Last night there was a very special lunar event! Did you get to see it? January’s full moon is always called the “wolf” moon. (I’ve heard it was so-named by American Indians because that’s when the wolves howled most fiercely outside their villages 😦 ). 
Last night there was also a “super” moon, which means the moon was full while it was at its closest point to the earth in its rotation, making it look especially large and luminous. Every year we get two to five supermoons, and this year there are three: the one last night, one on Feb. 19 (which will be the closest and largest full supermoon of the year), and one on March 21. 
A “blood” moon refers to the color the moon appears to be during a total lunar eclipse. Instead of disappearing altogether, there is still some light that reaches it from the sun, although the rays are refracted in such a way that blue light is filtered out, leaving the sunset glow of red light. A super blood moon is a rare occurrence with gaps between six months and three years. Last night was the only super blood moon in 2019, and there won’t be another one like it visible in North America until May 26, 2021. 
Lunar eclipses occur during a full moon, when the sun and moon are perfectly aligned on opposite sides of the Earth so that the moon falls completely under Earth’s shadow. Last night’s eclipse lasted just 72 minutes, between 11:41 EST (January 20) and 12:53 EST (January 21, the wee hours of this morning). 
The moon appears red only during the eclipse. Once the moon enters Earth’s shadow, it will turn red throughout the full eclipse. 
But, once the moon begins to lose its red hue, you know the full eclipse is over.
My photos of the blood moon and the lunar eclipse were not taken last night, however! They were taken in Italy last July while I was visiting my kids who lived there. Michael and Grace were all excited about the special event, and we were perched in place, watching so we wouldn’t miss this opportunity! We knew the eclipse wouldn’t be visible anywhere in America that night, which made it all the more exotic and unusual!
Last night, Alan and I admired the full moon rising on our way home from visiting with friends, but we were oblivious of the momentous event about to occur just a couple of hours later. When we got home, we watched our son, Joel, out skating in the moonlight and thought about what a beautiful evening it was, but we fell right to sleep without any portend of “things to come!”
I wonder, friend, as you look up at the night sky, do you know some day a blood moon will portend the Lord’s return to Earth? “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Are you prepared for that day? “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:6-13).
“But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.38Â For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,39Â And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.40Â Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.41Â Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.42Â Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.43Â But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.44Â Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” Matthew 24:37-44).
“And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:20Â The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:21Â And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:19-21).
All of Michael’s kids seem to have inherited the family sweet-tooth, so there were lots of requests to make desserts while I was visiting. If you’re looking for an easy and pretty nutritious dessert to make with your children or grandchildren, this one is perfect for the fall, when all the pears are sweet and juicy!
Their Uncle Joel had sent along as a gift The Redwall Cookbook, in honor of Eowyn finishing the twenty-two book fantasy series, and they were very eager to try the recipe for sugared pears found within! Although we made them together, I didn’t write down the recipe, so this will be “inspired by” but not a 100% replication (which might be against copyright law at any rate)! 
                                           Sugar-sweet Steamed Pears
Melt over medium heat in a frying pan (one with a lid you can use to cover it):
Stir until the mixture is bubbly and completely melted. Turn the heat to low, and add the pears, flesh side down. “Fry” for one minute, or just long enough for the flesh to begin cooking and absorb with sugar and butter. Gently turn the pears over and repeat on the skin side. Remove pears to a plate just long enough to add to the frying pan 2 tablespoons of water per pear. Stir until you have a light syrup in the pan. 
Return the pears, flesh side down, into the pan and cover with a lid. Allow the pears to steam for about 10 minutes on very low heat, or until fork tender. (This could take 6-12 minutes, depending on how ripe the pears and high the heat!) Check the pears every few minutes to make sure they aren’t burning and there’s still liquid in the pan. If there isn’t much syrup left, add a little water as needed. 
When the pears are steamed, gently remove them from the pan and place them in a dish, spooning out all the syrup from the bottom of the pan. 
Keep warm in a covered dish until you’re ready to serve them, hopefully after you’ve had a delicious and nutritious dinner! 
Although they can be served with whipped cream, ice cream, nuts, or caramel syrup on top, they are excellent just the way they are: warm & sweet! 
Tiramisu has long been a favorite dessert in our family, especially when we eat Italian food, so my son Joel has been practicing this year and has it down to an art. He even tried making his own ladyfingers (although he says it’s a lot easier to just buy a couple of packages), and he’s perfected the balance of cream with the other flavors to make a memorable dessert that can last several days in the refrigerator and just seems to improve over time! 
Previously, tiramisu was a dessert I never really attempted to make, I think because I don’t like the heavy alcohol flavoring common in most batches. 
However, I was surprised but very pleased to discover that the tiramisu I bought for my son Michael’s family in Italy this summer had no alcohol whatsoever, so it emboldened me to work out an authentic, non-alcoholic recipe that tastes great. 
You may wonder why I have such a vendetta against alcohol (some of my own kids do), but it’s because I have so many friends who have been hurt by the impact of immoderate alcohol consumption. Just this week, a report came out from the WHO (World Health Organization) stating that 1 in 20 deaths world-wide is due to alcoholism. That’s a shockingly high statistic to me when you consider war, accidents, and disease. Sure, alcohol is probably related to the majority of mechanical accidents, but alcohol is one of the few things in life that we absolutely do not need in order to carry on life (unless someone becomes addicted…which is what unfortunately happens all too often). Therefore, why take a chance with a non-essential substance that gives you a 1 in 20 chance of either killing yourself or someone you love? (And, if you’re in your 20’s, the chance goes to 1 in 7.)
Well, I’ll get off my soapbox in a minute and share the recipe, but I also wanted to point out an article from The Washington Post entitled, “Americans Are Drinking Themselves to Death at Record Rates,” which states that 30% of Americans don’t drink at all.* So…if you don’t drink, please don’t feel like you’re the only one out there (which has happened to me a few times). There are a lot of fellow water or Pepsi totters, so the resistance movement is strong!
                                              Enjoy!! We sure do! 🙂
Thank you, Father! Grace was super tired but still not having contractions, so we drove through quite a thunderstorm the forty miles back to Vincenza, where we were greeted by our family and this rain-drenched rose. 
We stopped briefly on our way home to buy some herbal teas and other homeopathic medicines the midwife suggested to stimulate contractions, and I picked up a tiramisu to thank the home team for letting us be gone all day. 
The night passed quietly, but just as we were getting ready to leave for church Sunday morning, Grace’s water broke, and eventually (with the help of two midwives and a lot of hard labor), their new baby was born at home. 
So, welcome to the family, Baby Marius Rive! His first name is in honor of the character, Marius Pontmercy, who is saved by Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables and later marries Valjean’s daughter. Grace had just finished reading the book and felt that Marius was going to carry on his father-in-law’s legacy of grace and forgiveness. “Rive” is an ancient french word that means “river bank,” and Michael and Grace put the two names together as a blessing and prayer that Marius Rive will be like a river bank to channel God’s grace and forgiveness to others. Isn’t that beautiful?
The baby was due Wednesday, and Michael predicted that it might be a photo finish between Baby Cakes and me as to who would arrive first. We had a “Plan B” in place while I was in transit from America just in case the baby came and Michael couldn’t meet me at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport. However, Mike was there smiling when I emerged from the baggage claim area. That was Friday. 
By Saturday, Grace was more ready than ever to deliver, but Baby was unwilling to participate in a premiere showing, so Michael valiantly offered to take care of their four kids so Grace and I could visit the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, about a 40-minute drive from home. 
“Intrepid” is perhaps a modest understatement of Grace’s enthusiasm for life, and she’d really been wanting to visit this acclaimed masterpiece of Western Art before they left Italy, so we decided to take our (a?) big chance and go. 
Having GPS is one of the world’s finest exploration conveniences…when it works. The first time Alan and I visited Venice (about fifteen years ago), our GPS kept telling us to exit off the highway where there was no exit (all new construction), and we had a terrible time finding our way to our hotel. That particular terror was in the back of my mind when Michael warned us that the GPS wouldn’t really bring us to the right spot. 
He said we’d have to cross the Brenta River, so that we did. Then, our GPS said we were just three minutes from the chapel, but it didn’t seem able to direct us further, so we found a parking space (which is definitely a driver’s pot of gold in this area of Padua) and began to walk. Many Italians know a little English, but few with enough facility to actually give adequate directions, and we quickly became completely disoriented on the twisty streets. I should have thought to take photos on my camera every time we turned a corner, but I didn’t. For future reference, if you’re traveling and unsure of where you’re going, take photos, and record where you’ve parked your car on your phone’s GPS if you have a smart phone. This works great for recording trail maps, too!
At one point, we saw a young, professional-looking woman and approached her, thinking at last we’d get help. She’d never even heard of the Scrovegni Chapel (aka 
After bumbling about like the blind leading the blind for half an hour, we finally found the chapel, which is part of the “Museo Civico of Padua.” Whew!
The Scrovegni Chapel is filled with frescoes painted by Giotto in 1305 and is the forerunner to the exquisite works that Michelangelo painted two centuries later in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. 
Although it’s virtually unknown relative to the world-famous Sistine Chapel, people do come from all over the world to visit, and we were give a twenty-minute slot with a small group in a carefully temperature and humidity-controlled environment to view the life of Christ as depicted in this chapel. (If you’re going to visit, reservations ahead are almost mandatory! We were late, but they graciously allowed us in with the next group. Thank you, Italy!)
One of the most famous scenes is Joseph kissing Mary at their wedding. I was told that this is the “first kiss” ever depicted in Western Art (perhaps the world?).
The Museo Civico of Padua is filled with literally thousands of pieces of artwork. 
                     They even have their own Pieta, by Antonio Bonazza.
Grace and I spent hours marveling at all the gorgeous religious art, and it made us all the more amazed that so many people within a few blocks of this world-class treasury seemed to have no knowledge of its existence. How could that be? 
Did we fail to ask the right questions? Use the right words? It reminded me of my son Jonathan trying to find an evangelical church in Germany. He lacked the vocabulary to explain what he was looking for and so stumbled around for a long time before he found a very vibrant congregation of spiritually-minded believers. 
               (Thankfully, he did, because that’s where he met his wife!) 
At any rate, we spent a glorious day standing in reverential awe of God as we experienced this beautiful chapel/museum hidden away in the heart of Italy.
I fear that all too often Americans (myself included) fail to help others find their way to Christ. It’s easy to be like those busy Italians who lived and worked outside the walls of the Scrovegni Chapel but were oblivious to its existence. They never visited, had no clue what was inside, and couldn’t tell anyone how to get there…yet people from all over the world are seeking. 
Can we open our eyes to the gospel message, believe it, receive it, and share it with others?
When you were young, did you imagine meandering into castles built amongst billowing cumulus clouds in the sky? 
I did. 
When our children were very little, one of their favorite books was named
and when I visited Michael and Grace last summer, I couldn’t help but think of 
how their home reminded me of a magical castle floating on a cloud, 
although it’s really a villa built into a mountainside in Italy. 
I’m not exactly sure how they found this enchanted villa, 
but I am sure it was in answer to our prayers for “just the perfect” place to live. 
It was constructed in 1690, is on the national register of historic places, 
and the count who owns it had three requirements if they wanted to rent:Â 
They had to be rich, 
they had to be romantic, 
and they had to be strong. (There are 51 steps from the kitchen to the garage!)Â 
I’m not sure if an army dentist qualifies as rich, Â but they are certainly
romantic and strong. . . and the count must have liked them, 
because he came down in price so they could afford it. 
Although it’s really just a villa set near vineyards where Galileo used to star gaze, 
there’s such a grandeur about it that it really does remind me of a little castle! 
Every door has bolts and locks to secure it like a fortress. 
There are aged lamps with cobwebs way high up that remind me
There are trap doors 
and secret passageways, 
and even one room that conjures up images of serving as a dungeon at one time. 
The ceiling in the ballroom is painted with ethereal frescoes, 
and some of the doors and walls are adorned with colorful murals
There are beautiful woodland gardens and pathways, 
and lots of little castley touches, like gargoyles under the roof tops.
Nevertheless, if it’s a “castle,” it’s not a castle built on the clouds.
In fact, this villa has its very own secret cave for playing and getting cool.
Everywhere I could see evidences of just how difficult it must have been to carve this castle out of rock. 
As children, we dream and imagine, 
but building a good life takes a lifetime of hard work,
and it’s a never-ending process. 
I don’t think any of us will ever live in a castle built in the clouds, 
But by God’s grace, if “every man’s home is his castle,” then each of us has the potential to live in a little castle here on earth, built into the side of a mountain. 
(And, to me that Mountain is God, our heavenly Father)! 
We may not get everything we imagine,
Michael and Grace’s castle in a cave has been “just perfect” for them these past three years, but yesterday they moved out…off on a new assignment! 
How about you and me? Have you built a little castle in a cave dug into the side of the Mountain? I have. Are you ready for a new assignment? 
I’m very content, but just like Michael and Grace, I want to be ready to ship out and move on whenever my Lord calls, to wherever my Lord leads! 
Because, thankfully, this world is not our final resting place! 
Someday, if we are saved by faith in Christ,
not to live in a castle in the clouds, but to our Father’s home in heaven.
When Michael was little, his favorite song was “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.” I taught it to his kids, and we sang it every night when I was taking care of them, so I thought it would make the perfect ending (for a new beginning):
 God bless my kids, and may God bless us all as we adventure forth!
While I was helping out with Michael’s family when their new baby was born this summer, my two oldest grand daughters were really interested in cooking with me, and in particular, they’d tried to make meringues but couldn’t get them to turn out right. They were either burned or gooey. So, we worked together and made some that turned out just lovely! 
After leaving their home, Alan and I went for a three-week cruise, and meringues were part of many dessert options (like this one, called “Mixed Berries Pavlova”),
so I decided they are popular with everybody these days and worth writing up. 
I think the secret to success is more sugar than you’d think (to help them keep their shape) and a longer, lower baking temperature than is often prescribed to help them keep from browning or burning (or at least a lower temperature than was prescribed in the kids’ cookbook).
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Meringues
Over the past few months, we’ve experienced some epic changes, not only around our home, but in our family and at Alan’s office. I’ll work backwards, since the first epic change occurred at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, where Alan works. After months of intensive planning and preparation, the entire hospital system (which is now one of the largest free-standing psychiatric hospitals in the U.S.) switched over their medical records to Epic Systems Corporation, a software company that holds the records for some 64% of all the patients in America. It was truly an “Epic” change…hugely expensive, hugely difficult, but also hopefully hugely helpful in better caring for their patients. 
The second (although tiny) epic change was the addition of a new baby in our family! Little Marius joined Michael and Grace’s family at their villa in Italy in July. I was blessed to be with them during this precious time, made particularly epic for me because I ended up caring for their four older children solo for a few days…a first for me in my 12-year grandma-ing career. Grace ended up back in the hospital for several days (she is fine now), and in Italy they wouldn’t allow the baby to stay unless Michael also stayed to care for him! 
The last epic change I’ll report (although there are still more) is happening as I write: the addition of a new sun room onto our home. Talk about digging and grubbing in the dirt! The view out the window is thrilling and intimidating…so much so that we gave up an opportunity to have our son Jon’s family visit for fear of their three little girls getting inadvertently injured by falling into the pit or being run over by some monstrous machine. One day there was such a thunderous impact from workers removing concrete abutments that a music box fell off the mantle inside! Lots of jolts and jars…concrete and mud sprayed all over our music gear in the basement when a plastic drape fell, etc! 
Beyond these changes for us, we have two close friends who are in epic battles with cancer right now…one friend who was in the hospital for three weeks, and another couple who needed to move from their (his) home of 60 years into a condo. It feels a little the earth is quaking under my feet, not just in my home, but in my heart!
    How are you doing? Are you also experiencing epic changes in your life? 
If so, may I comfort you with this prayer by Henri J.M. Nouwen? “Dear Lord, Today I thought of the words of Vincent van Gogh: ‘It is true there is an ebb and flow, but the sea remains the sea.’ You are the sea. Although I experience many ups and down in my emotions and often feel great shifts and changes in my inner life, you remain the same. Your sameness is not the sameness of a rock, but the sameness of a faithful lover. Out of your love I came to life, by your love I am sustained, and to your love I am always called back. There are days of sadness and days of joy; there are feelings of guilt and feelings of gratitude; there are moments of failure and moments of success; but all of them are embraced by your unwavering love. . . .” 
“O Lord, sea of love and goodness, let me not fear too much the storms and winds of my daily life, and let me know there is ebb and flow but the sea remains the sea. Amen.” (—from A Cry for Mercy).
“
(I just spent 5 weeks in Europe, partly in Michael and Grace’s “castle in a cave,” and partly on a 3-week cruise of the North Sea, Iceland, and Norway. Hopefully, next week I’ll start recounting tales from these wonderful weeks of adventure! Meanwhile, God bless you! I pray for everyone who reads my blogs, that you will find all your needs met in God, our heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord!)
Summer Setting 