A choice land

Last week in Church, the Sacrament Meeting talks were somewhat patriotic. They focused on our rights and responsibilities as Americans and as God-loving Church members. In one talk a fairly common quote referring to "a land choice above all others" was used. He went on to discuss the phrase "choice land" and finally said that maybe there's another way we should also consider it... a land of choice. Perhaps that ability to make choices is what makes us consider America a choice land. It's been an interesting thought to turn over in my mind.

Part of what set my frame of mind to be especially receptive is a chat with an old friend from High School. Brenda is a big fan of a man named Christopher Hitchens. I haven't studied what he has to say very closely but in chatting with her and making a quick perusal of his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Christopher-Hitchens/21111629328?ref=pymk), I think that he may present a pretty accurate picture of our current political state. He seems to be enough of a Washington insider to know the difference when our politicians are actually telling the truth and when they still have a bit of BS to wipe from the corner of their lips. In what I read, my only 'problem' with him is that he is so full of vitriol. I prefer rational solutions to simple hate mail.

Which isn't to say that I have a lot of real and lasting solutions to offer... As just one person I know that I'm somewhat limited in what I can do to save the world. But I can reach out to one person. I can help my neighbor. I can smile at a stranger. I can take a picture of a tourist in front of some local attraction so they can take it home to show their friends. I can let someone in front of me in traffic. I have a friend who, speaking of missionary work, says they are out to save the family of man one person at a time. Kind of like the starfish story that's been retold so many times it's almost cliche...

A man was walking along the beach when he saw another man wading into the surf picking up the starfish that littered the beach. An especially large amount of them had washed ashore and the man was picking them up and throwing them back in the water. The first man approached him and told him that his job was too big... there were simply too many starfish washed ashore for him to make a real difference. He bent, picked up another and tossed it back out to sea saying "Made a difference to that one."

Of course reading Mr. Hitchens entries also reminded me of what I think is truly the cause of our difficulties in America. We are a nation built of fundemental Christian values, yet we've allowed Christ to be removed from our public consciousness. We've become a nation of selfish individuals, each more intent on having his/her desires filled than working for the common good of all. We are more interested in the monetary value in suing someone who has offended us than in repairing relationships. We continue to institutionally care for both our young and old while complaining about the decline of family values. We reward those who do wrong - both individuals and large corporations. Call it God's wrath pouring out on us if you wish. But whatever label you attach, I think it boils down to one simple fact - we've brought this on ourselves.

And if there is a solution to be had, we have to be the ones to find it. In my life, learning and living God's will plays an important part in the solution. I want to see His hand at work in my life now so that someday I will have the ability recognize His face because I already know Him.

I was recently reminded of a story from the New Testament that illustrates this idea. It's that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus shortly after the crucifixion. Somewhere along the journey they are joined by a man they do not recognize. He inquired as to why they were so downcast. In reply they asked where he had come from to not know about the death of the prophet that so many had believed was come to save the Jews.

Continuing on, he expounded scripture... prophesying and explaining what had been fulfilled. It was only after they had stopped for the evening and asked him to stay on with them that they discovered his identity as the risen Savior. 'Did our hearts not burn within us?' they asked each other.

How often have we read that story and wondered how they did not recognize Christ? These were His associates in life and would have been well versed in His teachings, manners and mission. How could they not know Him well enough to recognize Him?

I ask myself, am I sure I know Him well enough to not make the same mistake? And as I work to make sure that I do, I think I will find my own solution to the problems of the world.

A Seattle-like summer continues

We had 6 straight days of rain last week. Normal if you are in Seattle, but kind of weird for the desert of Salt Lake... Yesterday we caught a little break in the storminess and it was mostly cloudy all day, sometimes ominously so, but it didn't rain. Yes, that one rainless day I was hoping for actually happened right on cue!! I, and several of my neighbors, took advantage of that little window of opportunity and got the lawns mowed. It looks so good right now. I wish I could just freeze-frame it and have it look exactly like this all summer long.

This morning I got outside early enough to get the planter boxes on the patio planted. I chose sweet potato vine, asparagus fern, big pink petunias, salvia and marigolds. I love the color palatte! The chartreuse against the pink shades and dark greens with specks of blue-ish purple and yellow-orange is gorgeous. Glad the gardeners at Temple Square came up with it so I could copy it.

The garden is sure growing good with all the rain. The potatoes are blooming and some of them are pretty close to hip high. Hopefully there will be some good potatoes underneath this year. These are some I 'forgot' to dig last fall and they were just from some that had sprouted in the fridge and I decided to see if they'd grow rather than throw them away. They did, but not great. Commercial potatoes are treated with something that supposed to keep them from sprouting very much. It worked out so well to leave them in the ground over the winter, I may just do that purposely this fall... pick out the place I want to grow spuds next year and plant them before winter sets in.

The tomatoes are trying hard to catch up those that have been in the ground longer. It's amazing but I swear you can see the difference in their size every night when I come home from work. And the raspberry plants I moved to create a row from the 'clump,' it looks like they've all survived and are coming out of the shock and sprouting new leaves. The clump has lots of berries this year so I've left it in place for now with the plan of taking it out late this fall. The corn and beans are both up and growing fast. Unfortunately so are the weeds!

And yes, the rain started again today. And it's in the forecast for the entire coming week.

A purely graceful move

Yesterday and today I've been living with a painful nose. Doesn't hurt so much to breathe, just when I touch it. Which is surprisingly often! Maybe it's a subconscious thing because it is injured...

Monday evening, I decided to finally pound the nail to hang the picture in the kitchen. That fake beadboard must be some tough product. I bent 3 nails over before I got one to go in straight enough to hang the picture. So you can imagine, I was pounding a little hard. And I forgot about the plate rail, or more precisely the stuff on the plate rail, up above.

Directly above where I was standing, I'd placed this big cutting board. It's sort of a kidney shape and has an aluminum rooster head and tail. It came down right on the bridge of my nose.

Yes, the cartoons are right. When you get clonked like that you do see stars!

National Doughnut Day

This morning when I turned the computer on for that final 10 minutes before I left for work, MSN proudly proclaimed that today is National Doughnut Day. It was complete with delectable pictures... glazed and frosted. With patriotic sprinkles no less. Yum!

Remember the first time you bit into a Krispy Kreme? It was freshly fried and glazed and still warm when you were handed your sample waiting in line to buy a box. Think about the delightfully delicious way it melted in your mouth. Mouth waters at the thought, doesn't it?

A couple of days ago, Yahoo! ran a teaser for a food blog on their front page. Before checking the financials (a holdover obsession from my banking days) I clicked on it. It was all about the cost, in workout time, of the calories in some of our favorite treats. A doughnut was the very first thing on the list.

Make sure you're sitting so you can take the shock!

You would have to walk at a 3 mph rate for 59 minutes to burn the calories in a single doughnut. Yeah! 59 minutes.

As that started to sink in I calculated that it would mean walking home from my office in roughly 45 minutes. I've walked that before. And I was very tired and sweaty and grouchy by the time I got home. And since it took me just about an hour, I wasn't walking nearly as fast so I probably didn't burn off a whole doughnut!

Suddenly a doughnut doesn't seem so yummy... In fact, it sounds downright awful!

Financial freedom is on the horizon

Woohoo!!! I just realized that I can have my credit line paid off by the end of the year. Last fall I had to put a substantial chunk of the payment for my new roof (the one that the insurance company mandated even though the contractors said it would hold for another year or two) on the credit line. And with its 29% interest, it's felt like a ton of bricks hanging over my head ever since. It threw everything about my finances off kilter and I've really had to scramble some months, but by cutting back on expenditures and doing things like taking my lunch instead of eating in the cafeteria it has started to ease up and I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is the first time I can remember in recent history when I've got a paycheck coming tomorrow that isn't totally spent before I get it! Man, it feels good!!

I literally sat and looked at the balance in my account for several minutes and could hardly dare to believe what the numbers were telling me. I have $1100 dollars left and payday is tomorrow and the bills that absolutely have to come out of this check total just under $300. Of course, I won't spend it all as mortgage has to come out of the next one even though that seems really early... the days fall this year so that my June paydays are the 5th and 19th.

But then there are 3 paydays in July.

Gloating isn't usually my thing... but wow!!!! This is so cool! I love not feeling poverty stricken!