Snowy Owl News

Very interesting events taking place in the Owl World. You can read about them here. 

"Snowy" is a delightful word. Not quite the same as "snow". Less severe, I think. But just look up an image of a snowy owl and you will see that they look much more severe than their name sounds.

...

I have never seen an owl.

But sometimes I write about gimbles of Buddybird Owls sailing in their leaflet canoes.

Have you ever seen a Buddybird Owl?

I know one!

But just one.

One does not constitute a gimble.

Project Tree

It's happening, folks.

More details to follow.

A Conversation with My Dad

Me: Dad, what do you think I'll be when I grow up?
My Dad: I think you'll be a God loving Christian feminist.
Me: ....


Turns out he wasn't defining "feminist" in the way I assumed, but still.

...

Okay, Dad.

Comfort Food

I'm always on the lookout for simple and delicious one pot meals, and I think I just found a new favorite!

Arroz con Pollo

Image Courtesy of Martha Stewart Online

My meal did not turn out as picturesque as the above image, but it tasted delicious. I am glad I splurged and bought some saffron. Yellow rice is so comforting. This entire meal is wonderfully comforting. Comfort. I can't think of a better word right now. Comforting nursery food. Perfect for a week when everything turns topsy-turvy on you.

If you pray, would you take a moment to say a quick prayer for me and my family? We would appreciate it very much. We are all working very hard to make ends meet, and we are all very weary. (As are many people in this world.)

May we all find some rest and a bit of "home" every day.

Party Time! (L.B. Style)

This is how it's done.

(Or, this is what happens when I leave my computer on at night.)

The Oatmeal Bear goes solo!

Joined by Mr. Totoro, who lives in an eternal state of shock, or so I think.

We here at Little Brown House have had our share of troubling news during the first weeks of January. Little Bear tore his trousers, and my sister and I lost a dear friend. How devastatingly unnatural it is for a person to end his own life. To quote Sheldon Vanauken, we all feel very"sad". Sad and slightly confused. (Though I have promised to mend L.B.'s trousers.)

These are times when the often unbearably mundane tasks become comforting. Housework and homework give me something to do, and they remind me that I am alive. Perhaps I am finally beginning to understand what Aquinas and Augustine mean when they say that existence is good. It is good to be alive.

But since I have a tendency to get stuck in an overly-homeworkish-houseworkish rut, I gave myself the task of doing something new each day. It is too easy to limit myself to comfortable and familiar tasks like washing dishes. I am sure there are people in the world who ought to wash more dishes, but there are also people like me who must stop washing all the dishes. At least for a day. And they should try driving to Church on a different road.

...
Whoa!

Out of control.

Or not really. (Well, maybe just for me.) 
...

This morning I remembered how a fellow violinist, Phil, would pray before each rehearsal. He always began by thanking God for life and breath. It is a very simple statement, but I find myself repeating it throughout the day. Even on evenings when my washer floods the kitchen floor. (Like this evening.) I am alive and breathing, and I am jolly well alive enough to go clean it up.

It's not so bad, is it?