Meditation on Jesus' Word..."And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." Helaman 5:12 Satan cannot hurt me if my life is built upon Jesus. In fact he can have NO POWER over me if Jesus is my light and my life.
Bibliophilia...Because she is grandchild of the week, we sent Sammy-girl a copy of The Christian Nature Reader, which all young children enjoy reading. We also sent Draw Squad, which her mother loved as a little girl.
Genealogy...It's been some time since I worked on my family history. I have to say the changes over at Family Search are wonderful. It is so easy to navigate as well as beautiful to look at. Looking forward to adding photos and other documents to the site. So much fun with very little frustration.
Cucina Fresca...On days when we have service projects going on, there is precious little time to eat much less prepare food. Today, I tried out something new, which is also a semi-food storage meal. It was yummy....
Quinoa Pilaf
1 c. quinoa
2 c. water
1/4 c. dehydrated mixed vegetables
1/4 c. dehydrated cabbage
2 T. dehydrated spinach
2 T. dehydrated shitake mushrooms
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder
a couple twists of black pepper
1/4 t. thyme
1 c. chopped asparagus or peppers or rabe or sturdy greens or mung bean sprouts (optional)
While bringing the water to a boil, add all seasonings. As soon as the water boils, add quinoa. Top with chopped veg. Turn off heat, leaving it on the burner, cover, and let it sit for 1-2 hours. It will keep warmish until you are ready to eat. Cabbage salad and sliced apples make this a peasant king meal.
Garden Gate...We spent the last few days in Sequim, Washington learning water/fertilizer free techniques for pruning and mulching an orchard/garden from Paul Gautschi. It was wonderful the way he connected his discoveries/revelations to scripture and the nature of God. We slept at the ever hospitable George Washington Inn, which is across Puget Sound from Victoria Canada. The view was spectacular. The vacation was lovely until Paul got some horrible news. We thought and prayed about the new Boston massacre and Paul's tragedy, then tried even harder to just move on. The insanity of the world must not make us insane or fearful or cynical or distrustful. With a youth group at the farm Saturday, we scraped fencing for painting, removed blackberry brambles, seeded flower beds, hauled compost, and planted spring annuals. The young people were so willing and eager to help. I even overheard one young man say he was happy we gave them real work instead of some made up task. The young people helped me dream optimistically about loveliness in the future. Life is good. It's a wonderful world. It’s how we choose to respond to tragedy and such that makes us bitter or not.
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| Beautiful George Washington Inn in Sequim Washington, a replica of Mt. Vernon |
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| In the rain at Paul Gauschi's farm |
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| Young women planting flowers at the conclusion of our service project. |
Dr. Ginger Medicine Woman...I'm neither a doctor, nor a medicine woman. However, I study a lot about nutrition and alternative healing. Looking forward to the release of Dr. Colin Campbell's new book, Whole. His first book, The China Study, helped put me on the road to healing about 4 years ago. I'm so happy I learned his message: good nutrition deals with the root causes of disease. Sure herbs and essential oils are great at relieving disease symptoms. They even help get to the root of the problem. But if the diet is non-nutritive and dirty, no essential oil, herb, vitamin, alternative treatment, exercise program, or allopathic disease care will do more than provide a band aide. "Perhaps it's time we stopped declaring war on ourselves through toxic drugs and dangerous surgeries, and instead treat ourselves with kindness by feeding ourselves the sorts of foods shown to grow and sustain healthy, vibrant people and cultures." Colin Campbell
Pen and Brush...I got some new watercolor brushes and paper this week. After trying all sorts of finishes, I decided I like Arches hot press paper and sable brushes best. The difference between using substandard supplies and the newer nicer ones is night and day. I can't say I'm all that much better because of the change, but it's much more enjoyable.
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| a card for Gayle |
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| painting a card for Samantha at George Washington Inn |
