What makes your Strawberry Yogurt red?

The answer: Carmine

From http://www.msn.com/: "According to the FDA, this red food coloring (also known as cochineal extract) is made from dried, ground bugs . The Dactylopius coccus costa insect is native to Peru and the Canary Islands, where it feeds on red berries. The berries accumulate in the females' stomachs and in their unhatched larvae—which is what gives the extract its red coloring. Carmine is one of the most widely used coloring agents, and food manufacturers routinely use it to turn foods shades of pink, red or purple. Chances are it's what makes the color of your strawberry yogurt or that cranberry drink look so appealing."

I've seen this bug many times. The picture of the cactus and spider, here, was taken by Sarah Olejarz on one of our trips to the Wari Ruins, outside of Ayacucho, Peru. In the lower right side of the picture, you can see white stuff on a cactus leaf. That's the cacoon of the Dactylopius coccus costa spider. The people take it out of the cacoon and smash it's guts the way we used to smash lightening bugs to make a glow in the dark paste (a sad fact that makes me feel very bad for all those bugs from my past). The people then use this gunk to die things. They've been doing this for centuries and it's a part of the vibrant red fabric we all think of when we think of native south american garments. I just never thought about eating it.

Tomorrow, we'll discuss what makes your coffee brown...

(You may read more on this topic and other gross food facts at: http://health.msn.com/womens-health/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100232497&gt1=31036)

Speak to the mountain...

One of the things we do here is evaluate new projects. Pastors who have Christian schools ask for our assistance. In this case, the school has to build new classrooms on the first floor, because the government no longer allows primary grades to be on a second story. The problem with this school is that there's a huge rock in the way. In this picture, Phyllis Rose and Sarah Olejarz are pondering the rock. We're talking with the school about how to blast that thing and get the rubble out. After that, the real building project would begin. We prayed over it and claimed the passage that says that we will speak to the mountain and it will be moved!

Even though this school is in the middle of the desert, God has not left them without reminders of beauty.

The picture above is of the students. The picture below is of the building. It's a classic example of what school buildings look like here.

Family Vacation

My sister and brother-in-law (Leisa & Tim Johnson) joined us for a week of vacation. We visited the Poas Volcano (with the 2nd largest crater in the world), the La Paz waterfalls and the Manuel Antonio National Park. We saw monkeys, sloths and Lizards. The sights were wonderful, but nothing compares to having those you love near enough to hug!

Flowers from the edge of the Jungle

Flowers from the Poas Volcano

Autumn Leaves

Autumn is the most beautiful time of year. I've often failed to enjoy the full beauty of Autumn, because I really don't enjoy Winter. I had a hard time enjoying Autumn, because it was a precursor of Winter. I've grown up since then and am now able to enjoy Autumn fully--the color of the sky, the crispness of the air, the sights and smells of the leaves. God is good.


I took these shots of the tree across the street from my office in our house.

Shrader Family Photo Album

Check out the Shrader Family Photo Album. Click on the title and it'll take you directly there. It'll be a regular part of the Links below.

Flower Pics & Prayer Requests 7-25-06

Please join us in praying for:

1. A great SICM Conference--July 30 - August 5. I'll be teaching on emotional intelligence in collegiate discipleship. It's a major part of my doctoral project. My prayer is for the Lord's inspiration to make it a life transforming and empowering experience for the Chi Alpha students.

2. For my Mom's health. Last week we had a scare, as she exhibited some heart attack symptoms. We spent the one month anniversary of dad's death in the hospital with Mom. That was pretty hard on all of us. Mom is OK and the minor issues they discovered are being treated with medication. But she's been left with agonizing pain in both hands. It looks like arthritis, but the doctor isn't certain.

3. For services and the remainder of our budget. Since the budget is not yet at 100%, we must schedule services in the autumn. It was difficult for us to accept this, emotionally, at first; but we are certain that God is in control. Nonetheless, having some friends bring our needs before heaven is always a good idea.


The daffodil picture, above, was taken last spring in our back yard. Since blue and yellow are the colors I see best, I love contrasting them. The delicate little flowers at right, were taken last April on the beach near Galveston, TX.

Color blindness & photographing Flowers

I'm color blind. It's an interesting predicament in life, since people who can see color don't understand it. They instantly start testing me by pointing to things and asking me to identify the color. Since I'm red-green colorblind, I can see blue and yellow perfectly. So the test goes like this...

Incredulous person: What color is this?!

Bill: Blue.

Incredulous person: But you said you can't see colors?

Bill: I can see blue and yellow--greens and reds get confusing.

Incredulous person: Then what color is the grass?!

Bill: Green, except when it's dead, then it's brown.

Incredulous person: Can you tell the difference?

Bill: Yes.

Incredulous person: So what does it look like to you?

Bill: Dead grass.

My dad could see colors, so he said some hurtful things about my inability to discern between green and brown or purple and blue. People who can see colors take it for granted. For those who are interested, as opposed to incredulous, just imagine that life periodically turns into a black-and-white photo. When I was a kid, I remember our first color T.V. It would turn from color to black-and-white without warning. We'd have to turn a knob to get it back into color. My sister would come into the family room and ask, "Why aren't you watching it in color?"

I'd say, "Uhhhh, I don't know. I guess I didn't notice." Then she'd turn the knob and, VIOLA!, the whole thing would become vibrant--just like when Dorothy landed in OZ. It was nice, but when it would go back to black-and-white, I usually didn't notice.

I love discussing art, but I'm not a very confident artist. My sense of color (or lack thereof) is problematic--along with my inability to draw, paint, sculpt or whittle. As such, I love photography--especially flowers. God picks the colors and shapes, and I try to catch it all in just the right light. Above is one of my daffodil shots. Apparently, blogger is alergic, since it'll only let me load one shot at a time. It's probably partial to roses.

Mucho Agape,
Bill

P.S. sorry for the delay in posting. After dad's death it seemed that the whole world was spinning.

Then someone said, "It is spinning."

So, I said, "Yea, but I didn't seem to have so much motion sickness before."