Sparseness Realization

What a parsonage Living Room might look like.

Whenever we have had the occasion to visit in other peoples' homes over the years,  it has always been noticeable to us how much more sparse our own living areas are.

I have explained that to myself in a variety of ways, whenever I have pondered that particular phenomenon.

My life has been filled with many moves,  both in my childhood, and in my adulthood.  Moving a lot inevitably makes one 'pare down' and get rid of what is not really important or in good shape.

I have also experienced several big "losses".   One required starting over with nothing, divorced and a single parent.  Another was a flood, which destroyed much of what I owned.   Having the "moves" and the "losses" in my life has, I suppose,  made me less attached to my "things" than other people might be.

Another "explanation" for our sparseness as compared to others,  is that other owners have resided in their homes for thirty or forty years.  Our maximum number is thirteen.

But I had a new realization just recently.  I received an email from a fellow Preacher's Kid from Mississippi. She was looking for one of my mother's recipes, and we exchanged several chatty emails.  I really got a kick out of one of her comments, which went something like this.   "After many years with a good therapist,  I have finally gotten over the fear that the Women's Society is looking in the windows to see if my feet are propped on the furniture."    That is, of course, an exaggeration of what it was like to live in a parsonage in the 1950's and 1960's in the South.

It did jog my memory, however, and I  recalled that many parsonages  (houses owned by the church) had rooms that were already furnished.   That gave me a new insight.  At least to some degree, it would be true to say that I grew up in homes  (church parsonages) where all of the furniture did not belong to us.

That too could have been formative in my own sparse-living-choices.

Maybe I am settling in for the long haul.  I recently bought a large, full size plush couch.  It takes up more space.

Puzzler

 I do crossword puzzles.  I only started doing them since I retired, and I'm not all that great at it.   I would say that I can do crossword puzzles in the medium range of difficulty.

Gerry does several a day, and is a master of the NY Times Sunday puzzle,  which keeps him occupied much of the afternoon.  (or maybe that is the acrostic quote??)

I do the puzzle from the Cortland Standard, and can usually do that one on my own.  If I get really stuck, all I have to do is ask Gerry.  He knows all the answers from his vast experience.

One does notice when clues reappear again and again.   I have discovered one that really bugs me!
The clue is:  Sermon Topic.  And the answer is:  Sin.

I suppose everyone is offended by something.  People of color are likely to be offended by racist comments or jokes.  People with disabilities do not like certain labels.  Women do not care for sexist comments.

So why I am offended by that particular crossword puzzle clue?  Maybe it is because it bugs me for all sermon material to be boiled down to that one little three letter word theme.  There are so many other better, more interesting and uplifting sermon topics.  And that particular one is probably not one I would choose unless faced with a scripture selection for the week which left me no other choice.

I'd be more likely to want to focus on things like the fruits of the spirit---love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,  gentleness, self control.  Then there is forgiveness and mercy and good works.

Healing is a good sermon topic, as is witnessing, and outreach and helping others.   I like the image of the persistent widow, and pressing on toward the goal.   Then there are the stories of conversion,  and not being afraid of the storm.   I like the story of the one lost sheep being found, and the prodigal son returning home.  I like the teachings about blessedness and perseverance in prayer, or about Jesus feeding the crowd.


I am offended that the entire range of possibilities for sermon topics has been boiled down to that one little word.

If I were creating the puzzle,  I would create a very different kind of answer.

The clue is:  Sermon Topic.    The answer is:  Grace.

Grace is the sermon topic that I prefer to preach.

Old Westbury Gardens

We enjoyed a lovely tour of Old Westbury Gardens in Westbury, New York, near where our daughter lives.

The 'tour' included a walk through an amazing mansion.   This estate was built between 1903 and 1907 by Henry Phipps.  The family's wealth came from his father, who was the second largest shareholder in U.S. Steel, partners with Andrew Carnegie.   It is always interesting to see how the wealthy or privileged live.   Although the lifestyle is very much " English gentry",  the family came from a Scottish ancestor who made shoes.   Of course, it does make one think of Downton Abbey.  (and so I wondered where the servants quarters might be??)

I could not help but wonder how many servants would be required to maintain such an estate.  The grounds alone could employ dozens and dozens!  The estate has 100 acres of beautiful gardens and the mansion is exquisite.

V taking a picture of a beautiful 150 year old tree

Discovering Pinterest

Since I have discovered the Pinterest website (or whatever it is),  I'd have to conclude that food is my hobby.  I love looking at the pictures and reading the recipes and trying new ventures with food.  I get lots of ideas just from the pictures.  I can modify to fit my own needs and ingredients and likes.

But I cannot turn my blog into a food blog, because my daughter already has a lovely food blog: MakeHasteNotWaste@WordPress.com   She posts lovely dishes she has made, being creative with ingredients she gets in her farm share, or that she has in her pantry, making an effort not to waste anything.  She also writes extremely well.

Certainly the value of not wasting food is also my own.  I've learned hot to re-use, re-purpose, recreate many food items, and rarely throw away any produce.  ( It also helps that my husband loves to eat leftovers for lunch.)

For example,  last week, I bought a watermelon to take to a party, but it was overly ripe to be able to cut into cubes,  so I scooped it out and put it in a container in the freezer, thinking that I could at least make smoothies out of it.  And that is exactly what I have done for breakfast this morning.

I happened upon a banana that I had previously frozen.  I knew that I had recently put some getting older tangerine sections in the freezer.  I thought those would go together nicely,  and indeed they do.  I am enjoying my fruit smoothie as we speak.

Even though food is now my hobby,  I cannot do a food blog, because that is already taken in my family!  And hers is indeed excellent.

Alaskan Cruise

The Regatta docked in Prince Rupert, British Columbia

We are still trying to get back into the New York rhythm, after spending seven days on our Alaskan Cruise, plus travel to and from.

I cannot seem to shake my "sea legs", though Gerry has not had that problem. We are both trying to adjust to the time change, which was three hours different out west.   "Sea Legs" means that my body is still swaying and bobbing with the motion of the boat.  It is a very weird sensation!   We went to a party yesterday and I had a glass of wine.   Add the wine to my sea legs and I got downright sea sick indeed!

The logistics and the service and the entire experience could not have gone more smoothly, including no delays on our flights, which hasn't happened to us in recent memory.  The transfers to and from the airport to the ship, and back, plus the exchange of the luggage along many legs of the journey, also worked perfectly.  Our shore excursions all went well.

We stopped in three port towns or cities and had a variety of cultural experiences---indigenous people;  a walk in a rain forest,  museums,  a lumberjack show, etc.  We also spent several days just at sea and enjoyed breathtaking views along both sides of the channel.   We also saw a glacier, and a few whales coming up to breath.  We enjoyed live entertainment every evening.

The dining was sensational and scrumptious.   We ate in all the restaurants offered, and in the dining hall and met many interesting people.  We also attended several functions with the other Cornell Alumni on board the ship.

All in all,  it was a wonderful trip and experience.  We learned from folks who have been on a dozen cruises that our particular cruise line  (Oceania) and our particular ship (The Regatta) is at the very top of the charts for excellence and luxury.  I can believe it.

Luxury is harder to get used to than one might imagine,  if you are used to doing everything yourself---especially making your own cup of coffee.  On the ship, the only way to get coffee was if someone poured it for you!

It was 99.8 a positive experience all the way around.  But the coffee was too strong for me.

As usual,  we are always so happy to return home to our own patterns and routines.