down the basement steps on my way to check my laundry -- and there he is. Chuckie. Splayed out on the cool of the basement steps my resident woodchuck refused to yield his position.
I actually had to find a long stick, go around the outside edge and poke him in the hind end before he reluctantly moved. (After I took photos, of course.)

The really disturbing part? A second groundhog was spotted munching in the orchard at the same time. One groundhog might be tolerated -- it's hot, the gardens not doing that much to worry about protecting it from a nibble here and there, and I wasn't really feeling all that up to groundhog transportation right now. But two groundhogs means a breeding pair, means baby marmota, means it's time to set the trap after all.

There and Back Again

2011-07-11T08:50:00.004-04:00

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

- JRR Tolkien

Waterfall

2011-06-30T09:15:00.005-04:00

At the foot of the cliffs they found themselves standing in cool shadows with a light spray sometimes splashing their faces, and there the Shepherd bade them stand and look up. There stood Much-Afraid, a tiny figure at the foot of the great cliffs, looking up at the great, never-ending rush of waters as they cast themselves down from the High Places. ...
Once over the edge, the waters were like winged things, alive with joy, so utterly abandoned to the ecstasy of giving themselves that she could almost suppose she was looking at a host of angels floating down on rainbow wings, singing with rapture as they went.
She gazed and gazed, then said, "It looks as though they think it is the loveliest movement in all the world, as though to cast oneself down is to abandon oneself to ecstasy and joy indescribable."
-- Hannah Hurnard Hind's Feet on High Places

Friday Finds

2011-06-24T20:19:00.003-04:00

This Friday I found a view. A view that I first saw in a photograph hanging in a local art gallery. My photo lacks the dramatic light of an approaching storm, but I love that I found the same spot -- that I saw God's handiwork laid out for myself. (And I sort of also love that I didn't pay $250 for my picture of that spot.)

I also found an overlook where no buildings, no rutted scars, no power lines -- no trace of humans could be seen in the valley below -- unless you went all the way across the narrow ledge and craned your neck and then you could see one little white spot that was probably some one's house, but that really doesn't count.

... found out my friend Heather can tame butterflies. This beauty crawled right up onto her finger and posed for a picture.

... found rhododendron in bloom,

...and rooted in the cleft of the rock.

... and found trees. Old trees forgotten in a ravine and left to grow, their trunks too large to span with our arms, dead and fallen, live and hollow, standing, being, dwarfing us as we hiked the small winding trail.

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes... ~Psalm 96:12b-13a

Summer is Upon

2011-06-17T14:34:00.003-04:00

Showy Tickseed (It's a Flower)

2011-06-07T14:30:00.001-04:00

"What?"

2011-06-01T14:22:00.001-04:00

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a brazen little woodchuck moved in under your garden shed? I was planning on trapping him like I did with the ones last year... and then he sublet to a skunk.

Dandelion Pancakes

2011-05-13T23:23:00.004-04:00

To begin with pick a bucket full of dandelion flowers. Taraxacum officinale known to most people as just another weed in their lawns was actually brought over from Europe to the Americas in the early 1600s because of it's dietary and medicinal value to the early colonists. That's right, the common dandelion was introduced to North America on purpose.

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of dandelion greens -- rich though they are in potassium, calcium, and vitamins A and C -- I'm just not that keen on the greens. But I do love a good dandelion pancake.

While we could include the green bracts of the flower, I prefer to just pick out the fluffy yellow flower part. I think it makes a nicer pancake. I use about 2 cups of fluff for roughly 8 pancakes. (Some people have been known to make 12-15 pancakes with the same amount of batter I use to make 8. I mention this so you will know in case you are one of those smaller pancake type people.)
Mixed the flower fluff together with your favorite pancake batter:
You can see the yellow dandelion in the batter before it's cooked but once the pancake is to the "smother with maple syrup" stage...
...all you're left with is a subtle spring flavor and the goodness of warm dandelion pancakes. YUM!

Spring Hiking, Part 3

2011-05-04T12:43:00.002-04:00

Spring Hiking, Part 2

2011-05-03T12:36:00.002-04:00

Spring Hiking, Part 1

2011-05-02T11:53:00.000-04:00

A Finished Promise

2011-04-30T11:21:00.002-04:00

"Each morning I gaze at the eastern horizon, and if the sun keeps its promise, I keep mine." ~Robert Brault
"Thou ought to be nice, even to superstition, in keeping thy promises, and therefore equally cautious in making them." ~Thomas Fuller
"Rarely promise, but, if lawful, constantly perform." ~William Penn

Apple Blossom Time

2011-04-29T10:49:00.002-04:00

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” -- Martin Luther

"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings" --Psalm 17:8

Happy Earth Day

2011-04-22T10:40:00.002-04:00

You can be sure that I [the LORD] live. You can be sure that my glory fills the whole earth.

~Numbers 14:21

Cherry Tree

2011-04-20T10:31:00.001-04:00

Through the Garden Gate

2011-04-13T17:00:00.004-04:00

The side gate opens on woodland ephemerals and a path of (Pennsylvania) stones in my narrow tea garden. Many of the plants that bloom in this garden I love for their names as well as their flowers and foliage.

Jacob's Ladder

Bleeding Heart

Honesty

King Solomon's Seal

Friday Find

2011-04-08T17:23:00.000-04:00

Giverney Impressions Blog

Father's Heart Quilt

2011-04-01T06:44:00.002-04:00

~ sketch and calculate ~

~machine pieceing ~

~ center panel tree ~

~ freehand machine quilting ~

~ straight grain quarter inch binding ~
~ label and hanging sleeve on back ~

~ quilt getting raffled tonight ~

Friends of mine are putting on a talent show and raffle to raise money to benefit Father's Heart Foundation please follow link to learn more about the plans to build family-modeled, sustainable orphanages in El Salvador.

Spring

2011-03-31T23:25:00.002-04:00

Robin

2011-03-23T22:57:00.000-04:00

My friend the robin has been sitting at the edges of the house all day waiting for his picture to be taken, warming himself in the sun, looking in at me through the window I use to look out at him. I think he wonders at my choice of nest. Surely something smaller, something you've made yourself, something open to air and sunlight, surely that would be a nicer place to live ...and I think he might be right.

"The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings." -- J.M. Barrie

"I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think." — Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi

"What wings are to a bird, and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul." — Corrie Ten Boom

Random Photos

2011-03-10T07:45:00.002-05:00

Have you ever noticed how sometimes photos accumulate? Like leaves caught in the eddy of a stream they swirl and gather, remaining stationary, not flowing on, unclassified, passed by. They're just waiting for a rush of water to carry them forward, down stream, out into the world. Planters I once liked the look of, long since sold out, but I like the look of the photo so much still it sits in my digital files waiting to be inspiration for something someday.
Magnolia blossoms from last spring, still in my cell phone images, wait to be joined by this year's saucer blooms.

And a butterfly from last summer when the Phlox was in bloom attracting every nectar loving insect and bird in the neighborhood.

A Proper Tea Party

2011-03-02T20:48:00.006-05:00

Some of you may recall that I, my nieces, and nephew have been quilting our way through American History. They've been learning a little about sewing and a lot about our country's past by making quilt blocks with their aunt.

Friday when they arrived little Emma (she's 3) wanted to have a tea party. We often have tea parties when I babysit, they help me make chocolate chip scones and then gather round the coffee table for peppermint tea and scones. However, there wasn't time for quilting and a tea party... but there was a compromise: She could make a quilt block about the Boston Tea Party. She was delighted.

In American history the colonists in Boston threw a shipment of tea from England into the Boston harbor in protest over the high taxes they were being forced to pay the crown. In fabric crayon terms that means a whole lot of blue scribbling to represent the water to start with.

Next an orange crayon was selected. "I think this is the colour the tea cups were" she said.

Well obviously, for it to be a tea party you'd need tea cups. That just makes sense.

To live content with small means,

2011-02-23T03:26:00.001-05:00

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are." -Marjorie Hinckley

"Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have." -Doris Mortman

"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." --Laozi

"The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present. Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song." -J.R.R. Tolkien

"People always think that happiness is a faraway thing... something complicated and hard to get. Yet, what little things can make it up; a place of shelter when it rains - a cup of strong hot coffee [tea]... for contentment; a book to read when you're alone... Those things make happiness." - Betty Smith

to seek elegance rather than luxury,

2011-02-19T03:25:00.000-05:00

I have been pondering this phrase, wondering what pictures to put with it, what other great quotes I might find to express this same sentiment. I have come up with nothing that seems right to me.

I see luxury in red embroidered or paisley velvet with heavy beading and bullion fringe, and elegance in crisp white linen. But each person defines these two ideas, these two words differently.

To me it seems a luxury not to care that you have dropped the spare change out of your purse, to know and have a policy of never stooping to pick up loose change. It seems a luxury to not care that herbs you use every day cost less in bulk. It seems a luxury to swipe a card and pay for a meal you hadn't planned on eating at a restaurant I wouldn't normally afford. It seems a luxury to buy a new dress and new shoes for an event you aren't sure you'll attend.

But these luxuries are more than just things I can't afford, they are things I wouldn't afford even if I could afford them. Somehow my definition of luxuries has gotten tied up with an idea of poor stewardship, with an idea of a lack of respect for the value of a dollar in working-man terms, with carelessness and attitudes of entitlement. Luxuries are things one should do without, just on the sheer principle of it.

So how do I define elegance? In simple terms, in the classics, the enduring, the unchanging, honest, clean, refined by the passage of time and set apart by the quality of workmanship. Not necessarily inexpensive -- elegance might be affordable or it might require deep pockets -- but whatever the cost, elegance is solidly worth its price tag.

How do you define elegance?

and refinement rather than fashion;

2011-02-15T10:48:00.001-05:00

"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months." -- Oscar Wilde

to be worthy, not respectable;

2011-02-14T22:24:00.000-05:00

CeCe Winans: Worthy

...we are counted as worthy, so let's be worthy...

and wealthy, not rich;

2011-02-11T15:24:00.001-05:00

"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing else can bring."
— Oscar Wilde

to study hard,

2011-02-10T15:23:00.001-05:00

"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but ... I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life-whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts." -- Elizabeth Gilbert

think quietly,

2011-02-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

contemplate

talk gently,

2011-02-08T15:21:00.002-05:00

Proverbs 8:5-9, 12-13

O you simple ones, understand prudence,
And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge. ...
“ I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.

act frankly,

2011-02-07T15:21:00.001-05:00

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." -Ralph Waldo Emerson"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." -Oscar Wilde"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you." -Elbert Hubbard
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

to listen to the stars and birds, to babes and sages,

2011-02-06T15:20:00.001-05:00

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square hole. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
-- Jack Kerouac

with an open heart;

2011-02-05T08:20:00.001-05:00

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.
If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements.
Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

To love is to be vulnerable."
— C.S. Lewis (The Four Loves)

to bear on cheerfully,

2011-02-04T15:19:00.000-05:00

do all bravely,

2011-02-03T15:19:00.001-05:00

-- inspiration from Bravehearted Gospel

awaiting occasions,

2011-02-02T15:18:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 25:9

And it shall be said in the day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

worry never...

2011-02-01T15:17:00.003-05:00

Matthew 6:25-31

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day brings enough troubles of its own.

To Live Content...

2011-01-26T12:40:00.004-05:00

To live content with small means;
to seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion;
to be worthy, not respectable,
and wealthy not rich;
to study hard, think quietly,
talk gently,
act frankly,
to listen to the stars and birds, to babes and sages,
with an open heart;
to bear on cheerfully,
do all bravely,
awaiting occasions, worry never...
-- W.H. Channing

To notice each moment,
each small aspect of creation and marvel,
cherish details and find they build a foundation,
learn the life God would have us live
and live it.
Fully.

Quietly Enigmatic

2011-01-24T13:16:00.000-05:00

This, then, is British actor Michael Kitchen for those of you who don't know. Quite a few people have never heard of him, if recent conversations are any indication. But then, he does his best to stay out of the limelight. Does his job, does it very well, and goes home.

I discovered him first in the film Enchanted April where he brings his ineffable charm to the character of Mr. Briggs.

Then I discovered the stupendously brilliant series Foyle's War. Which I highly recommend.

I read an article once talking about filming Foyle's War... it seems the scripts would be sent round and Kitchen would cut out large sections of his own lines. He would say 'I can do all that [several paragraphs] with one look.' and, according to the guy being interviewed, he could. Kitchen has something of a reputation for being able to express his characters without using many words. He's known for playing (and being) "quietly enigmatic."

Once you know who he is Michael Kitchen pops up in a lot of things...
He was in Out of Africa, which I never saw, but there he is in a film still from the movie.
I did see Lorna Doone -- and was delighted to discover Kitchen in the role of Judge Jefferies. He's been in oodles of other films and series...
And did I mention he's in my favorite movie, Enchanted April?
Well, he is.

Friendship

2011-01-18T21:25:00.001-05:00

"In friendship...we think we have chosen our peers.
In reality a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another
...the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting--any of these chances might have kept us apart.
But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work.
Christ, who said to the disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends,
"Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another."
The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out.
It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others."

-- C.S. Lewis

Scrappy Squares

2011-01-14T12:53:00.003-05:00

Random leftover strips of fabric leftover from other quilts have been accumulating in the sewing room. So many in fact, that there were enough 3.5 inch strips laying about that I could sort them into cool colours and warm colours before beginning to piece scrappy blocks.

This, obviously, is the group of warm colours with a few extra neutrals mixed in. I'm still playing with it, but once I have a balanced layout I'll finish piecing the blocks together using a sashing (imagine the bits of floor are actually fabric sashing and bordering the blocks) to make an infant sized quilt top.

To Fall Silent

2011-01-07T11:36:00.003-05:00

"What shall I say to you? What can I say
Better than silence is?"
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"For everything there is a season... a time for silence..."
Ecclesiastes 3:1,7

"The silence was part of the story I wanted to tell."
Joyce Maynard

"Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better, Silence is deep as Eternity; speech is shallow as Time."
Thomas Carlyle

Trails, Tracks, and Travertine

2010-12-30T18:52:00.007-05:00

Falls Ridge is an 80 foot waterfall over what the Nature Conservancy claims is the largest known exposed deposits of travertine. Very cool rocks.
Very cool. The trail looping round the falls is less than a mile, and though steep in places is really an easy hike. A second trail offers an additional 2.3 mile (4 round trip) which is well worth doing.
Only the wildlife had bothered with this second snow covered trail and we saw evidence of deer, rabbit, raccoon, and turkeys.
Lots of turkeys.
We hiked along a ridge and admired the view on both sides...

... and then my camera died.

Which is a shame, because the witch hazel trees were in bloom, the lowering sun through the trees was making really neat shadows, and there was an awesome cave that we saw (went into) on the way back to the car.

_____________________________________

Falls Ridge Falls Video

Father Abraham

2010-12-28T20:32:00.003-05:00

I finally got my computer and phone to talk to each other. Which means, finally, I can post pictures of my Sparkies Stars bulletin board.

The story was Abraham and Isaac -- God's promise of nations and peoples as numerous as the stars, all descended from Abraham. Explaining this concept so five-year-olds could remember it seemed like it might require a game.

The sort of game where they have to guess how many stars there are... there were 96 blue stars, 28 stars that I painted with a special paint so they glow in the dark (they loved that), 154 total 3D stars (there are more stars printed on the fabric background)...
and one Abraham standing on a small green hill in the bottom right corner looking on in amazement.
God took Abraham outside and said "Look up at the sky and count the stars -- if indeed you can count them." Then God said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Genesis 15:5

Holy Night

2010-12-24T17:16:00.001-05:00

Luke 2
1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Winter

2010-12-18T08:57:00.002-05:00

Reader Favorite: How To Break Up With an Evolutionist

2010-12-16T07:44:00.000-05:00

The following conversation may vary with the unscripted responses of the other individual -- the most likely comments were chosen as representative.

“Umm, Honey, I believe the evidence examined in the unbiased light of real science supports the Intelligent Design and Creation.”

“What!?! How could you be so ignorant? Don’t you know that evolution has been proven?”

“Define proven.”

“Well, Everyone knows it’s true.”

Try not to be smug when you say: “I don’t.”
At this point they will look at you as if you are the stupidest person on the planet. Tell your soon to be in-significant other “Evolution is an unproven Theory. Even Darwin didn’t believe it in the end.”

The rebuttal to that point will most likely be an inarticulate scream of frustration and a forcible attempt to remove hair from their own head. A movement resembling a figure skating sit-spin sometimes accompanies this.

Now show some mercy, soften your voice and speak calmly but pleasantly. “I am willing to postulate that both Intelligent Design and Evolution are un-testable hypotheses and therefore theoretical, with no proof beyond sheer faith. I even go so far as to grant your right to believe, however misguided, that you are the product of millions of years of accidental mishaps in the life of an amoebic protein chain.”

“So you do think evolution is true, then.” Confusion and relief will struggle for dominance in this response.

“No.” Not too breezily, now. Be kind.
You and I know what you’re going to say next, but they do not see it coming. “But since I can neither prove nor disprove either theory to your satisfaction, I have decided to let you be the product of evolution if you want and I will continue to be the purposely created child of a Loving God.”

“Well, I… What?”

“It’s a compromise.”

“So I’ve evolved and you’ve been designed.” The shaking head and patronizing smirk indicate amusement and a degree of disgust.

“Yes, I will accept the idea that you are the end product, the eventual genetic offspring of random mutant monkey parentage, while you will admit I am the deliberate, intentional child of a purposeful Creator.” Pause for a moment, let it sink in. “Unfortunately that means I can’t date you anymore.”

“Huh?” [editor's note: there is a 47% variable indicating that this response might actually be "Wha...?" as that is not an actual word we have kept "Huh?"]

You continue, “Our compromise requires that I no longer believe that we are the same species, I’m sorry. I'm just not willing to practice inter-species dating.”

They will tell all their friends that they broke up with you because you're nuts.

Disclaimer: the above is pure imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental and mostly unintentional. For entertainment purposes only. ABSOLUTELY NOT MEANT AS RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.

Please Don't SPOIL the Children

2010-12-14T22:11:00.001-05:00

Translation Courtesy of The Oxford American Dictionary, The American Heritage Dictionary, and the OED:

PLEASE DON’T
Ruin,
Damage,
Corrupt,
Frustrate,
Injure,
Mar,
Make Useless,
Harm the Character of,
Flaw Grievously,
Impair the Quality of,
or Render Unfit
THE CHILDREN

Merry Christmas to all the parents of children who's grandparents say "It's a grandparent's job to spoil their grandchildren."

Feathered Dreams

2010-12-13T08:02:00.000-05:00

I am dreaming of fresh eggs, straw filled nesting boxes, and gentle clucking. Realistically, I am also thinking of all the fresh fertilizer and the danger from marauding neighborhood cats, and the question of neighbors themselves getting huffy about possible roosters. **

... but I'm perusing chicken catalogues anyway. And looking at hatchery websites.

I've been reading about rare breed chickens. I love rare breed chickens, those fluffy headed furry footed beauties. But when choosing chickens a good natured attitude matters as much or more than the plumage. Granted I'm still advocate for choosing rare breeds and odd birds.

Here are my top three:

1) The Silver Grey Dorking Hen.

She is a very rare English breed with short legs and should lay about 200 eggs a year. She's so quintessentially an old standard chicken. Isn't she pretty?

2) The Silver Pencil Wynadotte Hen. She gets good reviews on all the backyard chicken forums for being a reliable layer with a sweet personality. Actually all the Wynadottes get good reviews, but I think the Silver Pencil is one of the prettier feather variations.

3) The Ameraucana. The hen shown here is a "Blue" Ameraucana.We had Ameraucanas growing up. My pet chick from the straight run batch ended up being a roo instead of a hen but I still remember the green, blue, and pink eggs we got from the rest of them. The hatchery description says they'll lay about 180 eggs per year, but our free range hens always laid better than that.

** Despite what many people errantly believe, it is not necessary to have a rooster in a laying flock of chickens. The hens will produce just as many eggs, you just can't get baby chicks from those unfertilized eggs. Hatcheries offer "straight run" batches with both genders in it, or "sexed" batches of male only or female only chicks, so it is possible to order just laying hens with no crowing roosters tagging along.

...Candlestick Maker

2010-12-10T18:34:00.001-05:00

These are 3/4 inch female adapters for copper piping found in the plumbing aisle at Home Depot.

And those are 10 inch plain, unscented, taper candles. The classic candle, with the classic "just wax and fire" scent, in the classic "thank you but white is a color too" color.

When there are no copper candlesticks to be found, indeed when any kind of candlesticks at all seem to be a rare find on store shelves devoted to jars, pillars, and votives, a bit of creativity is called for.

A little Boraxo and a scrubby pad quickly removed the price stickers from the copper fittings, and no further cleaning or preparation was required. Insert candle. Voila.

I love when simple things are actually simple.

Holiday Favorites: The Traditional Poinsettia

2010-12-09T15:12:00.003-05:00

A non-indigenous poisonous plant is the perfect "must-have" symbol of seasonal cheer.

The tiny inflorescences surrounded by large red leaves masquerading as flowers send a message of sincerity and friendliness which even the smallest child or pet cannot help but reach out to embrace.

We must purchase poinsettias in mind boggling numbers, import them, grow them in greenhouses, and display them everywhere at Christmas.

After all, this is a poisonous plant.
This is a plant that, although in its native middle eastern countries it will become a huge tree-like shrub, here in our climate it will die if planted outdoors.
This is a plant that will not bloom again without being locked in a dark closet with half an apple.
This is also the only plant I know of regularly sprayed with glitter glue by florists -- to what end I still do not know.

This, then, is a plant that can be left unwatered in a dusty corner of the house and guiltlessly thrown away after the parties. It is the perfect hostess gift, the perfect last minute gift, the perfect holiday decoration. Have several on hand, pick up extras at the grocery store, put some on the alter at church.

Surely the ease of disposal post-Christmas atones for any veterinary bills or accidental fatalities?
Because nothing, absolutely nothing, says "Happy Christmas" and "Thanks for inviting us to dinner" like a foil-wrapped plastic pot full of toxic phytochemicals.

Pieces of Recent Days

2010-12-07T05:50:00.000-05:00

Bread rising next to the fire because it is too cold in the kitchen and the yeast needs to be warmed up.

All kinds of holiday baking.

Cranberry bread dough, an experiment.

Yeast doughnuts rising (as best they can).

White roses and rosemary.

My Christmas Tree

2010-12-06T17:55:00.000-05:00

Contentment

2010-12-04T12:22:00.006-05:00

The house is toasty warm from a gas fire in the fireplace. No more errands need to be run and I can enjoy the day.

The smell of fresh bread and cookies fills the air. I have been baking this morning. One pan slides into the oven as another comes out and I am running out of counter space. This is a good thing though.

Fresh doughnuts are finishing cooling, waiting to be iced. And it's snowing! Real, thick, fat, fluffy flakes of white are falling. And falling with intention, as though they mean to keep on falling.

I just wanted to share this with you. Hope your day is as happy and nearly perfect as mine.

Photo: trees after an ice storm 2008, Pennsylvania

Are You On Our Mailing List?

2010-12-02T08:36:00.004-05:00

It's a question I have to ask whenever I am at the register at work. "Are you on our mailing list to receive coupons? Your total today is..."

Some people are on the mailing list already. They have the coupons that got sent to them in the mail or by email, they use them, and they grin at the savings as the total $$ decreases.

Then there are the people not on the mailing list.

"Did you have any coupons today? Are you on our mailing list?"
"No."
"Would you like to be? All you need to do is fill out this card with your name and..."

How they respond is interesting. Some of them are already grabbing a pen looking for the place to sign up.

Some of them are in a hurry and want to take it along and think about it.

And some just cut me off with a quick "No, that's okay."

Today it occurred to me, in many ways this is a lot like how people respond to the Gospel message.

The first way is that those of us working for the Lord are required to ask people if they want to be on the mailing list. We are supposed to share the good news of salvation with everyone and offer them the opportunity to be saved.

The second way is that while some already have their coupons in hand and know all about the saving work of Jesus there are a lot that don't and are just waiting to be told. "Oh, that's great," they say "No one's ever mentioned this to me before. What do I need to do to sign up?" They're eager to get on God's list.

The third way is that many people will take what you've said and want to make a decision later. They don't want to stop to do this right now, they have other things that are more important to them, and all you can do is hope they remember what you said.

The forth way is that some people just don't want to sign up. No matter what they're not putting their name down, they're not joining anything, and they're certainly not interested in praying anything. They're "okay" just like they are and they don't want whatever you've got no matter how good. That's their choice. All you can do is ask the question.

And that's the fifth way. All we can do is ask the question. We're not responsible for how people respond. We can tell them about the savings from coupons or about Salvation through Jesus Christ, but we can't control how they respond. God knows that. He only requires that we ask the question.

Are we asking the question?

Constance's Song

2010-11-24T09:07:00.002-05:00

You learn to hold the Hand of God
You learn to walk the narrow way
You learn the hardest path to trod
Becomes the one away from God
When you do not obey

You learn the only peace of mind
Depends upon the strength you find
In arms that hold the lost and blind
And point the way to Truth

You learn to bless the grace of God
You learn to walk the narrow way
You learn the Comfort of the rod
The Shepherd’s staff, the Will of God
When you learn to obey

You learn to walk upon on your knees
To ask the Savior “Help me, please.”
The Holy Spirit intercedes
And leads you back to Love

~from an old work in progress currently gathering dust.

I was thinking of my story, the one this song (well, these lyrics, really) appears in. Thinking about why I started writing it and why I let it go half-finished for so long (about 3 years now). It's a story that falls between two markets, the Christian market won't like certain things and it's too Christian to sell in the mainstream market. Not salable if I believe the gurus.

Mainly though, I put it away because there were only a few parts that met my high standards. Okay it is a rough/first draft, but still!

'If I wouldn't put my name on it,' I thought 'why am I still writing it?' And so the characters sit there, living, breathing, patiently waiting to have the rest of their story told.

And some days they hum a little tune so loudly it rings in my ears. Like today.

A Smug Little Pillow

2010-11-22T16:55:00.006-05:00

So few things that I've been making lately can be put up on this blog. Christmas presents are in full swing but since my family occasionally read this blog it's not safe to post photos of their Christmas gifts until after Christmas.
Ergo, random postable project: this fat little two-sided throw pillow. Just because.

Simply Color

2010-11-18T22:01:00.001-05:00

"The simplification of anything is always sensational." -- G.K. Chesterton

A Genesis RAP: The Story of Lot

2010-11-10T20:51:00.005-05:00

Yo, My name is LOT and I’m here to say
I gotta little story ‘bout getting my way
I see something good I just gotta have
Like land for my sheep and fields for my calves
I want the land with the fields and streams
That rich rich land is the land of my dreams
[b-boxing]

Uncle Abe, you know, is a kindly dude
So he puts up with my attitude
I take what I want an’ leave none for him
An’ he lets me do it ‘cause we’re blood kin
[bb]

I shouda known better but I didn’t care
I was bein’ greedy didn’ wanna share
So up in the hills and far away
Ol’ Abe and his peeps live from day to day
While me and my fam live a life of ease
Down in the valley doin’ as we please
[bb]

Now the land was good but the towns were bad
Every kind a’ sin was the latest fad
But I couldn’t see how they made God mad
I just saw all the riches they had
Sodom and Gomorrah were tempting to me
So I moved in my whole fam-i-ly
We lived in the city and thought it was grand
A big big house and lotsa good land
[bb]

Some angels came and said run away
The Lord is gonna bomb this city today
I didn’ wanna listen, I’m sorry to say
But it’s a good thing we didn’ get to stay
‘Cause fire and brimstone started to fall
God was so mad He destroyed ‘em all
[bb]

Even my wife is a pillar of salt
I gotta admit that’s mostly my fault
If I could go back an’ do it again
I give the good land to Abraham
BEin’ greedy just doesn’t pay
Kindness is the answer e-ver-y day
Everybody:
Kindness is the answer e-ver-y day
[bb]

And why did she write this you ask? I've been filling in for the Kindergarten (Sparkies) Storytime at our church's AWANA -- and let's face it it's hard to keep the attention of 17 or 18 five year olds. Coming up with new ways to tell the stories keeps them interested. Why rap? I don't know, I don't even like rap, but the kids loved it. :D

Flying Geese

2010-11-04T07:24:00.000-04:00

Still a favorite quilt pattern, "flying geese" has been around for centuries. I thought of this quilt today when I heard the geese flying overhead. High and behind the clouds they flew, and the sound of their calls came faint but clear in the early morning hours as I curled warm and sleepy in my layers of quilts.

Leaf Burning Deep

2010-11-02T12:16:00.003-04:00

All Hallows Day burns yellow
with the fire of martyrs,
with the licking flames of ancient

judgment. Gusting
maple red, and glowing
the zealous sun overflows
a wind seared sky.

Clouds circle the heavens,
like wild white geese
who fly against

this ardent azure sky.
On the seventh day
the trumpets sound
in Jericho. A shout rings out,

a sign, a frost, leaves crumble
from the trees and fall. For
a moment they were green

and growing, grasping still
to oak and walnut, poplar,
ash. They clung as though
the planet burned,

like Rome,
like the bush of Moses,
like the Saints at Pentecost.

A Fall Colour

2010-10-21T11:56:00.004-04:00

Autumn chrysanthemums are in full flush of bloom along my front walk.
Every time I write the word chrysanthemum I hear Anne of Green Gables spelling down Gilbert Blythe with a look of disdain :

"C-H-R-Y-S-A-N-T-H-E-M-U-M." Funny how that classroom memory, fictional and not even my own, stays with me.

The First Annual Butternut Beauty Pagent

2010-10-18T13:36:00.000-04:00

What is the use of an Aunt growing butternut squashes if they cannot be harvested, decorated with markers, and judged in a butternut beauty pagent? The winner, in a blind judging (Mommy closed her eyes and picked), was taken home to be baked and the loosers took a nap in Aunt's bed.

Pecan Balls

2010-10-18T10:00:00.003-04:00

Filed under "things that can be put on toothpicks" pecan balls are a vegetarian alternative to meatballs so good even dedicated meat eaters love them. They're also pretty easy to make.

Start with two cups ground pecans -- or, if you're like me and don't want to fuss with cleaning a food processor for a measly 2 cups of ground pecans (even if you did own one), just smash up the bag of pecans with a hammer and measure out two cups of the resulting smaller bits.

Add a cup of bread crumbs,
two cups of grated cheese (monty jack in today's batch, but I've used parm, motz, etc. before with good results too)
two tablespoons or so dry minced onion
and roughly a half teaspoon of oregano flakes.

Mix that all together, and then add two eggs and a quarter cup of milk, mixing to form a doughy texture.

On my original recipe card I have just the list of ingredients followed by only three words of instruction: "Mix, Ball, Fry." Mix we have already covered. Ball and fry come next.

Form the mixture into balls about an inch, or an inch and a half roughly in size. I use a small frying pan and a little safflower oil to pan-fry in batches, because I think that's a bit healthier than deep frying. (Though you'll get a more even color with a deep fry.) Get a nice crispy outside, the darker side of golden, then let them rest, draining over paper towels.

And they're ready to serve. Enjoy.

A Focus Study

2010-10-15T13:21:00.008-04:00

"Comforts that were rare among our forefathers are now multiplied in factories and handed out wholesale; and indeed, nobody nowadays, so long as he is content to go without air, space, quiet, decency and good manners, need be without anything whatever that he wants; or at least a reasonably cheap imitation of it." --GK Chesterton

"Are the comforts of God too small for you, or the word that deals gently with you?" Job 15:11

"Civilization has run on ahead of the soul of man, and is producing faster than he can think and give thanks." -- Chesterton

"Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him; sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works!" -- 1 Chronicals 16:8-9
"Great truths can only be forgotten and can never be falsified." -- Chesterton

Walking

2010-10-05T13:51:00.003-04:00

Tucked in a corner of the highway my neighborhood is a comfortable one. Brick houses line up low and solid, their chimneys offering the occasional scent and curl of woodsmoke. Shabby in the way that established places tend to be, a genteel sort of aging as though rounded by the constant washing of time like a river. Polished.

Every so often a house glares, crisp and starched, from between its overgrown and faded neighbors and occasionally the road is patched with lines of tar so new and black the old paving looks white. Bleached with the same sun that turns monarch wings into dancing bits of stained glass.

Interstate engines filter through trees grown old enough to be the size for hugging, for hanging swings, for leaning against and learning wisdom. For looking up through leaves. Heard like this the tractor trailers become muffled, a distorted ocean roar. Soothing in their way.

Airplanes pass over, mark the highway, and bank right or left. Crows watch the grass grow. Today the wind whirled maple wings until the only sound was rushing air, like memories pressing to reach the sky. And yesterday the golden needles of a tamarack made a path to walk.

...and to the Republic for which it stands...

2010-09-24T13:07:00.004-04:00

The United States of America is not a Democracy.

It was never supposed to be.

Let's review.

In a Democracy the people are the source of both the power and the authority, creating an emphasis on a system of majority rule. So in a democracy if the majority arbitrarily decided to outlaw Santa Claus, nuke the dolphins, and institute a national dress code requiring everyone to shave their heads and wear only one shoe -- well, that's what would become law. Because that's how a Democracy works.

In a Republic the people hold the power, but the authority rests in the Law. Which makes a surprisingly BIG difference. It means that there is a higher power, some ultimate authority greater than the will and whim of the people.

At the founding of the United States the moral authority of the Christan Bible was widely recognized and understood as the LAW upon which our government was founded. (There's plenty of proof on this point if anyone bothered to actually read it.)

When we have shaken off the last vestige of Christianity, when we have abandoned even the Ten Commandments, when we are no longer responsible to a higher authority -- then we will be a Democracy.

And in that day when the majority rule becomes that ultimate arbiter of right and wrong, the majority may decide to outlaw Santa, may decide that Thou SHALL Kill... might declare it unlawful to wear matching socks, or eat oatmeal cookies, or have a vegetable garden... may decide to reinstate slavery, or institute martial law, or seize corporations as government assets, or abolish the institution of marriage...

... because that can happen in a democracy. But we were never supposed to be a democracy.

I pledge allegiance to the flag and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands, one nation under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Returning

2010-09-21T19:56:00.004-04:00

Suspended here, my hand
has the memory of flying,

of curving, arching on air.
My palm tingles, drawn back

inside the car. I reach back
into the buffeting wind,

the invisible resistance,
the heavy push – uplift.

Pivot from the elbow.
The sweeping movement,

tilt, turn, glide, tilt back,
the slow aerial infinity,

this memory of freedom.
It is possible

to echo the motions,
even now.

Quote

2010-09-18T15:13:00.001-04:00

God doesn't use us based on what we look like.

He uses us based on the condition of our souls.

- Judith Couchman

"and the seasons shall be confused..."

2010-09-17T12:31:00.000-04:00

IQ: Carpenter's Squares

2010-09-09T08:51:00.006-04:00

From my latest IQ (infant quilt) class comes Carpenter's Squares. Based on a traditional quilt block rich in symbolism, the design has been enlarged and modernized. The L shaped tool known as a carpenter’s square has been used for centuries to help square-up and measure in carpentry. Early quilters of the traditional (much smaller) block recorded their beliefs in this block, referencing Jesus as The Carpenter. Harking back to traditions in early Gaelic Christianity, Celtic interlace represented the way in which all life is woven together. The interlace patterns represented in this design symbolize the idea that the afterlife (heaven) and this present world (earth) intersect creating a pattern that, at least for now, only God the Creator sees the whole of.

The use of triple bands to create the interlace in this design also suggests the Trinity, a concept of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together as One. Another use of religious symbolism is seen in the repetition of the four isolated background squares in each corner. This design feature suggests a relationship to the idea of the “foursquare gospel” (meaning a good foundation for one's faith), terminology borrowed from the Biblical book of Revelations.

To make the quilt shown in this post I used a dark purple reproduction fabric from P&B for the background, with a Michael Miller Asian print and one of Northcott's Quilt for A Cure(TM) fabrics as the bands. Machine quilted in a random free-motion swirliness. The combination of these fabrics, I think, is visually striking but also speaks to diversity -- reminding me that there are many different people with many different backgrounds, talents, and gifts who come together to make up the beauty of the body of believers.

...Shall Set You Free

2010-09-05T01:23:00.001-04:00

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -- John 14:6

Matt's Wild Cherry Tomatoes

2010-08-26T14:19:00.004-04:00

So far this year the best producing tomato vine in my garden has been the Matt's Wild Cherry.

Roughly the size of a dime, or smaller, they are prolific. The plant is a bit all over -- I'm harvesting these little wild ones off towers that were supposed to be supporting other tomatoes. The vine bends over, grows sideways, stretches out into the yard... and makes more tomatoes. More and more tiny tomatoes.

Aren't they adorable?

Today's wild tomato dish is a simple fresh pasta sauce for angle hair. Olive oil, basil, black pepper, whole wild cherry tomatoes, and pine nuts went into the skillet.

When the tomatoes started to want to split that was the signal to add the cooked (al dente) angle hair pasta. Mixing the pasta in the skillet gives the noodles a chance to absorb the sauce. They turn a little pink.

Fast, simple, delicious. Life is good.

Time Passes

2010-08-21T00:05:00.005-04:00

First, apologies to loyal readers who have been wondering if I dropped off the face of the earth. I'm still here. Amidst the business that has been August 2010 so far I took some time out to celebrate another birthday. Hooray for time with family! Hooray for chocolate cake!

Not so much hooray for people who say "So. How does it feel? Now that you're almost 40."

I have no problem with being this close to 40. I don't think I'll have a problem when I get this close to 50 or 60 either. (Nearing 120 I might start to wonder what's going on, but that's a topic for a different post.) I like greying hair. I like not being expected to feel spunky after pulling an all-nighter -- I like not being expected to pull all-nighters. I like having a back pocket full of experiences that give me wisdom, help me connect with others, and let me share strength with those who are just now walking through valleys I've already passed through.

What I don't like is the gloating patronizing tone of the people who ask how I feel about getting older. As though I should feel guilty for not remaining young -- and not wanting to.

Being young is great (or was great, depending on your perspective) but so is being older. So is maturity, experience, growth, wisdom... There is grace in aging and beauty in the fading of flowers. The human heart holds more each year, the mind expands, the spirit is honed.

So...
To the woman some 20 years my elder, who commented on my being "over the hill" with a glee that suggested she had found my Achilles heel... the woman who mentioned my age 23 times in a five minute conversation ... and the woman who questioned my mental capacities "now that you're getting so old.": Get over it.

If I have not matured, if I have not learned from these years I have lived, perhaps I should be embarrassed by my age. Thank goodness I'm not ashamed.

If I can not offer more compassion, more basic human respect, and more understanding of others with each passing year perhaps I ought not to claim my true age. Praise God I have no need to lie.

If I didn't think there's so much more to learn and love about the years to come perhaps I could worry about being old. Thank goodness I am spared those worry lines.

If I did not believe in filling each year with a record of obedience to the Lord and service to others, then maybe the piling up of those years would concern me. Praise God for helping me make each new year better than the last.

... because time passes

... the flowers fade

... the sun rises, sets, and hurries to rise again

... the waters travel to the sea

... man is born of a woman, only to return to dust

... the histories and generations come and go

... and time passes

For everything there is a season, there is a time for every matter under heaven...and God seeks out what has gone by. -- Ecclesiastes 3:1, 15b

Friday Photos

2010-08-06T14:07:00.003-04:00

"As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more." -- Psalm 103:15-16

Recovery and Flannel

2010-07-31T10:39:00.005-04:00

Did you have that horrible summer flu that's going round?

The one where everything aches -- throat, head, eyes, bones, skin -- and it's hard to breathe? The one where you set the thermostat to 80, crawl under two quilts and a wool blanket but still can't get warm?

I did too. I'm better now.

Not quite 100%... but my eyes are focusing, I can swallow without wincing, and standing up doesn't seem as difficult as it did. I'm even getting a little work done.

stack of flannel fabric waiting to be cut up

...

neatly cut flannel blocks waiting to be sewn

Garden Colors

2010-07-26T08:53:00.004-04:00

The white coneflower is blooming.

The red crepe myrtles are putting on a show.
Red cottoneatser berries have replaced the pink cottoneaster blooms. The white hydrangea are blooming, finally. The pink and white yarrows are almost finished, and the white tall phlox are mostly surviving even if they are losing their blooms. Phlox are perennial, so the plants will come back stronger next year.

The red nasturtiums are annual though and didn't survive the lack of watering, but the red and pink portulacas -- annual moss roses -- are thriving (and okay, yes, there are some pale yellow ones too, but that's to help tie in the yellow tones in the pink and yellow roses).

And the White butterfly bushes are blooming.
So is the purple butterfly bush. Can you guess what color it was supposed to be? Last year it bloomed pink. And last year I moved everything pink or red to the front garden... or so I thought. The red daylilies cheerfully and perversely blooming in the back garden where I could swear I had planted yellow hyperion daylilies might also argue against me.

I don't think the purple looks too very bad though. The humming birds and butterflies are loving it. If I add a couple more spots of purple maybe I won't need to move the huge bush and it will look like I meant to add a touch of purple...

... Come to think of it, last year all those lovely moundy (pink) mums edging the walk had a suspiciously purple tinge to their blooms.

Stick Horse

2010-07-22T06:23:00.000-04:00

What do you do when your little sister has a stick horse and you -- the boy with the cowboy hat and the Spin and Marty obsession -- have no horse?

If you happen to complain to your aunt you might get told "Well, why don't we find a stick and make one?"

"Can we do that, Mommy? Can we?"
"It just so happens," his mommy tells me, "that I have sticks set aside specifically to be making stick things with."
"Can we, Mommy?"
"We can." said his mommy and I.

Which is how I ended up inventing new stick horses yesterday.
Which led to a trail ride up to the blackberry patch.
Which is how I got streaks of blackberry "Indian paint" on my cheeks and a fern "feather" in my hair while a small cowboy whooped and rode his horse... that is, until the littlest cowgirl got tired and I became a horse myself.

"These aren't real horses you know." She said, waving her stick horse.
"They're not?"
"No. They're not. They're pretend horses." She was emphatic, serious, and so cute.
After a pause she added, "I'm getting tired."
Which is how I ended up carrying the littlest cowgirl -- and her horse -- all the way back down the mountain trail while the other two children ran ahead whooping and riding their new stick horses.

Ronde de Nice Supper

2010-07-21T09:52:00.004-04:00

bounty from the garden

Those lovely large squashes on the right side of the colander are Ronde de Nice. An heirloom summer squash -- okay, basically a round zucchini. They're supposed to be picked when they are the size of golf balls. Clearly that didn't happen.

When they get to be 3-4 inches they are described as being excellent for stuffing...I had to assume that roughly 6 inches across might also be good for stuffing. So I found a few recipes, merged them, and four hours later (including the run to the grocery -- how could I be out of olive oil?) I had made... wait for it... "the best dish you've ever cooked."

Too Big Baked Stuffed Ronde de Nice

First they have to be hollowed out. Slice off a big lid (like you would for carving a pumpkin, but smooth) and scoop out the seeds. Scoop out the flesh until the sides of the squash are only about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside the flesh to be chopped up and add into the stuffing later.

Pour a little kosher salt into each hollow squash, pop the lid on and carefully shake it so the salt coats the insides. Then turn them upside down so the moisture drains out as they sit waiting to be stuffed.

The stuffing begins with olive oil in the bottom of the cast iron skillet and four or five sprigs of fresh rosemary. Just strip off the leaves and add to the pan. Finger shred a couple huge leaves of Genovese basil in as well. Plus a whole clove of garlic, rough chopped (that means barely chopped and wonky).

A package of ground turkey, some dried sage, a little ground black pepper, a sploosh of onion powder... this was the point at which most recipes called for sausage, but I had ground turkey defrosted, so ground turkey and assorted sausagey seasonings is what I used.

After the meat cooks through, most recipes want you to lower the heat and add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. Well, I lowered the heat but I happened to have some of my cheater spaghetti sauce still in the fridge... Waste not Want not. Why open a new can of paste? In it went. (That would be tomato paste with some oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and a bunch of basil in it.)

Add the chopped up flesh from scooping out the squashes earlier. I left the bits with seeds out; I thought it would look better, and I wasn't sure if (given the maturity) they would still be tender enough to eat.

When that all began to look cooked down, I turned off the burner. Most meat stuffings are supposed to cool for a while now. Mine didn't. I was hungry and I knew it still had to bake.

More fresh basil leaves, and a whoosh of bread crumbs... the time to take this photo showing the mini-bread-crumb-mountain was pretty much all the cooling this stuffing got. Mix well, add some grated Parmesan, the nice "fresh" Parm, and we're ready to stuff.

The squashes will be sitting in little puddles of squash water. Turn them right side up and wipe out the excess salt. Fill with the meat stuffing. Put the lids back on, and pop them in a baking pan with an inch (or so) of water. I put a couple extra sprigs of rosemary in my baking water to infuse it for added flavor (...and because it was pretty and I had cut too much extra).

They bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes with their lids on. Then move the lids to the side and bake for another 20 minutes until the top is goldeny and the squashes are nice and tender.

... and serve...

They are just as good, better even, the second day after you discover that one stuffed squash is actually three meals. They microwave beautifully to re-heat.

Bombus

2010-07-19T23:42:00.000-04:00

Bombus impatiens to be exact. The Common Eastern Native Bumblebee has a range from Florida to Maine, across to Kansas and Tennessee, even as far as the Dakotas; and it has been introduced in California and British Columbia since the failures of Western Native Bumblebees. Although most likely found as a wild bee, they are raised commercially for use in pollinating greenhouse tomatoes and the Maine blueberry crops. Bombus are particularly fond of blueberry blossoms and will fly to visit them even on cold or misty-rainy days. They are vegetarian, eating only nectar and pollen. (Pollen is actually a protein!) Like most bumbles the Common Eastern Native Bumblebee produces no stores of honey for the winter. Unlike honeybees who survive the winter on their honey stores, the social colony of 300-500 bumblebees will die in the fall. The newly mated bumblebee queen is the only survivor. She goes into hibernation in the ground emerging in the spring to begin a new colony.

Note to Self

2010-07-17T08:02:00.002-04:00

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Mockers stir up a city,
but wise men turn away anger.
A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control.
An angry man stirs up dissension,
and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.
For as churning the milk produces butter,
and as twisting the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger produces strife.
Proverbs 15:1; 29:8, 11, 22; 30:33 (HCSB)

If You Were Thinking of Building a Lawn Chair....

2010-07-16T08:44:00.008-04:00

... because you wanted something different than the ergo-plastic Adirondack-wanna-be lawn chairs everyone else has from Lowes, and Walmart, and K-Mart, and Krogers, but that's the only outdoor furniture you can find already made that's half decent and anywhere near in your price range [pause for breath] What would you choose?

The literalist's Lawn Chair?

A tempting pun but I suspect it's higher maintenance than I'm looking for. Moss in a shady spot might be more along the right lines -- if I want a green chair.

Something elegant though, like this one from a Garden Design magazine. Of course that involves buying a chair and covering it with moss....

So maybe something more like this?

Okay, not seriously, because 10 or so years is a long time to wait for lawn chairs, even cool grow-it-yourself ones like these from Pooktre but it's so tempting. Check out their website.

What I'm really trying to decide between is this classic British seaside folding deck chair. Which I totally think I could make myself -- after all, I do have my own electric drill now -- with minimal effort.

Nobody this side of the Pond seems to have these, so short of importing and freighting them from Jolly Old England, I'd have to make it myself anyway if I want one. And I do love the look.

I'm also liking the very different look of these romanticized Adirondack style chairs
which I found at Victorian Trading Company. My reaction to the photo was "That would look great on my patio." My reaction to the (with shipping, over $800 each!) price tag was "HAH! Not for two bits of scroll on some one-bys! I could make six for that price."

So I'm not sure if I want to make these because I really would like them in my garden or just because I'm sure I could make them for so much less. You know, if you don't count the cost of the power saw -- I wanted one of those anyway.

Opinions?

Photos in this post are images from the internet I copied to my inspirations file. I am ashamed to say I have forgotten where I found most of them. If you recognize the photo please leave a comment I would love to acknowledge all my sources. Thank you.

The Poetry of Bees

2010-07-14T09:08:00.004-04:00

"All finite things reveal infinitude:
The mountain with its singular bright shade
Like the blue shine on freshly frozen snow,
The after-light upon ice-burdened pines;
Odor of basswood upon a mountain slope,
A scene beloved of bees..."
--Theodore Roethke
“Morning is the best of all times in the garden.
The sun is not yet hot.
Sweet vapors rise from the earth.
Night dew clings to the soil and makes plants glisten.
Birds call to one another.
Bees are already at work.”
-- William Longwood

"Listen! O, listen!
Here come the hum the golden bees
Underneath full blossomed trees,
At once with glowing fruit and flowers crowned."
-- James Russell Lowell

"The wild bee reels from bough to bough
With his furry coat and his gauzy wing,
Now in a lily cup, and now
Setting a jacinth bell a-swing,
In his wandering."
-- Oscar Wilde

“One after one; the sound of rain, and bees
Murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas,
Smooth fields, white sheets of water, and pure sky;
I have thought of all by turns..."
--William Wordsworth

"There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we know. The keeping of bees, for instance."
-- Henry David Thoreau

Remains of the Day

2010-07-12T09:37:00.002-04:00

Orchard

2010-07-10T09:41:00.005-04:00

Is it crazy to have a dwarf antique apple orchard in your tiny south sloping suburban back yard? Maybe. But I went ahead and planted one anyway. In two rows, the front row has four apple trees and the back row has two apple trees in line with a holly bush and something I think is some kind of spirea. Dwarf trees need to be staked but they're great space savers because they can be planted as close as 8 feet apart. I positioned the orchard in the back corner of the yard for two reasons:

1) That's where some of the best sunlight space was for them, and it puts all the fruit together since the blueberry hedge and the raspberry patch are just to the front of the orchard.

2) Perspective, a technique borrowed from Japanese gardens. Smaller trees look like they are farther away creating an illusion of greater distance. Since the orchard trees are dwarf they will grow only 8 to 10 feet tall. Hopefully, when mature, these trees will then appear farther away than they really are making the back yard seem larger. That's the plan anyway.
I planted them late last fall, getting them in the ground just before it froze -- I was planting them during our first snowstorm. This spring they bloomed and most of them tried to set apples.The Grimes Golden and the Arkansas Black didn't bother with trying to fruit in their first year. The Cox Orange Pippin, and Washington Strawberry tried but gave up and dropped their fruit. The Pound was doing well but the tree is still to young for the weight of those big apples and they dropped too.
So all that's left are three small Yellow Transparents clinging tenaciously. Since the Yellow Transparent is an early apple (August) I have great hopes -- I might actually get ripe apples my orchard the first year! Most dwarfing stock helps the apple trees to fruit earlier, but the general rule of thumb is still 2-5 years before you can expect a crop. Though I don't suppose anyone but me would call three apples a "crop" anyway. :D

The Truth of Wrong from Right

2010-07-07T22:34:00.005-04:00

In the eyes of the Ranger

The unsuspecting stranger

Had better know the truth of wrong from right

'Cause the eyes of the Ranger are upon you

Any wrong you do he's gonna see

So when you're in Texas look behind you

'Cause that's where the Ranger's gonna be

I'm spending some time with my Dad this week, and we're having one of our semi-annual Walker, Texas Ranger marathons. He's got season three on DVD now.

It's not high-brow or literary, and it's certainly not British or in any way Anglophile... and you're right, westerns really aren't my thing. But Dad loves pretty much all westerns and truth be told, when it comes to Chuck Norris at least, I'm all right with that.

Sure, the female characters are typically one-dimensional but that's okay because the male characters are generally a little one-dimensional too... and they treat the women with courtesy and respect or they get kicked in the head by a Texas Ranger. [On the one hand I object to the excessive use of force, but on the other hand I'm tempted to take a few karate lessons myself -- common courtesy is a dying art. ]

The plots are naive, the dialog predictable, something always blows up, someone always gets shot, and the good guy always saves the day. Which, right there is why I like watching Walker with my Dad.

We sit there sharing time together. Sharing a belief that it is possible for the good guys of the world to triumph. Sharing a hope that the bad guys (real-life bad guys) will lose. That there are heroes drawing a line in the sand and defending it. That somewhere on this planet and in this country there are still genuinely good people willing to stand up and fight for honor and decency and justice.

It might be simplistic... okay, it is simplistic, but sometimes a dose of simple, a dose of old-fashioned straight shooting, a dose of knowing wrong from right is exactly what we need to see in this world.

Last Puppet

2010-07-05T13:40:00.005-04:00

Remember this puppet? She was that last one waiting to be repaired/remade for VBS. [Okay technically there was another puppet but it was in really rough shape, I scavenged parts off it for the other puppets and all that's left is a disembodied head.]
Anyway, she's had her cosmetic work done and went back to church yesterday with:

new hair

... in pigtails...
total body remake
... skinny arms, elbows, new hand, an actual body...

and eyelids.

Now don't tell, but I also took off the monkey ears and left them off. Doesn't she look better that way though?

Your Inner Tree

2010-07-03T14:40:00.001-04:00

"The Bible doesn't call us to be more motivated or more productive workers. The relevant image in Scripture is fruitfulness. Not busyness. Not even productivity. A godly person, the Bible says, is like a tree planted by rivers of living waters. Trees are not frenzied or frantic. They do not attend seminars on "releasing the redwood within them." They do not consume vast amounts of caffeine to keep up their adrenaline. Trees are unhurried. They are full of activity, though most of it is unseen. Mostly, a tree knows from where its nourishment comes. It is deeply rooted. It is not easily distracted. A tree has learned to abide. Abiding in Christ is the great antithesis to sloth. Abiding is effort-filled but is the place of nourishment and renewal." - John Ortberg

Farewell June

2010-07-01T05:37:00.000-04:00

Carpenter's Squares

2010-06-30T10:18:00.006-04:00

Graphic of quilt design for the quilt class I'm teaching in August:

~Carpenter's Squares Infant Quilt ~

From the class description:

The woven bands of the Carpenter’s Squares create a high graphic design with a modern, a classic, even a Celtic appeal which looks difficult to do, but really isn’t. Once you know the secret of creating consistent T-seams this infant quilt top becomes so simple, beginning quilters can confidently piece it. More experienced quilters will also find this quilt top an excellent opportunity to practice “pinless seaming” a speed construction technique using very few pins.

The "sample quilt" made up to help advertise the class: