Friday, September 2, 2016

Three Beautiful Things 09/01/16: Mom Update, Eggplant Revival, Double Travel to the Past

1.  I called Mom this morning and she sounded good. She reported on her doctor visits, the stability of her daily blood pressure and heart rates, and visits from Rosie and Jane and her pleasure having Zoe in town.  I was happy to know that, along with spending good time with Christy and Carol, that Mom is seeing other friends and family, too.  I was disheartened to learn, however, that with her next pain clinic visit still a month or more away, Mom is having pain in her lower back and elsewhere.

2. I made a stop at the Shoppers supermarket, and, among other items, I bought two eggplants. Back home, I fixed a cinnamon-y, garlic-y, Middle East styled eggplant, chickpea, and tomato casserole to serve at dinner with white rice, feta cheese and chopped Kalamata olives, and pita bread on the side at the Diaz home.  I subscribe to an electronic New York Times recipe newsletter and this recipe came from a dream edition of this service:  "Our 10 Most Popular Eggplant Recipes"!

3.  As I had hoped, it was good for my spirit and my imagination to start reading Dr. Ronald C. White's book A. Lincoln: A Biography. I think the last time I talked to Ron White was in about 1982 or 1983 when he participated in the ordination of Lorraine (Robertson) Stuart at the chapel of Whitworth. So, even though it's been over thirty years since I've heard Ron White speak or had conversation with him, I can hear his voice in this book. I recognize some of his vocabulary and the book is triggering memories of how I remember the mind of Ron White working.  So, the book is a double pleasure: I'm enjoying learning more about Abraham Lincoln and I'm enjoying being in the company of Whitworth's former chaplain and my boss for a year -- forty years ago.

No comments: