Christmas scenes

Just a few pics of my Christmas decorations and a very bored boxer. enjoy!

Why didn't I try this sooner?

Sometimes a little thing can make all the difference in the world. For more than a year, I've been having trouble with pain in my feet, brought on by (I believe) a cheap pair of shoes and a lot of walking on the job. the soles of my feet became inflamed, and if you've never experienced it, it hurts. Like tiny arrows digging into your feet all day long. I bought new shoes, got some Dr. Scholl inserts, and even took a narcotic-strength pain reliever, but the pain persisted in my left heel. Finally I tried something simple: I took any anti-inflamatory medicine and WooHoo! For the first time in over a year, I can walk without pain in my feet! It's amazing how much this one little change has improved my mood. I feel like ME again. I've been so down on myself over the past year, never making the connection between how I felt emotionally and the physical pain that I felt. Heck, I'm ready to take up jogging I feel so much better.
OK, you get the picture. sometimes when just one little thing is out of whack, it throws off everything else. Take care of the tiny little detail and watch everything else fall neatly into place. Have you ever experienced this type of situation? I had a great day, hope yours was great too.

Now I am a...

Master Naturalist intern. Yes, I did it--I officially "graduated" yesterday and now need to work on a project to meet the volunteer requirement. We learned so much since the beginning of September. We could easily have spent weeks on each chapter. Really, we only scratched the surface of what makes up the flora and fauna (and a few other categories) of this state of Illinois. I never knew that karsts could be so fascinating or that hill prairies are so endangered. I'll never look at an insect the same way again. I'm thinking that I'd like to do a project dealing with the urban environment. Do you think the neighbors would mind if I turned my yard into a prairie? I've also been asked to run for a position on the executive committee of our Sierra Club chapter, but I'm hesitant to bite off more than I can chew. Oh well, the holidays are fast approaching so I'm going to put everything on the back burner till January. I've worked hard to earn that title; now i need to rest a little. I have all the materials to build two raised bed garden plots so I'll probably work on that this weekend. Then I need to order some seed catalogs. I also want to extend my little prairie garden next spring so I need to think about that. Aw, November--the beginning of next year's plans and aspirations. Maybe that's what winter is for--to dream of spring. Happy dreaming.

The true meaning of FOOD

I'm almost done reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; I started reading it a couple of years ago and then set it down for a long while after a life-altering experience with a CSA. However, since I'm planning my own garden for next year, I felt the time had come to finish reading it. In the past year, I've learned to make my own bread (and since the recipe makes two loaves, I always share one with a neighbor). I've discovered that I'm not a bad chef and that it's OK sometimes to make substitutions for ingredients that I don't have on hand. The food that I create tastes better than commercially prepared food and I eat less of it as a result. (when you really taste the food you eat, you naturally eat less). I still have some bad food habits but at least I'm aware of them.
Besides making bread, I've made crackers, pumpkin fritters, cherry fruit roll-ups, and even gourmet treats for Boxer. It's fun and it's nourishing for both body and soul. I think back to 1984 when I became anorectic and how I saw food as the enemy; actually, I was my own worst enemy and still am in many ways. But today I enjoy a healthy relationship with food that's based on respect and understanding that food is meant to be a celebration and is nothing to fear. Believe me, being afraid to eat wreaks havoc with your self-esteem. By really understanding where my food comes from and its true purpose in life, I'm more and more able to pass up junky food when temptation strikes.
People may think I'm strange because I don't care much for eating out (do you really know what goes on in the kitchen of a chain restaurant?) but if making my own bread is strange, I'll gladly take it. As far as I'm concerned, it's the true American way. So throw away the pre-packaged meals and join the slow food movement--viva la vida!

Just a few thoughts on faith...

I hear so many Christians saying that they believe in the Bible. But I wonder, sometimes, just what does that mean? Does that mean you have the right to try and change someone's sexual orientation because you think that's God's will? Actually, the word "homosexual" doesn't even appear in the original scripture because it wasn't created till late in the nineteenth century. Likewise with the word "witch". It doesn't appear in the original Biblical writings. Besides, words are just labels and I don't like labels. One could do worse than be a "witch".
That said, I do believe that the Bible is the Word of God. It's one of the ways that God speaks to us. But it's not the only way. And it doesn't contain all there is to know about God or even about life. God is too vast and too real, too omnipresent and too untamed, to be confined to the words of a book. (Or rather, a collection of books). All the writers of the Bible reveal some truth about God, but reading the Bible is only the start. Or at least, it should be. For many people, it's the end as well. They read the Bible and never ask another question about God, about life, about the universe---see, it's all there, in the Bible? Sorry, I just can't buy it.
Once I had read the Bible, I started asking questions and have never stopped. I've learned that God usually takes His time to answer our most pressing questions--but He does answer them. I think God likes it when we ask Him questions--how else are we supposed to learn? My most sincere prayer often takes the form of a question: why did so and so betray me? why did I become ill? where were You when....the list could go on and on.
I guess what I'm getting at is God's ways aren't our ways. Here on Earth, we have schedules that we must stick to, things to do, places to be. God is timeless; all that will ever be has been done; God is always present. He's quite simply unfathomable. And can never be tamed. (C.S. Lewis knew this well). I think too many Christians want a tame God, one that fits neatly in their Bible when they close it for the night. Me, I want a wild, unchangeable, incomprehensible God who surprises me at every turn with His generosity and love. I think that kind of God scares a lot of people. Oh well, they have their Bibles and images of a sweet, Caucasian, smooth-complected Jesus who only got angry once, when He overturned the tables in the temple. If that placates them, fine. I'll take the Jesus who was sun-burned, dusty, tired, and once referred to a woman as a "dog" because she wanted healing and wasn't a Jew. A complex man, that Jesus. Just like the Bible. Just like the universe. Just like faith.
Peace.

Pick a little, talk a little......

I think gossip is one of the most insidious, and disregarded, sins that the Good Book warns against. We can all tell stories of the friend/co-worker/neighbor who started rumors about us and what it led to. I think of the musical "The Music Man" and how the ladies of the town, like hens in a barnyard, gossiped about Marian the librarian---"Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little, cheep, cheep, cheep, pick a lot, talk a little more..." though amusing in that particular production, there's nothing amusing about gossip in real life. I absolutely deplore the Hollywood tabloids and the way they vivisect the subjects who make the publishers rich. When Brittney was having a mental breakdown, all I could see was: this young woman, who has entertained millions, has a mental illness and people are ridiculing her for it. And of course, some were making money from it. It's at times like these when I almost wish I lived among the Amish (whom I'm sure talk about their neighbors, but nothing like the media tabloids). I'm really not interested in other people's personal lives; I'd much rather hear some positive news about a neighbor/co-worker/celebrity than hear people talk trash. I try to close my ears to such trash talk, but often feel I'm in the minority--"pick a little, talk a little, cheep!!"

Roads

I drove to Waterloo today for my Master Naturalist class. Arriving early, I stopped by to visit my Aunt Doris and Uncle Larry. They were surprised and happy to see me; it's been so long since I've seen them that I can't recall the last time. We chatted about what was happening in Alton (I have to confess, Doris seemed more up-to-date on some things than I was) and one of their cats decided to visit me too. It was a beautiful autumn day and yes, Larry is still feeding his critters. All too soon, I had to leave to attend my class, which was an interesting presentation on forests/woodlands.
After the class was over, one of the participants invited us all to view his gardens and yard in Columbia. He had a beautifully landscaped yard which was dominated by miniature train tracks and trains. Watching the trains, I was struck by the way they went round and round the same route time after time. Sometimes it seems life is like that as well--like we're just going round and round and getting nowhere. When this feeling comes over me, I know it's time to lay down some new tracks--try new things and pursue new interests. Maybe that's what compelled me to take this Master Naturalist class in the first place--to follow the road less traveled, not knowing where it will lead me, but certainly worthwhile. Though the destination is unclear, I know I'm going in the right direction--I refuse to be like a model train that's always going somewhere, but getting nowhere. Like the poet says "I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference". Peace.