Progressives & Faith

If you are a person of faith, and a progressive, then I urge you to visit the Sojourner's website. Started by Jim Wallis, it is an inspiring collection of faith-based opinion on every imaginable issue from politics to poverty to justice to creation, with a refreshing and positive twist.

I went to the site to help cleanse my brain after seeing a report on our local news about a Kalispell Baptist church pastor who is calling the US an abomination now that Obama has been elected. He claims we are on a path of wickedness and that people of faith should not commune with the wicked (see liberals). I pray God helps this poor delusional and hate-filled man. I cannot begin to understand how he can interpret the bible in such a way. I am sad for him.

So, off the the Sojourner's site I went. And now I am uplifted and rejuvenated by their inspiring words and glad hearts. Bless them.

Hope Reigns

I may be engaging in a little hubris here, but I believe that yesterday, November 4, 2008, is the most remarkable day of my lifetime as a citizen of these United States. This country experienced something that may change our collective destiny for the better in ways we can’t even begin to imagine. I am awed, stunned, delighted, and deliriously happy. And I am incredibly proud of us. We have given ourselves an opportunity to rise above our petty differences and create a positive and hopeful future for our children and their children's children. I hope and pray we can live up to our promise.

I pray that our United States once again enjoys the blessings of doing the right thing, by being a responsible global citizen and leading once more by example. When we are at our best, you can almost hear the angels sing.

Yesterday proves that hope reigns. Hallelujah!

Found Magic

Last week our friends Sally and Earl visited from Colorado. While they were here, we harvested some English walnuts at a neighbor’s and then found some black walnuts at Sacajawea Park in Polson. I have been playing around with the idea of being a wool maven, and am hoping to do some dyeing of the wool we had spun this summer. Perhaps a sweater for Albert?

We processed the walnuts over the weekend and found that different walnuts give different colors. The larger fleshy black walnut husks produce a dark khaki green, their shells a lighter tone. The English walnut husks produce a much warmer soft brown; again the shells produce a lighter tone. In for a penny…I shelled a bunch of organic hazelnuts and boiled the shells for about six hours. It produces a very light pinkish-brown color. It will be interesting to see if it is colorfast.

I’ll post color swatches soon.

The View

Our little farm sits on the crest of Finley Point, which snakes out from the east shore of Flathead Lake near its southern end. Visitors to the farm are always struck by the "million dollar views" we have to the north and south. As far as we know, we are the only folks on "the Point" to be blessed so.

Late winter in northwest Montana can be rather dreary. One gray day seems to slide into the next with little relief from Mary Sunshine. Today is an exception. Today we are graced with a wan sunlight that brings no warmth, and incredibly still weather. The lake is like glass, reflecting back the series of mountain ranges surrounding it. While the palette is still monochrome, the effect is somehow magical.

It is right somehow that these days are the exception rather than the rule. How better to be reminded of the beauty that surrounds us than by a little nice weather in the midst of a gray winter. If it were perfect all the time, what other wonders would we miss?

Welcome

Hi and welcome to The Robin's Egg, a little piece of self-indulgence. In March of 2004, my darlin' husband, Albert, and I packed up our life in suburban Colorado and moved lock, stock, and barrel to our little piece of organic farming heaven in northwestern Montana. Life since has been exhilarating, exhausting, fun, and sometimes frustrating, but never, ever boring. I hope to share a little of our adventure with you here on these pages. I'll try not to bog you down with details, or overwhelm you with political rants, but a little of that may seep in now and then. So, check back often, and don't be afraid to offer your thoughts on our story as it unfolds.

Cheers, lars

p.s. Happy Birthday, Mum