July Goals

Spiritual

     Reading

     Meditation

Physical

     Chair Dancing DVD

     Water

     Fruit each day 

Quilting

     Repair accidental cut on border of baby quilt

Reading

     1776 by David McCullough

     Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Epidemic by Gina Kolata

     The Long Way Home by Louise Penny

Cooking

     Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

     Baked Fish, Carrots/Thyme, Corn on the Cob

     Fruited Chicken Salad

     Spaghetti and Meatballs

Home

     Front porch

Personal

     Haircut

     Pedicure

Wendell Berry Shorts X 3

Wendell Berry Shorts X 3

Seventy Years

Well, anyhow, I am

not going to die young. 

A Passing Thought

I think therefore

I think I am. 

The Leader

Head like a big

watermelon,

frequently thumped

and still not ripe. 

Around OakMeadows

Around OakMeadows

I will not be reading Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. I prefer to remember Atticus and Scout as they were in To Kill A Mockingbird. From the reviews that I have heard, Harper Lee should have just left the old manuscript in the drawer. 

Have you ever noticed that home maintenance expenses come in groups? If the drier gives up and dies, you can expect something to go wrong with the plumbing and the refrigerator ice maker to spring a leak and soak the carpet in the dining room. Ask me how I know.....

The fabric I ordered for the backing of the baby quilt came in. You know, I have always been a believer in supporting my local quilt shop but gosh it was so quick and easy that I may go over to the dark side and buy my quilting supplies online. I have the baby quilt layered and ready to baste. 

I'm reading 3 books right now: 

      The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. Joe and I are reading this aloud to each other each evening. It is just excellent. I thought I knew everything there was to know about the Wright brothers--they had a bicycle shop in Dayton and built the first airplane.  All that is true but the rest of the story, I knew nothing about and it is so interesting. 

      A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir by Donald Worster. Muir was a much more complex person than what I have read previously about him. Very interesting. 

     Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918. Yikes!!

I would just like to state for the record that I hate/detest/despise health insurance companies. More than that I don't want to discuss in order to preserve my blood pressure. 

That's all the news from OakMeadows where the raccoons cool off in the birdbath. 

July Cooking

Rice Pilaf with Currants and Cashews

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
2 1/4 cups water 
1/4 cup currants 
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted, coarsely chopped cashews
Pepper

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and sauté until the edges of the rice begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes.  

Stir in the water, garlic, turmeric, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 17 minutes. 

Add currants and cashew and let stand off any heat for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

July Meditation

Listen and attend with the ear of your heart. 

Saint Benedict of Nursia

Grace by Wendell Berry

Grace by Wendell Berry

The woods is shining this morning. 

Red, gold and green, the leaves

lie on the ground, or fall,

or hang full of light in the air still. 

Perfect in its rise and in its fall, it takes

the place it has been coming to forever. 

It has not hastened here, or lagged. 

See how surely it has sought itself,

its roots passing lordly through the earth. 

See how without confusion it is

all that it is, and how flawless 

its grace is. Running or walking, the way

is the same. Be still. Be still. 

"He moves your bones, and the way is clear."

July Goals

Spiritual
     ABF/Church
     Daily Bible Reading
     Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Physical 
     Chair Dancing DVD
     Water
     Healthy Breakfast

Quilting
     If the fabric comes in, layer the backing, batting, and top of baby quilt. 
     Otherwise, keep soldiering on on the monster quilt. 

Reading
     The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
     The Children Return by Martin Walker
     Flu: The Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 by Gina Kolata
     
Cooking
     Tuna salad sandwiches
     Fruited chicken salad
     Slow Cooker Beef and Noodle Soup

Personal
     Buy travel purse
     Lunch with P&W&C&B
     BLPOA monthly meeting


Home
     Get estimate for interior painting
     Finally finish sorting VCR tapes and DVDs