1. Today was a packed day in college basketball and I watched three games. The most memorable was Iowa-Iowa State. Iowa's superb center, Luka Garza, played limited minutes because of foul trouble. But, get this: in 17 minutes, Garza took 14 shots and made 13 of them, including converting 6 of 7 of his three point shots. Add in the two free throws he made, out of four attempts, and, unbelievably, Garza scored 34 points, and I repeat, in just 17 minutes of play.
Iowa is scheduled to play Gonzaga on December 19th.
I really don't know how Gonzaga plans to defend Luka Garza while also trying to stop the rest of Iowa's sharpshooting team. It will be a stern test for the Zags.
2. I happened to catch a spot on television this evening that featured Rev. Liz Walker of Roxbury Presbyterian Church. She is working within her congregation and with African-Americans well outside the church to encourage people to trust the upcoming Covid-19 vaccination.
Rev. Walker's appearance touched me in an unexpected way. Memories of worshipping in Episcopal churches from Eugene to College Park to Coeur d'Alene and many points in-between were suddenly upon me. Yes, I can and do have private, individual spiritual experiences while spending so much time by myself during the pandemic. Right now, I am at peace with not joining any congregations, even with limited in-person worship available. My tears tonight, however, expressed that while my patience is far from running out, I look forward, when the time is right, to joining with others in celebrating the Eucharist together. Yes, I can, while home, participate in the mystical, eternal Body of Christ and it's wonderful. At the same time, with abiding patience, I calmly await the time when I can join with others, in person, to be a part of the temporal, physical Body of Christ. In the meantime, my contentment and longing live within me side by side and, thank God, my sense of contentment prevails.
3. Staying home so much does, from time to time, heighten the never ending longings of my soul. I know that my longings outdistance ever having them satisfied and I am content knowing that. I have to be. Otherwise, almost all I'd do is suffer.
Staying home so much has also inspired me to be playful in the kitchen, a source of contentment. I make as few trips to the store as possible and try to make the most of the supplies I have on hand.
I enjoy playing around with food and one of the positive aspects of living alone is that I never have to concern myself as to whether anyone else is going to enjoy eating what I prepare.
I always know I will!
Look. I'm not Marcus Samuelsson in the kitchen, but I do like to play "what if".
Tonight, I knew I had some green salad with tuna in it left over from the other night. I wondered, what if I stretch this salad with the last bit of penne that's left in a bag I have on hand? So I cooked it up. Then, I wondered, what if I add black beans to it? So I opened a can of black beans, drained them, and seasoned them with cumin and garlic powder.
I put the beans in with the salad, drained the pasta, ran cold water over it for a while, and added the penne to the bowl. I mixed it all up and wondered, hmmm, what if I add Parmesan cheese to this? So I did. I served myself a bowl of this mixture, took a bite, and wondered, what if I added rice vinegar to this combination of Romaine lettuce, carrots, celery, tuna, black beans, and penne? It was perfect. Rice vinegar added sweetness and played off of the cumin and garlic powder. This bowl had a fun variety of textures. It was kind of a mess, but it worked and was a lot of fun.
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