Things I Love: Homemade Bread
The Kettle Slayer made bread today. It was still warm from the oven when I got home from work.
It was chewy and delicious. No gritty terribleness that so often comes with gluten-free baking.
I would write more, but I’m too busy devouring the loaf.
Sabbath Thinking
If we are truly thankful for the gifts of God, these same gifts will be cherished and cared for. If they are not well cared for, we will have to assume that gratitude and praise have been overcome by our anxieties, fears, obsessions, insensitivities, and arrogance. – Norman Wirzba in Sabbath Living
This rings true to me. Wirzba is quick to apply this thinking to our eating habits, but I believe it is equally applicable to other areas. Possessions. Talents. Homes. Children. Money. Time. Am I cherishing and caring for these gifts?
Our move toward more responsible food consumption has been slow, but measurable. This year our garden will be a little bigger, our preserving plan a little more robust. We continue to purchase more of our food from local sources. It still feels like we have a long way to go. Approaching this via a Sabbath road might make it feel easier or more possible. At least more necessary.
Wirzba reminds us that the penalty for not observing Sabbath was death. I do believe that by not taking the time to honor Sabbath and truly rest, many of us are heading quickly toward just that – death. Choosing life by being intentional about what activities fill our calendars, what items enter our homes, and what attitudes live in our hearts seems like the right direction.
2015 Resolutions Check-in
In my world, the chances of me achieving a goal are much better when there is a little accountability. Keeping track, checking in. These are good things. Read more…
Bear Etchings and Other Scribblings
The one at the bottom has the best legs, but Lima Bean isn’t happy with his crooked jaw. Read more…
Stealing Rows
Neither Ice nor Cold nor…
As they do to many others, the dark and cold do a lot to weigh my motivation down in January. This morning I slept past my alarm and was absolutely not interested in getting up. I was less interested in shuttling smallish bears to school or going to work. My cozy little apartment was so warm and inviting. Before I even got out of bed I was trying to think of good reasons not to go to my first yoga class this afternoon. I packed my bag and mat anyway.
Once I got to work, I started to look forward to class. And then work got crazy and I almost couldn’t leave. I raced to the car, hoping there was still enough time to drive to the studio, find a parking place, change, and make it to class on time. When I got to the car the entire inside of the windshield was covered with ice. All of the other windows were completely clear.
What a change from the dark early morning! I cranked the defroster, thought warm thoughts, and determined I was going to get to the studio no matter what. It was worth it.
We were asked to think of an intention for the hour or for ourselves in general. Healthy balance. Nothing is between this and me. Nothing will keep me from reaching that place. Neither cold nor ice nor dark of January. Nothing.
2015 Sock 1.1
A bit of Valentine knitting for smallish bears is about to interrupt this beautiful pair of green socks. Both bears have asked for knitted objects recently and I am happy to oblige.
The new heel turned out to be comfortable and pretty! The only thing I will change for the second sock is to bind off with the next size larger needle. I always forget to do that and then my top edge is a wee bit tighter than I’d like it to be. It doesn’t make the socks uncomfortable to wear, just a little more difficult to get on. This is the only downside I’ve found to knitting toe-up socks.
Lady Bug has been sighing over this sock. Every time she sees me working on it she tells me how pretty it is. I’m going to make her a pair too! Lima Bean liked the latest incarnation of the arm warmers so she will be getting a pair of those soon too. The quilt will just have to wait!
Rest & Delight
The book Miss E suggested has been interesting, but is not yet compelling. We are reading Living the Sabbath by Norman Wirzba. I like the idea of finding rest and delight by being both educated and intentional about the practice of Sabbath.
Early in the book the author makes an argument that eating, specifically moving away from the packaged meat industry, is one way to lead ourselves into Sabbath. The discussion seems to come out of nowhere in chapter one. Even though I agree that there is a responsibility associated with making our food choices, the sudden shift from intellectual and spiritual premises to, hey, you should really be growing your own food, was distracting and strange. Maybe the later chapters will put things into a more solid context.
In the meantime, I continue on my own paths of rest and delight. Today was full of smallish bears, singing, cooking, and knitting. A perfect sort of Saturday.
This sock is special. It is the first sock of 2015 AND it is the first sock I’ve made that doesn’t use a short-row heel. It came out nicely!
What He Said: E.B. White
Twenty-four hours after I had started the previous day I was through. (I smell something ungrammatical in that sentence.) – E.B. White in Letters of E.B.White
Knitting as a Saving Grace
My job is complicated these days. Not so much the work itself, but navigating coworkers and competing priorities. I don’t like feeling as though I have to lock up documentation so that it doesn’t go missing. I don’t like feeling as though some actions may not be as accidental or careless as they are made out to be. And I certainly don’t like not knowing how to communicate those feelings.
So for now I knit and think and pray and lock up documentation. I am thankful that I am safe at my workplace and that my patients are safe. These petty, soap operaesque conflicts will pass much the way seventh grade passed. It felt like a long time, but we all made it through.
I knit and wait for wisdom. It’s good I have so much yarn!
Naming Mountains 