My recent reading list

Today, I thought I'd share my current reading list, ones I've recently completed, currently reading, and those on the to-read list. (Items marked with * open to Amazon.com. All others open to free online versions on SDANet.)

• (*) Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations . . . One School at a Time, by Greg Mortenson
• (*) Latter Days: An Insider's Guide to Mormonism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Coke Newell
• More Than a Prophet: How We Lost and Found Again the Real Ellen White by Graeme Bradford
• Altar Call: A Call to Meet Christ at the Altar, by Roy Gane
• (*) Called to be God's Leader: Lessons from the Life of Joshua, by Henry & Richard Blackaby
• (*) Crossing Jordan: Joshua, Holy War, and God's Unfailing Promises, by Roy Adams
• (*) The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11, by Ron Suskind

As far as things happening today, I posted up some flyers for the Children's Choir in a few locations about town. We'll see how much interest we get.

Grandpa Tom and Danny are boarding the ferry past midnight for their sailing back to Bellingham. There are some high wind warnings in the general SE region of Alaska, so there could be some rough seas on their way back.

Yesterday morning, the children baked and decorated a couple of small cakes. Last night a couple of candles were placed on them for my (day early) birthday.

This evening, we were attempting to put together a Sloppy Joe topping from ingredients we had available. The flavors weren't quite where they should be. Elise added more salt, but it still wasn't right. I sauteed a couple cloves of garlic with additional seasonings, added it to the mix, and it was a little better, but it still wasn't quite right. As I was pondering what else would make it right, I started reading the ingredients from a completely unrelated food package and noticed sugar. I took the topping out of the microwave and added a few tablespoons of sugar into the mix. Voila! All of a sudden the flavors had improved. Somewhere I seem to recall hearing that in many foods, it's the balance of saltiness, sourness, and sweetness that gives it the right flavor. Anyway, something for me to keep in mind in my culinary explorations. And a good analogy to life in general, too. Everything in life needs to be in the right balance for it to be harmonious and pleasant, both to self and others.