Is it Friday already?

1

It wasn't quite an invite to an inaugural ball, but a friend called us last week and invited us to help out/attend a meeting of the Explorer's Club being held at our local Natural History Museum. It's always interesting to see how the other 1% live. Our friend is the most humble, down-to-earth guy ever, and he's due to get an award for his humanitarian efforts around the world, but the Explorer's Club is definitely an old-fashioned elite establishment. It was a lovely dinner, with interesting speakers discussing everything from recent missions to Mars to kayaking through Antarctica. I found myself the most interested in the discussion of local Chumash Indian culture from a staff member of the museum. As much as I enjoy travel (I'll stick to subarctic regions, thank you very much), I find myself more and more interested in my own backyard -- and I realize how little I really know this place I call home.

2

Meanwhile, in my own backyard baby grass is poking its collective head up out of the ground. It's looking like our eventual plan to relocate the patio closer to the new addition will be a smart one -- there's very little sun in that area, and precious few blades of green so far. This weekend is fully booked, so there goes another week for planning the vegetables...

3

The weekend is largely taken up with a board meeting for a non-profit some friends of our started. I've been treasurer for a decade now, and much as I would like to give the job away, I know there will be no takers. It isn't a huge amount of work (we don't raise that much money), but it has its moments, like figuring out tax forms and such. So I thought nothing of it when a friend asked if I'd consider being the treasurer of the PTA this year. There's so much piddling paper work, trips to the bank with several hundred dollars in coin, etc. Such fun! I'm starting to wonder whether I'm like the deer with the target on its belly in the Far Side strip -- do I have a sign on my forehead that says "Will do bookkeeping for non-profits"? Need I mention my father is a CPA, and used to take me to work with him on occasion -- setting me to foot long columns of numbers with an adding machine. I knew from an early age that accounting was not for me. Heck, I consistently make addition mistakes with my own bank deposits!

4

My parents arrive Saturday evening for a month's respite from frozen snow-and-ice-land (also known as Boston). Ray has been counting down the days for while now. About two weeks ago she was saying they're coming the day after the day after tomorrow. Well, not quite. Now we're down to "Grandma and Grandpa come in two more days!" Meanwhile she came home with a book in her backpack -- "Countdown to Grandma's House." How appropriate, but where did it come from, exactly? First, her teacher gave it to her. Then a friend -- whose name she can't quite remember, but maybe it's Ariel -- gave it to her. Or loaned it to her. I've got to remember to track that one down today. Dear little Ray is turning out to have an aptitude for fiction, I'm afraid.

5

Doe had a late afternoon snack last night, and being less interested in dinner than usual, decided to give us a recap on a story her teacher read today. "It's realistic fiction," she explained. "That means it's non-fiction," Ray countered. "No, it's realistic fiction. That means it could have happened but we don't know." I didn't realize that was a technical term, so I tried to paraphrase for her, and was soundly corrected: "It means it could have happened but we don't know." OK, that's how your teacher defined it, that's good enough for me.

6

I've been meaning to write a church update, but for now I'll just say that Communion has opened up for me in a whole new way. I've been thinking about the process of receiving from God, and what he gives in that simple sharing of bread and wine. Ricci Kilmer links the Lord's table with food issues, and asks about giving: "What does it mean to BE Christ’s body for people? What does it mean to say that his body is offered freely? And how should that change me?" I wish I could join her for her "Justice at the Table" workshop next week.

7

Food safety sermonette of the week: If you needed another reason to avoid high-fructose-corn-syrup (beyond obesity, diabetes, etc.), check this out: It turns out that many foods sweetened with HFCS contain mercury, left as a residue in the production of caustic soda, a key ingredient in HFCS. And worst of all, the FDA and the industry have known about this potential toxin and has continued serving it up since at least 2005. If there's any merit to the claims of many parents that mercury in vaccines is behind their childrens' autism, consider how much more exposure kids have from sodas and other foods laced with HFCS.

Friday's here again... 7 quick takes

1

I'm thinking about renaming my blog "7 Quick takes Friday" because that's about all the blogging I seem to be doing these days. But Jennifer might object, and she's gone to all the trouble to put together this nifty logo.

2

The big news (locally) this week is that my father-in-law made it through his surgery with flying colors. He was home the next morning and is resting comfortably at home. He seems to have better color and alertness -- something to do with getting enough circulation to the brain, no doubt. Thanks to those who prayed.

3

It's raining, finally. Hubby worked like a dog last weekend putting in grass seed in the backyard (leaving some edges for the vegetable garden), so at least I don't have to worry about keeping the precious little seeds wet. Hope they don't wash away. They weren't kidding about "when it rains, man it pours" in the old song. (There I go dating myself again...)

4

L.L. contends that Writing a Poem isn't Rocket Science. Maybe not. There are poetry people and there are prose people (I suppose fiction/non-fiction folks, too). Somehow poetry intimidates me. All those memories of high school English, the teacher digging obscure references out of words that sat opaquely on the page in front of me. But maybe I'll gather up my courage and try a haiku.

5

Speaking of intimidation, my first piano teacher had a theory that learning music was easier if you sang the notes you were trying to play. I understood that the spot on the page corresponded to a key on the piano, but to go from there to "do" -- a vibration coming out of my mouth and landing on the correct pitch, not so much. I can carry a tune if I'm standing right next to someone who's singing the same part (hubby has to sing some version of harmony no matter what, and consistently mixes me up!). All of this came to mind trying to follow the closing hymn with my new Episcopal friends on Sunday -- once a month, the organist comes in early and plays a hymn for the early service.

6

I heard the swearing in and Obama's speech on the way to the hospital waiting room Tuesday, then watched the TV coverage after the kids had gone to bed. I found myself wondering about what makes a leader. How does someone like Obama find themselves in possession of such a driving vision of what the country needs and how it must proceed to face the challenges ahead. For my money, he hit the right notes of hope and confidence measured with realism about the problems we face. So much of Obama's gift for leadership takes the form of oratory that comparisons with FDR or Lincoln seem inevitable, but it seems that is what we need these days -- words that will breathe courage into us as a nation.

It makes me wonder about leadership in the church. In the post-modern, emergent conversation, this kind of "man with a vision" leadership is roundly rejected (and yes, the leader in question is nearly always a man). There is talk of preaching, not as the pragmatic how-to teaching that is typical in most evangelical churches, but as proclamation meant to fire our imaginations with the possibilities of the kingdom. The trick, it seems to me, is to be able to articulate the biblical vision without putting oneself in the position of the one who makes it happen -- to share the vision and let it form a community that can put flesh on it.

7

I've been following the conversation around the new administration's choices for key players in Agriculture and related departments. The buzz from the sustainable food community is definitely mixed, with general disappointment at the appointment of friends of big Ag companies (Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak is cozy with Monsanto, for instance). The surprising news is that Laura Bush insisted on having organic, local food served at the White House -- all while her husband's policies were stacking the deck against those sustainable, organic growers putting the food on their table! Let's hope the Obamas can show a bit more teamwork!

7 Quick Takes Friday - Again

1

So at least this way I post once a week, which is probably better than my average for the past year. There's a lot brewing inside, but most of it is fairly inarticulate mishmash right now, so I'll spare you that. It's been in the 80's here this week (apologies to those of you who are freezing to death and/or buried under feet of snow), so the new season that's beginning to emerge in my heart is feeling a lot like spring. A lot of people look to the fall as the time to launch new things, but I find the fall is usually a season of burnout (tried to launch too many things, usually), and January can often be a time of new beginnings for me. It's looking like one of those years.

2

My kids had their annual Winter Sing at school this week (which I kept calling Spring Sing). In honor of Martin Luther King, they sang a bunch of songs I would have sung at their age -- "If I had a hammer" and "This land is your land." I suppose elementary school programs don't change that much over time. A couple of 6th graders read the "I have a dream" speech between the different grades. (Sadly, the kids were out of the room during the reading -- though I can understand why having 70 first graders squirming through a 5-minute reading might not be good thing.) It struck me how those songs must have had a different ring in my school days, so much closer to MLK's original proclamation. I'm reminded of how far we've come as a society to be standing on the eve of inaugurating the first African-American president, and yet how far we still have to go to see "justice roll down like waters."

3

Now that we're back in the routine of picking up veggies at the farm every week, I'm remembering just how many leafy greens can be in one CSA share! Seriously, this week we got bok choy, napa cabbage (most of those went into a big stir fry last night), collard greens (always a challenge for this Yankee girl -- but they were great with the two big leeks in our share), and spinach. And I left the turnip greens for the compost pile there.

I remember doing a cooking badge in Girl Scouts. At the end of the session we had to put together a whole meal. The Girl Scout book called for a leafy green vegetable, but the Mom who was teaching us substituted broccoli or something else because, as she explained it, "The only leafy green vegetable I could think of was spinach, and I figured most kids wouldn't like it." Much later in life I did discover that spinach and my digestive system do not get along, so I do avoid the stuff. Still, how did we survive a childhood of frozen green beens and canned corn?

4

Speaking of seasons, Christine Sine is already thinking ahead toward Lent and Easter (Easter as a season goes all the way to Pentecost). She's putting together a Lenten guide with suggested activities for making the season more meaningful than simply giving up chocolate.

So here is where I would like your help. I would like to conduct a synchroblog during Lent and Easter to focus on the meaning of Lent and the celebration of Easter in this practical way. Would you consider being a part of this? I realize that it involves far more than a simple blog post as each person involved would need to engage in at least one of the activities listed. You may like to just use the guide for a single week. The most popular activity last time was the Mutunga $2 Challenge to restrict one’s food budget to $2 per person per day for a week.

Let Christine know if you'd like to be involved, and check out her post today on What is Lent Anyway?

5

Six-year-old Doe has a metabolism much like mine, which is to say that once her blood sugar level hits a certain low point, she melts down into a whining mess. We went exploring in the butterfly preserve the other day, and predictably, Doe lost it on the way home. We were driving past a lemon orchard near our house when she started asking whether people could pick the lemons. No, the trees belong to someone, I explained. Why can't we have an orchard? I want a big orchard. On it went, with the pitch and intensity of the whining escalating.

She kept on in this vein for what seemed like hours, despite my efforts to either get some food into her or talk her down from the edge of insanity. Amazingly, her vision of her future (or imminent) agricultural career evolved from moment to moment. I want to be a farmer. I want to have a big farm. I kept proposing reasonable alternative -- we have friends who manage orchards, our CSA farm has summer camp programs for kids. No! I want a big farm now. With animals. I want to take care of the animals -- and not just chickens and goats; I want horses and cows. I want a horse.

So is my budding astronaut/vulcanologist going to trade it in for overalls and a straw hat? Who knows. From what I've been learning about our food system, I'm beginning to understand the need for some smart young people to dedicate themselves to the hard work of feeding us in healthy, sustainable ways. I'm grateful that she's growing up 1) knowing what a leafy green vegetable is (and eating them!) and 2) having the chance to see something of farm life up close.

6

Meanwhile, I'm overwhelmed by the thought of planning our garden/landscape. It's the right time to be planting fruit trees and roses, and there are certainly early crops that could go in any time now. I can't seem to get one foot in front of the other to designate a spot for the compost pile!

7

Finally, I'd like to ask for your prayers for my father-in-law. He's facing surgery on Tuesday morning to clear a blocked carotid artery. It's a delicate job, and his overall health isn't very good.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1

For most of the day yesterday, I shared my office with some of the local wildlife -- a mouse. Much as I promote sharing among my children, when it comes to sharing my living space with rodents -- not so much. Mom-in-law came in while it was peeking out from behind my desk, and commented, "Gee, she looks pregnant." Great. What I need is a family of mice living behind this heavy roll-top desk! I turned on iTunes to cover the sound of scrabbling behind the desk while I worked. Then she started making strange noises. "Don't you go into labor back there!" I yelled at the wall.

The critter was trapped and dispatched by the end of the day. Meanwhile, the cat is fired.

2

It's been one of those weeks. After two weeks of vacation, both kids decided to turn up sick on Monday (and one into Tuesday). There oughta be a law or something. Actually, I think there is one along the lines of Murphy's -- kids will always try to extend vacations, no matter how desperate Mom is for them to go back to school.

3

We've been scootering to school, though I've been finding excuses to drive the car down and pick them up at the end of the day! There's a whole set of muscles that haven't been exercised in my body for quite some time -- try standing on one leg for a couple of minutes and you'll get the idea.

4

Progress report on my first New Year's Resolution -- I visited the Episcopal church nearby last Sunday. Yes, there's definitely something there that my soul is craving. I'm not sure I'm ready to define just what that is, though the liturgy feels substantive and thoughtful in a way that praise songs don't. Now to work out the logistics of splitting time between two places on Sunday morning.

5

A strange memory about cravings: Several years ago, shortly after the birth of Ray if I remember correctly, I found myself at the grocery checkout with a cart full of red and purple produce. I had red grapes, red cabbage, beets, strawberries, eggplant, and probably a handful of others. A dietician friend of mine always used to say, "Eat what sounds good to you," on the theory that your body would tell you what it needed. I guess I needed something red that day. What does it mean if your body tells you it needs chocolate?

6

I've been spending a bit of time checking out the new Missional Tribe site since its launch on Tuesday. Many of the instigators behind it are people I've been reading for the past few years, so I haven't figured out quite what's new for me there. It's a social network space, but I have to say, I haven't quite figured out the benefits of that concept, either. My facebook account sits unnoticed for months at a time, too. Maybe there will be more call to connect around the content at MT.

7

Believe it or not, our CSA starts next week. I know most of the country is buried right now, but our little farm is producing away. I'm going for the small share this year in hopes that we'll start growing some food here. The weeds are thriving after the rain we've had, but we haven't had a chance to sit down and plan where things will go in the yard. Soon, I hope.

Just for fun -- Blogapalooza

Robert over at Middle Zone Musings (one of the Higher Calling Blogs) invited folks to share "What I learned from 2008" -- or their selection of the best posts from the past year. He's posting several each day during January. Spiritual Birdwatching is up today. It's always fun to look for an interesting new voice or perspective, so take a moment to check out Robert's blog.

7 Quick Takes Friday

I've been enjoying Jennifer's 7 Quick takes each week; thought I'd take the plunge since it's a new year and all...

1

In case you haven't noticed, I freshened up the look of my blog. So click through and take a peek. I'm not sure I love the new template, but I don't have the time or inclination to do much customizing.

2

The new year started off with a surprise (sort of) visit from hubby's sister, along with her husband, two grown daughters and one granddaughter. It felt good to have the house full of people, even briefly. Since we've decided to put off finishing the "cosmetic" part of the remodel for a bit (minor things like painting the living room and replacing 30-year-old carpet), I'm getting to the point where I'm ready to take a deep breath and go ahead with inviting people over. Don't like the look of raw drywall? Tough.

3

Highlight of Christmas: Santa decided that Mommy needed a scooter to keep up with kids who now will be riding scooters to school every day. The girls have been out riding most days since Christmas, and I've discovered entire muscle groups I didn't know I had.

4

My girls have decided that watching the Rose Parade (on TV) is their New Year's tradition. Two years ago, a friend of a friend who happens to be a city councilman in Pasadena got us tickets to the VIP grandstand. If you're going to get up at o-dark-hundred to watch a parade, that's definitely the way to go. Needless to say, my kids are now entirely spoiled for any sort of stand-on-the-sidewalk-craning-your-neck viewing of parades.

5

Are you officially old when you're in bed by 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve? Or just a parent?

6

My big project for the vacation: moving offices. Over the past year or so, my work space has shifted a few times as construction encroached. I've been working out of a small bedroom since the spring, and my approach to temporary quarters is to let them look very temporary -- and messy. So now I've negotiated for the new office (since hubby isn't working from home right now), and it's time to start moving stuff around. I even tackled the filing that's been accumulating for about a year! If only I can keep it clean.

7

I haven't finished watching this, but had to mention it now: The World According to Monsanto, a documentary produced for French TV that you won't see in the U.S. Do you want your food supply controlled by the company that brought us PCBs and Agent Orange? HT: Civil Eats blog.