Sunday, September 20, 2026

Bad dream

 I was coming, as a priest, to visit a new church. MAL, a friend of many years but now dead, was the retiring priest (she never was a priest.)

We were going to a small morning prayer, but I suggested doing a eucharist and she agreed.

When we got there, the church was packed with people. I was wandering around, amazed by the turnout, when I found myself lying on a table, unable to sit up.

Two folks were there and I begged them to help me stand up for the service but when I tried to touch them my hand went right through them. They weren't real.

I found myself trying to sit up with all my strength and when I woke up I was sitting on the side of our bed, one foot on the floor.

I laid back down and covered up--it was chilly--and tried to figure out my dream.

I feel asleep before I could figure it out....


Saturday, September 19, 2026

Our (NO!) your (no!) somebodies president

Ok, the trumpster is now forbidding reporters from 3 major news organizations from coming to the White House.

It's illegal and unconstitutional, but until a court makes that clear he won't relent.

I think he's losing it--not just his popularity (which is at record low) but his mind.

How our country elected this guy twice is beyond me.

Lots of MAGA folks are regretting it.

Good!

But too late.

Two more years, beloved.

Even if the Dems win the House and Senate, this moron will be President for two more v e r y  l o n g  y e a r s.

 

Friday, September 18, 2026

Friday

 So, I went to the library--took back 5 books and checked out 5 more. I do this once a week and almost always read them all.

Bern reads as much as I do.

We are two voracious readers of Cheshire Public Library.

It's a great place. There to serve voracious readers like Bern and me.

Then I went to Big Y to get stuff for dinner. Lots of seafood for tonight.

Then I read some and sat on the back porch.

I played Hearts on line and read some stories on line and looked at some on line videos.

Now I'm writing this....

Not an exciting Friday, I'll admit.

But fine with me.

Just fine.


Thursday, September 17, 2026

Doctors today

 Bern and I both went to doctors today.

I saw Dr. A., she is my cancer doctor though the cancer was over a decade ago. She's wonderful! I tell her stuff I don't even tell Bern.

Bern went to our new Primary Care doctor today. She loved him--though she was less than happy with the doctor before him.

She told him everything and admitted that she told him stuff she never told me....

I don't feel so bad about not telling her stuff after hearing that.

Doctors are those who want us to keep on living and be healthy.

Thank God for them.

I go see the doctor Bern saw today in a few weeks.

I actually look forward to it after her experience.

Until now, Dr. A. is the only M.D. I looked forward to seeing.

If you feel the least bit bad, go to your doctor.

They're there for us....


Wednesday, September 16, 2026

I'm surrounded by plants

 There are 17 potted plants on our back deck.

They are on the floor, sitting on the banisters, in waist high metal holders--all over.

I probably only know the names of 5 or 6.

Check that. I only know the name of one--a curly cactus. 

If you saw it you could name it--it's obviously a kind of cactus--though not painful to touch--and it curls around.

Pretty neat!

But Autumn is here and at some point most of the plants will come inside for the winter.

They'll all be downstairs and all over the place.

Bern and her plants.

They surround me....


Monday, September 14, 2026

That many? Really???

 I checked the number of views "Under the Castor Oil Tree" has.

I do that every few weeks.

Today I realized that I have had one million, 500 thousand views in total.

I know a few people who check in from time to time, but I have no idea how my blog has gotten so many views.

But thank you, whoever you are....


Saturday, September 12, 2026

"AS"

 My sermon tomorrow is about 'forgiveness', which Jesus tell Peter to do 'seventy times seven times' when a member of the church sins against him.

The title of the sermon is "Don't Forget to Forgive".

I named it that because of the Lord's Prayer.

Jesus tells us to pray, "forgive us out trespasses ('sins') as we forgive those who trespass ('sin') against us."

AS is the big word there.

In the prayer it means "in the same way that".

So, if we don't forgive, God will not forgive us.

Check out Matthew 18.21-25 to read all about it....

And don't forget to forgive....


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About Me

some ponderings by an aging white man who is an Episcopal priest in Connecticut. Now retired but still working and still wondering what it all means...all of it.