Palm Tree in a Hurricane

"Palm Tree in a Hurricane"
Original artwork by Jesse
2005

A Macaroni Day, Hurrah!

Yesterday was autumnally cool and the temperature this morning was in the (high) 40s. This is cause to celebrate, so in honor of the event I am cooking macaroni and cheese to take to Crock-Pot Family Night. Here's the recipe for any who want to reminisce with us.

1. Cook 4 cups elbow macaroni according to package directions--about 8 minutes. Drain, but do not rinse.

2. Melt 1/2 cup butter in the cooking pot. (or 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup butter)

3. Add 1/2 cup flour and whisk until flour just begins to turn golden. Use low to moderate heat. If it burns, throw it away and start again.

4. Add 1 tsp salt, pepper to taste and 4 cups of milk. Whisk continuously until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir for 1 minute.

5. Combine 2 (or more) cups shredded cheddar cheese--or combination of cheeses, cooked macaroni, minced onion (if desired) and sauce in a casserole.

6. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

This recipe can be halved or multipied. Adjust the baking time.
I'm not trying it out in a Crock-Pot. I'm afraid it will become dry or rubbery. If you try that with success, let me know.

Kalie Sets Record

Kalie scored twice for the Lady Scots in Covenant College's soccer game yesterday. The first goal tied the school record for goals in a season and the second goal set the new record--22! Go to the college website to see her picture and read more about the match.

Church Search Update

Pop received his proposed severance package from the Session this week. He will be preaching only three more weeks, but will be paid through the end of December. His final Sunday will be November 6. In addition, the money we owe the church on their no-interest loan for our house down-payment has been forgiven. That is equivelent to almost two months' salary.

This is comparable to the financial arrangement I hoped for, but the impending closeness of his final Sunday took me by surprise. Questions, primarily personal, flooded my mind. What will I do about teaching the monthly evening Circle Bible study on November 8? (Pop says "teach", that's his final official day--the Presbytery meets then and will approve, we assume, the severance.) Will I attend the weekly Tuesday afternoon Bible study? I don't think so. Will the children be able to continue with the youth group activities? Yes. Do we continue to co-op with the other homeschoolers? Yes, at least through the end of the first semester which ends before Thanksgiving. Second semester doesn't begin until January.

Within the next couple of weeks we will determine when to put the house up for sale. We have already begun Phase 1 of a four phase packing schedule. Phase 1 is de-clutter. We are removing any unnecessary furniture, decorations, etc. from all rooms to present the house to its best advantage. Stuff worth keeping is packed neatly in the garage. Nice stuff we choose not to take is given away. Trash is ruthlessly discarded. I actually enjoy this phase--it's challenging!

We heard a week ago from the Cape Cod church, that they expected to be reviewing Pop's "package" this past week, but we have not heard anything further. We know the church in Anchorage has received his ministerial data and sermon CD, but we do not know if they have contacted any references yet. This week Pop sent his application to a PCA church in Danville, KY and received an e-mail saying it had arrived. So now we are in the "sit patiently and wait on the Lord" stage. I think we are all feeling quite calm and secure in His kind intentions.

I'm Puzzled

Why, if fire is spelled f-i-r-e, is fiery spelled
f-i-e-r-y?

Why do we spell the number 4, f-o-u-r, but spell 40, f-o-r-t-y?
44 is spelled f-o-r-t-y--f-o-u-r!

Peter's Birthday

Tomorrow is Peter's 28th birthday.

I woke up in labor in the wee hours of the morning, (breathe a sigh of relief here, since you'll get no more detail about it,) and we were on our way to Booth Maternity Center in Philadelphia in the dark before daylight. He was born about 7 am on a Thursday.

Pop came to the maternity center every day to visit when he was not working or in classes. Then, after church on Sunday morning he came to take us home. The trees in the park along the Schuykill River were at their most riotously glorious! It was as if all creation was celebrating with us.

I had always liked Autumn best of all the seasons, but that confirmed it for me.

Happy Birthday, Peter. We love you.

Inner Landscape

As I get older, I'm more and more inclined to suspect that each of us has an ideal internal landscape. This is the pattern [the sights, the sounds, smells, even feel (perhaps imprinted while we were children)], that defines for each of us what climate, topography, colors, angle of light, style of architecture, fragrances, and other features create our ideal environment. Perhaps it is shaped through the places we have lived or visited.

Never was this idea of an inner landscape such a strong impression to me than this summer at my cousins' family reunion in the Adirondacks. It seemed like home to me there. I did not grow up in that house, nor in that neighborhood, except for the several weeks we spent camping in that area when I was young. But the shape of the hills (which seemed more mountainous before I saw the Rockies), the angle of the summer light, the smell of the trees--which were of a familiar kind, the presence of sparkling lake and river water, all contributed to a sense of comfort. My childhood home and surrounding neighborhood in New Jersey had many of the same features.

Now I realize there were other factors at work this summer. Being there without the responsibility of children, meals, laundry, etc. was itself relaxing. Being with my favorite sister in the whole wide world, and my favorite cousins, all contributed to a stress-free weekend. But the sense of inner contentment from the surroundings was overwhelming, especially in contrast to the landscape of Florida.

I have been able to identify some of the essential features of my own inner landscape--rolling hills or low mountains, even high mountains, opposed to flat land where I feel exposed; water, especially rivers or streams, followed by lakes, then ocean; trees, a mixture pine and deciduous--essential for autumn color, which is almost as good in its anticipation as in its reality; seasons, with the welcome cloudy days of winter; low-angled sunlight, dappled through leaves and sparkling off water, rather than harsh and direct; and architecture with some history (laughable by European standards, I realize). All of these combine to give me a feeling of safety, comfort and rest.

I wonder if people who have lived in one place all their lives even realize they have an inner landscape. Some may have been born into a landscape that doesn't suit them and are restless until they find it. I'd be curious to know from my children, born and raised in a variety of landscapes, which one feels most like home to each of them.

Getting Started

Since you children all know my technical ineptitude, you will not be surprised that I have been struggling to figure out how to begin blogging for several months. My first difficulty was in getting to the blog I had registered back in January. I could not remember the particular details of its title (if that's what blogs have) and address. Even now, I'm not sure if I've created two more blogs in an effort to revise my initial title, and I'm guessing the only way to find out (at least for me to discover this on my own) is to give it a try.

But my larger difficulty is in actually committing words to print. It's so much easier spouting words out into the air by phone than to have the discipline of writing them down and taking responsibility for their existence. I do reserve the right to retract foolish remarks, and hope you will forgive and forget them.

I decided that in order to "blog" I must have a stated purpose in mind. I am writing these thoughts for my scattered children--in Colorado, Indiana, and Louisiana. In particular, I want to keep a journal of my thought and reactions to the events of the new adventure upon which we are about to embark. As you now all know, Pop has resigned his position here and is looking for a call--preferably in a (much) cooler climate. Writing my thoughts down will allow me to share the daily developments in our search for a new "home" while, I am hopeful, keeping me from complaining and gossiping.