Betsy Sealand

Hello, my name is Betsy and I am the newest member of the Sealand family. Mom and Dad adopted me on Saturday. They say I'm a rescued dog but I think I rescued them from boredom. I think before I came along all they did was stare at each other. I have only been on this earth for eight months but I have learned a lot in my short time. I spent some time in North Carolina with some very nice people at a shelter. Ms. Georgietta came and got me and took me to her home but she has eight other dogs. I like having all the attention now. My daddy said that I have a forever family now. I have my own bed and my own food bowls with my name on it. Daddy told me that I won't be waking up in a different place every day anymore and that makes me happy.

I like to chase my toys, especially my blue hot dog. He squeaks and it makes me laugh. I love to cuddle and get hugs. I like to knaw on things, like mommy's diamond ring, it's sparkly. I really like long walks and short naps. I like big dogs but not annoying little yapppers. I don't believe in superfulous barking. You should only use your voice when you have something important to say.

Mommy and Daddy say I have cousins like Freckles, Star, Garden, Max, Tyler and an Uncle Rocky. I am glad to have a forever family and I hope you come to visit me soon.

Hot Squash

This is a shout out for embarassing food moments...so share yours and read my most recent. I bought this AWESOME cookbook called Hungry Girl by Lisa Lillien. The tag line is "Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-free eating in the real world." You can check her out at hungry-girl.com

Anyway, I was making the Amazing Ate-Layer Dip. The recipe calls for butternut squash instead of refried beans (I know it sounds gross but it tasted great in the end). The recipe says, "Nuke squash in a covered microwave-safe dishe for 6-7minutes. I was so excited to find that this glass loaf pan that was the perfect size and I put the whole butternut squash in the dish and nuked it. I was kind of sad though because he looked like squash dude from Veggie Tales. Seven minutes later I had a really hot squash. It was supposed to be tender enough to smash. It wasn't! So I called my DH (the resident chef) to the kitchen and he kindly and gently pointed to the list of ingredients which said, "2 1/2 cups PEELED and CUBED butternut squash, not a whole one. In the past I would have broken into tears and called Papa Johns but I am more mature now. I sliced the squash down the middle, scooped out the insides and nuked it some more. The dip turned out great and it was a healthy alternative to a favorite dish of ours. But, now the term Hot Squash has a special meaning in our house.

In a time far, far, away...

The Cotswolds is known for it's beautiful country. The rolling hills and stone fences of my imagination from BBCAmerica. Sheep wandered around the vast green pastures. I started to count them but it make me sleepy (jk). Our group went to Burford, a charming town that hasn't change much in 500 years. The Cotswolds used to be famous for its high quality wool until the machines of the Industrial Revolution (steam powered loom) couldn't handle the delicate yarn. Back in the day there were 2 sheep for every person in England. In other words there were double the sheep to people. These are the same sheep the English would not send to the new American colonies. The colonists either had to pay an arm and a leg to England for good wool or turn to alternatives like the cotton that built the south. (I received this bit of information at Colonial Williamsburg). So today international diplomacy revolves around gas then it was about sheep. It illustrates the point that in every generation we have our issues, the only thing that changes is the object of the issue.

Another piece of information I learned on the tour is to be considered a village a town had to have a church. Now many of these old churches have been turned into private residences. The preservation laws in the UK have kept these villages looking like they did 500 years ago, only with a car park in front. I can not impart in words the magnitude of the history that surrounds you in England. I fell as a tiny drop in the vast sea of time that God created. But, every drop in that sea matters to God! Well, the pictures are worth more than my words. Some of the pictures from the walking tour will be uploaded to my facebook page.

Chim-Chim-Cheree

For those of you who don't know I will confess for the world wide web, I love Julie Andrews. When I saw Mary Poppins I wanted to be British, eat a spoonful of sugar, and feed the birds at St. Paul's Cathedral. I know every word and song of the movie by heart. I have read the delightful books by P.L. Travers. Since I was a kid I have been an Anglophile (lover of all things British). I offer you this information so you understand why in this my 30th year of life, I was especially blessed to finally set foot on English soil. The next few (or many if I get good feedback) blogs will be about my recent trip to Oxford, Cambridge and London on a study trip of the great author CS Lewis. Lewis has also shaped my life ever since my sixth grade teacher read us, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I have traveled to Narnia and England several times in my imagination and through books, but now my eyes see what I had only imagined. Now, I use my own words to take you on my journey to the UK. I will share with you pictures, notes from my journal I kept on the trip, and reflections now that I am back in America.

Today we took a walking tour of Oxford. The funny thing is everything seems so familar because it looks just like Sewanee (my alma mater http://www.sewanee.edu/). I love to see the school boys in their uniforms with the hats and ties. We visited St. Mary the Virgin church which is where Lewis preached his famous sermon, "The Weight of Glory" It was also here that John Wesley (the founder of the Methodist church) preached his famous sermon, "Salvation by Faith." There is a plaque here that indicates that the Oxford martyrs, Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer were burned at the stake on the street. They were burned because Catholic Queen Mary (aka Bloody Mary) was trying to reverse the Protestant reformation in England in 1555. All of this history in one place. I stand where they stood. What contribution will I make to this world?

Later that afternoon...

I had a proper tea and scones at Rose's tea room. Scones are like American biscuits and clotted cream is butter. Real butter, not low fat vegetable spread. My taste buds were delighted in the richness of the clotted cream, the sweetness of the jam and the aromatics of the tea. Tea in England is unlike any I have had ever, even in China. The warmth fills your mouth, the aromas penetrate your nose and there are so many subtle flavors. It's like tasting a nursery filled with flowers. Now I understand what the meaning that "a proper cup of tea" can solve anything that ails you.

That evening...

I went to Evensong at Magdalen College (where Lewis was a tutor). I was transported to the very presence of God via voices lifted in musical prayer. It was the most beautiful prayer service I have ever attended. The voices and prayers still linger in my head. I was there an hour but I feel like I have spent a day in heaven. Here is a picture of the chapel.

Tomorrow more specific on the Walking Tour.