Full Circle

"Carpenter's Roll for the President's House." Wage rolls for May 1795 list five slaves Tom, Peter, Ben, Harry and Daniel, three of whom were slaves owned by White House architect James Hoban.

We The People

Today I cried as I watched Barack Obama take the oath of office, becoming the 44th President of the United States of America.

In the 1700's, slavery was in it's heyday. The White House was built largely upon the backs of Black Americans, both slaves and free. Looking now at the beautiful and stately manor, having well withstood the test of time, I think about the skill and workmanship that went into it. And I cannot help but wonder how many backs were whipped, how many men and women labored, sweating in the scorching sun until they could no longer walk. Were they well fed? Did they have adequate water?

I can still recall those feelings of surprise and sadness I felt when I truly saw segregation for the first time, in the year 2001.

Seven years ago we traveled to the state of Georgia to pick up our newborn daughter. Having lived on the west coast all of my life, I was surprised to see that segregation really does still exist in this country. I was there for two weeks and only once did I see any mixing of races -- White, Black or Asian. Even in church, where God fearing people clearly liked each other, I did not see people of varying colors sitting together.

Where I live, it is just a normal thing to see a mixed race couple walking hand in hand down the street. It is commonplace to see children of several races playing together or riding bikes. I do not believe people are blind to it, only that it is so normal that it isn't often called into question.

Differences aside, today I rejoice for the poignant symbolism, one day after the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., of a Black American family walking into the front door of their new home - America's President in "America's House".

Today I cried as I contemplated history. I wondered about the cloud of witnesses that surround us. I wondered what history was contained in the tears that flowed down brown, smiling faces. I felt hope for more unity in the future, no matter in which part of the country we live.

We The People.

God Bless America.

Ring, O bells, from ev'ry steeple!

Tell the story far and near;

Let the breezes bear your echoes,

Freedom's natal day is here.

Fire the guns and shout for freedom,

See the flag above unfurled!

Hail the stars and stripes forever,

Dearest flag in all the world.

Ring, O bells, and shout, O people,

Float, O flag, from sea to sea!

We, thy children, rally 'round thee,

Hail, O flag of liberty!

Float, O starry flag of freedom!

Flag our fathers died to save;

He on whom your shadow lingers

Never more can be a slave.

May "Old Glory" float forever,

High o'er vale and mountain crag,

See her stars on ev'ry ocean,

One dear country, one dear flag!

Ring, O bells, and shout, O people,

Float, O flag, from sea to sea!

We, thy children, rally 'round thee,

Hail, O flag of liberty!

Soup's On Saturday...Soup In a Jar

I really did mean to post every single Saturday. At least.

Life happens. And then I can blog about it. Sometimes.

I love blogging. So I hope I get back into my groove.

Anyway, about soup ...

The soup this week is one you can make ahead and keep in your pantry until you are ready for it. I like making it for gifts for my siblings at Christmas. It is good for me to have on hand, all made up, especially during basketball season, as it is a quick thing to throw together. This recipe makes a huge batch too.

Soup In A Jar! (Sorry no pic. New computer so none loaded on here yet!)

There are some really good recipes out there for this. And you can use different sized jars and decorate them if you'd like, or just put a square of fabric on the flat lid then screw the ring on.

This recipe is my favorite. Sometimes I add chicken cooked in wine, and have even thrown in some bacon. And I like the look of a plain old canning jar so I mostly leave them plain, or just tie a piece of raffia around it with the instruction tag.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup... In A Jar

3/4 Cup Country Gravy Mix
2 Tablespoons Chicken Boullion or Broth Granules
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons Dried Minced Onion
1 Tablespoon Dried Celery Flakes
1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
1/2 Wild Rice
3/4 Cup Long Grain White Rice
1/2 Cup Wild Rice
3/4 Cup Long Grain White Rice
Add:
1 Can Mushrooms or 2 Cups sauteed Fresh Mushrooms
14 Cups Water
Bring to boil, cover and let simmer 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender. Check and stir occasionally.

Don't Blame Me

This morning, in the wee hours when my sick little one was asleep on my chest and I was unable to sleep, I was watching a reality show that highlights people who are traveling via air, bits of their stories, and (mostly) challenges with the airlines. As I watched the scenes being played out, I noticed an common thread -- lack of personal responsibility.

Sometimes an airline has done something wrong. We all know they overbook flights. And they have lost a lotttt of luggage! Yes, these things do happen. But usually the problems, on this show at least, seemed to arise out of the traveler's own mistake or neglect.

One such man, with 10 minutes before the plane was to leave, thought he had time to go smoke a cigarette. But when he came back his flight had departed. His 12 year old son was scheduled for surgery the next day and there were no more flights out that night. His parting words to the airline personnel were "Thanks alot, hopefully my son doesn't die from anesthesia".

Maybe he felt guilty that his addiction was more important than getting home to his child.

Another man had been sitting at the gate and became deeply engrossed in the paper he was reading. Somehow he missed every warning and boarding call -- and then missed the flight all together. Personally, I wonder if he also went to smoke or get a "beverage". He tried to argue that the announcements were not loud enough -- even though no one else had been left behind. He said, "Don't you think it is pretty fundamental that people need to actually be able to hear when they are supposed to board?".

Maybe he felt stupid that he had missed his flight for no good reason. Or was afraid he would have to pay for another ticket so wanted to make it someone else's fault.

Not long ago, I politely, even sort of lightheartedly so as not to make him uncomfortable, asked a young man if a series of necessary meetings relating to my kids had yet been scheduled. He was in charge and I had reminded him several times already but the time was getting short and still no word of any plans. He had already failed to come through on a series of things he had said he would do - so this was just one in a long list. And he always seemed to have an excuse that got him off the hook and implicated someone else.

This particular time he shrugged and said "my bad" in a dismissive "oh well" sort of a way.

Admitting (sort of) but not making it right.

I have heard alot of sympathy recently for people whose homes are being foreclosed on due to the fact that their payments are too high. And I hear blame being given to the lenders that gave the loans. The consumers are trying to blame the lenders who gave them the loans for the fact that they cannot make their payments. Yet they, too, deserve blame for the situation they find themselves in. My husband and I have always been approved for way more than we can afford when buying a house. It is a simple matter of figuring out a little math. The corporation is now suffering because of their lack of discretion and so is the consumer -- both self inflicted!

This is such a prevalent thing in our society. It almost seems as if it is not only accepted, but we make excuses for each other so no one has to be "to blame"!

Several years ago I was at a retreat. The person leading the lesson talked for awhile, then we were to pair up with a predetermined buddy and go over a list of items of possible things we were doing (or not doing) in our lives that could harm us, and we were to rate ourselves, then discuss it with our buddy.

There was something on there about honesty. Something about the way it was worded made me realize that there were some things I did that were not totally honest. Things I didn't mean to lie about but that were not full of Grace and Truth. For example, I am running maybe 10 minutes late to a meeting somewhere. Then I come to some road work and have to wait 2 minutes. I arrive at my destination and say how sorry I am for being (15 minutes) late, but explain in a dismissive way about the road work. Of course I never shared that the road work only delayed me by 2 minutes!

Someone else to blame for my own shortcomings. No I am not free of guilt in this myself. Yet I do not EVER want to allow it to take root in me.

I certainly do not want to raise children who do not accept responsibility for their actions. Better a stone to be tied around my neck and be thrown into the sea than to teach this to - or accept this from - my children.

Thanks God for the reminder. Sometimes I don't even see it myself! Please reveal to me when I am not accepting responsibilty for my own actions.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

All Is Calm, All Is Bright

As I trudged up our long driveway, pulling my legs out of a foot of snow at each uphill step, I second guessed the groceries I had purchased, weighing their value against the work it was to get them back home.

Drawing near the top I realized something had changed. I was surrounded by a rosy glow.

Amazing how much faster I moved when I had to hurry to get the camera!

Of Snow and Time

 

Summer had ended, despite my protests, and Christmas was coming.
That was yesterday, right?

Today it is almost two weeks post Christmas.

In that time we have said goodbye to one friend, my eloquent,wise, once-in-a-lifetime teacher of 101 and a half.

Willa's 99th Birthday Celebration

 We rejoiced with friends who had twins after years of praying for a child.

 Cycles and seasons.

The snow came. And came. And came. It melted. Well, mostly. Then it snowed again. Even in the middle of the night the view from my window was bright with the reflection of stars and moon on the pure, powdery white blanket.

In the daytime, all of the debris, usually blowing in the wind or dirty and trapped in a gutter or ditch, is invisible. Grass left alone too long or fields muddied by horses hooves -- all fresh, clean and beautiful.

Even the dirtiest parts of town become white and clean. Large toys and playhouses, abandoned when the rains came, are now nature's sculptures. Once loved cars, hastily pushed aside for newer ones, look glorious once again in their white slipcovers. All is amazingly pure, clean, hushed and untouched.

 

My Car

Today I awoke to a mostly gray world again, looking down on a "kingdom" of fog.

 

Isn't it something how much less vibrant the world looks, how much dirtier, after a blanket of snow has fallen and melted away?

Yet the promise of Spring, it remains.

 

Soup's On! Saturday: The Best Bean and Ham Soup

I can't believe I have been missing SOS. It sure hasn't prevented me from actually making soup. Just from writing about it. Over Christmas Break that is pretty much all we ate. We had Cheesy Ham and Rice Soup, White Chili, Taco Soup and more. Each time I made a big pot of it so we would have something quick to heat up for the next meal.

As I mentioned before, we had *S*N*O*W*. Lots of snow. We had no way to get out of our driveway so we stayed home, warm and cozy, for almost two weeks, with a couple slow but beautiful trips to the store in between storms.

So soup was perfect. And I got to try some new soups too.

If you post a soup recipe this week, I'd love to see any new recipes. I am especially looking for soups with no dairy or grains if you have them.

We wanted a pretty laid back New Year's Day. But, since we didn't do our annual NYE Sushi Party, we wanted to do something. So our sons just invited some of their friends and we just had a few of ours over.

What is the perfect thing to serve to a group that doesn't have to be done at the last minute, that allows me to relax? You guessed it. I also wanted to use up my ham bone so searched specifically for a recipe using that. Certain types of beans are supposed to bring good luck so, though I don't believe in actual "luck", I thought it was fun for New Years to have black eyed peas included in the soup.



Huh? Oh. Sorry. I meant these.
I bought mine in a 13 bean mix from Bob's Red Mill. The recipe for The Best Bean and Ham Soup
called for a 15 bean mix but 13 is what I had and it worked just fine. I didn't miss those extra two kinds of beans at all. As usual, I amended the recipe to suit what I had and our tastes. Work with it Baby. Make it your own.

As it turns out, everyone really liked the soup. Except me. I omitted the salt and it was still a little too much on the salty side for me. And I yearned for that slight smoky taste I remember from when my grandma would open up a can of Bean with Bacon. So next time I will probably add some smoke flavor. And maybe toss in some bacon along with the ham.

Have a cozy back to school week. Remember to take some moments to yourself and don't get the After Christmas Blues.