Some Thoughts on "Sabbath"

Living in Jerusalem in my 20's made me more keenly aware of keeping the "Sabbath" day of rest than all my years growing up in Canada before "Sunday shopping" became the norm.

During my growing up years, few if any businesses, including restaurants, were open. In Jerusalem, things were taken a step farther: no buses ran on the Jewish Sabbath. No businesses in the Jewish part of town were open. If you drove your car there, you risked having stones thrown at you in protest. Resting on the Sabbath was taken very seriously.

Over the years, I have thought a lot about how I should be spending my weekly "seventh day of rest" mentioned in the 10 commandments. In my Sunday School years, we teenagers discussed the modern implications of trying to keep the Sabbath: Should we be going to the beach on Sunday? What about sports? 

"Keeping the Sabbath" isn't mentioned much in Christian circles anymore, but it is one of the spiritual practices mentioned in the book, An Altar in the World, which I read with great interest during Lent. Barbara Brown Taylor widens the discussion of Sabbath by reflecting on how, by not resting, we have changed our world. She reminds us that resting on the seventh not only refers to the seventh day - but also the whole seventh year - when the land was to lie fallow (with laborers taking a sabbatical rest as well)!

I found many of her observations very interesting. Here are a few:

There is no talking about the loss of the Sabbath... without also talking about the rise of consumerism...

Where there is money to be made, there is no rest for the land, nor for those who live on it...

In the eyes of the world, there is no payoff for sitting on the porch [and resting on the Sabbath]... Each year's harvest must be bigger than the last...

Sabbath is not only God's gift to those who have voices to say how tired they are; Sabbath is also God's gift to the tired fields... the tired land.

Spring Visit to Arnprior

I enjoy the convenience of living in the city - but from time to time, I long to get out for a change of scene.

A week or so ago (before our last big snow storm) Terry and I headed for a country drive.

In some places, there was still a bit of snow.

We ended up in Arnprior, a beautiful historic town less than an hour away.

It's on the Ottawa River, which separates Ontario and Quebec. The river is wide here - in summer, a ferry crosses not far from here.

It also seemed a little muddy... Spring run off?

Some winters, the river freezes over - but not this year. The day we were there, most of the ice had melted, but we could still see some, floating near the shore.

One of the most impressive sites in the town is the hydro dam, built on the Madawaska River (which drains into the Ottawa River)

We stopped to watch and marvel at the powerful surge of water flowing over the dam, now that the snow was melting.

Then we took a walk along the shore.

The air was still chilly, so we drove down historic main street, stopping for coffee in a cute cafe...

It's attached to a book store...

... and a gift shop.

No trip to Arnprior is complete without a stop at Wes's French fry stand.

That's all they make - and they do a good job! Customers come from miles. There was a line up the whole time we were there!

April Snow

All the snow in our yard had melted...

I was enjoying our first spring flowers.

(They're called "helleborus" and they're amazing! They bloom as soon as the snow disappears. I only wish they wouldn't face downwards.)

Then, two days ago, an early April snowstorm dropped a pile of snow on our area.

Our little white flowers are now covered in snow! No protection for our car, either! Terry took down the plastic cover one windy day a week or so ago. He didn't want our garage to fly away!

The upside of it all? The snow shouldn't be here for long. With above-freezing temperatures, within a few days, it will hopefully all be gone.

Pots... And More Pots

The current pottery session is drawing to a close...

Every few weeks, I bring home pots... (and more pots!)

Have I improved?

Some wheel-thrown bowls are thinner (which was one of my goals)...

I've tried a few new things in handbuilding... among them (with varying degrees of success) - adding bodies to heads. Unfortunately, the fragile arms and legs often break off!

Squirrels are a little easier to make. I've made a number of animals in hand-building.

As I try to use up little bits of clay, I've discovered that I enjoy molding small bowls, with flower petal designs. Not sure what they would be useful for...

That's the trouble with some of the things I end up making as I try new things.

It's all a lot of fun - which is why I do it! But I think I'll take a break for the summer, once gardening season is here.

If I Went to Palm Springs Again...

It was lovely to escape Ottawa's March chill and bask in warm weather again when I went to Palm Springs a few weeks ago.

The relatives who hosted us have traveled south for dozens of years now. They have found their niche in a rented home attached to a golf course...












The complex has an indoor exercise room, indoor and outdoor pools... 













... and opportunities for socializing.

For many years, they drove south in an RV... parking it near a golf course!

I'm not a golfer, so all that is wasted on me! If I were to head to Palm Springs again, I'd go in January, when the weather isn't as hot...

And I'd move around a bit. I'd probably spend some time in the older part of Palm Springs, where one can go on walking tours of interesting neighborhoods.

Architecture and history are more fascinating to me than golf!

An Interesting Resort Hotel

One of the interesting places we visited, during the few days we spent in Palm Springs, was the  Desert Springs JW Marriott Hotel and Spa.

It had its own golf course (of course!)

More interesting to us were the pink flamingos swimming around in a pond outdoors...

Some parrots in cages inside the building...

And an indoor boat launch.

Boats sail through glass doors into the outdoor pond...

We looked around...

Then we chatted with a young man whose job is to make sure those dining in outdoor patio restaurants aren't bothered by birds flying around, landing on or under tables. The mere presence of a hawk in the air deters most birds.

As he talked to us, he kept an eye on a second hawk that was flying around. The dog's task? To flush out the birds hiding among the flowers.

After a quick stop at Starbucks, in the main building, we were off again.

Impressive! How many people it must take to keep this resort going... But for those who can afford it, a lovely place to stay.

Golf Course Winter Homes

As a non-golfer, I was amazed to see how many golf course communities there are in Palm Springs - winter homes surrounding a golf course, which allow people to live within walking distance of the game, often with no fence in between.

It was no surprise to see golfers riding their golf carts down the street, right onto the course. 

In fact, the garage of the house we stayed in had two doors - a larger one (on the left) for the car, and a smaller one (on the right) for a golf cart.

There were even gated communities for motor homes and RVs with their own private golf courses.

Retirement - and golf - are big business in the south. In winter, Canadian "snow birds" swell the Palm Springs population by 30%.

I can understand the appeal of getting away from the snow.

For me, a non-golfer, a patio overlooking the green was a picturesque place to sit. But don't ask me to walk - or drive - around, in pursuit of a little white ball!