let them eat cake

Every new duty calls for more grace

My wonderful Amy sent this today, from The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers. Those Puritans: they really got it.

Lord Jesus, Great High Priest,
Thou hast opened a new and living way
by which a fallen creature can approach thee with acceptance.
Help me to contemplate the dignity of thy Person,
the perfectness of thy sacrifice,
the effectiveness of thy intercession.
O what blessedness accompanies devotion,
when under all the trials that weary me,
the cares that corrode me,
the fears that disturb me,
the infirmities that oppress me,
I can come to thee in my need
and feel peace beyond understanding!
The grace that restores is necessary to preserve,
lead, guard, supply, help me.
And here thy saints encourage my hope;
they were once poor and are now rich,
bound and are now free,
tried and now are victorious.
Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess,
but not more than is found in thee, the divine treasury
in whom all fullness dwells.
To thee I repair for grace upon grace,
until every void made by sin be replenished
and I am filled with all thy fullness.
May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened,
that I may honour thee by my entire dependency
and the greatness of my expectation.
Do thou be with me, and prepare me for all
the smiles of prosperity, the frowns of adversity,
the losses of substance, the death of friends,
the days of darkness, the changes of life,
and the last great change of all.
May I find thy grace sufficient for all my needs.

Soup and company

This is a Teffer post. Unfortunately, no photos in this post because my camera got stolen. Sigh.

However. Anna has flewed the coop for Boston for the week, so it's just me holding down the little crooked fort. Yesterday I went to Jean-Talon market with two friends, bought a great deal of produce, and made a very large soup, roasted eggplant, and an apple-rhubarb crisp. My friend Olga is vegan, so this was my first attempt at vegan cookery; it was quite successful. However, we miscalculated numbers, and made food for an army, instead of our cohort of six.

This is good, because I have leftovers.

One of the things I love about Jean-Talon: ten-pound bags of fresh apples for $3.00. Which I got for $2.50.

One of the things I love about fall: Fresh apples.

One of the things I love about life: filling the kitchen with soup and people.

Also, my friends, being the wonderful people they are, helped me clean the kitchen and bathroom, took out the trash, and did the dishes.

Now I am going to go eat leftover soup and analyze poetry.

here's what happens when you spend the weekend with two photographers

almost all of the following pictures taken by this guy, the no-longer-incognito Jake Leishman.

the aftermath of a wonderful breakfast courtesy of Vera, the first morning

lenses and coffee - the finer things in life

photos, food, and singing: that was the weekend. here Vera writes lyrics

other people were making music, too, in the Old Port - we stumbled upon an 18th century festival!

two of my favourites, eating bagels on the balcony.

they made me eat ribs. it was deeply intimidating - but ultimately pretty tasty.

bagelfaces and love. I miss my sweet Vera bee.

and tonight... the siblings descend!