Some of this morning’s harvest.
All posts by GretchenJoanna
Powers at work.
The Beheading of John the Baptist
From Mark 6:
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- Now King Herod heard of Him [Jesus], for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”
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- Others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.”
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- But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!”
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- For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her.
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- Because John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
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- Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not;
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- for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
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- Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.
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- And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”
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- He also swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”
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- So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”
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- Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
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- And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.
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- Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison,
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- brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.
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- When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.
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- Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.
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A Prayer for Midmorning
A PRAYER FOR MIDMORNING (Third Hour)
By Saint Basil the Great
O Lord our God, who hast given peace unto men and hast sent down the gift of thine All-holy Spirit upon thy disciples and apostles, and didst by thy power open their lips with the tongues of fire: open also the lips of us sinners and teach us how and for what we must pray. Be thou the helmsman of our life, O thou calm haven of the storm-tossed, and make known unto us the way wherein we should walk. Renew an upright spirit in our inmost parts and by thy ruling Spirit make steadfast our fickle mind, so that each day being led by thy good Spirit toward whatever is profitable, we may be counted worthy to accomplish thy commandments and to keep always in remembrance of thy glorious coming, which searches out the deeds of men. Lend us thy power, lest we be deceived by the ruinous delights of this world: give us instead to yearn for the enjoyment of the treasures laid up for the age to come: for blessed and praised art thou in all thy saints, unto ages of ages. Amen.
August is foggy a lot.
So many mornings the sun does not come out until late. But I picked the last of my Elephant Heart plums this week, and the first two figs of the season the week before. Just now I wandered around the garden (noon and sunny) and cut three zucchini.
I’m trying to get back to my habit of going to the beach once a week. It’s been foggy on the coast, too, but pleasant enough that I can wear just a thin linen shirt. Last time I saw an unfamiliar bird, a little smaller than the usual sea gulls. There were many parties of a dozen or so, mostly sitting together and looking out to sea. When I got home and researched, I discovered that they are Heermann’s Gulls.
There were also lots of the charming Godwits out there fishing.
Sea Palm
Every person in a large family at church was sick recently, which gave me the opportunity to have fun in the kitchen, making dinner for them one day. Most of the time I am trying, usually in vain, to cook for one, and eat for one. It seems impossible to learn, and not that enjoyable. So I made the most of this occasion to cook big batches of lots of dishes, enough for leftovers. It was the perfect day to make lemon curd, and I roasted both onions and Brussels sprouts, keeping back half for myself.
The giant sunflower plants in front are dangerously close to breaking their branches and/or falling over, so I pruned them and cut some of the blooms to add to the dinner box.
This is the first year I’ve ever grown a tomatillo. My neighbor gave me a seedling that he had started. It is branching out everywhere with yard-long stems, and the husks that will house the fruit, as yet unformed, are tender lime-green lanterns. In this next picture it’s climbing over a tomato vine so there is a confusion of types of leaves.
Wikipedia says, “The wild tomatillo and related plants are found everywhere in the Americas except in the far north, with the highest diversity in Mexico. In 2017, scientists reported on their discovery and analysis of a fossil tomatillo found in the Patagonian region of Argentina, dated to 52 million years BP. The finding has pushed back the earliest appearance of the Solanaceae plant family of which the tomatillo is one genus.”
I asked a man from Oaxaca, Mexico what his family does with tomatillos, and he didn’t know of any use but salsa, which is also the only thing I had ever heard. Does any of you have a good recipe for tomatillos, or another use? They don’t look like they’ll be ripe anytime soon, but I should be ready with a plan!
Gladsome Lights 