Of Mackerel Tails, Banana Fries and Octopai Eyes... And a little sanity as well

What could that be, swimming in the cooking pot?
Just a continuation of the cooking habits of my sister's family...Not to blame Laurie, of course, but that truly was the inspiration behind a tasty dish of octopai.
The menu for the evening (with renowned chefs, Boyar-Curt and Ruthie Crocker):

• Fried mackerel --the "only redeeming feature of the meal" --Mom
• Melon/Papaya smoothie (spiked with plenty of vodka to drown out the papaya taste)
• Rice with fresh melon salsa
• Boiled octopai avec les onions et les tomates
• Fried plantain banana with coconut milk (optional)

Just thought I'd warn you to look closely at your next plate of salad served up at the VD household --we've found a nice recipe for tarantula.

And speaking of tarantula, I've got some more relevant news. Matt is back on the blogging world, reporting from Honduras. Be sure to check up his update.

Also, my bestest friend Louise has a blog as well :)

Like all good adventures begin, this was indeed a dark and stormy night. The wind was howling, the trees swayed to a ghostly rhythm, the stars had long since disappeared into swirling mists, and the rain filtered through the trees... spssshing, freezing, creating a treacherous transparency across all. Two cars set out from the warm house of their hosts to make the trek to Orangeville (cue scary music :)

A ditched car marked the beginning of the dangerous leg of the journey. They progressed with care, but despite all, each hill proved to be worse and worse.
Pushing the cars up the hill –note Tim on the front of the car and everyone's Sunday clothes :)

With no way to go but down, there was little choice but to knock on the door of Tim’s neighbor. It was dark without lights, and the place looked sinister indeed.
But after a long wait, the door soon opened to reveal the warmest grandparentish people one could desire. They outfitted the distressed children with ashes and plenty of advice, and soon they were ready to go –in one car this time. ‘Twas a little squishy at times...

Much running alongside the car, scooping/ swallowing ash, pushing, and praying, and they were back on the main stretch, headed homeward.

‘Twas an adventure from start to finish: howling coyotes, sinister hermits turned friendly folks, doughty companions, some heart-stopping moments of fear and a warm and welcoming home at the end of it all. Thanks to God for keeping us safe through it all!

2 Easy Steps To Contentment

"One goes into the forest to pick food and already the thought of one fruit rather than another has grown up in one’s mind. Then, it may be, one finds a different fruit and not the fruit one thought of. One joy was expected and another is given... [At] the very moment of the finding there is in the mind a kind of thrusting back, or setting aside. The picture of the fruit you have not found is still, for a moment, before you. And if you wished... you could keep it there. You could send your soul after the good you had expected, instead of turning it to the good you had got. You could refuse the real good; you could make the real fruit taste insipid by thinking of the other." –C.S. Lewis –Perelandra

Hmm, so the title is a bit of a misnomer –there is no "easy" path to contentment. But Lewis puts the whole thing into such simple terms: God sends us gifts, and we face the option of happy acceptance or sour (and futile) rejection. Life is a gift, then; an endless series of "goods". Awesome... Simple, and yet I make it so difficult to translate into real life. LOL, I guess even this late-night essay that stares me in the face is a gift from God. Time to seize it with two hands :)

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." James 1:17

History Bloopers

"I believe it is peace for our time." Neville Chamberlain, September 30, 1938, describing the Munich Agreement.

"...His eyes impressed me most of all. There was a liquid quality about them, which indicated keen perception and profound sympathy."... "I wished him well in his efforts to help mankind." MacKenzie King, June 29, 1937, describing Herr Hitler.

Hmmm, the irony. Couldn't help but laugh out loud at that one! And can't help but wonder if we're following a blind sort of appeasement in the area of Islamic terrorism... Nobody sees, nobody knows.