TEARS

Today, this morning, I wept.  Not for the dreaded Covid-19 among us

But I wept for the iniquities of the Church among us.

Why, Church, have you abandoned your God

Why have you laid a snare for yourselves

You have forgotten your first love and

Have placed yourselves as Kings and lords

And deliverers of unrighteousness.

Your leader has become unto you your God and 

Creator

Your lifestyle of injustice, prejudice, hatred, and greed

Has displaced the God of the Psalms who is justice, love,

patience, kindness, forgiveness, charity, and hope.

You have wearied the Nation with your wilfulness to do evil

And have insulted God as doers of unrighteousness.

You ridicule the poor, the infirm, and the weak. 

You bash sound doctrine, holiness, and mercy.

You trash wisdom and sobriety in the Church and 

Replace it with yourselves as little gods

No sound reason is found in your ministries for 

They are manmade and not godly

They tinkle with phoniness and delusion—

They no longer know how to tremble before the Lord.

In progress—JL Russell-Rios , Sunday, April 26, 2020

The Garden Angel

After Mom died, my husband and I dug up one of her special roses--Angel Kiss--to take it to Oregon with us.  A living birthday gift of love from Dad to Mom, Angel Kiss' petals--soft, fragile, and fuzzy-- are lusciously lip-colored--a passionate pink surrounded with a warm, sweet, and delicate fragrance.  Each year, she is the first rose to bloom in the sleeping garden kingdom--stretching and gently awakening one bud at a time--followed by her other Angel Kiss siblings.  I imagine, that all of the other rose varieties--who jealously pale  in comparison--including the erectly tall, debonair, and dark, red-headed Mr. Lincoln--can only stare in awe at the simple and unrivaled beauty of the demure, little rose who dares to strut-her-stuff first.  And the impatiently curious honeybees--how eagerly they anticipate her entrance--the hypnotic awakening of this little garden angel who will be the first to share her mysteriously intoxicating perfume with the neighboring lavender.  I can't help but  imagine, that someone--somewhere--is making sure that each late spring--when the ground has warmed enough--this humble, little rose takes the unparalleled place of honor that opens the magical door to a much deserved celebration of vibrant scent, color, and excitement!
Joanna Rios,
May, 2010

Outside The Box

I saw an aurora borealis
And a comet in the sky
And wondered why God
Had waited until 
This night to prove creation
Beyond my window sill...

Joanna Rios, 1967

Pot-in-Pot Refrigeration

OCT 18. Today I learned about how to store refrigerated food without a refrigerator.  This was rather interesting, and at some point, I think that I shall try it.  A very intensely creative and provocatively entertaining individual that I know shared this information with me, and I was captivated by it. This is not a new way of temporarily preserving perishable food.  In fact, this method is still in use in many countries around the world--notably in arid or warmer countries that have limited resources or access to alternative ways of preserving food for extended times.   Middle Eastern countries, as well as locations in Africa and Asia are particularly familiar with this pot-in-pot process for refrigeration.

You will need four items to achieve this survival trick. Start with a very large and porous (unglazed) clay pot then add a smaller and porous (unglazed) clay pot to fit inside the larger clay pot, add to that moist sand, and last of all, a cloth large enough to cover both pots. You must also stop-up the hole in the bottom of both pots.  Duck tape, an inch layer of  gravel, or something effective to cover the hole can be used. The layer of sand (about an inch) is also necessary to help level out the smaller pot as it rests inside the bigger pot. Wikipedia calls this a pot-in-pot refrigerator, and it uses evaporative cooling to keep perishables at a sustaining temperature. Moist sand is sandwiched in between the clay pots--a type of moisture barrier--and as the moisture in the sand begins to evaporate and exit through the pores of the outer clay pot, the inner jar begins to cool as heat is drawn away from it through the pours of the inner clay pot. Check once or twice daily to make sure that there is moisture in the sand.

This is a great refrigeration process for practical purposes such as outdoor or indoor party beverages and camping, and you could actually store a unit like this anywhere it's convenient. Remember, this process only works with dry heat.  This method of refrigeration will not work in temperature zones with high humidity because evaporation will not take place--and if at all, not at the rate needed to be effective. For more information and helpful illustrations, please click on the following link:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Pot-in-a-Pot-Refrigerator