Snow and freezing rain,

Tonight, tomorrow, next day -

      March going out like........ 

Join hands, circle left,

Star through....ladies chain.....trade.....ah -

        "Swing and Promenade!"

 

Square dancing - the calls come thick and fast and can be confusing, but then comes "swing and promenade" and it's like a little break - "we got this!" 

 Everywhere anytime God,

today we remember Jesus coming to Jerusalem,

not on Air Force One, or Two, or even Ten,

but on Donkey One,

and in spite of ourselves

we find ourselves caught up in the excitement of the crowd,

our bodies and hands swaying and waving

like palm branches in the wind,

our hearts and minds singing with the stones

as all creation sings your praise.

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,

blessed is the one who comes in peace.

May the joy of this day flow into all the world,

but especially to places where there is hunger

and fighting, and fear, and sorrow, and suffering.

Yes - may your peace rest securely in those places.

Grey squirrel leaping,

twisting, turning summersaults (!) -

       just the joy of spring? 

Snowflakes in sunshine,

sparking fresh white glitter -

      I looked - no rainbow!

"Snowbow"? 

 

 

Thankful for these things -

People, Earth, Waters, Fish, Plants…….

       Now our minds are one.

 

The beginning of Ganonyok, Seneca version of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgivng Address, "The Words That Come Before All Else."  We went to the presentation at the United Conference at NMU.  Here are two links to two expressions of the complete address -

Boundless love site

Dance for all People site 

Spanish, French, German -

Poetry Without Borders,

        and I got nada! 

People read poems in 19 different languages. I speak only English! 

Flapping, soaring, turn-
ing, climbing, diving, splashing -
       seagull acrobats.

I especially like the "turning" between lines 1 and 2.  We were watching them at Picnic Rocks while we drank our coffee.

Honey Mustard Bar-

B-Que Chicken sub sandwich -

     first picnic(1) of spring! 

 

(1) in car picnic overlooking Lake Superior. Blue water, blue sky - nice. 

  

 God of all life and death,
we pray to you from the valleys of dry bones -
 - Gaza
 - Ukraine
 - Iran
 - and other places that go in and out of our news consciousness where people (and indeed all Creation) is suffering, including our own United States.
Breathe your word of life to us all,
that your Creation might rise up and live and thrive like a daffodils in springtime.
We pray today in the name of Jesus who said "Consider the lilies...."

 

 Kelly Latimore - Our Lady Protectress of the Most Vulnerable

kellylatimoreicons.com 

 White islands float on
Lake Superior blue water -
        in UP blue sky.

             Or 

 

A fuzzy crescent

hanging in the maple tree -

       ornament of spring.

 

Still not a "3,2,1" haiku. (March 21)

 

Two thirds of March is

over now, springs first full day -

        time to start something! 

 

Equal day and night (1) -

more “outdoors” now, less tv -

    in the days ahead.

Skiing, walking, maybe even a early afternoon picnic?

(1) March 20 - vernal equinox, then full moon, then Sunday=Easter!

Revenge - forgiveness,

Hey, Count of Monte Cristo -

           Which one will you choose?

Read this book before,
heard this song, saw this program -
       left-over buffet!

Actually we had 2 "left-over" casseroles and some BBQ beans for supper -

Potatoes, onions,

sriracca spiced smoked salmon (1) -

         St Patrick's Day meal?

 

(1) baked in a white sauce with cheese. Not traditional maybe, but it was delicious!

Front yard rolling hills,
Sidewalk mountain range drifts, so -
      blizzard is still here!

We've got a six foot drift across our front sidewalk. I'd take a picture but I'm not sure I can get the door open!  Ok - picture from outside-

Alternate last line-
          No grasshoppers here.

Happy St Urho's Day!
        

Amazing Graceful God,

I open my eyes and see the beauty of your creation,

  the smile of a spouse or child,

  the wildness of the storm blowing past,

  the bounty of food, clothes, friends, home.

I close my eyes against the ugliness and harshness of the world,

  the hatred and cruelty with which we treat others,

  the despair of those who are attacked or abused,

  the suffering of the poor, the lonely, the troubled.

I close my eyes, and yet I see,and thus am culpable.

Others are more culpable than I, perhaps,

but I am not without blame.

I trust in your forgiving grace

this day and each day to come.

And I pray that better times might come for all.

Lakeshore flood warning,

waves 20 to 30 feet

       possible - say what? 

 Winter storm - schools close,

sidewalks covered, streets clogged, but -

    made it to Stucko's! 

 For my birthday.  

Fish fry - cajun/panko grilled with fried white cheddar cheese poutine!  Tomorrow, Monday - sounds like more winter storm!

 

"Winter storm warning" -

How much of life to cancel?

          So far skies are clear!

Light snowfall last night
Frosts this morning's pine branches -
           Cupcakes for breakfast?

Actually with school (and other avtivities) closed, I had waffles!

Snow's back, temps lower,

nothing on the calendar -

       stay in, do taxes. 

Sunshine, rising temps,

Leftovers in sun oven -

          Lunch outside today!

 

67 degrees?! 

 

All Knowing God -

you see everything we’ve ever done

and still you welcome us to your side.

In your mercy and grace

you give us food when we are hungry

and water when we are thirsty.

And when we are lonely

you are there by our side. 

Open our hearts and minds

to worship you in Spirit and in Truth,

here and now and where and when ever

you might lead us. 

We pray in Jesus’ name.

Time to turn the clocks,

snowbanks shrink, gutter streams flow -

         spring is not here yet! 

Or 

Time to turn the clocks -

one hour more or one hour less -

         make a difference? 

Chick-a-dees flitting,

snow melting, grey clouds settling -

       waiting for the rain. 

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish -

Ice crystals, waves, in the lake - 

      Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish. 

Bright golden sunrise

to pale pink and gray sunset -

        so flows my story.

Moon sparkles on lake,

moon shadows on front yard snow  -

        lunar eclipse - not.

 

Glorious full moon last night. Got up at 5:30 to check for eclipse - fully clouded over. Went back to bed; got up at 8:30; made "full moon waffles" to compensate.

Bonus factoid - Writer's Almanac says Beethovan's Moonlight Sonata was published on this day in 1802.

Ok - making brownies. See if you can guess what happened -

 

Melt one stick butter,

Six ounces chocolate chips.....rats!

       Black beans are not chips!

 

Yup  - we had a half bag of "chocolate chips". Dumped a quarter of a cup into the bowl before I realized "wait a minute, those are black beans, not chocolate chips!" Had to pick them out - they're soaking and will get made into something tomorrow!

 

Faithful God -
trusting in and living by a promise,
Abram left "his own" for "a place called Away" (1).
It leads me to ponder what promises I live by,
where I look for help,
who I trust to keep me as I go out and come back.
I would like to trust your strength more than my own,
your vision more than the popular culture's,
your grace more than fame or fortune or pensions.
I'll need your help to make it so.

(1) Gordon Lightfoot, from "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy".