Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Ash Wednesday


So last night I burned up some palm crosses -- about 16 of them amounted to maybe a tablespoon of ashes. Duly tamed ashes with about the same amount of olive oil from my pretty Cortona cruet. (Note to self: take care not to add balsamic vinegar from OTHER matching cruet by mistake. Not the same effect at all).

Shouldn't have started the process in the kitchen, though, the house still whiffs of smoke a bit. Finished up on the front porch.

We were ten for the morning service, followed by a lively and HIGHLY digressive Bible study, during which I attached the two dropped buttons to my cassock very successfully.

Then some collaborative office work, and a second draft of the sermon for Sunday. Unplugged toilet in women's washroom.

Cleaned up the last vestiges of the ash-imposing, hand-cleaning paraphernalia in readiness for this evening's service...drove home, had a nice cold sauerbraten sandwich for my lunch. Also salad (pauses to polish halo).

By the way I think I overdid it with the crushed gingersnaps to thicken the sauerbraten gravy. It was, well, rather FIRM. Think, "peanut butter." But tasty.

Have run one load of laundry.And had one nap, carefully restricted to one half-hour.

Time to do about an hour's blitz on the worst of the clutter with a view to freeing up space into which I can unpack books. And then, back to St. Curious for the second imposition of ashes, this time with hymns and all.

Also to infinite delight, first church pension cheque in today's mail -- w00t!

2 comments:

Terri said...

for many years I did not know that one was supposed to add olive oil to the ashes...so I imposed them without - light and fluffy, they were....but I always burn the palms outside, the acrid odor is too much for me...I've been tempted to invite "Dirty Jobs" television show to join me some year for the burning of the palms...

I too am off to Preside at the evening service having had a full day of packing and then preparing for a phone interview tomorrow night....

Crimson Rambler said...

fingers crossed for you! there are distinctly TWO opinions about the addition of oil in the Canadian church. But our climate is so dry, and the ashes get so charged, and fly into people's eyes and mouths, which does not conduce to reverence...