Seeking Beauty: the last weekend of summer, part 3

I am posting this on the autumnal equinox.  Last night (in the wee hours of Monday) it finally rained, breaking a long dry spell.  

For the Beauty of the Earth.
The Toddler Common Household Son,
photoshopped standing on the moon.

Part 3: Sunday

First we sang “For the Beauty of the Earth”, which includes this verse about neuroscience:  

For the joy of ear and eye,

For the heart and mind’s delight,

For the mystic harmony

Linking sense to sound and sight:

Lord of all to thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

We heard the hopeful passage from Isaiah 65 with new heavens and a new earth, no more weeping, the wolf and the lamb getting along splendidly.  “They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.”  Seems like pie in the sky but I’m all for continuing to hope for pie and peace.  There’s no alternative but to hope.

We can also maintain hope for earthly pie. 
I mean, not mud pies, but pies to enjoy
in our current times.  

And then the gospel of John, chapter 19, the crucifixion story, where the beauty in the midst of pain and strife is shown by Jesus’ deep concern for his mother and his friend. He needs them to know they will have each other.   

Pastor preached a wonderful sermon based on the Beatles song “Let It Be” which we sang during the sermon.  Part of the sermon reminded me of the deep love shown when my mother would visit my father in the nursing care unit every evening, ending their visit by singing “Fairest Lord Jesus.”  Every single evening.  

Main point of her sermon:  “Let it be” does not mean sit around and do nothing.  And so, taking the sermon lesson to heart, I left church before worship was over, so I could get to the “No Kings in Our Neighborhood” rally in time.

Ralliers stood on all four corners of this intersection.

My bestie J with the "No Kings / No Princesses" sign
and me in the purple shirt.

These rallies are necessary in these times.  If you are likeminded with me, and are able, I highly encourage you to attend one.  Without them, we can start to believe the lie that we are alone.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  We gave away all 100 “Vote Yes to Retain Judges” yard signs!  I saw activists I haven’t seen in a while.  A joyful time!  But also a scorching-hot-sun time.  After an hour we were glad to head home.

Use it or lose it.

I stopped off at Trader Joe’s for honey, but the store was utterly full of long lines.  Nope.  Rested for two hours at home, then went to the other grocery store to get honey.  Since this post is about beauty I will not tell you how much I spent on two bags of groceries.  ‘Cause that’s ugly.

Not only did I procure honey, but I bought the one in the bottle shaped like a bear.  Because the Common Household Husband had mentioned more than once that this is the way honey should be jarred.  

Honey bear watches over cake.

I made the recipe below, which is quick straightforward and quick.  I made a square 8x8 cake, as the recipe called for.   Events so far in 2025 made me forget that the usual shape of All Things Jewish New Year is the circle.  This denotes the cycle of our lives, with the year being renewed in a circular fashion.   This is why it is traditional to have a round challah on this holiday.  

We are going with whatever honey cake we have at hand.  Happy New Year to those who celebrate.  Yes, I dare hope that all may be inscribed for a good year, but I am not putting an exclamation point on it because it seems inappropriate to be overly enthusiastic.

Honey Applesauce Cake 

 

1/2 cup oil

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup applesauce

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

 

Mix it all together. Pour into a greased 8" x 8" pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Here is part 1: Friday

Here is part 2: Saturday