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Life is tough. Nuns are tougher.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Bright Yellow


Welcome back everyone who gave up the internet for Lent! I imagine everyone is having a swell time doing whatever they didn't do, eating whatever they didn't eat.

I heard from a number of people who do what I call "Reverse Lent", where they strive to do something that is difficult for them, rather than giving something up. As my long time readers will attest, I do not ascribe to this philosophy since it does not align us in any particular way with the suffering of Jesus. Lent is like one long "Sorrowful Mysteries" of the Rosary, where we dwell on one aspect of the life of Christ. Let's not make them into the "Luminous Mysteries" or the "Glorious Mysteries".

Okay. I'll leave it alone.

But then, when Lent is over...do you stop doing the thing your were striving to do? What if you didn't achieve it?  What if you haven't assimilated the new behavior?  Lent is over, you're done. You don't have to keep trying if it's difficult (and it at least should have been difficult!). You should be celebrating! You see my problem with this.

We're having some leftover ham. Ham was a favorite of Sister Mary Fiacre, so we're enjoying it for her. We rarely have ham. I'm not supposed to have so much salt. But one of the ladies of the Catholic Charities brought a little of that Honey Baked Ham over and that is such a treat. Perhaps my feet will become enormous. It's only for a day or two.

And someone made the most wonderful baked beans! I'm not a baked bean lover. I can take them or leave them. They always look so good and then they turn out to be ...beans. Dry on the inside, not that great on the outside.  But if I had to live the rest of my life eating nothing but these baked beans...well, I'd definitely have to give them up for Lent.

The secret ingredient, I was told, was a squirt of mustard. I find this difficult to believe. Not because of the mustard. I am a huge mustard fan. There is no such thing as too much mustard where I'm concerned. You can tell when I've had a sandwich because my fingers are yellow. A sandwich should squirt mustard when you bite it. No, I find it hard to believe because my mother always used mustard in her baked beans, too, but they didn't rise to the level of these baked beans. And my mother is a wonderful, wonderful cook.  I think the secret must be in what brand these beans were to begin with. Because we always doctor the baked beans, no matter what that dog and his owner have done with them when the beans went in the can.

And deviled eggs! It's the mustard that makes them delicious. But the woman that made them added some sort of red seasoning to the tops that was scrumptious. Not paprika. This was some brand name "salad seasoning". I believe that is what it was called. She didn't add it herself but set the little shaker out so people could add it if they liked. So I looked it over but good.  For you! Because we can't afford those little luxuries. Those things are stupidly expensive. I'm always disgruntled when we run out of any kind of basic spice because it it such a hole in our little budget.

We've also had two desserts. Wonderful bread pudding with rum sauce and terrific strawberry rhubarb pie. So my feet, after they blow up from the ham, will actually be proportionate with the rest of me.

We'll be walking to the store this week. And everywhere else.

The weather is beautiful! But then, the weather is always beautiful here. Happy Easter! It's a joyous time!

10 comments:

Dawn said...

About the spices making a hole in your Budget - Don't know what state you are in, or if this is available in your state, but here in Colorado at Vitamin Cottage (a fairly large chain of stores) they sell bulk spices in plastic bags - about 3-4 times the size of the little bottles at the grocery store, for about 1/3 to 1/2 the price. I buy almost all my spices at Vitamin Cottage - a good deal for those of us who don't have much money!

Donna. W said...

I love it when I read a blog entry that leaves me smiling. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

pretty nice blog, following :)

Marion Teague said...

You need to come to England for proper baked beans. Oh, and proper English mustard. You only want a little of that!

Danielle said...

I feel like I'm always striving to do something that's difficult for me. It is how you grow.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sister,

I love your blog, I just discovered it today and loved scouring as many back-posts as I could! Thank you so much for all of the time and love you put into it!

I have a question...who would be the patron saint for getting out of debt? I have a horrible student loan situation...well, my whole family does. Basically, we all made horrible decisions when it came to our educational loans, and everyone in our family is involved. We're all trying our best to pay them back, but some are tied in with others because of co-payments, which is causing resentments, and things are all very hard right now because not all of us are employed. (I'm definitely going to take your advice and pray with St. John Paul II for job help!)

It's really dire, Sister...the amount is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with everyone's combined. It's really impossible, and it's causing so much pain and depression.
Any guidance would be so appreciated!

Anonymous said...

I would love to see you do a post on the Harvard Extension Black Mass. I don't have a particular question, but am finding the whole thing so disturbing and unsettling, I would love to read your thoughts about it.

Anonymous said...

There are a lot of saints honored today,(May 12) but the best known may be Saint Pancras.
Sister, I have a question for you. I am looking to deepen my commitment to the faith by reciting the Divine Office. But I don't know where to begin—literally. Or for that matter, how to get through the middle and make it to the end, I have seen the four-book set for the Liturgy of the Hours, but having tried to get through it once, I became thoroughly lost. Do you know of any website or other resource that can explain how to do it? Also, can you explain a little about the Little Office of the Virgin Mary. It seems much less confusing. Is that an acceptable substitute for a lay person, or is it meant as a supplement to be said in addition to, rather than instead of, the regular Liturgy of the Hours? Any help you can give is appreciated.
—A faithful reader.

Anonymous said...

I haven't been here for a while so I just heard of Sister Mary Fiacre's death. I'm sorry for you. And also, like you, a teeny bit jealous. Life is so hard. It must be such a relief to know the struggle is behind you.

Unknown said...

Hi Sister,

I have a question for you! I am going through a divorce and heard a suggestion a few weeks back that if a friend asks if I need anything to suggest that they offer a small fast on my behalf.

I really liked the idea, though I haven't actually put it into practice and not sure I ever will. But it led me to a bigger realization that I should be fasting for other people's intentions. Which leads me to my question:

Should I let people know I am fasting for them when they mention a situation that calls for prayer? Is it similar to the familiar line....I am praying for you? Should the intention of fasting be kept private?