Blessed Feast! I love the Transfiguration! We have the Trinity demonstrated in the voice of the Father and the uncreated light of the Spirit which overshadows the mountain, we have the communion of saints demonstrated and modeled (Jesus calls on not only Elijah, who never died, but Moses in the presence of the Apostles and shows them that they can be called on in this world) to us, and we have a Theophany, a demonstration of the divinity of Christ. Saint Peter's statement about building tablernacles is not only an impetuous statement of someone not knowing what to say. It shows that Saint Peter connects what he witnesses with the Feast of Tabernacles, which is the feast of the coming Kingdom. He sees this as a sign of the Kingdom appearing on earth. On this feast, the Jewish people build booths to serve as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom. Moses represents the law and all who have died, and Elijah, the prophets and all who are alive in Christ, as Elijah never experienced death. Both of these men are immediately recognizeable by Saints Peter, James and John. They know them, because the saints are available to us on earth. They can hear Jesus talking to them, and Jesus gives them an example of communicating with the saints. This is one of the major feasts of the Church year, and it is a poverty to neglect or ignore it.

This is the last week before fair, and things are getting busy here. That's a sad time for us, too, because the Monday after fair is always when the winds of autumn start here. I'm praying for a long fall this year.

Part of the reason I want a longer fall is that we are starting to see a real harvest in our garden and fruit trees and I don't want to lose that. Our plums are producing better this year than we have ever seen them! The last couple years we didn't really have any because of late freezes, but we have three trees that are pumping out those plums like gangbusters. I'd like to make some plum butter and jelly, but the kids are eating them pretty rapidly. A couple of our pear trees are really doing well, too. We have several almost ready to eat now. Our gleaning club has come through in a major way with incredible produce, and we are enjoying it heartily.

Also, don't be surprised by the eggs and dairy in our menus this week. We do take the Dormition fast a little bit more lightly, as we are growing into it. We are blessed with TWO days for fish this week, and I am happy for that. We rejoice in our fast and are so grateful for the wonderful things we can have and the focus it gives us for prayer and for study. It is not too late to start the fast, and it is never something you need to do all the way if you are unable. Start to climb the mountain; God will meet you there. The fast is a gift He gives us, not something we give Him.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Plums, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Baked Mediterranean Style Sable Fish, Vegetable Sides brought by Church Family, Knaffeh, Watermelon
• Monday
  Breakfast: Fried Halloum, Sliced Radishes and Cucumbers, Toast, Sliced Pears, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: White Bean Salad with Cabbage, Lepinja Bread, Watermelon
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Cheddar Corn Chowder, Watermelon, Sides brought by Bible Study Members
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Peanut Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Roasted Walleye, Sautéed Eggplant and Tomatoes, Cucumber Salad, Rainier Cherries
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Laurence
  Breakfast: "Dirty" Eggs with Cheese (Egg and Vegetable Scramble), Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ricotta Dumplings in a Brown Butter Sauce, Roasted Summer Squash and Onions, Cherries and Plums
• Friday
  Breakfast: Pinto Bean and Vegetable Breakfast Burritos, Plums, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Zaalouk (Moroccan Warm Eggplant Salad) with Khoubz Kesra (Moroccan Semolina Bread), Cucumber Salad, Sliced Melon
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Blueberry Coffee Cake, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Lemon Garlic Scallops with White Wine and Olive Oil, Parsleyed Rice Pilaf, Green Salad, Fruit Plate

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Blessed Virgin, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Fasting as a Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen, Theotokos