So I attempted my first ever Rhubarb pie last night. Turned out pretty dern good too. Thanks to mom for the over the phone instructions!
I picked some Rhubarb from a friend's house on Sunday. I never knew that rhubarb has such huge leaves and you only eat the stalks of the thing! Those leaves were seriously bigger than a platter. You could have used them as a fan, or loin cloth, should a desparate situation arrive.
Always good to know you have back up options in case of closet failure.
Church History
I am in the middle of a church history class. We started back with Plato and his affects on Christian thought. We are now digging into the Reformation. My brain hurts trying to shove so much information in, but it's very interesting.
I just have to add something to my textbook however. In the 15th century Girolamo Savonarola was martyred for ticking off the wrong people. He was hung and burned in Piazza della Signoria in Florence Italy. There is a plaque in the square that gives the date (May 23) and tells who else died with him. Our text only mentions that he was hung. So here you go Mr. Ellingson! He was hung AND burned.
Goes to show you should never tick off the Italians I guess....
I just have to add something to my textbook however. In the 15th century Girolamo Savonarola was martyred for ticking off the wrong people. He was hung and burned in Piazza della Signoria in Florence Italy. There is a plaque in the square that gives the date (May 23) and tells who else died with him. Our text only mentions that he was hung. So here you go Mr. Ellingson! He was hung AND burned.
Goes to show you should never tick off the Italians I guess....
Friends to lean on
I am blessed. I have an army of friends on whom I can rely. It amazes me everytime.
I don't feel so close to those who are geographically close to me, not right now. I feel as though they are so busy and caught in their life that they have lost me. And I am OK with that. I know they love me ultimately, but they are just on freak-out-fast mode now.
Through what I would detail as the vast experience of my life (wink, wink), I find that the people who are the most loving and willing to receive love are the ones who will be there for you in the weird times.
Like now. I am in what I would say is a transition time. A possible move, new jobs, all that. The weird times. Growing up in the military made these times all the more frequent for me so I have grown used to them. And every two years or so I am ready to pack up and hit the road.
And now in the midst of all the newness, I feel a bit overwhelmed, but my amazing friend brought it all into perspective for me. One e-mail changed the day. The power of the keyboard saves that day again. What a blessing:)
I don't feel so close to those who are geographically close to me, not right now. I feel as though they are so busy and caught in their life that they have lost me. And I am OK with that. I know they love me ultimately, but they are just on freak-out-fast mode now.
Through what I would detail as the vast experience of my life (wink, wink), I find that the people who are the most loving and willing to receive love are the ones who will be there for you in the weird times.
Like now. I am in what I would say is a transition time. A possible move, new jobs, all that. The weird times. Growing up in the military made these times all the more frequent for me so I have grown used to them. And every two years or so I am ready to pack up and hit the road.
And now in the midst of all the newness, I feel a bit overwhelmed, but my amazing friend brought it all into perspective for me. One e-mail changed the day. The power of the keyboard saves that day again. What a blessing:)
My Grown-up Christmas List
What with the holidays racing up I have been thinking that a Christmas List is a good thing. I have lists of things to buy, places to go, ornaments to decorate with, hours I work, who arrives when and the like, but I didn't yet have a Christmas List. So I set about composing a list. I have realized that it's not too different from what I would have asked for as a child. Here is my grown-up Christmas List.
- A pony - or 300 all in a red shiny Mustang, leather interior, hard top
- Chocolate - the great European kind, or Mom's Dark Chocolate Homemade Fudge
- Boots - Italian Leather, black or camel colored, calf high, non-pointy witch toes
- Happy, Healthy Friends and Family - All of them, especially Katie, Patrick and Grandma O
- Peace on Earth - All of the earth, to every person, no exceptions including myself
I bet if you think about it long enough, your list is just about the same as mine.
Choir Nerds
A choir I am a part of will be singing in two weeks at our lovely state capital building. After having practiced for four months, we are heading into crunch time and sang for two hours yesterday. A long time for a once-a-week singer!
Anyhow, as we were racing through songs and repeating and dissecting, we all got tired and a wee hoarse. But we sounded great. And we were cracking jokes and harassing our director (as often as possible!). Standing there I realized what it was to be a choir nerd. I know that 20 years from now I will remember that feeling of 'group' and tell my nieces and nephews the jokes that they won't get and I will laugh.
I feel as though I have earned the right to say "This one time at choir practice..."
It's official. We are choir nerds. Love it!
Anyhow, as we were racing through songs and repeating and dissecting, we all got tired and a wee hoarse. But we sounded great. And we were cracking jokes and harassing our director (as often as possible!). Standing there I realized what it was to be a choir nerd. I know that 20 years from now I will remember that feeling of 'group' and tell my nieces and nephews the jokes that they won't get and I will laugh.
I feel as though I have earned the right to say "This one time at choir practice..."
It's official. We are choir nerds. Love it!
Foggy Beaches
Just returned from four glorious days on the lovely south coast of Texas. 85, breezy, no crowds, gaudy sunsets and great pizza. What more could I want? Now, I often laugh at others who say that Texas is too hot. I love the heat. 95 is great! And 105 is even better. You sure cannot beat 85 degrees, a tan and the salty air in November.
One day we were caught on the island by fog. It was a heavy, wet fog that sat like a hovering mama chicken on the island all day. Walking on the beach was like taking a shower. The air was dripping from our hair and people and buildings would emerge from the milky abyss only to slide back into it. It was as if the world had been washed away and only we had survived.
Driving back home through Houston is hell, of course, when you hit it at rush hour. And I am reminded that the world is not all surf and cloudy beaches. There are the bombs that blast life away in Jordan. There is hatred and malice. But in all the dreary fog of this world, I see the beauty, the love and the mystery. I know that every cloud is not doom. Sometimes it is just the foggy blanket that is hiding the world from view.
One day we were caught on the island by fog. It was a heavy, wet fog that sat like a hovering mama chicken on the island all day. Walking on the beach was like taking a shower. The air was dripping from our hair and people and buildings would emerge from the milky abyss only to slide back into it. It was as if the world had been washed away and only we had survived.
Driving back home through Houston is hell, of course, when you hit it at rush hour. And I am reminded that the world is not all surf and cloudy beaches. There are the bombs that blast life away in Jordan. There is hatred and malice. But in all the dreary fog of this world, I see the beauty, the love and the mystery. I know that every cloud is not doom. Sometimes it is just the foggy blanket that is hiding the world from view.
Constitutional Amendments, again?
All those years ago, when our Constitution was written, it was good. Today it is still good. And now we, as the American public, have the right to vote on changes to our constitution that involve mundane things such as paying billions of dollars to move private railroad lines. Come on people!
Let's get our heads thinking on the real problems (abortion rates, drug usage, murder, 11th graders who still cannot read) and allow companies to realize that they can take care of themselves without making the American public pay for it all.
Why on earth change a good thing (our Constitution, for example) to get a large group of people to fork over more money to a small group of folks? And if we would just stick to our laws, both legal and moral, we wouldn't have to change our Constitution. When are we going to finally understand that?
Let's get our heads thinking on the real problems (abortion rates, drug usage, murder, 11th graders who still cannot read) and allow companies to realize that they can take care of themselves without making the American public pay for it all.
Why on earth change a good thing (our Constitution, for example) to get a large group of people to fork over more money to a small group of folks? And if we would just stick to our laws, both legal and moral, we wouldn't have to change our Constitution. When are we going to finally understand that?
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