Potato Harvest

Potato Harvest    

It was a beautiful coolish, sunny day (still drought-y out there).  Perfect for potato harvest.  Potato harvest feels a little bit like Christmas.  You can watch the potato plants growing - sometimes they yellow, sometimes they flower, sometimes they are green and lush and you just know that there is magic happening.  That's what happened this year.  The potato plants just kept growing and growing despite 115 degree temperatures and drought.  My expectations were high and my excitement was that of opening a long-anticipated gift.  

It's always fun and somewhat magical to dig up potatoes. This year it was slightly less fun as the soil took more "busting" than usual due to dryness. I try to work methodically so that I don't accidentally pierce the potatoes or lose any of the small ones.  Large potatoes go into storage.  Small potatoes go back to the garden shed for re-planting.  

Potato skin is somewhat delicate when first emerging from the soil.  I accidentally scraped a few when trying to remove dirt clods.  The skin will toughen as the potato cures.  Potatoes prefer to cure in the cool and shade.  I usually give them a quick bath to remove most of the dirt but try to resist any sort of scrubbing.  They will need to cure for about 2 weeks in a well-ventilated area.  A garage or a basement works nicely if you have one. 

After curing, you can store in a cool, dry place (not your refrigerator) for winter.  As with all stored produce, check regularly for any signs of rot.  It is quite unpleasant to find a box of liquified potatoes.  I used to store potatoes and onions on the floor of my pantry and then I read that that is not a good combo.  Onions will actually cause them to begin sprouting.  Instead, I read to store them with an apple.  I have not yet tried this trick out as my potatoes seem to store just fine on their own in the garage.  

To check out a picture of my suburban potato harvest for 2021, click on the link below. 

Potatoes on Instagram 

To finish out my day in the garden, I added compost to the spot the potatoes came out and planted cabbage and peas. 

Candy or Fruit?

 

Candy or Fruit?

My big kiddos are 9 and 11 so this year for Lent we let them think about what they might like to fast from.  Dad and I usually fast from semi-difficult things… screens… soda… snacks and desserts... so I was interested to hear what they might suggest. 

First suggestion – sleep.  Well…  that’s not gonna work.  Next – school, chores, homework – you get the picture.

We asked them to think about what would really be meaningful to them to mark the season.  The purpose of a fast is to draw attention away from the ho-hum-drum of life and bring attention to the bigger, spiritual picture happening (usually in the background) of our lives.

Finally, they landed on … candy… and fruit.

Fruit?!?  “That’s a goofy thing to give up,” their aunt said.

But is it?

It was incredibly interesting (and awe-inspiring) to see these two navigate their Lenten season – sticking to their chosen fast through daily life and special events.

My daughter chose candy.  Now candy is not usually an everyday thing – it’s meant to be a special treat.  She could still have candy on Sundays (typically a rest-day from Lent) but she politely and determinedly passed-over candy during birthday parties, sleep – overs, even in school when the teacher handed out lollipops for the kids to suck on while they took their standardized tests.  For two days she brought home cotton candy flavored dumdums (her favorite!) and asked me to keep them safe for her until Sunday. She was very stalwart.

My son chose fruit.  At first, I think he may have been trying to get out of eating a portion of his daily fruit and veggies.  But, that’s the thing – he chose to fast from something that would affect him DAILY!  So while his aunt scoffed, he soldiered on…  not eating the “fun” fruit that we get at birthday parties (kiwis and raspberries and pineapple) …  eating red peppers and lettuce with breakfast instead of oranges and apples.  I can save candy for sister to eat on Sunday but saving kiwi and raspberries is a different story; their shelf life is less predictable.

So, who made the better choice?

I am super-proud of both of them.  For the most part, it was left up to them to keep their commitment.  There was no badgering or loop-holing on my part. I would help them explain their dietary restrictions when we ate at a new place but then I left it up to them to monitor what went in their mouths.  Often, they remembered better than I did, “mom, I can’t have that.”  I don’t think they broke their fast once!  Pretty impressive.  And, even more importantly, I think it made a spiritual impact on them as well.  Choosing to abstain, especially in tempting situations and away from mom’s eye, showed them the meaning of commitment and follow-through.  I pray that God blesses them for their courageous faithfulness.  

January - Time for a Frog Party!

 

Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla)

 

You may not have heard them last night because of the gusty wind-storm but the frog were having their annual party.  They did not care that a storm was blowing – it’s nearly mid-January and the night was warm enough to socialize. 

 

We have a wetland behind our house, man-made but effective at attracting various amphibians.  One of the most-easily attracted is the Pacific treefrog.  This frog doesn’t hibernate, it finds a sheltered place to hunker down and wait for warm nights to emerge and sing.  I have found these guys in flowerpots, between deck boards and under grill covers.  One time, deciding to be brave and grab an out-of-place object in my dark shed, I surprised us both when the object turned out to be a squishy tree frog (thankfully I had grabbed gently). 

These frogs congregate in wet places on warm nights and begin their annual chorus to attract mates.  From a distance, they sound like lovely crickets.  If you are ever fortunate to be amongst the chorus, the sound is a deafening cacophony.  The males are singing to attract mates and defend territory.  Females will lay eggs in wet areas (even if these areas are dry by summer) and males will fertilize them.

What can you do to help these little guys?

Unfortunately, amphibians are one of our most sensitive land-animals.  Their skin is especially susceptible to poisons and toxins and they are prey to cats, dogs, and invasive turtles, frogs and fish!  The first thing you can do is protect areas that are wet this time of year.  Keep them un-mowed and preferably fenced to reduce predation by house-pets.  If a wet area is on your property, you can even enhance the habitat by leaving fallen leaves and adding stumps and sticks.  One of the biggest things you can do, however, is to be mindful of what you are adding to your lawn, flowerbeds or streets that have storm drains.  Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and things leaking from cars will enter waterways via storm drains and affect amphibian habitat.  Especially during Oregon’s rainy season (when it is cold and plant growth is slow) avoid adding fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides as these will not be taken into plant tissue very quickly and will mostly end up in our local waterways. 

You can find out more info at these websites:

Department of Fish and Wildlife (Oregon)

https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/living_with/docs/LWW_Pacific_Treefrog_final.pdf     

https://myodfw.com/wildlife-viewing/species/frogs-and-toads

Crazy- Christmas Story of Hope

 Advent... day 5

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIWLbuFFDR0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Imagine the holy family on Christmas morning.  Take a close look.  Zoom in to the parents, tired but excited by the miracle of birthing a new life.  They have no idea what they are getting into.
Do we ever?

Today's crazy Christmas thought... imperfect humans raising God's son.

Once upon a time, God made a perfect world, put his children into it, and the kids messed it up.

I can relate, can you?

But... like a good parent, God used those children to slowly (and clumsily) clean up the mess and make it right.

God could easily have said, "forget it, I'm going to do it myself," wiped the slate clean, and started over. But he didn't. He chose, and still chooses, to use us, imperfect humans to do his important work.

The thing is, we can't be perfect. But we can be perfected.
Through partnership.

Mary didn't decide to buck-up and create a baby savior. She partnered. She participated. She submitted (oh, how we hate that word!).
But that is how the work gets done.
That is how this mess gets clean.
That is how we go from rejected to reconciled.

That is God's crazy story of hope. That we don't have to be perfect, we only have to be willing.

Next time you pass a nativity, take an extra look at those two parents- imperfect but jumping into the deep end (willingly).

#crazychristmasstory #advent #advent2020 #welcomechristmas #hope #imperfecthumans #imperfectbutwilling #willingness #pouredoutlife

Love Cannot be Silent

Today is the 4^th of July and instead of my typical red-white-and blue garb, I choose a dark shirt featuring a dove breaking out of some kind of biding and the phrase, “Love Cannot Be Silent.” I wear this shirt intentionally and excitedly today (I love the 4^th of July) but also with a good measure of self-consciousness.  Not the least of which is because, as my literal husband and son would point out, the statement is simply not true.  Jesus displayed the greatest love by going faultless and sinless to the cross (Acts 8:32).  Secondly, silent is exactly the posture I intend to take:  silent in solidarity (with those who need justice) and silent in humility – ready to listen, ready to mourn the atrocities of the past and present.

But I fully believe at the same time the statement “love cannot be silent” is powerful and true.

The organization who sold the shirt is called Preemptive Love Coalition and their whole schtick is to go into war zones and depressed areas and to intentionally meet the needs of the oppressed, marginalized, and forgotten – especially refugees. 

So I bought and wear the shirt because I believe in the sentiment behind it.  True and acceptable religion is this – to care for widows and orphans (James 1:27).  When I become aware of wrongs, injustice, oppression, those in need, then what is the role of love?  Do I pass by on the other side of the road?  Or do I act?  Do I remain comfortable and “unaffected?”  Or do I get a stranger’s blood on me pulling him from the ditch? (Luke 10:30-37).  To the one who has been given much, much will be expected (Luke 12:48). 

And so I am urged to act and to stand.  Against what is wrong.  With those who need defending.  And I cannot remain comfortable and “unaffected.” 

Love cannot be silent.

                When the ice caps melt

                When refugees are starving

                When children are sold

                When wages are unfair

                When food systems cheat

                When race brings discrimination

Seek justice.  Love mercy.  Walk humbly. (Micah 6:8)

We need to grow comfortable with being uncomfortable.

And yet, fired up, my self-consciousness returns. 

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).  Reality sets in. I am a hypocrite to myself.  Because as I don my statement-shirt, ready to take a stand for justice and mercy, my flesh fails.  I am asked to send a birthday card to a Sunday School teacher, visit sick grandpa, do a favor for a family member.  UUUUhhhhhgggggghhh……

How can I stand against oppression when I struggle to care for the orphans and widows in my own world? 

Maybe knowing and seeing my hypocrisy is a good first step.  Maybe recognizing that the most eloquent post, most well-researched thesis, most sacrificial giving is nothing if I can’t mail a birthday card (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). 

“Dear children, let us not love with word or speech but with action and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

Lord, let me be faithful with the little things (Matthew 25:23).

Love cannot be silent.  Love must be faithful.

And so though we stand words silent, in solidarity, let our attitudes and actions SPEAK VOLUMES!

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Year of Small

This year, God has been speaking to me about the small life.  I don’t want to call it small though, because that has a negative connotation.  Small does not mean that your reach is small or your impact is small.  To me, small is reducing your external hubbub – frenzy, activity, extensions – to increase your internal activity - growth, nurturing self, investing in relationships.

At the end of 2018, I started pruning things out – activities, groups, projects.  And it felt good.  More space to breathe again.  In January, I started committing to writing – 5 days a week, I try for at least 30 minutes, 2 hours is ideal.  In January, I also traditionally vision for the new year.  This year, God gave me the image of Mother Teresa – talk about small life, big reach.  What did she say? 

“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.

The greatest disease in the West today is not TB [Tuberculosis] or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love…

At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by “I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.” (Matthew 25:35)

Changing the world was not her goal.  Loving those in front of her was her goal, her mission, her passion.  And through her devotion to love those close to her, her simple actions had a world-wide ripple effect.  That is the small-life I seek.

Sometimes, I struggle to feel that what I’m doing, how I’m spending my time, is making any impact whatsoever (Enneagram 4 anyone?).  My culture is all about your “brand,” how the wide-world perceives you.  What platforms are you on?  Who are you influencing?  How many likes did you get?

The small life is teaching me that the time and energy I spend investing on my internal self is just as important, if not more important, than the time and energy I spend investing on my external self. 

And God is confirming that for me again and again. 

What a great God we serve.

And so, here we are in April and my family is downsizing our outside-life. 

Ironic?

 Significant? 

Guided by a cosmic force? 

And the peace I have is comforting; and the trust I have that God’s got an awesome plan for my life is humbling and exciting.  My inner-self is not screaming, “NO, you can’t loose your yard, your identity is in the garden, you will loose yourself!”  In fact, I’m thinking, “This will be such a great opportunity to explore how my green thumb expresses itself in a smaller setting.  I’m content having a ‘normal’ suburban yard.  Not everyone can have a giant yard and that’s ok.” 

This is so unlike me.  I am amazed. 

And then, my God is so kind to me… I see posts like this:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw4iSnIl5ix/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“Whether you are a gardener, a farmer, or the manager of a park or nature reserve, you can take action to protect and restore habitat.”  - Scott Hoffman Black, Xerces Society Executive Director

and

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw0jag-Arq3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“In our molecules and in our dreams, we are what we eat. Eating close to home is not just a matter of convenience – it is an act of deeply sensual, cultural and environmental significance.  – Gary Nabhan

To me, these words remind me that my identity is not rooted in my love of gardening and my knowledge of fruits and vegetables and my passion for food use.  My identity is not my brand or my self-made persona.  I can release all that into God’s hands because he is trustworthy and because MY IDENTITY IS ROOTED IN HIM and who he says I am! 

Here are some other encouraging posts about the small life.  May they encourage you to focus less energy on your external self and more energy on your internal self.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv-Vc2tlgx0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“Live for the things most meaningful – and your life will be the most beautiful.” – Ann Voskamp

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv_y9rZA--h/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“Your to-do list is worthless if it’s at the cost of driving a destructive need-to-get-it-all-done bulldozer all over everyone who you love and care about.” – Lyndsey Garber

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvoz_ScADsS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“JOMO (noun) – Joy of Missing Out. Feeling content with staying in and disconnecting as a form of self-care.  Antonym: FOMO”  - Brene Brown

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.