Reconciliation

I was attending a conference in Boston when the towers were hit.

That those two flights originated at Logan airport in Boston, where I had just flown in, added a particular horror to an already incomprehensible horror. I knew no one who was hurt or killed, but as with millions of other strangers, felt as though it were happening to people I knew.

Today our church, as part of the morning services, will be praying the Litany of Reconciliation.

No matter what religion or absence of religion we may be, it seems most appropriate that we ask forgiveness, of whatever deity we put our faith in and of all our fellow human beings. All of us have fallen short. There is no corner on that market.

(excerpts from) The Litany of Reconciliation, Coventry Cathedral

The People and Leader pray responsively

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
Father Forgive.

The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
Father Forgive.

The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
Father Forgive.

Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
Father Forgive.

Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
Father Forgive.

The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
Father Forgive. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Amen.

Edited to correct the source.

I ❤ Susan Branch

It's true. I heart her.

I've been a fan for many years, ever since my cousin Jean served Rainbow Jello at a family party. When we all exclaimed over the jello (really, you have to see it to believe it), Jean brought out the Heart of the Home cookbook, and we were all amazed at the beautiful artwork and hand lettered recipes.

First I bought myself a copy of her original cookbook, and then the Christmas one. Then I found Susan's wall calendars, and as a thank you to my cousin for introducing me to SB, I sent one to Jean for Christmas - and I haven't stopped since. (Except for that one year when there was no calendar. That was a dark year.)


I've enjoyed reading Susan's email newsletter, which is full of beautiful art and wonderful ideas and irrepressible joy.

And now - she has a blog! I can't believe she finds the time to do this, but I am so glad she does. Interesting, entertaining, funny, beautiful, inspiring. I look forward to every post.


Wednesday night I baked Ginger Crisps from the Autumn cookbook, in heart and leaf shapes.

And look what I found when I opened the book:
The book was a gift from one of my other cousins,
and I had forgotten she had it autographed for me.
How could I forget something like that?

Signage

The non-profit entity that owns most of the land surrounding my parents' cottage (and several dozen other private cottages) recently closed a section of the one-lane road that runs along the lake. Now it's just for pedestrians and bicyclists. That's nice.

Oscar doesn't care about boulders blocking the road

The closing was supposed to start at the east end of my parents' property, so we would still be able to reach our driveway from the west. It's the only way to get to the property other than driving through the neighbors' land behind us to get to ours. Makes sense, right?

Evidently not.
The boulders have been placed just west of our property.
Leaving no legal access.

This is not a closure that will easily be thwarted.

So, for now we take a deep breath and wait, because we feel that we have legal standing and that patience will out to get this odd situation resolved. And in the meantime, to clarify for our visitors which way to turn (through the neighbors' land) to get to our place, we have a sign of our own.

Most of the church choir members will be arriving tonight after dark,

so this is what will greet them:

A large sign with our family name, and below that...

Signage by my older brother and my darling niece.

We know the choir members will feel, as they do every year, right at home.

Galettes R Us

I seem to be in galette mode lately. Rustic tarts.

Last weekend my assignment was to provide dessert one night
for the group at the cottage.
Seasonal fruit would be nice, and do-ahead would also be nice.

Therefore, Plum Galette, by the oft-mourned Abby Mandel,
who wrote the most wonderful food column
in the Chicago Tribune for many years.

Sliced fruit with a streusel topping in a buttery crust. A la mode.

Drama

Saturday morning we were on track to leave for the cottage for Labor Day weekend. Arleen, our caregiver, arrived at 8:00am, and I was feeling pretty good about us getting on the road by 8:45. She took over helping G get dressed while I headed downstairs to cook the oatmeal. A bit later I could hear the two of them coming slowly down the stairs, and then, nothing. For some reason, G got stuck on the landing, just 4 stair steps away from being in the kitchen. It took almost 30 minutes to convince him to come down those last stairs so he could have breakfast.

After breakfast we tried to get G to go down the 5 stair steps from the kitchen to the back door so we could head for the car and start our trip. He kept wanting to sit down on the stairs, and nothing we said dissuaded him. He was insistent that he stay there, that he couldn't stand up, that he couldn't move. 45 minutes later, he finally stood up and came down those last stairs and out to the car. All three of us were worn out.

All the while this was going on, I was trying to understand what might be causing this change in behavior. Nothing new/different in meds, in foods, in amount of sleep the night before. And wondering, should I keep pushing him? Is this the right thing to do, or should we abandon the weekend?

When we arrived at the cottage, the first thing he said to my mom was, "I'm glad I'm here." And he enjoyed himself all weekend.

I still expect logic to rule in our house. And then I'm reminded it doesn't.

Colorful

Three colors of sweet bell peppers, peaches, apples, cucumber

From our farmer, an especially colorful assortment this week.

Two kinds of eggplant, potatoes, purple basil

Forgot to photograph the orange cherry tomatoes.
And brown eggs.

The search

Assemble ingredients

In two weeks we will host the annual choir retreat for our church choir.
It's always fun to plan the menus for that weekend at the cottage
and try to balance some old favorites with something new.


Prepare leeks

This year I decided I wanted a vegetarian entree
for Saturday night's dinner.
I've been looking for recipes that appeal to me
and that I can do part or all ahead of time.


Melt butter

Last week I made a Baked-Eggplant Parmesan
from Martha Stewart as a test run.
Good, but not great.

Add leeks and cook until tender

A Squash & Leek Lasagne from Eating Well looks delicious,
but reader comments point out how labor intensive it is.
Maybe I'll try it sometime when I'm not feeding 20.

Add wine and heavy cream.

Epicurious has a Butternut Squash & Hazelnut Lasagne that looks good.
And a Wild Mushroom Lasagne.
I love mushrooms. But does everyone?

Prepare pastry

Then I remembered a recipe from the Tribune that I made last year.
Leek Galette, from an article by Leah Eskin
(whose writing is always witty,
whether the recipe is something I'm interested in or not).

Half of the filling and half the tart pastry are in the freezer,
being tested for their willingness to be prepped ahead of time
and united at a later date.


And the other half: put together for dinner.