BUYING LOCAL

Yesterday happened to be my natal day. For those following themes here, I did indeed abstain from meat yesterday. I was blessed to be treated to meals by local friends – for breakfast I had Orange Stuffed French Toast at Bananas Foster near where I live here in Chicago. For dinner at a different restaurant in boystown I had acorn squash with ancho-lentils, wilted spinach, topped with smoked almonds and goat cheese. Both vegetarian, but not vegan, and that is alright.

My biological family is strewn across the country, I have no biological family here in Chicago – so we celebrate virtually through telephone calls and online. My sister lives happily on the west coast in Oregon. She is one of the most creative, intelligent, generous people I know. One of her goals for this year was to be mindful and “buy local” when she could. So for my birthday present she bought three gifts locally in Oregon and had them shipped. There are benefits to buying local – it cuts out the middleman and puts more money in local economies. Buying local reduces transportation costs, though these gifts were all shipped to me. To me, one of the best benefits of buying local is that it gives you the opportunity to develop relationships with those offering their goods. I’ve heard arguments against buying local, some arguments are valid, though those are usually tinged with an attitude of absolutism or obstructionism. My blog isn’t the place to conduct a thorough exegesis of buying local and world economies. I just want to point out how appreciative I am of the mindfulness in choosing the gift.

It gets better! Not only did she choose local gifts, they all had a religious community theme as well!

(today we continue with the second ember day in this Lenten embertide)

SOLI DEO GLORIA

EMBERTIDE

The Lenten Embertide begins today. Ember Days fall four times a year. Traditionally there are three days in “Embertide” Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Tradition holds that Ember days were to be times of prayer and fasting. What I find interesting is for Lenten Ember Days – we just heard last week in church the following on Ash Wednesday:

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the
observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and
meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning
of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now
kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.

I am trying not to be a smart-ass, and actually during Lent I do try to not be so much of a smart-ass – but if we’re already praying and fasting – what makes a Lenten Ember Day different or special?

To answer my own question – as part of following the rule of my own religious community – I am (happily) required to make a careful examination of conscience as to my observance to The Rule of The Brotherhood of Saint Gregory. Not only do I report to my minister-provincial an “Examination of the brother's observance of the Rule” but also an examination of my personal life. I would do this whether it were Lent or not. Ember days can be a time of fasting and praying, but I think more importantly, it is a necessary time of self-examination. Am I on track? Perhaps I am horribly lost. Even if you are horribly lost – a period of self-examination can sometimes get one to make that single first step back. What is that single first step I need to do now? Not worry about what I should have done yesterday, or fret about the 33 things that need to be done tomorrow. What is that single first step? Do it and move forward.

Often clergy-in-training in seminary are required to submit embertide reports. Some Episcopal dioceses have structure in place for ordained clergy to submit embertide reports. It is important to note that one does not need to be clergy or a religious to observe ember days or to make a self-examination.

I made a small foray into the internet search engines and came up with this, “Christian sources connect the Ember Days observations with Augustine, AD. 597, said to be acting under the direct authority of Pope Gregory the Great.” I often purport that just because something is on the internet, does not make it true – and currently I don’t have the time or stamina to get to source material for this. It is something I’d like to believe, and for today it will work.

As I noted in the beginning – Ember days are Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday – which in the series of days leaves Thursday out. This year, tomorrow, my birthday, conveniently falls in this bit of an ember hole. My birthday is usually during Lent, but not always. I am not sure if I am going to suspend my abstinence of meat tomorrow or not. I am not finding any great need to do so and to be mindful is to be quite aware of one’s fasting and feasting. Many people find their birthday an excuse to get drunk, though I’ve abstained from alcohol for years. One day at a time, I’ll concern myself with that tomorrow.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

GETTING BACK

There is so much I've wanted to share on here, but the onset of last week's cold had me out of service - out of sorts. I am not fully well, not firing on cylinders. Somewhere deep in one of my boxes I think I might still have an old yellowed paperback version of Susan Sontag's ILLNESS AS A METAPHOR. I don't know why I've been thinking of that - but even in illness there are gifts.

I ventured back to work yesterday afternoon. Most of you who read this know what I do for a living, and I will share more of that in future posts. I had one of those shifts that hit you squarely in the face and slams you right down. dang. At least one knows they are alive when that happens. Life is like that.

The photo above I took out of the window where I live during a snowfall while I felt more ill. I am not going to 'tune' the photo lighter, I took it in the middle of the night without flash, with just available light. I am always amazed at how much light there is, still at night and during a snowfall it seems to diffuse everywhere. I am still always so moved by the white snow on the very black bark of the catalpa tress out front.

Getting back to where I should be. I guess that is what we do all year, but there is a particular emphasis in Lent.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

EVENSONG

PICTURED: Br. Ronald Augustine Fox, BSG

The cold I wrote about last Thursday still has quite a grip on me. When the cold subsides some, I'll have more robust blog postings.

Above is Br. Ronald Augustine Fox, BSG officiating Evensong this evening Sunday, February 21. Brothers from Province V of The Brotherhood of Saint Gregory will be officiating Evensong on Sunday Evenings during Lent at St. Peter's Episcopal Church 621 West Belmont Avenue in Chicago at 6:00 pm.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

Sabbath / Sunset

As noted in a previous post – I will take a Sabbath from fasting on Sundays. Fasting often is seen as a preparation for feasting in religious terms. Athanasius saw the fasting of Lent as preparation for the The Great Fifty Days of Easter, which he regarded as one long Sunday (but I digress!) For me I am going to break my weekly fast from meat at sundown on Saturday night and start again at Sundown on Sunday night

SUNDOWN CALENDAR

Saturday, February 20 – 5:28 pm CST
Saturday, February 27 – 5:37 pm CST
Saturday, March 6 – 5:45 pm CST
Saturday, March 13 – 5:53 pm CST
Saturday, March 20 – 7:01 pm CDT
Saturday, March 27 – 7:09 pm CDT
Saturday, April 3 – 7:17 pm CDT

O Lord God Almighty, as you have taught us to call the evening, the morning, and the noonday one day; and have made the sun to know its going down: Dispel the darkness of our hearts, that by your brightness we may know you to be the true God and eternal light, living and reigning for ever and ever. =Amen.=

SOLI DEO GLORIA

BOILED BEANS

My original thought when I was thinking about blogging is that I would just blog what I prepare to eat, well, we are finally to a place / day / time to write about what I am specifically cooking and eating here.

I am about to mark my 49th year on God’s green earth next week – so one advantage of being older / sage is cooking gathering recipes I’ve tried over the years.

This recipe is from a 1984 printing of the 1975 edition of Joy of Cooking. That cookbook was a gift from my mother over a quarter century ago, I still use it as my main kitchen reference book.



This is a vegetarian dish I’ve made for years – the original recipe would be ovo-lacto-vegetarian since it includes butter. One could substitute the butter with 2 more teaspoons of olive oil to the adapted version in order to make the dish vegan if they so choose.

I often prepare dishes that I am able to take individual servings to work over a number of days. Since I live alone, it is economic for me to “cook once, eat all week.” My cook-once-eat-all-week dishes have to be delicious enough for me to want them every day – this is one of them! The dish of beans I am working on right now I made with dried small red beans. Nice earthy taste.

BOILED BEANS

Original Recipe

Soak (overnight) one pound dried beans: Kidney, Navy, or Marrowfat
Place them in a saucepan and cover with water
Add:
6 Tablespoons of butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 whole cloves
2 teaspoons of salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Simmer beans covered 1 – 1 ½ hours. Stir from time to time
Add and cook for about 20 minutes longer:
1 cup red wine or stock
When beans are tender, serve hot garnished with chopped chives or parsley.

Adapted by my own experience over the years as well as with help from Chef Kenneth over at Taste of Thyme: Good & Good for You Food

Soak (overnight) one pound dried beans: don’t be afraid to try any dried bean – black works wonderfully
Place them in a saucepan and cover with water
Add:
2 teaspoons butter
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 Chopped Onion
3 Whole Cloves
1 teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Simmer beans covered 1 – 1 ½ hours. Stir from time to time
Add and cook for about 20 minutes longer:
1 cup red wine or stock
When beans are tender, serve hot garnished with cilantro, ¼ cup fat-free sour cream, chopped scallions

adaptations in italics



SOLI DEO GLORIA

SELF CARE

From reading personal accounts, and from scads personal experience, I am here to tell you that the discipline of self care is NOT widely practiced by those who by vocation, avocation, ministry, employment care for others. This caring can be physical caring, emotional caring, or spiritual caring. Just because we care for others, doesn’t mean they care back.

Many of us, I suppose, feel “called” to be in caring professions. I think we believe it is always our duty, even to a fault to care for others. For some of us we may feel that laying down that duty for a day or a season somehow is denying that “call.”

I know this is very likely a case of stating the obvious, but it’s like "if you are traveling with a small child and there is a sudden change of cabin pressure, put your own mask on first, then attend to the child." What good am I to others if I don’t care for myself?

Perhaps Lent can be a time of repenting, of returning; a time of getting one’s own house in order instead of performing incompetent care without being fully present for others.

That being said, I woke up today with a cold (that I know I’ve been fighting for three days). It finally took hold, I feel terrible and achy. However, I did something I’ve not done since holding my current employment position. I called in sick. I am practicing the discipline of thinking of the bigger picture and laying my duty down for a day in order that I can be a present help to others on all days.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

ASH WEDNESDAY

ASH WEDNESDAY

Even on Ash Wednesday, I am moved to indulge in sharing personal feelings. I am mourning the book title “Lesser Feasts and Fasts” in lieu of the proposed “Holy Women, Holy Men.” As I was becoming an Episcopalian and eventually owning my own Lesser Feasts and Fasts to accompany my office books to pray the daily office, I came to appreciate the word “Fasts” in the book title “Lesser Feasts and Fasts.” For me, this was a hook to knowing and remembering the two fast within the Calendar of the Church Year which happen to be Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Ah, but what better thing to do to kick off Lent, mourn a bit. Mourn our own mortality. Everything, but everything moves on no matter how hard we try to control it. I’m all for moving on, I just needed to lament that title’s passing.

I happen to own a 1973 Copyright of Lesser Feasts and Fasts. The first edition was published in 1964. FASTING

I will be working my regular shift this Ash Wednesday. I work in a position where my duties require me at times to be making life and death decisions. I can’t afford to be fuzzy-headed or light-headed because of fasting for an entire day. I plan on fasting part of the day, but not all of the day today.

ABSTAINING

Ash Wednesday will mark my first day of abstaining from meat.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

SHROVE TUESDAY

Please feel free to leave comments.

However – comments will be moderated.

As an editor of another blog I follow closely aptly shared, “it is because of internet flamers and trolls we can’t have nice things”, hence moderated comments.

Please be patient, I’ll post comments as soon as I can.

SHROVE TUESDAY

Mardi Gras in some places - Pancake Day in some places.

Paczi Day in a lot of places here in Chicago where I live. It's Polish, but I am not going to pretend that I know more about that than I do - I just know that somewhere on Lincoln Avenue is the place to go for Paczis.

I happened to go to the corner diner for pancakes today - you can see them on the left in what I like to call "food porn". Food porn are pictures of food that are meant to evoke a response. Television commercials for OLIVE GARDEN Restaurant are food porn.

(yes that is bacon in the background)

You can imagine the scene in the restaurant was much like this Dutch 16th Century Shrove Tuesday engraving.


Shrove Tuesday; engraving by the Dutch engraver H.Cock 1567

Lots of acquaintances sharing their "Mardi Gras" greetings - somehow expressing something about gluttony and/or sin. Thoughts on what you are "supposed to do" today. Well I find it interesting - because really, in the end, on the liturgical calendar, today is just a feria day.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

NEW BLOG

For some reason I feel moved to share my 2010 Lenten pilgrimage.

My Lenten discipline this year will be that I giving up meat for lent.

THIS WON’T BE:

• Being forty days meat-free: This is not a marathon - this is not a punishment.

• About posting everyday, I am not (necessarily) here for your entertainment, but if that happens – hooray.

• About perfection.



THIS WILL BE:

• Abstaining from eating meat Monday through Saturday.

• Celebration on Sundays during Lent including meat.

• About mindfulness.

I hope to keep posting after Easter Day, we’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

This (abstinence from meat as well as blogging) is a learning experience for me, sort of a self-challenge to middle-age person to experience something new.

SOLI DEO GLORIA