Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Let It Snow

The snow
began here
this morning and all day
continued, its white
rhetoric everywhere
calling us back to why, how,
whence such beauty and what
the meaning…

Mary Oliver

*Note: Don't miss the bonus recipe below!

It was an almost completely dry & depressing December for Detroit. Still cold, but nothing to show for it. Locals tell us the average snowfall is 9 inches for the month. They also tell us that the historic polar vortex arctic snow blizzard started last year on January 4th too. We are hoping for a bit of moderation this year. What joy it is to look out the window and see white (above: the entrance to St. Peter's on Tuesday morning). Surely, a novelty...for now.

Our backyard:


Our neighborhood:


9 degrees at 7am…headed to the soup kitchen on Tuesday morning:


Lindsay spent a lot of time in this spot right here over the past couple of weeks. She's been plagued by a treacherous cough and congestion...


…and she moved into some new cavernous office space at the church:


As we spend a little bit more time hibernating during these frigid winter months, we are still reminded of desperate poverty with scenes like this, just a half mile from the church--a tent city surviving between the interstate and Michigan Avenue:

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Cecil Avenue Chew (a wintry mix between chili and stew)
• 2 potatoes (cut in bite sized chunks)
• 2 cans of black beans
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tomatillos, diced
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 lime, squeezed
• A handful of cilantro, chopped
• 1 bottle of beer
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 2 vegetable bullion cubes
• ½ cup of brown rice
• ¼ cup of bulgur wheat
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups of water

*Throw ALL of this into the crockpot and return in 5-6 hours. Salt to taste. And remember: the goal is to go organic & local as much as possible…without breaking the bank! This goes best with a prayer that originates somewhere in Latin America:

God, for all those who hunger, give them bread; and for all of us who have bread, give us a hunger for justice. Amen.

3 comments:

  1. Hope you feel better soon, Lindsay! Thanks for the recipe, the photos, and all the good work you are doing in Detroit. Blessings!

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  2. Oops! I'm not Unknown, I'm Marcia - from Whidbey.

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    Replies
    1. Lol! Thanks for identifying yourself, Marcia. ;) Thanks for the warm wishes! Likewise to you & Clancy, for all the good work you do on Whidbey!

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