Easter Greetings

Hope it's wonderful!

Five years ago today: New Thing #80--Note This

Good Friday Is The Blues

Last night I had the most unique Good Friday experience ever.  Hubby Tony and I went to a concert called Good Friday Blues at the Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal) downtown.

The night was a fundraiser for two new organizations that are opening in 2014--the National Blues Museum and Magdalene St. Louis, a two-year residential community for women recovering from prostitution, violence and drug abuse.

Tony and I got there about 15 minutes after the doors opened.  The Cathedral is an imposing Gothic Revival building that's been designated as a National Historic Monument.  I've never been inside the building before; it has beautiful stained glass windows and elaborate carvings across the front, with a spotlight in the center that highlighted the crucifix section. The rest of the sanctuary was surprisingly modern, though.  Instead of pews there were rows of movable chairs, and the elaborate altar I expected was missing.  The raised area that would typically hold the altar was where the bands were setting up.

In addition to the rows of chairs for seating there were round tables (covered with tablecloths) in the back.  The tables were set with bowls of popcorn. Tubs on one side of the room held sodas.  There weren't many people there yet, so Tony and I chose seats close to the front and settled in.  While we waited I read the program, which offered a good explanation of why we were there:

There is no day on the Christian calendar where it is more fitting to sing the blues than Good Friday.  This is the day we see Jesus stripped naked, beaten, and hung on a cross.  It is a day where the deepest pain and deepest love humanity and God can offer is laid out for all to see.  Good Friday is the blues.

After meditating on that profound reflection I was ready for the night to start. The first part of the program was a dramatic reading of the Passion Gospel.  Three groups of parishioners spread out across the front.  There were several who shared the role of narrator, others who took on a variety of characters (including the crowd sections) and one read the part of Jesus.  In the background they played a song by Blind Willie Johnson called "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground".

After the reading was over the music started.  The musicians were all unfamiliar to me: Beth Tuttle and Friends, the Kingdom Brothers, and Matthew Lesch.  It was amazing how the music could move from blues to spiritual to gospel...sometimes in the same song!  Many of the songs were somber, reflecting the solemn nature of the day, but others were joyfully infectious.  There were two sets, and in between there were short presentations by the National Blues Museum and Magdalene St. Louis.

When the house lights came up at the end of the evening I was amazed to see just how quickly two hours had passed. It was a very spiritual experience.

Five years ago today: New Thing #79--Zap the Dirt!

Free Is Always Good

Kenya G. Johnson, a blogging buddy, has written a book called The Christopher Chronicles. The book is a compilation of dozens of cute things her son Christopher said when he was five years old.

This weekend she's giving away the Kindle version of the book for FREE!  I've got mine...you should too.

Five years ago today: New Thing #78--Salaam

Oh No She Didn't!

The other day two women walked by me at the mall Customer Service desk. One of them was carrying a large purse over her shoulder. When she got closer I noticed the purse sides were made out of mesh, and one of them was open a little bit.  I realized it wasn't a purse, but a doggie tote.  The only animals that are supposed to be in the mall are service dogs.

As they headed towards an inconspicuous spot just past the desk the woman pulled out a leash. Next I saw her unfolding a small blue absorbent pad and heard her say to her friend, "Let's see if she needs to go".  At that point I stopped watching and called Security to tell them there was a dog doing its business in the mall.

Unfortunately the women were gone by the time an officer arrived. I would have liked to heard the conversation that ensued.

Five years ago today: New Thing #76--House of Cards

A FEW Of My Favorite Things

The Clifton StrengthsFinder is an online psychological assessment which helps you find your natural talents.  It's used a lot in business settings, but my church has also started offering workshops based on the test.  I'm in the middle of them right now.

Before the workshop started I took the online StrengthsFinders test, which helps you find your natural talents.  There are 34 possible themes (strengths); when the test was done I learned my top five, which are called my Signature Themes.

As a result of the workshops I'm learning a lot about myself. Each week I attend a ninety minute session, then do homework and daily journaling that we discuss the next week.  The topic of this week's session is Finding the Right Fit, and the journal questions leading up to it has me thinking about how my talents have helped me in the past and how I can best use them going forward.   I read the question in the morning so I can ponder over it throughout the day, then write down my answer in the evening.  It's thought-provoking, but fairly easy.

The homework this time is throwing me for a loop, though.  I'm supposed to figure out my favorite job, hobby, vacation, and way to spend my free time. (The theory is that if you can see a connections between your favorite activities and your talents it will be easy to figure out what you're called to do.) Other than the job portion--I LOVE the one I have now--I don't think I have a favorite in any of the other categories.  Each category of favorites has questions that relate to it, which of course I can't do until I figure out my preferences.  The best I've been able to do is narrow each category down to a couple of options or patterns, and comment on all of them.

Ironically, one of my Signature Themes is Responsibility; I like to do things right.

Five years ago today: New Thing #75--Common Courtesy

Spring, Where Are You?

Snow on my deck

The news outlets are calling the snow that came through here yesterday the March Madness storm. It was a doozy.

According to the National Weather Service, at 12.4 inches it set a record as the deepest one-day snowfall in March (The old record was set in 1912).

It's also the highest one-day total in St. Louis since Feb. 26, 1906, when 12.8 inches of snow fell.

It's supposed to be 60 degrees at this time of year.  I am SO ready for Spring!


Five years ago today: New Thing #74--Fashion Faux Pax?

Oatmeal. It's Not Just For Breakfast.

Last week Whole Story, the Whole Foods Market blog, had a post about greens you could eat in honor of St. Patrick's Day. I could have predicted some of their suggestions--adding spinach to sandwiches, greens to soups and main dishes, and zucchini to dessert breads. However, one of their breakfast ideas intrigued me; it was called Savory Oats with Hearty Greens. I like oatmeal and I like greens, but I never thought about combining them in the same bowl, so I bookmarked the recipe for later.

Later turned into today.  The forecast called for a huge snow dump, and I figured that if I was going to be stuck in the house a big bowl of hot oatmeal would hit the spot.  I already had most of the ingredients on hand, but yesterday I stopped at the store and instead of the trite emergency snowstorm ingredients of bread and milk I bought kale.

The snow started overnight. It made things so gloomy I didn't wake up until almost 9 o'clock.  I was hungry and didn't want to wait an hour for the steel cut oats to cook, so we had the dish for lunch.  This recipe is definitely a keeper!  I substituted yellow onion for the red (because I had a surplus of them), and coase sea salt instead of fine. At serving time I set a variety of hot sauces on the table so everyone could have use their favorite

SAVORY OATS WITH HEARTY GREENS (Whole Foods Market) 

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup steel-cut oats
1/2 bunch kale or collard leaves, thick stems removed, leaves chopped)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in oats and cook until coated. Add kale a few handfuls at a time, stirring and adding more as the leaves wilt. Stir in 3 cups of water and salt; bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until oats are soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 10 minutes. Serve garnished with Parmesan or nutritional yeast.

Five years ago today: New Thing #73--Reuse and Recycle

My Mind Works In Mysterious Ways

Last fall I led a committee that put together a page-a-day calendar for a group I belong to. As chair of the committee, I also became the holder of the finished product.  The calendars sold very well in November and December. Sales declined in January, and slowed to a trickle in February.  Since it's so far into the year, we've lowered the original price and still continue to sell a few.  Each time we have a group meeting I bring a supply of calendars in case someone wants more.

Our last meeting was two weeks ago.  At that time I carried two boxes of calendars out to the car and put them in the trunk.  When I got home after the meeting I was in a hurry and forgot to take the boxes out.  And forgot again the next day, and the day after that, as well as the next one.....

This morning the boxes were still there.  Each time I drive away from the house I remember them as soon as I make the first turn, because no matter how carefully I take the corners they slide from side to side in the trunk. As soon as I hear them sliding I have a 'palm-slap to the forehead' moment, and tell myself I'll take care of them when I get home.  The problem is the boxes are heavy enough I need both hands to carry them. When I get out of the car in the garage I grab my purse and anything else setting on the passenger seat that needs to come in.  By time I've set everything down in the kitchen I've already forgotten about the boxes.  Until the next time I leave the house.

Today I was at a meeting and had someone ask me for a calendar. I went out to the car, put a few in a bag, and carried the bag in.  After the meeting I put the bag (still holding a few calendars) on the passenger seat, and left it there while I ran my errands.  When I got home I carried the small bag in and set it on the kitchen island.  Fifteen minutes later seeing that bag there jogged my memory; I went out and removed the boxes from my trunk.

Five years ago today: New Thing #71--Energize Your Brain

Signs Of The Season

Today is the first day of spring, but in my neighborhood that wouldn't be obvious.  I know there are many areas that don't expect to have nice weather at the change of the season, but they're NOT St. Louis. Here, the temperature is supposed to be in the mid-50s, but today it's in the mid-30s, with a brisk wind that makes it feel even colder.

However, even though it doesn't feel like spring, when I was out in the car today I found two harbingers of the new season. This morning I saw the first Garage Sale sign of the year, and later I had to navigate through a maze of trucks and tractors that were already starting the warm-weather neighborhood street repair.

When I got home I decided that even though it still felt like winter I was done with the season; it was time to bring some spring into the house. Over the years I've acquired so much artwork I can't display it all at once, so I swap some of it out seasonally. Today was the day. I removed the paintings and prints of people skating on a frozen pond, snowy barns, and bare trees and replaced them with works of children flying kites, flower-strewn meadows and bouquets of fully open roses.

The bright-colored pictures made me feel much better, and will help me get through until the warmer weather really gets here.

Five years ago today: New Thing #69--Show Me the Money

Camouflaged

Shortly after I got a Kindle for my birthday in January I figured out how to use it at work without anyone noticing. The mall Customer Service desk has a large overhang at the top.  I always have a water bottle tucked under there, and I just leaned the Kindle against it.  All I have to do is reach forward a bit every time I need to hit the page button.

That worked OK, but even though my water bottle is a sturdy metal model it would topple backwards if I pushed the page button too hard.  I also had a problem with the Kindle maintaining the right reading angle; it had a tendency to slide down on the slick counter top.  I looked in a couple of stores to see if I could buy a holder, but when I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for (something inexpensive and small enough to fit into my storage drawer in the back office) I decided to try making my own.

I started with a sturdy box that had held a small quilting kit....

and glued an interior section to what had been the top of the box.

I took my creation to work the next day.  It performed wonderfully, but I was concerned the bright colors and large size might draw attention to the Kindle, which was the last thing I needed.  I decided to make the stand less visible.

The first thing I did was cut it down to size.  When I did that the front lip was less sturdy, so I added additional cardboard to reinforce it.

Then, to mask the hodgepodge of colors I gave the whole thing a couple of coats of black acrylic paint.

I've already used the new and improved holder a couple of times.  It's amazing how inconspicuous it is!

Five years ago today: New Thing #68--Total Rewards