Christmas in June.

Today is the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Forerunner.  And how can anyone keep this day without thinking of Saint John's cousin, the Son who left glory to be born a man, who endured every temptation but without sinning, who died for us, and in his resurrection defeated death itself?  So, it is six months early,  but I am thinking about Christmas.


Christmas

How soon it starts,

The endless moan:
‘Just ten more weeks, 
How time has flown!
The shopping’s such
An awful bore;
Things cost so much – 
(And more, and more) –
I wonder if this colour suits her
- Let’s give the children a computer!’
Unchanging times remain, it’s true:
The card that means
‘I think of you’
Is there a hopeful little sock
Hung by the fire, beneath the clock:
Name stuck on a with a safety pin,
For Santa’s bounty to go in;
An apple and an orange too,
A coin pushed down into the toe,
And loving parcels set below
For Christmas morn?
The perfect way to celebrate
That long ago a child was born.

by Jay
Title: Christmas
Source: New Shetlander, 1985

Garden update

I went out to water this morning and was happy to see that the corn and sunflowers have sprouted.  Also, the water melon vine has flowers.  While I was watering the garden Kathleen planted another planter box with bell pepper seeds.

A Vacation and Other Stuff.

Kathleen took me to Sanctuary, a resort on Monterey Bay for a few days.   No kids.  Just me.  Just her.  I don't think I've ever done a vacation like that.  (Kids have been my life for 30 years.) Fires on the beach.  Daiquiris on the patio while watching whales.  Hot tub and swimming pool.  Nothing to do.  We talked about going to the Steinbeck museum (because we are Californians) but decided against it because it was too much work.  It was marvelous.  I think traveling without kids has to become my new hobby.

The garden is still doing well.  I was worried it would die while I was away but it is doing fine.  The flowers we planted for butterflies and humming birds are the first seeds to sprout.

Oh!  It has been a long time since I've posted a Cocktail of the Day so I feel I should rectify that.  This dink is like a daiquiri but it is different.   It is called The Spanish Town Bummer and is named after a small city in Jamaica.

Fill a pilsner glass with ice.
Add two sugar cubes.
Squeeze the juice of half a lime into the glass.
Pour two ounces of Jamaican rum over the sugar cubes. (This drink doesn't work with lighter rums.)
Fill glass with water.
Stir.
Drink.

A Garden

Today Kathleen and my son Anselm Samuel and I put in a garden.  We have three planter boxes, each holds a yard of soil.  So, first we ordered the soil.  It was delivered by a dump truck.  We shoveled it into the boxes.

In the east box we planted sunflowers, lettuce, spinach, and sweet basil.  We left about half the box for pumpkins.

In the middle box we planted sweet corn, cucumbers, purple and green bell peppers, artichokes, and watermelon.

In the west box we planted three varieties of tomatoes and some carrots.

We have for more smaller boxes.  I think they'll each about 1/2 a yard.  Once we get the soil for them we'll plant a variety of squashes and pumpkins.

Update, June 15:  In one of the small boxes we planted summer squash.  Three boxes have flowers for humming birds and butterflies.  Some of these are already pushing through the soil.  We have one more small box left but haven't planted it.

What Moses Saw

On Memorial Day we watched Glory.  There is a scene in the film that shows a group of soldiers clapping, singing, and taking turns giving motivational mini-sermons.  

Basil Wenceslas said, "How come we don't do church like that?"  I was surprised by the question but I was able to answer it because the Bible answers it.  I told him we follow the pattern of worship that happens in Heaven, that everything we do is as close to the Heavenly original as we can make it.   I told him what St. Stephen said (reported in Acts 7:44), "Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen" and explained that everyone who saw Heaven and told us what it was like described something that looks like the the services of the Orthodox Church.

A few minutes ago I came across this essay that goes into much more detail than my short answer to my son.  So, I'll print it out and give it to him tomorrow.