thought

In art and faith the truth must dazzle gradually.

quote

There was a statement made in a geology article years ago that we've used for everything in life, not just science -

"Science has become islands of conformity surrounded by interdisciplinary oceans of ignorance."

Orthorexia

As I prepared supper, I thought about statistics I've read, and not long ago heard on the radio (and had to call Monte on my cell phone immediately!). I think it's like 6% of American's money goes to food, while Europe and Japan spend 15-20+%. We Americans gladly fork over money for satellite TV, cell phones and other electronics, but we try to buy our food as cheaply as possible.

It's kinda weird, considering the fact that we can live without our TV. But shouldn't we be more willing to spend more on food, since we actually put it into our bodies?

For years I have been interested in nutrition, reading tons, since the 60's and Mr Rodale started us down this path of health and wholeness. So much food was beginning to be processed, boxed and shipped long distances. Shelf life became most important and convenience.

The more I know...understanding where the food around me is coming from and how it's grown and made, makes it almost impossible to eat.

There's a word for this: orthorexia. It means having an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy.

Our grocery expenses are higher than they used to be. Monte was questioning, since I've visually got it laid out on excel spread sheets. But we're wanting to buy wild fish, pesticide free fruits and vegetables, hormone and antibiotic-free meat and dairy. And did you know there's now organic Twinkies!? It turns out that eating with a conscience takes money.

That's what we've told ourselves, as we try and buy as fresh and local as possible.

I know we can buy cheaper, probably half the cost. But here's the thing about orthorexia--unlike most afflictions, the worse it gets, the better you feel.

Some friends roll their eyes, as I pick up everything and read labels. Are we becoming elitists? But you know what? We feel great!

Differing smells

Two fragrances from two activities today seemed contrary. We're in the Colorado mountains and it's almost December and there's still some snow on the ground.

I had some extra poblano chilies. I bought some to sliver and saute with green beans and onions and garlic for Thanksgiving this year. It was very good and we will do it more often. But I crave grilled stuffed poblanos.

It was a beautiful day today--another 'calm before the storm', since it's supposed to snow tomorrow. And since the sun is setting earlier, I grilled our supper after lunch. As they cooked, the wood chips I used to smoke them was mesquite.

So I shed my shirt down to my camisole and soaked up the sun's vitamin D, enjoying the warmth. The sun energizes me. I would get depressed without it for many days! So I can't live places where there's days of gray.

I heard the sound of chopping and then sawing. I walked around to the front porch and Dawson had cut down a tree for Christmas, and brought it in.

So I was smelling both mesquite smoke and fresh cut pine, and I smiled.

Thanksgiving

I should say some things about Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful day. I cooked a 22 lb. turkey full of yummy stuffing in my new range. There were 14 of us. Great food and conversation.

My old Jenn Air of 23 years was down to one burner working consistently. Though we've been looking for a great deal for a couple months, it was finally urgent. I did not want to do another Thanksgiving meal with that stove! Our custom built home always seems to need some adjustments for what should be conventional sizing. We had to do some tile chipping, and a saw hitting metal bits occasionally. But thank God for Shop Vacs!

So I did some preliminary baking the day before to get used to the oven. My Mystery Pecan pies turned out better than ever. And I baked another batch of cinnamon rolls, for the company sleeping over, for Friday's breakfast, and a couple oval loaves with the extra dough. I made that bread totally out of fresh ground Kamut grain. It came out great! And I'm loving the ceramic smooth cooktop.

We needed extra sleeping space. So the vacated laundry room is turning out to be handy. Travis and Sarah slept in there on a blow up mattress. They shared the room with their new LITTLE puppy named Bea. She's a Boston Terrier. Sarah's parents had the guest room. And the Johnson family were the other guests for Thanksgiving.

It was a sunny day, though cold, since it had snowed the day before. So the atmosphere with the wood cookstove going, and window views of snow and pine trees and very blue sky, makes for a great day inside with friends and family.

I'm Sad

Monte says I should go ahead and post that I'm sad.

I'm not sure what to write and maybe writing this will help. I love to write, and when in the process, it's like I start writing things I never thought to write...I don't know if it's conscious or my subconscious, but differing thought processes just take off. And sometimes things crystallize. It's why I regularly journal. Though some may think it sounds wacko, but I often feel God's hands taking over my hands.

Today was my first day to breath, with no commitments - like needing to get coffee going for someone (no one else in this house knows how to make coffee)(and these days I'm drinking more loose black tea brewed in a tea pot). I don't need to make lunches for kids going skiing, which Dawson did with friends today, because they're doing things for themselves.

I woke with sadness. I've had some strange dreams for several nights (I don't remember them) that have left me in a void. We went to church tonight instead of tomorrow morning. It was the first service following a major decision made this week by the session and elders.

Our senior pastor Peter, of 15 years, has been let go. I don't know the actual church body numbers of people starting to complain of his sermon directions, but most of us I know really appreciate how he challenges us. But the Evangelical Presbytery (EPC) has been 'holding trial' with him for several months now, though the process probably began more than a year ago. And there's probably some other things most of us don't really know.

I'm just at a place of trust in the leadership, who do know more. Church tonight was a reminder of the body of Christ that's alive, and the value of community. This place for now is where we feel God wants us and is home.

Though there's pain and a feeling like a death, maybe it's more of the pain often involved in new birth. We want to see what God might want to do. We don't want to miss God in all this. We could be standing on holy ground. And like Peter starting to get out of the boat, I don't want to take my eyes off of Jesus!

Monte's Pollyanna perspective is that we ought to feel blessed having had so many years of great messages, drawing us closer to God. And too, Peter's message is so where the culture is, that God may be wanting him ministering elsewhere. With this being the week of Thanksgiving, I was so full of gratitude for God's leading of us, in seeing the world from His eyes and His heart. And that it's overflowed in desiring to be His mouth, feet and hands.

e-reader?

I had a hard time titling this blog, and I may change it as I write more. I'm really wanting to tell of another quote, but it has to have a background or context...I'll say the quote first:

"When you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas."

I've been considering writing books and looking into digital and eBooks. In that research you come across ebook readers. Amazon just came out with one called Kindle. But I'm reading more of the drawbacks as time goes on...like there's wireless internet capabilities that can bring junk to you.

So, get the quote?

Actually eBooks aren't selling that well. Small chapter downloads are and if you're connected into a company with 'associates'. I'm still researching (actually later when I have more time...).

And too...I'm still one for the nostalgia of curling up with a book, not a computer or printer pages!

Thanksgiving Tree

I put up my Thanksgiving Tree drawing today.

I often get frustrated at the Thanksgiving table when I ask what people are thankful for. Usually someone says something silly and then everyone else does. So now on a large piece of paper I draw a tree, with lots of branches and no leaves, to hang on the wall. I cut a variety of leaves from colored construction paper and leave them sit on a counter with a pen and glue stick. If this is done a week or so before Thanksgiving everyone who comes to our house can write something they're thankful for on a leaf and glue it on the tree. Then by Thanksgiving, we've had time to think beyond tangibles like food, family, God, friends, pets etc to intangibles like Truth, Love, integrity and then beyond to firemen, police, doctors ...

Two gals had heard me talk about it several years ago at MOPS and brought examples of their trees. One gal drew the tree skeleton and they ripped brown paper bag pieces and glued them on, filling in the tree. Pieces were loose and it looked like bark. Another gal had gathered lots of colored aspen leaves and color copied them to cut out for the leaves.

This year I wrote 'gratitude' instead of 'thanks'. It's just something I've been pondering...It's an 'at the heart level' thing I think people today lack. Gratitude could change the world!

Calvin & Hobbes

This is the day of the first debut in 1985 of Calvin & Hobbes cartoon strip by Bill Watterson. We have all the books. (Except that I see a Teaching With Calvin and Hobbes, that I'd like to see if it still exists. I had a friend do a whole "Beginning Homeschooling" workshop from the cartoons. You could develop any kind of a talk from the cartoons!) We really like them.

Calvin comes from John Calvin. Most of us have heard of him and Calvinism. Him a 16th century French Reformation Theologian. Calvin in the cartoon is an extremely creative, full of energy, imaginative, intelligent, and curious 6 year-old boy.

Hobbes is portrayed as his cynical, 'adultish', large stuffed tiger. Thomas Hobbes is not so known. He created English-language philosophy - nothing had been written in English before him. His most noted book Leviathan, is the western world's political philosophy foundation. Thomas Hobbes was a 17th century philosopher, so they lived at differing times. But the cartoonist liked to use their opposite viewpoints to create the dialogue in the cartoons.

Travis took one set of books we had when he left home. I haven't looked to see if Dawson has the complete set. A hardbound set in three volumes came out in 2005 that I ought to get for ME! Dawson's books are all dog-eared! Dawson wanted a large Hobbes stuffed tiger. I couldn't find one, so we made one.

Meteor Showers

I looked at my calendar. Tomorrow morning says Wild Woman Morning in 2001. I might say more about that tomorrow...

But...I remembered it's the time of year for the Leonid Meteor Showers, and just read about them in the news. Watching the showers in 2001 is connected to a special morning memory.

This year isn't supposed to be so great, but with the moon gone from the sky not long after dark, you should be able to see some. 3am is their peak. They're predicting about 15+ per hour. Some years there's been recorded 1500 per hour. Our sky might be cloudy tonight.