Hola, readers! I was assigned by my book group to report on the book I'm reading, "Surprised By Hope," by N. T. Wright. It's a fascinating and dense theology, and I've found it ... well ... surprising and hopeful. Here's my take on it:
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LIFE AFTER LIFE AFTER DEATH: A NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH
(A review of N.T. Wright’s “Surprised By Hope”)
“Everyone who talks about Heaven ain’t goin’ there” says the old hymn. N. T. Wright takes this thought a few miles farther along: he avers that Heaven is not our final destination.
If we really read the Scriptural words of Jesus carefully, I think we have to admit that Wright is right. What did Christ mean when he talked about “a new heavens and a new earth”? What do we think we mean when we recite the credal words, “and He will come again to judge both the living and the dead; and His kingdom will have no end”?
Tom Wright contends that Scripture teaches us that the souls of the just will indeed be allowed to rest from their labors; but that everywhere in the New Testament it is proclaimed that the process doesn’t end with our bodies decayed and our souls resting on a fluffy cloud playing alleluias on a harp for all eternity (BORING!) ...
What we can read tells us that Jesus – the “first fruits” of the promise of eternal life – was raised bodily from death to life, and so shall we be, when he “comes again in glory.” Sleepers will awake, and the new heavens and new earth will be joined – and we shall see God.
If we believe this, Tom says, we can’t buy the image of the Pearly Gates and cloud-beds beyond.
If we believe Jesus when he said the Kingdom is at hand, this sort of negates the idea that we’ll all be transported to a meeting in the air and be carried off like space travellers to a place in the sky.
And here’s the clincher: if we believe Jesus, and understand that “these bones shall rise again,” as the old prophet put it, this puts a whole new light on the work we have to do in the present, on Earth.
The heresy that this world will simply cease to exist in any form, asks this question, then: why would the Spirit renew the face of the Earth? And why would it be important for us to work for the Kingdom to come? -- We could just let pollution and war and all the afflictions of the planet and the universe go on their merry ways; we’re bound for a different world.
But if we believe that “not all shall die; but the trumpet will sound; and we shall be changed, in the wink of an eye,” then it is an important task we have been given, to build up our world for the eternal life to come.
I’ll just end with a direct paragraphal quote from the final chapter of this book:
“The point of 1 Corinthians 13 is not that love is our duty: it is our destiny. It is the language Jesus spoke, and we are called to speak it so that we can converse with him. It is the food we’ll eat in God’s new world, and we must acquire the taste for it here and now. It is the music God has written for all his creatures to sing, and we are called to learn it and practice it now, so as to be ready when the conductor raises his baton. It is the resurrected life, and the resurrected Jesus calls us to begin living it with him and for him right now. Love is at the very heart of the surprise of hope; if we are people who hope as the resurrection encourages us to hope, we will be people enabled to love in a new way. Conversely people who are living by this rule of love will be people who are learning more deeply how to hope.”
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Monday, 5 July 2010
It's the 5th of July -- Feelin' Independent!
Hope you all had as nice a "4th" as we did. John and I hosted the neighborhood (3 houses) block party yesterday, and it was a fine success.
I made Pan Bagnat, a 2-hour creation of one sandwich – but what a Sammie! (Large baguette cut lengthwise, hollowed out a bit and brushed with a Dijon vinaigrette, and filled with Italian olive-oil-packed tuna, fresh basil leaves, sliced hardboiled eggs and tomatoes, thinly slivered red onion and bell pepper, and chopped Kalamata olives – drizzled with more vinaigrette; then you top off the loaf and press down heavily over all, tightly wrap it in Saran, and weight it; chill for a couple of hours – when it's time, you slice it thickly crosswise, and serve it forth). The neighbors brought prawn cocktails, jicama-cucumber salad, guacamole and crudites; John made Margaritas; and we finished off the three-hour meal on the deck with NY cheesecake topped with fresh macerated strawberries and blueberries: a red/white/blue salute.
Otherwise we are having as quiet a 3-day celebration as possible, resting up for the end of July festivities.
June was for me a month of preparation for the Reunion, and July will be more of the same; and while there have been a few little changes along the way, the plans are going very well indeed. We look to have between 50-60 people at the Big Picnic on July 31st; and John and I are hosting an Open House up here at the cottage on Sunday afternoon, as everyone is leaving – especially for those who have not yet visited in Boulder Creek, but everyone is welcome to come up for sandwiches and lemonade (or whatever) and hang out in our garden on the deck that afternoon, before going off to Real Life again.
(In August John and I will need a real vacation! We may just go back to Carmel Valley and spend some days enjoying The Quiet!)
We're so looking forward to having all of our dear ones together from near and far; it is one of the great blessings of this huge clan to be able to experience this Group Love-In every few years.
I made Pan Bagnat, a 2-hour creation of one sandwich – but what a Sammie! (Large baguette cut lengthwise, hollowed out a bit and brushed with a Dijon vinaigrette, and filled with Italian olive-oil-packed tuna, fresh basil leaves, sliced hardboiled eggs and tomatoes, thinly slivered red onion and bell pepper, and chopped Kalamata olives – drizzled with more vinaigrette; then you top off the loaf and press down heavily over all, tightly wrap it in Saran, and weight it; chill for a couple of hours – when it's time, you slice it thickly crosswise, and serve it forth). The neighbors brought prawn cocktails, jicama-cucumber salad, guacamole and crudites; John made Margaritas; and we finished off the three-hour meal on the deck with NY cheesecake topped with fresh macerated strawberries and blueberries: a red/white/blue salute.
Otherwise we are having as quiet a 3-day celebration as possible, resting up for the end of July festivities.
June was for me a month of preparation for the Reunion, and July will be more of the same; and while there have been a few little changes along the way, the plans are going very well indeed. We look to have between 50-60 people at the Big Picnic on July 31st; and John and I are hosting an Open House up here at the cottage on Sunday afternoon, as everyone is leaving – especially for those who have not yet visited in Boulder Creek, but everyone is welcome to come up for sandwiches and lemonade (or whatever) and hang out in our garden on the deck that afternoon, before going off to Real Life again.
(In August John and I will need a real vacation! We may just go back to Carmel Valley and spend some days enjoying The Quiet!)
We're so looking forward to having all of our dear ones together from near and far; it is one of the great blessings of this huge clan to be able to experience this Group Love-In every few years.
Monday, 14 June 2010
Bloggin, bloggin' along
The RU grows ever nearer, and I spend a lot of time on the net planning and making lists. All is going well, but it is time-consuming (my ironclad excuse for not working on my memoirs, although I did write a few paragraphs this morning).
Summer is here at last, and we had Joe and Kathie and Josh up for a chicken and corn BBQ last evening. They brought us a wonderful gift: their neighbor is remodeling her kitchen (copycatting Kathie, who just had theirs done!) and was getting rid of a nice 3-year-old dishwasher; they nabbed it for us, to replace our horrible old built-in that came with the cottage. Our handyman crew of Mark and Del will be here tomorrow to install it and we are very grateful!
Today I start my water aerobics classes (twice a week) at a local club pool; and Saturday I did a full hour of Pilates training (including on that scary machine, the "Reformer" -- which John calls "The Enforcer") -- it was actually a lot of fun!
I hope everyone is getting as excited as I am about the end of July revelries in Carmel Valley; we can't wait to see you all.
Summer is here at last, and we had Joe and Kathie and Josh up for a chicken and corn BBQ last evening. They brought us a wonderful gift: their neighbor is remodeling her kitchen (copycatting Kathie, who just had theirs done!) and was getting rid of a nice 3-year-old dishwasher; they nabbed it for us, to replace our horrible old built-in that came with the cottage. Our handyman crew of Mark and Del will be here tomorrow to install it and we are very grateful!
Today I start my water aerobics classes (twice a week) at a local club pool; and Saturday I did a full hour of Pilates training (including on that scary machine, the "Reformer" -- which John calls "The Enforcer") -- it was actually a lot of fun!
I hope everyone is getting as excited as I am about the end of July revelries in Carmel Valley; we can't wait to see you all.
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Pomp and Circumstance in Junior High
What celebrations! What glory! We grandparents are astounded!
You young whippersnappers may not realize this, but in my day, there were no Junior High Graduation Ceremonies. Oh, we celebrated, all right – whooped out the school doors and ran for home on the last day of school, slipped into old shorts and tee top outfits, raided the freezer for ice cream bars, and flopped on a lawn chair to plan nothing but the endless days of summer ahead of us.
Having attended the formal commencements of our two grand pre-high-schoolers, Danny and Josh, on Thursday, I'm here to tell the world that it's a whole new era.
Danny Drysdale's midday ceremony was out of doors at the Cabrillo College campus, south of Santa Cruz. He was part of a large graduating class, but the process ran very smoothly, on a sunny, breezy sports field (parents and grandparents to the bleachers, graduates to the chairs on the grass). Afterward, the Drysdale parents took us old folks out to a lunch celebration for Danny's posse of buddies, and their parents and grandparents, at a nearby pizza parlor – the boys behaved better than the adults! The restaurant owner came by our table to tell us that these kids (who hang out at his place often after school) were the best behaved bunch he'd ever had in his restaurant: kudos to Julie and Bryan and the other parents in attendance!
The Drysdale celebration was twofold: that day Stephanie (who is just finishing her four years of high school this June) had learned that she's been admitted as a freshman at the University of Washington in Seattle! She starts college in September, and will have her Uncle Frank and Aunt Linda as mentors in the northwest, and cousins-in-college Caitlin and Justin, as buddies.
After we elders checked in at a Ramada Inn in Marina and had a brief rest, we then regrouped and went to the gymnasium of a local high school for Josh's evening commencement ceremony. As we entered, Kathie asked one of Josh's teachers where we ought to sit (in the bleachers again, of course) to get good photos. He said, "Josh is going to be in the front row – he's one of the 20 students from this class being honored for high academic achievement at this school – so sit right over there near the front, on the left side." With prideful smiles, we marched over and got good vantage places.
When the ceremony began, and when Josh walked up to accept his award as one of the most improved scholars in his class over the past two years, we cheered loudly and cameras were put to good use.
Joe and Kathie took us all out to a beautiful stone-walled old restaurant near Carmel for a gala late supper; Josh took the head of the table and chose his drink and his pasta with lobster-and-shrimp sauce with great style and poise -- and topped his meal off with a rootbeer float!
Now our boys are headed for high school next September: great times ahead..... much work, and fun, and a few more carefree years of youth.
You young whippersnappers may not realize this, but in my day, there were no Junior High Graduation Ceremonies. Oh, we celebrated, all right – whooped out the school doors and ran for home on the last day of school, slipped into old shorts and tee top outfits, raided the freezer for ice cream bars, and flopped on a lawn chair to plan nothing but the endless days of summer ahead of us.
Having attended the formal commencements of our two grand pre-high-schoolers, Danny and Josh, on Thursday, I'm here to tell the world that it's a whole new era.
Danny Drysdale's midday ceremony was out of doors at the Cabrillo College campus, south of Santa Cruz. He was part of a large graduating class, but the process ran very smoothly, on a sunny, breezy sports field (parents and grandparents to the bleachers, graduates to the chairs on the grass). Afterward, the Drysdale parents took us old folks out to a lunch celebration for Danny's posse of buddies, and their parents and grandparents, at a nearby pizza parlor – the boys behaved better than the adults! The restaurant owner came by our table to tell us that these kids (who hang out at his place often after school) were the best behaved bunch he'd ever had in his restaurant: kudos to Julie and Bryan and the other parents in attendance!
The Drysdale celebration was twofold: that day Stephanie (who is just finishing her four years of high school this June) had learned that she's been admitted as a freshman at the University of Washington in Seattle! She starts college in September, and will have her Uncle Frank and Aunt Linda as mentors in the northwest, and cousins-in-college Caitlin and Justin, as buddies.
After we elders checked in at a Ramada Inn in Marina and had a brief rest, we then regrouped and went to the gymnasium of a local high school for Josh's evening commencement ceremony. As we entered, Kathie asked one of Josh's teachers where we ought to sit (in the bleachers again, of course) to get good photos. He said, "Josh is going to be in the front row – he's one of the 20 students from this class being honored for high academic achievement at this school – so sit right over there near the front, on the left side." With prideful smiles, we marched over and got good vantage places.
When the ceremony began, and when Josh walked up to accept his award as one of the most improved scholars in his class over the past two years, we cheered loudly and cameras were put to good use.
Joe and Kathie took us all out to a beautiful stone-walled old restaurant near Carmel for a gala late supper; Josh took the head of the table and chose his drink and his pasta with lobster-and-shrimp sauce with great style and poise -- and topped his meal off with a rootbeer float!
Now our boys are headed for high school next September: great times ahead..... much work, and fun, and a few more carefree years of youth.
Saturday, 29 May 2010
Summer Holiday #1
Yay! Just in time for the big opening weekend of summertime, we have bright sunshine and warm air at last, up here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. My beloved and I celebrated with a walk in the village and breakfast at the Old Mountain Cafe (fresh squeezed OJ!) followed by espresso at Rainbow's End (great coffee, bad live folk music). The bad music was ameliorated by KPIG playing Van the Man's "Tupelo Honey" as we drove back up to our cottage.
It's been a long, wet, cold springtime, but I believe it's all over now. We're cleaning up the gas grill and marinating a steak -- and planning to spend the next two days on our redwood deck, figuring out how many shades of green our garden forest provides. It's a veritable full palette after all the rainwater that's been soaking into the loamy forest floor.
We've made good use of the springtime, however -- much fixing-up of the exterior and interior of the house, serious South-Beach dieting, good exercise programs begun and pursued. Now all of that can be done outdoors, adding to the pleasure of every moment.
Our thoughts are often focused on the coming reunion in Carmel Valley, and we're hoping that as many of the gang as possible can drive up here after it's over, to see the cottage, while in Cali -- especially those who have not yet had a chance to experience this environment. We'll have an open house on Sunday afternoon, August 1st, so wherever you are heading as you leave CV, please stop by for refreshments, a walk through our idyllic grounds, and laze in the sun on the back deck, before heading homeward.
It's been a long, wet, cold springtime, but I believe it's all over now. We're cleaning up the gas grill and marinating a steak -- and planning to spend the next two days on our redwood deck, figuring out how many shades of green our garden forest provides. It's a veritable full palette after all the rainwater that's been soaking into the loamy forest floor.
We've made good use of the springtime, however -- much fixing-up of the exterior and interior of the house, serious South-Beach dieting, good exercise programs begun and pursued. Now all of that can be done outdoors, adding to the pleasure of every moment.
Our thoughts are often focused on the coming reunion in Carmel Valley, and we're hoping that as many of the gang as possible can drive up here after it's over, to see the cottage, while in Cali -- especially those who have not yet had a chance to experience this environment. We'll have an open house on Sunday afternoon, August 1st, so wherever you are heading as you leave CV, please stop by for refreshments, a walk through our idyllic grounds, and laze in the sun on the back deck, before heading homeward.
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
How's everybody doing out there?
I haven't spoken for a while, so here's a quick update: the diet is still going well; our health has really been good this winter and spring; I'm having weekly Pilates lessons from our therapist and next door neighbor Teresa; I had a root canal (not so good, but it's taken care of now); and John is in Connecticut.
Re that last bit: Stella and Eric are having a house party for the Soule clan this coming weekend, to celebrate and congratulate daughter Louise (aka Lou-Lou) on her graduation from McGill University up in Montreal. John had enough mileage points to fly back, and will be there until Sunday. Kathy, Dave, and Rowan are going to the party on Saturday, so Dad/Granddad will have a nice chance to visit with them too.
We've been fixing up the cottage here a little more: adding a very needed railing to the outside of the back steps, and another alongside some small steps leading from the front patio around to John's "studio" .... and are having some necessary spring gardening done also.
Our focus from here on through summer will be on the big family reunion in Carmel Valley at the end of July and the attendant visits from family members; in early September we hope to be able to go to Ireland with Eileen and Greg for a week; and in early October our friends Alfredo and Olga Bacchelli are coming to visit Boulder Creek for a few days.
Meanwhile, we've had a very cool spring season, and are longing for summer to arrive soon.
I trust you are all doing as well as we seem to be; add your comments below!
Re that last bit: Stella and Eric are having a house party for the Soule clan this coming weekend, to celebrate and congratulate daughter Louise (aka Lou-Lou) on her graduation from McGill University up in Montreal. John had enough mileage points to fly back, and will be there until Sunday. Kathy, Dave, and Rowan are going to the party on Saturday, so Dad/Granddad will have a nice chance to visit with them too.
We've been fixing up the cottage here a little more: adding a very needed railing to the outside of the back steps, and another alongside some small steps leading from the front patio around to John's "studio" .... and are having some necessary spring gardening done also.
Our focus from here on through summer will be on the big family reunion in Carmel Valley at the end of July and the attendant visits from family members; in early September we hope to be able to go to Ireland with Eileen and Greg for a week; and in early October our friends Alfredo and Olga Bacchelli are coming to visit Boulder Creek for a few days.
Meanwhile, we've had a very cool spring season, and are longing for summer to arrive soon.
I trust you are all doing as well as we seem to be; add your comments below!
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Phase 2
Yesss! We got through the Dreaded Phase One of the South Beach Diet, with great results. Now heading into the longer stretch, adding just a little of the carb/sugar stuff at a time and watching the results in terms of how we feel (how hungry?) and what the scales say.
We are both feeling much better generally; and during those first two weeks we really were not hungry at all, as the diet is so well balanced. I think the main thing I missed was fruit (which we now are able to have) – and the evening glass of wine or highball (ditto).
We are still having bi-polar weather in our mountain aerie: today is clear, 80 degree springtime – and an Arctic storm is threatening us on Tuesday, the fourth in four weeks. Mind-blowing.
Getting old and forgetful is not nice: I found on Saturday that I have inadvertently let my California driver's license lapse. No use pointing out to the DMV that they failed miserably in not sending me a renewal notice (which is true); it's still my responsibility to keep the license up to date. So tomorrow morning bright and early we go to Capitola to see what I need to do now; that odious expedition will be leavened by having lunch with Julie, we hope, and doing a little shopping for some decent, comfortable lounge chairs for the back deck (if we can ever put them out and declare that summer is really here!)
Otherwise all is well in our cottage, as I hope it is in your own dear retreats.
We are both feeling much better generally; and during those first two weeks we really were not hungry at all, as the diet is so well balanced. I think the main thing I missed was fruit (which we now are able to have) – and the evening glass of wine or highball (ditto).
We are still having bi-polar weather in our mountain aerie: today is clear, 80 degree springtime – and an Arctic storm is threatening us on Tuesday, the fourth in four weeks. Mind-blowing.
Getting old and forgetful is not nice: I found on Saturday that I have inadvertently let my California driver's license lapse. No use pointing out to the DMV that they failed miserably in not sending me a renewal notice (which is true); it's still my responsibility to keep the license up to date. So tomorrow morning bright and early we go to Capitola to see what I need to do now; that odious expedition will be leavened by having lunch with Julie, we hope, and doing a little shopping for some decent, comfortable lounge chairs for the back deck (if we can ever put them out and declare that summer is really here!)
Otherwise all is well in our cottage, as I hope it is in your own dear retreats.
Saturday, 17 April 2010
MID TERM REPORT
One week into the mandatory two-week "Phase One" of the South Beach diet: John has lost exactly twice as much as myself. That alone is enough to make me a militant feminazi! Why do men lose weight faster on a similar diet than women can?
But it is without doubt the easiest diet ever; if you follow the rules, you don't get hungry.
However, the second week has started and of course the water-loss weight was easy to drop – now comes the testing.
Exercise starts today with a Pilates session this morning and a real walk afterward.
But it is without doubt the easiest diet ever; if you follow the rules, you don't get hungry.
However, the second week has started and of course the water-loss weight was easy to drop – now comes the testing.
Exercise starts today with a Pilates session this morning and a real walk afterward.
Monday, 12 April 2010
Life's A South Beach
Now that we are home again and settling back into a routine, John and I have begun the long delayed process of getting ourselves in better shape. I am signed up with our angelic neighbor next door, Teresa, for weekly Pilates sessions on Saturday morning; and John will re-up his daily one-hour morning walks.
We have also started the South Beach Diet program, which we followed a few years ago when it first became popular. At one week into Phase One, I can say a few words about this process.
First of all, good old Dr. Agatston has updated a lot of his first suggestions for Phase One. the basic philosophy is unchanged: Phase One is designed to reorient your pancreas. That is, the meal plans that include plenty of vegetables and meat and eggs (but little else) during the first two weeks consist of foods that eliminate the effects of high-glycemic intake (a strong effect of a bad diet). In lay jargon: sugar's gotta go. The original plan, which consisted mainly of a lot of eggs, very lean beef and chicken and fish, and unlimited amounts of green vegetables (and some rather gross sugarless "desserts"), was boring and repetitive – and thousands of dieters must have let Dr. A know about that. His new list of allowed foods in Phase One has expanded greatly over the past few years: it now includes other types of lean meats (pork and lamb loin, for instance); tomatoes and many other low-sugar vegetables; and more interesting interim snack foods (2 or 3 required daily between meals).
Working with the new guidelines, I've been able to make much more interesting menus up for lunches and dinners (but breakfast is still very eggy).
Our pleasant habit of a couple of highballs before dinner is now converted to a glass of John's discovery when he was in India: Lime Soda. This is nothing more than club soda with a good squeeze of fresh lime juice, a small dash of salt, and plenty of ice. It's really quite tasty. I'm going to try adding some crushed fresh mint leaves (we have plenty growing in our herb garden).
Have we lost weight yet? Yes indeed; I won't catalog the numbers here, but you can be assured that the diet is working. Well, they always work pretty well for the first week or so; I'll report back later on our future results.
We have also started the South Beach Diet program, which we followed a few years ago when it first became popular. At one week into Phase One, I can say a few words about this process.
First of all, good old Dr. Agatston has updated a lot of his first suggestions for Phase One. the basic philosophy is unchanged: Phase One is designed to reorient your pancreas. That is, the meal plans that include plenty of vegetables and meat and eggs (but little else) during the first two weeks consist of foods that eliminate the effects of high-glycemic intake (a strong effect of a bad diet). In lay jargon: sugar's gotta go. The original plan, which consisted mainly of a lot of eggs, very lean beef and chicken and fish, and unlimited amounts of green vegetables (and some rather gross sugarless "desserts"), was boring and repetitive – and thousands of dieters must have let Dr. A know about that. His new list of allowed foods in Phase One has expanded greatly over the past few years: it now includes other types of lean meats (pork and lamb loin, for instance); tomatoes and many other low-sugar vegetables; and more interesting interim snack foods (2 or 3 required daily between meals).
Working with the new guidelines, I've been able to make much more interesting menus up for lunches and dinners (but breakfast is still very eggy).
Our pleasant habit of a couple of highballs before dinner is now converted to a glass of John's discovery when he was in India: Lime Soda. This is nothing more than club soda with a good squeeze of fresh lime juice, a small dash of salt, and plenty of ice. It's really quite tasty. I'm going to try adding some crushed fresh mint leaves (we have plenty growing in our herb garden).
Have we lost weight yet? Yes indeed; I won't catalog the numbers here, but you can be assured that the diet is working. Well, they always work pretty well for the first week or so; I'll report back later on our future results.
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Easter in Paradise
I have decided that we will want to spend every Holy Week from now on in this fair old city of ours. The experience of the celebration of the three days before Easter, at Trinity parish, is not just aesthetically beautiful – it is a real renewal for the spirit, better than Spring Cleaning. From Thursday's Paschal Meal celebrated with about 100 people in the Guild Hall, to Friday's solemn chanting of the Passion narrative according to John, set to 16th-century music, to last evening's Lighting of the New Fire and candlelit service in the church – culminating in Alleluias and bright light – all was beautiful.
The words of our preacher-woman still lie safe in my heart's memory: Within the kernel of every sad "Nevermore" lies the whisper of "Always."
We send out hopes for joy and peace to all of you, and all our love:
Mom and John
The words of our preacher-woman still lie safe in my heart's memory: Within the kernel of every sad "Nevermore" lies the whisper of "Always."
We send out hopes for joy and peace to all of you, and all our love:
Mom and John
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Marching Out
OK, so it's a hokey tagline; but the entire month has passed by without an update, so get ready.
I've been keeping my Lenten resolution pretty well, I think: only have felt twinges of guilt very occasionally, and squashed them immediately. (Do I have to start up with the guilt again as soon as Easter is here?)
At least I have gotten the ball rolling on some procrastinated matters: I had a first Pilates session with our expert next door; I've applied to the local ecumenical-church-sponsored food bank to take a volunteer position of some sort with their nonprofit agency and have a meeting scheduled for after Easter. I've found a local pool that offers aqua aerobics classes twice a week beginning in June and will sign up as soon as they are open. And for those of you who are sartorially minded, I am getting my long-neglected hair cut and styled at one of the best salons in Santa Barbara, as we arrive in our fair city the end of this week.
Yes, we leave tomorrow for the long drive down to visit my siblings and spend Holy Week and Easter in Santa B. On this weekend, I will be on retreat at La Casa de Maria (and will have a massage while there, to benefit the arthritis problems) ... and John will be in Altadena visiting his siblings – we both return to SB on Sunday afternoon. We'll do some visiting with friends during the coming week, and then observe the Triduum Weekend (Thurs.-Sat.) of Holy Week at services at our dear Trinity parish. Easter we'll celebrate with Frank and Melissa; and then we will return to our cottage in the woods early the following week.
The day that we get home, we both begin the long-delayed South Beach Diet regime (while John continues his 3-mile daily walks and I continue my range-of-motion and Pilates exercises).
Dear readers, wish us luck and pluck, as we pledge to be gorgeously svelte for the big reunion in Carmel Valley this summer – and beyond!
I've been keeping my Lenten resolution pretty well, I think: only have felt twinges of guilt very occasionally, and squashed them immediately. (Do I have to start up with the guilt again as soon as Easter is here?)
At least I have gotten the ball rolling on some procrastinated matters: I had a first Pilates session with our expert next door; I've applied to the local ecumenical-church-sponsored food bank to take a volunteer position of some sort with their nonprofit agency and have a meeting scheduled for after Easter. I've found a local pool that offers aqua aerobics classes twice a week beginning in June and will sign up as soon as they are open. And for those of you who are sartorially minded, I am getting my long-neglected hair cut and styled at one of the best salons in Santa Barbara, as we arrive in our fair city the end of this week.
Yes, we leave tomorrow for the long drive down to visit my siblings and spend Holy Week and Easter in Santa B. On this weekend, I will be on retreat at La Casa de Maria (and will have a massage while there, to benefit the arthritis problems) ... and John will be in Altadena visiting his siblings – we both return to SB on Sunday afternoon. We'll do some visiting with friends during the coming week, and then observe the Triduum Weekend (Thurs.-Sat.) of Holy Week at services at our dear Trinity parish. Easter we'll celebrate with Frank and Melissa; and then we will return to our cottage in the woods early the following week.
The day that we get home, we both begin the long-delayed South Beach Diet regime (while John continues his 3-mile daily walks and I continue my range-of-motion and Pilates exercises).
Dear readers, wish us luck and pluck, as we pledge to be gorgeously svelte for the big reunion in Carmel Valley this summer – and beyond!
Monday, 1 March 2010
The Longest Month
March always looks as though it will go on forever. After the short and very full month of February (so many birthdays, our anniversary, holidays) I always face March with some trepidation. It's usually a grey, half-wintery time, and it's the season of Lent – not a time for celebrating.
This year, I hope to make it a month of contemplation, quiet meditation, and a new Lenten practice. Leenie informed me that a newsletter she'd received recommended "giving up" something that you DON'T LIKE. Thinking that over, I decided that there is something I really don't like within myself: Guilt.
So I am giving up guilt for Lent this year. "Can you really do that?" asked my daughter who knows me so well. I had to admit I didn't know. However, two weeks into the season I am doing pretty well with it. Whenever a twinge of my bugaboo begins to sneak past the barricades, I halt it in its tracks with "Hey, get outta here, I gave you up for Lent." I have to say, it feels pretty wonderful!
Of course I have a full month of days ahead to keep my resolve, before Easter morning dawns on April 4th.
I've started back at writing the memoir again, which helps a lot. It is a good place to exercise my willpower about the guilt thing too: writing a memoir requires a lot of soul-searching, and it can be very easy to wallow in regret (for things done and things left undone). "No wallowing!" I yell at myself when it crops up, "you gave that up!" This makes writing about my past a lot easier, I can tell you.
Maybe by the time Easter dawns, I will have a lot more words committed to my opus – and a new freedom of spirit as well.
This year, I hope to make it a month of contemplation, quiet meditation, and a new Lenten practice. Leenie informed me that a newsletter she'd received recommended "giving up" something that you DON'T LIKE. Thinking that over, I decided that there is something I really don't like within myself: Guilt.
So I am giving up guilt for Lent this year. "Can you really do that?" asked my daughter who knows me so well. I had to admit I didn't know. However, two weeks into the season I am doing pretty well with it. Whenever a twinge of my bugaboo begins to sneak past the barricades, I halt it in its tracks with "Hey, get outta here, I gave you up for Lent." I have to say, it feels pretty wonderful!
Of course I have a full month of days ahead to keep my resolve, before Easter morning dawns on April 4th.
I've started back at writing the memoir again, which helps a lot. It is a good place to exercise my willpower about the guilt thing too: writing a memoir requires a lot of soul-searching, and it can be very easy to wallow in regret (for things done and things left undone). "No wallowing!" I yell at myself when it crops up, "you gave that up!" This makes writing about my past a lot easier, I can tell you.
Maybe by the time Easter dawns, I will have a lot more words committed to my opus – and a new freedom of spirit as well.
Monday, 15 February 2010
Celebrating Love and Life!
L'chaim, y'all! We celebrated 35 years of marriage with an Anniversary Eve dinner on Sunday, February 14th – a most appropriate day for lovers ..... and lovers of fine food. Below is the menu; and what follows is a pictorial description of the process, for the true Foodies in this readership. You must forgive the sloppy pictorial placement; I'm still learning.There were some other good shots I couldn't seem to download here, also. If you would like to se the full photo album, let me know and I'll send you a KodakGallery link.
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Beef Wellington Dinner Soulé (Music: "Die Fledermaus, Act I")
Candlelight Cocktail Hour:
Moet & Chandon Champagne Imperial
Primo:
Steamed Artichoke / Aioli Dipping Sauce
Baguette Slices / Acqua Minerale
Secondo: Beef Wellington (Boeuf en Croute)
with Black Truffle Sauce
Wine: Primitivo Zinfandel '2004, Salamandre Vineyards Santa Cruz
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The artichoke was steamed lightly and chilled the previous day. The aioli sauce was made ahead and chilled also (it is simply a mixture of good mayonnaise, minced garlic, and fresh lemon juice to thin to a smooth consistency).
The Beef Wellington recipe we used was an amalgam of Craig Claiborne, Julia Child, Epicurious.com, Tyler Florence, and Gordon Ramsay.
Here are step-by-step photos of the process:
Searing the meat:
Putting it all together:
A Messy Process:
.... but absolutely delicious and well worth the work.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beef Wellington Dinner Soulé (Music: "Die Fledermaus, Act I")
Candlelight Cocktail Hour:
Moet & Chandon Champagne Imperial
Primo:
Steamed Artichoke / Aioli Dipping Sauce
Baguette Slices / Acqua Minerale
Secondo: Beef Wellington (Boeuf en Croute)
with Black Truffle Sauce
Wine: Primitivo Zinfandel '2004, Salamandre Vineyards Santa Cruz
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The artichoke was steamed lightly and chilled the previous day. The aioli sauce was made ahead and chilled also (it is simply a mixture of good mayonnaise, minced garlic, and fresh lemon juice to thin to a smooth consistency).
The Beef Wellington recipe we used was an amalgam of Craig Claiborne, Julia Child, Epicurious.com, Tyler Florence, and Gordon Ramsay.
Here are step-by-step photos of the process:
Searing the meat:
Putting it all together:
A Messy Process:
.... but absolutely delicious and well worth the work.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
On Being: Journal Musings At 74
February 5, 2010
Today is the eve of my birthday; I should write something in my blog about what it's like to enter my 75th year of life, eh? All those years of living ought to yield some little nuggets of wisdom, one would think. I'll just do a sort of stream-of-consciousness exercise to see where I stand today.
I believe that Time is irrelevant; it takes as long as it takes to learn something, to accomplish a task, reach a goal, become able to cope with situations as they arise. I've learned that I can be so wrong, for so long, about what I believe to be true, and then see the light at last. I've found that it is possible to do a lot of damage to yourself and others and still find the strength to stop, change, and – most unbelievably – be forgiven and still loved. I have experienced that there must be a force (some call it a Guardian Angel) that protects fools who dance along the precipice – else, what has kept my feet from slipping into the abyss? And if Time really is irrelevant, then I think my experience of temporal universe is a thin veil, a beautiful theatre scrim that will one day be raised: and I can't wait to see the full production.
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February 6, 2010
A wise monk has said that gratefulness is the heart of prayer. In that case, my heart is full of prayer on this day marking my entry into my 75th year of life.
I'm supremely grateful for many gifts:
– I still have my five senses fairly intact
– I treasure the memory of every single year of my life
– I love this earth, and especially the plot of ground that has been given to me late in life, this cottage and small garden in the redwoods
– I'm thankful to all who went before me (my parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents – even the ones I've never met, but can see in some of my children)
– I'm especially grateful for the gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love with which I have been blessed.
Yes, I'm grateful for another year of life and love, and for every day that may be left to me to glory in Being. As the good Rabbi Heschel hath said: Just to be is blessing; just to live is holy.
Today is the eve of my birthday; I should write something in my blog about what it's like to enter my 75th year of life, eh? All those years of living ought to yield some little nuggets of wisdom, one would think. I'll just do a sort of stream-of-consciousness exercise to see where I stand today.
I believe that Time is irrelevant; it takes as long as it takes to learn something, to accomplish a task, reach a goal, become able to cope with situations as they arise. I've learned that I can be so wrong, for so long, about what I believe to be true, and then see the light at last. I've found that it is possible to do a lot of damage to yourself and others and still find the strength to stop, change, and – most unbelievably – be forgiven and still loved. I have experienced that there must be a force (some call it a Guardian Angel) that protects fools who dance along the precipice – else, what has kept my feet from slipping into the abyss? And if Time really is irrelevant, then I think my experience of temporal universe is a thin veil, a beautiful theatre scrim that will one day be raised: and I can't wait to see the full production.
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February 6, 2010
A wise monk has said that gratefulness is the heart of prayer. In that case, my heart is full of prayer on this day marking my entry into my 75th year of life.
I'm supremely grateful for many gifts:
– I still have my five senses fairly intact
– I treasure the memory of every single year of my life
– I love this earth, and especially the plot of ground that has been given to me late in life, this cottage and small garden in the redwoods
– I'm thankful to all who went before me (my parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents – even the ones I've never met, but can see in some of my children)
– I'm especially grateful for the gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love with which I have been blessed.
Yes, I'm grateful for another year of life and love, and for every day that may be left to me to glory in Being. As the good Rabbi Heschel hath said: Just to be is blessing; just to live is holy.
Sunday, 24 January 2010
apres moi, le deluge
It never stops: we have another storm coming in this afternoon, stronger ones tomorrow and through Wednesday. All's well up here, though: and I'm getting a lot of writing time in!
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Storm Track
Now the storms have settled into a calmer pattern; NWS says rain, rain, rain, right through to next week, but with a sort of break on the weekend. Our cottage is still intact, watertight, and warm; so far no more electrical outages. I have no idea how the roads beyond or above Boulder Creek may be faring, but we're not going to fare forth on them until Saturday afternoon – when we'll try to get down to Capitola to take Julie out for a belated birthday luncheon, and to stock up on Trader Joe's supplies before next week's storms move in.
I guess the El Nino predictions were on target, eh?
Just to update you on the denouement of the tree-toppling: after the electricity came back on in our park at 7 PM on Tuesday evening, John went down on Wednesday morning and retrieved the car and it's safely parked in the driveway now. I drove to the Post Office yesterday afternoon to mail off birthday cards and packages, and got caught in a sudden short thundershower with light hail -- but I was almost home as it hit, so no problem – grabbed the mail from our box at the foot of the hill and crawled the car back up to our driveway. Feeling I deserved a treat at that point, I pulled out a last slice of Trappist fruitcake from the box in the fridge, made some Gingerbread Spice tea, and shared teatime with John.
We had homemade chicken-vegetable soup last evening for dinner and went to bed before 10 PM because we never know when another electrical storm will interrupt our sleep. However, it was beautifully quiet all night, with light showers lulling us to slumber.
I've gotten a lot of writing and reading done this week, a great benefit of being housebound. We are so blessed to have this safe haven; rain and all, we just love being here.
I guess the El Nino predictions were on target, eh?
Just to update you on the denouement of the tree-toppling: after the electricity came back on in our park at 7 PM on Tuesday evening, John went down on Wednesday morning and retrieved the car and it's safely parked in the driveway now. I drove to the Post Office yesterday afternoon to mail off birthday cards and packages, and got caught in a sudden short thundershower with light hail -- but I was almost home as it hit, so no problem – grabbed the mail from our box at the foot of the hill and crawled the car back up to our driveway. Feeling I deserved a treat at that point, I pulled out a last slice of Trappist fruitcake from the box in the fridge, made some Gingerbread Spice tea, and shared teatime with John.
We had homemade chicken-vegetable soup last evening for dinner and went to bed before 10 PM because we never know when another electrical storm will interrupt our sleep. However, it was beautifully quiet all night, with light showers lulling us to slumber.
I've gotten a lot of writing and reading done this week, a great benefit of being housebound. We are so blessed to have this safe haven; rain and all, we just love being here.
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
And They Are So Right
Flood Advisory
Hazardous Weather Outlook
High Wind Warning
Today...Very windy. Rain...locally heavy at times...and isolated thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and small hail. Highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s. Southeast winds 30 to 45 mph...becoming south 20 to 30 mph with gusts to around 40 mph in the afternoon.
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We may lose power again ... lights flickering a bit already, and winds rising ... so sending out this bulletin while I can. More later when possible. We're warm and dry, but not goin' nowhere!
Hazardous Weather Outlook
High Wind Warning
Today...Very windy. Rain...locally heavy at times...and isolated thunderstorms. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and small hail. Highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s. Southeast winds 30 to 45 mph...becoming south 20 to 30 mph with gusts to around 40 mph in the afternoon.
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We may lose power again ... lights flickering a bit already, and winds rising ... so sending out this bulletin while I can. More later when possible. We're warm and dry, but not goin' nowhere!
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
El Nino Viene
It's raining gatos y perros! At long last the National Weather Service, so often a plaything of fate, has been right on target for California.
Our Monday (yesterday) was spent in tightening up our rough-weather plans: John tied down the carport/awning against the blown-umbrella effect of high winds; I inventoried our well-laid-in food supplies and noted a few little missing items. Around 11 AM, the man of the house drove down through light rains beginning, to pick up the necessaries in the village.
While he was out, the power followed suit: it went out, at around noon. After John had parked a half-mile down from our cottage and hiked up the rest of the way with the groceries, he regaled me with the reason for the sudden silence in our house. A lightly rooted oak tree had tumbled down across power lines and blocked Big Basin Way, the main route to our place from the village.
Fine; we change our day's plans. Now it's hot tea and reading in the big back room, where those lovely windows let in all the daylight there is available. Wrapped in lap-robes and warm with the coverage and the tea, we plowed through our well-selected pile of books chosen for this eventuality. Could be worse, eh?
As the light faded, our brave John donned slicker and boots and went down to the Bracken Brae entrance to see what could be seen: a lot of disgruntled workers standing around in the rain, waiting for a P G & E crane truck to lift the tree off of the wires. These poor peons were ready to do their work of cutting up and removing the big tree, and P G & E linemen were ready to restore our power. But meanwhile, they awaited and awaited the arrival of the crane.
Other local denizens were out prowling around too, and camaraderie abounded – but not light. So John came back up to the cottage, built a warming fire in the woodstove, and gratefully accepted a drink. I lit candles and set up the kitchen for a stovetop dinner, with camping lanterns and matches for lighting the propane stove.
Rain continued; and the power came on at 7 PM. We had dinner and went to bed; rain continued..... but not the predicted high winds (yet).
At 5 AM today, we were awakened by a powerful and spectacular thunderstorm; the reverberating booms echoed down our valley, reminding us of a similar great storm we once watched engulf the Stubai valley in Austria – as we discovered where Wagner got his musical ideas.
So now we are into Day 2 of the week of storms. If the NWS continues lucky, we are due for two or three more powerful storms, day by day, throughout the week. Whenever we have power up here I will try to update this blog, so stay tuned if you can.
Our Monday (yesterday) was spent in tightening up our rough-weather plans: John tied down the carport/awning against the blown-umbrella effect of high winds; I inventoried our well-laid-in food supplies and noted a few little missing items. Around 11 AM, the man of the house drove down through light rains beginning, to pick up the necessaries in the village.
While he was out, the power followed suit: it went out, at around noon. After John had parked a half-mile down from our cottage and hiked up the rest of the way with the groceries, he regaled me with the reason for the sudden silence in our house. A lightly rooted oak tree had tumbled down across power lines and blocked Big Basin Way, the main route to our place from the village.
Fine; we change our day's plans. Now it's hot tea and reading in the big back room, where those lovely windows let in all the daylight there is available. Wrapped in lap-robes and warm with the coverage and the tea, we plowed through our well-selected pile of books chosen for this eventuality. Could be worse, eh?
As the light faded, our brave John donned slicker and boots and went down to the Bracken Brae entrance to see what could be seen: a lot of disgruntled workers standing around in the rain, waiting for a P G & E crane truck to lift the tree off of the wires. These poor peons were ready to do their work of cutting up and removing the big tree, and P G & E linemen were ready to restore our power. But meanwhile, they awaited and awaited the arrival of the crane.
Other local denizens were out prowling around too, and camaraderie abounded – but not light. So John came back up to the cottage, built a warming fire in the woodstove, and gratefully accepted a drink. I lit candles and set up the kitchen for a stovetop dinner, with camping lanterns and matches for lighting the propane stove.
Rain continued; and the power came on at 7 PM. We had dinner and went to bed; rain continued..... but not the predicted high winds (yet).
At 5 AM today, we were awakened by a powerful and spectacular thunderstorm; the reverberating booms echoed down our valley, reminding us of a similar great storm we once watched engulf the Stubai valley in Austria – as we discovered where Wagner got his musical ideas.
So now we are into Day 2 of the week of storms. If the NWS continues lucky, we are due for two or three more powerful storms, day by day, throughout the week. Whenever we have power up here I will try to update this blog, so stay tuned if you can.
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