Locavorism update

We are 13 days into our one-month locavore challenge, although I'd been preparing ahead before we started. To review, our particular locavore challenge is: Washington state grown only in July, with two exemptions, olive oil and coffee. We are also not counting basic dry-good ingredients such as salt, yeast, baking soda & powder, and spices.I figured out where to buy things, ordered Washington-wheat flour from Winthrop, and started practicing my bread-baking skills.

Here are some things I’ve learned so far.

Lesson #1 - This isn't bad at all. There's lots of great stuff to eat from Washington state. The farmers markets offer a wealth of produce, we can bake our own baked goods, use honey instead of sugar, and eat plenty of meat, eggs and dairy for protein.

Lesson #2 - BUT: It would be completely impossible without farmers markets, and the family-run butcher shop in our neighborhood. If we were relying on the local grocery stores - even the ones, like PCC and Whole Foods, that claim to support locally produced food - we'd have no produce whatsoever, and a limited amount of meat and dairy.

Lesson #3 - I do not much care for okra. And that's all I'll say about that.

Lesson #4 - The perniciousness of sugar and salt: Eating whole foods cooked from scratch reveals just how much sugar and salt we generally eat. Having eliminated sugar, I am going through a 16-ounce jar of honey per week. That includes sweetening my morning coffee every day, as well as up to ¼ cup of honey every time I bake bread. I’d probably be using more in the winter, when we wouldn’t have the sweetness of fresh fruit. Similarly, having eliminated all processed foods I’m really aware of how much less salt we’re eating.

Lesson#5 - Good meat is...good! Though historically leaning vegetarian, we’ve been buying high-quality meat from our neighborhood meat market, and I’ve taken to cooking with bacon – good, thick, juicy bacon. I now understand why it has been prized, historically, not only for its keeping power but for the flavor (and salt!) that it adds.

Lesson #6 - Baking bread is fun! I’m baking two to three loaves per week. From start to finish, elapsed time is about 4 hours with two rising periods, a bit more with three rising periods, which makes a much lighter bread. I’m getting the hang of it, and I find the old saying is true: kneading bread is soothing. We’ve also tried wheat tortillas once, which were a little heavy but very easy to make, so we’ll do that again soon and hopefully improve. I tried cookies today for the first time - hazelnut shortbread thinghies with whey powder and honey instead of sugar.

Lesson #7 - I haven’t been appreciating juice enough. This month we’ve been relying on the very excellent apple juice from Rockridge Orchards, available at our farmers’ market for a whopping $7 per half-gallon. To supplement, I bought a steam juicer and was able to create a very lovely, if rather tart, half-gallon of juice. Using FIVE POUNDS of fruit. Clearly, I have been taking my juice for granted. And by the way, the steam juicer leaves behind a lovely fruit mush which, with honey and some cider vinegar as preservative, makes a great compote for toast or yogurt. Which leads me to...

Lesson #8 - Making yogurt is easy, boiling milk is a pain in the neck: I’ve found all dairy products available locally except for yogurt, for some reason. But I’d heard that yogurt is easy to make. All you need is a quart of milk, and ½ cup of yogurt, to make another quart of yogurt. I'm only about 50-50 on yogurt success so far, for some reason. Unlike bread, this is not something I see myself making from scratch in the long run.

Lesson #9 - Bring back Home Ec! I hit middle & high school in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, when the feminist revolution had exposed the sexism of offering home economics to girls and shop to boys. As a result, we got neither. I didn’t miss it at the time, but now I’m realizing how little I know about the basics of food preparation and preservation. Every week I find myself asking remedial questions like: What’s the difference between blanching and parboiling? Does buttermilk keep longer than regular milk, and if so why? Is it better to freeze berries or can them? Why doesn’t whole wheat rise as well as white? I hope these days young people are getting some kind of education on food.

Lesson #10 - A gal's got to have chocolate on her birthday: Today happens to be my birthday, and we cheated for the first time. We bought Halibut flown in from Alaska, and some Tillamook Udderly Chocolate ice cream. Mmmmm....

That's the rundown so far. Enrico isn't as enthused about this process as I am, but he's gone with the program so far. I think he misses corn chips most of all. A friend who's a lifelong Washington resident told us he thinks one of the Native tribes grows corn and makes cornmeal, so perhaps that's available after all; more research is in order!

Emergency prep list

If recent weather events have not yet prompted you to create a comprehensive emergency kit, then you are simply thickheaded. Especially if you have kids. You're just asking for trouble. So, below a list of suggested emergency kit items.

Home emergency kit:

• Clothes, shelter and warmth: Blanket/shock blanket, tarp, heavy-duty plastic dropcloths; shoes, socks, shirt, pants, hat and gloves for each of us; camp towels; sunglasses; rain ponchos.
  
• Nourishment: Water, Gatorade, food bars, nuts, tuna, canned fruit, Emergen-C, protein powder, plastic dishes & bowls.
  
• Cleanliness and sanitation: Bleach, iodine tablets (for drinking water purification), antiseptic towelettes, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, vinyl gloves, dust masks, plastic bucket with lid, garbag bags, ziplock bags.
• Toiletries: Toilet paper, bar soap, all-purpose liquid soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, lotion, sunscreen, lip balm, femine supplies, ponytail holders.
  
• First aid and medication: Well-stocked first aid kit, Pepto, antacids, immodium, benadryl, ibuprofin, poison control kit (ipicac & carbon), saline eye wash.
• Basic stuff: Batter-powered radio, flashlights, extra batteries, extra flashlight bulbs, candles, matches, laminated city map, paper & pens, army knife, whistle, rope, duct tape, rubber bands.
  
• Tools: Leather work gloves, hammer, crowbar, wrench, pliers, screwdriver, folding hand saw, shovel.
• Pets: Leashes, carriers or crates; harnesses, muzzle, sedatives, protective booties, pet food, canine/feline first aid manual.
  
• Paper: Copies of important documents, bank account and insurance policy numbers and phone numbers, copies of pet licenses and shot records, extra cash.
  
• Underrated handy items: Bandanas (can be used as hairnet, hankerchief, washcloth, dish towel...lightweight, quick-drying, very handy); carabiners (handy for stringing, hanging and securing things).
  
• Luxury items: Solar shower, deck of cards, bottle of wine, corkscrew, rawhide chewies.
  

Car emergency kit list

• Water
• Food bars
• Emergency/shock blanket
• Flashlight
• Lighter/matches
  
• Paper & pen
• Basic first aid supplies
• Antiseptic towelettes
• Funnel
• Shovel

Storage – What do you put this stuff in? Here in earthquake land, we’re advised to keep most emergency supplies (except for papers, cash, etc.) outdoors, since they won’t do you much good buried under rubble should your house collapse. That’s challenging for people in apartments/condos, of course…and anyone in flood zones will have a different set of issues. But, here are some handy suggestions.

• Garbage bin with wheels ($15)
• Storables has nice plastic boxes with handles, suitable for car kit or first aid kit - $9.95; and also cooler-sized box with latch and carrying strap for $9.95
• The thick/zippered plastic pouches that sheets and blankets come in are great for organizing and segmenting stuff
• Store batteries separately so they don't corrode electronic equipment
• Fire-proof safe (a small one is about $50 at hardware or office supply stores)
• Portable hard drive for computer backup - can be stored inside fire safe

General tips:

• Set yourself a calendar reminder to review the kit once a year and replace items that are at their expiration date. Rotate out drugs, food and other items into the house for consumption before they expire so they don't go to waste.
• Keep your full first-aid kit inside the house (rather than duplicating everything outside) but in an easy-to-carry container so it can be removed.
• Have at least one old-fashioned (non-cordless) phone in your house that will work without power.
• Army surplus stores are a good source for cheaper tarps, warm clothing, rain ponchos - all kinds of stuff.
• Agree with your fellow household members on a person OUTSIDE the area that you will call into to report your location and condition, in case you are separated during a disaster. Keep this phone number with you in your cell phone or wallet.
• Don’t let your car get below a half tank of gas.
• A camp stove and stove fuel are handy for cooking and boiling. However, NEVER use a camp stove indoors.
• If you have a house security alarm, it may go off when the power goes out, the backup battery dies, or the power comes back on. Know how it works, or write down instructions if you don’t use the system frequently.

This is for you, Shelly, if you're still reading

List (I haven't done this in a while!): Books about finding yourself

I know I may LOOK like I have it all together, with my self-employed lifestyle and my sugar-daddy husband with the plush gov'ment benefits, and the Plan B private investigator school...but the fact is, this comes from several years of naval-gazing and asking over and over "what do I want to be when I grow up?" Yeah, I still have no idea. But I've read a ridiculous number of books on the subject.

Most books about finding your bliss lay out a simple process: Inventory your skills, experiences and interests. Think creatively about what income-generating activities would use them. Create a carefully crafted plan for getting from here to there. End of story!

I think this is a load of crap. One of my favorite "What do I want to do with my life" books backs that up: Working Identity by Hermina Ibarra (and really, doesn't she get bonus points just for having a fabulous name like Herminia Ibarra?). She's a Harvard type who actually did some research into the process people go through when they change professions, and found that, as experiential learners, people actually tend to make major transitions over the course of a few years by basically trying new things out a little at a time.

Anyway, following are what I consider the best books to read if you are asking the question: What should I do with my life? And after that are a bunch of other books along the same lines, just in case your thinking style is different from mine.

The A List:

1. Working identity: Unconventional strategies for reinventing your career - Herminia Ibarra (2004). Talks about finding your way by crafting experiments rather than neat little flowcharts. Kind of the antidote to What Color is My Parachute or whatever that's called.
   
2. When work doesn't work any more: Women, work and identity - Elizabeth Perle McKenna (1998) - This is the book to read to get you out of the mindset that you should have a full-time, respectable job. She basically argues that the feminist revolution won us the wrong thing: It simply won us the right to be our fathers, working overly demanding jobs out of the home with little to no role in the many other elements of living daily life. Instead of creating a world where women and men live that life - though it's fine if they want to do that - the feminist revolution should have reconceptualized work to give everyone an opportunity to find fulfilling paid and unpaid activities.
   
3. What should I do with my life? - Po Bronson (2002). Just inspiring stories, but they're interesting and the kind of thing that can open the mind.
   
4. The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron - This is a book originally written to get blocked artists "unstuck," but it's become a cult favorite for getting unstuck in general and reconnecting with the creative part of yourself.

Less obvious, but very good:

• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (1995) - Anne Lamott. About writing, but also writing as a metaphor for life. Just a great book.
• Composing a Life - Mary Catherine Bateson (1990 / 2001) - the daughter of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson writes a set of vignettes about interesting women and how they've tried to improvise rich, multifaceted lives.
• Gifts from the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1955). A lovely meditation on life originally published in 1955, but reads just as timely today.
  

Off the beaten path:
Soulcraft: Crossing into the mysteries of Nature and Psyche - Bill Plotkin (2003). Ok, this one is a little out there. And don't ask me how I picked it up, I don't remember. What I like about it is his premise that Western society does a poor job of noticing, supporting and marking major life milestones and transitions; other societies have done a better job of facilitating coming-of-age and other transitional moments. As a result, we're kind of stunted on our paths, unable to notice when it's time to move to something new and lacking in tools to do something with that awareness.

The B-List: If you do like the linear inventory-and-diagram approach, these are ok.

• Wishcraft: How to get what you really want - Barbara Sher (1986 / 2003)
  
• Making a living without a job - Barbara Winter (1993)
  
• Finding the perfect work: The new career guide to making a living, creating a live - Sarah and Paul Edwards (1997 / 2003)
• The practical dreamer's handbook: Finding the time, energy and money to live the life you want - Sarah and Paul Edwards (2000)

Related list: Books about living simply and keeping life organized. If you're quitting your job, starting a business, or trying to reduce your day job so you can try new things - saving money and time are useful things to do. Also, if you've decided your bliss involves creating designer cow-bells, well, you'll probably need to stick with the simple life for the foreseeable future.

• Your Money or Your Life - Vicki Robbin and Joe Dominguez. A classic, though I'm dubious of their conclusion that you can become financially self-sufficient by investing solely in T-bills. But, their concept of equating expenditures with the "life energy" required to earn the associated money is helpful, I think.
  
• Voluntary Simplicity - Duane Elgin (1981 / 1998). Also a classic, which went out of print but is all the rage again. More philosophical than applied, driven by the environmental and psychic consequences of overconsumption.
  
• Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World - Laura Breen Pierce. Part of the second wave of the voluntary simplicity movement.
  
• Organizing from the Inside Out - Julie Morgenstern. No woo-woo utopia here, she's all practicality about getting control of your physical stuff.
  
• Simplify your life: 100 ways to slow down and enjoy things that matter - Elaine St. James. McNuggets of simplicity wisdom, ranging from obvious to kinda clever.
  
• Getting Things Done - David Allen. If you work a busy white collar job, I actually think his methodology is very effective for organizing time, email, and paper, and getting more done.
  
• Speed Cleaning - Jeff Campbell. Seriously, these people have studied the science of cleaning and know how to do it faster.
  

Bleach, bandanas, a good wrench, and a bad Chardonnay

Yesterday, I suddenly decided that I needed to complete our disaster/emergency kits. I had started on them a couple years ago, right after I quit my job, but when I realized how much it was going to cost to buy all that stuff that we hopefully will never use, I kind of let it drop. Not only will you probably never use it, but much of it will expire and have to be thrown out and replaced with more stuff you never use. I was more interested in spending our single income on my new kitchen floor, and a coat of paint for the fence, and replacing the broken window in the den.

But after all the hurricane coverage I thought, oh good heavens - a couple hundred bucks for emergency supplies is going to seem like the BEST investment in the world if the Big One hits. An even better investment than our homeowners insurance, which of course doesn't cover earthquakes, since that's something that might actually happen to us some day. Hey, insurance companies aren't stupid.

Plus, my friend Megan mentioned that she just updated her kits, and realized this was a really good time to do it. Watching all those dislocated people on the TV made her think of things that aren't on the standard Preparedness Lists, but which would really, really make life more comfortable. Like, Chapstick. And sunscreen. And a bottle of bad generic Chardonnay leftover from a party, which we were never going to drink under normal circumstances, but hey, after two days of living in our back yard, it might taste pretty damn good. And, thus - a corkscrew.

Watching the hurricane aftermath also brought to mind some additional things I would want for the dogs. Like, a muzzle for Nelly, in case we ever have to transport her around a lot of other dogs in a freaked-out state. And doggie sedatives.

I'm not quite done, but I'm getting close. Our years of backpacking have provided some creative tricks for rustic, lightweight living. All told I think it'll cost about $300 - which makes me think again about all the people left behind in New Orleans. If you don't have money to evacuate, you're certainly not going to have money to drop on an emergency kit you may never use. Somebody ought to be thinking about that here in Seattle.

And just to encourage you - here is our home kit list to get you started...additional suggestions welcome. (We don't have kids, and of course that adds another whole layer of things.) Also, our local Red Cross has a nice section on their Web site about emergency preparedness and supplies, and I'll bet lots of Red Cross chapters have this info too. Here's a link to Seattle.
http://www.seattleredcross.org/together/index.htm

• Clothes, shelter and warmth: Blanket, tarp, heavy-duty plastic dropcloths; shoes, socks, shirt, pants, hat and gloves for each of us; camp towels; sunglasses; rain ponchos.
  
• Nourishment: Water, Gatorade, food bars, nuts, tuna, canned fruit, Emergen-C, protein powder, plastic dishes & bowls.
  
• Cleanliness and sanitation: Bleach, iodine tablets (for drinking water purification), antiseptic towelettes, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, vinyl gloves, dust masks, plastic bucket with lid, garbag bags, ziplock bags.
• Toiletries: Toilet paper, bar soap, all-purpose liquid soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, lotion, sunscreen, lip balm, femine supplies, ponytail holders.
  
• First aid and medication: Well-stocked first aid kit, Pepto, antacids, immodium, benadryl, ibuprofin, poison control kit (ipicac & carbon), saline eye wash.
• Basic stuff: Batter-powered radio, flashlights, extra batteries, extra flashlight bulbs, candles, matches, laminated city map, paper & pens, army knife, whistle, rope, duct tape, rubber bands.
  
• Tools: Leather work gloves, hammer, crowbar, wrench, pliers, screwdriver, folding hand saw, shovel.
• Dogs: Leashes, harnesses, muzzle, doggie sedatives, protective booties, dog food, canine first aid manual.
  
• Paper: Copies of important documents, copies of dog licenses and shot records, extra cash.
  
• Underrated handy items: Bandanas (can be used as hairnet, hankerchief, washcloth, dish towel...lightweight, quick-drying, very handy); carabiners (handy for stringing, hanging and securing things).
  
• Luxury items: Solar shower, deck of cards, bottle of wine, corkscrew, rawhide chewies.
  

Top ten list

Top ten things I wish I could communicate to my dogs, once and for all:
1. You do not need to kick that other dog's ass.
2. Gnawing on my shoes while I'm putting them on will not make your walk happen any faster.
3. The furnace will not hurt you.
4. While we appreciate the sentiment, we do not need your assistance with grooming ourselves.
5. No matter how long we may go away, we will always come back to you.
6. Trust me, you don't want to actually catch a cat.
7. Your life would not be better if you were in charge of this pack.
8. Hugging is ok - nobody is trying to hurt anybody here.
9. The purpose of a walk is to WALK, not to sniff.
10. Don't eat bees.

List: Imaginary Lives

There's this book called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron which is intended as a guide to re-tapping into your creative imagination and productivity...it was originally written for artists who feel creatively stuck, but is actually pretty good fodder for getting unstuck in a more general way, and I know a few people who have found it useful. It found its way into my hands in a rather weird series of coincidences just as I had quit my job and had no idea what I was gong to do next.

Anyway, one of the things she has you do is envision other "imaginary" lives you might enjoy. The goal is not so much to identify a new career as identify the underlying activities or characteristics of these occupations, and find a way to weave them into your current life in some way. I was recently looking through old notes from this time, and came upon my Top Ten Imaginary Lives, which as it turns out, has eleven items, 'cause I'm just a Renaissance kind of gal. They were, in no particular order:

1. Archaeologist
   
2. Private investigator
3. Professional writer
4. Person on movie productions whose job it is to find all the obscure items and perfect bits of detail to make the setting vivid and realistic
5. Yoga teacher
6. Nobel-prize winning peace & justice activist
7. Coffee shop owner (a cool coffee shop, with movie nights, and book readings, and of course free wireless)
8. Designer/decorator of small homes, or possibly professional organizer
9. Theologian (hey, you saw all those books I've read - I oughtta be able to do something with that...)
   
10. Research scientist
    
11. Small-(scenic)-town postmistress and eccentric lady who takes in stray dogs

Yeah, there's some range there. The moment for some of these, like archaeologist and research scientist, has probably passed me by. I mean, really, I'm all for lifelong learning, but cannot possibly envision starting an entirely new academic pursuit, all the way through to PhD, at my age. And I'm cool with that.

But of the remaining feasible ones...Nobel Laureate...Eccentric Stray Dog Lady...Hmmm...how to choose?

List: Books about religion and theology

Composing my little essay on the Creative Force of the Universe the other day - and reading with great sadness lately about bitter disputes over life and death, and what religions and God say about them - has me reflecting on the reading I've done on religion and theology. One of the ways that Flora keeps things tidy is lists - lists on paper and lists in my head that divide the world into categories, themes, whatever can help me manage information but also discern patterns and connections. The following is a list of books I've read, with the best reads highlighted in red. Some of these are more "mainstream" and some more "out there" - I'm not advocating any particular ideas contained within, though I will say I have found value in every single book. And I'm still reading - my public library informs me just today that A Quaker Reader awaits me. So, if anybody out there actually reads this and has other suggestions - they are welcome in the comments!

The Bible and the Gospels

• The Gnostic Gospels - Elaine Pagels. One of the first accessible books to describe and translate the long-lost Nag Hammadi texts. An important primer on what was excluded from the Bible that gets thumped today.
• Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas - Elaine Pagels. How the gnostic Gospel of Thomas contrasts with the Gospel of John to illustrate competing beliefs in early Christianity.
• Reading the Bible Again for the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously but Not Literally - Marcus Borg.
• The Book of J - Harold Bloom. Explores authorship and origin of Old Testament texts.
• God: A Biography - Jack Miles. Approaching the Hebrew Tanakh as literature.

Where are all the women?

• She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse - Elizabeth Johnson. A classic on feminist theology and feminine spiritual imagery within Christianity.
• Adam, Eve and the Serpent - Elaine Pagels. The Adam & Eve story, its variants, how it's been used to oppress women, and why it needn't be interpreted that way.
• Mary: A Flesh-and-Blood Biography of the Virgin Mother - Lesley Hazleton. What would the world and experience of the historic Maryam have been like?
• Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality - Carol Christ. Review of Goddess scholarship, with the author's personal story of finding a spiritual home there.
• The Woman with the Alabastar Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail - Margaret Starbird. Posits that Jesus and the Magdalene were married, but early church history buried this knowledge, to the woe of both genders thereafter. Whether you believe this theory or not, it's gaining visibility, and making the Catholic church hot under the collar, and I like the idea of it.
• The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine - Margaret Starbird. Follow-up to her first book, explaining her "trail of evidence" in scripture and Medieval art and history.

Buddhism

• Heart of a Buddha's Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh. Good explanation of Buddhism.
• The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying - Sogyal Rinpoche. An explanation of beliefs on life and death in Tibetan Buddhism, much-read in the hospice movement. Beautiful book, a must-read in my opinion.
• Stepping Into Freedom - Thich Nhat Hanh. Intended for students of Buddhist monastic training, but it includes wonderful meditations for different life situations.

Islam

• Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet - Karen Armstrong. The historian author of A History of God tackles Muhammad and illustrates Islam in the process. I love the way Armstrong writes, and this book is apparently well respected in Muslim circles.
• The Trouble With Islam: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith - Irshad Manji. At turns angry and very funny, a controversial exploration of why Islam is the way it is in the world today.
• The Place of Tolerance in Islam - Khaled abou El Fadl. Haven't actually read this yet, but it was recommended and just arrived from the library!

Religious histories and comparisons

• A History of God: The 4,000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - Karen Armstrong. Clear, thorough history of the three monotheistic religions, how they intertwined and have gone through cycles of dogmatism and mysticism over the centuries. Again, I love the way Armstrong writes.
• Living Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh. Parallels between the two religions.
• Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity - Bruce Bawer. Explains the surprising and recent history of American Christian fundamentalism - that it's not back-to-basics theology, but recent heresy.
• The Jesus Sutras: Rediscovering the Lost Scrolls of Taoist Christianity - Martin Palmer. Texts discovered in China that show Christianity made it there by the 9th century and mingled with Buddhism and Taoism. Fascinating illustration of how all the major religions really can weave together.
• The Quakers in America - Thomas Hamm. History of Quakerism and its three main branches in the United States.
• A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism - John Buehrens. Primer on the history and beliefs of Unitarian Universalism.
• Out of the Flames - Lawrence & Nancy Goldstein. Biography of Michael Servetus, a heretic burned in the 1500s for his non-trinitarian beliefs, which later informed Unitarianism.
• Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths - Bruce Feiler. Explores the shared historical ancestor of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and what he means to each today.

Personal Stories
I like all of these, actually, because I've always loved memoires; it's hard to pick the red items.

• Meeting Faith: The Forrest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun - Faith Adiele. Adiele became a Buddhist nun in Thailand for a year. Amazing memoire.
• Seeking Enlightenment...Hat by Hat: A Skeptic's Guide to Religion - Nevada Barr. Personal story and reflections on faith.
• Traveling Mercies - Some Thoughts on Faith - Anne Lamott. Personal story and reflections on faith.
• The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness - Karen Armstrong. Story of Armstrong's recovery from convent life and path back to physical health and the study of theology.
• Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith - Kathleen Norris. Each chapter is an essay built around a religious or theological word or phrase.

Fiction That Entertains and Makes You Think

• Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore. Portrayal of Joshua's life which is very funny, if crude at times, but underneath it is some unexpected and well-researched depth.
• The Gospel According to Jesus Christ - Jose Saramago. Cousin Flora hasn't read this, but Husband Enrico recommends it highly. Controversial take on the life of Jesus as man, prophet, and instrument of higher powers.
  

Useful Reference and Basics
I haven't read all these completely, some are more reference or classics.

• The Nag Hammadi Library - complete translation of the texts
• Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development - Helmut Koester
• The Qur'an
• The Dhammapada - classic text of Buddhist teachings
• The Upanishads - classic text of Vedic teachings that are part of the foundation of Hinduism and Buddhism
• The Tao Te Ching - Lao Tsu. Beautiful, poetic, classic text of Taoism
• The World's Religions - Huston Smith

List: The Small-Town Salvation Story

The other night the movie Chocolat (the 2000 one with Juliette Binoche) was on TV, and although I've seen it several times, I couldn't resist because I am a total sucker for the Small-Town Salvation story.

You know the one - person with recent tragedy, or mysterious past, or something to run from, or just a big case of the doldrums ends up, by design or by accident, in a small town where they confront their demons, discover their own resilience, make new (and usually eccentric) friends, and ultimately find a new home. I don't know why I'm such a sucker for this story archetype, which frequently comes with a very high cheese factor. As my husband can tell you, I do consistently dream about moving to a smaller, simpler place. He grew up in a small town (and I do mean small), and is probably more realistic than I am about the downside to that life. For example, if the eccentric people in your small town don't turn out to be your soulmates, they can get on your last nerve pretty damn quickly.

Nonetheless, the story never fails to work its magic on me. I like to think that's not because I'm fleeing demons or need a fresh source of friends, but rather because I am horrified by the prediction that by 2020 (or something like that) the Seattle area will absorb the equivalent of Portland's entire population. Given how crowded, congested and expensive my beloved Seattle has already become, I'm quite clear that I need to live far, far away from here by the time it absorbs another million-plus people. Even aside from that pragmatic motivation, though, there's a certain inexplicable and possibly naive romanticism involved.

So, a propos of nothing - a list. Feel free to add.

Small-Town Salvation Stories:

• Chocolat - Great international cast. Vagabond and outsider Juliette Binoche finally finds home and brings a much-needed breath of fresh air to a small French town in the 1950s.
  
• Where the Heart Is - I've only seen the movie. Pregnant teen-ager is abandoned by her boyfriend at an Oklahoma Wal-Mart, gives birth in the megastore, and then makes a new life.
  
• Under the Tuscan Sun- Book (Francis Mayes) and movie, though I believe only the fictionalized movie version meets the strict STSS criteria.
• The Shipping News - Again, a book (Annie Proulx) and a movie. A recent widower and general life loser makes a new life with his daughter and long-lost aunt in remote Newfoundland.
• Hope Floats. Sandra Bullock is a famous model or actress or something who returns to her hometown after divorce and humiliation.
  
• Sole Survivor - Book by little-known Australian author Derek Hansen. Set in 1960s New Zealand, a disillusioned woman makes a new home in a cabin she inherits on a remote island. Her eccentric neighbors include a survivor of the Bataan Death March, and they help each other heal. I love this book, though when I loaned it to a girlfriend she was distracted by what she considered a somewhat sexist sensibility.
• Runner-up: To Wong Foo With Love: Julie Newmar - this doesn't quite meet the STSS formula because although demons are faced and unlikely friends are found, the protagonists don't stay in the small town.
  

Top ten lists

Hmmm, now I'm faced with figuring out my work situation, meeting various deferred obligations, paying bills (with no discernable source of income yet), cleaning my house...So instead, I'll do this. (Thus, this is really for my benefit and not so much for the three of you who read my blog.)

Top ten things I will miss about Argentina and Chile:

1. Chocolate o'clock
2. Avocados
3. Really good red wine for $5
   
4. Speaking Spanish
5. Warm weather
6. Funky architecture
7. Happy dogs
8. Craft markets
9. Not hearing George Bush's voice on the radio*
10. Bright, cheerful, whimsical colors

* Because what's the first thing I hear upon tuning into NPR for the first time after I get back? "The MOOlahs need to unnerstand that they can't have NUCULar weapons." Followed immediately by the sound of my head beating against the steering wheel.

Top ten things I will not miss:

1. Diesel exhaust
2. Cigarette smoke
   
3. The Toshota Corosha
   
4. Meat-centric meals
5. The 11:00 dinner hour
6. Fee-based bathrooms
7. Techno-pop music
8. Loud air conditioners
9. Unscooped dog poop
10. Terrifying traffic
    

Top ten things I am grateful for in the US:

1. My husband, dogs, family and friends
   
2. My comfortable bed
   
3. Free bathrooms with abundant toilet paper
4. Vegetables
5. Dinner at 6
6. Voice mail
   
7. Lost and Alias on Wednesday nights
8. Spiced food
   
9. Clean air laws, such that they are
10. The mountains and ocean right in my back yard - minimal travel required