McReflections

I went to McDonald's for the first time in... ("a presence I've not felt since...")

Well, it's been like, forever.

You know what my favorite part about McDonald's is? Apart from its long-enduring iconic American presence?

The straws.

Bryan noted the maximum suckage capacity. I noted the colored stripes. Our drink was gone quickly. Is this to make us buy bigger drinks? Cause the small one that came with the $3 meal, truly is the smallest of all fast food restaurants. (Okay, so I only go to Jack-in-the-Box and In-n-Out. I have an affinity for hyphens. And $1 huge cheeseburgers. And cow that tastes like cow.)

One must assume that every centimeter of McDonald's and its products is brilliant marketing designed to make you want to buy more of their crappy food. It's the only way they've survived. The red and yellow and arches? They have magical powers.

Another fave of mine is the McJargon. We parked and ate rather close to the drive-thru. (Please be aware that I know this is spelled wrong. But drive-through looks heinously incorrect, yes?) These folks are die-hard McFans. What struck me was the utter seriousness of their use of "Mc" everything. While I asked for "the cheap chicken sandwhich and the double cheeseburger $3 meal thing", dudes talk very matter-of-factly into the intercom with a secret language. "I'll have a McChicken, McNuggets, Big Mac (apparently, according to the Tartans, Mc and Mac are interchangeable. Good for MacDonalds. I thought someone overlooked a major faux pas.) and a McDrink..." Okay I don't know about the McDrink. But you see my wonder.

i'd like to be where that guy is

Peekaboo peak

A man walks on top of Mount Saentis - 8,209 feet above sea level - near Schwaegalp in the eastern Swiss Alps, on Oct. 15. A large part of Switzerland was hit by a cold wave with snow and temperatures below zero.

Photo by Christian Hartmann from msnbc's week in pictures

think pink

let's consider the brilliant marketing that is think pink. how did they do it? someone should study that marketing model. then write a book. and give the proceeds to susan b. komen for the cure

has anyone noticed how susan b. komen is like, a household thing now?

i think about breast cancer when i eat yoplait yogurt.

i think about breast cancer when i watch football.

i think about breast cancer when i shop at macys

i think about breast cancer when i read cooking light.

i think about breast cancer when i buy riesling from cost plus world market.

i think about breast cancer when i drive down church creek (how did they get the traffic signs to say "think pink?")

i think about breast cancer when i use the toilet. (it's on the tp packaging)

i think about breast cancer when i when i walk at the river.

they meet

great grandma meets the little one...

there are three

last friday night was fun.
fun in the i'm-glad-this-pregnancy-thing-is-finally-over-but-i'm-not-sure-about-the-pain-level, sense.
suffice it to say the 30 minute drive south in a jeep in need of new shocks on a construction-hacked interstate 5 going 80 miles and hour while in transition was one of the most interesting moments of my life. the good news? i had no idea what was going on. the bad news? the nurse checking me in was skeptical about the stage of my labor. please stand on this scale (?!). please pee in this cup (?!). please place this glam tube top over yr belly (?! uh. no. i refuse.) i guess first time moms generally overreact? didn't have time to.
but really. i was fine. i felt much better than in the jeep. in fact. the contractions were quite doable by then.
oh. that's because i'm done. as in. get this girl into the l&d room now.
so much for the midwife. the birthing tub (rather filthy sounding, yes?). the 3 to 5 minute contractions lasting over a minute for an hour (the classic 3-1-1 was not heeded in any way.) the doctor. calling anyone but mom. time to get a handle on things in general.
very soon after i had a warm wet baby girl on my tummy. she smelled nice. and looked happy to be out.
nuts.
just nuts.
God is so good. we are so in love.

quality literature by a. a. milne

Ernest was an elephant, a great big fellow,
Leonard was a lion with a six foot tail,
George was a goat, and his beard was yellow,
And James was a very small snail.

Leonard had a stall, and a great big strong one,
Earnest had a manger, and its walls were thick,
George found a pen, but I think it was the wrong one,
And James sat down on a brick

Earnest started trumpeting, and cracked his manger,
Leonard started roaring, and shivered his stall,
James gave a huffle of a snail in danger
And nobody heard him at all.

Earnest started trumpeting and raised such a rumpus,
Leonard started roaring and trying to kick,
James went on a journey with the goats new compass
And he reached the end of his brick.

Ernest was an elephant and very well intentioned,
Leonard was a lion with a brave new tail,
George was a goat, as I think I have mentioned,
but James was only a snail.

cyclobenzaprine, acetaminophine, the pool, and me

chronic muscle and joint pain meet your nemesis. the dynamic trio, so to speak, has been found. 'cause apparently gaining a pound a week affects your joint somehow... it's like ultra-light backpacking your way through every moment of life. even the die hards get to take the pack off when they rest. and they get to carry it on their back. mine's right in the gut.
i've found the secret to sound sleep in the third trimester of summer pregnancy. it's not a/c. weird? it's a walk in the pool, 20 mg of flexeril, and 650 mg of tylenol. just wanted to share the wealth.

winter dish for summer

so here's a scrumptious little dish for the summer. summer 'cause it tastes good cold. and who wants hot food in the summer? not i, said the girl in redding.
first, a word on wheat berries. if you grind them, you get flour. per 1/4 cup: cal 160, fat 1g, carbs 35g, fiber 6g, protein 5g. okay. that's the word. (i hate it when people say, "first a word on..." and then they go on for eons about the subject.)
ingredients:
2 cups soft wheat berries, rinsed (you can also use barley, in a pinch, or i've used quinoa, as well. very yummy.)
6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste freshly ground black pepper to taste Citrus Dressing grated zest & juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced shallot (or 3-4 chopped green onions)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 generous handfuls of spinach leaves, stemmed and rinsed
1 cup toasted pine nuts 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or any crumbled goat cheese)
how to:
put wheat berries in the water with the 2 teaspoons of salt, bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for about an hour (they should be plump and chewy... al dente, so to speak). drain. season with more salt, if needed. to make the dressing, combine the zest, juices and onions. (if you don't have the citrus, just add oj. i made it with orange mango juice and it was very awesome. would've been even better with chunks of mango in it!)
whisk olive oil and a pinch of salt & pepper. toss in with wheat berries, pine nuts and cheese. eat.
you can do this with any vinaigrette and nut really, (cranberry with walnuts, pear with pecans) and even basil dressing with tomatoes and corn in the summer. it's really versatile. and hearty. and yummy. pretty much like all the recipes in this hippy fun book. i highly recommend it. but watch out. it may educate you. you may actually change the way you eat and look at food... not a bad thing, right?
from this awesome book i highly recommend! Super Natural Cooking: Five Delicious Ways to Incorporate Whole and Natural Foods Into Your Cooking by Heidi Swanson

catholic angst

so, dane cook may have quite possibly the filthiest mouth and mind on the planet... but this is quite fun.

oh the propaganda

but seriously. have you seen young mothers these days? those poor souls. their poor backs. dragging the baby carrier everywhere. do the kids get bed sores?

apparently, they've invented a strap to drag around your baby carrier/car seat with. now you can have the 30 pounds in the shape of sharp-edged plastic smash against yr hip instead of yr knees. thanks ingenuity. yr on yr way up.

so on this blog i just read (this thingamajig guy is alright) he mentions that when you see this strap being used (you should check out the photo, it's pretty funny) there are two responses;

"Hmm, that’s really interesting."
The other group is looking at that photo and thinking, "What the hell is wrong with our society?"

basically yes, i'm the latter. and maybe it's 'cause i have a tweaked back and angry joints. but it just seems like lot of extra manual labor for an already taxing job (Lord love the little munchkin). why carry more than you have to? i know, i know, i'll just wait and see until my little one is sleeping and i don't want to awaken the quiet...
whatev. i'll let you know when i get there. but i'm going sling on y'all. AND i live in redding. bring it on. the heat, i mean... of an extra body. (it's only like, 110 ten here folks. it could be fallujah) at least i won't be retaining as much water at that point. oh sorry, was that too graphic? i'll refrain.
back to the subject line. many are very convinced they need like, thousands of bucks worth of baby crap. (target being some of them). oh i said crap. i'm going to give myself a timed test. in one minute, here are the things i can think of:
swing, table-top chair, booster seat, high-chair, pack-n-play, bouncer, walker, hangy-from-the-threshold-of-the-door-bouncer-thingy, crib, bassinet, jogger stroller, umbrella stroller, moses basket... okay time's up. (i'm a slow typer. i blame the hyphens.)
uh yeah. i don't have room for but 3 of those items. so i choose... crib, swing, and booster seat. ooooh and i can keep the umbrella stroller in the car. sweet! seriously. where am i gonna put all this? maybe i don't need a couch... Bryan will fight that one.



this if from the super cool national geographic website. i could spend hours there...

i fear me [subtitle: is this pregnancy?]

it's a sorrowful turn of events when one fears themself.
i made a soft boiled egg in the microwave. it exploded. twice. i swear it was only in there for less than 30 seconds.
to round out the protein i grab the juice and shake as settling may have occurred. the contents ended up occurring all over the counter, me, and the floor. one hasn't cleaned til they've enjoyed cleaning pineapple/apple/mango juice up from a porous floor.
i open my prenatal vitamins. cause i'm so healthy like that. how it fell out of my hand i'll never know. the pills flew in the wet sink, on the counter, on the ground. good thing they're cheap(?).
while attempting to butter bread the tupperware flew out of my hand and we all know butter never ends right side up.
i really considered not taking the freeway to work today. can you blame me?
i think i need a pet cricket. it worked for mulan.

are you kidding me?

An email asked me...

...if you died tomorrow, what would you want people to learn from your life?
If I died tomorrow I'd want people to learn joy from my life.
Joy in crisp wind, choppy water, dive bombing mocking birds, the way golden retrievers' hair looks like silken waves when they chase a frisbee, the warmth of a smokey ill-built fire, hot press-pot coffee from ethiopia when waking up cramped and sore after a night under the stars, seeing children's faces light up when they learn about how the nine times table works, their dropped jaw as a raven steals from a killdeer's nest, beavers floating in a half-frozen pond, the knowledge that someone has just met Jesus and have fallen at His feet is adoration, discussion about theology and how it's not a task only of ancient pedagogy to be thus dismissed, friends in far places that remember to write, red-winged black birds kareeking to each other among the cattails, knitting a warm hat for a little one to keep her ears warm, the touch and sight of natural textiles, the slubbiness of linen, the softness of alpaca, the strength of cotton, the smallest things like a nutchatch walking upside down on a tree, how themes are woven into novels, how butter makes things taste better, clothes that do things like insulate, wick moisture or keep rain out while not making you overheat, cars that don't break down, warm fresh-baked whole wheat bread, unconditional love, quirkiness, God being bigger than all your fears, truth, and hymns from scripture:

I know not why God's wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Not why, unworthy, Christ in love,
Redeemed me for His own.
But "I know whom I have believed
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I've committed
Unto Him against that day."
~Daniel Whittle

house of mirth

i'm not sure who this edith wharton chick was, but she surely manipulated a web of mental constructs in my brain. this book, above titled, dare i say it, affected me.
i wanted to desperately to stay distanced from the heroine. like in george elliot's daniel deronda. i fully knew she was star-crossed from the beginning.
but of this recent tragedy... i was a tool. what shook me deeply was its realness: her repeated naivety and blatant disregard of her true self. the seeking of comforts and predictability over personal growth and friendship.
and its relevance: to cultural and social obsessions. to glittery items and fancy words that are vapors. to furies and furies that snap the neck against our better self-possession. the gradual separation between what we know is reality and the cultivated fabrication thereof.
don't be fooled by the title, either. this one's a tragedy. but well worth every page.
sigh.
i've started brothers karamazov. at least it's predominantly about men. i need a break.

the elder swear

so hilarious... i wept...

a.r. ammons

small song

the reeds give
way to the

wind and give
the wind away

ridgefield wildlife refuge, washington

smoky mountains

the name of the great smoky mountains comes from the natural haze around them.
so what would you called these mountains? smokin' mountains.
this has been the eerie sight since we got home from Oregon. this is picture from the local newspaper. it's cool how they got the shot with the plane in there. it looks a bit end-of-the-worldish.
at first we were looking to donate goods to the other county because of the big fire near chico, but it's looking like we can help out in our own backyard. while the ash keeps falling in it.
also, the air quality hasn't been so great. there's a singed flavor in the air.
something like 24K acres burned in the shasta-trinity forest so far...

The sun will become dark,and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives... Acts 2:20

i'm waitin' for it.

Prosit Neujahr!

okay, i'm very aware it's not january. it's like 106 degrees out there. but the blog is the first of the year, yo! frohliche! ( i think that means happy or something.)
after months of silence on the internets, this is where i've been spending my time and brain. millville. note the hay bales and be amazed. sweet little school with sweet little kids. and even though they lived more outdoors than most of us, they still are utterly fascinated by a vulture flying by and raven's raiding the nest of a killdeer. "they are pecking and divebombing the black bird's head mrs. loucks!"

a word concerning trifles

trifles rock. seriously.
cake.
zabaglione.
fresh berries...
fresh berries? where do i live, mexico? not hardly. (have you seen the monochromatic nature of redding?) and while they (the .com recipe forums galore) do have double chocolate mocha trifle or pumpkin cream trifle... there's really nothing like the original.
talk to me wiki: A trifle (English version of the Italian zuppa inglese) is a dessert dish made from thick (or often solidified) custard, fruit, sponge cake, fruit juice or, more recently,jelly (gelatin), and whipped cream. These ingredients are usually arranged in layers with fruit and sponge on the bottom, and custard and cream on top.
so how does one make the best dessert ever for the well-deserving event of the holidays? ha-ho! i have two words for the curious: flash frozen so here's a great method if yr short on fresh blueberries, blackberries and strawberries (which would be absolutely essential if in season.) and are really into taste. and might i add fat. and cholesterol. and sugars. (all in all a winning combo.)
step 1: put trust in paula her killer southwest georgia pound cake recipe is the perfect base. follow the directions though the richard simmons in you will be shrieking. when it cools, cut off crust, eat and share, then cut the rest into 1/2 inch cubes and stick in a air-tight container of some kind.
step 2: the thaw buy a non-generic bag of each of the following: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries. you want the good stuff here. let them thaw at room temp. drain, don't rinse. taste the berries. if the batch of one is stank, don't use it! (make a pancake glaze or something.) taste is critical!
step 3: whip it whip up a pint of heavy cream til stiff peaks form. (gotta love the hand mixer.) put in bowl and refrigerate.
and step 4: the CIA knows this is the best zabaglione. don't get frustrated with how long you have to stand over the stove with a hand mixer (an appliance indispensable and superior to hand whisking). vin santo works well instead of marsala. pour mixture in w/ yr whipped cream and gently fold together. fold over top of gallon zippy, dump the goop in, push out the air, seal, snip an inch off a bottom edge, use immediately. or it turns to slop.
step 4: dog pile with yr newly purchased trifle bowl (i've actually used a glass flour container with a lid) layer the following until it reaches the top... pound cake, berries, zabaglione. the layers look best when they are about an inch thick. top with whipped cream, if you want.
refrigerate until you grub.
oh, and grub you will. it makes an excellent breakfast on the next day, too.
i can't believe i just published my brilliant dessert. use yr newly found powers for good, not evil.

it called for polyethylene

i think maybe we've taken this whole radah thing overboard. radah as in hebrew to rule, have dominion over...pertaining to our relationship with the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (wow am i glad NASB went modern in '95).
ruling, my eye. we're dominion/ruling them into the ground.
my dad and i watched this report on wired science about plastic in the ocean. something about nearly 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile of ocean? "ew" doesn't begin to describe that.
where is all this crap coming from? why are we hating on the animals? it's disturbing to look at the pictures (below), don't you think?
where do i fit in w/ all of this? i'm not wanting to be the preachy activist. my heart hurts, though, to think how we've junked the earth God made.

perspective: it's an issue of value. like whole wheat bagels vs. iceberg lettuce. which is gonna substantially satisfy you with it's sumptious substance? delicious complex carbs or low calorie dirt-tasting water-food? lettuce is crunchy and pretty, but my buck's on the bread everytime.
God loves His children way more than animals. His kids please Him.

the LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing. zeph 3.17

anyway, i'm thinkin' He's got a serious-genius-stealthy plan to make things right and nail the chumps that carelessly trashed His creation.
and i'm here to shmear grace on everyone i can reach w/ a spatula.

...consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that he creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. rom 3.18...