March 15 - April 17
It is important to me that I challenge myself to learn and grow....
I have made significant progress in working my way through Balancing the Sword. This book is a comprehensive study guide to the Bible. It has questions related to the content of each chapter of the Bible. I am finding it helpful for motivation and comprehension of the scripture I am reading. I have now read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers and am presently making my way through Deuteronomy. This dovetailed quite nicely with a Lenten message I read about God rescuing us from our own personal Egypt's.
I attended an Anglican service on Easter day.
Herb and I went for a walk at the botanical center, taking note of what was in bloom during this early spring. It will be interesting to return and note changes.
I continued to make natural observations. The world is waking up from its wintery slumber. The hyacinths and daffodils have bloomed and the tulips have just opened up. My trees have developed chandelier-like seeds that the squirrels are feasting on. The birds are up bright and early, even in the dark I hear male cardinals singing their beautiful song. The mockingbirds have returned to their nesting sites at work.
In March, I researched local gyms with the intent that I would get a membership and return to weightlifting. Christian and I visited a couple of gyms together. We even scored a free day pass at one and worked out together. We did back and biceps. I ended up getting a membership at this gym and am beginning to incorporate it into my life. I have found that I still love lifting weights.
I also got back in touch with my love of college basketball during this NCAA basketball tourney. I am the only one in the family that totally digs college basketball and I am wondering how I can nurture this for myself.
If I am recalling correctly, I have baked cheesecake twice in the past. During this month I have baked three cheesecakes. I am getting the hang of this. It is not nearly as arduous as I remember it being. I baked a New York style cheesecake for Christian's birthday and a peanut butter chocolate cheesecake for Herb's birthday and one other occasion. The peanut butter cheesecake is keto friendly; it uses monk fruit as the sweetener. I have learned that I like monk fruit as an alternative to white sugar.
In addition to reading scripture, I am reading a wide range of books, fiction and nonfiction. In March, I read The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander, Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham, Green Fraud by Marc Morano, The Number Devil by Hans Enzensberger, The Power of Fun by Catherine Price, Festivals, Family and Food by Diana Carey and Judy Large, and Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. Thus far, in the month of April, I have read Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard Maybury (a great introduction to inflation) and The Importance of the Electoral College by Dr. George Grant. I also read In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson which tells the story of America's first ambassador to Nazi Germany, William E. Dodd, and his daughter Martha as they" experience the rising terror of Hitler's rule." I am, presently, making my way through Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight by Sharon Heller, which is about sensory defensiveness.
I ate at a Cuban restaurant that had live music. A lesson on cultural geography absorbed through the sense of taste and sound - a favorite way to expand my knowledge base.
I learned about Sicilian pizza and it's focaccia-like crust. I was treated to pizza by some friends who had picked up the last pizzas of a pop-up pizzeria. One of those pizzas was said to be a Sicilian style pizza and it had a thick crust with big airy pockets. I researched Sicilian pizza and learned that it is traditional for them to make pizza on a crust that is akin to focaccia. I learned something new! :)
I am still tearing through podcasts, mostly true crime and political/geopolitical. Here is a sample of what I have been listening to: Snake River Killer, The Coldest Case in Laramie, The Boston Strangler, The Exorcist Files, X22 Report, Timeline: The Disappearance of Cassie Compton, Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum, Burden, and Walk Softly Children. These aren't merely a form of entertainment for me. The true crime podcasts are full of information that will be useful as I pursue a personal project.
I continue to do my daily journaling. This particular journaling is less a writing exercise than it is an art exercise. I began doing my journals in this more artsy way so that I could utilize the scrapbook supplies that have just been hanging around the house for such a long time. It is an effective way to use paper and ephemera and it stretches my artsy muscles. It can be challenging to capture a days events and thoughts in a way that is aesthetically pleasing.
I wrote several letters, snail mail. This is something that I haven't really done in ages and am finding that writing compelling, or at least meaningful, letters takes a special skill set. I am working on that skill.
I learned how to play Bandu, a stacking game that involves spatial awareness, dexterity, and, even physics. I also played a game of 42, a game involving dominos and strategy.
My Bible study, Balancing the Sword, has quotes by notable Christians running along the bottom of the pages. Several quotes are from a man I had never heard of before, Arthur Pink. Pink's quotes resonate with me which has, in turn, piqued my curiosity. I learned that he was a pastor, with a Calvinistic worldview, and a prolific writer. His final words were, "The Scriptures explain themselves." He was devoted to studying and expounding upon the scripture. Here is a sampling of his writing: "It is not the absence of sin but the grieving over it which distinguishes the child of God from empty professors." "God is 'light' as well as love; and because He is such, sin cannot be ignored, its heinousness minimized, nor its guilt cancelled."
As I was reading the book In The Garden of Beasts, I began to wonder about the roles of chancellor and president in the German government. I knew that Hitler had been chancellor and I had heard of President Hindenburg but had never really thought about how they co-existed in the framework of the German government, what their roles and responsibilities were. I did some research and learned that the German head of state is the federal president who, 'by their actions and public appearances, represents the state itself, its existence, its legitimacy, and unity' and is mostly ceremonial. The federal chancellor' runs the government and day-to-day politics.'
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