3.14...

Today is Pi day. I have it on my calendar for the fun of it. Our news radio station mentioned it this morning because one of the station daughter's class was to bring round things in. And the daughter was going to bring in a square pie. I thought that was fun!

We had done the same kind of exercise when our kids were young - had them look at anything round and have them measure around the circle (circumference) and divide by the diameter of the circle. No matter the circle size, they'd come up with this same 3.14... number. This magic number is called 'pi'. They had fun!

The joke this morning about the square pie was: a farmer sent his son to college and asked him when he was done to tell him a math fact. (I don't know any hidden keystrokes on this computer to type a pi symbol or a raised 2. Or maybe use a 'n'?) He told his dad "A circle area=pixr2". The farmer was upset, "I spent all that money for schooling when any fool can tell you pies aren't square!" (you've gotta say it with an accent).

Tongues Quote

"Art, music, dance, theater, literature, film. 

They're all a way of speaking in tongues."

-Ian Morgan Cron

Relaxing

I'm home from a women's ministry meeting at church, and relaxing and unwinding from a busy day before going to bed. Monte is trying to finish getting a new toilet installed in the kids bathroom. We are going to replace the one in the guest bathroom soon too. So, for now, the only usable toilet in the house is in our master bathroom (which is having it's own problems and will also be replaced). It's what comes of a 24 year old, well-lived-in-house (like I posted long ago about our Velveteen House).

I woke up two days ago and no water - these old toilets without warning 'run' all night. Luckily the pump and well don't take too-too long reviving ... but Dawson couldn't take a shower before leaving for the day - and no laundry that day.

I had posted (maybe at the end of November, or early December) about our church going through a rough transition. This year MOPS has had a rough year. And now with a big chunk of the congregation, including staff, gone to start another church ... it's feeling like ... real church. Like we are truly a body, with the parts dependent on the other parts, desiring to work together ... and feeling out of control, yet not wanting to jump in quick and "fix it"- so more waiting on the Spirit.

Some of us, part of the original women's community team, are just trying to hold the pieces together and finish out the season's plans. We're really hoping for new body parts, new blood, and new ideas, to come forth.

So I'm trying to relax in God. Though I'm currently relaxing in my recliner with my laptop on my lap, I'm actually sitting in God's lap, resting my head on his chest, wanting to sync my heartbeat with His.

Bach

On this day in 1829, Felix Mendelssohn conducted Bach's St Matthew Passion. Bach was still relatively unknown, even though he had died almost a century before. More than one thousand people were unable to get tickets, so two additional concerts had to be scheduled.

It was only then that scholars began to analyze and appreciate the artistic majesty of Bach - one century from his first, long-forgotten performance of this piece! 

So great was the sensation that composer Hector Berlioz marveled, "There is but one God--and Bach and Medelssohn are His prophets."

The Shack

I'm reading a great book. I originally tried getting it from the library but there's lots of holds on it. A friend who KNOWS me said, "Karey, you are going to want to own this book!" Many people I know are reading it more than once. It's The Shack.

Here are just a few of the many comments on the book:
"This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress did for his. It's that good!" - Eugene Peterson

The Shack is the most absorbing work of fiction I've read in many years. My wife and I laughed, cried and repented of our own lack of faith along the way. The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God." - Michael W Smith

"Reading The Shack during a very difficult transition in my life, this story has blown the door wide open to my soul." - Wynonna Judd

Learning

Pablo Picasso said, "I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it."

This also describes me. A while back I posted about "Process vs Product" and I described myself as a process person. I'm forever wanting to learn how to do new things. I'm forever researching. I sometimes pick the hardest patterns in textile arts just for the challenge of a more interesting process.

I'm not taking pictures of my newest project until I get the stuff on the wall. Oh ... maybe I'll do one of the door, just to show the new colors. But of course the door's not done. (I guess installing door trim is another new thing I need to learn from Monte so I can finish all the trim around this house. It doesn't seem to bother him, but it really bothers visual me!) I taped some areas of the door as guides, to see how it would work and look. I think I'd like to add more green in some indents, but taping takes so long, but I don't think my hand is steady enough for straight lines.

I'm going to the airport to pick up Monte in a little while. There's a fish taco place out there where I'm looking forward to eating. I got a coupon the last time I was there and had been waiting for a long time. The place is really popular. I don't think there is one of these restaurants on our side of town yet. I haven't made fish tacos yet, but I'm going to research and learn how! Monte's had them in San Diego and Tucson and loves them.

happenings

I took Monte to the airport again yesterday - or maybe I should say, he again flew to Tucson for geologic research and writing with Stan. When he's gone, I don't have to think about creative meals, so it's a nice break (except I did have Gary spending the night with Dawson since they were studying for a history exam. So I did do some cooking, but easy simple stuff).

I started painting the laundry/exercise room today. Since I had given Dawson and Gary free reign to explore texture with drywall compound in that room last fall, and it's pretty thick and rustic, I thought I better put on a drywall sealer-primer first. I'm glad I did - it was so 'thirsty' it really soaked up the stuff! I'll finish painting it tomorrow with two colors. When I'm done I'll take pictures and post them.

I bought some fun kid maps of the world to put on the wall in front of the treadmill. I like looking at something with lots to look at and learn from. I'll change things out for new viewing off and on. I'm toying with putting up the old homeschool timeline we had in the laundry room. Don't know ...

That room has undergone several changes since we built this home 24 years ago. Since we didn't finish the upstairs for awhile, living in the downstairs, the laundry room started out as Monte's and my bedroom. Then it became Monte's office for years. We talked of turning it into my office or craft room, but I like what it's become - still laundry with a door into the garage and exercise equipment. It's on the north side of the house and overlooks the front porch. A macrame window-covering I made in our first townhouse when first married hangs in the window.

The funniest story of it as our bedroom has to do with a porcupine under the window in the night rustling in some flats of plant starts. Naked Monte went out to scare it away. But a porcupine? What happens when a porcupine gets scared?! No, it didn't fling it's quills at Monte, but it wouldn't go away and just kept eating all my baby plants. All that was around was a snow shovel, so Monte tried using it to shoo it away, to no avail. Then he began thinking about our dogs and vet bills and the ponderosa trees the porcupine had stripped. So he hit it and knocked it out. He then carried it all the way down our driveway (remember he's naked but for shoes)(and our driveway is long) and buried it in the ditch. Well ... a few weeks later a couple in an old Cadillac were trying to turn around at the bottom of our driveway and landed in the ditch, right where Monte had buried the porcupine. As they spun their back tires trying to get out, the porcupine, which had turned into a quilly, soupy, rank consistency, was flung all over their Cadillac and the road.

Well ... moving on to another type of soup, at the end of the BLT Soup post, I mentioned it was snowing that day after a 70 degree day for March 1st and now it's supposed to start snowing again tonight into tomorrow. We'll see what March brings, though warmer and lots of snow and ice melting, the road has already started that 'greasy' mud that's almost worse than ice.

I get Monte at the airport on Friday.

The Visitor (2008) - Movie Trailer HD

This looks really good. I can't wait.

Katharine Drexel

March 3, 1955, Katharine Drexel died. In 2000 she became the second American-born woman to be canonized. She was born into a very wealthy Philadelphia family. Katharine had an excellent education and traveled extensively with her family. (This photo I took with my camera is out of my book of saints. All other photos are her as a nun.)

She started over 60 schools throughout the United States including Xavier University in 1925 in New Orleans, the first university for blacks. The first school she started was in Sante Fe, New Mexico, for Indian kids. I googled her and usually wikipedia and a catholic site about her would be on the first page, but four pages are full of schools and libraries and foundations named after her.

So what occurred in her life that seems to have influenced so much good? First, her mother opened their home three days a week to the poor. And too, her father spent a half hour in prayer every evening. She visited Pope Leo XIII in Rome and asked for missionaries to the US West's Indians. He looked at her and asked, "Why don't you become a missionary?"

In 1891 Katharine founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored. Attuned to the Holy Spirit she joyously facilitated advances for social justice. Traveling and speaking, United State churches became aware of the grave domestic need among Native Americans and Afro-Americans. She hoped to change racial attitudes in the United States.

At the age of 77 she had a heart attack. Her activity shifted, spending the last almost 20 years of her life in intensive prayer.

Christianity Roots

I was just reading. So many names from Christianity's roots I know: Augustine, Athanasius, Clement, Desert Fathers, Origen, and Tertullian - and many of them I've blogged about, I just thought them what? Middle Eastern? Greek?

We just assume (without really thinking) most of our roots are European. But in reality many of the early church roots are African! There's a great article about a book and a call to reclaim Christianity's roots.