Reminiscing: a 2020 Summer Evening Delicacy

Outdoor evenings and family gatherings go hand-in-hand, especially in the context of our 2020 summer. For a delightful activity, embrace the opportunity to listen to each other and learn from the wealth of memories stored up. Include all ages, and pause only to pass out supplies for s’mores.

I remember when …

Summer’s best souvenir was a deep, golden baby-oil-induced tan

Missing school and going to the state fair was a big deal

Attending church involved Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night

Going to the grocery with mom meant purchasing A Little Golden Book for 25 cents

Tromping into the woods to cut a fresh tree launched the Christmas season

Family reunions were like national holidays

Shopping at the local Dime Store did not disappoint

Selecting toys from a Sear’s catalog created the wish list for Santa

Driving to see grandparents meant 6 hours in the car without seatbelts

Saturday morning cartoons on TV provided a weekly highlight

Four families shared one telephone wire called ‘a party line’

Chocolate milk at school lunch was an extravagant treat

Sitting on the riverbank, tossing rocks at poisonous snakes on the other side, helped alleviate adolescent confusion

Now, it is your turn. What do you remember?

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

What is your best I remember when … comment?

In what manner does your ‘back then’ contribute to your ‘right now’?

Apple Pie for the 4th of July

“We are looking for a place to eat dinner. Could you please give us your best suggestion?”

The answer to this question exceeded our expectations.

Our organization’s conference inserted a free day into our schedule, so Larry tossed aside our meeting mentality and headed to the mountains. The spectacular ride up through Big Thompson Canyon awed us at each turn.

At the top, Trail Ridge Road guided us through Rocky Mountain National Park where the Continental Divide served as our point to turn around. Delicate wildflowers offered exquisite beauty, and the sight of elf peacefully strung out across the side of a mountain slope left us mesmerized.

Once back down in Estes Park, we strolled the lively streets, bought decadent chocolate fudge, and sat on a rock beside a bubbling mountain stream to breathe in the fabulous alpine air.

Now with appetites the size of a bear, Larry and I turned to a local shopkeeper for advice, “Where do you suggest we go for dinner?”

In a heartbeat, this gentleman gave us, not only an answer, but an invitation to ongoing adventure: The Baldpate Inn.

Indeed, a few miles outside of town, our destination welcomed us, both that evening, and on multiple occasions since, when we have been fortunate to return with family, friends, or colleagues in tow. Charming, quaint, and hospitable, this spot is always worth the pilgrimage.

At this wooded lodge on the National Register of Historic Places, the menu remains consistent — soup, salad, muffins, and pie. (Just insert the word yummy.) Reputation has it that even Duncan Hines awarded this dining room a 5-star status in the 1940s and ’50s.

On one visit, my request for their Scandinavian Apple Pie recipe was graciously granted. Now, the recipe is yours. May the delectable dessert enhance your 4th of July holiday, and tide you over until you, too, have a chance to visit The Baldpate Inn.

Scandinavian Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and thinly sliced

2 T. all-purpose white flour

¾ C. sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1 C. sour cream

Topping:

½ C. white sugar 1/3 C. white flour 1 t. cinnamon 6 T. chilled butter

Instructions:

Toss apple slices with sugar, flour, and salt. Blend egg, vanilla, and sour cream in a separate bowl then mix together. Pour into an unbaked pie crust and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until almost set.

Meanwhile, grate chilled butter into the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Toss gently to create crumb topping. Sprinkle over the nearly-baked pie. Return the pie to the oven about 15 additional minutes or until the top is golden and dry.

Ambiguity on the Side of an Icy Mountain

I willed myself to accept the ambiguity, hunker down, and lean into the piercing wind.

Amidst a howling wind on the side of a steep, icy mountain, my life delivered a lasting definition of ambiguity.

Without warning, a menacing cloud swept in bringing with it blinding snow and ice-pelting wind. WHITE OUT—the dread of every downhill skier. Enveloped by the elements, I immediately stopped, planted my poles, and gripped the sharp, uphill edges of my skies into the mountain. Fighting vertigo, I sought to ascertain my position in relation to the drop-off. Trying to inch forward, I realized the distance to the edge might be near, so I halted and hugged myself to maintain balance.

In this overwhelming sense of isolation, I squelched my impulse to panic. Despite the disorientation, common sense told me to stay put. My calculated decision required bulldog tenacity to maintain, but I willed myself to accept the ambiguity, hunker down, and lean into the piercing wind.

Time froze in this treacherous situation.

Finally, peeking out from behind my hands, I witnessed the cloud clearing and the light returning. Relief! Rattled but intact, I tentatively calculated my surroundings, pointed my skis downhill, and left my hard-earned definition of ambiguity on the side of the mountain.

… until our recent white-out of COVID-induced ambiguity.

Now, an avalanche of uncertainty affects my family, my friends, my colleagues, and it affects me! On every front—whether in Zoom meetings, planning sessions, or Face Time visits—this uninvited guest saunters in and takes a seat, seeking to commandeer our lives and sabotage our calendars.

There are no masks, no sanitizers, and no social distance guidelines to deal with this culprit. Yet, like gripping the side of a mountain with the sharp, uphill edges of skies, you and I need to grip the realities of our lives with a mental vigilance and wait for the bitter, icy winds to pass.

Enlisting the help of an acrostic, I offer my suggestions:

A: Acknowledge the high-intensity degree of ambiguity which exists in our current way of life

M: Make a conscious decision to peacefully accept the challenges we face

B: Be aware of the far-reaching tentacles of ambiguity, but resist its domineering control

I: Insist on pursuing a meaningful life today, even in our trying circumstances

G: Get outdoors; grill, go on a walk, sit by a stream, buy a kite and watch it soar

U: Understand that—honestly—we never possess our future, even in the most ideal conditions

I: Intentionally lower the bar on expectations

T: Take time daily to meditate on the promises of Scripture, which defy ambiguity

Y: Yield to God. Make every effort to be both realistically-minded and spiritually-guided

And let us join our voices and praise God that ambiguity is not a part of His character and will never be among His attributes!

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

What is your greatest challenge in dealing with the COVID-induced ambiguity?

Where is God in the midst of your ambiguity?

Please offer your suggestions here for moving forward into this ongoing “unknown.”