Living Nativity

Our local Union-Bulletin reported on a collaboration on a living nativity scene two local churches are doing. I am not part of the production, but I think it will be worth visiting. What I like best is that it is interdenominational. I love to see people getting along and finding their commonalities!

When done in unison with another denomination, that partnership becomes part of the overall message, Olesen believes. "Doing this together melds volunteers and families and churches," he said. "Right now it seems like two congregations, but if all goes well, it will be an inspiration for other churches to join in."Having St. Clair as this year's director will bring new energy to the living nativity, said the Rev. Owen Frost of Stateline Community Church.

LIVING NATIVITY

The Milton Adventist Church will host "Journey to Bethlehem," Saturday and Sunday, 6-8 p.m. The event will feature the streets of the little town of Bethlehem, including people and live animals. The church is at 1244 N. Elizabeth St. Visitors are asked to bring nonperishable food items to be donated to a local food pantry.

For more information, call 938-3066.

Wallowa

I've been wanting to post some of the pictures I got on our trip to Wallowa Lake over Labor Day Weekend. I'm finally making time.













Go kart rides coming later. ^_^

Oh Dear!

Perhaps there is a deficit in my attention department:

I had just flipped the frozen hamburger patties that were slowly thawing in the frying pan when movement out the kitchen window caught my eye. A DEER was crossing the street from the apple orchard next next door to the neighbor's peach orchard! WOW! That didn't happen every day! I stood transfixed as she gracefully transversed the railroad tracks and suddenly it hit me - MY CAMERA!

I raced to grab it where it hung by the door, dashed through the office and jumped out onto the side porch. The passengers in an SUV were smiling incredulously as they looked at each other in disbelief, but all I could see of the deer were slender legs glowing golden against the green orchard. Dang! I missed her!

Well, she is still in the orchard...I stupidly yelled for my husband to come and see, but he didn't answer....no time to wait...should I follow? I dashed across the street, through the prickly weeds, up and over the rail road tracks and slipped in among the cool leaves of the orchard. No sign of her! I ducked under branches. The neighbors dogs barked in desperation to join the hunt. I pushed through the last row of trees and on the dirt path I was rewarded with perfect hoof prints: She had been here, but lingered no longer. Could I follow her tracks? No, she was probably halfway to the hills by now.
I headed back towards home, looking longingly down every row of trees.
Back over the railroad tracks gleaming in the sun. Across the street, through the office, into the kitchen, where I found the poor hamburger patties sizzling sadly on the stove. Sorry about dinner, dear!

White Crow

My husband was heading up to Kettle Falls this morning and called to ask what a white crow meant. I don't consider my self a suspicious person, and really don't know anything about the significance of animal sightings in folklore, but even I know that a crow is supposed to signify death, or bad news, or something. But a WHITE crow? No idea!

"Google it." He said.

"Why?'

"Because I just saw a pure white crow standing by a regular black one on the side of the road!"

That's got to be an impressive sight, I'm sure they must be really rare!

So I looked it up, but didn't find anything that just said: If you see a white crow it means.... whatever. Instead I found a Kiowa legend about White Crow Hiding the Animals, a personal story of The Tale of Two Crows, where someone in WA first came across a dead black crow then had a vision of a white crow and some book links that it said I didn't have authorization to access. (Why is it linked on Google then?)

Finally, I found something that seemed surprisingly relevant to my life. You ,or may not, be familiar with my borderline obsession with Homeopathy. (I really should write a blog about everything I've seen it do, but not now. However, you can read how it helped us with the stomach flu.) Back to my googling... What I found was an article titled: A Proving of the Blood of a North American Crow. It proved to be confusing at first, but the story of Branwyn as related to Mr. Cope in telephone conversation with the Queen of England's own Raven master, was fascinating. So, I kept reading.

Finally, I realized that they were introducing a Homeopathic "Proving." This is where they test the original "Mother Tincture" to see what effects it has on a healthy person. According to Homeopathy this list of effects is then the guide to what symptoms the remedy (highly diluted) will help.

I am not sure of the ethical point of view of using crow's blood for medicine, even in such a highly diluted solution, but here are the symptoms listed:

Corvus sanguis

; cold, hard
DREAMS; conspiracies
DREAMS; crimes; committing
DREAMS; cruelty
DREAMS; cutting; knife, of being cut with a
DREAMS; danger SADNESS, despondency, dejection, mental depression, gloom melancholy
SENSITIVE, oversensitive; criticism, to
SENSITIVE, oversensitive; emotional
SENSITIVE, oversensitive; external impressions, to all
SENSITIVE, oversensitive; light, to
AFTERNOON, one pm -six pm.; two pm.
AIR; open; a meal.
COLDNESS; icy
EATING; after; a meal.
EATING; frequent FOOD and drinks; fresh food, desires
FOOD and drinks; fruit; desires

Most fascinating was the description of

"how the provers, one-by-one, got into the hot-seat; and reported their individual experiences to the assembled throng, and how most reported what became a similarly-hilarious experience for all.

Each prover basically told his/her story of how their appetites had GREATLY increased during the proving --one prover had even developed the habit of standing in front of his open refrigerator, methodically eating his way through it's contents, unable to stop until the last kernel of leftover rice casserole (etc.) was gone."

Now, if you know me, you know that I have an embarrassingly large appetite, never feel full, and only stop eating because it seems like it would be rude to keep eating. And my son, who has been on prednisone and corticosteroids for his health definitely has a ravenous appetite. So, now I want to find out more and see if this is actually an available remedy. So, thanks to the white crow my hubby saw, he may get a healthier family! : )

Ducklings

I'll have to write the whole story down, but for now, here are some adorable pics of the little ducklings we found rushing down the irrigation canal behind our house.

Mosaic

My recent favorites!
Originally uploaded by gehmflor.

My Flickr friends take such lovely photos! (Click on the picture for links to individual photos and photographers.)