The View from Here

Things Still Too Wonderful for Me

Look how smart I was with my first computer!

As a writer with a computer I have the advantage of being able to quickly locate posts I’ve previously written. This morning I wondered what my thoughts were on the eve of 2011. My life has changed in countless ways since then, but have my ideas, values, or opinions changed? Not much. So I made a few editorial tweaks and I’m recycling my blog post from 2010. This is not an indication of laziness or a lack of enthusiasm for today. No…I prefer to think of it as a symbol of steadfastness and unwavering ideals. My thoughts on some subjects are the same now and forevermore.

Psalm 131:

My heart is not proud, O Lord,

my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child with its mother,

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

Long ago I realized that there are things in the world that we are not meant to understand. Certainly there are many things beyond the understanding of my little brain. There are even things that are beyond the understanding of our most brilliant scientific minds. But many of them spend their lives pondering, examining, and researching anyway. They are responsible for new ideas, discoveries, inventions, and gadgets that sometimes improve our lives. As we begin this New Year I’m curious about what will exist by 2020 that is just a thought or notation or sketch on someone’s notebook today. I’m curious about what will be introduced to us soon that our great-grandchildren will take for granted. Things too wonderful for me to imagine.

Music in my ears- it seemed like magic!

However, and you know there is always a “however” in any of my posts about progress, I hope we don’t put aside too many of the old ways in order to keep up with the new. I have noticed in the past couple of years that in spite of our new ways to communicate many people are actually saying less to more people. And in spite of our conveniences we seem to be busier than ever. In spite of what we already have, all that many people want is just more.

Somehow more has been equated with better. But at the root of everything is still the desire to be happy and loved. That’s what people have wanted for generations. We can’t escape the basic nature of our human needs no matter how much our society progresses. I’m a huge Star Trek fan because even at warp speed there is still greed and jealousy and love and compassion.  The writers didn’t create a fantasy of perfect humans somewhere in our future!

Perfection. Is that what we hope our inventions and gadgets will help us achieve? Will we be better people if we have better things? I have stilled and quieted my soul. Worry plagues so many people, especially women. We worry about what we have and don’t have. We worry about how we look. We worry about our children and spouses, parents and friends. We worry about what has happened and will happen and might happen. I think the message of Psalms 131 is that we are not only to be at peace about the things we don’t understand, but to give everything over to the wisdom of God. A weaned child trusts in the ability of his mother to still provide for him.

I spend a great deal of my time reading about women of the past, including my own ancestors. I find that by studying the lives of these women I gain a better understanding of the women I encounter now. These historical figures managed to raise their families and live their lives without cell phones and dishwashers and daycare. They made mistakes. They made sacrifices. They suffered. But many of them also lived lives of dignity and joy, peace and satisfaction. Some had careers. Some made tremendous contributions to society.

What we do with our lives isn’t based on what we have, no matter how wonderful it is, but on who we are within our soul.  As we prepare for the challenges of 2018 I pray that your soul is filled with peace and joy and that you have a Wonderful New Year!

Ten...

I’m going to change the albums on my blog site later today, so I’ve begun to look at some of the images I was privileged to photograph this past year. Here are ten of my favorites from my garden- chosen not for quality, but because they make me smile. Later I’ll attempt to choose ten from Hagerman, but that is a much more difficult task.

I hope that 2018 is a year filled with many new photographs taken in my new garden, and I hope you will continue to share this journey with me.

Back to Basics...

I know it isn’t quite time for New Year’s resolutions, but we returned to the gym yesterday after an absence of six weeks. Some of that time was due to Gary’s hospital stay, but most was just the result of staying busy (and active) moving our possessions across town. It seemed rather redundant to walk for three hours loading and unloading the truck, and then go to the gym to walk on the treadmill for twenty minutes.

Now that the last cardboard box has been unpacked and we’re settled into our new house, and our more sedentary winter routine, it seemed important to get back to the gym before our bodies became soft and weak. We may not look or act like “athletes”, but we’re both quick to testify that we’re much healthier and happier when we are going to the gym frequently. I’m convinced that the only reason I walk without a cane is because of my gym routine.

We won’t be making any big changes for the New Year. Most of our resolutions are just the basics of healthy living: eat good food (less processed junk), get some fresh air each day (even if it is cold air), exercise at least three hours a week, drink plenty of water, do something useful and meaningful, have faith, and live in peace. I find that as I get older I don’t need the drama and excitement that I once craved. I know that 2018 will have adventures and challenges, joys and sorrows, whether I make a list of resolutions or not. So…I’ll stick to the basics and see what happens.

Seeds of change...

I’ve been reading about wildflowers this week and once again I feel the urge to step up on my soapbox and be heard for just a moment.

Many of you enjoy my photographs of birds, butterflies, and other insects. I’ve posted before about the struggles many of our pollinators are having because of negative changes in their habitats. We’ve all heard and read about the monarchs and the bees. Some of the problems they are facing originate in foreign countries and involve global businesses that we have little chance of influencing and government policies that we have little hope of changing. I’m not advocating that we give up global efforts, but I want to point out that there are three little things we can do right here at home, this year, in our own back yards, that can contribute to positive changes in the environment.

First of all, be informed. Most of our lawns and many of our traditional landscape shrubs and plants contribute very little to the food chain. Read about native plants and grasses and the pollinators they attract. Those pretty birds you love to watch require insects for their young. Those peaches you love to eat require insects to pollinate them. Become knowledgeable about your local environment and consider the benefits of having a more natural landscape on your property. Make a list of ten native plants that would thrive in your yard. (If you can Google what some reality star had for lunch, you can Google information about native plants.)

Next, incorporate native plants into your flower beds or eliminate a portion of your lawn and replace it with a wildflower garden. Yes, they can appear “messy” by some standards, but remember that you are creating an environment for living creatures, not just a pretty frame for your house. And once established the wildflower garden will require less work than endless mowing.

Last, encourage others. Talk to your neighbors about what you are doing and why you are changing your landscaping. Find out if your local church or school has space for native plants. Support nurseries that stock native plants. Look for areas where city landscaping could be changed to incorporate native plants. State and federal grants are available for major projects. Talk to your city councilmen.

Three plants that really impressed me this summer as I strolled through the butterfly garden at Hagerman Wildlife Refuge were the blue mistflower, turk’s cap, and winecup. I plan to make sure they have a home in my new garden. And I’m always ready to give up some lawn! Grass is such a waste of time, effort, and water.

Plant some seeds of change this spring and you may be rewarded with a variety of new visitors.

No Whispers

Christmas morning and the house is relatively quiet. The sounds of music float down the hall from the living room where a program from a local church provides a much more appropriate start to the day than the usual fare of news and gloom. Gary is still snoring softly in the bedroom. The whir of the heater is a subtle reminder that life and comfort are the first gifts of the day. And I am truly grateful, especially after this year of national tragedies, to wake up in a home. But it is still a quiet home. There are no excited conspiratorial whispers. There are no scuffling house shoes in the hall…

It’s been decades since we’ve had a child in the house on Christmas morning, and yet I always think about the years when we did. I remember the sounds of tip-toeing and giggling and the whispered admonition- “don’t wake Mom”. Of course they did…and it wasn’t long before their father and I settled into our chairs and nodded for them to begin opening presents.

Our children didn’t always find what they desired under the tree. They didn’t often get the most popular toy or the latest gadget. But we tried to give them something that would bring them joy and delight their little hearts for at least a while. We tried to teach them that the giving and getting were more important than the gift, but that’s a difficult concept for a child. Sometimes it’s a tough one for us.

Our life and our family have evolved in complicated ways, and while there are still young children among our family members, they are far away. So our house will remain quiet today and we will travel to hear noise and laughter. I don’t think it really matters how we celebrate today. It only matters that we do…

Merry Christmas

Peace and Joy

Matthew 6

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Wishing you the peace and joy found only in Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

 

The Christmas Goose

I tasted goose, once, years ago, and I won’t say where or when, but trust me, it didn’t merit a second helping. However, the Christmas Goose is the stuff of legends and fairy tales, so I thought we should at least consider how it was prepared by a few of our ancestors. Here is the complete set of instructions from the 1890 Welcome Encyclopedia of Cookery. You’re welcome!

To Roast a Goose

Having drawn and singed the goose, wipe out the inside with a cloth and sprinkle in some pepper and salt. Make a stuffing of four good-sized onions, minced fine, and half their quantity of green sage leaves, minced also, a large teacupful of grated bread crumbs, a piece of butter the size of a walnut, and the beaten yolks of two eggs, with a little pepper and salt. Mix the whole together and incorporate them well. Put the stuffing into the goose and press it in hard; but do not entirely fill up the cavity as the mixture will swell in cooking. Tie the goose securely round with a greased or wetted string; and paper the breast to prevent it from scorching.

The fire must be brisk and well kept up. It will require from two hours to two and a half to roast. Baste it at first with a little salt and water, and then with its own gravy. Take off the paper when the goose is about half done and dredge it with a little flour towards the last. Having parboiled the liver and heart, chop them and put them into the gravy, which must be skimmed well and thickened with a little brown flour.

Send apple sauce to the table with the goose; also mashed potatoes. A goose may be stuffed entirely with potatoes, boiled and mashed with milk, butter, pepper and salt.

You may make a gravy of the giblets, that is the neck, pinions, liver, heart, and gizzard, stewed in a little water, thickened with butter, rolled in flour and seasoned with pepper and salt. Before you send it to the table, take out all but the liver and heart; mince them and leave them in the gravy. This gravy is by many preferred to that which comes from the goose in roasting. It is well to have both.

If a goose is old it is useless to cook it, as when hard and tough it cannot be eaten.

Sage-And-Onion Stuffing for Geese, Ducks, and Pork

Four large onions, ten sage leaves, one-quarter pound of bread crumbs, one and one-half ounce of butter, salt and pepper to taste, one egg. Peel the onions, put them into boiling water, let them simmer for five minutes, or rather longer, and just before they are taken out, put in the sage leaves for a minute or two to take off their rawness. Chop both these very fine, add the bread, seasoning and butter and work the whole together with the yolk of an egg when the stuffing will be ready for use. It should be rather highly seasoned and the sage leaves should be very finely chopped. Many cooks do not parboil the onions in the manner just stated, but merely use them raw. The stuffing then, however, is not nearly as mild and to many tastes its strong flavor would be very objectionable. When made for goose, a portion of the liver of the bird, simmered for a few minutes and very finely minced, is frequently added to this stuffing; where economy is studied, the egg may be dispensed with.

Things Matter

Like most of you, I have a love/hate relationship with the current trend of “down-sizing”, which is so popular right now that there is a movie about downsizing humans. Of course the irony is that we could probably clutter up even a tiny world. I guess I’ll have to see the movie to find out.

I’ve been downsizing since our move from the country two years ago. At that time I actually rented a dumpster and got rid of a lot of that extra “stuff” that takes up space simply because it has always taken up space. You’d think that after so many moves I wouldn’t have extra stuff, but I honestly think our possessions reproduce when we aren’t looking! And my mom always said, “It doesn’t do any good to brag that you have an extra closet. Something will just come along to fill it up.”

So here I am, AGAIN, after our recent move- throwing out, giving away, and giving back THINGS. I have four weaknesses: things that belonged to significant relatives, things that were given to me my dear friends or family members, old books, and of course…elephants. My elephant collection is alternately “outstanding” (for its variety and the beauty of some pieces) and “ridiculous” (for its size- I quit counting when it surpassed 175 pieces). In my defense, I have purchased VERY few of my elephants. Most were gifts, because once anyone finds out you are a “collector” of anything that becomes a logical gift item. Many of my collection pieces were either purchased or made by students. And yes, I’ve shared a few of my elephants with beginning collectors in order to downsize my own.

But I digress…

My intention this morning was to tell you that my unpacking and Christmas reminiscing collaborated yesterday to remind me that some of the “things” we keep matter simply because they transport us back in time to places and people and events that brought us great joy. I love to hold my great-grandmother’s salt and pepper shakers and remember the Thanksgiving dinners held in her home. I think about my mom each time I see the butterfly napkin holder that once graced her kitchen counter. Every winter, for over thirty years, I’ve used the afghan that I watched my grandmother make for me. I could go on and on. None of the things I own have much monetary value. And I would still have my memories without them. If I lost them all in a disaster tomorrow life would go on. However…

Yesterday, as I returned my collection of elephant books to its little book shelf, I thought about the origin of that little piece of furniture and went to look for it in my photo files. It was a gift to our girls in 1978! The top held a record player and the bottom housed the records. Why it survived so many years and so many moves since then is a mystery to me. It is simply but cheaply made. It has been everything from a bookshelf to a plant stand over the years. I can’t recall ever treating it tenderly or giving it any special care. Yet here it sits in my current home with hardly a blemish.

It makes me smile to see the little shelf…and the other things that I have decided to keep for a while longer. Do I really need them? No. Would I give them to someone who needed them? Probably. Will I get rid of more of them if I move again? Undoubtedly.

In the meantime I’ll just enjoy them…because they matter…to me.

Love in a Bundt Pan

I was standing in the checkout lane at Walmart recently when what to my wandering eyes should appear than a miniature fruitcake prepared to bring cheer. Okay, so maybe that isn’t what most people think when they see the gooey concoction of batter and fruit. Holiday fruitcake stories abound, and most are complimentary. The stuff has been around since Roman times, yet most people can’t quite understand why.

I suppose the cake’s earliest appeal must have been that it was easily transported, lasted nearly forever, and could be soaked in rum if it got too dry to eat. After a good soaking no one really cared how it tasted!

Fortunately for me, my grandmother loved to make fruitcake, made a delicious one, and seldom soaked it in more than a splash of rum. She had much more faith in the power of “whipped cream in a can” to restore the life of any dried out dessert.

Gran started her shopping early and made sure the cupboards were filled with cans of mince meat, and condensed milk and jars of candied fruit. She bought walnuts by the sack, and we spent hours cracking and shelling them.  When everything was ready and there were at least two weeks ahead before the holiday, she began to bake. She used a bundt pan for even cooking and because she thought it was pretty. She made several, wrapped and labeled them, and gave them to thankful friends. I don’t think people were just being “kind” when they said they liked them. I loved them!

For a few years after her death I made my own fruitcake, but it just wasn’t the same. Gran’s love wasn’t added to the batter and that changed things for me. I would rather recall my memories than taste a poor substitute.

I can share Gran’s recipe with you, but alas, I never took a photo of a cake! I deeply regret that now. And that should serve as an incentive for you to take some photos in the kitchen this week. Your grandchildren will cherish them some day. Perhaps they will also cherish the memory of sitting at the kitchen table and enjoying a slice of fruitcake covered in an avalanche of whipped cream.

The Gift of Hope

As a child I didn’t always get what I wanted for Christmas. Santa wasn’t always able to grant the wishes and dreams I whispered into his ear. My Christmas mornings weren’t always memorable celebrations of fulfillment. But I never recall being truly unhappy or disappointed by whatever was under our tree. And I think the whole process of believing in Santa Claus gave me a far greater gift than my parents realized at the time. It gave me the gift of hope.

Hope:

1. To cherish a desire with anticipation
2. To desire with expectation of obtainment
3. To expect with confidence

Of course the first step in the Santa system is desire. What do you want? What is important enough to make the list? What could Santa give you that you know your parents can’t afford or don’t even know that you want? Deciding what I wanted to request was a serious task for a young girl from a very poor family. I knew that many of the things I wished for cost a fortune. I knew that Santa had thousands of children to please and only so many elves. So I dreamed…but circumspectly. And in the process I learned the value of prioritizing my desires.

After deciding what I wanted for Christmas I spent many lovely hours imaging myself enjoying my gifts. The year that I dreamed of owning a horse produced the best fantasies and they carried me through hours and hours of tedious farm work. In reality my hands might have grasped a shovel or hoe, but in my mind they were gripping reins. And even if Santa wasn’t able to deliver a horse for me, my parents later boarded a horse for a friend and I was able to ride! I learned that ownership wasn’t necessary for enjoyment.

I believed in Santa Claus and his powers for many years. I had confidence in his ability to make toys and deliver them to good boys and girls. And that is the primary reason why I continued to believe, even though I didn’t always get what I wanted. Perhaps I hadn’t been good enough to deserve exactly what I wanted. Perhaps I needed to be nicer, work harder, obey my parents. Oh, the wisdom and shrewdness of the Santa contract! There was always that stipulation…never blatantly stated, but always implied if the right gift wasn’t under the tree. So I learned to be satisfied with what I got because I was confident that Santa knew what I deserved…and I was pretty sure that some years it was coal.

My best friend and I used to spend time playing that tried and true game “What would you do with a million dollars?” Ironically, neither of us ever asked Santa for money. Nor did we ever imagine actually obtaining such a huge sum. No…the goal of the game was to be creative and imaginative. The goal was to think of better ideas and desires and dreams than anyone else. We pared down our lists each December, but playing our little game always inspired us to ask Santa for something wonderful. And with giddy anticipation we always hoped we would find it under our tree!