Arizona

Capital:  Phoenix (yes, we all learned to spell it)

State Bird:  Cactus Wren

State Flower:  Saguaro

State Motto:  The Grand Canyon State

Native Americans and the US Government own 70 percent of the state.  That means only 30 percent is privately owned.  Doesn’t seem like much.  Arizona’s largest lizard, the Gila monster, is the only poisonous lizard in the US.  London Bridge is in Lake Havasu City.  There are 21 Indian reservations in Arizona, the largest belongs to the Navajos.  There is also a huge graveyard of governmental aircraft out in the desert. 

The economic infrastructure of Arizona is rather fragile.  For years Arizona depended upon five C’s.

Copper, cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate.

Arizona still produces more copper than all other states combined, but its importance has declined.  The three agricultural C’s are still farmed, but Arizona is out of water.  Lack of water is the largest threat to all of Arizona.  Efforts to bring Colorado River water to Phoenix and Tucson puts Arizona at odds with California and Nevada.

Our family has traveled to Arizona two times to visit relatives in Tucson and a third time for James to officiate over his grandmother’s memorial service.  James’ folks bestowed on us such gracious hospitality whenever we were in Arizona.  Twice we have driven straight up the state through several climate zones to the Grand Canyon.  It is an outstanding drive to take if you are ever there, except for the lanes that go off into nowhere in case you lose your car brakes.  We pulled our RV up there a few years ago and I was glad when we finally arrived at the Canyon, although it was a freezing 17 degrees.  We’ve been through Sedona and also the Painted Desert.  The Sonoran Desert is so beautiful.  And we’ve been to one of the observatories that keeps an eye on the skies.  Arizona is definitely a unique place.  Yet to us, our fondest memory is that Granny lived in Tucson – it is there where she lived such a godly life for her Saviour, and she is buried there.  She lived over 100 years on this earth if you count the days she lived in utero.

Years ago James’ mom made prickly pear cactus jelly for us and it was pretty good.  I looked in many grocery specialty stores in about a 25 mile radius and found none.  I wanted to have some with our Arizona meal. 

And, speaking of food, one of my favorite memories of Arizona is when my father-in-law took us up to the top of Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains.  Mount Lemmon is 9,000 feet high with incredible views for those who like heights.  (Not me.  Why are scenic drives equal to feeling like you are going to lose your lunch with that whoozy feeling.)  I noticed that in Arizona they called these views vistas.  At the top of the mountain we took a rest stop.  Grandpa was holding Baby Emily (whom he called Butterball) and when I was in the restroom he took it upon himself to feed Em a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.  I was reserved with sugar-chocolate-treats with all of my babies, but I thoroughly enjoyed and approved of Grandpa spoiling her.  Her little face with chocolate smeared on it is still clear in my memory as Grandpa cuddled her.  Reese’s is part of Hershey’s Chocolate so I gave double approval.  If it had been Nestles I might have felt differently.

Somehow Grandpa also had peanut butter cups in the frig every time we were in Arizona so when on occasion we have some, we chill or freeze them ahead of time.  There’s no other way to eat them.

Once again, James found his way to the kitchen.  He made chicken quesadillas, which was new to us but delicious.  James has not cooked much in the last three or four years and we have been overly delighted that he has been pushing us out of the kitchen for the United States dinners.  He has often told me that he would have loved to have been a chef.   His mother is also a terrific cook.

Blue corn chips with a bean dip that had all kinds of veggies in it and tomatillos.

Ready to eat.

Kimberly is so proud of her toothless grin because she can push her tongue straight through the hole.  There is no sign of a new tooth so she may have this privilege for quite a while.  The tooth fairy cried when the tooth came out.  Last top tooth on a child for the fairy mother to witness.  Kimmy is growing up too fast.  The other top tooth is loose and the tooth fairy has told her not to wiggle it at all!   

The quesadillas with zippy beans and rice.

Lemon bars.  Why lemon bars?  Because Catholic missionaries took lemons that were in China and introduced them to the US by planting them in Arizona.  Before then there were no lemons in the US.

Well, I can honestly say that this geography curriculum has been mighty tasty (spare the chicken fried steak).

I can not close this post without telling my Grand Canyon story.  Our first trip to the Grand Canyon was when Karen was 8 and Kathy was 6.  We arrived at night, James settled us in the lodge and then he (the naturalist) went out walking.  I assumed the canyon was fenced and lighted.  Wrong.  Wouldn’t you think that a big ol’ hole like that would have railings along the hotels thta are very close to the edge?  It was night and he came within inches of falling into it, down quite a steep cliff. 

The next morning we left for what was supposed to be the best site for capturing the first rays of sun, a photographer’s dream.  So off we went and a small group of people were there with the same goal in mind.  I stayed a small distance from the canyon’s edge, holding firmly to my daughters’ hands so they would not run over the edge.  As the first rays of sun peeked through the darkness my eyes searched for James and he was hanging out, and I mean hanging, on a small ledge that was a sliver of a tabletop over the chasm.  A lady, about 60 years old, came up to me and said, “Honey, is that your husband out there?  Well, my husband is out there on another ledge too.  Your blood pressure looks like it is off the charts.  Honey, let me give you some advice.  Thirty years ago my husband hung over Hoover Dam for a picture.  I gave him to God that very day.  Give your husband to God.  If they are going to hang like this, it’s only God that’s gonna keep them.”

That lady must have been a prophet.

The best news story on the Grand Canyon can be found here, complements of my Abigail, who was 10 feet away from the edge with no railing for the video shoot.  http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/multimedia/enn/2006/12/1972.aspx

I’d also like to make note at this time, out of immense motherly embarassment pride, that Emily “spit a mile” straight down into the Canyon, which she could not wait to do.  And she did it more than once.  I’d also like to mention that this was a deal between her father and her and I had nothing to do with it.

We have one southwestern state left to eat our way through.  I have received several comments from some natives about our Texas and Oklahoma meals.  These comments have been rather enjoyable so keep them coming, along with all the cooking advice.  I will say this, though.  Pennsylvania is coming.  Not in the near future, but in the future.  That’s when we will finally have some real food around this place. 

During this time of resting and refreshment, I have given considerable thought to what it means to follow my husband.   I’ve thought about it off and on throughout the day, I’ve woken in the night to consider it, and at the oddest moments I ponder it.   A most peculiar thought came to me one evening as I was mentally recalling R.C. Sproul’s series on understanding the Bible through existential treatment.  I got the idea that perhaps I could go through scripture and existentially put myself in the role of married women and see what it was like for each of them to follow their husbands.  I could write a book on this with all of the details of many women in the Bible, but here are just a few to consider. 

Think of being Mrs. Noah.  I wonder if she ever doubted Mr. Noah and his ship building plan and predictions of rain which had never been seen before on the face of earth.  Imagine how much her husband was scoffed at, maybe to the point where Mrs. Noah preferred to avoid public situations.  She may have dreaded finding out if he really knew what he was doing.  I wonder how it was to board the ark and take a pretty dramatic boat trip with many passengers on board that depended upon her family for sustenance and care.  Did she get seasick?  I’ve been out in the Atlantic Ocean on a boat and I know what seasick is.  She must at that time been somewhat relieved she had followed her husband as she saw her family saved from death.  Yet not long after such a great event, Mr. Noah becomes drunk and is out of control.  So she follows a first-time ship builder who does better on sea than afterwards on land. 

But, perhaps Mrs. Noah knew her calling as the captain’s wife and so she was anchored in that calling.  Her husband did not run away from the danger of the day, and neither did she.

Think of being Mrs. Moses.  She didn’t quite sign up for wilderness training when she said “I do.”  And she married a murderer.  She thinks they are going to have a nice country home near the sheep.  Instead, off he goes to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery or we could even say pretty severe marshall law.  Her husband does not stay in the safe countryside but launches an attack on a nasty government.  Did she think he was crazy or what?  When he finally meets with the success of the exodus,  he ends up with a grumpy nation of people who wander in the wilderness and don’t make it to the Promised Land.  And along the way, her Knight in Shining Armor displeases God and he never gets into the Land of Milk and Honey either.  So she marries an ex-con who appears to be a shepherd but in reality is a political activist who ends up living as a nomad for the rest of his life.  And if she was alive at his death, she’s not even sure of where he was buried.

But, perhaps Mrs. Moses knew her calling as the political activist’s wife and so she rallied to that calling.  Her husband did not run away from the challenge of the day, and neither did she.

Think of being Mrs. Peter.  Now there’s a story to tell, but we’ll start near the end.  Her husband gets the honors of preaching the first big sermon in the New Testament, actually we could say he was the Keynote Speaker of the Church Age that had just opened.  He also does a whole bunch of phenomenal miracles, but shortly after ends up in real big trouble that throws him in jail.  He gets out of jail without a Monopoly card, but rather a miraculous jailbreak and takes on Phase I of the Church.  Well, that’s quite prestigious.  Not too long after that Mr. Peter receives a stern public rebuke from the Apostle Paul, who excels in theology and knowledge, because Mr. Peter is really out of line.   This is somewhat of an embarrassment as her husband in a sense was the first bishop of the Church.  So she marries a guy who wins and loses rather quickly.

But, perhaps Mrs. Peter knew her calling as the bishop’s wife and so she stood firm in that calling.  Her husband did not run away from the volatile political and church climate of the day and neither did she. 

Well, you get the idea.  I thought about the Misters of the Bible and smiled at the women who married them and followed to the ends of the earth, or the high seas as in Mrs. Noah’s case.  Not one of the Misters was perfect.  But each was called of God.

When Jesus called out his disciples and said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men,” it was a great privilege.  So when I find myself married to a husband that has been called out to specifically be a fisher of men, and I’m following him carefully, then I also follow Christ.

Perhaps you are a Mrs. UnSaved Husband, or Mrs. Passionate about a Vocation, or Mrs. Christian Service, Or Mrs. Physical Handicap, or Mrs. You Fill in the Blank.  I encourage you not to run away.

I’m glad that up to this point I haven’t had to take a year long boat ride …or take basic training to survive a desert …or pray my husband out of jail.  The question is: will I follow no matter what?  And if I am following, what is the character of my following?  Is it duty or delight?  Drudgery or diligence?  Dread or determination?  I hope I am delighted, diligent, and determined.  There is much yet to ponder.

Probably my favorite book of the Bible is Isaiah.  This is one of my favorite passages and one that has been of great comfort to me in recent months.

Isaiah 54

10  For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
11  O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12  And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
13  And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14  In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
15  Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

One of the things I enjoy about my husband is that although we’ve been married for a good long time, he frequently comes up with new things to refresh our relationship.  And in the past week he has really chosen a winner when it comes to refreshment.

He bought me something.  It’s a real WOW. 

Now, it would be absolutely no fun to just tell you what it is so I will give you some hints.  See if you can guess what it is after each clue.

Clue #1:  It is in the exact color of sleek metal that I like.

Yes, that’s an Avalon in a color I like.  Alas, it was not one of those.  But I sure like those.  If you are giving one of those away, I’ll take it.   I’d be happy to FreeCycle it for you.

Have you a guess yet?

Clue #2:  It can be enjoyed in summer or winter – creating a vacation type atmosphere.

Yes, that is beautiful New England before it was settled.  I love the way the Hudson River Valley Painters believed that God revealed His majesty through His creation, which is sometimes termed General Revelation.  This is a famous painting by Durand, who painted himself conversing with a famous poet of that age.

Have you a guess yet?

Clue #3:  It’s a health upgrade for my life based upon water.

The New Thing dates back to this photo of Ancient Rome.

You have guessed it – right?

Clue #4:  This lady really needs one.

 This is “The Song of the Lark” by Jules Breton, but don’t you think she’s really too hot to hear the lark?

Clue #5:  Your last clue!  It’s an improvement on this.

Yep, you guessed it.  Originally invented by the Ancient Romans with aqueduct water channeled into the walls of their houses, and then later turned electric in 1902 by Mr. Carrier, and a great improvement on the hand-held fan, it is an air conditioner!

In April our AC failed and the upstairs unit was replaced.  Last week, the outdoor condenser failed.  We had AC for a few hours each day, waiting for a new unit to be installed on Tuesday.  On Tuesday the crew arrived and installed the outdoor unit, rerouted the attic stuff that goes with it and after 12 hours of diligent labor they produced no AC.  On Wednesday the trouble shooter came to figure it out and said the new condenser was defective so on Thursday another condenser was delivered and installed.   Thursday night still no AC.  These days without AC were buffered somewhat by the usage of our attic fan, but keeping up with the summer sun was impossible.  Finally on Friday a trouble shooter came out and diagnosed an installation error and after correcting it and upgrading the system further, we now have a better, quieter, and fully updated HVAC in our home.   And it has a 97% allergy filtration in it.

Somehow in the process, at no extra charge to us, the system is the brand new one that will be the only legal system starting in 2010.  All new construction must have these systems, and the old systems will no longer be repaired. 

I’ll have to admit it isn’t as exciting as a new Avalon, but I can sure say it is refreshing.  And one final note:  each part of the crew that worked on our AC during this four day process remarked how it was unheard of that our original system has lasted 17 years.  It was installed poorly, was not up to par in any way, and the average life of  HVAC systems in Texas is 8 to 10 years.  The service men would look at the plate on the old condensor and just shake their heads when they saw the year 1992 on it.  They just don’t see them that old any more.

What they don’t get is that for years I have prayed to the Lord that many things would not wear out (the AC specifically), just like how the Israelites’ shoes did not wear out in the wilderness.  And God answered this prayer.  The HVAC has been replaced at the right time, just in time for the turnover to the new standard, and after extended years of service.  So thank you Lord for the longevity granted to our old system.  We also have a 25 year old freezer and a 23 year old refrigerator.  Also an egg cooker that is more than 30 years old.  Wonder when they’ll wear out.

Oklahoma … spelling of the vowels o-a-o-a which is the opposite of avocado.

Motto:  The Sooner State (they wanted to get there sooner)

Capital City:  Oklahoma City

Population:  3. 5 million people

State Bird:  Scissor-tailed Flycather

State Flower:  Mistletoe (now I’d like to know more about that)

Tulsa is known as the Oil Capital of the Word.  Oklahoma has more artificial lakes than any other state.  Thirty nine Native American Indian tribes have their headquarters in the state.  Also known as Tornado Alley, Oklahoma has 75% of all the tornadoes in the country.  People from Oklahoma are called Okies so I want to know if they say “Okey Dokey” a lot.

The world’s largest McDonald’s, on I44, is built over the highway with entrances on both sides.  We’ve been there.  And the state looks like a pan with a long handle.  It was called Indian Territory before becoming a state.

The official state meal of Oklahoma includes fried okra, squash, cornbread, barbecue pork, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries, chicken-fried steak, and black-eyed peas.  This says to me that someone either could not make up their mind, or that everyone’s nomination counted.  In deciding our menu I eliminated the lowly fried okra (crispy slime), and the black eyed peas.  (Who wants something staring up at you from your plate?  And no, I don’t like fish heads on a plate either.)  Grits were crossed off the list to be reserved for a future southern state and no one here likes squash spare me.

The day arrived.  Some In-juns showed up for the occasion.

Chicken fried steak, never prepared before in our home.

Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, and Corn.  Strawberries for desert.

Later that evening, James and I agreed that it was the second worst meal we ever ate in our marriage in our home (27 years).  Only a meal that was prepared 24 years ago trumps it.  No more C F steak in the Spangler household.  As to the In-juns, they can stay.

Each week we are studying one state in the United States, and to enhance that study and integrate it with family life, we have purposed to eat our way through the USA.  And it seemed the right choice to start with our home state, Texas. 

State Motto:  The Lone Star State

Capital:  Austin

Population:  22 million

Industry:  chemicals, machinery, electronics, computers, food products, petroleum and natural gas, transporation equipment 

Agriculture:  cattle, sheep, poultry, cotton, sorghum, wheat, rice, hay, peanuts, pecans

State Bird:  Mockingbird

State Flower:  Bluebonnet (and oh aren’t they gorgeous in April)

Texas is larger in land mass than the combined area of all seven countries in Central America.  It is also larger than every country in combined Europe except Russia.  Only Alaska has more land than Texas as far as states go.  Six national flags have flown over Texas.  Texas has more counties than any other state.  I never saw an armadillo until I moved to Texas and it is the state animal.  (Why would we want armadillo for our state representation I’ll never know.)  Well, there’s lots more since Texas is so big, but let’s move on to the food.  The official state dish is chili but chili in Texas is different than the chili in Pennsylvania where I grew up.  So I looked up the Texas chili contest winners and found out that there are no beans in Texas chili and the meat is more often a chopped up roast than ground beef.  And it is hot in seasonings.  My husband loves to cook so he volunteered his services.  I kinda got a kick out of him.  Making Texas chili.  Wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap.

As a starting point I found this cookbook.  I’m also using several internet resources for food choices for each state.

Helpers.

The chili.  It was delicious.  James halved the chili powder from the recipe and we thought it was nearly perfect in heat degrees.  I am used to having chili over rice, so we did make some.  This recipe won a contest in 2006.

The pie shell.  Yes, I need to clean the oven.  We had a cake explode in it recently.  And I mean explode.

The table.

Pecan pie.  We thought it was a little sweet but very much enjoyed it.  Just a mix of sugars, butter, and pecans.  This was the 1996 State Fair pie contest winning recipe.

I did not make Texas sweet tea since my family does not care for ice tea, but I’ve had quite a few glasses here of late provided by one of my Texan friends.  Texas tea is pure sugar mixed with water and a little brown food coloring.  Well, not really, there actually is some tea in there and it sure is good!

The spirit of true Texans is one of fierce independence, as represented in the Alamo.   I have also found that Texans are hard to budge when they are convinced of anything, regardless of how they came to their conclusions.  A true Texan loves land and leather boots and has a pretty optimistic outlook.  Texas has reserved the right to succeed from the US and it also reserves the right to divide itself into five states.  Now, contemplating that, I find that very interesting.  I have thought of several ways of dividing into five states, some funny and some not so funny.

So, the future of Texas could be real interesting for sure, pard’ner!  Now where are my boots and my pony?

Over several years I have been told by quite a few people that I just MUST go to IKEA.   After receiving several catalogs in the mail, I decided I must NOT go to IKEA because it wasn’t my style.  And I had a bit of philosophy that ran contrary to IKEA.

Then my friend recommended I go take a look as she has some things in her home that looked like good deals from the place.  Well, OK, maybe someday I’ll check it out.

Then my eldest daughter asked to go on her birthday so the pressure was on.  I figured it would be a sad day anyway since I miss when she was a little baby so many years ago.

On July 1st, off we went with a van load of people to the massive blue and yellow store.   On the way we picked up our tour guide, Mr. Joshua Blanchard.  Here he is waiting for us to reorganize ourselves for the tour.

He was a great tour guide, particularly with all of his giggles when twirled in a circle.

So, what did I think of IKEA?  It’s a mixed bag.  Within a few minutes I wondered if anything in the store would make it to the status of antique.  It seemed like it would all be disposable within a few short years.  Shortly thereafter I wondered if there was craftsmanship in anything – either by hand or even one piece of turned wood.  Everything was straight.  Everything right angles.   Everything fit into a grid.  Not too long after that I wondered if there was anything that exhibited multiple colors on a single item and then I found this … !!!!!!   I am sure that James will want one of these for his birthday.

Amid this socialistic furniture bonanza, however, I found oodles of organizational ideas and better ways to do things.   The trip ended up being a smashing success for space-saving, stream-lining, and brainstorming.  And the 250 square foot apartment, complete with living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bath convinced me that I can convert anything into compact living space.   Actually, I figured out some new ideas for dog kennels based upon these compact ideas.  I’ll just have to convince the dogs that running in a small circle is just as satisfying as running across a field. 

I was so impressed with the quantity of ideas (not the furniture so much) that two days later I took my husband there to take a walk.  He said some interesting things.  In the kitchens he said, “Hmmm.”   In the living rooms he said, “Hmmm.”   In the children’s section he said, “Hmmm.”   In the bookshelves-carts-cabinets section he said, “Hmmm.” 

Finally I said, “Why hmmm?”

“Because I can’t believe that you would like anything in this store.  Where are the aesthetics?”

Well, there weren’t any aesthetics but we found great ideas to aid the functioning of our home.  It reminded me of music.  It used to be that composers really wrote music.  They breathed it.  They lived it.  They had all of the turns and trills and intricacies.  There was such pathos.  But nowdays, so much of music is stream-lined, computer-driven, and aesthetic-deficient.  Neat little grids to fill our ears.

But, I’ll be back to IKEA when we need those grids for organization.  

As to the rest of the day, we kidnapped our adorable, and I mean adorable, tour guide for the day.  He never fell asleep all day.  He was absolutely precious.  And he helped soothe a mama’s heart who misses having her babies.  They are growing up too fast.