Advent Prayer

"O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care: Come. O Sacred Lord of ancient Israel, you showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush and you gave the holy law on Mount Sinai: Come. O Flower of Jesse's stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all people; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you: Come. O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, you [not the systems of this world] control at your will the gate of heaven: Come break down the prison walls of death. O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: Come shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; o Keystone of the mighty arch of humankind: Come and save these creatures you fashioned from the dust. O Emmanuel, God-With-Us, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people: Come and set us free.
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Amen. Lord Jesus, come soon! Lord Jesus, come and free us from the prisons of death. We ask for it together as his people. And we ask for it in Jesus' name. Amen. "
- Richard Rohr, from Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr

Men and Women Together

"St. Paul says, "There can be neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). The new humanity that we are pointed toward is not neuter, unisex or oversexed, all of which make love impossible. In Christ we are whole, one, in union, integrated. The self becomes wholly holy. That is the final product of the Spirit making all things one. It is the consummate achievement of God in Christ, who reconciles all things within himself (Colossians 1:20) and invites us into the ongoing reconciliation of all things (Ephesians 1:3–14).
Men must be converted to the feminine, women to the masculine. Maybe that is why God made sexual attraction so compelling. If we are converted to the non-self, everything changes. Thereby we approach authentic religious conversion toward the utter not-me: God. From the whole—and center—position, we see through eyes other than our own half-blinded ones. We see the other side of things and forgiveness becomes possible. We see that the enemy is not enemy but spiritual helpmate. Once we have met and accepted our inner opposite, there is nothing more to defend and nothing more to be afraid of."
- Richard Rohr, from from Radical Grace, "Masculine Spirituality"

My (big) baby and me

Who's your mommy?

The second annual Christmas Tree

It's that time again. We are done with the apples, and the pumpkins and we have come now to my VERY favorite time - the smell of evergreen when you walk into the house, tiny bright lights and sparkly ornaments, peppermint in everything edible (or potable), warm stews, hot chocolate, ribbons, bows, and (hopefully) snow! It's Christmas time! That means it was time for the Second Annual Christmas Tree-cutting Expedition.

Jon and I were going to go the Friday after Thanksgiving, but it snowed all night. This is Jon's yard.

So, instead, we went this last Sunday. We went up to the Jemez Mountains, past the community of Ponderosa, past the primitive camp site and then up the dirt road, to the very same valley I got my tree from last year. Here is Jon with the tree of choice before it was cut. Here it is in its special cutting ceremony.

Here is the valley where it began its life. The actual cutting took a lot less time than last year, so we were out of there in less than 5 minutes! The increased efficiency could have been due to the strength of the woodsman or the sharpness of the blade, or both. On Tuesday, we decorated it. Isn't it pretty?!Hanging ornaments is fun!!Ditto :)There is only one member of the "family" who really does NOT enjoy decorating the tree. In fact, he delights in knocking ornaments OFF the tree with his voluminous tail.
The finished product! My awesome christmas tree in all its blurry glory.

Saturday Hike

On Saturday evening, Lucky, Jon and I went for a great, but short, hike in the Sandia's. We hiked straight up from the big rock wall at the top of Candelaria. It was quite vertical, so on the way back, I spent a lot of time sliding on my butt. It sure was pretty, though. When we got as high as we were going to go, we sat down and Jon and I (but, thankfully, not Lucky)saw three deer right in front of us. We sat there, quietly in awe, at the scene of three deer in the wilderness, with a huge bustling city right behind them. They seemed so oblivious to all that was going on. It was amazing!

The rock wall at the beginning of the trail.

The fellow hikersThe North Crestum... rocks and cactiThe moon peeking out from behind the cloudsA really cool picture of JonOh no - it's getting dark! Hurry UP! The lights turn on, and the hike ends.

Happy and Busy

November has certainly been busy so far. Work has been quite hectic, and I went to a conference last weekend in Denver. It was at the Colorado Convention Center, which is just a really cool building. It has a massive blue bear trying to get in and go to the sessions.

While we were there, we went out for some really delicious sushi on the 16th Street Mall. We got the rolls with just avocado, and then some with avocado and raw salmon. YUMMY! Sushi was immediately followed by a delish crepe. It was stuffed with strawberries, Nutella, and cream cheese, drizzled with chocolate and whipped cream. It doesn't get any better than that, people. My colleagues and I decided that the night's culinary progression would be our version of "tapas". While I was in Denver, Lucky stayed with Jon, and broke the World Record for "Length of Time a Dog has barked fairly continuously". I don't know what comes over him when he goes to Jon's house, but he certainly changes his personality in a very drastic way.

Now, in case you are worried that knitting has taken a back seat recently, fear not! I knit when I can, and when there is time. There is not a lot of time, but I have been faithful, whenver possible.

I finished Kristen's mittens - they are a modified version of the ones in Easy Knitting from about three years ago. I added the cables in the cuff. They are knit out of Paton's Merino. I LOVE the color. They turned out very well, although I had to rip out one top and reknit since they weren't the same size.

I also started knitting a new scarf for myself. It is out of Mountain Colors 4/8's wool in (as you can see) a fantastic color - I think it is called "Crazy Woman". I am using a modified Knitter's Review pattern. I also finished socks (below) for Corrie. I forgot to take a finished object photo - I was so excited to give them to her. Silly me! Apparently, they fit well, so I am happy.

I started this pinkish-reddish beret for my aunt. It is almost done, too. I like the pattern, except for the end, when half the decreases are written to lean the wrong way. They are NOT elegant. The patter is the Tweed Beret by Kristen Tendyke from Interweave Knits either from last winter or the one before that. Other than the decreases, I have enjoyed knitting it. It is super fast! I have just six more rounds to go. As soon as that is done, I am casting on for a hat for Jon. I dyed about a quarter of the yarn for it a deep navy blue. The rest will be natural, undyed, straight from the farm. I got the yarn at the Taos Wool Festival. As is my custom, I will make this hat using a fair-isle stitch from the Knitter's Bible, and size it specifically for him. I am excited - it will be a great hat (I hope!).

Speaking of Jon, I just have to say that I am the luckiest girl around. I am crazy about him, and I could shout it from the top of a mountain, but instead I'll just shout it from the top of my blog (blogs don't really have tops and bottoms, but there you go).

An important event!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCKY!

Yesterday was Lucky's fourth birthday! I have been explaining the significance of a birthday to him all week, so I think he was (almost) as excited as I was. He got lots of birthday hugs and he got the best birthday present a dog could ask for - a good long hike with his mom in the sunshine. In order to commemorate this important occasion appropriately, I think I will show some pictures of Lucky's most significant events of the past year.

Last December, Lucky went to Denver and played out a three day snowstorm. Luckily, he is a "snow dog". He also got to chill with his good buddy, Zarek. Back in Albuquerque, he was excited to, once again, play out another three-day snowstorm. He even got to hike along the Crest Trail in the snow. He celebrated New Years in style! For Spring Break, he went on a long road trip through Southern New Mexico. He got to hike just south of Alamogordo. Hikes are the best! In April, he met Jon and "helped" him plant a vegetable garden. He also got to go hiking in the Jemez Mountains. Look at all that hair!

He enjoyed many hikes in the Sandia Mountains throughout the spring. The Jemez Mountains in May are a great place for a happy dog. Alas, all that hair had to go!
In July, he met his current girlfriend, Molly, a German Shepherd. In August, he travelled to Durango and Silverton, CO in a Volkswagen Rabbit. He has certainly had a very full year! He is more loving and kind this year than before, and, I think, cuter than ever before. YAY LUCKY! I LOVE MY BABY!

Climate Change Woes

I recently taught a class on Climate Change. All that preparing, reading and teaching really caused me to think and reflect on what's going on. I got really concerned! Here is an article I read today that shows what we already know to be true - that climate change is real and it's already happening. Very good article, and great graphics - GO read it!
Arctic Sea Ice Melts to Record Low

In "other" news, it is 10 degrees above average here in Albuquerque today - 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Very warm for October. hmmmm.

Apples and Pumpkins

Apple season is in full swing around here! About a week ago, I went to the Dixon's Apple Orchard for a friend's birthday party and bought a huge bag of champagne apples and two gallons of apple cider. Since then, I have eaten apples every day, sliced and frozen apples, and baked with apples. It seems like everyone's kitchen is full and overflowing with apples! Last night, two girlfriends and I got together and baked Apple and Cranberry Crisp from the Betty Crocker Fall Baking book (one of my favorite cookbooks ever!), and Apple Bread from my friend's cookbook. The warm crisp, paired with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is heavenly!

Recently, however, pumpkins have begun showing up everywhere. Two of my favorite things, one right after the other! Every fall, I seek out the Pumpkin goodness everywhere I go - Pumpkin muffins and Pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks, Pumpkin ale from Cost Plus, Pumpkin cream cheese and bagels from Einsteins - well, you get the picture. I am also planning, as I have the last two years, to cut up, cook, puree, and freeze a very large pumpkin in the next couple of weeks. That ensures that I will have a ready supply of yummy goodness for the whole year to make recipes like pumpkin praline dessert, pie, bread etc. Today, I saw this article that made me very happy: The Top 10 Pumpkin Recipes. I am especially eager to try:
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Pumpkin Flan with Pumpkin Seed Praline
Curried Coconut Pumpkin Soup
Pumpkin Seed Goat Cheese Pesto

The Pumpkin Lasagne seems interesting, but I am not too sure about that.... Has anyone ever tried pumpkin lasagne or anything like it?

Taos Wool Festival

This week, I had a friend visiting, so we decided to go camping in Taos and see the fall colors up there. It just so happens that the Wool Festival was also this weekend. What a coincidence!!! (sic)

My camera was out of batteries most of the weekend, so you will just have to imagine the beautiful poplars and aspens covered in bright gold leaves against the bright blue New Mexico sky and the deep green of the spruces and firs. It was fantastic! We camped along Taos Canyon just a few miles NE of Taos. For breakfast, we came in and met a friend at Gutiz. I chose a Spanish omelette garnished with tomatoes, marinated cucumbers, melba toast and a green tapenade with basil pesto - it was delicious! Maybe I can recreate it sometime!

I did get batteries in time to go to the Wool Festival at Kit Carson Park. The yarn selection was just the types of yarn I usually go for - hand-painted, hand-spun, variegated, natural fibers etc. I really enjoyed going from stall to stall petting the yarn. More information to come on the yummy skeins I actually purchased!

Anyway, here is an alpaca - He was smiling at me. And here is an Angora rabbit - he didn't care. Beautiful Taos - from my friend's porchBack in Albuquerque, the balloon fiesta is in full swing. Here is Lucky looking at balloons from the yard where we are housesitting.

Rustic Lace Scarf

I have finished and gifted my Rustic Lace Scarf. It used an unknown amount of a pink and grey unknown natural fiber (churro, maybe?). How's that for details? :) I used a very simple lace pattern adapted from a sweater pattern I saw a long time ago, and then added fringe. Gentle washing with shampoo and blocking really improved the appearance and feel of the scarf.

Stone Houses

"Some people live without anything and have everything. The example that always comes to mind for me is in Africa, where I preached. This little old black African man and I prayed together after a long session. He prayed with such tenderness, saying, "O Lord, help us never to move into stone houses." And everybody echoed, "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord." Afterward I asked the missionaries what he had meant. "Well," a priest said, "look at the villages. They're all door-less thatch huts. And so as long as you live a simple life in a thatch hut with no doors, you don't know where your family ends and where the next family begins. You move in and out of one another's lives, and it's all really one family. And there's no possessing, there's no mine and thine; it's ours. It's a world of community."

"Once the first stone hut is built in a village," the missionary continued, "very quickly a door and locks are put on it. Immediately the world of mine and thine is created. The entire social worldview, the entire understanding of self, changes."

We've got to realize the world of stone huts is the only world you and I have ever known. We've paid a price for that inheritance. We can't reverse it. We're not going to live in thatch huts, and I'm not here to say we should. But we've got to know what we've given up by the so-called technological advances of this very sophisticated society. It's one reason why we are producing neurotic and psychotic people at such an unbelievable rate. Teen suicides, for example, doubled in the 1980s. Crime in general has increased 500 percent since 1960! We've chosen security over solidarity in First World countries, in Western Europe and North America. Jesus said, "You can't serve God and mammon." I'd say you can't see God very well if you spend too much time inside your stone house."
- Richard Rohr, from Letting Go: A Spirituality of Subtraction

Having grown up in Africa, this devotion really made a lot of sense to me. It reminded me where I came from, and how I have deviated from it. I have always physically lived in a stone house, and for most of my life, I have also metaphorically lived in a stone house, too. I think that I have strived for much of my life to live in community, and not in isolation, but these thoughts from Richard Rohr put words and a picture to that desire. I choose now to intentionally live in community. I think that, often, when we are in intentional isolation, we can become so introspective and reflective that we then find it difficult to reach out beyond ourselves. This is a lesson I need to be reminded of frequently.

My Baby Puppy, Lucky Hickenlooper

How's that for a sappy title for a blog post? I am going away for the weekend, and that means that Lucky is happily barking away at Jon's house while I am gone. I am sure he is quite happy with his big yard and doesn't miss his mom at all, but I miss my baby already. To make myself better (and to unabashedly show him off), I am posting some cute pics from a recent Lucky photo session. His comments are featured below:

"Oh, aren't I cute?"

"How do you like me from this angle?"

"Walkie?"

"I reign over the doorway. Ha - Why not tell it like it is - I reign over the entire house!"

Humble little guy, isn't he?