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For her birthday, my wife is baking pumpernickel bread with rye flour.  We have had a number of ingredients around the house - some of which have not seen use for a gopher's age (however long that is!).   The very active ingredient of yeast is new - and that is important.  Other than that, the rest of the flour, sugar, molasses, etc., seems not to really care. At half-time (when the bread had arisen for awhile and before another session of rising was to arise!), pictures were taken.  And now the bread will be good - at least from the smell of it! So, enjoy your day - I'll enjoy mine!

I was headed to a fundraising course.  Instead I came away with a church management think tank. Now, of course, those who were in the video conference took away information on fundraising for non-profits.  But every time the instructor mentioned something, my mind switched over to how this would apply to church work. The funds needed became the resources that a church uses.  The approach to people became the hand reaching out to those in need of a place to put their lives (their greatest resources). And so, although I was up early in the morning - I did not tire!  In fact, as I write this in the last hours of the day, I'm still thinking.  Refreshed by the completely unexpected! Great stuff!

The day of sunshine and temperatures reflective of June are finally arriving - on the last days of June.  We stood on our porch today and felt the heat.  Not glimpsed or gawked at the heat.  We actually sensed a covering of heat, a weight to the Celcius thermometer. And so, summer begins.  At least we hope so.

'Tis the season! I've refrained from commenting on the rounds of strikes currently taking place.  One set of strikes includes those who are the negotiators being friends of mine - I'm not sure whether they are friends with each other right now.  Another strike inconveniences me. The rash of strikes seems to go in cycles.  The top of the cycle is currently caused, from my perspective, from an upsurge in the economy (which means an uncertainty in buying power), and a new set of leadership coming on the scene (which means a juggling act to decide where power lays). Of course, that is simplistic.  There are many issues that relate to work conditions, gender equality, even centralization vs. decentralization.  But, these two previously mentioned issues can either be managed with humility or become power grabs.  My prayer is that listening ears will prevail instead of caustic mouths!