The CATechism

Posted by Sep 2, 2016 Faith Leave a Comment

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Some years ago I bought this prie Dieu.  It lives between the glass French doors that look to our pond outside and my piano inside.  It felt like the right place for it.  I am incredibly chagrined that the cats seem to use it more than I.  Exhibit A:  this picture.  In French “prie Dieu” literally means to pray to God.  It is a type of prayer desk/kneeler intended for private devotional use but may also be found in churches.  They have a couple in our Parish’s lovely old chapel and I have used them at times after lighting a candle and praying in quiet reflection surrounded by stained glass.  Our church bulletin used to read, “Worshiping in the beauty of holiness” and I still use that phrase.  Often the Rosary is recited.  As I do not have it memorized, it takes me quite a while to get through.  I use an iPhone app so if I’m at church I fear people think I’m on Facebook or something.  The prie Dieu did not appear to have received its present name until the early 17th century.  I fell in love with the little chapel in Marie Antoinette’s Petit Trianon, where I saw hers and was deeply moved.  Often people assume I am Roman Catholic.  I am actually Episcopalian (or Whiskeypalian, as I often joke).  Of course one does not need a prayer bench to pray; we can pray to God any time, any place, and any where.  I just hoped it would inspire me to pray more often and with more reverence and devotion.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”  I strive to do so.  Now if I could just get the gatos off my kneeler.  We all know they sit quietly a lot with their eyes closed … they must be contemplating the Catechism.

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A Hair Embarrassed

Posted by Sep 1, 2016 Wolves 4 Comments

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My mother was hilarious and had a great vocabulary.  One phrase she used a lot was “a hair.”  It’s a Texas thing I suppose meaning a tiny bit.  For example, she’d often ask me to “raise the air a hair” which meant to turn up the air conditioning a little.  She’d also say “fire” for heat.  If you’re envisioning a heavy southern accent of some sort she did not have one.  Her speech was delicate and refined.  Just when I thought I knew all her vernacular she’d come up with something else.  She was so quiet very few people knew how witty she really was.  My mama was a treasure to me, my daddy, my husband, and our daughter.  Seeing this small pile of hair (yes, you read that right; this was nothing compared with the rest of it) I thought of Mama and smiled inwardly.  We had to take the wolfies in for their annual wellness check-up yesterday and our girl Cheyenne (who favors the husky side more in looks but the wolf side more in mannerisms) was blowing her coat — big time.  The poor thing doesn’t know what to do.  It should have been gone by now but because they’re indoors her body has kept it.  (We have it cold for them.)  In the wild they naturally shed their coats during the spring for summer and then grow them back again in autumn for winter.  Right now you can literally just touch her and chunks of hair come flying off.  The groomer was booked so the sweet vet techs decided to try and get a little of her undercoat out just with their hands.  It was horrifying and literally looked like some type of small animal had just been murdered in the waiting area.  I do not exaggerate when I tell you it was absolutely EVERYWHERE.  The wolfies do not have an odor of any sort so there were just huge piles of soft, beautiful, fluffy hair.  Some people actually collect it and stuff pillows with it, make plush animals out of it, etc.  The bracelet I cherish most was made out of my first wolf hybrid’s hair.  It looks like round beads in varying shades of gray.  I am so thankful for the person who was kind and thoughtful enough to make that for me.  I am reminded of the anonymous quote, “No outfit is complete without a little dog hair.”  Everyone’s scrubs at the vet’s — from the Dr. to the techs to the receptionist — were very, VERY complete.  And I was more than a hair embarrassed.

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Flickering “Flames”

Posted by Aug 31, 2016 Faith Leave a Comment

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The romantic in me has always loved candlelight.  The realist in me knows that is simply not practical on a daily basis just from a safety standpoint alone.  I like to burn one large candle for scent in the fireplace where it is protected.  Once there was this horrid stench and it turned out the cat singed her tail from the candle I had been burning on the coffee table.  Not only was I worried about her, it definitely negated the pleasant smelling atmosphere.  Then I discovered these realistic looking candles that flicker but do not burn.  They are the same “candles” used at the Disney theme parks.  I have three sets of taper “candles” (silver, blue, and orange) plus a set of green pillar candles.  They stay on and bring me an immense amount of pleasure.  Plus I never have to worry; they’re completely safe and battery operated.  I have always liked gas lights on the outside of homes and they have just come out with electric “candles”!!!  Now either side of our front door flickers and we’re not harming the environment!  And I also have them in our entryway chandelier!  I just love them.  The Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Edith Wharton once wrote, “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”  I think that’s lovely.  It reminds me of the Christ candle at church.  He is the light of the world and Christians are called to carry and spread that light as well as emulate Christ’s actions in the way we treat others.  Maybe we cannot always be the candle, but we can certainly strive to be a reflection of its flickering flames.

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A Ring-Tailed Wolf

Posted by Aug 30, 2016 Wolves Leave a Comment

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This afternoon the little one and I went in our local jewelry store to have the chain on her necklace fixed.  It broke during recess.  While we were waiting I noticed this bobble headed ring holder.  At night I take my rings off and usually put them at the base of this tree lamp on my night stand.  But then the darn cats bat them around because they like shiny things, and they’re mischievous.  So I was delighted to discover this wolf to hold my rings!  He’s not just cute; he’s useful.  I found myself thinking of the first breeding wolf pack in 100 years they have just discovered in Australia; ONE HUNDRED YEARS!  The wild gray wolves have, somewhat miraculously, returned to California for the first time since the 1920s!  And 30 years after the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl wolves are thriving in the radioactive dead zone.  I cannot say enough how vital wolves are to this planet; witness the return of Yellowstone.  But man must stop killing them at every turn.  It sickens and saddens me.  I tell my little one often that good always wins.  Saint Mary Magdalene was commonly believed to be a whore for centuries.  Recent history has revealed the vicious lie and she has been absolved, although many remain unaware.  In much the same way, I believe we have a long, world-wide, misguided history of hating and destroying wolves, once man’s best friend.  I pray they, too, are on their way to being vindicated.  The American writer Will Durant said, “Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.”  Just last year a new species of wolf was discovered that had been hiding in plain sight:  Africa’s golden jackal.  I was thrilled to learn this and fervently want our wolves to be allowed to not only survive but thrive.  I live in hope for the discovery of more wolves:  both in places and in species.  Right now I am elated with my own new discovery … of a ring-tailed wolf.

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As Slowly As A Snail

Posted by Aug 29, 2016 Family Leave a Comment

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The British preacher Charles Spurgeon is quoted as once having said, “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”  I really like that.  I can remember being little and announcing I was seven and a half.  I always wanted to be older because I thought that’s where “IT” would be.  You know, the elusive “IT” that means life is at its greatest.  Sometimes I wonder if I’ve already lost “IT” with the deaths of my much beloved parents.  Sometimes I wonder if I’ve finally achieved “IT” with being married and having a child.  I’m not saying that’s for everyone, by the way; I just always wanted to have a family of my own.  And doesn’t it seem as if summers lasted forever when you were young?  I know it did for me.  Life was full of endless possibilities and was going to be even better when I reached “IT.”  At first “IT” was getting into college, then “IT” was graduating, after that “IT” was buying a condo, next “IT” was at last finding The One.  I thought the final “IT” was having my daughter.  Now I realize I have so many more “ITs” to go.  I feel as if life is a roll of wrapping paper letting itself out slowly but going faster with the passing of each year.  My little one keeps asking if she’s a kindergartner instead of being in Pre-K.  I want to tell her to it relish “IT” as long as she can.  Time is such a precious gift and how we choose to spend it says a lot about where our heart is.  Mine is with my cherished miracle child and my impossibly handsome husband.  “IT” is simply too dear to be rushed.  Now I just want “IT” all to move as slowly as a snail.

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The Cats Sat Back

Posted by Aug 28, 2016 Family Leave a Comment

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Canadian author Charlotte Gray once said:

“After scolding one’s cat one looks into its face and is seized by the ugly suspicion that it understood every word.  And has filed it for reference.”

I happen to subscribe to that theory.  And so when I came upon Soleil and Elgin lounging together in what is supposed to be my spot on my bed I did absolutely nothing.  Well, except for take their picture.  And even then I had the feeling I would pay for it.  They looked perturbed and simply sat back.  I decided I could remake the bed later when they’d moved on to their second lounge spot of the day.  Cats are very civilized creatures and ours are outgoing and friendly as well.  Cats are also quiet and clean, but mischievous.  Elgin eats my flowers and Soleil chews my phone chargers; both of which are maddening.  And cats, like women, hold a grudge.  If I scold them Elgin gets even by shredding things (Burk refers to this as “interior decorating”) and Soleil scratches my pleather furniture.  The last two just make me want to weep.  People who do not love animals cannot understand why those of us who do endure it.  The simple answer is we do it for love.  We bear it for our love for them and for their love for us.  NOTHING for me beats being curled up with a cat in my lap and a good book.  So yes, our house has some cat hair here and there and we have had some “interior decorating.”  But their fur has absorbed my tears, their purrs have lulled me to sleep, and their meows greet me every morning (admittedly to wake up and feed them).  For as much as I have rescued them they have rescued me.  And the cats sat back.

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Popsicles On The Playground

Posted by Aug 27, 2016 Food Leave a Comment

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They had a sweet event for the kiddos after school the other day:  popsicles on the playground.  Despite the fact that the heavens opened RIGHT as school let out and it poured did not seem to dampen any spirits — or the pleasure of enjoying a good popsicle.  (Gluten free; God bless them!)  We all huddled together under the Parish Hall awning since we could not go on the playground.  My water baby of course was out jumping up and down in puddles already forming from the deluge a small distance away.  Bright colored rivulets trickled down sticky little arms while a torrent of rain rushed through the church’s downspouts.  I was looking forward to playing with my little one on that playground.  She was going to show me what she did at recess everyday.  I confess I did not mind missing the sandbox.  The only type of sand I like involves sun, ocean breeze, and a drink with a little kick to it.  But I really was genuinely looking forward to being able to just play with her in that special space belonging for such a brief time to her and her classmates.  American author and philosopher Eric Hoffer said:

“It is the child in man that is the source of his uniqueness and creativeness, and the playground is the optimal milieu for the unfolding of his capacities and talents.”

Selfishly, perhaps I will have another chance to fight battles, fly horses, and dream with her there.  I sure hope so … before she leaves these sweet years of popsicles on the playground.

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W(h)ine O’Clock Somewhere

Posted by Aug 26, 2016 Food Leave a Comment

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Welll we all survived the first week of getting back into a routine.  I got my little one to school on time, her uniforms were different each day, and I packed her usual vegetarian gluten free lunches with varying fruit, honey peanut butter sandwiches, and some type of cheese.  I brought snacks and got her to karate twice right after long days at school.  This is the first time she has not napped and I have allowed her to have apple juice before martial arts classes to make sure my karate kid girl was able to keep going.  When I got her after school she smiled her angelic smile up at me and then asked where her snacks were.  I explained that we were just going home and that she could relax; karate is Monday and Wednesday and swimming wasn’t until tomorrow.  “But way-os my SNACK?!” she asked with indignation and outrage.  “At home” I replied.  And then she proceeded to completely freak out and had a total meltdown.  “How COULD you?!” she cried.  “You knew I needed a snack because I’m SO hungry!!” she wailed.  Now red faced, “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU HURT ME LIKE THIS!  I have no SNACK!” she shrieked dramatically.  She proceeded to flail around as I was trying to buckle her into her car seat.  It reminded me of a cowboy trying to ride a bull just out of the gate.  On the short drive home my head began to pound mercilessly.  I gave up trying to talk to her because she wouldn’t stop screaming.  Finally she managed to wear herself out and I noticed her eyelids drooped.  Poor baby wasn’t intentionally trying to torment me; I think she was just exhausted after such a big week.  When we got home and I’d gotten her strawberries and cheese she meekly said, “I’m sorry I flipped out Mama.”  “That’s OK honey” I said as I began cracking open a bottle of wine at 4 p.m.  I sat my glass down, lit a candle for serenity, and snapped this picture.  I think if it could talk the Native American would be saying, “What was all the commotion?” while the peace loving wolves would be running in the other direction away from all the noise.  In typical cat fashion Le Chat Noir would be fed up while wise St. Francis seems to simply be pointing the way to my much needed wine.  One of my favorite actresses, just as lovely in person as she is on screen, Jane Seymour, said, “At the end of the day, I let myself have a glass of wine.”  As for me, I decided it was w(h)ine o’clock somewhere.

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Belly Up To The Bar

Posted by Aug 25, 2016 Food Leave a Comment

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Fairly recently I got a stool I have been eyeing for a long time.  It is made from reclaimed teak wood and each is unique.  This one hadn’t sold because it has a natural small split right in the middle of the base.  They even gave me 20 percent off!  I really liked it and thought it had character.  After bringing it home I was thrilled to see it was a perfect height for our kitchen “bar”/counter area.  And I could not believe my husband would wind up loving it for when he reads the paper and has coffee in the mornings.  Our little one climbs up to have her after school snacks there.  It is so nice to have my sweet family in the kitchen now talking to me while I’m cooking!  The stool is seriously the most comfortable seat in the house!  I had no idea when I got it how well it would be used.  American actor Milo Ventimiglia said:

“I’m a homebody, I’d rather be in the kitchen cooking than hanging out in a bar.”

I am the same way.  Only now I have my own little place where my two favorite people in the world can come to hang out, talk, eat, and belly up to the bar.

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In A New Light

Posted by Aug 24, 2016 Faith Leave a Comment

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I just wrote about our entryway the other day and here I found something else I never noticed.  This time I was coming in and was struck by the beautiful blue light streaming through the window in the afternoon sun.  I go in and out a lot every day between dropping the little one one off at school and picking her up, taking her to karate and swimming, having physical therapy on my mending broken shoulder, my rounds which are at all hours, church, and countless errands.  But I cannot recall a time when the light has been so beautiful.  It reminded me of stained glass, for which I have an intense passion.  When I was eleven I wrote my first book on Christian Symbols solely because of my lifelong love for stained glass.  It made me wonder if I have missed anything else in my rush to hurry here or there.  The Dutch theologian Desiderius Erasmus once said, “Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.”  I think God gives us these moments to slow us down and see everyday things in a new light.

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