Gathering Graces 1/26/2018

*It was a wonderful day from morning to evening.  I started off my morning meeting my friend Carolyn for breakfast at Sam’s.  Carolyn and I used to try and meet monthly to visit and catch up, but life got in the way, and then her husband had some health complications and she did not feel comfortable leaving his side.  But today he was doing good enough that she felt confident she could leave him for a couple of hours to come have breakfast with me.  I am so glad it worked out.  We had such a great visit, and I look forward to many more in the near future.  It was good.

*When I returned home, I did the final activity in my online class and shared about it in the group.  It was an exercise about relaxing and being still and identifying feelings and emotions that come up in the stillness, and how you deal with those feelings.  It was good.

*I turned on some classical music, grabbed my knitting needles, and knitted and let my mind wander and think about a variety of topics.  Then I would stop, do a little online research, then back to knitting.  Then I would continue to think, brainstorm, write things in a notebook, then research more if needed.  It was good.

*For Christmas I gave Paul “The Twelve Dates of Christmas”.  Our first date night was tonight, and we drove to downtown Spokane and stopped in Starbucks and had coffee, then went down the road a few doors and had dinner at a fondue restaurant called The Melting Pot.  Paul had received a gift card from this place a few years ago from his secret pal at work, and finally made plans to use it. It was good.

*Eating at The Melting Pot is not just a meal, but a dining experience.  You are served four courses, including a cheese fondue, a salad, an entree and a dessert fondue.  We started our with the Wisconsin Cheese Trio fondue, accompanied by bread, apples and raw vegetables to dip in the fondue. It was good.

Wisconsin Trio Cheese Fondue

Next up was salad.  Paul enjoyed a Spinach and Bleu Cheese salad, and I had the house salad with sweet and tangy dressing.  It was good.

Spinach Bleu Cheese Salad

The House Salad with Sweet and Tangy Dressing

We each chose our own entree.  Paul chose Surf and Turf, with Filet Minon and Lobster Tail and Wild Mushroom Sacchetti.  I chose the Fondue Delight, with Filet Minon, Lobster Tail, Chicken, Shrimp and Wild Mushroom Sacchetti.  This was all cooked in a fondue pot full of seasoned vegetable broth.  Then there were six different dipping sauces to dip your meat into.  My favorite was the Yellow Curry Sauce. It was good.

Our entrees....Surf and Turf and Fondue Delight

For our dessert, we chose the Dark and Dulce chocolate fondue, a combination of dark chocolate, dulce de leche and sea salt.  To accompany each course, we each ordered a flight of wine, so each court we were served a small 3 oz. pour of four different wines.  It was quite delicious and a fun experience.   It was good.

Dark and Dulce Chocolate Fondue

*Another part of the experience I enjoyed about last night was being in a city.  I enjoyed sitting in the Starbucks on Main Street talking with Paul, and watching the people sitting or coming in and out of the coffee shop.  I loved that we all looked different.  Everyone didn’t look like me.  It liked it when the young college-aged man next to us seemed to trust us enough to ask us to watch his laptop while he went and used the restroom.  I loved seeing and listening to the busker play guitar on the street as we walked by.  I even enjoyed being approached by a gentleman who asked us if we had fifty cents.  It was different from my hometown.  It had a different vibe that made me want to come back to Spokane on a more regular basis to experience more of that city feeling.  It was good.

Gathering Graces 1/25/2018

*I have had the chance to talk to a few of the senior girls about their decision to go through Rush at the University of Idaho, and join a Sorority.  I have enjoyed sharing with them how much I enjoyed telling them how much I enjoyed living in a sorority when I was in college, and how many Tri-Delta sister I still stay in touch with, and remain friends with either through personal contact or through Facebook.  Over the past few years I have been pleasantly surprised to run into them on my visits to the U of I.  This spring I will be traveling to Sun Valley for a conference, and a few of my pledge sister live in the Sun Valley area, and we plan to get together for dinner.  These sorority conversations have evokes a lot of wonderful memories.

*Paul stopped and got a cheese pizza from Yokes for dinner, and got a whole bunch of other items to add to it.  We had a very flavorful, yet rather odd combination of ingredients on our pizza, including mushrooms, green peppers, artichoke hearts, pickled garlic, smoked oysters, and grape tomatoes.  It was very tasty.  He added bleu cheese to his, and I added Parmesan cheese to my slices.

*Thinking about changes in the future and in our life can be exciting, but it can also be very scary.  My emotions about it go from one extreme to the other.  But Paul and I continue to talk about what our future may look like, what our options might be, and, as long as we keep the conversation going it is going to be all right.

Gathering Graces 1/24/2018

*I really enjoy coffee, and my morning coffee of choice has been black, no cream, no milk, no sweetener of any kind.  But this fall I noticed the coffee was causing a small amount of heartburn in the morning.  So I have made a change.  I now add warmed, frothed milk to my coffee each morning, and it makes a world of difference.  I can still enjoy my coffee, but without the side effect of heart burn.  I am enjoying the change.  Sometimes it is just those little things in life that make a big difference.

*I am happy to report that Paul’s mom Patricia made it safely through her surgery today, and is expected to return home today.  It was so cute watching his dad Burton posting updates on Facebook about her throughout the day.  I especially enjoyed the one with the pink hearts in the background.  I love the fact that my father-in-law is on Facebook, and is quite savvy about the way he uses this particular form of social media.  Continue to keep Pat in your prayers as she recovers at home under the loving care of her family.

*I noticed my first sign up spring as I came in my front door today.  Some flower stems were shooting up through the ground. I believe they are crocuses.  Usually my front flower bed, because it is up against the front of the house, tends to be a bit warmer, and things happen earlier there than in other parts of the yard. 

The first sign of spring...crocuses bursting forth from the ground by our front door.

Gathering Graces 1/23/2018

*Last week the students I work with in the after school program created masks.  Today they put on their masks and shared with me the character they were when they put on their mask.  Some of these characters included a magical blue and orange fox, a human unicorn, a butterfly superhero, a marionette from a video game, a Mockingjay, and a Japanese female professional wrestler.  I love listening to the students talk about these characters, and marvel at their creativity and imagination.

*Today I met one on one with many of the seniors to see if they were on track with their plans for college.  It was exciting to visit with them, and to see how much they are on top of things, especially since this is only January!!

*I completed one dishcloth as I practice knitting and purling, and have started another with a little different pattern.  I am enjoying getting back into the rhythm of knitting, and seeing the results of my attempts.  Yes, there are some imperfections, but that is the way to learn.

*Paul and I have been having discussions about our future, and what it is going to look like, as my current job comes to an end in June, and I explore possibilities of what comes next.  We keep throwing out ideas, and discussing them, and it is fun imagining the possibilities in this next phase of our life, which could look a lot different than the current phase.  It is an exciting time.

Gathering Graces 1/22/2018

*As I started looking at Facebook this morning, words of love and comfort started being shared with one of my Facebook friends on her page regarding her husband.  It seemed pretty clear that something had happened to her husband.  I messaged my sister-in-law and found out this young mother of two beautiful young boys lost her 40 year old husband to an unexpected heart attack on Sunday.  I have know this woman most of her life, and I had her in Sunday School when we went to church in Meridian, and have watched her marry this wonderful man and be the mother to these beautiful boys.  As the tears began to flow, my prayer is that her family is surrounded by love, comfort and peace.

*Work was good, and I enjoyed some of the interactions I had with students.  It is all so very exciting to be a part of helping students prepare for their futures.

*We started a new session in the after school drama program.  The next two weeks we are focusing on being different characters.  The kids were great today, becoming anything I asked them to be.  They had me laughing most of the time.

*If you want to cook your steaks in a way that makes them tender and delicious, try this recipe here for Pan Seared Ribeye Steak with Bleu Cheese Butter.  I actually used New York steaks tonight,  I think this is the third time I have prepared steaks this way.  As I was looking at my blog post from last year’s birthday dinner for Mom, this is what I prepared.  You take the steaks and fry them on high heat in a cast iron skillet (for me, it was my cast iron dutch oven), for a couple minutes on each side in butter and olive oil.  Sprinkle the steaks with rosemary, then put the steak into the oven for about 5 minutes.  When they are done, take out and drizzle the rosemary butter on the steaks.  Put them on the plate, and top with the special bleu cheese garlic butter you made earlier, and let the steaks sit on the plate for about five minutes before eating.  Then enjoy.  This is the way steaks are meant to be enjoyed!

*My friend April is doing an online course this week about finding your Voice.  I spent some time this evening journaling and sharing with the other people taking this course.  I look forward this week to the daily assignments, and what I find out through this process.

Gathering Graces 1/21/2018

*The day began at church with Paul leading worship, followed by Simon Miller sharing the message this morning.  What a wonderful message he shared, based on Colossians 3:9-17, that share the Apostle Paul’s thoughts on dealing with people you don’t agree with in life.  He says,  clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Instead of reacting immediately to what people say to you or you see on social media, take time to think, meditate and ponder about how you will respond, or, if you even need to at all.  And then have your response be clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Simon shared about how everyone around us has pain in their lives, and we need to learn to respond to others in love.  Oh, I could go on and on, but I loved his sharing this morning, and he really gave me a lot to think about.

*I did give my office a bit of attention this afternoon.  I went through piles of things on my desk, and threw away a lot of things, or got items in piles to be filed.  I boxed up some items that need to be returned to the theater.  At one point Paul came in to ask if he could help in any way.  I started having him take things out of the office and put away in various other parts of the house.  After a couple of hours, I was ready to return back to my knitting.

*The knitting of the dishcloth project continues.  Knit a row...purl a row...knit a row....purl a row. 

*Family dinner was at Christy and Everett’s house tonight.  They recently finished the remodeling of the shed in their backyard, and it now has electricity so there is light and heat.  Christy prepared a delicious beef stew.  She got the recipe from one of Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa cookbooks she owns.  She also prepared a wedge salad, and made a batch of Mom’s Roquefort salad dressing (which actually has bleu cheese in it) and we enjoyed that every much.  Homemade Italian Peasant Loaf and homemade mincemeat pie and ice cream were also on tonight’s menu.  The shed was a nice, cozy place to enjoy our meal together.  It will be nice to continue enjoying the shed throughout the different seasons.

Gathering Graces 1/20/2018

*Tonight we had a wonderful time at dinner with our friends Stephanie and Andy Broaddus.  We had decided to meet up at Radio Brewing uptown, because Andy had not had the pleasure of eating there yet.  As we walked in, I saw Bill and Debbie up at the bar and went and greeted them.  Then Paul, Andy Stephanie and I had a wonderful meal and a good conversation.  These friends live in Oklahoma, but try to come to Kellogg every so often to stay in their condo and do some skiing, or biking, and enjoy their former town.  They are one of those couples that it doesn’t matter that we haven’t seen each other for a while.  When we sat down, it was as if time hadn’t passed between us, and we just enjoyed time with one another.  It was a really wonderful evening.

*I could not get motivated to get anything done in my office today.  There are things that need organized and gone through and thrown away, and filed and put away.  I went in at one point and got a few things done, but I just wasn’t feeling it today.  I guess it will be there waiting for me tomorrow.

*My knitting project, however, did get some attention.  I am knitting a little dishcloth to help me learn the stockinette stitch.  It is coming along pretty good, except at one point, I got the stitch opposite of what it was suppose to be, and knitted when I was suppose to purl, or visa versa, so the pattern changed.  Which is no big deal.  On a dishcloth, I will make it work.  This is why I am taking time to practice, so when I start working on a project that I really want to look good, I will have taken the time to work some of these things out, and get used to what things feel like and look like as I knit.

*Zoe called today, and we got her a new cell phone ordered.  Her current phone was ready for an upgrade, so she followed in her Aunt Christy and my footsteps and went with the Google Pixel.  I got it ordered online, and, when it was ready, she went and picked it up at a Verizon store in Meridian.  She was excited that it only took a few hours to get it all done.

*Paul purchased a new leash for Archie so he can take Archie for a run and have his hands free when he walks or runs.  Archie gives him quite the workout!!

Gathering Graces 1/19/2018

*Today Mom would have turned 87 years old.  But she was not here with us to celebrate.  But she was here in spirit as Bill, Christy and I spent the afternoon together celebrating Mom.  When people would ask me how it was throughout the Christmas holidays without Mom being there, I would often answer that there were some hard moments, but, overall, it wasn’t too bad because I was surrounded by my loving family members who helped the time be one of healing instead of constant.  Last week when I realized Mom’s birthday was coming up, and that it could be a hard day for all of us, I asked my siblings if they would like to have an sibling out together and go to lunch to celebrate Mom’s birthday and raise a toast in her honor.  They both agreed.  And it was a wonderful day being with my siblings, sharing stories about Mom, and being with two wonderful people who I love, and who I know love me as well.  We went to Coeur d’Alene and had lunch at The Daft Badger, an establishment owned by a friend of Bills.  Then we went to Calypso Coffee to finish our afternoon with cups of coffee and more conversation.  It was the perfect way to spend the day.

*Last week I had taken the chicken bones from the chicken I had prepared for Christy’s birthday dinner and made a chicken broth in the Crockpot that took about a week.  The broth had been sitting in the refrigerator this week, and it was time to make some chicken noodle soup.  I went to Yokes and bought some chicken breasts to cook so I could add chunks of chicken to the soup.  As I added cut up carrots, celery and onions to the broth to cook and simmer, I made some noodle dough, rolled it out, cut it up, and dropped the noodles into the soup.  I made these noodles a month or two ago, and I love how easy it is to make noodles for soup.  The soup was absolutely delicious.  Homemade broth and homemade noodles add a depth and texture to the soup that really make eating it something special.  

*I started writing Gathering Graces on January 16, 2017.  My first entry reflected on how I came up with the name, and reflected on what happened in my life on 1/15/2017.  I had no idea what a journey this daily writing would take me when I started it a year ago.  Writing my daily Gathering Graces help me look at the little things in life that make it wonderful.  It helped me work through caring for an ailing mother.  It helped me deal with grief once that ailing mother passed away.  It helped chronicle my trip to Italy.  It helped me realize that what I share, especially about caring for Mom, really helped others who are going through, or anticipate going through something similar.  But I also draw strength from the conversations, comments and messages people send me regarding what I write each day.  And, for me, it has kept me consistently writing on a daily basis.  As I look what I originally wrote as my purpose for writing my daily Gathering Graces, I believe I have fulfilled what I set out to do...

That is what I am going to attempt to do from now on to keep a track for me personally the wonderful things that happen in my life on a daily basis, and to make these things a part of my family and friends near and far who may want a glimpse into my daily life, as I similarly get a glimpse into my brother's daily life.

As I looked at the word "Grace" it fits so well with what I want to share.
As a Christian, God granted me grace by redeeming my life from sin.
We can say "Grace" before a meal to give thanks.
We say someone has grace if they have seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement, form or proportion.

Grace is also synonymous with mercy, kindness, and goodwill.

In Greek mythology, a Charis, or Grace is one of three or more minor goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, and fertility, together known as the Charites or Graces.  The usual list, from youngest to oldest is Aglaea (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Mirth) and Thalia (Good Cheer).  In Roman mythology, they were known as the Gratiae, the "Graces".

Gathering Graces 1/18/2018

*I started creating a to do list of things I want to accomplish this spring.  It is turning into a very large list.  But I need something to help keep me focused.  I need something I can look to for direction.  I need something that will divert me from sitting on the couch each night as I continue to watch Friends.

*January has been an interesting month for me personally.  I have slowed my pace down. I am not as busy doing activities, but I think there is a lot going in in my life internally. I found this great quote from Rosalie Muller Wright, who was a former editor of Sunset Magazine.  As I read this quote, I could relate personally to what it is saying.

"January is the quietest month in the garden.  ...  But just because it looks quiet doesn't mean that nothing is happening.  The soil, open to the sky, absorbs the pure rainfall while microorganisms convert tilled-under fodder into usable nutrients for the next crop of plants.  The feasting earthworms tunnel along, aerating the soil and preparing it to welcome the seeds and bare roots to come."

I feel like this quote is describing perfectly what is going on with me right now.  Even though my life outwardly looks quieter, there is a lot going on in my mind, in my soul and in my spirit.  My “soil” is absorbing all kinds of nutrients.  My soil is being aerated by things I am reading, things I am writing, things I am meditating upon, things I am hearing.  I am preparing for a spring awakening, when these dormant seeds and bare roots will start to blossom.  Some have been dormant within me for quite a while.  I am looking forward to seeing what blooms.

*I continue enjoying working with and talking to the seniors, as they go through the process of getting ready for college.  This is such a conflicting time for many of them.  Because they are finishing up a time in their lives that is safe, secure, familiar.  Yet they are planning for a new adventure, one that is both exciting and a little scary, because it is full of unknowns.  I just try and keep them on track as much as possible as they look toward the future, and try and keep as much of the anxiety they are feeling at bay.

*Paul and I are planning a weekend get-a-way in February, and things are falling nicely into place.  I think the last time we were away together was in November 2013 when we went to Denver for the Simply Jesus Gathering.  It has been even longer since we have gone away just to get away...no conference, no other reason, but just to get away to have fun together.  I think it is about time!

Gathering Graces 1/17/2018

*Tonight it was fun hosting the January P.E.O. meeting at my house, with Christy as my co-hostess.  P.E.O. is a philanthropic educational organization whose mission is to promote educational opportunities for women.  Locally, our chapter raises money so we can provide two scholarships to two Kellogg High School seniors who will be attending college.  There are also other financial opportunities for women who are currently in college, or have taken a break and want to return to college.  It is a wonderful organization. Our meeting tonight was very productive with lots of good conversation.  Plus, it is always a treat to be with the other women in our local P.E.O. chapter.  Sunday is “Wear Your Pin Day”, which gives us an opportunity to share about this organization with other people.

*The program I coordinate at school, Gear Up, has a scholarship they give to seniors if they apply by March 1, submit their FAFSA by March 15, and if they will be attending an Idaho college or university.  The scholarship can be renewed up to four years, and is at least $1500 a year.  Any student who has been a part of Gear Up between 7th and 12th grade can apply for and use the scholarship.  Today I spent some time trying to message students who are not currently at KHS, but have been a part of Gear Up, so they have the opportunity to apply for the scholarship.  Hopefully I can get a few more to apply and take advantage of this scholarship money.

*I had a great conversation with a friend who leads a Bible study at her church, and it really sounds like something I would like to be a part of in the future.  I told her I didn’t want to add anything this spring, but if she was still doing it next fall, I would love to be a part of meeting with some other women and learning from the Bible, and talking to one another about our relationship with God. 

Gathering Graces 1/16/2018

*Today I experienced a little wildlife.  On the way up to the high school for our morning walk, Nikki had to slow the car down before we drove over the bridge over the river because an elk crossed the road right in front of us.  When I left the high school in the afternoon as I was going home for lunch, four big turkeys were making their way across the street.  I love experiencing the wildlife!!

*Yes, the Silver Valley is the Wild, Wild West.  Or it sure seems that way by incidents that recently happened in Mullan, a small town along Interstate 90 just before you cross into Montana.  Since December there has been someone firing shots in a residential area of the town. And this has continued for about a month. This week they finally were able to arrest this man, when they pulled him over on a traffic stop.  I am sure the people in Mullan are sleeping a little easier now that this man has been put in jail.  A very scary situation. But fortunately no one was ever harmed when these shots were fired.

*I was reminded by my friend Kellee today about the song December, 1963 (Oh What A Night) by The Four Seasons.  Every time I hear this song I think of her.  We must have really loved this song when it was released back in 1975.  She reminded me of the two of us creating a routine for our P.E. class using this song.  Ah...P.E. at Kellogg Junior High School....with the red polyester shorts and the red and white striped t-shirts.  That was our “P.E. Uniform”.  At that time, our colors were red and white, and we were the Kellogg Kittens. And, if my memory serves me correctly, you had P.E. all three years in junior high, 7th, 8th and 9th grade years, and wore those shorts and t-shirts each year.  And sometimes they were even a part of your athletic team outfit, if I am not mistaken.

*There was success on the knitting front today as I finally knocked enough cobwebs from my mind and remembered how I cast on to begin a knitting project.  Then I practiced knitting a few rows.  Next I need to add in the purl stitch, which I have never done before.  I know it is an easy thing to do, but it will probably take me a bit to master the purl stitch.

Gathering Graces 1/15/2018

*Tell someone they are fabulous!  I was told today I was fabulous, and it made my day.  My Gear Up director Jacque came up from Boise to visit some North Idaho schools, and she came to KHS and brought me a mocha, and we visited from 11 to 3 about my Gear Up Program, about life, about all kinds of things.  At one point in the conversation she talked about how much she enjoyed visiting and she told me I was fabulous.  I don’t get complimented like that too often, so it made my day. So if you have a chance....tell someone you are with today that they are fabulous!!  I am pretty sure it will make their day.

*After school I headed out to Pinehurst Elementary to work with some of the students doing some drama activities.  At one point in the conversation, we started talking about our middle names, and what our middle names were.  There are  two brothers in the group.  The older brother shared his middle name, and the younger brother shared his own middle name, which was Alden.  The older brother said, “do you know why his middle name is Alden.  It is because he is the youngest in our family, and after he was born, my parents said they were ‘All Done’!!”  Yes, I got a kick out of that story.

*When I arrived home, Paul had started dinner.  He had gone to the grocery store and bought some fish, some jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon and stuffed with seafood, and we had a kale salad that was in the fridge.  It was really good, and a nice surprise!!

*A crackling fire in the fireplace, relaxing while continuing to watch Friends, and some frustration at trying to relearn how to knit was how I spent my evening.  I know the knitting skill will return.  I will just keep plugging away at it.

*Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  We were one of the few school districts around that did have school today.  I know some of the KHS teachers did lessons on MLK today, a man who changed the course of our country’s story by the things he said and the things he did.  I love the song that James Taylor sings about MLK called Shed a Little Light.  I found a special version on You Tube:

on 7/29/15 in Columbia SC, James was joined onstage by Charleston choir Lowcountry Voices. Together, they sang “Shed a Little Light” in memory of the victims of the Charleston shooting and their families. The entire audience stood in support.

Oh let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King....

Gathering Graces 1/14/2018

*Tonight family dinner was at Bill and Debbie’s house.   Paul, Christy, Everett and I were also joined by their neighbor and our good friend Jane McShane.  Bill put together a delicious combination of flavors as he presented a Thai dinner this evening.  The starters included a cucumber salad and a broccoli dish.  The main course was shrimp stir fried rice.  Each of these dishes also had cilantro, peanuts, peanut sauce, and two different chili sauces that could be added for flavor.  The evening was finished off with either mango sorbet or coconut-pineapple ice cream.  It was fun to be able to gather at Bill and Debbie’s house, now that their kitchen and living room renovations are complete, and eat around their table, and watch my brother work his magic serving items he has never made before.  We are all glad he spread his culinary wings and served up an array of textures, flavors and colors to give us a satisfying experience.

*Our wood supply was getting low, so we saw an ad a former student of ours put online that he was selling firewood, so we texted him letting him know we would like to buy some firewood from him.  We made arrangements for it to be delivered Sunday morning, and around 8:30 a.m., two of his buddies showed up and unloaded a cord of pine into our garage.  Paul spent the day sorting and stacking it.  We now have plenty of wood now for the rest of this winter, and probably most of next winter.

*I enjoyed church this morning, and we had a pie social during our fellowship time after church.  I enjoyed visiting with some of the people at my table.  One person asked me if I was planning another trip like I did to New York City, when we did a week long mission.  I briefly told her about my trip to Italy, and said my next dream trip would be to visit the Holy Lands.  Two of the people at my table had visited there, and they started sharing stories of their trip, which made me want to travel there even more!!  I always dreamed of visiting NYC, and didn’t know how I would get there, and have now been there two times to visit.  I always dreamed of visiting Europe, and was able to go there last summer.  So it will be fun to see how a trip to Israel comes about.

Gathering Graces 1/13/2018

*Around 9:30 a.m. I drove over to The Bean to meet my sister-in-law Debbie for coffee.  The weekend before we had talked about me starting a knitting project, so I brought my knitting bag, that I finally found, and I pulled all kinds of things out of this bag, and Debbie helped me get it organized, and she will help me start the project tomorrow.  When I got home, I did some more looking, and found some other yarn in Zoe’s room that I may be able to use, too.

*One of the members of our book group found a podcast that Sherman Alexie and Jess Walters did for a couple of years called A Tiny Bit of Accomplishment.  Walters is also an award winning author who grew up in Spokane.  I listened to a couple episodes this morning.  I haven’t decided if I want to continue or not.  I will keep listening to a few more and see.

*Molly and Travis drove to Spokane this morning so Molly could take her Special Education Praxis test, another step in her quest for her degree in Special Education.  They had asked us if we wanted to meet for dinner, and we decided to meet around 4 p.m. for dinner.  Paul and I went a little early to do some shopping at Costco, then Paul went and got his hair cut at The Locker Room.  I headed up to Petco to pick up some treats for Toby, and also went into Bed, Bath and Beyond to check out their flatware.  We are on a quest to get a new set of flatware.  But we both realize we are pretty picky when it comes to buying a new set.  The flatware has to have the right feel.  I found one kind that might work, but we will continue looking.

*We met Molly and Travis at a place in Post Falls called The Republic Kitchen and Taphouse.  Molly and Travis discovered this place last summer, and have been there a few times and rave about it, so we decided to check it out with them.  It is housed in The Samuel and Ann Young House, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places.  The Youngs came to Post Falls in 1896, and helped in the development of the Post Falls community.  There is a nice outside area to sit that looks like a wonderful place to be when the weather is nice.  Inside, it has the original trim and is decorated with a lot of old photographs and memorabilia.  I enjoyed my Monte Cristo sandwich with a sweet potato salad.  Everyone enjoyed their meals, and we will definitely return there someday to eat.

*When we returned home, I worked on updating my checkbook, and getting back to watching the movie Into The Wild.  What an interesting story of a young man setting out to live in the wilderness of Alaska.  But on his journey to Alaska, he met many people along the way, and the movie shared some of those stories. And the movie made this young man out to be a really great guy.  It is based on a book by the same title by Jon Krakauer.  I think I have the book around here somewhere, and I look  forward to reading it someday.

Gathering Graces 1/12/2018

*I enjoyed hosting book group today as we discussed You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me.  One member was not able to read the whole book, because of stories of how the author and his contemporaries were treated as Native Americans growing up.  In the book, Alexie often refers to the liberal white person wanting to save him.  I think that may have been part of our problem as a group of liberal white women reading this book.  We are horrified by the stories, want to fix it, but do not have the answers.  And know that many of the things he wrote about continue today.  I highly recommend this book, even though the subject matter is hard to read at times.  The writing is what kept me coming back.  When I started to read this book, there was an expectation on my part that it would be about him grieving the life of his mother, who had recently passed away.  Instead, I felt like it was a book about him grieving his Native American culture.  I challenge you to read the book, and you decide.

*The menu for today’s gathering was Indian Tacos.  Instead of using a tortilla like a traditional taco, you make Indian Fry Bread.  The recipe I followed instructed me to brown hamburger and add chili seasoning and kidney beans to the meat.  Then there was cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream to go on top of the fry bread.  We also had a warm vegetable dish, canned pears and fruit with orange sherbet, and ice cream cake and brownies and ice cream for dessert.  It was a wonderful gathering.  If you are interested, the recipe I used is here for the Indian tacos.

*The last time I remember making Indian Fry Bread was in one of Molly’s grade school classes at Meridian Elementary.  Christy was teaching in a school on the Colville Indian Reservation.  We thought it would be fun to have Molly’s class and the same grade class at Christy’s school do a type of exchange throughout the year.  So they wrote letters to one another, and we found out one of their unique cultural foods was the Indian Fry Bread.  So I made it sometime during the school year for Molly’s classmates.  It was delicious then, and now that I have made it again, and realize how easy it is, I have to make it again.

*Today Paul and I spent every two hours checking our cat Toby’s blood glucose levels.  This requires poking him in the ear and drawing blood, and using a monitor to give you a reading.  We did that every two hours from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Then we will share the results with our veterinarian, and see if Toby’s insulin needs to be adjusted.  Toby was a trooper throughout the whole ordeal.

*Paul and I started watching the movie Into the Wild last night, but I fell asleep, so we didn’t finish it.  So we will try again tomorrow.  But we did watch the next episode of The Crown, which was very good.