Posts from — January 2010

I thought I’d end the month with this photo I took recently. Talk about attitude!

In case you’re wondering, this is a Hamerkop (also known as a Hammerhead, Anvil Bird, and Umber Bird, among other aliases—wonder what he’s running from). I photographed him at the Denver Zoo, where he was making quite the racket. Apparently the noise-making was somewhat unusual, as they are usually pretty quiet.

These are really strange birds. According to Wikipedia, my favorite source of potentially correct information, “One unusual feature is that up to ten birds join in ‘ceremonies’ in which they run circles around each other, all calling loudly, raising their crests, [and] fluttering their wings.” Reminds me of my high school football team.

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I was hunting through my well-thumbed copy of The Joy of Cooking, looking for some meal-planning inspiration. Mind you, a friend gave me this book in college. Even though the original edition was published in 1931, my 1975 version couldn’t have changed much. Let’s just admit that both my book and I are old.

I was at first amused—and then appalled—at the menu suggestions listed. Mind you, these are intended for company meals. If someone invited me to lunch and then served some of these, I’d suddenly begin a very spiritual fast that would last until I could run through a McDonald’s on the way home. Could it be a regional difference or did they really eat these things?

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December is a hectic month. Our normal routine is disrupted by the special events of the season, and the accompanying overload. Most of the year, I easily include some focused time with God in my day. Yet, at Christmas time, when it would seem to matter the most, I get distracted. By the time January arrives, I’m almost afraid to go to Him. I assume He’s angry with me, and He has every right. He’s been shoved aside while I shop, bake, and decorate, all supposedly in His honor. I’ve procrastinated, invented excuses, and declared my independence.

We find ourselves giving God the “silent treatment” for many reasons, but they boil down to three main categories. Either we think He failed us, or we have failed Him… or we’re just too apathetic to care. Perhaps God isn’t top priority right now. Oh, we call Him our Lord, and overall desire to follow Him, but our schedule is so busy, He’ll just have to wait until we have a spare moment.

Then comes the wake-up call. God doesn’t like getting the silent treatment any more than we do. The actual call takes many forms, but inevitably, something happens that forces me back into His presence. This year, it was being shunned by a good friend.

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I’m announcing a new name for my blog!

My kids are going to be so relieved. I will no longer be pestering them for inspiring names, names that subtly indicate this site’s awesomeness. After much soul searching and months of intense contemplation, I am changing the name to… Compost.

I can hear the thundering silence. “Huh?” you say, “Compost??”

Too late. I’m committed. I already spent my $9.98 for the domain name www.compost-blog.com and I can’t afford to change my mind.

Besides, it fits. For one, I’m a gardener. Compost is a big part of my life. Well, a significant part, at least. And compost is a good thing. You take leftovers—veggie parings, weeds, frost-killed flowers—and turn them into something valuable. Most gardeners would give a lot for a big pile of finished compost.

In the same way, I’ve had good and bad things happen in my life. What amazes me is that God is able to take my past—all of it—and turn it into something sweet-smelling and life-producing.

That’s what I want this blog to be. Fun, helpful, instructive, but most of all, life-producing.

So please change your bookmarks or RSS feeds, the three of you who actually regularly read my blog. Just don’t go away. The only thing changing is the name.

With the media inundating us with heartbreaking stories and photos about the suffering in Haiti, we naturally want to do something to help. However, not all organizations are equally effective at providing the relief they promise. Sadly, some even seek to profit from the situation, more than they intend to help. I suggest you read the article I’ve linked to here, as it provides some well-thought-out guidelines to help you give generously yet wisely: GuideStar’s Tips for Giving Wisely to Haitian Relief.

That being said, here are several organizations we know well, that I unreservedly recommend:

• Compassion International
• Samaritan’s Purse
• World Relief

They are all already working in Haiti, have infrastructure there, and understand the situation. They will make effective use of your donation. And, they will minister in Jesus’ name.

How many New Year’s resolutions did you make this year? Hmm, okay. Now, how many have you already broken? Yeah, thought so. Me too.

I’ve been pondering the fact that despite our best intentions, most of us are unable to keep our most sincere resolutions for more than a few days. We make our personal lists of dos and don’ts—do exercise, do be more generous, do read our Bible every day. Don’t lose our temper, don’t eat so many desserts, don’t buy things on impulse.

All our goals are laudable. Some are easier than others. We might even manage to achieve a few. After enough practice, they become habits, and we find we’ve made progress. We’re feeling pretty good about ourselves—hey, look at me, I eat two servings of vegetables every day!—until we compare how far we’ve come with how far we have to go. No matter how many resolutions we make and keep, the distance to perfection never seems to change. It’s always out of reach.

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I confidently predict that every one of you will have a birthday some time during the next year. Let me be the first to wish you a very happy day.

A large number of businesses offer you free stuff on your birthday, ranging from ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery (or  most other ice cream chains) to free movie rentals at Hollywood Video. Some of my favorites include Red Robin, Noodles & Co., and Souper Salad, in addition to the aforementioned Cold Stone. (Did you know some Cold Stone stores have no-sugar-added Cake Batter now? This flavor will also be present in heaven, I’m sure.)  I was particularly impressed that Benihana will send you a coupon worth $30 for a free birthday dinner—I just wish our closest Benihana was less than an hour away.

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Beyond Chocolate…

It’s cold, it’s gray, and I’ve got the blahs. January always does that to me. From September through December, our family celebrates. All our birthdays fall in those months. Add in Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we have lots of excuses for getting together and having fun.

In January, it all catches up with me. I’m staring at a calendar full of put-off medical appointments, household chores, and just plain work. Even making my to-do lists leaves me feeling exhausted. There’s not much fun to look forward to, at least in the near future. It’s a bit like coming home from a vacation and facing the pile of things that didn’t get done while you were gone.

Our daughters and their husbands, as well as other family members and friends, are all back home, dealing with their own piles. I miss them already.

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Happy New Year!! If you’ve made some New Year’s resolutions, at least one probably involves healthier food or healthier finances. Today’s blog will help you with both.

For years, soup was the refuge of thrifty cooks. There’s a reason places that offer free meals are called “soup kitchens.” With a tiny bit of effort, you can make a great-tasting new meal from leftovers, and it costs practically nothing.

I was at the market the other day, helping my elderly dad pick out some easy meals he can just heat and eat, and we ended up at the soup aisle. I guess I hadn’t looked at pre-made soups in a while. The prices were exorbitant. Why should a can of soup—not even condensed—cost $3.00? The ingredients are probably worth more like a quarter.

You do not need to buy canned or packaged soups. You can make your own. You don’t even need a recipe. It’s that easy.

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