Franny and Zooey

"Zooey abruptly placed his hands over his now quite damp face, left them there for an instant, then removed them. He refolded them. His voice picked up again, almost perfectly conversational in tone. 'The part that stumps me, really stumps me, is that I can't see why anybody - unless he was a child, or an angel, or a lucky simpleton like the pilgrim - would even want to say the prayer to a Jesus who was the least bit different from the way he looks and sounds in the New Testament. My God! He's only the most intelligent man in the Bible, that's all! Who isn't he head and shoulder's over? Who? Both Testaments are full of pundits, prophets, disciples, favorite sons, Solomons, Isaiahs, Davids, Pauls - but, my God, who besides Jesus really knew which end was up? Nobody. Not Moses. Don't tell me Moses. He was a nice man, and he kept in beautiful touch with his God, and all that - but that's exactly the point. He had to keep in touch. Jesus realized there is no separation from God.' Zooey here clapped his hands together - only once, and not loud, and very probably in spite of himself. His hands were refolded across his chest almost, as it were, before the clap was out. 'Oh, my God, what a mind!' he said. 'Who else, for example, would have kept his mouth shut when Pilate asked for an explanation? Not Solomon. Don't say Solomon. Solomon would have had a few pithy words for the occasion. I'm not sure Socrates wouldn't have, for that matter. Crito, or somebody, would have managed to pull him aside just long enough to get a couple of well-chosen words for the record. But most of all, above everything else, who in the Bible besides Jesus knew - knew - that we're carrying the Kingdom of Heaven around with us, inside, where we're all too goddam stupid and sentimental and unimaginative to look? You have to be a son of God to know that kind of stuff. Why don't you think of these things? I mean it, Franny, I'm being serious. When you don't see Jesus for exactly what he was, you miss the whole point of the Jesus Prayer. If you don't understand Jesus, you can't understand his prayer - you don't get the prayer at all, you just get some kind of organized cant. Jesus was a supreme adept, by God, on a terribly important mission. This was no St. Francis, with enough time to knock out a few canticles, or to preach to the birds, or to do any of the other endearing things so close to Franny Glass's heart. I'm being serious now, God damn it. How can you miss seeing that? If God had wanted somebody with St. Francis's consistently winning personality for the job in the New Testament, he'd've picked him, you can be sure. As it was, he picked the best, the smartest, the most loving, the least sentimental, the most unimitative master he could possible have picked. And when you miss seeing that, I swear to you, you're missing the whole point of the Jesus Prayer. The Jesus Prayer has only one aim, and one aim only. To endow the person who says it with Christ-Consciousness. Not to set up some little cozy, holier-than-thou trysting place with some sticky, adorable divine personage who'll take you in his arms and relieve you of all your duties and make all your nasty Weltschmerzen and Professor Tuppers go away and never come back. And by God - if you have the intelligence enough to see that - and you do - and yet you refuse to see it, them you're misusing the prayer, you're using it to ask for a world full of dolls and saints and no Professor Tuppers.'" - Franny and Zooey (pg. 168-171)

Sunday at the beach

Dinner and Dominion with Rach

A lovely dinner at Rachel’s new place and a game of Dominion.

Parmesan Meatballs and Zucchini

Parmesan chicken meatballs (from Dinner A Love Story)
Spaghetti (less than usual)
Zucchini
Parmesan

Arugula Pizza

Trader Joe’s crust
Olive oil base with balsamic glaze
Sliced figs
Parmesan and sharp white cheddar cheese
Bacon
Red onion (cooked in bacon grease)

Bake at 400 for 12 minutes. Top with arugula, lemon juice, and honey.

SO GOOD.

I am responsible for how I react. Other people are not responsible for how I react. Everything that happens is grace and for my healing.

St John’s Wort Herbal Body Oil

Good for: Bruises, burns, cuts, eczema, cuts, growing pains, muscle pain, nerve pain, scars, sciatica, smashed fingers, massage

St. John's Wort body oil - and really all herbal body oil - is helpful for nerves because the fat of the oils goes right into the nerves and nourishes and soothes them. Nerves are below the skin and when your skin is dry, your nerves also get dry and have a harder time staying regulated and grounded.

Herbalism

Over the past several years I have had a growing interest in herbalism, plant medicines, and naturopathic/holistic medical care. I could tell you more about Southern women's colleges in the antebellum South than how my own body works and that feels wrong. Here's to learning (and documenting here!) about the interconnectedness of our bodies with the natural world.

"The traditional homeland of the Yaquis, or Yoeme (their own name for themselves), is in the southern part of the state of Sonora, Mexico...Flowers pervade Yoeme culture. The Yaqui believe in an enchanted world called the Flower World, which is always filled with animals and beautiful flowers. People can visit this world by dreaming and singing special deer songs. The deer songs are the most ancient of Yoeme songs. During the Deer Dance, "little brother deer" leaves his home in the Flower World to visit this world."

- Native Nations of North America, pg. 374

Joseph, OR

Last week Evan and I spend a few days in Joseph, Oregon. We stayed at the Jennings Hotel and enjoyed the sauna, impressive library, and well-stocked kitchen there. Our favorite restaurant (we ate there twice) was the Dog Spot, which alone would be enough to drive the five hours for. We toured the Wallawa County museum and walked through shops and neighborhoods. A highlight was taking the gondola up to the top of Mount Howard where we hiked, drank beer, and fed Columbian chipmunks corn kernels. 10/10 would recommend.

Astoria with Dear Friends

We said goodbye to our dear friends with a great day in Astoria. We climbed to the top of the Astoria column (so many stairs), ate fish and chips, got drinks at Buoy, and walked along Cannon Beach. We'll miss our adventure buddies!

Fisherpoets Gathering

Fisherpoets gathering 2019
Astoria, Oregon

Beloved Dog

I just love her.

Language of Looking

"Everyone grows up with a language in their home. Ours was looking." - Alex Kalman

"Anything becomes interesting if you look at it long enough." - Gustave Flaubert

Installation view of Sara Berman’s closet at Mmuseumm 2

Image from here

A Thought I am Inspired By But Don't Quite Know if I Agree With (Still Thinking)

"For me, art is a form of seeing and not of doing. It might seem utopian, but the day will arrive when the artist will no longer be necessary. The artist makes things only because people don’t know how to see for themselves. Someday … people will begin learning how to see art in everything …. because art is present everywhere — the artist merely captures and displays it."

-Paolo Bruscky, here

Raspberry Jam with Grandma T

Ingredients:
Certo Premium Liquid Fruit Pectin
4 cups berries
4 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1. In small batches, lightly wash berries in a mesh strainer. Pick out hard seeds, etc.
2. Put washed berries in thin layers in a four cup measuring cup. Mash one cup worth of berries.
3. Using a juicer/de-seeder, juice berries until it makes one cup. Pour juice into measuring cup with other berries.
4. Continue until you have two cups worth of berries (one cup with seeds, one cup without).
5. Pour into bowl, add 4 cups of sugar. Stir well, then set timer for ten minutes, stirring "every now and then as you think about it."
6. Empty liquid pectin into a small bowl. In a separately bowl, get 2 Tbsp. worth of lemon juice. Add lemon juice to pectin and stir well.
7. After ten minutes, stir in pectin and lemon juice and continue stirring for three minutes.
8. Pour mixture into washed glass jars and, "Of course, lick the bowl."
9. Seal the jars, leave on the counter for 24 hours before freezing.

Makes six 6-oz jars of jam.

Hannah & Calvin's Wedding

In June I got to be in the wedding of one of my best friends. It was weird to be in the middle of wedding chaos again but not as the bride. Hannah's family handed over the role of florist to me and I had lots of fun designing the bouquets and floral arrangements.

Laura's Goodbye Party

A few weeks ago we said goodbye to our good friend Laura as she moved to NY to go to seminary. We miss her so much.

Sourdough Bread Adventures

A few months ago I made my first successful sourdough loaf. The starter was from a local bakery and I got the recipe from here. The bread was really dense and I'm not exactly sure what to change for next time, but it was super tasty and tangy. I am trying to gear myself up for making another batch. The process took about three days and more time than I would be able to afford during the school year. I'd love to find a way to streamline the process and integrate it into my life, but I'm not sure how to do that yet.