Patience

The knowledge and respect even for the smallest
will help one also to acquire patience.
What patience is needed when facing Infinity,
especially when we know its inevitability!

~Helena Roerich


Of Note: Patience has never been my long suit. Looking around, I can tell it does not run very deeply in the fiber of Humanity either. When put into the perspective of eternity, however, patience takes on a whole new meaning--one worth pondering.

Today's Weather Report: Well, it was 20 below zero again last night, but that is supposed to be the end of it for awhile. Alleluia. The days are getting noticeably longer. We had no January thaw this year, rather more of a January freeze. But at least we have power which is more than a million Kentuckians can say after their devastating ice storm this week.

News You Can Use Snippet: Liberia is experiencing a destructive caterpillar epidemic that is wiping out much of its crops. Locusts, too, are eating their way through Australia. Such insect annihilation is not uncommon. We sometimes forget that insects are much more numerous than humans--this might be their way of reminding us who's in charge. A breakthrough came this week when it was discovered that the neurotransmitter Serotonin was responsible for the swarming behavior of locusts. These are normally solitary desert creatures. But when they congregate and touch each other, Serotonin goes up five-fold and induces the group flying behavior. One scientists commented: "Serotonin profoundly influences how we humans behave and interact so to find that the same chemical in the brain is what caused a normally shy anti-social insect to gang up in huge groups is amazing." Amazing indeed.

Invent It

THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT
THE FUTURE IS TO INVENT IT.

~Alan Kay

Of Note: Of course, that's what we do as creators each and every day--invent it or let others invent it for us. Best that we should take command of the process and do it consciously for ourselves. And in doing so, if we joined heart to heart with others, a grand future for Humanity would be in store. It's simply up to us.

Today's Weather Report: Light snow, big flakes fell all morning with temps starting at 10 degrees Fahrenheit and moving up from there slightly. A welcome, almost blinding sun popped out later in the afternoon. Thankfully, all the pipes have defrosted without bursting. Taking care of the half inch gap around that out-of-the-way door didn't hurt that problem one bit! Funny, the things that become glaringly apparent when crisis ensues.

Watch For Change Snippet: Mark your calendar for March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm. That is the moment that tens of millions--a billion hopefully--will turn off their lights for one hour as an act of solidarity for the cause of global warming. Those interested can sign up for news about Earth Hour at www.earthhour.org. The global event is sponsored by the World Wildlife Federation.

Indomitable Striving

There are very few who strive to
become citizens of the Universe.
This title demands numerous cares,
observations, vigilance, and
primarily, indomitable striving.

~M. Morya
Heart, #97

Of Note: Mrs. Frog here doesn't have to worry about becoming a citizen of the Universe. She's off the hook for vigilance and indomitable striving. That lot falls to Humanity. As a matter of fact, it is part of our destiny if we choose to step up to the plate. As we make the fateful choice, we pull up with us the other kingdom's in nature. So one day, Mrs. Frog will thank us--but of course she won't be Mrs. Frog then. She might be the Secretary of State or Prime Minister of Ukraine or CEO of Xerox.

Today's Weather Report: Well, the big weatherman in the sky must have heard my pleas because it was only -20 below this morning. From -30 degrees yesterday, it almost feels balmy. Well, not really, but it makes me feel better that it is warming up, even if just a bit. One of the kitties had an ear infection so was whisked off to the vet this morning. It's bad when the poor creature went voluntarily into the pet carrier without so much as a protesting meow. We now know this big boy weighs 14 pounds. It is no wonder he is the King of the Cats around here. Interestingly, we were first aware he was ill when his rival was sitting by him yesterday in protective mode. We hadn't seen that before and most likely won't again after recovery, which the vet assures us will be in a few days.

Watch For Change Snippet: Rock star Bono has a great reputation as a humanitarian and advocate for the poor throughout the world. He has been featured in this blog more than once. Because of that, it was surprising that he is at the center of an on-going legal battle over use of vulgar language on the air. Mind you, Bono has apologized profusely for saying "This is really, really f------ing brilliant!" after winning a Golden Globe Award in 2003. That made no difference to the FCC who called his one-word blooper "shocking and gratuitous and a threat to the well-being of the nation's children because it employed one of the most vulgar, graphic and explicit words in the English language." Reversing three decades of precedent, the FCC went on to create the "Bono Rule" whereby such singularities were deemed unacceptable and subject to fine. Many programs including one on PBS about blues musicians were found guilty of indecency. The networks did not take this lying down and appealed the rule in federal court, which struck it down. The Bush administration appealed that decision to the Supreme Court which agreed to hear the case. While most folks don't like or use the "f" word, many hope that the Obama administration will simply take the Bono Rule issue off the table and direct the FCC to engage in activities more worthy of its mission.

The Eyes of Compassion

When you understand,
you cannot help but love.

Practice looking at all living beings
with the eyes of compassion.

~Thich Nhat Hanh


Of Note: Social science explains that we are "unconsciously drawn to people and things that remind us of ourselves." Because of that folks with the same name--like the Jim Johnson's or Sam Blackman's of this world--feel a kinship, even if they have different skin color, culture or nationality. This unconscious psychological trait might be a way to achieve universal brotherhood if manipulated creatively by our brains. Let's say we concentrated on the heart--everyone has one--and every time we saw another person all we saw was their heart. Nothing else. No poverty, no toothless grin, no brand-name clothes. Nada. All that filled our sight was one big beating heart just like our own. Now, if science has this right, we would be drawn to that heart whether we wanted to or not. Pretty painless, really. Maybe even contagious. Think I'll give it a try. You could too.

Today's Weather Report: Enough already. Some of our water pipes froze again because it was close to -30 below last night. We are expecting more of the same tonight. I found the problem with the pipes, though--a draft from an out-of-the way door that will have to be fixed pronto. Thank heavens the pipes did not burst before they defrosted later in the morning. That would have added insult to injury.

News You Can Use Snippet: An MIT research lab has it really cold. A Nobel Prize winner there achieved the coldest temperature on record, 800 trillionths of a degree Fahrenheit above absolute zero. Absolute zero is -459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, although none will ever reach that milestone. Why? Because a little heat-producing energy is latent in every substance and cannot be totally eliminated. I have to admit, absolute zero makes our little cold problem seem rather insignificant. Think I'll just add a layer of clothes and go fix that door. Hot chocolate, anyone?

Filled with Singing Birds

Some little root of the sacred tree still lives.
Nourish it, that it may leaf and bloom
and fill with singing birds.

~Black Elk

Of Note: In many of these pictures, you have seen the rooftops of my sister's neighborhood in Texas. My Mom lives only 4 blocks away. This past week her neighbor committed suicide in between their houses, right outside her bathroom window. That image could haunt. Or it could be a catalyst for another image, one filled with Light and Love for the departed. Such a sending could help him now for without a physical body, his etheric body may be roaming in confusion following his violent end. Thus, he might appreciate a guiding Light energized by compassion, understanding and love.

Today's Weather Report: More sub-zero temps. WAY sub-zero at -25 degrees again this morning. The difference between -20 and 20 is forty degrees. It's the difference between filling our wood-fueled boiler once or twice a day. Or the number of layers of clothing required to stay warm in the house. With no wind, 20 degrees requires one layer while -20 requires two. My-oh-my, we've gotten this down almost to a science as have many across the country during an unrelenting winter.

Winter Recipe Snippet: Looking at cookbooks is one of my favorite pastimes. It always amazes me the number of recipes available when the basic number of ingredients is not infinite. That might be one of the reasons I go back to my old Betty Crocker Cookbook so often when looking for timeless recipes. The other day it was corn fritters. No other cookbook had it. Turns out, a fritter is nothing more than a thick pancake batter with something in it--like corn. One simple favorite of late is vegetable chips. It took several attempts to get this right because the original recipe did not work in our industrial gas oven. But we've got it down now, and it only takes minutes. Yesterday we baked two sweet potatoes and a bag of carrots. All were gone by day's end.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a couple cookie sheets with foil or use any kind of cooking implement available. I use a two by three foot industrial baking sheet with one inch sides. Take two sweet potatoes or several carrots or any other hard-type vegetable and slice thin--no more than 1/16th of an inch thick. I use an inexpensive Asian mandolin set at the thinnest setting. Put sliced veggies into a large plastic bag and poor in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon sugar (helps in crisping) plus cinnamon and salt to taste. Shake well until all pieces are coated. This will take some doing with the sweet potatoes since they like to stick together. Dump the vegetables onto the prepared sheets and arrange in a single layer. Place on the top shelf of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and wait 1/2 hour.

If the chips are not quite crisp, wait awhile longer, but watch closely as they can go from not done to way over-done in a matter of minutes. This is no time to go off and read an engrossing book. Walla! Put the chips on a plate and watch them disappear.

Each Minute of LIfe

EACH MINUTE OF LIFE
SHOULD BE A DIVINE QUEST.

~Paramahansa Yogananda

Of Note: No one could have said it better--the spiritual encompasses each and every one of us each and every day. Therefore, just simple acts of BEING are often enough. Sometimes that's all that's possible. There are those who feel an added tug from their Souls to do the stupendous acts that become part of the official historical ledger. For the rest of us, we face the day knowing that simply living love constitutes a divine quest. Who knows. It is not inconceivable that our grandchildren and their children could look back in the history books and find that as a group Humanity saved the world. After all, that is our destiny. But it all starts with each minute of life.

Today's Weather Report: I thought I might have seen things yesterday when -16 degrees was predicted as the overnight low. You know, meteorologists just can't get it right. It wasn't -16 last night, rather -20! Jim can confirm that it was VERY cold since he ran in it this morning. Our neighbors are getting quite accustomed to seeing this multi-layered dude running up and down the road. Some folks wanted to know what the difference was between running and jogging. Jim's reply: " A race entry form." Jim knows about running races. As a charter runner in Duluth's Grandma's Marathon, he receives a free entry every year. Thus, every year he starts to train but then is sidelined by injuries. We will see what this year brings. The race is in June.

Watch for Change Snippet: Something is happening at the Vatican. First, back in October the Vatican rolled-out a re-tooled Vatican Daily newspaper that featured the market crisis, extraterrestrials and other sectarian topics sure to attract more readers. Then around Christmas, an announcement was made that the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communication was endorsing a new product called iBreviary that was downloadable from iTunes for $1.10, with free upgrades. Because of this modernization, priests can now access their daily prayers on any computer or iPhone. But the most surprising and innovative development was announced yesterday--the Pope launched his own YouTube channel to be updated daily with important papal news items. Monsignor Celli, the head of the Pontiff's communications council said that Pope Benedict was "a man of dialogue who wanted to engage with people wherever they were." What will be next, possibly a Facebook or MySpace page? Maybe so. Pope Benedict himself said that Facebook and MySpace were a gift to humanity and provided the ability to forge friendships and understanding. Check his YouTube channel for further updates.

Many Small Ones

Great opportunities to
help others seldom come,
but small ones surround
us every day.

~Sally Koch

Of Note: The call going out right now is to recognize these small opportunities. It could be said that not much more is asked of us on any given day. There are very few great men and women working for the good of all humanity, so it is up to the us--both great and small--to bring about change through daily acts of good will.

Today's Weather Report: The glorious sun has been out for several hours. If the orb is going to come out at all, it invariably does so in the hour of meditation each day. That makes it an illuminating hour in more ways than one. Temps continue in the teens with a gusty wind, which is blowing plumes of snow horizontally here and there.

Watch For Change Snippet: The United Nations has a checkered history of helping during times of crisis. For example, recently 17,000 UN peacekeepers were routed by Congolese rebels as they advanced toward Goma, and other peacekeepers have been accused of rape and pillage in refugee camps. Little can advance in a Security Council where conflicting views force stalemates such as that in Darfur, where genocide is suspected. Some believe that the world would be better off without the United Nations and that a different organization composed of democracies should takes its place. Yet, the Secretary-General wrote almost a year ago in TIME magazine about his "cautious by resolute optimism" for the United Nations as a united world body: " Every problem of the world finds its way to the U.N., our global crossroads of politics and diplomacy. But if the problems come together at the U.N., so do the often hidden connections among them--and through those connections, the ways to real resolution."