Peonies. 1959 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dear Daughter,

I don’t know how this is going to turn out. I haven’t read the news today. News can wait (and sometimes must).

Have you ever had one of those days that’s a hard day, but a sweet day as well? That’s the kind of day it was here.

I’ve been thinking a lot about you today, because your birthday‘s so soon. It’s one of those birthdays some women worry about. (But don’t worry! I’ve got you covered!)

I think about you and your brother a lot, especially around your birthdays. Remember Key West? I’m so sorry your eyes got sunburned! I wasn’t thinking! (Also, I didn’t expect the sun to be so bright and burning, out there on the water. I should have thought).

Then I remembered when you and your brother played in the living room and we got a picture, there on Ohio Avenue. (There’s so much more:)

So there’s not room here, to write everything down, but remember how I told you to always try to accept (it takes time) all our flaws and scars too, because that’s where God writes things down? That’s still true, and you are  so beautiful.

Today, at Cleveland State Community College, I was walking to different parts of the campus and there were peonies! So I stepped up and over the rocks where they had planted the peonies. They were in full-bloom, in full fragrance.

When I was in Chattanooga, earlier today, I saw a Krispy Kreme place and needed to ask directions (of course!) They have a new doughnut flavor called “Key lime“. Can you imagine?

I bought the Key lime glazed doughnut (with filling) and one regular glazed, to take with me.

After I finally got done with all the computer things (at the college) I bought a cup of coffee and put two little containers of half & half cream in the coffee. Then I put my other things in the car and walked back to a picnic table in a real grove of real trees, where the cool breeze was blowing. So I sat there and enjoyed the coffee and doughnuts and thought about you and had already almost cried. The Key lime made me think of you, because of Key West, when we visited there.

Then I looked up and in the picnic area, which smelled like fresh earth and cedar, everything was so beautiful and clear and fresh and cool, like everything was celebrating. And those doughnuts tasted like sweet light and when I walked to see more flowers, I saw azaleas. Earlier I saw lavender irises. There were so many beautiful flowers and colors and kind people.

I love you daughter!!! Happy Early Birthday!

(I think that was one of the healthiest happiest lunches I ever ate! You rock!!! (Check mail soon:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfEWe8nr-r8

English: Pita Bread (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today my devotional “Streams in the Desert” said things can seem so hopeless sometimes there’s nothing to do but set the sail and stay the course, no matter what.

It’s another spring day here, with people outside in lots of colors, like pastel green and I heard a child playing and the window is open but I’m not really feelin’ it except for nerves.

This is the hard part, when the only evidence and substance for the good is the faith itself. “Faith is the evidence of things hoped for and the substance of things not seen.”

Sometimes my nerves get so bad, like today, but I’m trying to get back in the habit of writing, because I got off course.

Tests hurt nerves. Still, some good things happened today, like making a turkey and Swiss sandwich on pita bread for my friend and myself. She suggested putting the sandwich in the microwave (just a little) and that was good, because the Swiss cheese got melting good. My friend and I wish each other well each day and by some grace, we understand each other, after such a short time. To be understood, even without many words, is a great blessing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TCMpA5TfHc

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Campfire (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today I thought about how much I love campfires and fireplaces, because they are so full of life and warmth and they are aromatic and cook good food. Campfires and fireplaces also just sit with us.

Here’s the quote I read, that got me to thinking about the comfort of small controlled burns: “Fire is twice bread,” according to the Arabian people. (This quote is from the book “Loaves and Fishes: The Inspiring Story of the Catholic Worker Movement,” about the late social justice activist Dorothy Day).

Anyway, we’re all looking for real love to stay, those controlled burns of the heart. We have to be so careful though. Fires can get away. It’s scary and unfair and too human, and not enough divine.

This is enough for today. Let’s see if I can post this, before I change moods and swings again. My heart is a playground!

Remember the scene in “The Color Purple,” when Celie finds her way, and her children find her again too? That’s one of the best scenes in movie history.

Life burns, and life cools, and life goes on, day by day. Here are some rhythms, just for listening, from Pink Floyd. Some people have met life and know about fire. And we survive, day to day. Sometimes we see rainbows too, coming right toward us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZbM_MIz4RM

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Healthy Berries are Good Food for Health (Photo credit: epSos.de)

The other day, while driving, I saw a young woman reading while driving.

She had a paper, the real kind made from trees, holding it up with her two hands, behind the steering wheel, also directing the steering wheel with the bottom of her palms, up in the air. A true Palm Pilot. (Had to say it.)

She endangered herself and other people. I stayed out of her way.

Nearly everybody’s out there. Drive defense.

Also today, among other things, I saw berries, not the edible kind, but bright red and dark blue berries, in all the greenery outside. Some berries, especially red ones, are dangerous (even deadly) to eat, I’ve heard. So we have to be careful with foods too, knowing what’s good for food and what’s not.

Still, nature’s inedible berries are pretty to look at, clustered in their attractive asymmetry, never seeming too busy.

It’s good to be just busy enough.

I hope you have a great day! And hope to see you Thursday:)

(The other day, I bought some raspberry jam, for English muffins or PB & J sandwich fold-overs. The Smucker company makes all kinds of jams and jellies, without seeds, if we’d like).

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English: Chum Salmon caught on the Green River at Metzger Park. Caught on 11/29/2008 at 11:30 am on a purple jig drift with a long leader. Smoked on 11/30/2008 in a new Little Chief Smoker. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now, some people are trying to force salmon to grow bigger unnaturally, while at the same time, all five species of the world’s largest salmon–the Taimen–struggle to survive.

A headline in today’s Chattanooga Times Free Press states: “Fast-growing fish may never wind up on your plate.”

Salmon is so beautiful, swimming, and so good, on a plate. Years ago, a neighbor suggested I try grilling salmon, first slathering the skinned salmon fillets in mayonnaise. It sounded strange, but it was some of the tastiest salmon I’ve ever eaten.

Think about it—mayonnaise contains spices, like the ever-enhancing salt, and also lemon juice, or vinegar, for zest. The mayonnaise, covering the salmon, flavored and protected from burning. And who can argue with outdoor cooking, which strengthens the flavor of just about any food?

But now, the Times article said, a company called “Aquabounty” wants to “genetically modify” salmon, so it will grow twice as fast as normal. Who thinks of these things? Who decides to give steroids to naturally-growing things, usually for money?

The story of the now-threatened “Taimen” salmon is at Wild Salmon Center on-line, an organization that “celebrates 20 years of healthy wild salmon rivers.” The group works hard to “conserve the sustainable use of wild salmon ecosystems across the Pacific Rim.”

So, here inland, we can hope for natural salmon, as well as righteous men and women, who hunt and fish and also care, for each other and animals, with tender mercies. “A righteous man,” the Proverbs say, “regards the life of his animal.” Harvesting food doesn’t have to be cruel.

Have you seen the movie “A River Runs Through It,” when the fly fisherman stands by the water, the quiet glory all around? He casts his line out into the wild river, the sunlight dancing and standing still, and nature beholding the beauty of a man, one with tender mercies, toward all creation.

Wildly, and gently, that gentleman will catch the fish, and the sun, and your heart will break open, filled with solemn majesty.

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English: Mashli fry (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

That’s what the bumper sticker I saw said, on the way to have lunch with a friend today (her treat:) “Fish Naked.”

The rest of the bumper sticker said, “You might hook the big one.” Let’s see if I can clean this fish up.

In today’s world, just about everything needs to be cleaned up. You could be innocently looking up what a Sarouk carpet is, then end up at some website where somebody’s invented some harmful or perverted or outlandish thing to do and we’re sorry we even found the place. So let’s change the subject.

Let’s talk about eating wild game, like fish and fowl.

Dad hunted wild game and we ate it once in a while. I especially liked quail, fried.

Venison and pheasant is so tasty, if prepared correctly. We ate those delicious foods at Thanksgiving last year, since we have hunters in our family.

Another of my four brothers got to go hunting in South Dakota. I think that’s where the pheasant came from, last year. He prepared the pheasant just right. This brother works for a wildlife organization. He’s a steward of creation. He cares about the whole natural world, including the people.

Doesn’t “venison” and “pheasant” sound more exotic than “deer meat” or “bird meat?” Venison and pheasant sound very high class. I have tried some high class foods, along with red furry candy, which was years later, in Malaysia.

What in the world? Have you read the news today? What is wrong in Colorado? Now I read that a “first snow tradition” at the Air Force Academy turned into a “melee,” which is a high class name for a big fight.

And now we have all the stressful after-effects of that storm. There’s always a storm somewhere.

But, back to the bumper sticker, since I can’t solve any of the world’s problems today. Doesn’t that sound like fun, a little bit, to fish naked? Maybe not. It’s probably one of those things that sounds like more fun than it really is, what with the hooks and all.

One of my sisters-in-law went night fishing one time wearing lip gloss and little bugs stuck in the gloss on her lips. She would try just about anything wild and fun, which is one of the things I love best about her. Another time, on a whim, she rode on the back of my brother’s Harley-Davidson in her high heels. They made it back okay.

Anyway, fried fish fillets are so good, coated with cornmeal and a little salt and pepper and fried up in a pan. Now I’m hungry for fried fish. Time to get some cornmeal and fish fillets and a black iron skillet. Those seasoned skillets give every single food a soul of its own.

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English: Closeup of inflorescence of a white crepe myrtle tree. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

People never really get over the South, especially on days like today, when the weather is cool and warm and red berries wait for Christmas on dogwood trees and white bouquets of crepe myrtle cling gently to their mothers, like sleeping children. The shade trees and sunlight bow for us in intricate formation, like we are honored guests.

Can anyone anticipate this beauty, the South’s four seasons with long hot summers; blazing brilliant autumns; chilly cozy winters and the dogwood springs, scented with fresh-mown grass and deep red roses cascading down the fences?

How many people have visited Alabama, with its sweet melodic name, the heart of Dixie where stars fell down to kiss the ground? During the school year there, we waited at the bottom of the red dirt driveway for the bus. We went to school where they served chocolate milk or orangeade in little waxy cartons. They served homemade rolls made of light.

We grilled outside; caught honeybees and lightning bugs in jars; played hide and seek; ate fried fish and fowl; played beauty queen; watched football and baseball; joined Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts and went to church, like many Southerners do.

A Southern lady or gentleman will just about kill you for his or her family or friends, but they’ll also cry over Old Glory or a war veteran; a nervous child at a recital or the passing of a friend; a horse breaking free or a magnificent tree cut down before its time.

Southerners often feel one with nature and sometimes with God. We fish and bicycle and run barefoot on beaches and ride inner tubes down whitewater rapids. We dress up for church and proms and dress down for chili suppers and pancake breakfasts. We ride motorcycles and play golf nearly year-round. We like coffee and sweet tea and bacon and butter.

The South can leave you speechless. The South cannot be explained, but only enjoyed or marveled about or maybe even hated. If you stay long enough, the South embeds itself into your heart.

Wherever you go, even across oceans and years, you will feel the magnetic pull of a willow tree’s swaying branches; the reflection of a silvery pond where you saw one elegant black swan gliding past; the sound of water flowing gently over flat rocks; the shiver of a creek so cold it chills watermelons; the trashy colorful flash of a beach city; the Spanish moss hanging solemn from a Savannah tree; the smoky or tangy taste of slow-cooked barbecue; the perfect brown and white rows of cotton bolls; the shimmer of giant lakes and, nearly always, the trusting  hello, firm handshake or the gentle hug of a stranger trying to be your friend in less than a minute.

The South’s fragile force invites you; betrays you; enthralls you; puzzles you; thrills you or maybe misunderstands you. Sometimes she may disappoint you or even love you to death. But she won’t let you forget. The South will stay in your mind, like a shadow behind a door, or like the grace of a breeze, at the very edge of a summer night.

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English: Two NYPD cops in a Dunkin Donuts on Houston Street in the East Village. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s Labor Day in the United States of America and some of us are working and some of us are playing and some of us are doing both—and isn’t that amazing, when people work and play together? Here’s hoping you have a good rest of Labor Day, wherever you happen to be or whatever you happen to be doing or not doing too. It’s all good and all not good, but we are making it!

This afternoon over at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, things are humming right along. Today I treated myself by enjoying Dunkin’ Donuts for lunch, with Starbucks “Breakfast Blend” coffee. You can change your opinion for the better, given enough time sometimes. Used to, I thought other doughnuts (how do you spell doughnuts?) were better and many doughnuts are wonderful, but so are Dunkin’ Donuts. In the past, I avoided Starbucks coffee, since it seemed so strong, like it had been burned on a campfire.

And yet, I craved doughnuts today and coffee…with that little snack shop near the Lee library circulation desk just sitting there. So I went upstairs and treated myself to the Starbucks coffee and Dunkin’ Donuts. The very kind lady at the counter suggested I get a cardboard sleeve for that tall super-hot coffee cup. Then she reached into the clear plastic doughnut case, where there were all kinds of Dunkin’ Donuts, with chocolate on top and filling in the middle and pink icing with sprinkles and it was all beautiful to behold, like food art just lined up, waiting for us to gaze and choose. I got two plain glazed Dunkins’ (wonderful name!) because some people are purists, whether it’s a hot dog just with mustard or a Dunkin’ just with glaze. (Those two Dunkin’ Donuts were so delicious, the just-right sweetness and fluffiness, mixed with the just-right strong but not bitter coffee).

Downstairs the people at the Help Desk helped me with something on the computer. The lady upstairs, by the way, told me I could use the microwave to heat up those doughnuts when I asked. “Warm goodness,” she said with such calm grace. Wasn’t that thoughtful of her? She didn’t have to be so friendly and so helpful, and neither did the people at the Help Desk, but they were—extra friendly and extra helpful this Labor Day. Isn’t it warm goodness when people are just plain kind to each other, without any real reason except finding a way to get along better in this old world?

If we could share some coffee and doughnuts here together right now, that would be good. We’ll work from a distance:) Look right there on the tan-colored sack. It says “O grams transfat” and “Dunkin’ Donuts” and “America Runs on Dunkin’.” That tall cardboard coffee cup beckons like a green and white siren call, just for you and just for me and people all over the world. It’s not like we can flirt with coffee and pastries every single day, but flirty food (let’s make sure it’s food:) sure is good once in a while, isn’t it?

It feels so good to be glad and to be grateful and here’s my hope that you can feel glad and grateful about even one little thing today. (It’s understandable if you can’t. Some things are just too painful for a while).

Hopefully, we can all meet here together again tomorrow, Lord willing. On the back of that tan sack, by the way, it says: “Please recycle this bag.” Let’s do that. Let’s do that all together. We can save one little thing somewhere. Happy Labor Day!

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Cheddar cheese from Bravo Farms, Traver, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These Frito-Lay cheddar cheese crackers sure are good right here in the Lee University library in Cleveland, Tennessee. It says on the little clear and brick-colored wrapper that these are officially “Cheddar Cheese Flavored Filling on GOLDEN TOAST (trademark sign) Crackers.” Also, the cheddar cheese is “Cheetos” brand and it feels kinda happy (or not miserable) just to eat these buttery-cheesy crackers this afternoon.

It would be easy enough to dwell on the little bad things, in addition to the deeply painful tragedies we endure. Sometimes we can’t help it. It can all add up fast. But I won’t make a long list of annoying little things, but you get it. You know what it feels like when somebody annoys you or hurts your feelings or worries you first thing in the morning or last thing at night. What did that woman mean, waving me out of the way in the post office parking lot, like I’d done something wrong? But maybe it was me, not paying attention. Good grief!

Here are some good things to think about. I’ve already mentioned those good crackers, which I already finished and threw the wrapper in the garbage can. Garbage cans are good. It’s good to have a place where we can throw our junk and not litter up the whole world any worse than we already have.

By the way, the other day I was driving behind a big garbage truck and traffic was slowed down behind the truck while two men ran back and forth, from the street to the truck, running and hefting and lifting those heavy and full plastic garbage cans while everybody was looking and waiting. I wanted to get out of the car and thank those men for the work they do, because it’s hard work—and probably harder when people are waitin’ and starin’ behind the truck. There must be a way to thank people who do the “dirty jobs,” like that show on television.

It wears me out just to think about it, about all the dirty jobs and all the other jobs, about how to be grateful and say or feel “thank you” for all the people doing the dirty jobs and all other jobs that help keep the world up and running or limping along.

We’re all inter-connected and inter-dependent and just like President Obama said, we didn’t build anything all by ourselves. Somebody thought of cheddar cheese and buttery crackers and putting those two things together and somebody had to make the good crackers and make the good cheddar cheese and somebody else had to take care of the dairy cows and somebody else drove that dairy cow’s milk to market and so on and so forth.

It won’t work to dance with the devil and none of us should even try, for our own good and everybody else’s. But whenever possible, it soothes the soul to be glad for the good little things people do or that we take for granted. Have you ever thought about being glad about the goodness of a bath or a shampoo? This morning a woman who’s in her 70s told me she cannot take a whole bath or full shower, but only sponge baths. She has health problems and said the water sometimes causes her to have seizures. She lives alone, with nobody to help her. But this woman was so glad today, because she had been able to wash her hair without having a seizure. Her hair looked so soft and pretty. Imagine that. Imagine having to risk your life just to wash your hair.

It’s amazing, isn’t it? It’s amazing.

So, if nothing else (and sometimes that’s all there is) we can try to be kind to the next person and so on and so forth, as much as it’s up to us. Right now we all live together here on Earth. We can’t think of and thank each other enough. But it’s still possible, when it’s safe and sane, to fill out the flavor for somebody somewhere. That way, hope springs eternal in the human heart. I hope we all have a good Monday night and hope to see you Tuesday!

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