Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Reflection of Life

Most of the time I think I'm pretty good at downsizing. I've moved several times, I've helped other family members move. I can organize and downsize with intention and focus.

There is always a BUT and here it is--I also appreciate having things in our home that tell a story, that are reflective of who we are. That means we have stuff. We have a large rug that can tell a story because it was delivered frozen. Then there is the set of china given to us by my German grandmother and grandfather as a wedding present. They were visiting us when Clark and I became engaged.  I was allowed to select china I liked--she had total veto power and used it. The tea cups (something I never use anymore) had to be a shape that met with her approval.

The story of these blue bottles is that I simply like them.  They are a part of my life everyday. The bottles sit in the entry hall on an old chest that family history claims was moved via wagontrain at one time.  And everyday I can see my love of color, shapes, reflective qualities and simplicity in these modest blue bottles.  In their own way, they are a part of my everyday story.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Feathered Visitors

We had our first snowfall of 2012 last night. It didn't amount to much, but it was beautiful. Now it's melting in the sunshine and warmth of the afternoon.

Snow always brings a change in food gathering for area birds. Since their food is covered, they have no problem seeking out our bird feeders for a little fuel. And across the street, the Canada geese (I was told by a Canadian that their proper name is Canada geese and only Americans call them Canadian geese) decided to take a stroll away from the small lake conquering new territory, depositing their droppings along the way.
 
These geese are wild and rather camera shy, but they cooperated a little. What I found amusing is that as I approached them, they slowly began walking back to the lake (guess they knew I wasn't going to jump in). But as some began getting in the water, a swan started swimming quickly toward them. There were no aggressive movements, but this swan proudly began swimming back and forth along the edge of the lake and every single "Canada" goose got out of the water quickly. Guess one swan can still intimidate 20 geese.  Maybe size does matter.




Sunday, February 12, 2012

Playing With My Food

Just for fun I decided to play with my food this afternoon. Acorn squash was on the menu. Vegetables are so fascinating. The thought that this delicious squash started as a little seed--just as we do, is beyond comprehension yet is a part of everyday life.


The seeds look like they could be a nice pair of earrings, don't you think?


By the way, I tried roasting the seeds. There is a reason you don't find acorn squash seeds on your grocery shelves. They are edible, but not very good.  
However, supper was a perfect winter time meal. The roasted squash was coated with a little melted butter and maple syrup, the pork chops were brown and a little crusty with their brown rice flour coating and the tossed salad added just the right balance. YUM!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Yesteday I presented a "sermon." At our church, we've been discussing the idea that Stewardship isn't just about money. It's also about taking care of our time & talents, our health, and our relationships with one another as well as Mother Earth. So each week a different person in the congregation presented their ideas on a different aspect of stewardship. I had earth.

Since I am a visual person of course I HAD to present a powerpoint video with slides, statistics, music. I learned quickly that I had a lot to learn. It was frustrating. PowerPoint is easy. Adding music and videos to it at home is easy. Getting it to work on the church's computer wasn't easy.  Did I say it was VERY, VERY frustrating?

But it all worked out. There was a lot of prayer involved in the process, a lot of trust in the process and Sunday morning and again at the evening service, I realized there also was a lot of love in the process.

While preparing my remarks and the PowerPoint, I came across these photos and a map of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It consists of trash that's been dumped by humans and is estimated to be twice the size of Texas.  We can make a difference--you've heard it. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  Do you have any great ideas that make a difference in your part of the planet?










.