bye bye, tree.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
an unexpected expense
we had to have a dead tree removed from our property. it was really big, probably one of the biggest in the neighborhood, not that you could tell from these pictures.
bye bye, tree.
bye bye, tree.
Monday, December 08, 2008
christmas shopping
for those still looking to get some shopping done, here is a great place to get some creative, home-made gifts.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
waldie's quiz answered
thanks, all, who took part in the waldie's quiz. i didn't expect to get such analytical answers!
so you're all right, even fuzzy (sort of) who said e) dubloons! over the past 14 months we have found any number of (un)amazing things buried (or not buried) in our back yard. we have found lots of small and large pieces of glass, a whole paint can, whole and pieces of cinder blocks and bricks, a rug that was about 3'x15' (buried and covered with dirt and grass), pennies (almost a spanish dubloon), rusted tools, etc.
so we feel fairly certain that before we arrived our house was solidly in the white trash realm. well, maybe we haven't really helped it too much on that front, but at least we're getting rid of the actual trash in the yard.
so you're all right, even fuzzy (sort of) who said e) dubloons! over the past 14 months we have found any number of (un)amazing things buried (or not buried) in our back yard. we have found lots of small and large pieces of glass, a whole paint can, whole and pieces of cinder blocks and bricks, a rug that was about 3'x15' (buried and covered with dirt and grass), pennies (almost a spanish dubloon), rusted tools, etc.
so we feel fairly certain that before we arrived our house was solidly in the white trash realm. well, maybe we haven't really helped it too much on that front, but at least we're getting rid of the actual trash in the yard.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
a single flower
i think it's appropriate that the rose bushes in our front yard have produced one single pink flower today. today is the anniversary of baldman's dad's death and those flowers were from his funeral.
david reid, march 23, 1954 - december 2, 2007
we miss you.
david reid, march 23, 1954 - december 2, 2007
we miss you.
Friday, November 28, 2008
waldie's quiz
i am always amazed at the buried treasure that i find every time i work out in the garden. today i spent the day raking pine straw and magnolia leaves. while i was raking i ran across an unexpected item buried in the ground. which leads me to this quiz:
which of the following items have i found buried in our yard?
a) broken glass
b) a rug
c) a can of paint
d) whole cinder blocks
post your answers in the comments section and i'll reveal the answer in another post in a few days.
which of the following items have i found buried in our yard?
a) broken glass
b) a rug
c) a can of paint
d) whole cinder blocks
post your answers in the comments section and i'll reveal the answer in another post in a few days.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
happy thanksgiving!
i hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving! this was our first thanksgiving in our house and without family. plus, it brought up some difficult memories of the past year. but we tried our hardest to make it a great holiday and it really was!
we took a walk for a couple of hours this morning. it was a beautiful day so we went down to the river walk. here are a few shots of sites along the way.
kittens!
then we came back and got to work on cooking. we had some good friends over and had an excellent afternoon of eating, drawing, silly dances, charades, and playing outside. it couldn't have been a more perfect day in my opinion.
here are some pictures of the afternoon at the house and a video of us all doing silly dances to work off some of our dinner and clear room in our tummies for dessert.
playing outside.
drawing pictures.
charades.
we took a walk for a couple of hours this morning. it was a beautiful day so we went down to the river walk. here are a few shots of sites along the way.
kittens!
then we came back and got to work on cooking. we had some good friends over and had an excellent afternoon of eating, drawing, silly dances, charades, and playing outside. it couldn't have been a more perfect day in my opinion.
here are some pictures of the afternoon at the house and a video of us all doing silly dances to work off some of our dinner and clear room in our tummies for dessert.
playing outside.
drawing pictures.
charades.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
our annual annual christmas party is back!
since thanksgiving is just barrelling toward us (this week!) and next sunday starts advent, it's a natural extension to forget all that and jump right to christmas!*
those folks who have known us for a few years might remember our annual christmas party. we had to put a hiatus on it last year but this year we'll be back in full swing, with a slight alteration. because of scheduling conflicts we're going to do it in january this year. so mark your calendars for january 10th and we'll have more details to come in a few weeks.
i'll leave you with this picture of yummy food to tempt you to hold that date on your calendars.
yummmm! be there!
*for those sticklers who are all for keeping holidays holidays and get mad when they put halloween candy out in august, i'm actually with you on that. it was a little jest about skipping thanksgiving and advent.
those folks who have known us for a few years might remember our annual christmas party. we had to put a hiatus on it last year but this year we'll be back in full swing, with a slight alteration. because of scheduling conflicts we're going to do it in january this year. so mark your calendars for january 10th and we'll have more details to come in a few weeks.
i'll leave you with this picture of yummy food to tempt you to hold that date on your calendars.
yummmm! be there!*for those sticklers who are all for keeping holidays holidays and get mad when they put halloween candy out in august, i'm actually with you on that. it was a little jest about skipping thanksgiving and advent.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
still sick but recovering
i stayed home from work for three days this week. that's a rarity in my life. (and i'll pay for it in the coming weeks.) i still have a bit of the sniffles and lots of phlegm (i just like that word, sorry) but overall i feel a whole lot better.
it was a guilty pleasure just lounging around for those 3 days, though. i think i watched like 15 hours of the newest season of dancing with the stars. i'm still not caught up to the current episode so don't give anything away if you've been watching. despite never being a fan of n'sync, i think i really like lance bass, even though i'm sure he won't make it all the way.
it was a guilty pleasure just lounging around for those 3 days, though. i think i watched like 15 hours of the newest season of dancing with the stars. i'm still not caught up to the current episode so don't give anything away if you've been watching. despite never being a fan of n'sync, i think i really like lance bass, even though i'm sure he won't make it all the way.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
thanks husband
i'm staying home from bible study tonight because my throat hurts like mad crazy. baldman had this "cold-thingy" for a week and now, it seems, has passed it on to me. so i guess we do share everything.
i've not been regularly blogging, which some have pointed out to me, thank you very much. i have had things to post about but mostly no time. and then when i had a minute of time, nothing really seemed noteworthy to blog about.
i'm finishing up the last of the creative act classes. we've met some really interesting authors, the most funny was sophie gee who talked about sex and garbage in the 18th century. i think it would've been hilarious in any context, but it was especially hilarious given the age of most attendants. i look forward to hearing jane hamilton this week (if i make it. cold, go away!) even though her book made me want to slit my wrists.
i picked our first harvest of collards and put it in a delic quiche. the garlic has sprouted, as have some of our other seeds. now i have to get out there and tidy things up a bit and continue to pray that they grow grow grow.
we're not going out of town for thanksgiving, which is sad. this'll be the first thanksgiving that we've had at our own place though, so i guess that's good. we're going to have some company over and hopefully make some really yummy treats! i love thanksgiving foods!
i've not been regularly blogging, which some have pointed out to me, thank you very much. i have had things to post about but mostly no time. and then when i had a minute of time, nothing really seemed noteworthy to blog about.
i'm finishing up the last of the creative act classes. we've met some really interesting authors, the most funny was sophie gee who talked about sex and garbage in the 18th century. i think it would've been hilarious in any context, but it was especially hilarious given the age of most attendants. i look forward to hearing jane hamilton this week (if i make it. cold, go away!) even though her book made me want to slit my wrists.
i picked our first harvest of collards and put it in a delic quiche. the garlic has sprouted, as have some of our other seeds. now i have to get out there and tidy things up a bit and continue to pray that they grow grow grow.
we're not going out of town for thanksgiving, which is sad. this'll be the first thanksgiving that we've had at our own place though, so i guess that's good. we're going to have some company over and hopefully make some really yummy treats! i love thanksgiving foods!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
gringo star
check it out. my cousin's band, gringo star, is mentioned as spin magazine's artist of the day. way to go guys!
yes we can
i would feel like i was missing something if i didn't speak a few words about yesterday's election.
i voted yesterday evening. it took all of 10 minutes (though it did take my husband 2 1/2 hours in the morning).
congratulations to our new president-elect obama.
i voted yesterday evening. it took all of 10 minutes (though it did take my husband 2 1/2 hours in the morning).
congratulations to our new president-elect obama.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
what's been going on
i mentioned in my previous post that i would blog more about what i've been up to, which may have sounded like i'd been up to something really interesting. sorry for the let down.
but here are a few of the mundane things i've been up to.
i'm still really enjoying the lectures that i'm going to 2 times a week. last wednesday we welcomed richard ford. i find it fascinating to hear authors talk about their books because they (or at least those so far) have been nothing like their characters. yet at the same time they talk so much like their characters and when they read their books it just sounds so much better.
on tuesday evening i had to get all fancied-up for a gala that my work was having. baldman couldn't go with me so i had to fly solo. but he took this picture of me as i headed out the door.
this weekend i am working on getting my garden into shape. i took out all the old dead and dying veggies (pumpkins that never took, spent tomato plants and green bean vines). i tilled the soil and planted my garlic and a few more seeds. the last round of seeds didn't really take so i'm trying some lettuces and spinach again. i think they should survive the cold weather, if they grow at all. let's hope so. i also moved around a few plants to try to see if they will do better in a different spot. i guess i practice experimental gardening. whereby, i sort of read books and such on plants, and then mostly ignore or forget what it says, causing me to move things around until i find a place that 1) i like and 2) it will grow.
anyways, i worked a good part of the day and then collapsed for an hour on the swing. it was really nice to do that. this photo was not authorized but i'll post it anyway.
but here are a few of the mundane things i've been up to.
i'm still really enjoying the lectures that i'm going to 2 times a week. last wednesday we welcomed richard ford. i find it fascinating to hear authors talk about their books because they (or at least those so far) have been nothing like their characters. yet at the same time they talk so much like their characters and when they read their books it just sounds so much better.
on tuesday evening i had to get all fancied-up for a gala that my work was having. baldman couldn't go with me so i had to fly solo. but he took this picture of me as i headed out the door.
this weekend i am working on getting my garden into shape. i took out all the old dead and dying veggies (pumpkins that never took, spent tomato plants and green bean vines). i tilled the soil and planted my garlic and a few more seeds. the last round of seeds didn't really take so i'm trying some lettuces and spinach again. i think they should survive the cold weather, if they grow at all. let's hope so. i also moved around a few plants to try to see if they will do better in a different spot. i guess i practice experimental gardening. whereby, i sort of read books and such on plants, and then mostly ignore or forget what it says, causing me to move things around until i find a place that 1) i like and 2) it will grow.
anyways, i worked a good part of the day and then collapsed for an hour on the swing. it was really nice to do that. this photo was not authorized but i'll post it anyway.
Friday, October 31, 2008
singing tea part two
my tea sang again yesterday morning. it's kind of becoming like a morning melody now.
happy halloween
a little halloween joke from my laffy taffy.
question: why did the skeleton go to the movies alone?
answer: because he had nobody to go with him.
OH!
happy halloween, y'all.
(by the way, i have more to write on several things over the past few days but i'm exhausted and don't have the energy now. so more to come hopefully over the weekend.)
question: why did the skeleton go to the movies alone?
answer: because he had nobody to go with him.
OH!
happy halloween, y'all.
(by the way, i have more to write on several things over the past few days but i'm exhausted and don't have the energy now. so more to come hopefully over the weekend.)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
singing tea
this morning i made myself a cup of tea and a bagel and sat down to do some work on the computer. immediately i started hearing this high pitched humming sound. i didn't think much of it at first because we live by a factory which makes weird noises at all hours. when it got louder i thought it was the computer. but then i went to take a sip of tea and i realized it was coming from my mug of tea! what's the deal, y'all!? there wasn't anything in the mug except hot water (boiled on the stove, not in the microwave), diluted tea, and honey. no teabag. no spoon. but it was making a very distinct and audible hum/whine sound. i didn't know what else to do so i just drank it. but i felt very much like the tea was dying as i did so.
there was no one else around except the cats so i have no proof of this. but i swear it happened.
there was no one else around except the cats so i have no proof of this. but i swear it happened.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
preserving history
i mentioned a bit ago that i was taking a free seminar at our town's university. one of the books that we've been assigned is daniel mendelsohn's the lost. in the book, daniel goes on a search to find out how his jewish great uncle, aunt and their four daughters died in poland during the holocaust. during this search, he ends up learning not only how they died, but also a whole lot about how they (and others in their small town) lived during that time.
of all the books we've read for the class, this one has so far been my favorite. i have always found family history and family myths to be quite an interesting interesting subject, so the book was already right up my alley. plus, i really enjoyed mendelsohn's classical way of telling a story by weaving through various tangential topics, eventually leading to some point or found fact. it's totally fascinating. i highly recommend the read. however, i should note that there are some really horrific depictions of what happened to the people in the town, many of which will be permanently ingrained in my memory.
because of this book, though, i've been giving a lot of thought to how all of us (or, rather, most of us) will eventually be forgotten. all of our stories will eventually just fade away, just as the majority of those who went before us have faded. it seems very fitting to the cycle of life, yet at the same time, it really makes me sad.
so it was very fitting that today i received an email from my brother about a family website that he and another relative have started for my mother's family. it's totally interesting and they did a great job!
it's an interesting way, i think, to preserve history and to continue the telling of stories. won't it be interesting to see what happens to the web (and all our stories on it) when our children's children are coming up?
of all the books we've read for the class, this one has so far been my favorite. i have always found family history and family myths to be quite an interesting interesting subject, so the book was already right up my alley. plus, i really enjoyed mendelsohn's classical way of telling a story by weaving through various tangential topics, eventually leading to some point or found fact. it's totally fascinating. i highly recommend the read. however, i should note that there are some really horrific depictions of what happened to the people in the town, many of which will be permanently ingrained in my memory.
because of this book, though, i've been giving a lot of thought to how all of us (or, rather, most of us) will eventually be forgotten. all of our stories will eventually just fade away, just as the majority of those who went before us have faded. it seems very fitting to the cycle of life, yet at the same time, it really makes me sad.
so it was very fitting that today i received an email from my brother about a family website that he and another relative have started for my mother's family. it's totally interesting and they did a great job!
it's an interesting way, i think, to preserve history and to continue the telling of stories. won't it be interesting to see what happens to the web (and all our stories on it) when our children's children are coming up?
Monday, October 20, 2008
state fair
on sunday baldman took a surprise (to me) break from his homework (he has 1 exam and 1 paper due this week) and escorted me to the state fair. i LOVE the fair! and i really didn't think i would get there this year. i think i just love all that greasy, deep fried, sugary, salty, goodness in such a small vicinity. though, i can't believe it, but i didn't have a fried candy bar this year. i just felt too junked out at the moment. so we opted for french fries instead (much healthier??).
we just walked around for a few hours. we checked out the artwork, the agriculture, the sand sculpture, the (classic!) people-watching, and seals. yes, seals! we saw some high schoolers showing off their goats (no euphemism there. i mean literal goats.). they were cute (the goats, not the teenagers). though the seals were cuter. i tried to upload a video of a daredevil motorcyclist that we saw, but it didn't work :( so you'll have to imagine it: a guy in a metal circle cage who rode his motorcycle completely upside down and around the inside of the cage with a woman standing in the middle of it, all to the song crazy train. we did manage a few picts on flickr.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
too funny to pass up
i'm sorry, but i just thought this was really fun. i mean, i usually find sarah silverman funny so i guess that's not a surprise.
warning, this video does contain cursing so it's definitely not one to watch at work or with the kids around.
The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.
thanks, paul, for reaching across the isle and posting this on your blog.
warning, this video does contain cursing so it's definitely not one to watch at work or with the kids around.
The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.
thanks, paul, for reaching across the isle and posting this on your blog.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
reid party
since we had the house clean and party-ready for the slow food event on saturday, we decided to just open up the house in the evening and have a little party for our friends. we had a small but fun crowd come out. some folks even came from out of state! great company and more delicious food. how could we go wrong?
here are some picts that we took.
you can find a link to more pictures of the event taken by one of our guests here.
here are some picts that we took.
you can find a link to more pictures of the event taken by one of our guests here.
Monday, October 13, 2008
caught in the creative act
for the past few years (4 i think) usc has hosted a free lecture series, caught in the creative act, where 2 days a week for 6 weeks, folks read books, discuss, and meet the authors. i'm really excited to be registered for the course this year. i went to our first session tonight and it was packed. and i thought it was really interesting that i was basically the only person in the auditorium who was under the age of oh, say, 50 (to be generous). that's not deterring me. as i mentioned to baldman tonight, i spend a whole lot of time around teens and youth, so i'm actually looking forward to spending some time with older folks. this wednesday we'll meet our first author, josephine humphries (who is from our state).
here is the book list for this semester if you want to read along (cause i think it might be too late to register,but i'm not 100% sure):
Josephine Humphreys, Rich in Love
Daniel Mendelsohn, The Lost
Richard Ford, The Lay of the Land
Valerie Miner, After Eden
Sophie Gee, Scandal of the Season & Alexander Pope, Rape of the Lock
Jane Hamilton, A Map of the World
here is the book list for this semester if you want to read along (cause i think it might be too late to register,but i'm not 100% sure):
Josephine Humphreys, Rich in Love
Daniel Mendelsohn, The Lost
Richard Ford, The Lay of the Land
Valerie Miner, After Eden
Sophie Gee, Scandal of the Season & Alexander Pope, Rape of the Lock
Jane Hamilton, A Map of the World
beer paring event sum-up and picts
the slow food columbia beer pairing went really well this weekend. we had a good turnout. folks seemed to really enjoy the chill atmosphere, the fantastic beers, and the sumptuous food. plus, the weather held out for folks to get in a few games of red neck golf. a big ups to untamed beer for being our guest speaker at this event. if you're looking for someone to MC your next beer event, brian's your guy!
cerelle starts out the event with a slow food intro
brian pours the first beers
everyone listens intently to the beer master
if you're interested in more info about the beers we sampled, check out untamed beer's post about the event.
cerelle starts out the event with a slow food intro
brian pours the first beers
everyone listens intently to the beer master
if you're interested in more info about the beers we sampled, check out untamed beer's post about the event.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Friday, October 03, 2008
domestic violence awareness month
the month of october is domestic violence awareness month. one of the events going on around town is this art exhibit at city art in the vista. it's totally free and open to the public. i went tonight (briefly because i'm under the weather) to their opening reception and was able to see the photographs. they're totally moving and worth taking a look-see.
Details.....
SCCADVASA presents an exclusive showing of Living with the Enemy
The Exhibition: An Extraordinary work of photojournalism by Donna Ferrato
Exhibit will be at City Art Gallery
1224 Lincoln Street, Columbia, SC 29201
October 3-11, 2008
more information can be found here.
Details.....
SCCADVASA presents an exclusive showing of Living with the Enemy
The Exhibition: An Extraordinary work of photojournalism by Donna Ferrato
Exhibit will be at City Art Gallery
1224 Lincoln Street, Columbia, SC 29201
October 3-11, 2008
more information can be found here.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
slow food event at our house
i can't believe i've neglected to put this on my blog before today.
Slow Food Columbia Presents:
Local Beer Tasting - October 11, 2008 from 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Beer Tasting with small food pairings
Olympia / Columbia, SC
Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
$30 for non-Slow Food members; $25 for members
Slow Food Columbia is hosting a casual local beer tasting which will take place at the home of Waldie, an active member of our convivium. We hope you will join us as we welcome from Greenville, local beer expert Brian Cendrowski.
I think the best quotation from Brian's bio - and the most fitting for Slow Foodies - is the following: "For Brian, it isn't just about the beer, it's about the people and the relationships that beer brings together."
So please join us! We're selling tickets online only for this smaller, more laid-back event. Tickets must be purchased in advance, online and cannot be bought at the door.
BUY TICKETS TODAY:http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/44977
More information here.
Slow Food Columbia Presents:
Local Beer Tasting - October 11, 2008 from 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Beer Tasting with small food pairings
Olympia / Columbia, SC
Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
$30 for non-Slow Food members; $25 for members
Slow Food Columbia is hosting a casual local beer tasting which will take place at the home of Waldie, an active member of our convivium. We hope you will join us as we welcome from Greenville, local beer expert Brian Cendrowski.
I think the best quotation from Brian's bio - and the most fitting for Slow Foodies - is the following: "For Brian, it isn't just about the beer, it's about the people and the relationships that beer brings together."
So please join us! We're selling tickets online only for this smaller, more laid-back event. Tickets must be purchased in advance, online and cannot be bought at the door.
BUY TICKETS TODAY:http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/44977
More information here.
Monday, September 29, 2008
great dinner
roasted sweet potatoes with butter
indian-spiced chickpea salad with yogurt and herbs
spiced mustard greens with cumin
pumpkin pie
indian-spiced chickpea salad with yogurt and herbs
spiced mustard greens with cumin
pumpkin pie
Sunday, September 28, 2008
cursed machinery
remember how i sung the praises of the bread machine that i just got? well, i bought the ingredients to make a second loaf of bread yesterday and wouldn't you know but the little paddle thing (a necessary part of the machine) was totally missing! i searched high and low and just cannot find it. and, since it's a discontinued model the piece was hard to come by and i ended up paying $23 for the replacement. that's my luck for ya!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
last weekend
i never really wrote in detail about what we did last weekend when my parents were in town. so here it is.
they arrived wednesday night and left on monday morning so we had a good long 4 day weekend to chill and do fun stuff.
i already mentioned that bo put in a dishwasher for us. here's a picture of it.
a God send!
thursday night we were tired from installing the dishwasher all day and the house was a wreck so we took take the parents out to one of our favorite restaurants in town. yummm! be bim bop!
friday, baldman had to work so he stayed in town, but mom, bo and i headed to the mountains to visit my uncle in boone. what a great town that is! we just hung around the town, walked in a few shops, went to dinner with my aunt and uncle and then the 5 of us took off to cross the border into tennessee to go to an antique auction. i love auctions. it's like a lost art. and i find it fascinating to see what people bid and do not bid on. i got a lot of interesting stuff there*.
here are a few picts of boone, (i'm sorry i didn't take more).
we got home way late friday so us old folks were about spent for the rest of the weekend. we walked around thrift stores and then headed home for a rest and a home cooked meal and time to spiff up for an nice evening out. a few weeks ago a very considerate friend of ours gave us season tickets to the south carolina philharmonic. because they were season tickets we also got 2 free additional tickets to any show of our choice. so, that being said, saturday was opening night and we all got to go! the show was fantastic and the new music director was really lively! it was great fun!
after mass on sunday we headed to the greek festival. man, that place was packed! they even expanded it this year, but it was still packed. and for the first time since we've been attending (5 years), they were sold out of most of the good food. the veggie plate was gone. the spanekopeta was gone. the baklava was gone. geeze, what did we go for!? but we scrounged a plate together anyway and enjoyed the good weather and people watching.
*"interesting" is sort of a polite way to say junk. but, to be honest, it really wasn't junk. my uncle had a great time bidding on things and then say, "i bought that for you!" so i got a great dresser which my mom bought me, a watermelon rug (the most interesting find), and a cool oil lamp which is missing the dome on top.
they arrived wednesday night and left on monday morning so we had a good long 4 day weekend to chill and do fun stuff.
i already mentioned that bo put in a dishwasher for us. here's a picture of it.
a God send!
thursday night we were tired from installing the dishwasher all day and the house was a wreck so we took take the parents out to one of our favorite restaurants in town. yummm! be bim bop!
friday, baldman had to work so he stayed in town, but mom, bo and i headed to the mountains to visit my uncle in boone. what a great town that is! we just hung around the town, walked in a few shops, went to dinner with my aunt and uncle and then the 5 of us took off to cross the border into tennessee to go to an antique auction. i love auctions. it's like a lost art. and i find it fascinating to see what people bid and do not bid on. i got a lot of interesting stuff there*.
here are a few picts of boone, (i'm sorry i didn't take more).
we got home way late friday so us old folks were about spent for the rest of the weekend. we walked around thrift stores and then headed home for a rest and a home cooked meal and time to spiff up for an nice evening out. a few weeks ago a very considerate friend of ours gave us season tickets to the south carolina philharmonic. because they were season tickets we also got 2 free additional tickets to any show of our choice. so, that being said, saturday was opening night and we all got to go! the show was fantastic and the new music director was really lively! it was great fun!
after mass on sunday we headed to the greek festival. man, that place was packed! they even expanded it this year, but it was still packed. and for the first time since we've been attending (5 years), they were sold out of most of the good food. the veggie plate was gone. the spanekopeta was gone. the baklava was gone. geeze, what did we go for!? but we scrounged a plate together anyway and enjoyed the good weather and people watching.
*"interesting" is sort of a polite way to say junk. but, to be honest, it really wasn't junk. my uncle had a great time bidding on things and then say, "i bought that for you!" so i got a great dresser which my mom bought me, a watermelon rug (the most interesting find), and a cool oil lamp which is missing the dome on top.
Monday, September 22, 2008
speaking of new machinery
my stepdad and mom brought down a new-to-me dishwasher this past weekend! how cool is that!? i spent thursday helping* bo hook it up and by thursday evening we were in business. what!? oh yea!
*i mean, basically i stood there watching and occassionally handing him tools. but honestly, i feel like i learned a lot.
*i mean, basically i stood there watching and occassionally handing him tools. but honestly, i feel like i learned a lot.
bread machine follow-up
this weekend i made my first batch of bread in my new machine. it was awesome! so easy and it turned out great! i highly recommend getting one if you don't already have one!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
my r2d2 breadmachine
we went to some friends' house last night and they gave us a bread machine. i'm so excited about it! she bought it used from craig's list but then ended up acquiring another one, so she never used this one anymore. i love fresh-baked bread, so i'm super excited to get started using this. so i downloaded the owner's manual tonight and looked over it. it seems fairly straight forward.
now to try some recipes.... if anyone has any they'd like to share here, post it in the comments. i'd love to try them!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
she's too funny
when we were at the slowfood columbia event a few weeks ago, baldman and i met anne postic a blogger and occasional writer for the free times. i had read her blog a few times before meeting her and remembered that she was fairly witty. we had a pleasant and humorous 10 minute conversation with her at the dinner that night and that was that. but since then i've added her personal blog (as opposed to her more professional blog) to my daily blog feed. she never lets me down. every time i read her blog i laugh out loud. so i've added her link to the toolbar at the side of my page.
if you're inclined to check her out, go back to monday's post. it really had me laughing.
if you're inclined to check her out, go back to monday's post. it really had me laughing.
Friday, September 12, 2008
silence
i felt like i should've posted something yesterday to mark the 7th anniversary. but i didn't know what to say. so i just said nothing.
Monday, September 08, 2008
miraculous mailman
this evening when i came home from work i walked to the side of the house and noticed that there was a box sitting on our screened-in porch.
i thought, "hmm, i must've left the door unlatched yesterday."
pull. pull.
the door didn't budge. it was still locked.
i walked around to the front of the house, went in the front door, and then through to the side porch. the box was a package which was delivered by the mailman and left sitting right in the middle of our porch.
the thing is, when baldman's bike was stolen we put a new hook and eye lock on the door and purposely put it in the way upper right-hand corner of the door, where it would be next-to-impossible to unlatch and sneak onto our porch.
but somehow the mailman managed to unlock the door, put the package on the porch and relock the door. baldman and i examined the door for a good five minutes and we cannot figure out how he could've done it.
unsettling. or amazing!
i thought, "hmm, i must've left the door unlatched yesterday."
pull. pull.
the door didn't budge. it was still locked.
i walked around to the front of the house, went in the front door, and then through to the side porch. the box was a package which was delivered by the mailman and left sitting right in the middle of our porch.
the thing is, when baldman's bike was stolen we put a new hook and eye lock on the door and purposely put it in the way upper right-hand corner of the door, where it would be next-to-impossible to unlatch and sneak onto our porch.
but somehow the mailman managed to unlock the door, put the package on the porch and relock the door. baldman and i examined the door for a good five minutes and we cannot figure out how he could've done it.
unsettling. or amazing!
Sunday, September 07, 2008
stellar weekend
yesterday i pulled myself out of bed a lot earlier than i wanted to. but, thanks in part to my fellow-garden-loving coworker, i had a fire in me to get the garden ready for fall. so i plowed everything down that was finished or that never even got started, turned the dirt, made it all pretty, and planted 2 sets of onions, 2 sets of carrots, spinach, italian greens, and lettuce. this is my first try at fall gardening so i hope these things work out. i'll let you know. but the garden looks all pretty again with freshly tilled earth and no weeds. and, man! did we have weeds. the vines that made homes beneath the garden were ridiculous! so if nothing else, i eradicated a whole bunch of yucky junk.
yesterday evening we had a bunch of tanzanian's over for dinner. we had excellent food and even better company. plus we got to eat outside in the back yard, which was totally enjoyable!
today was full of shop shop shopping. a few days ago i decided that it was high time for me to have a clothing update. i underwent a year review at work recently and the only negative comment was related to my not-always-so-professional clothes. most of my clothes come as hand-me-downs from my sister, which is great. but they should probably be used as supplemental items to one's clothing, not the main staple of one's wardrobe. most everything either doesn't fit right anymore, has pit stains, or is just not quite professional enough. so i headed out to the mall to try my hand at shopping, which i hate doing and am not good at it either (which is another reason why i have so few professional clothes). i had the fantastic idea to call a friend who lives close to the stores. i figured, if nothing else, she would want to grab a drink or something and provide a nice intermission to my shopping spree. to my surprise, and much to my greater benefit, she sort of took the shopping as a challenge for her to help serve as a buying consultant and help me pick out some must have staples. after making several successful (and thrifty) purchases she invited me back to her place where she unloaded a bunch more really fantastic stuff that she either didn't wear or wanted to get rid of. so i made away with a steal! and a whole new wardrobe, really! now the question is, what am i going to wear to work tomorrow!?
yesterday evening we had a bunch of tanzanian's over for dinner. we had excellent food and even better company. plus we got to eat outside in the back yard, which was totally enjoyable!
today was full of shop shop shopping. a few days ago i decided that it was high time for me to have a clothing update. i underwent a year review at work recently and the only negative comment was related to my not-always-so-professional clothes. most of my clothes come as hand-me-downs from my sister, which is great. but they should probably be used as supplemental items to one's clothing, not the main staple of one's wardrobe. most everything either doesn't fit right anymore, has pit stains, or is just not quite professional enough. so i headed out to the mall to try my hand at shopping, which i hate doing and am not good at it either (which is another reason why i have so few professional clothes). i had the fantastic idea to call a friend who lives close to the stores. i figured, if nothing else, she would want to grab a drink or something and provide a nice intermission to my shopping spree. to my surprise, and much to my greater benefit, she sort of took the shopping as a challenge for her to help serve as a buying consultant and help me pick out some must have staples. after making several successful (and thrifty) purchases she invited me back to her place where she unloaded a bunch more really fantastic stuff that she either didn't wear or wanted to get rid of. so i made away with a steal! and a whole new wardrobe, really! now the question is, what am i going to wear to work tomorrow!?
Friday, September 05, 2008
hurricane effects in haiti
i heard a little about this in the news today, but there really hasn't been a whole lot of coverage overall. hurricanes gustav and hanna really tore up haiti a few days ago and they're really suffering big time. i received this in my inbox on wednesday from partners in health's listserve.
Partners In Health
September 3, 2008
Dear friends,
Haiti needs your help.
This morning, after watching images of howling wind and torrential rain tearing through Haiti, I received a note from a colleague in Haiti explaining the devastation that Hurricanes Gustav and Hanna left in their wakes. Loune Viaud, our Director of Operations in Haiti, explained that the situation is dire and the suffering extreme. She estimates that close to 10,000 people have been driven from their homes by floodwaters in Haiti’s Artibonite Valley, where we have recently expanded our operations to six new facilities.
We’ve received reports of families, doctors, and patients are stranded on roof tops as water floods homes, hospitals, and health centers and reports of social workers wading through nearly four feet of water hoping to get patients and their families to safety. While the effects are hard to quantify so soon after the disaster, there is a clear and desperate need both for emergency relief and for long-term assistance to address the vicious cycle of poverty, environmental degradation and disease, which is guaranteed to intensify in the aftermath of this crisis.
In an effort to stem the suffering of our patients, their families, and the communities we serve, PIH has taken some immediate action:
* Patients at the hospital in Gonaïves, who were sent to the rooftop as the wards filled with water, are being evacuated to Hôpital Saint Nicolas in Saint Marc.
* Our social work staff is doing whatever it takes to find our patients and their families in the most devastated areas and to ensure that they have all of the support and assistance they need.
* Organizational partnerships and community-level collaborations are underway to ensure that those who have been displaced or lost all of their belongings have food, water, housing, and a place off of the wet ground to sleep.
* Our hospitals and health centers are preparing for thousands of additional patient visits in the coming weeks and are planning long-term reconstruction and support efforts.
We ask you, now, during this time of tremendous suffering, to take action with us. Please help us keep our promises to the communities we serve as we provide additional services and support in the wake of this unforeseen, and certainly unbudgeted, disaster.
Please consider an additional gift to Partners In Health’s work in Haiti today so that we may respond swiftly during this time of crisis and continue to support our patients and their families in the months to come. Donate online and visit our website for more information and updates in the coming days
As always, thank you for your support. We cannot do this work without generous partners like you.
Sincerely,
Ophelia Dahl
Executive Director
Saturday, August 30, 2008
at least i'm not dead, part 2
when i was at the grocery store today i ran into this somali guy who is a big player in the refugee community. he, himself, is not a refugee but he helps them out a whole lot and i know him fairly well.
so he says to me, "i heard about your car."
"yea," i say, and proceed to tell him about it.
"well you know she did the same thing to my car right," he says.
"!?"
"oh, they didn't tell you?"
what's even more funny about that is that the driver used this somali guy as leverage on me, saying " he takes me on the road." so i was feeling all bad. like, "oh, well if he takes her on the road and she's not had an accident, maybe i'm just overreacting."
turns out i wasn't.
**as an aside: for those who don't read comments, you might have missed the good news that we didn't have to pay for any repairs to our car. we took it into our trusty mechanic, they looked it over and said that other than needing a little body work on the front bumper (which we're skipping), everything was fine. then, because we had just been in last week for other repairs, they didn't even charge us to look at it. plus they bent some of the bumper back for us and cut out the pieces that were rubbing up on the tire. man, they're great! if you need a mechanic, andrew's auto on harden. it's where it's at!
so he says to me, "i heard about your car."
"yea," i say, and proceed to tell him about it.
"well you know she did the same thing to my car right," he says.
"!?"
"oh, they didn't tell you?"
what's even more funny about that is that the driver used this somali guy as leverage on me, saying " he takes me on the road." so i was feeling all bad. like, "oh, well if he takes her on the road and she's not had an accident, maybe i'm just overreacting."
turns out i wasn't.
**as an aside: for those who don't read comments, you might have missed the good news that we didn't have to pay for any repairs to our car. we took it into our trusty mechanic, they looked it over and said that other than needing a little body work on the front bumper (which we're skipping), everything was fine. then, because we had just been in last week for other repairs, they didn't even charge us to look at it. plus they bent some of the bumper back for us and cut out the pieces that were rubbing up on the tire. man, they're great! if you need a mechanic, andrew's auto on harden. it's where it's at!
we took the plunge
we bought cell phones today. we went with these guys, which i think will work out good for us. and they're about to be taken over by these guys, who seem to have really good reviews.
if you already know our home number, that one will now serve as my cell phone number (or at least it will in about a week once the switchover is complete). we're trying to see if baldman's old cell number can be switched to his new cell phone, but we're not sure if that'll happen or not. we'll be sending emails out pretty soon but if you want the numbers, just let us know.
if you already know our home number, that one will now serve as my cell phone number (or at least it will in about a week once the switchover is complete). we're trying to see if baldman's old cell number can be switched to his new cell phone, but we're not sure if that'll happen or not. we'll be sending emails out pretty soon but if you want the numbers, just let us know.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
at least i'm not dead
on and off for the past few months i have been teaching another one of the somali women to drive. i taught one of the ladies a year or so ago and it went relatively well--she now has her license and a car and she's a very competent driver. the one i'm teaching now, however, isn't that good. after she drove (poorly) several times in the cemetery, she made it very clear to me that the other person who was helping her drive was taking her on the road, so i needed to do that too. so we did that a few times. after driving a few times (and ramping a few curbs) we were definitely seeing improvement. but because i was still feeling like i was taking my life in my hands every time i went out with her behind the wheel, i started resorting to every excuse under the sun why i couldn't drive with her anymore. "oh no, there's too much traffic on the roads tonight." "oh sorry, our car needs some repairs." (that one was true) "oh, i am taking the kids to the library and then i have to run home." i had several successful and reckless-african-driving-car-shock-free weeks by using this method. but my friend was getting restless. so finally last week i said, next week, i promise we'll drive.
and promises are one of those things i'm a stickler for. if there is any way on God's green earth that i can keep a promise, i will. so, needless to say as this week went by i was dreading and double dreading thursday, when i would have to venture in the car with my friend.
as i was leaving work tonight i was explaining my predicament to a coworker and i ended the conversation (laughing) as i approached my car saying, if i don't show up for work tomorrow it's because i died in a car accident.
so i go to the somalis. and for a minute i think i can avoid taking her driving. they have company and the kids have a lot of homework they need help with. so i'm quick to be all "oh! i'll help you. take out your books." but as the hour rolls along, my driving friend starts asking, "when are we going to drive? when are we going to drive?" so i give in.
i make it clear that i'd rather just take her to a parking lot where she can practice the fundamentals but i give in (with moderate pressure) to allow her to drive to the parking lot because it's just around the corner. wouldn't you know, as we are pulling out of their apartment complex she freaks out, gets mixed up between brake and gas and drives our car into a ditch. yea, actually, that's slightly inaccurate. she was hitting the gas so hard we actually ramped the ditch and ended up straddling it.
the good news is that it coulda been a whole hella lot worse. we could've actually landed in the ditch and then perhaps flipped the car or totaled it or gotten seriously hurt. despite the fact that i had a back seat full of kids, and that they are notorious for slipping their seat belts off when they think i'm not looking, everyone had a belt on and no one was hurt. i also got to witness the kindness of strangers in an area of town which is notorious for gang violence and petty theft.
the good new also is that i won't have make up any excuses not to drive with her anymore.
and promises are one of those things i'm a stickler for. if there is any way on God's green earth that i can keep a promise, i will. so, needless to say as this week went by i was dreading and double dreading thursday, when i would have to venture in the car with my friend.
as i was leaving work tonight i was explaining my predicament to a coworker and i ended the conversation (laughing) as i approached my car saying, if i don't show up for work tomorrow it's because i died in a car accident.
so i go to the somalis. and for a minute i think i can avoid taking her driving. they have company and the kids have a lot of homework they need help with. so i'm quick to be all "oh! i'll help you. take out your books." but as the hour rolls along, my driving friend starts asking, "when are we going to drive? when are we going to drive?" so i give in.
i make it clear that i'd rather just take her to a parking lot where she can practice the fundamentals but i give in (with moderate pressure) to allow her to drive to the parking lot because it's just around the corner. wouldn't you know, as we are pulling out of their apartment complex she freaks out, gets mixed up between brake and gas and drives our car into a ditch. yea, actually, that's slightly inaccurate. she was hitting the gas so hard we actually ramped the ditch and ended up straddling it.
the good news is that it coulda been a whole hella lot worse. we could've actually landed in the ditch and then perhaps flipped the car or totaled it or gotten seriously hurt. despite the fact that i had a back seat full of kids, and that they are notorious for slipping their seat belts off when they think i'm not looking, everyone had a belt on and no one was hurt. i also got to witness the kindness of strangers in an area of town which is notorious for gang violence and petty theft.
the good new also is that i won't have make up any excuses not to drive with her anymore.
Monday, August 25, 2008
blog changes
for those who actually go to this website and don't just get it fed to you in some way, you may have noticed i tried to make a few moderate changes to the template. if anyone can tell me how the heck to center the picture at the top of the page, i sure would appreciate it.
garden goodness
i took these pictures a few months ago but never got around to posting them.
this was a not-so-quite ripe watermelon (we've got another one coming that i'm hoping will be more fit to eat) and a hand full of barlotti beans. i was pretty disappointed in the barlottis. i watered them like the dickens but we got less than an 1/8th of a cup of harvest. i'll try them again next year and will start out earlier, but i'm not so sure they're made to grown in our hot, dry climate.
this was a not-so-quite ripe watermelon (we've got another one coming that i'm hoping will be more fit to eat) and a hand full of barlotti beans. i was pretty disappointed in the barlottis. i watered them like the dickens but we got less than an 1/8th of a cup of harvest. i'll try them again next year and will start out earlier, but i'm not so sure they're made to grown in our hot, dry climate.
cucumbers cucumbers cucumbers
for the past several weeks we have been getting many, many cucumbers like these.
we're up to our eyeballs in cucumbers! (but i ain't really complaining because they're delicious!)
we're up to our eyeballs in cucumbers! (but i ain't really complaining because they're delicious!)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
gardening class
while i'm waiting for our borrowed weed eater to charge up, i thought i'd post about my gardening class.
the county recreation commission was offering a free gardening workshop yesterday morning which i'd been looking forward to for a while. i originally thought it would be about veggie gardening, but about a day or 2 before the class it occurred to me that it was probably about landscaping, which it was. the biggest disappointment of the class was that it was held inside. and it was a beautiful day outside! but they held us captive inside a cinder block room and showed us power point pictures of outside. but it wasn't too bad. i did learn a little bit and mostly confirmed a few things i'd had hunches about.
but the best part was that i won the door prize*, a purple butterfly bush! i rarely win anything!
*ok, in all honesty they had 4 door prizes and there were only about 10 people there so my odds were good. but i got the door prize that i wanted! woohoo!
the county recreation commission was offering a free gardening workshop yesterday morning which i'd been looking forward to for a while. i originally thought it would be about veggie gardening, but about a day or 2 before the class it occurred to me that it was probably about landscaping, which it was. the biggest disappointment of the class was that it was held inside. and it was a beautiful day outside! but they held us captive inside a cinder block room and showed us power point pictures of outside. but it wasn't too bad. i did learn a little bit and mostly confirmed a few things i'd had hunches about.
but the best part was that i won the door prize*, a purple butterfly bush! i rarely win anything!
*ok, in all honesty they had 4 door prizes and there were only about 10 people there so my odds were good. but i got the door prize that i wanted! woohoo!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
success
this past thursday night was slow food columbia's first big event, a fund raiser to send 2 local farmers to terra madre, an international food conference hosted by slow food international. you may remember me mentioning the fund raiser event previously.
thursday night was a huge success. tickets sold out really quickly and everyone who attended (or at least who i talked to) seemed really happy with the night.
baldman and i were fortunate to have shared a table with the guests of honor. plus, we sat with some local big-wigs. so that was fun.
dinner started out with a really fantastic west african peanut soup with cilantro, followed by mixed salad greens with toasted pumpkin seeds donated by rosewood market. the entree was locally raised grass-fed lamb donated by five leaves farm, accompanied by anson mills's carolina gold rice and sea island peas. of course, we didn't partake in the lamb, but the fabulous terra staff made us a special veggie plate (even though we tried to insist that they don't). all the food was fantastic, as expected, and we were fortunate to have reached our goal in fund raising. so a success all around!
i have a few pictures that i took posted on flickr, but i didn't take many shots because there were a lot of other folks taking pictures too. i'll add them up there when/if they're posted online.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
yin and yang
we averted 2 near misses in the past 3 days and miraculously fixed 2 plumbing problems in under $15. how amazing is that!? of course, that was balanced out by the fact that the brakes on our car crapped out yesterday so we had to shell out several hundreds of dollars today to get that fix. sigh.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
love it!
i came home to find this surprise in my inbox last night. baldman loves fraggle rock. (hence, our 2 cats are named doozer and mokey.)
thanks noah!
thanks noah!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
project runway season 5
i found this website where i can download season 5 of project runway to watch on my computer! this comes in handy since we don't get bravo (or any other channels for that matter). so far i've watched the first 2 episodes. i think i'm going to like this season. but i'm already tired of suede speaking in the third person. that's getting old really quickly.
make it work, designers!
make it work, designers!
Saturday, August 09, 2008
electric mayhem
this morning baldman and i woke up sorta early-ish to go to the nickelodeon for their first event in their family film series. for a dollar a piece we got to watch the muppet movie! man, it was good to see that movie again. i hadn't watched it since i was a really little kid. and it was even more fun to load up into a small theater with a bunch of kids to watch the movie. really, their laughter and comments throughout the movie made it even more fun. man, jim henson. genious.
following the movie, we had a really nice lunch with some friends in our backyard and we all rode bikes around our street. the weather was just beautiful today!
following the movie, we had a really nice lunch with some friends in our backyard and we all rode bikes around our street. the weather was just beautiful today!
Thursday, August 07, 2008
darkness to light
i don't often talk about work but here's a bit.
i spent the day in chucktown today at a training. i am now an official facilitator of the stewards of children child sexual abuse prevention program put out by from darkness to light. i'm super excited about it because i think they have some great materials, the program has shown really favorable results, and, of course, it's a good cause. did you know that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18? yea, that's right.
so let's do something about this. if you or anyone you know works with children, if you have children, if in any way you have any relation to children (hey, that means you) contract with me to do a training, or look here to see if there are facilitators in your area.
i spent the day in chucktown today at a training. i am now an official facilitator of the stewards of children child sexual abuse prevention program put out by from darkness to light. i'm super excited about it because i think they have some great materials, the program has shown really favorable results, and, of course, it's a good cause. did you know that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18? yea, that's right.
so let's do something about this. if you or anyone you know works with children, if you have children, if in any way you have any relation to children (hey, that means you) contract with me to do a training, or look here to see if there are facilitators in your area.
Monday, August 04, 2008
global food aid
there's been a lot of talk in the media about a global food crisis. and certainly finances in the united states are not doing so well for many of us as well. so maybe we can see how things can be a whole lot worse in other countries where their economy and food supply is not as stable as ours.
when baldman and i visited tanzania 2 years ago (wow! has it been 2 years already!), we spent a few days in tanzania's capital, dodoma. we were generously housed by a friend of a friend. dickson chilongani was then a dean of a theological college on the outskirts of dodoma and his and his family's generosity to us at the time was so amazing.
even then we saw the devastating effects that no rain and a tentative economy could have on people. while we were in tanzania we saw acres and acres of dry and dead maze, and we heard on the news constant reports of dead cattle due to lack of food. dixon shared stories with us of having to raise money to buy food to send home with some of the college students during breaks and holidays. otherwise, he told us, most students would never come back after break.
we have kept sporadically in touch with dickson over the past 2 years. he has since been given a promotion within the anglican church of tanzania and we have heard a few stories about the great work that he is doing in the area. in any event, times have gotten really tough all over tanzania (as in all of africa and other developing nations), and with his new job, dickson has a larger scope of reference than he once had as dean at one college.
baldman and i were moved by the enclosed email and thought that maybe some of our readers might be in a position to help, either through prayers or monetary donations. if anyone is interested in helping financially, feel free to either contact dickson directly at chilonganid(at)hotmail(dot)com about the best way to get him the money, or leave me a comment here and we can coordinate our efforts into one check.
here's the email from dickson.....
Greetings from Bristol
Can you pray with me?
Recently I was transferred from being College Principal to Vicar General. I don’t like the title, but the position itself means ‘Bishop’s Assistant’, NOT ‘Assistant Bishop’. The job is mainly pastoral meaning being in charge of all pastors in the Diocese. In the Diocese of Central Tanganyika, a Vicar is in charge of up to 6 small Churches; an Area Dean oversees about 5 parishes; an Area Coordinator is in charge of up to 50 parishes, and the Vicar General i.e. me, I oversee 200 parishes.
The bishop has told all pastors in the Diocese that all parish, marriage and pastoral issues must come to me, and only if necessary I can forward some of them to him. The outcome of this delegation has been very wearing on my side. In fact, I now compare myself to Moses in Exodus who sat down all day every day solving problems. I am trying to find a way out from this problem.
But the one thing that strikes me, and which pushes me to write this e-mail to you as a friend is that our clergy really seem to live in a totally different planet. They have great commitment to the Lord, and they do wonders in their ministry. But they face difficult issues, the main two and indeed the most serious ones being food shortage and fees for their children especially from secondary school level upwards. I am trying to write to friends of mine to see whether we can support some of these children towards their fees because they are the future of the African Church as well as of our nation.
But I am writing to you as a friend to invite you to PRAY with me with regard to the FOOD CRISIS. Last year I raised 1000 (one thousand) pounds with which we supplied most clergy with sunflower seeds enough for one acre. Sunflower is the most recommended crop in Dodoma area because it tolerates drought and it would provide enough cash for clergy to pay fees for their children and purchase food. But the rainfall for the season that has just ended was not good enough so it failed to grow properly in many areas alongside other food crops like maize.
I am aware that as soon as I return to Dodoma next month, my office will be flooded with clergy with requests for support towards food and I have nothing in my pocket. I have picked 50 pastors from the most severely affected areas and with big families. I am just wondering whether you would kindly join me to first of all pray for them, and if possible raise a small amount of funds to support these families. Four (4) bags of maize 15 (fifteen) pounds each should be enough to sustain a family to the next harvest season, i.e. in May next year. The total cost would therefore be as follows:
50 families x 4 bags of maize each = 200 bags
200 bags x 15 pounds sterling each = 3,000 pounds
Transport approximately 3 three pounds per bag x 200 - 600 pounds
Total 3,600 pounds sterling
Please pray with me, and kindly pass on this information to your friend or your Church. I am glad that we are ONE in Christ, which means we can pray for each other and support one another.
With prayers,
Rev. Dr Dickson Daud Chilongani
when baldman and i visited tanzania 2 years ago (wow! has it been 2 years already!), we spent a few days in tanzania's capital, dodoma. we were generously housed by a friend of a friend. dickson chilongani was then a dean of a theological college on the outskirts of dodoma and his and his family's generosity to us at the time was so amazing.
even then we saw the devastating effects that no rain and a tentative economy could have on people. while we were in tanzania we saw acres and acres of dry and dead maze, and we heard on the news constant reports of dead cattle due to lack of food. dixon shared stories with us of having to raise money to buy food to send home with some of the college students during breaks and holidays. otherwise, he told us, most students would never come back after break.
we have kept sporadically in touch with dickson over the past 2 years. he has since been given a promotion within the anglican church of tanzania and we have heard a few stories about the great work that he is doing in the area. in any event, times have gotten really tough all over tanzania (as in all of africa and other developing nations), and with his new job, dickson has a larger scope of reference than he once had as dean at one college.
baldman and i were moved by the enclosed email and thought that maybe some of our readers might be in a position to help, either through prayers or monetary donations. if anyone is interested in helping financially, feel free to either contact dickson directly at chilonganid(at)hotmail(dot)com about the best way to get him the money, or leave me a comment here and we can coordinate our efforts into one check.
here's the email from dickson.....
Greetings from Bristol
Can you pray with me?
Recently I was transferred from being College Principal to Vicar General. I don’t like the title, but the position itself means ‘Bishop’s Assistant’, NOT ‘Assistant Bishop’. The job is mainly pastoral meaning being in charge of all pastors in the Diocese. In the Diocese of Central Tanganyika, a Vicar is in charge of up to 6 small Churches; an Area Dean oversees about 5 parishes; an Area Coordinator is in charge of up to 50 parishes, and the Vicar General i.e. me, I oversee 200 parishes.
The bishop has told all pastors in the Diocese that all parish, marriage and pastoral issues must come to me, and only if necessary I can forward some of them to him. The outcome of this delegation has been very wearing on my side. In fact, I now compare myself to Moses in Exodus who sat down all day every day solving problems. I am trying to find a way out from this problem.
But the one thing that strikes me, and which pushes me to write this e-mail to you as a friend is that our clergy really seem to live in a totally different planet. They have great commitment to the Lord, and they do wonders in their ministry. But they face difficult issues, the main two and indeed the most serious ones being food shortage and fees for their children especially from secondary school level upwards. I am trying to write to friends of mine to see whether we can support some of these children towards their fees because they are the future of the African Church as well as of our nation.
But I am writing to you as a friend to invite you to PRAY with me with regard to the FOOD CRISIS. Last year I raised 1000 (one thousand) pounds with which we supplied most clergy with sunflower seeds enough for one acre. Sunflower is the most recommended crop in Dodoma area because it tolerates drought and it would provide enough cash for clergy to pay fees for their children and purchase food. But the rainfall for the season that has just ended was not good enough so it failed to grow properly in many areas alongside other food crops like maize.
I am aware that as soon as I return to Dodoma next month, my office will be flooded with clergy with requests for support towards food and I have nothing in my pocket. I have picked 50 pastors from the most severely affected areas and with big families. I am just wondering whether you would kindly join me to first of all pray for them, and if possible raise a small amount of funds to support these families. Four (4) bags of maize 15 (fifteen) pounds each should be enough to sustain a family to the next harvest season, i.e. in May next year. The total cost would therefore be as follows:
50 families x 4 bags of maize each = 200 bags
200 bags x 15 pounds sterling each = 3,000 pounds
Transport approximately 3 three pounds per bag x 200 - 600 pounds
Total 3,600 pounds sterling
Please pray with me, and kindly pass on this information to your friend or your Church. I am glad that we are ONE in Christ, which means we can pray for each other and support one another.
With prayers,
Rev. Dr Dickson Daud Chilongani
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