What’s Happening?
What’s happening is that I’m late with this issue!
But, be that as it may, a few days ago, I learned about an amazing organization that offers a wonderful way to both invest in our future as to climate change and also honor the indigenous people of our continent. And I am here to share that info with you.
Check this out: Indigenous Energy Initiative (IEI)
Here is a bit about what they do from the What We Do page of the website:
Indigenous people lived in harmony with Earth for centuries. Colonization stripped us of our land, our dignity, and our ability to care for ourselves. Hundreds of years of forced dependency on government programs have left our communities in poverty and vulnerable. There is no single solution to solving these complex problems.
IEI works closely with Indigenous communities to first understand the unique and sensitive social, economic, and ecological systems, while also building trust. We then help tribes design strategic plans and interventions to grow their economies with clean energy and restore sovereignty.
We are not problem solvers. We are system evolvers!
What to Do?
What to do? Learn more and then donate. 😊
You’ll find plenty of current press about this organization here:
https://indigenized.energy/iei-news/
This one caught my eye:
With renewables, Native communities chart a path to energy sovereignty
From Arizona to Maine and beyond, a new generation of Indigenous entrepreneurs, activists and government leaders are making strides — and money — with clean energy.
And, here’s how to donate:
https://indigenized.energy/iei-get-involved/
Just click and scroll down for your options.
IMPORTANT HOLIDAY GIFT NOTE: IEI doesn’t send an official notice specifically acknowledging that you put in the comments that your donation is in someone’s honor, however, you will receive an email acknowledging your donation that you can share with your honored gift recipient. Why not? We all have too much stuff, anyway. (At least those of us who are privileged enough to have too much stuff.)
What’s the Use?
First, you can be sure any donations are used wisely because Indigenous Energy Initiative is a fiscally sponsored project of Earth Island Institute, a California non-profit 501(c)(3) that is a Charity Navigator 4-star rated organization.
Here is a synopsis of just one of many projects made possible by the Indigenized Energy Initiative (IEI).
Approximately one in three Native Americans lives in poverty, and 14% of Native households have no access to electricity.
On the northern Cheyenne Reservation, power outages are common and threaten critical services, and water quality and safety are a constant concern.
It‘s estimated that the solar energy system will provide over $5,000 in annual savings on the community building‘s electricity bills. In addition to offsetting the community’s electricity bills, the project featured:
10-killowatt photovoltaic solar energy system
19 kilowatt hours of energy storage
Powering a water filtration system, called the Waterbox
Ensuring the adjoining fire station has a reliable power source
You can read more about it here: https://indigenized.energy/iei-project-2/
Then donate. 😊
Hey – I just saw this in a Facebook ad from Indigenized Energy Initiative:
By supporting IEI today, you're directly supporting Native Communities.
IEI is a Native-led nonprofit working together with tribes and Indigenous organizations to create sustainable, culturally-appropriate clean energy solutions.
They said it better than I can.
What to Read?
On a different note, here is another book that, like last week’s suggestion (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry), this week’s suggestion is also more than a bit surreal and, frankly, rather odd. And, it also has the essence of spirituality entwined into its plot. It is an excellent, if sometimes confusing and troubling read. But I loved it. Hopefully, you will too.
A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving.
I will leave you with these words by the narrator of the story:
I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice--not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.
To purchase a used copy, I recommend trying https://mtwyouth.org first, then https://www.thriftbooks.com/
To support the author and independent bookstores, AND help support me so I can keep focused on writing, you can purchase a new copy by clicking the title link, above, or go to my bookstore page on Bookshop.org. I bet your local library has it, too.
What’s Cooking?
Shrimp Scampi sounds so fancy, and indeed, it does taste as though a gourmet chef made it, even when you make it at home.
To be honest, though, I had never made it until the other night. Part of my hesitancy has been that so many of the recipes call for well over a pound, if not two pounds of shrimp, which is way more than meal for two, along with long lists of ingredients. I typically don’t like long lists of ingredients.
But, I hit the jackpot the other day when I found this recipe:
Not only does it call for only ½ pound of shrimp, which is perfect for two, but the ingredient list also seemed a bit shorter than most. 😊
I used #4 spaghetti because I had no linguini, and also, I had to forgo the chopped fresh parsley leaf garnish (Note to Self: get some indoor parsley plants going!!!). I also minced fresh garlic. I know the author suggested using minced garlic from a jar for convenience’s sake, but I am just a fresh garlic kind of gal.
But, back to the parsley.
I wanted something green to add color to the scampi, but did not want to substitute dried parsley. What to do? Microgreens! I have an ongoing supply from the Sweet Beet Market here in Bradford NH. I just added a handful right when the shrimp was done and before adding the finishing ingredients and made sure they were a bit wilted before serving.
It was delicious. Here is a picture:
Oh, a note about the shrimp.
I ordered some from Sun Shrimp, nine months ago. It was 5 pounds worth, so, since we only have it as a treat, we still have a few packs. When I ordered it, it was available in ½ pound packages. It looks like you just get a big ol’ bag now, but that works, too. It is expensive, but if you are concerned about the safety and sustainability of the shrimp you eat, this company meets all the criteria of the Monterey Bay Aquariums' Seafood Watch Program.
What Else?
Whew! What a past few weeks it’s been. And, as I write this, we are getting buried in snow. I am so thankful that we have a great plow person and that Steve is up and about enough to do some snow-blowing to clean up around the edges.
But, on my mind more is the season – not so much the Christmas holiday I grew up celebrating and still celebrate, but the Advent season, which, as a child of secular humanist parents and as a long-time Unitarian Universalist, is still new to me even though I am now a baptized Episcopalian.
I don’t think a person has to literally believe any universal story (as I view the stories of all paths that endeavor to help us understand the world and our lives) to be able to appreciate and relate to its meaning.
I will leave you with these words by The Reverend Reed Loy, Rector of Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Hopkinton, NH where I now worship and sing. This is from the Walking Together email newsletter of December 11, 2022 in response to the passage that includes Matthew 11:9: “What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes(!), I tell you, and more than a prophet.”
Advent is, among other things, strange time. When we quiet ourselves, the voices of the world break over us. Some are just plain loud. Some are clinging. Some are fearful. Some are hopeful but somewhat shallow. Some are hopeful but...strange. This figure here, and Jesus' own high regard for his message, encourage us to let ourselves be drawn to a particular kind of hopeful but strange voices.
The strangeness of practicing what you preach, like this fellow.
The strangeness of attending to the forgotten people of the community, like this fellow.
The strangeness of holding all people to the same hope, and responsibility, like this fellow. (Knowing there is some forgottenness in each of us. Knowing also that some of us have abetted the forgetting more than others.)
The strangeness of recalling us to God's dream, like this fellow.
...
Just as a "for instance,” last night I was watching a scientist who helped launch the Voyager probes talk about creating and sending them forth. Describing the creative process, he said they had been like parents, tending a birth. He said those words slowly, gently. When the craft was encapsulated for launch, and he suddenly realized he would never set eyes on it again, he cried.
There, was a strange voice of care. An implicit call to repentance from the aggressive, amoral relationship to technology that saturates headlines, policy and IPOs.
...
Pessimism is fashionable and easily justified (and gets easier for me every day the sunset comes earlier). Numbness is even easier, if our energy is too spent for pessimism. But Advent attunes us back to a strange hopeful voice still crying out in the wilderness. "The kingdom of heaven is still near. Repent, participate, rejoice.”
Be kind,
Wendy