Meditation

it's a smile, it's a kiss, it's a sip of wine ... it's summertime!”
― Kenny Chesney

Saturday Poetry

Antichromatic by Pamela Alexander

A few people had gone out to see if the trees

were still there, and they were, which made us feel safe

for a moment. Then they said (panting, because the had hurried)

that the trees were no longer lit by sunlight

on their tops and sides, nor were they green any more. 

We knew that the animals has left long ago, quietly,

species by species, the way they board the Ark

in the ancient story. What we didn't know, hadn't seen

with our color vision and convolutions

of our blue-grey brains, was when the birds left---

the toucans and yellow parrots, the cockatoos

and scissor-tailed fly-catchers--they took all the colors. 

Of course we should have known, we told each other,

it's reasonable, they had the most to lose.  Then

we didn't know what to do. 

Goals

1. Spiritual
     Daily Reading
     ABF/Church
     Meditation
     Giving

2. Physical
     Water
     Healthy Lunch and afternoon snack
     Exercise 14 minutes 6 times

3. Quilting - Make lattice corner blocks

4. Reading
    The Guns at Last Light by Rick Atkinson

     The Catalan Family Saga by Lewis Weinstein

     Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee

5. Cooking
     Farmhouse Chicken and Corn Chowder
     Spaghetti and Meatballs
     Baked fish, Carrots/thyme, Cabbage
     Banana and Coconut muffins

6. Home/Garden

7. Personal

     

Around OakMeadows

The barn swallows are gone, left yesterday.  it is kind of lonely out on the back porch with no swallows zooming in and out burbling their chatter to each other. We had 18 baby swallows that survived and fledged from 3 nests this year. The last nest produced only 2 fledglings. But on the whole a pretty successful year. I wish them a safe trip to their winter home.

The departure of the barn swallows means about 10 days before the migrating hummingbirds start arriving.  I have only 1 feeder up right now but can put up 3 more if needed.  Sometimes they arrive in crowds and sometimes in small groups.  We have had stragglers until mid-October. 

No camera until this Friday so an old photo.

Cooking August 4

 



 

 

Texas Chicken Tortilla Soup 

3 Tablespoons butter

½ cup oil, divided

1 onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, chopped

6 ribs celery, chopped

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite size pieces

1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, chili powder, salt, & pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper sauce

½ cup flour

1 can Rotel tomatoes

3 cans chicken broth

8 corn tortillas, cut into slices

Grates cheddar cheese 

Heat butter and ¼ cup oil in large kettle over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and chicken.  Cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, pepper sauce, & flour. Add tomatoes and chicken broth.  Simmer 1 ½ hours. 

Just before serving, brown tortilla strips in ¼ cup hot oil until crisp; drain on a paper towel.

 

To serve, place tortilla strips in the bottom of bowls, cover with soup, top with grated cheese.

 

Makes about 8 servings.



Meditation August 4

“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.
Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.
Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.
Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.” 

Yoko Ono

Saturday Poetry August 4

First Relations by Pamela Alexander

Part of the darkness lived. Furred or scaled

according to its mood, it crawled or bounded, snorted

or drooled, it swam or ripped bark from the trees,

and it was powerful because it could do all these things at once

and because it could show itself or transmogrify 

into boulder, log, hummock of grass. We gave it our fear 

freely and bountifully so it would not take more of us;

we made words and gave it a name w never spoke. 

Still it pressed so close we tasted its breath, felt our bones

seized.  And so we slept with fire, which we also feared. 

Children rose up, blood-hot, hungry. We were many. 

Some of us predicted its shapes from the clouds, some

studied its scents, some imitated its calls and silences;

and we followed it everywhere, darkness in our hands.