Homemade bread… so good when it is fresh out of the oven. This is an artesian round loaf. Very simple. Rises for 24 hours then… deliciousness. Make that fabulous dipping sauce of Italian seasoning, ev olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Eat until it is time for supper. Oy!
But then, it is not done, because there is… homemade bread sandwiches, homemade bread toast, homemade bread toast with local honey, homemade bread toast with the center cut out and the egg fried in the middle (like they do in Moonstruck), and then there’s homemade toast slathered in butter with peanut butter (and you absolutely must spread the peanut butter while the toast is still hot so that the peanut butter gets all melty and gooey)… Yes, Lawds. M.O.O.N…. that spells Tom Cullen! And Tom Cullen knows what he likes (not the Dark Man!) You’ve got to keep up with the movie references on this blog! Speaking of which….
Hector and the Search for Happiness was a delightful film. I’m going to give this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2⭐️. To describe it in terms of other movies… It has got a bit of Lost in Translation, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and a touch of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (all of which are exceptional movies.) Two lines: “All those faces. All those hearts. I am such a lucky woman.” and “Listening is loving.” Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead… brilliant!) and Rosamund Pike (I Care A Lot) are great together. “How many of us can recall when we experienced happiness as a state of being?” I can. It was at night, a hallway, a goodbye, tension…. M.O.O.N. If you are looking for something that is more than just a touch twisted, you’ll want the slow-burn, violent (as a priest, I’ve never watched this 😉 only heard about it) and more than slightly deranged… The Loved Ones. Very messed up. That’s it for movie reviews.
For the priesty work… today I preached a sermon on confession (acts of penance) that I felt really good about. Probably more instruction than sermonating, but I believe it worked… so much so that I included it as the cover article for this month’s newsletter. This was actually closely related to the sermonette from Morning Prayer today, which was talking about Simony and how we relate giving to the church in a commoditized culture. I then got to go out and give $1,000 to two organizations in town that are doing remarkable work. One of those gifts purchased 6,000 diapers, which equates to a LOT of dirty bottoms, but happy moms. Love my church!! Tomorrow is Sunday sermon writing time… working title: Limits or Limitless? I feel like it will preach.
Looking forward to a long weekend, although I’m more and more convinced that we would have been better off with old King G., but lets not go down that road. Friday and Saturday, I hope, are dedicated to writing on The Marble Finger and taking some nice long walks… I’m getting fat again: why is this a constant battle {shaking head]…. probably all that bread I talked about earlier!
What did I learn today: my dad is coming up next weekend for a couple of days and we’re going to a baseball game together. Need I say more?
Thought for the day: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ― Anaïs Nin Still love this quote! We all have options and at the top of the food chain is our decision to Believe (read the sermons if you need to know what I’m talking about [hint: Jesus].) Next on the list is the option to live or die (keeping in mind that many people have died, decades before they are properly dead).
Candle in a Cave 
Fresh homemade bread is my kryptonite! My theory is my diet needs to be balanced. I need two slices of hot bread with butter, one for each hip. Then it balances out! And I love the word “sermonating!” And “sermonette!”
Have fun at the ball game with your dad! And the bud and blossom quote is so very true when you think about it. How many times have I painfully tightened up as a bud, when it was easier to let go and blossom? (Correct answer: TOO MANY!)
Your theory on bread is one that I will hold in my heart (or at least gathered around it in small little fatty molecules!) Anaïs was quite the remarkable woman.
I agree on all points!