Wine Slush Recipe

For that bottle of less than perfect wine or for the heat of summer ......

Sunday Night Worship

You'll Find Me in My Garden

Some summers, I spend a lot of time reading and writing.  Lately, however, I've been taking lots of time to be outside and working with my garden.  It may be that I spend so much time sitting during the school year -- working on the computer, grading papers, reading for my classes, etc. -- that I want to do something completely different during my summer break from teaching.  Or, it may be that since I'm inside for so much of the rest of the year that I want to be outside as much as possible.  Or, I'm avoiding some of those big and little inside chores, e.g. laundry, dishes, cleaning closets, sorting through the basement storage.  Whatever the primary, secondary, or even tertiary motivations are, most days you'll find me outside in the garden.

Working in the dirt, compost, and growing stuff in my vegetable is highly satisfying.  In the spring, armed with my spade and pitchfork, I work the soil by myself, turning it over and mixing in manure, organic fertilizer, humus, and the lovely compost from one of my three bins.  Sometimes a child or two will help dig, edge, and work the soil for my gardens.  When the soil is prepped and before I put in the fences, I will stand back and look at the brown soil as if it were a blank canvas. Even though I've been pondering my arrangement of plants during the wintery, snowy months, I like to think about this dirt, full of potential yet currently without any visible growth.  In four short months, it will be brimming with nutrient dense foods not only for my family, but for neighbors and friends.

Sometimes it is good to acknowledge the blank canvas in order to more fully appreciate the finished product.

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and for that reason, I usually plan my syllabus so that we're discussing poetry during April.  A few students love poetry, while some really dislike it.  For the most part, however, students are fairly ambivalent towards reading poems for class.  They don't love it, but they know it won't kill them.  Honestly, I think this is the attitude for most people, students and adults alike.



Some poetry is pure fun.  Take the limerick, for example.  It's short and cute, and it doesn't require too much deep thought:

There was an old man with a beard

Who said, "it’s just how I feared!

Two owls and a hen

Four larks and a wren

Have all built their nests in my beard.

- Anonymous

There once was a lady named Sue

Who had nothing whatever to do

And who did it so badly

I thought she would gladly

Have stopped before she was through.

- Anonymous

There was a young fellow who thought

Very little, but thought it a lot.

Then at long last he knew

What he wanted to do,

But before he could start, he forgot.

- Anonymous

Some of you may be thinking to yourselves, "How can I participate in this illustrious event?"  Below are some links for anyone wanting to explore more of their own poetic natures:



Poetry Through the Ages
Poem-A-Day e-mail sign up
A Brief Guide to Poetry Slams
30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month
National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo)
The Academy of American Poets (for more information about poets and poetry than you could read this month.)

Have fun!

New on Etsy!

Boutique Part One was at our house last week. Boutique Part Two is an online fundraiser at the Etsy Shop, JasperGate. All items currently for sale at Jasper Gate are as a fundraiser for Ryan Prichard's trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand to participate in a Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth with a Mission (YWAM).

Below are some samples of what you'll find at Jasper Gate:  

Ye Olde Snack Egg Trick

A long time ago, our family acquired a two small envelopes from some gift shop on one of our family vacations.  These small, 3x5 manilla envelopes had a rather large (and intimidating) picture of a rattlesnake.  Labelled "ONE DOZEN RATTLESNAKE EGGS," across the bottom it also read "CAUTION:  Keep in a cool place to prevent hatching ..."

 A little background before I explain the intricacies of this quirky little practical joke.  Our pastor had one of these little envelopes which he kept in his desk drawer.  Once when we'd stopped in to see him, he asked if he could show me something he'd picked up on a trip out West.  He pulled out the envelope and handed it to me.  I opened it, looked inside, and proceeded to scream loud enough to bring in the church secretary.

In this envelope was a clever little device made out of a washer, a rubber band, and a piece of metal that looked like an untwisted paper clip.  The rubber band was wrapped around the washer and metal piece and then twisted in such a way that it stayed flat in the envelope; however, once you open the envelope, it unwinds and sounds disturbingly like a rattlesnake.  Your head says that a real  snake couldn't be in there, but the noise and movement cause you to think otherwise.


This afternoon, while cleaning out two of our junk drawers in the kitchen, my youngest found the two envelopes.  Very wary, she took it to her older brother, hoping he could explain what it was.  He shook the envelope and acted startled.  Her response:  top of the lungs screaming, stomping up the stairs, and slamming the bedroom door.  Who knew that she was so afraid of snakes?  I tried to calm her down, but I didn't hide my chuckling very well.  It helped when I explained my reaction to the same trick.

A number of items from the junk drawers were relegated to the garbage, but we decided to keep these.  You never know when they might come in handy.  Want some of your own?  You can buy them here or here.  Or you could make your own,  Or maybe you just want to watch some cute kids.

Graduation Party Menu

This year, we tried something new for our graduation party -- a Thai-themed meal in part because Ryan is going to Thailand next year.  Below is the Menu with links to the recipes.  Many commented on how good the sauces were, how nice it was to have fresh vegetables, how interesting and different the selection was.  I think I'm a pretty good cook, but when I come up with something really yummy, I'm as excited about my food as anyone else.  The sauces I "invented" after researching the internet for some ideas.

Ryan's Graduation Menu
* follow the links for the recipes
Thai Tacos
     Diced Chicken with pineapple/peanut sauce
     Large Romaine leaves
     Jasmine Rice
     Lentils & Quinoa with pineapple/peanut sauce
     Crushed pineapple
     Coconut
     Chopped peanuts
     Chopped green onions
     Chopped red, yellow, orange, green peppers
     Shredded carrots
     Pineapple- Ginger Sauce
     Peanut Sauce
Snack Mixes
     Scrabble (Chex Mix)
     Goldfish Mix
     Gorp
     Puppy Chow
Desserts
     Brownies
     Chocolate Chip Cookies
     Scotcheroos
     Snickerdoodles
     Mini-cheesecakes with blueberry and strawberry sauces
Beverages
     Soda
     Mineral Water
     Lemonade
     October Ale (grape juice made with ginger ale)