Always sniff the "cilantro"

Our refridgerator currently contains two bunches of what one of the groceries had marked "cilantro." There was one bunch inside when I took it out to use it in a lentil recipe. I looked at it -- the leaves were too big -- my, what large fronds you have... The leaves weren't shaped right -- my, what pointed lobes you have... And finally I pinched off a bit to smell it -- my, you smell like... a parsley!

I called Elise, who was out at the time arranging new piano lessons for Shelley, to get a new bunch of cilantro. About 30 minutes, Elise comes walking in with a bag. I open it... and it looks suspiciously identical to the parsley we already have. Elise takes the bunch out of the bag, looks at the tag, and it reads, "Italian Parsley." So Elise went out to the other grocery and picked up yet another bunch of cilantro. This time, it looked, looked, and smelled like cilantro.

The moral of the story: A parsley disguised is still parsley. Or, being told you're someone or something else doesn't change who you are.

By the way, does anyone have a good parsley recipe?

Last night was halloween. In this town, there is an official trick-or-treating (TOT) time that is set aside by the city with proper protocols to follow. TOT runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and houses that have something to offer to the TOTers are to leave their porch light on. However, if you leave the porch light on accidentally while you are away, you risk the wrath of the TOTers, including eggs on the door and windows. (I know because our landlady, who had to rush out of town about a week ago left the porch light on and the door and windows were egged this morning.) We had perhaps a dozen or so TOTers come by during the two hours.

A gallon jug of olive oil costs $37 + tax here. So anyone heading over this way, maybe you could pick up a gallon or two on the way over...

I finally got together with a number of the other pastors in town: Presbyterian, Salvation Army, Bible Church, and Assembly of God. It looks like I might just have to take up hunting. Of the five of us that were there, I was the only one had never gone out hunting.

The Bible Church pastor, Phil, had gone out a few days ago and had apparently lost his way a bit. The Presbyterian minister, Bob, is one of the Search & Rescue members in town, and he and the Assembly of God pastor, Lee, took Phil to task for not taking proper survival gear with him. So this coming Tuesday, during the monthly Ministerial Association meeting, we are apparently going to be treated to a demonstration of proper equipment that everyone going out on a trail or on water needs to carry. All the bare necessities of survival apparently only weight around 1-1/2 pounds, so there is no excuse for anyone to not have it with them.

I spoke with Pastor Brown from Wrangell, and it looks like we will finally get to meet him and his wife in person. They will arrive early (3:15 a.m.) Friday morning and leave on the southbound Ferry on Wednesday.