It’s Really Too Late

Tags

Advent, Billy Collins, Blessed Mother Mary, bottle brush trees, Christmas decorating, Crafts, hope, Magnificat, Poetry, religion

Are you starting to panic? Too much left to do and not enough time? Forgetaboutit! Tis the season to enjoy friends and family and good eats. Stop obsessing!

Easy to say I know. Not having to shop is a big plus. I’m in truffles today. I have them all set up on cookie sheets, just letting them harden up a bit before I do the rolling. This year it’s ground almonds, cocoa, sprinkles, and powdered sugar. I have 39, so ten of each except one.

Tomorrow the nut clusters and I have all the yummy cookie, candy stuff done. The cooking should be easy on Saturday. One casserole which throws together and the ham. The rest is just a veggie and a relish tray, and heating up some stuffing. Have to remember to get that out of the freezer tomorrow.

If you are deep into reflection on the true “reason for the season” however you define that, then you might find some uplifting thoughts at Women Beneath the Cross‘s, The Magnificat: Realizing God’s Dream.  Commonweal, in a short reflection tells us Jesus’ flight into Egypt, while of course echoing Moses, also speaks eloquently to immigrants today, and the dangerous lives they face. And Michael Hogue from Tikkun Daily Blog, reminds us that the only answer is hope in incremental improvements in a very imperfect world.

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I guess it’s pretty late for crafts, but you might want to stop by a Michael’s after the holidays and pick up some of these for next year to do. They are those old rather nasty looking “bottle brush” trees. Most everyone has had one or more of these in the past. Vickie at Uncommon Artistic Endeavors has all the simple directions to turn these cheap “trees” into real stunning decorations.

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I know that poetry, like most art is somewhat subjective. What I love, you loathe, or points between. But this poem, called Aristotle from 3quarksdaily, is simply stunning in its imagery. Please do yourself a favor and take a look. I don’t think you will be sorry.  

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Sometimes prayers are answered like immediately. I kid you not. (that was a popular saying back in the day.) We have this cat, Calvin. He’s a beauty, all orangey and spotted. He likes milk, and he bawls at you when he wants it. He’s taken to sitting on the table with me in the morning and following along with morning prayer.

He usually prowls around with the other boy cats during the night. Last night he was absent. This usually causes a minor concern that he has been let outside and forgotten. All doors are checked. He is not around.

So I figure he’s just hunkered down in one of his hidy-holes.  In the morning, no Calvin emerges to join me for Thursday, Week IV, antiphons and psalms. I begin to worry. As we discover various hidy-holes, he creates new ones. Is the tyke sick?

So, I’m doing my prayers, and I say, “God, will you push Calvin out into the open just so we know he’s okay?” Less than ten seconds go by, before I hear a rustling behind me. A large box is on the table, on its side, and Kate has taken to it as her refuge. When I look, Calvin is rearranging himself in it. Been there all night no doubt.

God, busy as things get, seems to have time for my simple request. 🙂

Believe it, or not, as you wish.

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It’s a slow day. What can I say. The truffles are done, and dinner is in the oven.

What’s on the stove: Arroz Con Pollo. Stuffed celery. Rolls.

Short Takes on the Day 10/30/08

Tags

astronomy, autumn, Barack Obama, cake, Crafts, dessert, economy, Election 2008, evolution, feminism, fruit, GOP, Neo-cons, paleontology, Sarah Palin, socialism, voters

The Obama campaign has been astounding in its breath. By that I mean, it’s desire to redraw the lines in America, and draw from groups long thought to be in the Republican column, never to budge. This is not so, as a report from AlterNet suggests today. In fact, Evangelicals, rurals, and Jewish voters are breaking for Obama this year in numbers that have made red states start to look more blue. This may indeed forecast a total restructuring and realignment of the parties, leaving the Republicans will little more than the deep South and the far West. Read this fascinating article that talks about the changing landscape in America. This may have a huge impact on the ability of Obama to govern from a position of extraordinary strength across the country.

We’ve been talking a bit about the economy and what makes a successful country, one that makes it citizens happy and prosperous. Slip by DistributorCap NY today and read an excellent post on the social fabric of our country versus that of others, and how we far on the success index.

If you are a Garrison Keillor fan, then your fix is right here. As might be obvious, the issue is the election, and Mr. Keillor true to form, pulls no punches with his smart sparkling talk. Enjoy.

Digby over at Hullabaloo has a nice report on feminism and Sarah Palin. Of course you haven’t missed, I’m sure, the new/old tack being used to defend Sarah. She’s just the victim of a misogynistic media after all. Nobody else would be treated this way. She’s a feminist so she says, or doesn’t. Role model and all that jazz right? Read the article and decide.

It will soon be Thanksgiving and you know that is the time to be thankful for all our blessings, both real and surmised. In These Times takes a break and thanks all those wonderful folks who have lead us to this point in time, when (hold your breath and cross your fingers) we are about to elect Barack Obama to be president of the US of A, and return this land to the column of sanity. The list is predictable, but it’s nice to reminisce about the “bad old days.” Wouldn’t you like to personally thank some of these bozos yourself? I sure would.

And if you want pure unadulterated fun, don’t miss Maureen Dowd’s column today. It is a blame hoot, a screen play entitled “And the Maverick wears Prada.” Don’t miss it if you need a laugh. This is one of the more telling events of the campaign season. When your running mate becomes the fodder for serious journalists’ foray into dramatic writing, you know you are in deep doo-doo.

Only five more days to go! Keep up the good work everyone, vote and never stop campaigning until the very end. We are almost there!

A nice fall dessert recipe from Simply Recipes. It’s called, Mrs. Paxton’s Raw Apple Cake. Be sure to look at the comments, since there are alternations that people tried and they worked out, so enjoy.

Uncommon Artistic Endeavors has a neat project for making candle holders from corn husks. She bought her husks at Walmart, but us farm folks find that slightly laughable since husks are strewn everywhere from the wind. Take a look and make a cute cheap decoration for the fall and Thanksgiving. Plenty of pics to help you see how to construct them.

If you spend time every day wondering how planets form, then Live Science has some new information for you. The study of old meteorites help scientists flesh out the actions of all that primordial soup that ended up in our solar system. Knowing where we came from is about the only way to know where you are, so dutifully trot over there and find out this stuff!

A significant fossil discovery has been made in Utah. Utahnians must be thrilled to say the least. The rocks there show evidence of the earliest Jurassic flora known in the western US. This takes us back 200 million years folks, when I at least was still unborn. No doubt the news is very exciting all over the state, where hoards of brainiacs and other nerdish types have descended with pens and pen protectors in tow. (I made that last part up). But hey, presumably, local business does an up tick when all those science types show up!