Update

Hi people!

I take a break from the insanity of election season to bring you this update... Actually, we haven't campaigned today and it's been nice. Tomorrow and Tuesday will be crazy though. Anyway--on to an update with other random insertions. :)

Two weeks ago I spent four days with my friends in the mountains. In spite of the colds going around, we had a lovely time. The scenery was beautiful, we played hide-and-go-seek-in-the-dark, we had a pillowfight, we climbed a mountain all the way to the top...very fun.

A few days after that my friend Shannon from Ohio came out for a visit. She was here for 6 days and we managed to cram quite a fair amount into that time. Celestial Seasonings, the bi-annual library book sale, a trip to the mountains on a very lovely day, church and a concert on Sunday, the bargain bins at Denver Fabrics, a very late night before she left... It was good. Thanks for coming, Shannon.

The library sale was a lot of fun, as always. I found some children's books (actually Hannah and Shannon found some of them for me), a very nice copy of Darkness over Denmark, a beautiful copy of Stepping Heavenward from 1880, and more. I haven't shelved my new finds yet, but I'm sure I'll be able to find space...somehow.

I should do a post of book reviews, but I think I'll wait till I'm done with some of what I am currently reading--at least until I finish that whopping History of Wales, anyway. (Did I mention that here? I can't remember.) I'm past page 550 of 674 (EDIT: actually 686). The author is annoyingly liberal, particularly when writing about more recent days. I would like to read a history of Wales or Great Britain from a more Christian viewpoint now, but this has been an interesting read for the most part. At the moment I'm ready to have it done though. There are a couple of fictional works that I promised myself that I'd not read until the History of Wales is completed--had to motivate myself somehow! :) After all, this book has been on my shelf for over a year.

Experimenting with the sourdough starter that a friend left here in July has been a lot of fun. Sourdough pancakes are good; so are biscuits. My favorite, though, is the sourdough bread that only needs flour, salt, water and sourdough starter and takes a total of 12-15 hours to rise. :) It's good stuff! My family would agree, even though the idea of eating something that has to be fed, grows after it's fed, and can be left to its own devices in the fridge for two months without dying is rather disgusting to some of them. :) They seemed to want to make sure that after it's been baked it is dead, right?

Ummm...is that enough for now? I think it'll have to be, 'cause I have to finish things up and get to bed. Another big day tomorrow--campaigning in the morning, piano lessons to teach in the afternoon. And Tuesday is the Very Big Day--not that I'll be doing as much necessarily (though I do have a Bible lesson to teach at GNC--have to find time to prepare it from somewhere) but we just all know it's a Very Big Day. Keep on praying!!

Till later,

Rachel :)