Ode to My Momma

Today is Mother’s Day.

Yesterday was my momma’s birthday, which was another one of the year’s milestones in the family. In honor of her, and this wonderful day dedicated to mommas everywhere, here’s another list.

13 Things I've Learned From My Momma 
Over the Years (in no particular 
order):
-- How to sing harmony.
-- Flour need not be measured 
    precisely.
-- A weed is anything growing 
    where you don't want it to be.
-- "Just ignore him, Elizabeth."
-- Always wipe the counters.
-- Wash the dishes as you go.
-- Sometimes it's hard to trust 
    people...
-- ...but forgiveness is always the 
    best option.
-- Hospitals throw away a lot of perfectly useful things.
-- It is okay to take a nap.
-- Always send someone else your travel itinerary and emergency contact 
   number.
-- Fresh herbs make a big difference.

And last, but certainly not least,

-- Call your mom on Saturdays.

Happy Birthday, Momma!

On Hiatus…

Friends, Texas Schmexas is going on hiatus for a few weeks. I might post something occasionally, or I might not. We’ll see.

But I promise to come back eventually.

Pinky swear.

Photograph (c) Gen Alexander Photography & Alexander Living

Passing the Peas: A Sabbath Meditation

Yesterday’s Writer’s Almanac mentioned that it was the birthday of Alice Waters, one of my favorite locavore-slow-food-chef-author types. (You can read more about her here.) She is the author of one of my favorite foodbooks, which I say rather than “cookbook” because it’s more than just a cookbook, really. The Art of Simple Food is beautiful as well as quite a compendium of information, and I recommend if you’re a food nerd like I am.

All that to say, here’s a lovely sabbath meditation for today, the week, the year, courtesy of Alice Waters.

Our full humanity is contingent on our hospitality; we can be complete only when we are giving something away; when we sit at the table and pass the peas to the person next to us we see that person in a whole new way.

– Alice Waters, 40 Years of Chez Panisse: The Power of Gathering

 

Welcome to our menagerie?

So… remember how I mentioned we had a rabbit (and a snake) that lived in our backyard? The snake had actually taken up residence in our basement temporarily but was removed to the yard by a brave husband. So no worries there.

The rabbit on the other hand, which has grown quite large, was a bit of a worry when we transplanted our lettuce, spinach, and cabbage babies, so the husband put up a fence around the garden. Unfortunately, we realized he’d put the wire part on upside down, so that the bigger gaps were at the bottom–plenty of room for a rabbit to squeeze through. But fortunately, this rabbit is a strange creature, and likes to perch itself just outside the fence, and sneak its head in through the fence to eat the clover and weeds growing on our garden path, but not venture into the garden itself. So, as it turns out, no worries there either.

A week or two ago, our housemate commented on the rabbit, which she can see on a regular basis out her bedroom window. She likened our yard to a “menagerie,” which seemed like an exaggeration. I mean, it’s just a rabbit and snake. Yeah, yeah, sometimes we have neighborhood dogs meander through, chased by their owners, and sometimes the fat white cat named Sugar who belongs to the older woman across the street hides out in our shrubs, but still. A menagerie?

Well then. Enter Frou-Frou.

A Milestone Worth Celebrating…

This year marks some milestone birthdays in our family, and today’s belongs to my dad. I won’t reveal the special number, but, well, let’s just say it rhymes with “nixty.” 

In honor of him, here’s a post that has pretty much nothing to do with community. But I hope you’ll join with me in wishing him a Happy “Nixtieth” Birthday.

10 things I've learned from my dad over 
     the years, in no particular order
- How to fry the perfect egg, ice a cake, 
     and make strong coffee.
- It is probably not a good idea to go chop 
     down trees in the woods by yourself.
- Do not call anyone after 9 pm.
- Teenage boys really do have only one 
     thing on their minds.
- If you're respectful, anything is up 
     for discussion.
- Dying my hair green would only make 
     me look stupid, not him.
- The best conversations happen after 
     dinner.
- Always offer dessert, even if it's just 
     the bin of Little Debbie snacks.
- Sometimes a generous tip to a grouchy 
     waitress is being Christ to her.

And last, but certainly not least,

- Why, yes, you can reheat coffee in the microwave.

Happy Birthday, Daddio!

Neighbors to the Rescue: Guest Post Wednesday (Sort Of)

In last week’s guest post, Heather wrote about the importance of knowing your neighbors: cultivating community, watching out for each other, and caring for each other.

One commenter on that post wrote, Our neighbors across the street just asked us to water their garden when they are out of town next week. In return they are sharing their fresh veggies. I see this as a win-win!

On that same day, one of my childhood friends posted this on Facebook: So apparently borrowing a cup of sugar from your neighbor is a real thing! Dummy me decided to start making lemon bars without checking to make sure I had enough sugar first Luckily, [my neighbors] are the most wonderful neighbors ever! THANK YOU!

Her mom replied to the Facebook thread, I borrowed 1/2 tsp. of peppermint extract for a special dessert from a neighbor last week … neighbor generosity and hospitality is alive and well.

And then another friend replied, Yay for awesome neighbors! My neighbors and I are always borrowing eggs, sugar, milk, and other ingredients from each other. I love my neighbors too!

What about you? Do you love your neighbors?

I, for one, feel no shame in calling up our neighbors. Off the top of my head, I can think of times I’ve borrowed butter, eggs, thread, a sewing machine, and even a vacuum cleaner last week when ours broke. We exchange watering duties in our gardens during the summer, keep an eye on each other’s mailboxes while on vacation, and call when door-to-door sales people, proselytizers, or bug exterminator are in the vicinity. And, because I know where their spare key is, I’ve even been called on to turn off the stove or oven a handful of times, when my neighbor has taken longer running errands than expected.

So, now it’s time for your responses–

Tell me, how well do you know your neighbors? Would you call them up when you’re stuck with a recipe, or would you drive to the grocery store? Have your neighbors ever rescued you?

Baby Showers, Fancy Dishes, & Being at Home

Two of my good friends recently threw a baby shower for another mutual acquaintance. It was going to be an open house sort of shower in a church reception hall, but my friends wanted it to feel more personal than, say, a church potluck.

As a result, they decided to use–gasp!–real dishes.

Now, a lot of people find using real dishes to be downright inconvenient. It requires that dishes be washed, for one thing, and with a come-and-go shower, those dishes might need to be washed multiple times. In this case, my friends wanted to use small plates for food, as well as teacups and saucers for coffee.

Because we insist on using real dishes for our community potlucks–and even ask that people wash their own after the meal is over–I thought this was a great idea for the shower. Granted, I wasn’t attending the shower nor was I responsible for the clean-up. But still, who doesn’t love eating off a solid plate?

Guest Post Wednesday: Neighborly Love

Welcome back to Guest Post Wednesdays, which were on hiatus during Lent. Check out the “Guest Post” link above if you’ve got something you’re interested in sharing in a future week. Trust me, I’d love to feature your story! Remember that as a weekly initiative, it only works if you’re willing to share your own stories of community.

This week’s post comes to us courtesy of Heather Villa, who blogs about literacy here, and has a variety of interests. Reading marvelous books with her family are her most cherished moments. She shares freshly baked scones, indulges in occasional soy lattes, and spends time in flower gardens. Enjoy!

“Love your neighbor” is one of God’s commandments. Yet how many people take the time to get to know their neighbors?

One late winter morning, I answered the phone. My neighbor asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well, your curtains are usually open by now. They’re still closed.”

Admittedly, I didn’t open my curtains because I was in my pajamas. Typically, my family gets going early in the morning. My neighbor across the street noticed that something was different and checked on my family.

Each interaction with a neighbor reminds me that the relationships formed far surpass the fresh produce, homemade cookies, and shoveled snowy sidewalks.

Cow Bell Alleluias & What We Do on Easter

Our opening song at church on Sunday was “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” which won’t surprise any of you raised in low church traditions like mine, considering it was, ahem, Easter.

But about halfway through the first verse, I found myself unable to sing. This is something that rarely happens to me.

In fact, I’d already paraded around the house singing it a dozen time at that point, and even called my parents bright and early to sing it as an Easter greeting to them, waiting for the sung “Ah-a-a-a-leh-eh-luu-yah” response I knew I’d receive. (I get it honestly, what can I say?)

So it’s not like I’m not familiar with the song.

Hypocrites, Hospitality, & Doing It Anyway (the follow-up)

Soon and very soon, Lent is coming to an end. I’m sort of in denial about it because, quite frankly, it hasn’t felt very Lent-ish this season to me.

Let me digress for a moment: Sometimes we need to keep reminding ourselves that it’s okay to feel this way and  that it’s good to be honest about it, instead of trying to pretend we’re cultivating something we’re not. As I emphasized to the class I taught on the liturgical year at church over the last month, one of the beautiful things about living seasonally, about living the church year, is that it helps us to remember that the story will get told again next year. Sometimes we need to tell The Story to each other, and tell it to each other, and tell it to each other, over and over again. That’s what community does. We remind one another of the story we claim to live. But sometimes people die on Christmas day, and there is little feeling of joy during the season of Christmas. Sometimes babies are born during Lent, and there is little feeling of penitance. We keep on keeping on anyway, and we look forward to the next season.

I haven’t felt very Lent-ish for a variety of reasons, only one of which is the big zinger of being 8 months’ pregnant.