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I have not taken a course in philosophy before.  This Spring semester will include my first.

The Charlotte Chronicles: II

A few lessons from living in a new city for 2.5 months:

1.  Traffic

It's everywhere.  It's constant.  It takes at least 20 minutes to get anywhere before 9:00 PM.

People like to stop.  Just stop.  There's more risk of rear-ending other drivers here than on Amish country roads with horse-drawn buggies beyond every curve.

Drivers don't use turn signals here.  Ever.

2.  Food

It took some time to get used to the grocery scene here.  Fortunately, we have both Aldi AND Trader Joe's within driving distance!  I can find most basic items (beans, dairy, great produce) between those two stores.  However, I have to go to a more "mainstream" grocer (Bi-Lo) to get basic baking items like flour and yeast.

Harris Teeter is akin to Weis, in that it's a local, family-owned chain whose selection is okay and whose prices are unnecessarily expensive.

I really miss the Mennonite health food stores and farm stands of Berks County.

3.  Church

We've visited a few PCA churches (where fellow seminarians are involved), and have figured out that we're truly more in the reformed baptist tribe.  We have been attending a small, young, diverse church that we LOVE (truly a pillar of God's truth in the community, serving in many ways), but we may yet visit a few more.  One congregation that Greg wants to visit is offering a *paid* (!!!!) internship to a seminarian, which is really enticing for us.  I looked at their website, and photos of the staff, choir, and preschool make it appear to be an all-white church. :/. How does that happen in a large, diverse city?

4.  Climate

Spring is beautiful, but pollen is pervasive.  I simultaneously want to play outside and hide under a blanket all day.  *sniff*

Why I Never Follow Recipes

Tonight was curry night in the McI household!  I love curry - it's delicious in its rich spiciness; and you can pretty much make it with whatever veggies you like.  Here's the recipe I started with:

Red Lentil Coconut Curry

1 large onion, minced - Saute in 1 tbsp coconut oil until transparent.

1 tbsp garlic (minced)
1 tbsp ginger root (peeled & minced)
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp each turmeric, cumin, pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2-3 bay leaves - Add spices & reduce heat.

400 ml can coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup tomato sauce - Add & simmer 20 minutes.

2 cups dried red lentils
5 cups water - Cook for 15 minutes.

1 medium head cauliflower (chopped)
1 large sweet potato (diced)
1/4 head cabbage (sliced)
1-2 cups peas - Cook over medium heat until tender; serve over brown rice.

(from one of my favorite cookbooks, Simply in Season)

"That recipe sounds very tasty!" you may say.  "Why wouldn't you follow it?" you may ask...

Well, the main ingredient - lentils - is something I never buy.  I never buy lentils because my husband thinks they're gross.  "Too pasty!"  But he likes beans; so in this dish, I replaced the lentils with some good ol' organic white beans.

What else did I alter?  I didn't use the whole onion.  I have a very low tolerance for violence against onions.  It makes me quite sad.  I got through chopping about 1/3 of a large onion before I couldn't take it  anymore.  I figured that was enough.

I did follow the complete spice palate listed in this recipe - even the stuff I thought might taste weird. That cinnamon really makes the flavors POP - don't skimp on it!

In addition to the coconut milk, I added a few scoops of coconut cream (which is like BUTTER) for a little extra coconut flavor and richness.  Mmm!

I did include the sweet potato and cauliflower (from frozen); but skipped the cabbage and peas, because I didn't have any.  I also skipped on the tomato juice, because I thought that a tomato-coconut mix would taste nasty (if you're feeling bold, try it and let me know how it goes!).

What's the moral of the story here??  Why alter so many parts of a proven, published recipe?

Because I can!  I know that a lot of folks successfully do their grocery shopping according to the recipes in their weekly meal plans; but I've always preferred shopping according to our tastes, what's in season (local!), and what's on sale.

We usually get frozen cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and rice; so those aspects of the recipe were easy to follow.  Cabbage?  Not in season now - though we sure ate plenty of cabbage from our garden this fall!

My whole point is that I encourage boldness in the kitchen.  Even if you don't have all the ingredients, go for it!  Try substituting spices and ingredients here and there.  The results can be surprisingly delicious!

The Charlotte Chronicles: I

The Charlotte Chronicles:  a moving story.

Once upon a time, a boy and a girl decided that they were tired of living in the land of the ice and snow.  They wanted an adventure!  And they wanted it to take place somewhere subtropical.

In the bleakest of winters - you know, that one with all the polar vortexes - they packed a truck with furniture and boxes of belongings.

  

At 7:00 am, they departed from Pennsylvania.  It was 2 degrees Fahrenheit outside.

They drove and drove... and drove.  The truck roared and roared.

It was a boring journey.

But the destination was worth it!  In North Carolina, they stayed with gracious friends; and the next day received moving help from several hospitable strangers.

It was 65 degrees Fahrenheit outside.

That's more like it.

We made it!

They gave us a brand new stove!

Same ol' boxes; different place.

Celebration

The story continues...

Sunday Seven 27-1-2014

 Today begins a new series - a way for me to share things I love/enjoy/recommend.  Introducing...  the Sunday Seven!  Read on for inspirations and recommendations...

1.  A book:  Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us beautifully combines biology, poetry, and history (geologic history, the histories of sailing and oceanography).  I read it while in Maine this summer, and it inspired me to closely examine and enjoy tiny organisms (whelks and seaweed-dwelling bugs) in addition to the vastness of the sea.  Ms. Carson's writings motivate me to spend hours scouring seaside boulders, trees, and lichens.

2.  A movie:  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a witty, British drama about a group of 60+ Britons settling in India for their retirement, and discovering that life's biggest adventures can whisk you away in your golden years.  The cast - Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy - initially attracted my attention, and carried the film beautifully.  Seeing Bill N. and Penelope Wilton play a married couple made me wonder if I had discovered an alternate ending to Shaun of the Dead.

3.  A game:  The Sims - using fancy, modern technology to play...  with dolls.

4.  A TV program:  Modern Family is hilarious!  Recently, I enjoyed a scene that overlaid Cam tenderly singing "Ave Maria" whilst Mitch destroyed their living room with a tennis racquet, trying to kill a rogue pigeon.  I haven't laughed that hard since the first four times I watched Arrested Development (no, not the first four episodes...)

5.  This organization:  Defy Ventures, Inc. trains and equips criminal offenders to become entrepreneurs after their release from prison.  Founder Catherine Hoke spoke at church this morning, and told us how the program releases her clients from the cycle of poverty, welfare, and crime; and suits them up as successful business owners, creating new jobs and pumping tax money into the economy.  Did you know that in New York, it costs $167,000 a year to incarcerate one person?  Check out Defy Ventures - the stories of redemption are beautiful!

6.  This news article:  "South Sudan ceasefire takes effect" - hopeful!

7.  These cookies:  SAMOAS and THIN MINTS.  Thank God for Girl Scout cookie season.

Carolina in My Mind

...also, in reality.

Husband (Hubby?  Hubskin?  Hub?) and I spent a week adventuring around Charlotte.  Our intent was to learn more about our grad school and to find somewhere to live.  We thought we'd spend long days perusing dozens of apartments...

...but we fell in love with the first one we saw.

Four things we experienced for the first time:

1. Burning a Christmas tree - MUCH more exciting than composting it.

2. A January thunderstorm - I did NOT know this was possible.

3. Someone calling the Civil War "the war of Northern aggression."  (What does that even mean?). Apparently, Southerners continue - to this day - to justify a war that took place 150 years ago by it being about states' freedom to choose... to enslave people.  This makes NO sense to me.

4. Shrimp & grits.  This was the best thing I have EVER eaten.

All in all, I am pumped to move to the South.  There is such a deep culture of both music and food (when asked what some of my favorite PA foods were, I replied, "...cheeseteak?  Hershey's?  Scrapple?"  Penna Dutch cooking has NOTHING on that of the South) and many, many lovely people.  Getting into seminary to truly learn the Bible and how to study it is fueling my sense of adventure and anticipation for ministry.  "For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."  (Proverbs 2:6)

Feeling a sense of solidarity with Mr. Taylor...

Can't you feel the sunshine?

Can't you just feel the moonshine?

Now Presenting....

Welcome to "Pearls of Wisdom!"

After - like - seven years.... I have changed the name of this blog.

"Deterioration of the fight or flight response" sounded cool (it's the name of an episode of Grey's Anatomy, which I watched religiously in my post-college years), but it was kind of long.  It also wasn't very concise.  I think I had written one or two posts in particular on the ideal of striving to act kindly, rationally, and considerately, rather than brashly and instinctually.

I think that topic fits into the broader scope of wisdom in general.  As I tend to write equal amounts of anecdotes, life lessons, and stuff learnt whilst reading... I decided to "officially" change the title and refine the purpose of my blog.

Therefore... Welcome, readers!  I'm looking forward to discussing and sharing tidbits of knowledge, and having some fun along the way.

Cheers!

Change of Address

Well, my husband and I loaded up the ol' Uhaul again this weekend.  It was our second move within the year, and it won't be our last.

No longer in remote Centre County (home to Amish farmers and Penn State), we're living in exurban West Chester.  There is plenty to do here!  The county is filled with apple orchards, independent dairies, wineries, breweries, art galleries, restaurants and markets specializing in local whole foods.  It's a pretty hoppin' place!  And it's pretty great that we don't have to drive forty-five minutes to get to town now.

Although we'll live here only temporarily, we are both excited to enjoy some culture, a time of rest (a "winter break," if you will), and time with family and friends (we can even go to visit some by train!).  Huzzah!

Crazy Fall

 We are crazy.  My husband and I are crazy.  We've been from Maine to Miami in the past two months.  Who does that?  We dipped our paddles into the frigid Gulf of Maine, then dove into the bathwater-warm Gulf of Mexico.  "Why?" you may ask.  Well...

We did camp this summer.  That means we worked 18 hours days 6 days a week for three months.  It was fun.  It was also exhausting.  After the summer, we headed up to Maine to our usual spot:  the family place at Petit Manan Point.  It's Down East.  It was cold.  We bundled up in many layers of L.L. Bean gear and did hiking, boating, reading, and sleeping.  We ate lobster:

After all that fun, we returned to Central PA, and decided that from there, we wanted to hit up the Great White North.  Oh, yes.  I had never been to Canada before - what a beautiful, exotic land!  Along the way, we hit up the Niagara, New York area, exploring wineries and visiting the Falls.  The Falls are SO impressive.  I definitely recommend a visit there, if you can.  We also got to stop at the Corning Museum of Glass, where art and science collide and shatter into a million brilliant pieces.

at CMOG

Toronto Harbour

CN Tower, in Toronto

 So, we finally got to Canada; we finally got to get donuts and a coffee at Tim Horton's (after an earlier misadventure all over Rhode Island - our GPS lies to us sometimes); finally got to use our passports at a border crossing.  The city of Toronto seemed pretty great, but we didn't want to spend money on anything cultural, so we pretty much just ate and walked around.  We did discover something called Poutine.  Poutine!!  It's an incredible concoction of French fries... covered in gravy and cheese.  Oh, yum.  I could eat it daily.

Another discovery included the fact that the stereotypes one hears of Canadians are true:  1.  they are so polite.  2.  they love donuts.

The reason we went to Florida after all this northern nonsense was that over the summer we had been called to help work at a conference at Disney World.  Oh boy!  The magic!

We got a little taste of the typical Disney magic, but spend 98% of the week inside the air-conditioned hotel conference center.  The trip to Florida, however, afforded us the opportunity to visit some camp friends, which was awesome.  Florida is a crazy place.  Two friends go to school in Tampa, and two just moved to the Fort Lauderdale area.  I think they are a bit crazy for doing so!  It is SO hot there; even in late October, it was 90 degrees and insanely humid.  Also, getting around town can be nightmarish at best.  All the worst drivers from New York and New Jersey retire there, so careening around town is a complete free-for-all.  Every car ride was a stressful experience.  Because the Sunshine State consists of cities built between sandy shorelines and swamp, every town is very crowded.  Sprawling suburbia with a zillion shopping centers as far as the eye can see - until you get to the Everglades.  The Everglades were beautiful in their quiet, besides calling birds and fan-boat motors.  We did an air-boat ride to see the alligators, which was fun; although our captain/guide was feeding popcorn to the birds to attract them to the boat.  I think that's kind of counter-productive to conservation, right?  Well, we didn't see a gator eat any of the birds.  Besides that, we swam in the ocean and got to see our fabulous friends!  In short, Florida has fun stuff to do, but I could not see myself retiring there.  It is vacationland, indeed.  Oh wait, that's Maine's title.

Besides all the fun and adventures, we did take the opportunity to visit some graduate schools in the South.  The idea for this came from my memory of every Pennsylvania winter and how much I dislike the slush.  The promise of warmth and very little snow is rather appealing!  Anyways, we visited three schools in North Carolina and one in Virginia.  I also reconnected with an old-time camp friend who highly recommended that school; and we were so glad to hear of her and her husband's experience there!  We also had a great visit with our admissions guide, Harrison Ford (for reals).  Filling out applications now... we're going to give it a shot!

In short, the past two months have been rife with adventure (and driving!) and we are grateful for hospitable friends, generous employers, and God's provision and sovereignty.  Looking forward to where He'll take us next!  We have learned that Florida is fun, North Carolina is warm and promising, but Maine is still The Way Life Should Be.

This month:

October will be spent traveling.  My husband and I concluded our summer of directing a camp (three months of s'mores, energizers, crazy college students and curious children) and are very minimally employed.  We still live at the camp.  We serve retreat groups on the weekends, but our weekdays are completely unscheduled.

As much as we enjoy hiking the grounds of our camp, we have seen it all - so we are seeking new places to explore.  In September, we went up to Maine (as usual) and got to check out the towns of Eastport and Winter Harbor (not the usual).  Last week, we did a spontaneous excursion to Niagara Falls and Toronto.  Let me tell you, that was THRILLING.  I have never been to Canada before; it was the second time I've used my passport.  All the Canadian stereotypes you've heard ("Have a donut, eh!") are true! Oh, and Niagara Falls was pretty awesome/beautiful/impressive/marvelous, too.

Anyways, as we're looking to what to do next with our lives, the prospect of grad school keeps appearing faintly on the horizon.  School!  Again!!  I so loved the academic life.  Even though I did fine arts for my bachelor's degree, what I truly loved were history classes, and specifically, art history classes.  The thought of sitting through lectures, scribbling furiously - as I had done for so many years of my life before! - is rather titilating. Arouse my intellect once more, o' university!

So this leads us to October.  We will spend three weeks traveling throughout the southeast, visiting as many schools as we can.  Many of these are in the Charlotte area.  The thought of dedicating myself once more to study - in an even warmer environment (more outdoor playtime!  longer garden growing season!  grits!  barbecue!)  is very, very intriguing.  I am not sure whether it's feasible financially, whether it will make a difference on the future of our careers (maybe each of us will actually acquire a career along the way?)... but I will find out soon!

Something New

Something new; a project for Greg and I to share; creative writing; kitchen experimentation; work in the garden; tasting new libations; sharing with the world on-the-line...

...presenting:

The Gastronomes
http://gastronomes.blogspot.com

A new online journal of our adventures in gardening, cooking and eating.
Check it out - and bon apetit!

On travel

Although my heart desires travelling into the unknown, I haven't been to very many different places.  Spring break trips with a college ministry group took me and friends to Florida, West Virginia and Texas.  Dallas, Texas, I would say, is the most "different" place (from homestate PA) I've seen.  Excursions to Maine have been a part of almost every summer in my teen to adult life.

This year, I'm looking forward to seeing the Dominican Republic, possibly San Antonio, and Maine, once again.  I'd love to add in more adventures, though; to see more of this country than I've considered.  I feel a call to the West:  California, Washington, Colorado, Oregon...  I'd love to make it to those places someday soon!  To see canyons, deserts, redwood forests and the Pacific ocean would add so much to my personal experience of the world.

A recent aquisition of mine:  a Passport.  Never had owned one before.  It's a ticket to anywhere in the world, so long as it's backed by funding for a plane ticket.  How does one travel internationally on a small budget?

Perhaps I can finally expand my travels to, finally, the Great White North.  :o)

Wedding!

Soooo... I got a wedding dress!  I will probably post a photo of it soon, as I'm sure Greg will never read this blog.  :o)  To my surprise, I'm finding that Mom adheres to all sorts of wedding traditions and superstitions.  "There will be no face-smashing of cake.  Each couple whom we saw do that at their wedding has been divorced."  Oh my!  She has also expressed the necessity of the "something old, new, borrowed, blue" tradition.  I read in a wedding magazine that the poem ends, "And a tupence in her shoe."  How am I to come across a tupence?  Will an American penny get the job done?  Furthermore, I had been looking up stock photos of wedding gowns online, which I showed Greg to ask his opinion.  Boy, did I get a chastisement for that!  Even the samples!!  However, I will obey the, as we call her, Incident Commander.

French Cooking!!

Some conquests for my upcoming personal adventurement:

aioli

Bouillabaisse

branade

cassoulet

confit Byaldi

Cozze gratinate

crudites

escargot

gratin Dauphinois
gratin Languedocien

gougere

hollandaisse

insalata Caprese

lobster Thermidor

piccalilli

pistou
quiche
ratatouille
remoulade

rouille

roux

salade Nicoise

Tapenade

Tourtiere

 
 
And now, to polish my skills in the kitchen, refine & awaken my palette to new flavours, discover wine pairings, and to learn how to properly accent the accents in these French words. Pronounciation as well?  A French language class, perhaps?  Julia Child, please!

discontent

Dear friend & college apartmentmate Meghan came to town to hang with me last night.  I rather enjoyed our conversation, catching up on life and ambitions and conquests and dreams.  She kept stating how she missed living in Kutztown, how quaint & quiet it is, how pastoral and friendly.

I find I'm becoming disinterested.

Many folk around here are quite happy and do good in marrying and making babies.  But there are others out there living what I dream about; traveling the country, getting a master's degree, homesteading, having decent full-time jobs.

When will I get there?  Living the dream?

plants

Okay, went to Rodale yesterday to pick up the scraps of what was left of the plant sale.  Parsley, broccoli & some Japanese leafy green that starts with ,M'.  Then poked around in a rack of seed packs & found carrots, turnips, lettuce, leeks, muskmelon & some other stuff.  After that we went to Renningers & the two ladies there had a greater selection of vegetable seedlings [perhaps not usda certified organic, but - ?].  They had at least a dozen breeds of tomatoes for sale, & I'm interested in getting some with a chronological difference in maturity so we'll harvest different sizes & flavours at different times.

AND we've already got a little strawberry plant in a pot [I hope it spreads like a weed & gives us many, many berries] and some thyme & basil growing nicely from seed.  Pesto this summer!

see? i told you i need to travel more...

visited 22 states (44%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

eight.

1.  i love Echo Hill Country Store.

2. working on developing new bread recipes.

3. received the brochure about CreationFest.  read through & realized how very high-school-oriented it is.

4. acquired my Berks County library card today.

5. enjoyed browsing around in Young Ones today.

6. so glad my Corolla is old. :o)

7. painting is fun again.  loving the dioxazine.

8. i need to go on an adventure soon.

Two Weeks: VIII

Tuesday, May 5

Work again, gave Magan some okra, which seemingly brightened her day. :)

Wednesday, May 6

Grabbed a sushi lunch with Robin & Abby, debriefed the week at Princeton and the three of us got really pumped about making our youth ministry more relational. Work again, then had dinner at ABC with Meg and Dan.

Thursday, May 7

Ill in the morning (I hope not because of the fish & chips?) It may be "swine flu", which apparently began its existence while I was out of town. Strange! So I just napped all day, ate crackers & broth, etc. Also watched Grey's Anatomy - oh my!!

Friday, May 8

House cleaning to prepare for Bridget hosting prom dinner. Stopped by work to bid Meg farewell, with a six-pack of glass-bottled Cokes. Weather improving - hopefully Central PA air quality will improve as well!

Two Weeks: VI

Friday, May 1

Helped Greg clean up & move out of his apartment, killed a bird with my car, drove to Abington to hang out with grandma for her 82nd birthday. Got home to Greg's parents' house, ate, hung out, relaxed, unloaded the truck & such.

Saturday, May 2

Greg & I went to the Fine Furnishings show in Baltimore. I am so good at reading maps, but apparently my PA map cuts off at a certain point on Route 1 South. Well, we got there, saw some sweet woodworking. Greg especially liked one guy Dave's work - lots of slabs, totally natural look & process. He doesn't do too much to the wood - and finishes it with linseed oil, rather than synthetic toxic crap. If we're ever in southern Illinois, I'm sure we'll visit Dave's shop.

Next, we drove up to York County (the "heart" of PA wine country, apparently) & tried to find Sarah's aunt&uncle's place: Moon Dancer Winery. There are more than 2 yards on that road with grapes growing in them. Found the party, hung out with KU people; Greg & I agreed that we aren't "winos" at all... drove back to Harrisburg & relaxed the rest of the evening while planning Sunday school stuff.