Currently

Reading: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. I've only just started this book, so I don't have much to say about it yet. I do think quite a bit about how to give my daughter the freedom to be outdoors as much as I was as a kid, without compromising her safety. Our world is simply not as safe as it was 20 years ago (and back then, my parents said it wasn't as safe as it was when they were kids...also true). I also have to take into consideration that all 13 counties that make up southern Illinois, where I grew up, have a combined population of under 300,000, whereas the 4 counties that make up the greater Seattle area have a combined population of 3.5 million. It's hard to beat the safety that comes with recognizing nearly everyone who drives past one's house.

Watching: Barefoot Contessa. I used to find Ina Garten's style and mannerisms somewhat pretentious. Now I just think that I don't fit her target audience demographic. Andy used to work with a young man from Nantucket. He received things like top of the line digital cameras as stocking stuffers. He, I imagine, would fit Ms. Garten's target demographic. Anyway...I've come to appreciate the show. In the past, I have had, admittedly, a very immature attitude towards people whose tastes were on a different level than my own. Those with more refined tastes I frequently considered pretentious. Those with less refined tastes I frequently considered tacky. How elitist of me! Upon considering those attitudes, I realized that what I was really believing was that only my own personal tastes were acceptable and appropriate. Wow. That was a humbling realization, let me tell you. So. I can now watch Barefoot Contessa and appreciate the recipes without being overly annoyed by style. I still poke fun at some parts of the show; but if I had a cooking show, I'm sure Ms. Garten would poke fun at the way I cook and entertain (haphazardly on both counts) as well. She has good recipes and ideas - even if she is preparing a thank you brunch for her master gardener (and his staff of thirty) who just planted an exact replica of the queen's rose garden, in miniature, in the south garden of the guest house.

Pondering: Matthew 8:21, 22 (MSG) In this passage, a follower of Jesus asks to be excused temporarily in order to tend to his father's burial. Jesus denied his request. This passage has always troubled me. I do not understand Jesus' response. It seems uncharacteristically harsh to me. A few nights ago, I went to bed a bit early and brought The Message (Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the New Testament) with me. I had intended to read for quite a while, but I read this passage almost immediately, and it stopped me in my tracks. I just couldn't get past it. I've been thinking about, praying over, and meditating on it ever since. I believe the Bible is the living word of God. By that I mean that I don't believe it is merely a historical, anthropological, or even religious document. I believe that it is what God is saying to us today, not just what He said to Christians 2,000 years ago. That is why, I think, I got stuck on this passage. I couldn't brush it off, couldn't think that I didn't need to understand it because Jesus was talking to an unidentified man thousands of years ago, not to me. We are not eavesdroppers on biblical conversations. He's talking to us.

Playing with: felt, yarn, perle cotton.

Browsing: Natural toy sites. After the multiple toy recalls, I am wary of big store toy aisles. It's not that I think all plastic or mass-produced toys are dangerous; I don't. It's just that consumers don't know which ones are dangerous until they have been recalled, and the recalls usually happen because of reported injuries. That means the recalls are too late for some kids. I don't want it to be my kid. I've been looking specifically for a toy medical kit. Most natural toy sites carry this one, which is great, but it doesn't include a stethoscope. A minor thing, yes, but the stethoscope is the tool that my daughter fears the most at the doctor's office, so I'd really like to make her comfortable with it. Any suggestions?