Give thanks to God - he is good and his love never quits.

Back in July, Sadak Hassan Abdi, aged 18 months, was acutely malnourished and his mother was afraid he would die. But a combination of hospital treatment and special food from WFP has restored him to health and provided a striking illustration of how the right action can be critical in the Horn of Africa.

Coffee beans, snow fungus, and Sponge Bob

First, for good measure, let's throw this up here from a prior post:

Now, as a disclaimer, I fully admit to being a gringo (i.e. – Foreign White Person) and I also do not have any experience in critiquing food other than what my tongue and stomach end up thinking about something. I am not trying to be culturally insensitive.

Okay, that said, whoever thinks that going to a Panasian market is like going to a grocery store, it. is. not. It is like going to a travel agent who also happens to be a clothing designer who also can read your fortune and who is going to tell you that buying a variety of pickled vegetable products is in your immediate future. At least that's how it was for us this Sunday when we went.

We entered said Panasian market with high hopes to buy one particular item.

No, not that item.

We wanted to purchase "shredded vegetable" in a can. As far as I've been able to figure out in the 5 years and 5 months I've been with S, shredded vegetable in a can is a mustard plant, pickled in pepper spices, and cut into little slivers. The result is a tasty, extremely salty treat that is best eaten with rice:

Soy sauce:

Does the regular mushroom soy sauce feel inferior to the "superior" sauce? Perhaps so.

and tofu (of which I bought three cases, but of which did not take any pictures, because there was just so much else going on).

Instead, we bought flour cakes, moon cakes, shredded radish, rice (we had two unopened bags at home already), mochi, seasoned bamboo shoots, and ramen.

We were delighted that mi gente were somehow represented among the other cultures:

 And we delighted in the presence, if not creepy the presence, of our favorite cartoon characters:

Most importantly, undoubtedly, is that we found an ear picker. This is the tool S uses for stratching the insides of his ear. This is the tool he lost over a year ago. This is the tool he, since that point, has substituted with all of my bobby pins. For $0.99, though, problem solved.

There's no question that will be back to this Mecca of Panasia. and soon.

September pond run

A week before the amazing race, I finally had the foresight to remember my camera on one of my last trail runs before October. Can you believe we're headlong into fall? I knew the quickly changing seasons would freak me out.

The run is approximately 20-30 minutes, and it covers the distance right outside my front door, a quarter mile down the street, out of our community and into a group of horse trails, across the street from a lovely horse farm close by.

The horse trails run parallel to one of the largest ponds on the reservation by our place. Yes, there are bugs there, and it's humid, and there may be a puddle or some horse poop to look out for but...

I know - it's straight out of Dawson's Creek. I love it. I can't wait to run here in a month or so when it is truly autumn (i.e. the humidity and bugs are gone), to look out at the clear, chilled water and feel at peace.

I'm so thankful for this race up ahead. It's brought me so much already - an appreciation of the cause at the heart of the race, the ability to bond with my long-distance buddy across months and hundreds of miles, and the self-discipline to put one foot in front of the other.

With the 14-miler out of the way as this Wednesday, it's home stretch time. I'll run for 30 minutes or so a time or two this week, and on Friday, I travel to Orlando to git 'er done.

I'm telling you to love your enemies.

I don't know much of anything sometimes, but I do know that the greatest, most powerful, most just man who ever lived (and who ever will live) gave his life for the weak and the sinful, while countless men before and after him kill, claiming that they somehow are great enough to have the authority of life, somehow powerful enough to execute the end of life, and somehow just enough to challenge the mercy, grace, sacrifice and wisdom of the only judge who matters.

http://www.ncadp.org/

Awestruck

Sometimes I am just awestruck that this is what we do. I get so floored by the impact my organization has the privilege to have on a week by week basis.

No, we're not the WHO, but a  thousand little kids who probably speak a dozen different languages are going to hear a story this week that they are likely to carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Then next week, we get that privilege again. So cool.

Easy Sunday

Today we went to the Big E for the second year in a row. Last year we were newbies - this year we were ready.

Here are some of our favorites Big E elements:

Food

Fauna

Friends

When I first moved to New England, I was sad that county fairs weren't really a big thing here, in that they didn't particularly exist. But S's friend L was kind enough to let us know that all you need in a fair experience can be yours, times six full states at the Big E. Thanks, L, for taking a chance on the new kids. We've loved our Big E adventures together, and we can't wait for next year!

Stoneham Day

Welcome to Stoneham, a town just north of Boston, of which I am apparently all set PR-wise to run for mayor.

Withstanding how very appropriate I look next to this fine town's hall, I learned just yesterday where Stoneham was, in preparation for their town "day," on which one of my favorite artists would be performing at the Stoneham town common.

Cue me waking up late, and then S and I rushing to the as of yet unvisited town, only to catch the last 30 seconds of the amazing Brett Dennen's set.

Goodbye, Brett. I love every bit of your music and your message. I promise that one day I will pay for a concert starring only you, I will show up early, and I will be in the front row.

Luckily, Augustana had yet to go on stage, and they were fantastic too.

It's become a fall time tradition for us to see outdoor music up here in New England during the month of September, just as the weather starts to turn (it was in the mid-60s today), but the grass is not yet too chilly for our flip-flopped feet.

I can't believe that in the course of two months, all the leaves on the trees will flame out and die, and then there will be snow.

Until then...