Clergy Fund Raising

I decided to host an event for my area clergy to raise money for Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation. This amazing, grassroots organization is all about bringing awareness of the Millennium Development Goals to the Episcopal Church. The main website, E4GR.org is a clearing house of incredible resources.
In years past, my beloved husband and I have hosted a potluck for the area clergy around the Christmas holidays. I discovered early on that the clergy seemed to want to drink much more than eat (I'm not judging here) and so I ended up providing more and more food. This year, I have invited my collared bros and sistahs to bring nothing but their checkbooks. I'm preparing an italian feast complete with lots of nice libations, and in exchange, they need to write a sizable tax-deductible check to EGR. I will also have computers available for on-line donating should my scatterbrained brethren claim to have forgotten their checkbooks. If they also claim to not have a credit card with them, I will assure them that I will keep a plate warm for them while they go home and retrieve it.
Shameless? Perhaps. But it's for a really good cause. In 2008, alternative giving is GREAT!
I'm just sayin'...
RevMutha

yeah, I know

It's not like I didn't tell folks early on about the oppositional disorder.
I knew, in the depths of my heart, that I'd be bad about regularly blogging.
It's not that I don't think about it.
And I love reading other people's blogs, especially my friend Kyle's and St. Casserole's. And I'm pretty good about checking facebook...
I dunno.
This whole electronic immediate access thing is mind boggling. Someone sends me an email and expects a reply asap even though I never agreed to reply asap. What's up with that? I both love it and hate it.
Juxtapose these thoughts with Advent and waiting, waiting, waiting.
There's something important here, some message that is gestating in me and will hopefully be born in my preaching and conversations with those I love...
Even if it takes place in cyberspace.
Hmmmm.
RevMutha

I'm Baaaacccckkkk!

Ciao! Italy and sabbatical were amazing.
Above is a pic of the new tattoo--located on left hip. Fleur de lis with Southern Cross Constellation imbedded.
Also a pic from Isola d'Elba.
More later--gotta take communion to a sweet lady from the parish.

Sabbatical

Tomorrow begins my two month sabbatical.
Thank you, Jesus.
I am so very, very ready.
I've finally made my Big Plan!
Here it is:
10 days, by myself, in Italy.
While my daughters are away at camp for two weeks, I will be taking a week-long cooking class in Tuscany (actually on the island of Elba) and then spending three nights in the beautiful walled city of Lucca where they produce world famous olive oil.
I'll be renting a little car and I'm picturing myself zipping along the beautiful west coast.
But today, I need to focus on getting through the "before I go" list.
I've got to change the message on my voice mail.
Finish the contingency plans for the wardens.
Preside at the Wednesday noon Eucharist.
And pray that, once I leave this office this afternoon, I'm able to let it go for 8 weeks and trust that all shall be well.
I hope everyone who reads this is able to make some sabbath time this summer.
For God's sake!
Because if God really did create us for companionship, we need to follow Jesus' example and go away and spend time with God.
I'm just sayin'.
Peace,
RevMutha

Summer tag #s 6 and 7

Okay, I didn't answer #s 6 and 7 in the summer tag so here goes:

6) What books do you plan to read this summer?
I'm currently reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin and loving it, especially seein' as how I'm hoping to go to India this fall. The book is set in Pakistan/Afghanistan but it still gives a sense of the cultural differences. On my nightstand is a stack of books but I'm too lazy to turn the spines around and read the titles to type into this list...plus the stack is perilously high and will certainly topple so I'm probably gonna just start at the top and work my way down. I know one of the books is "A Grand Obsession" about the building of pianos...and one is "In the Eye of the Storm" by Bishop Gene Robinson...and about 12 others. I'll keep y'all updated.

7) Is summer a help or a hindrance to your faith?
Good question. Any season or geographical location or emotional state can affect my faith at any given time...No, wait, that's not exactly true. I believe that faith is a gift. I've been given this gift. I don't need proof, I just have faith. Usually pretty blind faith. I believe that God is good even though there is evil in the world. And I believe in the doctrine of apokatastasis.
I enjoy the beauty of creation in all the seasons. I'm able to spend more time outdoors in the summer, so that's a way to help my faith. Of course getting into a blazing hot car in the middle of summer and finding that one of my daughters has accidentally left a sippy cup of milk under the seat...well, it doesn't affect my faith in God but it affects my faith in my kids...In upstate, NY, many Episcopalians tend to take the summer off from church. This can make it hard to stay motivated. So this summer I decided to take 8 weeks of sabbatical. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
That's all I'm sayin'...

Maybe I'll blog more during my sabbatical!
Peace,
RevMutha

Summer

I'll continue the "Start of Summer" tag cause, hey, after all, it's June 1!

1)What first tells you that summer is here?
Usually the calendar and Memorial Day Weekend on account of living in upstate, NY we can still have frost (which we did) even after Memorial Day--but it feels different. Also, seein' people out working in their yards and putting in flowers makes me feel like summer is here. I actually planted tomatoes this week!

2)Name five of your distinctly summer habits or customs
Cooking with lots of fresh herbs
Wearing cute cropped pants with my sleeveless clerical shirts
Eating dinner outside on the back deck of my house
"Mass on the Grass" with another congregation followed by a big picnic
August Family Reunion at Pompanuck


3)What's your favorite smell of summer?
Freshly mown grass

4)What's your favorite taste of summer?
Icy cold watermelon
Bacon, Lettuce, and Fresh Tomato Sandwich
Grilled corn on the cob

5)Favorite summer memory?
as a kid: going to Dauphin Island or Gulf Shores
as an adult: watching my kids swim in the pond at Pompanuck, picking fresh vegetables out of the gardens and creating food of love!

6)Extreme heat or extreme cold, which would you choose and why? I kind of already did choose when I moved to upstate, NY. I can usually find another sweater or blanket but when you're hot you can just get down to nekkid. I'm just sayin'...

Has it really been that long?

Geez--I can't believe I went almost a month without blogging! Not that very many folks actually read this, although I'm sure that if I posted regularly, folks would flock to this blog...(hey, an active fantasy life is a good thing...)
We had a great time in New Orleans. I had 3 dozen plus raw oysters...Even though they were farm raised, they were better than what I can get in upstate, New York. The guys shucking the oysters at Drago's were wonderful and welcomed me back home.
The French Quarter feels different...but I love the resurgence of the fleur de lis...I'm thinking I might want to get another tattoo as a sign of solidarity...
The word for the day is
TRANSITION!
We gotta deal with it.
Peace,
Dahn+

Perfect fried chicken

The weather in upstate NY has been gorgeous lately. I love going on Saturday hikes and then coming home and making a yummy dinner. Tonight, it just may have to be fried chicken. Kyle (gbf) taught me lots about frying chickens. He can cut up a chicken more efficiently than anyone I have ever seen. He doesn't waste anything and all 8 pieces are perfect: Wings, thighs, legs, breast (although we'll occasionally cut the breasts in half thus giving us 10 pieces.) Here's the routine:
Bribe Kyle to cut up 2 fryers.
Soak cut chicken in salted ice water for a couple of hours.
While the chicken is soaking in the brine (I use kosher salt but it probably doesn't matter but for God's sake, don't waste your expensive flaked sea salt for salting water,) combine butter-milk and hot sauce. Don't ask me how much of each cause I don't really measure. You're gonna need enough to cover the chicken after you drain it from the brine. Use 3/4 buttermilk to 1/4 hot sauce. And if you don't like the spicy, don't use this recipe.
Drain the chicken. Pat it dry. Put it in a big ole glass or pyrex or whatever bowl. Cover it with the buttermilk-hot sauce and stick it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Now you're going to have to clear some work space. Make everyone come claim their crap off the kitchen counter. By the time you've cleaned your work space and assembled the next stuff I'm going to tell you about, it probably will have been about an hour. If it hasn't, get yourself a beer and wait.
In another large pyrex dish (or whatever you have that's big and shallow with edges on it--don't be too picky here) combine self-rising flour (this is gonna make your chicken crust amazingly light,) paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Don't go crazy with the seasonings, but don't just put a pinch either.
In another flat dish with sides, break 4-6 eggs and lightly beat them with a fork. If you want to season the egg with hot sauce, go for it. Get yourself a big ole rack like you use for cooling your cakes or cookies and put it over the sink (at least that's what I do because it saves on clean-up later. If you put them on the counter, at least put them on cookie sheets.) Heat peanut oil in the largest cast iron skillet you have or pull out the fry-daddy and heat the oil up. If you're doing lots of chicken for a big group, it's almost worth getting out the turkey fryer but I'll leave that up to you because you've now got to transfer this operation outside.
Ready? You got music playin'? Cause if you aren't listening to your favorite tunes, you might want to take a minute and make that happen. And it might be time for another beer. I'm just sayin'. Or a big ole glass of iced tea. But use a plastic stadium tumbler cause it'll get all goopy if you try to take a sip after you've started getting the chicken ready.
Get out the chicken. Let buttermilk-hotsauce drip off. Dip it piece by piece in the beaten eggs and then dredge it in the self-rising flour and then PUT IT ON THE RACKS so that the crust can dry a bit. For the love of all that's good in the world, don't just put it straight into the hot oil. It won't be nearly as tasty. Patience, as we all know, is as much a virtue as it is a pain in the ass. By the time you have all the chicken battered, the first pieces should be dry enough to fry. If the crust doesn't look kind of dry, wait. Ready to fry? Here's a tip: Don't crowd the fryer because it will lower the temperature of the oil. You really need the temp to stay between 320 and 360. If you're doing it in the cast iron skillet, cook it for 8 minutes, turn it, then 8 more minutes. Transfer back to the racks you've made someone wash while you were frying the chicken and leave it in the oven on warm until it's all done. You can also put it on brown paper bags to soak up excess oil.
I know this is pretty labor intensive and I only do it a few times a year, but hey, that's what food of love is all about. Serve with some mashed potatoes and gravy you've made in the same skilled you fried the chicken in (after you've drained out most of the oil, made a roux using the flour mixture, and then use a can of skimmed evaporated milk and chicken stock...nectar of the God's) and a nice salad or some cole slaw...dang.
I'm just sayin'.
Peace,
RevMutha

Happy Belated Birthday, beautiful daughters

April is a big month for birthdays in my family! Fab hubby's bday was April 6, big sister's bday was April 9. Baby daughter's bday was April 10, oldest daughter's bday was April 25 and my dad's bday is April 29.
Oldest daughter is amazing. About to graduate (with honors) from college! Beautiful, marathon runner, smart, kind, funny, passionate...everything to make parents proud.
Baby daughter is pretty darn cute, too. Hard to believe she's already 8.
Happy bday to all of those in my family who have April Birthdays. Love, love y'all!
RevMutha

Paula, Please!

I was watching "Paula's Party" on the TV FoodNetwork last night.
I think raw oysters are one of nature's perfect foods. The only thing they ever need, in my humble opinion, are a dash of Tabasco, a squeeze of lemon juice, a saltine and an ice cold beer.
I think it is a waste of ingredients to build a bed of kosher salt and then cover already beautiful raw oysters with a mixture of cream cheese, fresh tarragon, and LUMP CRABMEAT! And then bake them! (As anyone with any sense knows, you better watch those bad boys carefully because if you're waiting for the cream cheese to get all oozy, your oysters are gonna toughen up. Tragedy.) For heaven's sake, is there any end to the indulgence? Now trust me, I'm as into indulging the senses as the next person (did ya see my new dishes?) but I think you can go a bit too far. Save the lump crabmeat for crabcakes or, perhaps, a perfect crab salad to be stuffed into a gorgeous fresh summer tomato--add some crusty bread, a lightly dressed green salad, and a glass of iced tea and welcome to heaven on earth.
I'm getting ready to go back to the Gulf Coast. My taste buds are there already. Goodbye, upstate New York, hello New Orleans!
Laissez les bon temps roulez.
Peace,
RevMutha

China Porn Proof

See?
I'm just sayin'.
Color is good.
RevMutha

China Porn

I got new dishes.
They are so beautiful I can hardly stand it.
My gbf (gaybestfriend) calls it "China Porn."
Food tastes better when eaten off of beautiful dishes.
Sometimes.
More about this later. I have to go work out.
Cause I've been eating off my new dishes!
Peace,
RevMutha

update

Well, y'all will just have to trust me that Scuba Diving, days 3-8 were amazing.
A-MA-ZING!
Fab hubby took fab pics. Our dear friend and dive guide showed us dive sights that very few people get to see. The picture here is from a turtle skeleton in the Temple of Doom.
I'm not kidding. That's what it's called. You can google it.
Dear Dive Guide (DDG) said that since I'm a priest, I should visit a temple. I was scared. It was pitch black. But it was awesome. And sacred.
I'll go back.
Peace,
RevMutha

Scuba Diving day 2

First day of scuba diving went great. We did the Blue Holes and Great Drop Off Wall. We saw some sharks, a beautiful sea turtle, lots of school of fish, a cute clown fish in an anemone--the visibility was amazing.
Here's a picture of the Rock Islands. Today we head to Jellyfish Lake and then do three dives.
Jellyfish Lake is one of nature's mysteries. There are a number of these lakes in Micronesia, but only one is open and accessible to the public. And "accessible" is something of an overstatement. It is accessible if you're in pretty danged good physical shape. You basically have to haul in your mask, fins, and snorkle in a bag on your back and climb up a steep hill (there is a rope provided) and then go down this steep pathway to a small wooden dock. Once you get there, you're confronted by a huge lake of emerald green water. In the water you can see these flesh-colored orbs. Once you start swimming in the lake, the orbs become more plentiful until you are surrounded by millions, literally MILLIONS of them--they are jellyfish that have lost their stingers. It is both freaky and beautiful. I'll post a picture later.
Gotta go get some breakfast and then head out to the dive boat.
Peace,
RevMutha

Safely in Palau

My wonderful hubby and I arrived safely on the other side of the world. We'll be scuba diving in a few hours. The pictures (if they ever attach--there is no high speed internet connection here. Actually, there's very little "high speed" anything--it's all pretty laid back and relaxed which is gonna take some adjusting for me!) were taken by my husband last year. I got him a new camera for Christmas which he'll be using for the first time tomorrow. We'll see how the pics turn out.
Easter services were beautiful and amazingly well attended--lots of young people and children in addition to the faithful remnant...Isn't it so much easier to preach to a packed house? Filled my heart right up to the brim!
Christ IS Risen Indeed, Alleluia!
It is truly beautiful here. Very easy to see the hand at God at work in Creation. Of course we can all see that all over the place--we just sometimes have to adjust our eyes.
Peace,
RevMutha

Bless the children

I started a new ministry a few years ago at my little parish. After the final procession, I stay at the back of the church to greet parishioners as they exit. My daughters love to walk down the aisle with me as we are processing and, being a smart mommy, I decided to put them to work. I would take off my vestments, give them to my daughters, and they would process back up the aisle, reverence the altar, and take them into the sacristy. Now all the little girls in the church race to the back so that they can "help." I end up giving someone my chasuble, someone my stole, someone my cincture, someone my alb, someone my microphone--sometimes I have to say "Sorry y'all, I just can't take off anything else!" But the folks at church love watching the little ones march up the aisle with the vestments. They have been nicknamed "the handmaidens of the Lord." (Which I'm not sure I'm comfortable with but I didn't give 'em that name.)
Last night, after 40 minutes of washing lots of feet, it was time to have my feet washed. The little girls must have worked it out with the head of the head of the altar guild (who is also the senior warden) ahead of time--they all came forward to help wash my feet.
It made me pretty emotional, I gotta tell ya.
Bless the children.
Peace,
RevMutha

Is it just me?

Is it just me or does anyone else feel like this?

Nothing is written in stone

This is outside the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont.
As I approach the triduum and am listening to altar guild members and parishioners and other clergy pontificate on how things "should" be done, I remind myself that life and liturgy are dynamic.
I also remind myself to be gracious and tread lightly around traditions. Many are beautiful and meaningful and sacred to my little parish.
Others, not so much.
Like the Easter Egg Hunt.
But I digress.
My favorite part of the Maundy Thursday service is the very end when I pour holy oil on our large wooden altar and rub and polish this beautiful, sacred fixture while my fabulous tenor music director sings "Were You There?" The church is dark, all the ornaments have been removed, and I feel like I am participating in a very ancient, very Awesome activity.
It's a tradition we began two years ago.
Now folks talk about it like we've done it forever.
I love that.
Peace,
RevMutha

I made it!

Thanks to St. Cathy, awesome RevGalPal list administrator, I've been able to add the Rev Gal Pals link to my blog.
It's a big day.
And, after surviving Palm Sunday, with snow fall that made an outdoor procession impossible, I'm ready to complete my lenten journey. I can honestly say that learning to knit socks has been tons of fun. I've now also made 3 hats and am working on my first basic sweater shell. I'm knitting it in a beautiful turquoise bamboo yarn.
Holy Mary, Mother of God.
Casting on 192 stitches onto round circular size 6 needles made knitting socks seem like a walk in the park! I've finished the bottom of the shell and am now starting to work on the back around the armholes.
Pray for me, Sistahs and Brothas!
For those of you going on the Rev Gal Pal Cruise, have a wonderful time! Hopefully I'll be able to join you next year.
I'll keep y'all in my prayers, and ask you to do the same as I prepare to leave for Palau.
Get ready for lots of pictures of the Rock Islands.
Peace,
RevMutha

Knitting Nut!

So, I've been a knitting nut. As y'all can see, I finished the first pair of socks. A friend of mine asked if I had worked on the costumes for "Flashdance." He said that seeing those socks made him want to run in place in a puddle of water and then go weld something.
I've actually already finished the blue-green-yellow-white stripey pair also. And I've made 2 hats! This "rasta" hat pictured is a gift for a dear friend who is a dive master in Palau, Micronesia. I'm heading to Palau with my wonderful husband on Easter night for a 10 day dive trip.
One of my parishioners recommended the "Yarn Harlot" series of books. She also gave me a button that says "Knitting takes lots of balls." I love her.
I'll definitely be knitting on the 18 hours of plane rides to Palau!
Peace,
RevMutha

The Sock--Day 18

Y'all check out my progress! I'm having fun! Julie is an amazing teacher. My current problem is that I had my eyes checked this morning and so my pupils are all dilated and I still want to knit. I've put down the needles because I've dropped lots of stitches. So now I"m trying to see the computer screen which isn't much better.
I think I'll stop all this and go get some Indian food for lunch.
Peace,
RevMutha

This makes me smile

A friend sent me this link and every time I watch it, it makes me smile. Nice Kitty!
Peace,
RevMutha

The Sock--Day 16

I unraveled most of the sock. I didn't mean to unravel as much as I did but I learned a good life lesson: it's really hard to get tiny stitches back onto three pointy needles without pulling out other stitches. (I'm not quite sure how this is actually a life lesson but I'm sure I'll pull a preaching metaphor out of it some day...) A beloved 85 yr old parishioner is meeting me at my office this morning to help me with Turning The Heel, 2nd attempt. She might take one look at the ribbing and suggest that I unravel the rest of it. I will try to receive this suggestion graciously.

Oh my Gosh! Great news! I've been accepted into the RevGalPals Ring. Except that I can't figure out how to put the ring link onto my blog. Blessed St. Cathy is trying to help me. I use yahoo Blogger to do this blog. Copying and pasting didn't work. Anyone else have any suggestions?

I'll keep y'all informed. And I look forward to being part of THE Ring. (Is there a secret handshake? Secret nailshade? T-shirt? Certificate of Membership? Not that I need any of these things...just wondering...)

Peace from the tundra,
RevMutha

Apollo and the lil reds

My big dog is getting old.
His name is Apollo and we love him very much. He's an Anatolian Shepherd and he weighs about 152 lbs. Neither of his parents lived to be 8 yrs old and Apollo is now 10 1/2. Which is pretty remarkable. But now it's getting harder for him to get up in the mornings and his old bones are kinda creaky. He doesn't take the steps down to the backyard as easily as he used to, but he still manages. And if I'm fixin' bacon, he'll come and stand by the stove, so I figure that's a good sign.
Pets are so precious--what an incredible, constant reminder of the beauty of God in creation and unconditional love...

My husband allowed my daughter to hold a hamster last week at the pet store.
If you're gonna let a 9 yr old hold a hamster, you'd better be ready to buy a hamster.

So now we own a hamster.
Her name is Misty.

The cats are fascinated. They study the hamster as if she's live bait.
Y'all pray for us because 9 yr olds aren't exactly notorious for being responsible and I have a feeling this could all end in heartache.
I'm just sayin'

Peace,
RevMutha

Turning the Heel

Not working so well with the heel turning.
I got impatient (shock!) waiting for the written directions so I asked another knitter I met if she could walk me through turning the heel. I thought I was doing it right but now I have two little pointy horn looking appendages that don't even remotely resemble a heel. It looks more like a warming device for a cloven-hoof which is disturbing and wrong.
So, I think I need to pull out all of those stitches, call Julie, and get some more help.
Up-state New York is so cold today that schools are canceled. My kids were so happy they almost cried. I almost cried, too, but for the opposite reason.
Just kidding.
Since today is my day off, we'll bundle up, head out to the store, rent some movies, and come back and cuddle up in my big warm bed and nap and watch movies.
Thank you, God, for a safe house and healthy kids.
Peace,
RevMutha

Singhing a New Song!

We've elected a new bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester! The Rev. Dr. Prince Singh! And I really couldn't be happier. Prince, my bishop-elect exudes joy. He will be an amazing bishop. Whoooooeeeeeee! I was so impressed by Prince at the walkabouts and was trying to figure out how to campaign for him without campaigning for him. I decided that the best thing to do was be honest about how he had impressed me and trust that the Spirit would do Her job and if Prince was meant to be our bishop, then he would be elected. And he was. On the second ballot. Booyahhh!
Sock update:
It's going really well. I've knit about 5 inches. Julie looked at it between ballots on Saturday and said I'm doing a great job. I told my worship committee at church that knitting socks will be my Lenten discipline (in addition to giving up alcohol and my beloved Rock Star energy drinks) and I had lots of offers to help me when it's time to Turn The Heel. Just the way people said "Turn The Heel" made me nervous. I think it's gonna be a challenge.
But hey, I'm usually up for a challenge.
Peace,
RevMutha
p.s. Laissez les bon temps roulez!
p.p.s. How 'bout them Giants!

The Sock--Day 3

So, Julie (knitting fiend and dear friend) was, from my description, able to diagnose my knitting problem and tell me how to fix it. I needed to keep the yarn forward and to the left of the needle (I'm right-handed--that's a disclaimer in case anyone who actually doesn't knit and is left-handed is now inspired to begin to knit his/her own sock and gets frustrated by my inaccurate instructions and leaves a negative comment which I'm pretty sure wouldn't happen but just in case I'm just sayin') and then purl away. I have completed the first 10 rows (at least I think I did. I created a really beautiful pattern that I didn't mean to create and will never be able to replicate but hey, who said socks should match?) and am now knitting for 7 inches. After that, I'll have to wait for another one-on-one tutorial.
Tomorrow my diocese elects (God-willing) our new bishop. I'm taking the sock to work on during the time between ballots.
If we elect on the first ballot, I will be thrilled! I trust the working of the Holy Spirit, so I believe that whoever we elect will be the right man for the job. I'm saddened that no women were on our slate, but that time will come.
We're having a Super Bowl party on Sunday! Since I'm a resident of New York, I will root for the Giants. The Patriots will probably trounce them, but as long as nobody gets hurt and everyone plays nice, all shall be well.
Stay warm, beloved readers!
RevMutha

Knitting into the mystery of Lent

I had this nutty idea that I'd learn how to knit socks as a Lenten discipline. And I'm not giving up on this nutty idea. Yet. I still have 5 days to decide...
See, at the Lut-Episc retreat, there were all these knitting clergy chicks. I know lots of clergy chicks knit. I, myself, have knit a number of prayer shawls. (And they were all holey, holey shawls. I'm just sayin'..) But I've never undertaken a really difficult project like knitting socks. My dear friend, Julie, knits like a fiend and she's convinced I can do it. She offered to accompany me to the yarn store and get me started.
One of my many problems is that I get excited in yarn stores and start to think that I should buy lots of yarn. $67 later, I am the proud owner of 5 skinny bamboo double pointed sticks and three skeins of yarn that are supposed to make 2 socks each. Upon further reflection, I now realize that good stewardship wasn't part of this Lenten discipline decision. Darn.
Julie cast on the 64 stitches to begin the first sock. I'm supposed to knit-purl-knit-purl 10 rows and then continue to just knit for 7 inches.
But I'm running into major problems when it is time to begin with a purl stitch on the next needle.
So I've put it down for tonight. I will find someone tomorrow to give me some one on one help because the knitting books I looked at weren't helpful.
I'll keep y'all informed.
Peace,
RevMutha

Lut-Episcs

January is a good time to retreat.
I guess.
Because today begins the Lutheran-Episcopal Pre-Lenten retreat for the pastors-priests in our area of upstate, NY.
I nicknamed it "Lut-episcs" which I thought was really clever.
We're only together for 2 days but it is time well spent because we are joined by a professor from a seminary or divinity school who basically outlines the Lenten readings and gives us ideas for sermons (or homilies, depending on who's describing it.)
I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Here's a random fact from "Thinning the Herd"
"In any given year, fifteen times as many people are killed by falling coconuts than by sharks."

I don't plan on encountering sharks or coconuts on the retreat, so I should be okay.

Peace,
RevMutha

Beyond my threshold of fear

Special thanks to my GBF, Kyle, for sharing this in his blog.
And most special thanks to him for teaching me how to add links in my blog.
Wow. I'm learning!
And if you don't like the f-word, don't go to this link.
But I thought it was f-ing hysterical!
Love y'all,
RevMutha

THE FIVE MOST HORRIFYING BUGS IN THE WORLD

Bibliotherapy

So, after a trip to the world's greatest bookstore (The Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT) and a brief stop at the New Skete Monastery, I have a bag full of books to read. Oh the joy! Here are my purchases:
"The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs
"Lost" by Gregory Maguire
"Broken for You" by Stephanie Kallos
"The Unredeemed Captive" by John Demos
"Lost and Found" by Jacqueline Sheehan
"A Short History of a Small Place" by T.R. Pearson
"Thinning the Herd-Tales of the Weirdly Departed" by Cynthia Ceilan
and "Divine Canine--The Monks Way to a Happy, Obedient Dog" by the Monks of New Skete.
Whatchall readin'?
Peace,
RevMutha

Retreat/Advance

I'm on retreat!
Kind of. I'm still choosing to check my e-mail and blog. But I want to make clear that it's my choice--it's not out of any sort of obligation. I'm just sayin'.
5 Episcopal Clergy chicks have gathered at Pompanuck (check it out when you're surfing the net--www.pompanuck.org) to hang out and rest and cook and spend time talking and reflecting and laughing and eating and drinking.
It's a good thing.
No kids, no spouses, no pets.
Ahhhhh.
This afternoon, we'll be taking a trip to one of the world's greatest bookstores, The Northshire Bookstore, in Manchester, Vermont. Bibliotherapy. Can't be beat.
And this afternoon I'll be gettin' a massage.
That's what I'm talkin' bout.
Life is Good!
Thank you, Jesus.

She's Back!

Yep--didn't blog for a while.
Well, I did, but it was on the e4gr blog 'cause I'm a guest blogger.
Oppositional disorder--the more I told myself in December I needed to get back to blogging, the more resistant I was!
Ridiculous.
And I couldn't make it a New Year's Resolution because that's predictable.
I'd much rather make resolutions that are extraordinary--like resolving to lose weight, exercise more, or clean out the basement! Cause nobody does that, ever.
Right.
The Hannah Montana concert was great, at least for one of my daughters. My older one was a little freaked out by the loud volume and crazed energy level of 8,000 screaming young girls. My younger one had a complete and total blast and was ready to storm the stage. Go figure.
I spent last week emceeing at a Comedy Club. I think Jesus gets a kick out of me doing stand-up.
More about that later.
Peace and Happy New Year!
RevMutha