Refreshing

DISCLAIMER: This post represents my personal opinions, beliefs, and sometimes struggles with the idea that if something is marketed as "Christian" it is safe for me and should be accepted. It is not meant as an attack on anyone who may believe differently. I've noticed that I've become more sensitive to song lyrics--especially lyrics on Christian radio stations. There are two songs that come on K-Love and I am compelled to change the station. Unfortunately for me, these are two of their "top songs." The majority of the Christian believers out there will have no issues with these songs, but since these songs are focused on dead people waiting for us in heaven I can't condone them. I hold firm to the belief that the dead don't go to heaven, but wait in a sleep-like state until the Second Coming (belief number 26). Matthew West's song "Save A Place For Me" is asking for the dead loved one to basically save him a seat in heaven. The second song, Steven Curtis Chapman's "Heaven Is The Face" is a little more subtle. While the majority of the song deals with his memories of his daughter the line about his daughter grabbing his hand to lead him to Jesus is the one that bothers me. It's because these two songs are all over K-Love that it was so refreshing to hear Mark Schultz's song "Love Has Come" about us meeting our lost loved ones at the Second Coming and the joyous reunion we will have with Christ. It is rare to hear a distinctly Adventist position on general media. It is quite refreshing.

Thought for the Day

Thanks, Mom, for showing this to me today. Psalm 86 (New International Version) A prayer of David. 1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. 3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. 4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. 6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. 8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. 9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. 10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. 11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. 13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. 14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life— men without regard for you. 15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. 16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. 17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

January's Ice Storm

I'm a little late posting these pics. So sue me :)

O'Malley just loves the snow (It's her New England roots). Daly refused to go out.

The ice weighed down this branch. It is usually above the fence.

Sticking Up For Others - A Biblical Calling

This topic is something that I have been thinking about for almost a year now. Here is what I presented this morning for the joint Sabbath School program. “Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 'Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?' they asked. 'Hasn't he also spoken through us?' And the LORD heard this.” (Numbers 12:1) A little background: Moses had just appointed 70 elders to help him govern the unruly Israelites. Miriam was not part of that decision and was not considered for the position of elder. Miriam felt neglected, slighted by God. She was a former slave—hated by the Egyptians. She chose to lift up herself by bringing down Moses’ wife. Miriam was the instigator, her name is listed first. She publicly scorned Moses’ wife based on her place of birth, her culture, and her skin color; all of which she had no control over. Miriam also scorned Moses for his decision and brought Aaron along for the ride. But she didn’t stop there; she spoke against the one who gave Moses authority—God. She didn’t feel that He recognized her importance. God likened this to being spit in the face and publicly punished her with temporary leprosy. Miriam truly felt slighted. Those feelings were very real. But her response was wrong. Throwing a temper tantrum and saying “If I’m not happy, you shouldn’t be either” is not the way to go. Why not? Galatians 5:14-15 tells us “The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” We need to find another outlet for our feelings. As Christians we are to “...rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (1 Peter 2:1) But Miriam was a stumbling block to Aaron. The term “stumbling block” comes from the Greek word “skandalon”, where the words scandal and scandalous come from. Skandalon literally means a baited trap. This is an intentional act made to trick or trip up someone. Here is a more recent example of someone being slighted. My nephews Dean and Luke like to play Uno. Dean, 7, likes to win so he cheats. Everyone knows that Dean is a cheater. It’s the first thing my brother mentions when anyone new plays with Dean. Luke is almost 5. Luke adores his older brother and looks up to him. He wants to do everything that Dean does. When they play Uno Luke has 3 options: ignore the cheating, cheat back, or voice his displeasure and call Dean on it. Luke has decided that he won’t let Dean get away with cheating. He calls him on it. If Luke cheated back, he would be just as bad as Dean. But what if he just ignored it? He sees it and stays silent. He becomes an accessory to Dean’s cheating. Our legal system says that “An accessory must generally have knowledge that a crime is being, or will be committed. A person with such knowledge may become an accessory by helping or encouraging the criminal in some way, or simply by failing to report the crime to proper authority. The assistance to the criminal may be of any type, including emotional or financial assistance as well as physical assistance or concealment.” (Italics are mine.) The bank robber’s get-away driver is just as guilty of murder as the robber to shot and killed someone. When we refuse to stick up for someone, we become accessories to their sin and commit a sin of omission. James 4:17 tells us “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.” This is not the same as sins of ignorance (like Abimelech taking Sarah as a wife in Gen 20:1-7). Abraham committed the sin of omission and dragged Sarah into it by only telling a half truth. Abimelech committed a sin of ignorance because he could not be held responsible for not knowing that Sarah wasn’t married. Why did Abraham lie? He was fearful. What if sticking up for someone or doing the right thing harms you or your image? “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil 2:4) It can’t always be about us. We are to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We are to represent Christ on Earth. Matt 18:6 warns “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matt 5:21-22 takes it a step further: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca [good for nothing],' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.” That doesn’t bode well for those of us who have sibling rivalry in their closets. Too often we look at each other as a gage for our actions. We tend to fall to the lowest common denominator. If so-and-so can do x, than I can, too. Or if so-and-so leader doesn’t bother doing x, then I don’t need to either. For example, at work I pick up the recycling. I ask that everyone break down their cardboard boxes. My co-workers are pretty good at this. But, if one person doesn’t break down their box then the next 3 people won’t break down theirs either. As Christians we need to keep our focus on God and not those around us. We are told to warn, encourage and be patient with others (I Thes 5:14) not to look to them for what actions are acceptable. If someone was being physically beaten instead of being slandered would the decision to stand up for them be so hard to make? What if it was a child being hurt instead of an adult? How different might the Good Samaritan story be if the hurt Israelite was a hurt child—a victim of abuse by its parents or family? Are we not all children of God? When we see someone hurting we have the responsibility to act. When we see someone hurting someone else through words or actions we have a responsibility to act. Even when the person being hurt isn’t present, we have a responsibility to stand up for them. Is it only the responsibility of leaders or those in authority to stand up for others? No. Sometimes the leaders can be the problem. We only have to look back to the Catholic priest abuse scandal to see leaders taking advantage. “Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard and trample down my field; they will turn my pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.” (Jer 12:10) Jer 23:1-2 goes on to say “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the LORD.” People often develop a skewed view of God if they were physically or emotionally abused by their parents or someone they considered to be in authority. We are told to keep watch over the flock (Acts 20:28). We know that God does not wish any to perish; therefore all people are His potential flock. Ezekiel 34 gives a warning to the church and its leaders about the need to lift up and encourage others. We should not tear anyone down. “Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?” (Eze 34:18-19) When we tear people down or refuse to stand up for them because it might make us look bad, we are showing a false image of God. We are muddying the waters of Life for those wanting to drink. God knows our hearts. He knows our secret motives and weighs them with our actions and words. When we dwell on negative things, on being slighted or on getting revenge we are more likely to cave in to temptation to act on those feelings and bring others down with us. Therefore we should abide by Paul’s council in Phil 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Just a Little Late

It's hard to believe that I've only been back home for a little over 2 weeks. It was great to visit with family and just chill for a week. We spent a lot of time on the road--driving to Avon to check out the fully restored Enchanted Village at Jordan's (twice), going to the Natick Jordan's to check out Avatar in their IMAX 3-D (and wait in an obnoxiously long line even though we pre-purchased tickets), heading to Stoneham for church both weekends, meeting up in Saugus for Poppy's pizza birthday (he turned 80!) at Leaning Tower, and fighting Route 2 to go to work for a day at the Boston office. And that doesn't factor in the trips out to eat at Mae's and Jon's Pizza, trips to the ABC, and all the other errands life throws at you. Thankfully, my parents did most of the driving so I was able to finish up a couple of books and this little beauty for my friend. Pink and green were her wedding colors so I thought she would appreciate it (and I was right).

Here are some pics of the crew that went to the Enchanted Village. The first trip was with my cousins, Aunt & Uncle and my grandparents. Round two was with my nephews and brother and sister-in-law. We decided that since Santa wasn't using his chair, we could. Also there was a strange art piece on the ceiling of upside down invisible people in white. It was a bit unnerving at times. I of course had to take a shot of the twins one for E&J.

Poppy didn't seem to mind. The polar bears were animatronic as were all of the "people" at the Enchanted Village sets.

They are such good posers.

Still in love after all these years.

New Favorite

I promise to do a Christmas and New Years wrap up post this weekend (spoiler alert: I as asleep by 11p New Years Eve). But I just had to share a pic of my new favorite shirt. This belated Christmas present came in the mail yesterday. It was designed by my friend L just for me! Are you a little jealous?

Quiet

Things have been fairly quiet on the home front with the exception of a very loud, very late (but fun) night hosting the church Youth for a candy making night on December 12th. I learned a dishcloth pattern and have made a set for each of my grandmothers for Christmas. Nana gets the yellow and Nanny's is a light blue to go with her blueberry themed kitchen. I finished the last one yesterday. Now I'm focusing on a scarf or two and finishing up my shawl.

My adult Sabbath School programs for the month have gone well. I'm happy to say that at least one person each week makes a point to say that they enjoyed the program and got something out of it. That is what I work towards. I get anywhere from 10-30 people for the 9:30-9:45a program. Since there was some resistance to the idea of doing a sanctuary program before breaking out for the lesson, I'm pleased with the turnout. I try to make the programs unique and put my spin on ideas when I can. And I do love visual aids and handouts.

On December 5th I talked about family traditions and brought in some Shabbat candles and a Challah recipe so that anyone who wanted to start a new Friday night tradition could. (As a result of my research, I've actually started lighting two Shabbat candles and say a short prayer when I get home from work on Friday nights--I leave just before sunset, so it's already Sabbath when I get home--to set the mood for Sabbath.)

The next week I spoke about the commercialism of Christmas and how we should focus on family and quality time instead of presents and money and shopping. I handed out the following Christmas Pledge: “Believing in the true spirit of Christmas, I commit myself to: Remember those who truly need my gifts. Express my love in more direct ways than gifts. Examine my holiday activities in light of my deepest values. Be a peacemaker within my circle of family and friends. Rededicate myself to spiritual growth.” --Unplug the Christmas Machine by William Morrow

Last week I dealt with our responsibility to show compassion and tangible care to those in need. My theme was based on James 1:27 and Ezekiel 34:8 and dealt mostly with shut-ins, sick, aged, widow(er)s, and single parent families. I brought some blank cards so that those who wanted to could write a short note of encouragement to someone who may be feeling forgotten.

I'm thankful to have the next two weeks off to recharge and think of some more topics. I'm hoping to find some inspiration from my parents' church and the antics of my nephews.

Done!

This is it. My final post for November. I made my goal of 30 posts in the 30 days of November. Now I can go to bed each night and not try to stay awake to post. I'm not sure what December holds (except a trip to the auto shop to possibly get a new alternator), but I do plan on putting up my nativity tomorrow. I'm not doing a tree this year since I won't be around for Christmas.

A Stitch in Time

I spent a good part of the day learning a new knitting style: intarsia knitting. There were about eleven of us at Yarniverse. Our teacher was an amazingly patient woman named Charlotte who used to work for Vogue Knitting Magazine. She wasn't fond of my loop cast on (as it can result in very loose row) and showed me a knitting cast on. It took a couple of tries but I finally got it. I only got about two-thirds of the way through the first group of colors before class ended. But once I got home I was able to take what I learned and add on the final 3 colors. Here is what the completed project is supposed to look like: And here is what I've done so far. I'm not sure how long it's going to take, but I hope it will go quickly since it's on size 15 needles. The finished shawl is supposed to be 60". (I'm just over ten percent done with 7" so far.) I don't know if I'll be able to give this one away.

Day of Rest

This morning I woke up early and was able to take my time getting ready. (As this is not usually the case since the snooze button and I are really close, it was a treat.) This set the tone for the day. I was able to fit in my devotion book reading and some Bible reading while eating breakfast this morning. For the joint Sabbath School I gave the history of the hymn "Now Thank We All Our God" and then opened it up for people to share their sentiments of thanks. I was grateful to see that most everyone had something to share. There were only two kids that showed up for Earliteens and they offered to join with the small Junior class so that I could hit up the adult lesson. What a nice change. After church I went over to check in on Ti-Ti who I am cat sitting. We had our Sabbath dinner together then snuggled while I worked on my circular knitting project for Christmas and watched Dave Salmoni and his work with the African Lions. I think Ti-Ti was into the show as she made sure she could see the TV when she was balled up in my lap. I rather enjoy hanging out with Ti-Ti as she is much more affectionate than either of my girls. There was one strange thing that happened both last week and this. Both weeks, right before going in to the sanctuary for the joint Sabbath school I had someone (a different person each week) exclaim, "I didn't think you'd be here today." You would think the fact that my name was in the bulletin both weeks for announcements should have been a clue. I know that I usually go away for Thanksgiving, but I'm always here the Sabbath before Thanksgiving. And I told anyone who asked that I wasn't going out of town this year for Thanksgiving. I'm not sure what to make of the fact that people think I would bail or not get coverage for those tasks I'm responsible for. I take my commitments and responsibilities very seriously. The only time that I've had to miss Sabbath school was when I was sitting in Urgent Care and even then I made it to church. Having people flake on their responsibilities is one of my pet peeves. I hope that I would never do anything so selfish, inconsiderate and rude. It borders on insulting that some think I would do such a thing.

I Did It

After a couple of weeks of debating, I decided it was time to dye my hair. It's been about three years since I last colored my hair. I'm not ready to commit to a permanent color, so I went with a 28 wash one. I couldn't find the right shade of dark reddish auburn that I have used in the past (or as Nanny calls it "Street Walker Red"), so I went with the next best thing: Midnight. I had forgotten how nice freshly dyed hair feels. I'm thinking this color will go over better than the pink spray in I sported back in October for a couple days. Then again, my mom told me that she thinks black is in poor taste and just looks fake. I disagree since I have dark eyebrows and brown eyes. Wonder if I'll miss my greys?

Feasting

Since I had a solo Thanksgiving I decided a taste test was in order. The two vegan loaves up for the challenge were the Field Roast Grain Meat Co.'s celebration roast and the Quorn Turk'y roast. Here they are in all of their packaged glory.

I decided to bake the Quorn loaf and to cut a couple of slices of the Field Roast to heat on the stove top. The Quorn loaf reminded me of a roll of chickettes when I placed it in the oven. It browned up a little and cut easily once the protective film was removed. (You are supposed to cook it with the film on. I only got a small fingertip burn taking it off.) Honestly, I was not fond of the taste or texture of the Turk'y loaf at all. I could barely eat one slice when it was drowning in mushroom gravy. You may be surprised to know that the reason I disliked it was because the taste and texture reminded me too much of meat. I'm going to see if my former meat eating friends would like the rest of it. (I'm a vegetarian since birth and really dislike the texture of meat. I want my fake meat to taste fake! It should be it's own dish.)

The Field Roast was stuffed with a sausage-style mixture. This was more flavorful than the Quorn loaf. But again, I found it tasted and had a texture a bit too much like meat. I was able to get through one and a half slices with mushroom gravy; two full slices was a bit much. I will keep the leftovers and see if they work in a sandwich tomorrow.. I'm not sure that I would buy it again for myself, but could deal with it if someone had bought it to serve at a dinner I went to.

The highlight of the meal was my mashed sweet potatoes (just a little salt & butter) and the Martinelli's. I ended up not making the stuffing as I didn't notice until I got it home that it listed cooked chicken and chicken stock in the ingredients.

So the results are in: Quorn Turk'y Roast - I don't think you could pay me to eat it again. Field Roast Celebration Roast - It's ok and I could eat it again, but it's not something I would rush out to buy again. Cream Cheese Patties - I should've just bit the bullet and made a batch; by far the best Thanksgiving entree out there.

To the Nines

After I finished Thanksgiving dinner I spent the rest of the day watching the James Bond movie marathon on TV and finishing up scarf #9. I decided not to use the whole skein and make it a bit on the shorter side because I really wanted to be finished before heading to my knitting class on Sunday. The pattern is the American Moss Stitch.

Getting Ready

Tomorrow is not just Thanksgiving. It is the second Thanksgiving that I've ever spent without my family (the first was during college and it was with my sister-in-law's family) and my first ever solo Thanksgiving. I've done many Christmases and Easters by myself but never Turkey Day. Since it's just me and knowing that this will be the menu next month for Christmas dinner, I'm forgoing the standard Cream Cheese Patties w/ McKay's homemade chicken gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, mashed rutabaga, mom's stuffing and pumpkin pie. Instead I'll be making some Stove Top stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, with some canned whole cranberry sauce (I can't stand that jelly stuff) and pumpkin pie ice cream. And I'll be having two entrees. Since we've always made our own Thanksgiving entree, I've never tried any of the pre-made loaves that are available. I've heard less than stellar reports about the Tofurkey version, so I'm trying the Field Roast Celebration Roast (1 pound) and the Quorn Turk'y Roast. I'll be sure to let you know tomorrow which one I preferred and which one had to be slathered in gravy. Wish me luck!

Picture Perfect

Last month the city installed some fancy schmancy red light cameras at a few choice intersections. I've driven in other cities with them, but was never bothered by them. These cameras take two pictures each time they are triggered and are set up to showcase the rear license plate. I see the point of trying to reduce the number of cars running red lights. Most people who speak about the dangers of red light cameras bring up increased accidents due to fear of being ticketed and shorted yellow light times. But what is really getting to me is the brightness of the camera flash--it's distracting in the daylight and blinding at night. The lights don't take in to account the legality of right turns on red and so the blinding camera double-flash goes off often. The flash is distracting it doesn't matter if it is for your right light or the line of cars that you are passing. Now, I understand that I have an increased sensitivity to bright light as a result of my Lasik. So my question is: Is it just me or does anyone else find the red light cameras distracting?

Change of View

With all of the Twilight madness going on, it got me thinking. I have no desire to read the books or watch the movies, but that would not have always been the case. Growing up I was all about R. L. Stine's Fear Street series and Christopher Pike books. The few times my brother and I got along was when we were watching scary movies--Nightmare on Elm Street marathons, Alligator. When high school rolled around, I was reading V.C. Andrews and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Then I got hooked on Buffy, Angel, and Charmed on TV. But over the past several years things have changed. While still a fan of sci-fi (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Stargate), it's the alien and "future tech" shows that grab my attention--with the small exception of Harry Potter. I'm no longer sucked in by the vampire, demon, or otherwise undead variety. Scary movies only appeal to me if they are of the mystery/thriller genre. I don't have the stomach for horror or slasher movies anymore (even if they have a young, smoking hot Johnny Depp in them). I barely have the stomach for CSI and have had to take Criminal Minds off the DVR list. I still like police shows like Castle and CSI:NY. They seem more character driven and less gruesome. Does this mean that I'm growing up or growing soft?

Wish It Was a Sunday

Today was a rather low key day. Instead of marking any items off of my "to do" list, I lounged with the girls. I made some nutmeg and cinnamon pancakes (Daly was excited to get a small piece with peanut butter on it) and settled in for a day of DVR watching, knitting and having my lap be a cat bed. As you can see below, Daly was a big helper. I'm about half way done with my ninth scarf--a Christmas present. In the next couple of weeks I hope to learn to make some dish clothes from my friend J.

Waiting

I missed posting yesterday, but had a nice Sabbath rest and Saturday night just hanging out. I wanted to share a poem that my friend read yesterday while she was leading out the joint Sabbath School for me. Hope it speaks to you, too. Waiting Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried. Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied. I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate, And the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait!” “Wait? You say, wait!” my indignant reply. “Lord, I need answers, I need to know why! Is Your hand shortened? Or have You not heard? By FAITH I have asked, and am claiming Your Word. “My future and all to which I can relate Hangs in the balance, and You tell me to WAIT? I’m needing a yes, a go-ahead sign, Or even a ‘no’ to which I can resign. “And Lord, You promised that if we believe We need but to ask, and we shall receive. And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry: I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!” Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.” So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting…for what?” He seemed then to kneel and His eyes wept with mine, And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun. I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run. “All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be, You would have what you want—but, you wouldn’t know ME. You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint; You’d not know the power that I give to the faint; “You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair; You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there; You’d not know the joy of resting in Me When darkness and silence were all you could see. “You’d never experience the fullness of love As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove; You’d know that I give and I save… (for a start) But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart. “The glow of My comfort late into the night, The faith that I give when you walk without sight. The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST. “You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee, What it means that ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’ Yes, your dreams for your loved ones overnight would come true, But, oh the loss! If I lost what I’m doing in you! “So, be silent, My child, and in time you will see THAT THE GREATEST OF GIFTS IS TO GET TO KNOW ME. And though oft may my answers seem terribly late, My wisest of answers is still but to WAIT.” --Author Unknown Satisfy My Thirsty Soul by Linda Dillow

Shorabat Addas

I like to try different kinds of ethnic foods. I credit my dad for this since as a submariner he was always sure to hit up the local food joints when he visited a port. He refused to go into the touristy restaurants, often eating from street vendor carts. Even in his retirement, my parents frequent the "Mom and Pop" style Thai, Indian, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Mediterranean restaurants. So when I passed a bag of red lentils in the store, I had to take it home with me. (I don't have a lot of experience cooking with lentils; just a lentil soup or two. Someday I'll learn to make a yummy lentil loaf.) Tonight was the night to try the red lentils. I decided to play it safe and use the recipe on the back of the bag. I halved the recipe since it's just me and I wasn't sure how I'd like them. I should've done a full batch. Here's the recipe. It's really simple. Shorabat Addas (Lentil Soup) 2 cups dry red lentils

8 cups water or broth (I used water)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric or paprika (I used turmeric)

1 large onion diced

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tbs olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Juice of one lemon

2 bouillon cube of choice (I used G Washington Golden packets)

Wash lentils. Combine with water (or broth) and bring to a boil. Cover for 20-30 minutes, sirring occasionally. When lentils are tender, add dry spices and bouillon to the pot. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until golden brown. Then add to soup mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add lemon juice and stir. Garnish bowls with parsley and paprika. Serve with lemon wedges on the side (if available). Serves 6.

Wisdom of Meerkats

Back before I downgraded my satellite service I used to watch Meerkat Manor on Animal Plant. Very often I would call my mother on Friday nights and we would share our take on Flower's daily dramas. So it was only a little surprising to find the book Wisdom of Meerkats in the package my mom sent me this week. Nestled between two Styrofoam boxes containing new pieces for my Irish Nativity was this little book full of meerkat photos and inspiring quotes from a vast array of people--Mother Theresa, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Tori Amos, William Shakespeare, etc. Here are some that stood out to me: "Sleep is the best mediation."--Dalai Lama "Always do right--this will gratify some and astonish the rest."--Mark Twain "Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was." --Dag Hammarskjöld "Minds are like parachutes; they only function when open." --Thomas Dewar "A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart."--Goethe "The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character." --Margaret Chase Smith "Waste not fresh tears over old griefs."--Euripides (The picture in this post is one I took at the Memphis Zoo during my birthday trip this summer.)