Are you kidding me?

I just read a survey that said half of Trump's supporters think there should be a national "White History Month".

Get real, beloved.

History is about the people who write it and most history is already 'white history'.

The reason we need a month for Black History is most of the stuff in history about minorities is severely neglected.

I didn't know, though I was well educated in high school, about the Japanese interment camps in the US until I went to college and met a student whose parents had been interred.

White people need to get a life.

We're so privileged compared to other races that we should be embarrassed if not ashamed.

But those folks are among the ones who elected Trump, so why am I surprised?

snow day

So, I get a day off tomorrow. And since I sort of only work on Sunday it makes a 'day off' seem like a 'week off'. I'll go to the office at some point but that's always more fun than work--I just talk with Bea and chill out.

And it is a good thing, let me tell you that the severe storm warning caused the Senior Warden to tell people to 'stay home and stay safe'. Because the gospel for tomorrow is a killer! I never want to preach on it ever again.

Let me see if I can copy it here.

Matthew 5:21-37
5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.'

5:22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire.

5:23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,

5:24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

5:25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.

5:26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'

5:28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

5:30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

5:31 "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'

5:32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

5:33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.'

5:34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

5:35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

5:36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

5:37 Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

See what I mean? A real doozy. Hard to exagete (fancy 'preacher word' for 'explain'!) because Jesus is drawing some pretty stark lines in the sand in this one.

I remember, shortly after I retired, reading this gospel in a church in Meriden or somewhere. I can't remember what I said about it then since it was probably awful. What I do remember is at this church they took the kids out to Sunday School after the reading of the gospel. So the kids and teachers trooped our having just heard about severed hands and plucked eyes and divorce and not swearing and 'the evil one'.

"I pity those teachers," I said from the pulpit.

So, just as well I don't have to preach about Matthew 5.21-37...it's a real bummer of a gospel. Give me gentle Jesus, meek and mild any day to this Jesus....

 

Puli dementia?

OK, so our dog, Bela, a Puli--Hungarian Sheep Dog--who is a bad dog but we love him so, suddenly has trouble going up and down stairs--which is a problem in our house because we have front and back stairs.

Bern thought it was because he slipped on the bare wood front steps so she got treads from Amazon and put them down. He can't slip on the back steps which have carpet but he seems cowered by them as well.

The treads work great for me and if I make him come up first he comes up fine.

Like most dogs, he likes to be around humans and if we both go downstairs he barks for a while and then we have to go coax him.

Bern wondered tonight when we were out on the back porch smoking (I know! I know! Get over it!) if he was coming down with senility. He's almost 12, pretty much the beginning of the end for his breed. But he is very energetic, goes for long walks, eats like a pig, barks like a nut case, sees well, sleeps well--seems very healthy.

Then there are the stairs....

I just don't get it. We thought it was an injury or something but took him to the vet and he's on condrotian (sp) and Dr. Matz said he was fine, very fine muscles from all his walking.

So, we'll see. He is an odd dog and this may just be to get us to coax him. We have to tell him several times, "go look in your bowl" when we feed him. He likes interaction. I hope that's it instead of dementia....

There aren't any Alzheimer's hospitals for dogs that I know of.

I dread his death. Bern will be inconsolable and I won't be in any shape to even try to console her.

We love this stupid dog so, so much....

need some snow?

If you do, we've got some for you.

Cheshire had over a foot of snow today. Cornwall Avenue didn't get plowed for the first time until almost 1 p.m. Taking the dog out meant walking down the road since we couldn't get out of the driveway and no one has cleared the sidewalks. (We don't have a sidewalk on our side of the street--thank goodness.)

The sound of snow blowers was heard in the land.

Mark, our next door neighbor who's family shares a driveway with us, borrowed the snowblower of neighbors across the street and the driveway is mostly clear except for the foot of snow on Bern's truck and my car.

We aren't going anywhere so we'll wait until tomorrow to clean vehicles.

Want some snow?

These girls

So, I have 4 granddaughters.

Emma, Morgan, Tegan Bradley and Ellie McCarthy.

These girls make my life have meaning.

These girls give me joy beyond expressing.

These girls are my life extended.

These girls are a gift from Josh and Mimi and God.

These girls are in my heart every day and in my love forever.

I actually ponder how old they will be when I die--how much of their lives I will be honored to witness in my flesh.

For Emma and Morgan (10) and Tegan (7) will I see them graduate from high school, from college, marry the man or woman of their dreams? For Ellie (6 months) will I live long enough to give her memories of me she can carry through her life?

My death is intimately tied to these girls.

Bern and I will soon celebrate (in June) our 46th anniversary. We've known each other enough--like 51 years all told--that I have no illusions that she will remember me until she shuffles off this mortal coil.

Josh is 41 and Mimi is 38--enough years to have many memories--good, bad and indifferent--of me to last their lifetimes.

But these girls....I just want to live long enough to be imprinted on their minds and hearts and to live in them for all their lives.

These girls.

Lordy, Lordy, I love them so. I just want them to 'know' me and 'remember' me.

That may be all I want out of this life.

And that seems right and good and 'enough'.

"Enough."

Just enough for a life well lived.

Proud of myself....

I'm so proud of myself!!!

I just posted the third post without mentioning President Trump once....

Drat! Broke my string....

Pride comes before a fall.

storm warning....

Big snow on the way tonight and tomorrow--so they say. They're probably right, having gotten weather science down a lot better than it was back in the 70's.

Back in 76 or 77, Governor Jay Rockefellow of West Virginia told us all 3 feet of snow was coming.

I remember going to the grocery store and finding no bottled water, no bread, very little anything.

The storm 'jumped' WV altogether. We all felt like fools.

So the next year snow--big snow--was forecast and we paid no attention and got the three feet that kept us in our house for 3 days until I walked/slid/fell to the 7/11 as the bottom of the hill where Hazelwood Avenue was to get food....

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

I'm betting they got it right.