Christmas and New Year’s Eve…and the week in between….
A time of endings and of beginnings; a time of counting blessings and of counting losses....of things and people gone from us….of successes and of mistakes.
Sadness and joy…two emotions common the year ‘round, but especially common at this time of year.
And the older we get, the more we have to be grateful for. And the more we have had to part with….the more we have had to regret.
Such are the ways of life.
How to be joyful, to really be able to count blessings as 2010 ends?
Our Church Study Group read into the Rule of St. Benedict this year…and he has some good advice.
The Dear Old Saint advises that the ‘joy chokers’ are such negatives as fear; cynicism; boredom; low self-esteem; taking life too seriously; loss of wonder; greed; guilt; bitterness; and busyness.
Get rid of all or most of the chokers, and the New Year has a chance.
So, think well of yourself. Have faith in the future. Don’t take self too seriously. Be ready to marvel at the world around. Be happy with the blessings counted. Don’t envy what others have. Forgive. And take time to smell those red flowers.
And as midnight approaches on the last day of December, consider the following words written long ago in a Dear Land across The Pond:
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
As midnight of the last day of December approaches, we'll take a right good-will draught with several friends. We'll laugh and dance with them and we'll think of and remember those with whom we are not .
Happy New Year to all our Family and Friends.
We will think of you often.
Please think of us.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
BE SAFE
The Christmas lights are up.
A few decorations remain to be done inside.
The ‘village’ is back in business. We think of it as a little Brigadoon.
Every year the Grandkids get to pick which of the wee folk they are.
We do the same.
There are two garlands with lights to be placed between two rooms.
And then we are done with that lot.
The pantry is well stocked; the bar as well.
We will head out for gas after Church for the snowblower, for a flaming grand storm is predicted for Sunday and Sunday night.
God save us!
And the Church adult Christmas party is on for tomorrow night.
We are taking a fruit bowl. Will pick up that bit on the way to the gas station.
Have just finished the annual Christmas Letter, the one that goes into all the cards we send out.
An annual chore – a labor of love.
Dear Wife is proofreading it as I write.
Tomorrow we start to make out the cards.
The cycles repeat.
Between Church and the start of the big storm we hope to split some more firewood.
A good direction from Dickens: “Heap on more wood for the wind is chill."
Thank the Lord for a warm, dry house.
Be safe out there!
A few decorations remain to be done inside.
The ‘village’ is back in business. We think of it as a little Brigadoon.
Every year the Grandkids get to pick which of the wee folk they are.
We do the same.
There are two garlands with lights to be placed between two rooms.
And then we are done with that lot.
The pantry is well stocked; the bar as well.
We will head out for gas after Church for the snowblower, for a flaming grand storm is predicted for Sunday and Sunday night.
God save us!
And the Church adult Christmas party is on for tomorrow night.
We are taking a fruit bowl. Will pick up that bit on the way to the gas station.
Have just finished the annual Christmas Letter, the one that goes into all the cards we send out.
An annual chore – a labor of love.
Dear Wife is proofreading it as I write.
Tomorrow we start to make out the cards.
The cycles repeat.
Between Church and the start of the big storm we hope to split some more firewood.
A good direction from Dickens: “Heap on more wood for the wind is chill."
Thank the Lord for a warm, dry house.
Be safe out there!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
ONCE IS ENOUGH - 7 DECEMBER 1941
And so we sit down to keyboard a bit late again.
Not, this time, late in the day, but late in sitting down, for this is an important anniversary, one which we usually precede with some sort of commemoration.
For this is the anniversary of The Infamous Day, 7 December 1941, as coined by President Roosevelt, in so many words, so very eloquently.
Several thousand survivors of that horrendous day survive and they help us to ‘keep’ the Day, as it were.
The Great Pacific Fleet was not ready. The might of the United States was not ready. The leaders and people of the United States were not ready.
Even after VE and VJ Days, when the nation should have known better, the paramount thought among leaders and people was to disarm, to disarm as quickly as possible and to ‘get back to normal.’
Hindsight is quite an advantage, and those folks can perhaps be forgiven.
To some extent.
For a short time the effort seemed to be possible.
And then reality.
The decision was made, within a few short years of victory, that such unreadiness should never again prevail.
And so the sacrifice of that day and of the four years of days that followed were perhaps not in vain, for they started the preparation of the Republic for the new world which was coming into existence, the world of the Cold War and all the struggles and the sacrifices which would eventually ensue, then and thereafter.
Perhaps that is the true meaning of Pearl Harbor: that the best way to prevent war, to prevent catastrophe, is not to foolishly attempt to outlaw war or to ignore the signs that it is coming, but rather the best way is to prepare for it with force so overwhelming, so terrible, so all-knowing, that no enemy, whether rational or not, would dare to even approach the brink.
As Churchill said regarding WW2 appeasement, They had the choice of preparing for war or for preparing for peace. They chose to prepare for peace. They got war [paraphrase].
Let us hope the Good Guys never make the same mistake again.
Not, this time, late in the day, but late in sitting down, for this is an important anniversary, one which we usually precede with some sort of commemoration.
For this is the anniversary of The Infamous Day, 7 December 1941, as coined by President Roosevelt, in so many words, so very eloquently.
Several thousand survivors of that horrendous day survive and they help us to ‘keep’ the Day, as it were.
The Great Pacific Fleet was not ready. The might of the United States was not ready. The leaders and people of the United States were not ready.
Even after VE and VJ Days, when the nation should have known better, the paramount thought among leaders and people was to disarm, to disarm as quickly as possible and to ‘get back to normal.’
Hindsight is quite an advantage, and those folks can perhaps be forgiven.
To some extent.
For a short time the effort seemed to be possible.
And then reality.
The decision was made, within a few short years of victory, that such unreadiness should never again prevail.
And so the sacrifice of that day and of the four years of days that followed were perhaps not in vain, for they started the preparation of the Republic for the new world which was coming into existence, the world of the Cold War and all the struggles and the sacrifices which would eventually ensue, then and thereafter.
Perhaps that is the true meaning of Pearl Harbor: that the best way to prevent war, to prevent catastrophe, is not to foolishly attempt to outlaw war or to ignore the signs that it is coming, but rather the best way is to prepare for it with force so overwhelming, so terrible, so all-knowing, that no enemy, whether rational or not, would dare to even approach the brink.
As Churchill said regarding WW2 appeasement, They had the choice of preparing for war or for preparing for peace. They chose to prepare for peace. They got war [paraphrase].
Let us hope the Good Guys never make the same mistake again.
Friday, December 3, 2010
DAILY WORDS
It occurred to me this morning, after the second or third coffee, that as dictionaries grow in size, so do our everyday vocabularies change.
And much as we often do not notice the little changes in ourselves as we live from day to day, so we do not notice the changes in our vocabularies.
I have a list somewhere of words/phrases that I grew up using, but, of course, I cannot find it now.
But a few terms do resonate…and I still use all of them.
I used to tell my students that they didn’t have to use coarse language to impress people in conversation. Try to use a few antique words and phrases instead and people will sit up and take notice.
Here are a few:
We used to watch the police go by in their prowl car.
We used to sit by the fireplace in the front room.
We looked forward to the arrivals of the milk men and the bread men in their horse drawn wagons.
And some of us wanted to be coal men or ice men and make deliveries to all the houses.
And it was exciting to watch the tinker sharpen the shears and knives and clippers when he came through the neighborhood.
And then there was the pumice stone on the shelf by the bathtub.
And we were directed not to lallygag on the way home.
And we used to play monopoly on the verandah.
And we always made sure everyone had a serviette for all meals.
And the sofa was a chesterfield.
And we needed to be careful of our spectacles.
And we needed to tie our laces carefully when we put our boots on.
And in bad weather we always wore our galoshes.
And there you have the list as I recall it as of now.
I am sure there are dozens and dozens more of such antiques.
I look forward to remembering.
And much as we often do not notice the little changes in ourselves as we live from day to day, so we do not notice the changes in our vocabularies.
I have a list somewhere of words/phrases that I grew up using, but, of course, I cannot find it now.
But a few terms do resonate…and I still use all of them.
I used to tell my students that they didn’t have to use coarse language to impress people in conversation. Try to use a few antique words and phrases instead and people will sit up and take notice.
Here are a few:
We used to watch the police go by in their prowl car.
We used to sit by the fireplace in the front room.
We looked forward to the arrivals of the milk men and the bread men in their horse drawn wagons.
And some of us wanted to be coal men or ice men and make deliveries to all the houses.
And it was exciting to watch the tinker sharpen the shears and knives and clippers when he came through the neighborhood.
And then there was the pumice stone on the shelf by the bathtub.
And we were directed not to lallygag on the way home.
And we used to play monopoly on the verandah.
And we always made sure everyone had a serviette for all meals.
And the sofa was a chesterfield.
And we needed to be careful of our spectacles.
And we needed to tie our laces carefully when we put our boots on.
And in bad weather we always wore our galoshes.
And there you have the list as I recall it as of now.
I am sure there are dozens and dozens more of such antiques.
I look forward to remembering.
Monday, November 29, 2010
THANK YOU
Just a line or two to thank the readers of this site who take the time to write us via email and or posting.
There are just a few of you, but you are very important to the writing and thinking going on here, whether or not said writing ever makes it from mind to hard drive to web site.
There are just a few of you, but you are very important to the writing and thinking going on here, whether or not said writing ever makes it from mind to hard drive to web site.
TOUCH HANDS
TG Weekend is over and Sophie and I are alone in The Study.
The eleven guests have gone their various ways and we begin the countdown to Christmas.
The cycles repeat, thank The Lord.
Dear Wife will return this afternoon having overnighted returning a Dear Cousin to her home, a two-hour drive from us.
And now there is time for reflection.
So many things to think about; to wonder about; to deal with.
So many blessings!
The prayer once again comes to mind, as it so often does:
These are the days the Lord hath made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in them.
We sense that the outside world swirls and roils around and even within our Nation. We rejoice in the positives and worry and hope and pray regarding the negatives.
Such is the way of life.
But for now, we have a few moments to reflect on our Thanksgiving Weekend, on our Family, on our Blessings.
The thirteen of us were able, once again, to gather and to reflect, to remember the decades of such gatherings.
The eleven guests have gone their various ways and we begin the countdown to Christmas.
The cycles repeat, thank The Lord.
Dear Wife will return this afternoon having overnighted returning a Dear Cousin to her home, a two-hour drive from us.
And now there is time for reflection.
So many things to think about; to wonder about; to deal with.
So many blessings!
The prayer once again comes to mind, as it so often does:
These are the days the Lord hath made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in them.
We sense that the outside world swirls and roils around and even within our Nation. We rejoice in the positives and worry and hope and pray regarding the negatives.
Such is the way of life.
But for now, we have a few moments to reflect on our Thanksgiving Weekend, on our Family, on our Blessings.
The thirteen of us were able, once again, to gather and to reflect, to remember the decades of such gatherings.
There was fellowship. There was feasting. There was laughter and there were tears.
And we looked with joy and hope upon our most perfect Dear Granddaughters.
We observed the hallowed Thanksgiving traditions: the days of prep; the pre-TG Day arrivals of overnight guests; the Great Day itself; the breakfasts; the shopping and dining out the day after; the Dickens Christmas Carol Theatre the next day; the fires in the fireplace; the birthday and even Christmas gift exchanges with folks who will be far away on Christmas Day; and then the farewells on Sunday when everyone finally went their various ways.
Every moment was precious.
May we remember all of them exactly as they occurred.
Another quote comes to mind, this one from our annual Christmas Letter:
Ah Friends, dear friends, as years go on
And heads get gray
Touch hands, touch hands, with those that stay.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
DEFENSE IS DIFFERENT - FROM NRO
This excellent article asks what is the purpose of our Federal Government .
It forcefully answers the question.
Too good to miss.
http://www.nationalreview.com/blogs/print/253202
It forcefully answers the question.
Too good to miss.
http://www.nationalreview.com/blogs/print/253202
Friday, November 12, 2010
THEY DESERVE IT
Many call it Veterans Day [no apostrophe s].
Some call it Armistice Day.
Overseas it is commonly called Remembrance Day.
In any case, as most everyone knows, 11 November is the anniversary of the day which ended the Great War.
In the United States, the official purpose of the day is to honor all Veterans of the American Armed Forces: past and present; living and dead.
The operative word here is all.
Fox News reported tonite that one Vet is still alive from the War to End All Wars.
One wonders today at the naiveté of folks in those days who could believe such propaganda.
At any rate, the young men of early last century went off to war, whether or not they believed.
They went for all sorts of reasons, as the young soldiers do today, for a variety of reasons.
There is a saying: “They also serve who only stand and wait.”
Well, those of us who stay behind can and do a great deal more than just stand and wait, and one of those things should be to remember those who have worn the uniform.
Tom Brokaw has it wrong.
The WW2 Generation was not the Greatest Generation.
Rather, it was one of the Great Generations, one of the many that have gone before and that will come in the future.
Many young American men and women are still doing what many have always done: they are answering the call to defend their country; their way of life; those things they hold dear; even the welfare of people in various foreign parts of the world.
We should take special care to remember such Americans on this day; to remind ourselves that it is not only wealth and oil and oceans that keep us safe.
We should remember that it is the willingness of our “Thin Red Line”, as the British used to say, that stands between the civilized world and the enemies thereof.
If you didn’t do so on 11 November, thank the next Vet you see for his or her service.
He or she deserves it.
Some call it Armistice Day.
Overseas it is commonly called Remembrance Day.
In any case, as most everyone knows, 11 November is the anniversary of the day which ended the Great War.
In the United States, the official purpose of the day is to honor all Veterans of the American Armed Forces: past and present; living and dead.
The operative word here is all.
Fox News reported tonite that one Vet is still alive from the War to End All Wars.
One wonders today at the naiveté of folks in those days who could believe such propaganda.
At any rate, the young men of early last century went off to war, whether or not they believed.
They went for all sorts of reasons, as the young soldiers do today, for a variety of reasons.
There is a saying: “They also serve who only stand and wait.”
Well, those of us who stay behind can and do a great deal more than just stand and wait, and one of those things should be to remember those who have worn the uniform.
Tom Brokaw has it wrong.
The WW2 Generation was not the Greatest Generation.
Rather, it was one of the Great Generations, one of the many that have gone before and that will come in the future.
Many young American men and women are still doing what many have always done: they are answering the call to defend their country; their way of life; those things they hold dear; even the welfare of people in various foreign parts of the world.
We should take special care to remember such Americans on this day; to remind ourselves that it is not only wealth and oil and oceans that keep us safe.
We should remember that it is the willingness of our “Thin Red Line”, as the British used to say, that stands between the civilized world and the enemies thereof.
If you didn’t do so on 11 November, thank the next Vet you see for his or her service.
He or she deserves it.
THE DOUBLE STANDARD
Decision Points, George W. Bush, is in stores today.
A very reticent former President speaks out.
We miss Mr. Bush here at The Study.
We are not surprised at the vitriol which is greeting this release.
We are saddened by it.
Similar hatred is engendered by the mere mention of such as Sarah P.
Liberals are such pieces of work.
Overheard this morning on Morning with Joe on msnbc:
Joe wondered aloud in debate at the inconsistency of the left ranting and raving about alleged Bush-era torture while remaining mute with regard to b.o.’s increasing use of predator drones which inevitably result in severe collateral damage.
How is it that the killing of the innocent is ok under the watch of b.o., wondered Joe, but the non-lethal water boarding of a few human monsters by President Bush is grounds for impeachment?
Well said, Joe of Morning with Joe.
Beware the wrath of your bosses.
A very reticent former President speaks out.
We miss Mr. Bush here at The Study.
We are not surprised at the vitriol which is greeting this release.
We are saddened by it.
Similar hatred is engendered by the mere mention of such as Sarah P.
Liberals are such pieces of work.
Overheard this morning on Morning with Joe on msnbc:
Joe wondered aloud in debate at the inconsistency of the left ranting and raving about alleged Bush-era torture while remaining mute with regard to b.o.’s increasing use of predator drones which inevitably result in severe collateral damage.
How is it that the killing of the innocent is ok under the watch of b.o., wondered Joe, but the non-lethal water boarding of a few human monsters by President Bush is grounds for impeachment?
Well said, Joe of Morning with Joe.
Beware the wrath of your bosses.
HE COULDN'T AND CANNOT WAIT
Gene Robinson couldn’t wait to become a bishop in The Episcopal Church of the United States.
He achieved his goal early.
Now he has announced an early retirement.
Early in. Early out.
Never mind the cost to the Communion.
None of us are perfect.
But my goodness.
He achieved his goal early.
Now he has announced an early retirement.
Early in. Early out.
Never mind the cost to the Communion.
None of us are perfect.
But my goodness.
Friday, November 5, 2010
WONDERING
Anomaly of the newly-enacted Michigan smoking law:
Pipes, cigars, and cigarettes may be legally sold in the state in appropriate venues.
No tobacco smoking is allowed in facilities which serve the public. These include restaurants, offices, stores, etc.
Cigars may be smoked in ‘cigar bars’, but cigarettes and pipes MAY NOT be smoked in such places.
Cigarettes and pipes may NOT BE SMOKED in tobacconist shops, WHERE THEY ARE SOLD!!!
I asked the proprietor of a shop I visit if he knew the reason.
He did not.
I really do wonder.
Pipes, cigars, and cigarettes may be legally sold in the state in appropriate venues.
No tobacco smoking is allowed in facilities which serve the public. These include restaurants, offices, stores, etc.
Cigars may be smoked in ‘cigar bars’, but cigarettes and pipes MAY NOT be smoked in such places.
Cigarettes and pipes may NOT BE SMOKED in tobacconist shops, WHERE THEY ARE SOLD!!!
I asked the proprietor of a shop I visit if he knew the reason.
He did not.
I really do wonder.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
EITHER WAY
We have to express delight at the results of the most recent election, as reported so far.
The rebuff to b.o. is clear. It cannot be denied.
The House is sufficiently Republican to prevent absolute dem control of legislation, and Republican chairmen will take their places of leadership in all committees.
And nancy is out of a job.
We look forward to careful crafting of legislation; to as many congressional investigations as is appropriate; and to the beginnings of national politics as it is supposed to be carried out.
It remains to be seen if b.o. can adapt to the new situation.
If he is smart, flexible, not doctrinaire, able to compromise, he may pull off a successful move toward the center.
He would remain in office, but his leftward lurches would be things of the past.
If not, well, then he will turn out to be a one-termer.
And he will join the ranks of the disgraced.
Either way, it is a likely win for the good guys, God willin’.
The rebuff to b.o. is clear. It cannot be denied.
The House is sufficiently Republican to prevent absolute dem control of legislation, and Republican chairmen will take their places of leadership in all committees.
And nancy is out of a job.
We look forward to careful crafting of legislation; to as many congressional investigations as is appropriate; and to the beginnings of national politics as it is supposed to be carried out.
It remains to be seen if b.o. can adapt to the new situation.
If he is smart, flexible, not doctrinaire, able to compromise, he may pull off a successful move toward the center.
He would remain in office, but his leftward lurches would be things of the past.
If not, well, then he will turn out to be a one-termer.
And he will join the ranks of the disgraced.
Either way, it is a likely win for the good guys, God willin’.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
THE END OF THE BEGINNING
2 November.
We anticipate a busy day, an even busier evening and night.
A chance to vote…
A chance to express revulsion at what was done to our country two years ago.
As Churchill said during the Big One, “This is not the beginning of the end. But it is the end of the beginning.”
We anticipate a busy day, an even busier evening and night.
A chance to vote…
A chance to express revulsion at what was done to our country two years ago.
As Churchill said during the Big One, “This is not the beginning of the end. But it is the end of the beginning.”
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A RESTRAINING ORDER
As Powerline says in a recent posting, in words to this effect:
November 2 is not an election, it is a restraining order!
November 2 is not an election, it is a restraining order!
THREE WEEKS ON THE HOME FRONT
About three weeks have elapsed.
A number of Downstate chores were contemplated and two biggies were undertaken.
First there was the house painting, outside. Scraping first, of course.
We are mostly brick, but the woodwork took about a day or so on a side.
Four sides.
An eight and a six foot ladder were required for the various spaces, the normal ones and the hard-to-get-into.
And it looks good.
But we’re not quite done. Little bits of trim here and there, but Dear Wife did the bench on the porch and the wooden shutters. And the door.
Looks nice.
And then, just toward the end of it all, on a side of the house where the flower bed by the house was covered in fallen leaves, we moved the ladder a few inches back from where it was, checked the solididty, stepped up with left foot first, then the right, and over the ladder went [into a leaf-covered hole under the right front leg] left unfilled when a plant was transplanted.
The gallon of paint can was on the way off the ladder platform, the ladder was going down, and Dear Himself endeavored bravely to save the paint, resulting in a foot-and-a-half straight leg fall off the ladder, straight down on the unbent leg.
This was almost a year after the same type of fall off our stairs Up North.
Pain and stiffness did not really set in till the next day, when we started cleaning out our garage in prep for a late-fall garage sale [I hate garage sales, but I love the Pickers and the Pawn Shop.
Go figure.
Up and down the stairs; up and down the ladders; and cleaning, dusting, sorting, ALL ON FOOT.
Anyway, it is over now for the time being.
Our next such endeavor will be the Church garage sale. Even more fellowship possible.
The best things about garage sales are the people you meet, most of ‘em anyway.
Wwe spent what seemed like years cleaning and reclaiming and finding real treasures and then the sale.
We made a few bucks; met some real characters; had fellowship with Dear Daughter who helped us out mightily, and tomorrow it is off to the Salvation Army with all sort of stuff.
Thank the Lord.
And Dear Leg/knee appears to be healing.
We’ve been taking it a bit easy since.
Tomorrow, we hope to bring the fish in from the pond, very late this year.
And then down to explore the pipe tobacco in a charming tobacconist shop.
A number of Downstate chores were contemplated and two biggies were undertaken.
First there was the house painting, outside. Scraping first, of course.
We are mostly brick, but the woodwork took about a day or so on a side.
Four sides.
An eight and a six foot ladder were required for the various spaces, the normal ones and the hard-to-get-into.
And it looks good.
But we’re not quite done. Little bits of trim here and there, but Dear Wife did the bench on the porch and the wooden shutters. And the door.
Looks nice.
And then, just toward the end of it all, on a side of the house where the flower bed by the house was covered in fallen leaves, we moved the ladder a few inches back from where it was, checked the solididty, stepped up with left foot first, then the right, and over the ladder went [into a leaf-covered hole under the right front leg] left unfilled when a plant was transplanted.
The gallon of paint can was on the way off the ladder platform, the ladder was going down, and Dear Himself endeavored bravely to save the paint, resulting in a foot-and-a-half straight leg fall off the ladder, straight down on the unbent leg.
This was almost a year after the same type of fall off our stairs Up North.
Pain and stiffness did not really set in till the next day, when we started cleaning out our garage in prep for a late-fall garage sale [I hate garage sales, but I love the Pickers and the Pawn Shop.
Go figure.
Up and down the stairs; up and down the ladders; and cleaning, dusting, sorting, ALL ON FOOT.
Anyway, it is over now for the time being.
Our next such endeavor will be the Church garage sale. Even more fellowship possible.
The best things about garage sales are the people you meet, most of ‘em anyway.
Wwe spent what seemed like years cleaning and reclaiming and finding real treasures and then the sale.
We made a few bucks; met some real characters; had fellowship with Dear Daughter who helped us out mightily, and tomorrow it is off to the Salvation Army with all sort of stuff.
Thank the Lord.
And Dear Leg/knee appears to be healing.
We’ve been taking it a bit easy since.
Tomorrow, we hope to bring the fish in from the pond, very late this year.
And then down to explore the pipe tobacco in a charming tobacconist shop.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
A BEST SELLER - MARK TWAIN
I See by the Papers was the title of a newspaper column some years ago.
I regret that I have forgotten when and by whom and where.
But today I saw in the papers that a three-volume set of the auto-biography of Mark Twain is being released, and it is in the top four or five pre-orders for Amazon and Barnes&Noble - a bestseller w/o doubt, 100 years after the death of the author.
Not too shabby.
I have no doubt that he has much to say that will be of value to us today.
I regret that I have forgotten when and by whom and where.
But today I saw in the papers that a three-volume set of the auto-biography of Mark Twain is being released, and it is in the top four or five pre-orders for Amazon and Barnes&Noble - a bestseller w/o doubt, 100 years after the death of the author.
Not too shabby.
I have no doubt that he has much to say that will be of value to us today.
YOU THINK?
Of course npr should be taxpayer defunded!
As our police officer son remarked when told that a man ticketed for shooting his non-performing lawnmower was drunk, "You think?"
npr is condescending; superior; leftist; liberal; so full of itself....
I listen daily for the occasional gem...and the liberal tripe which is so very prevalent.
The firing was low class; illiberal; disgusting.
It was so typical of the liberal mindset...discriminatory; illiberal in fact; cruel; stupid; so guilty of the double standard; and adjectives which i only utter when by myself.
As our police officer son remarked when told that a man ticketed for shooting his non-performing lawnmower was drunk, "You think?"
npr is condescending; superior; leftist; liberal; so full of itself....
I listen daily for the occasional gem...and the liberal tripe which is so very prevalent.
The firing was low class; illiberal; disgusting.
It was so typical of the liberal mindset...discriminatory; illiberal in fact; cruel; stupid; so guilty of the double standard; and adjectives which i only utter when by myself.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
'POWERLINE' ON COLUMBUS DAY
The folks at Powerline have a lot to say about the revisionist line with regard to the observation of Columbus Day in our schools.
If only context could be included in the narratives by the revisionists.
Why do they have to spend so much time on ONLY the negative?
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/10/027444.php
If only context could be included in the narratives by the revisionists.
Why do they have to spend so much time on ONLY the negative?
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/10/027444.php
DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
The Episcopal Church of the United States, ECUSA, continues its slide into irrelevance.
11 October is Columbus Day.
Columbus, the seafarer who hundreds of years ago tried his hand at sailing as far as he could to find a new world.
Sixty years ago he was described in most American schools as one of the great figures of history, one who contributed mightily to the opening up of the New World.
We were reminded yesterday that the Diocese of Oregon is this year taking a slightly different tack:
On the eve of Columbus Day, when some Americans will remember the Italian explorer kindly and others won't, the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon is calling attention to the Doctrine of Discovery, the philosophy that fueled European claims to the riches of the New World without regard for the indigenous people who already lived there.
At its 2009 General Convention, the Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly to repudiate the doctrine and called for its elimination from "contemporary policies, programs and structures."
We wonder if the Diocese also has chosen to “repudiate” Columbus as well.
And that reminded us of a recently promulgated pastoral letter from our Presiding Bishop, a letter which condemned the carrying out of US immigration law, in effect condemning the view that illegal immigrants are indeed illegal and should be treated as such.
We profess that inhumane policies directed against undocumented persons (raids, separation of families, denial of health services) are intolerable on religious and humanitarian grounds, as is attested by the consensus of a wide range of religious bodies on this matter.
We categorically reject efforts to criminalize undocumented migrants and immigrants, and deplore the separation of families and the unnecessary incarceration of undocumented workers.
As a vestrymen in my parish, I wonder what should be my reaction to such pronouncements from the greater church.
Should I ignore them?
Should I write letters in favor or in support?
Should we discuss such statements in special session?
We are busy people.
We attend church and go about our business.
And our national church goes about its business.
And some of that business is inane, even foolish.
How about naive?
What can be the future for a church which ceases to stand for even a modicum of secular common sense when it deals with issues which have significant secular significance?
The future might well be a future of irrelevance.
11 October is Columbus Day.
Columbus, the seafarer who hundreds of years ago tried his hand at sailing as far as he could to find a new world.
Sixty years ago he was described in most American schools as one of the great figures of history, one who contributed mightily to the opening up of the New World.
We were reminded yesterday that the Diocese of Oregon is this year taking a slightly different tack:
On the eve of Columbus Day, when some Americans will remember the Italian explorer kindly and others won't, the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon is calling attention to the Doctrine of Discovery, the philosophy that fueled European claims to the riches of the New World without regard for the indigenous people who already lived there.
At its 2009 General Convention, the Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly to repudiate the doctrine and called for its elimination from "contemporary policies, programs and structures."
We wonder if the Diocese also has chosen to “repudiate” Columbus as well.
And that reminded us of a recently promulgated pastoral letter from our Presiding Bishop, a letter which condemned the carrying out of US immigration law, in effect condemning the view that illegal immigrants are indeed illegal and should be treated as such.
We profess that inhumane policies directed against undocumented persons (raids, separation of families, denial of health services) are intolerable on religious and humanitarian grounds, as is attested by the consensus of a wide range of religious bodies on this matter.
We categorically reject efforts to criminalize undocumented migrants and immigrants, and deplore the separation of families and the unnecessary incarceration of undocumented workers.
As a vestrymen in my parish, I wonder what should be my reaction to such pronouncements from the greater church.
Should I ignore them?
Should I write letters in favor or in support?
Should we discuss such statements in special session?
We are busy people.
We attend church and go about our business.
And our national church goes about its business.
And some of that business is inane, even foolish.
How about naive?
What can be the future for a church which ceases to stand for even a modicum of secular common sense when it deals with issues which have significant secular significance?
The future might well be a future of irrelevance.
Monday, October 11, 2010
ELECTION 2010
A friend invited us last night to ‘work’ election day, to staff the table where voters are processed in to cast their ballot.
We were informed that there is a class to take and that recruits are required to appear at their duty stations at something like 6am.
Is there even such a time???
Pay apparently is … $110. Not a paltry sum. You could buy a lot of scotch for that amount of remuneration.
Anyway, we will not turn out to staff that trench of our democracy. God willing, we will spend the day routinely, monitoring a bit more thoroughly the coverage on the various news sources, and look forward to an evening of intense observation.
We hope for a Republican wave to swamp the democrats at all levels which can influence the national leadership.
We look forward to influencing some of our friends and all of our family and intend to pray for the Republican victory.
b.o.’s ideological programs have proven to be a disaster, hopefully one which can be rectified and reversed.
As we have said in these pages before, our nation will get the leadership it deserves.
If the American voter does not vote intelligently, we will probably be cursed with unintelligent leadership.
Surely, surely, the disaster of b.o. will now be apparent to enough Americans to force him to accommodate policies which will at last remedy the problems which he inherited and which he has caused.
We were informed that there is a class to take and that recruits are required to appear at their duty stations at something like 6am.
Is there even such a time???
Pay apparently is … $110. Not a paltry sum. You could buy a lot of scotch for that amount of remuneration.
Anyway, we will not turn out to staff that trench of our democracy. God willing, we will spend the day routinely, monitoring a bit more thoroughly the coverage on the various news sources, and look forward to an evening of intense observation.
We hope for a Republican wave to swamp the democrats at all levels which can influence the national leadership.
We look forward to influencing some of our friends and all of our family and intend to pray for the Republican victory.
b.o.’s ideological programs have proven to be a disaster, hopefully one which can be rectified and reversed.
As we have said in these pages before, our nation will get the leadership it deserves.
If the American voter does not vote intelligently, we will probably be cursed with unintelligent leadership.
Surely, surely, the disaster of b.o. will now be apparent to enough Americans to force him to accommodate policies which will at last remedy the problems which he inherited and which he has caused.
HOME
Monday night, late.
The days are warm, the nights are cool. Even cold sometimes.
Fall has arrived. Leaves are falling. The koi pond cries out to be readied for winter.
The Northern Camp is closed, winterized. New gear raised some questions.
But the Camp is closed for the season.
We are Downstate, in our ‘base’ areas.
The fall/winter modes are kicking in. There will be Town Hall; Elks; Downstate church; garage sale; home chores; reacquainting with the panoply of local vendors and friends we haven’t seen for months.
There is firewood to be split and the first fire of the new season to be savored.
The cycle has turned.
.
Life continues, thank The Lord.
The days are warm, the nights are cool. Even cold sometimes.
Fall has arrived. Leaves are falling. The koi pond cries out to be readied for winter.
The Northern Camp is closed, winterized. New gear raised some questions.
But the Camp is closed for the season.
We are Downstate, in our ‘base’ areas.
The fall/winter modes are kicking in. There will be Town Hall; Elks; Downstate church; garage sale; home chores; reacquainting with the panoply of local vendors and friends we haven’t seen for months.
There is firewood to be split and the first fire of the new season to be savored.
The cycle has turned.
.
Life continues, thank The Lord.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
THE CONGRESSIONAL
Another Congressional Medal of Honor is about to be awarded, the third we believe in but a few months.
Too bad two of three are going posthumously.
We read some time ago that we are running out of living Congressionals.
Surely, the article suggested, and we echo, there should be at least a few awardable, deserving veterans who have survived their act(s) of heroism.
Why not?
Too bad two of three are going posthumously.
We read some time ago that we are running out of living Congressionals.
Surely, the article suggested, and we echo, there should be at least a few awardable, deserving veterans who have survived their act(s) of heroism.
Why not?
Friday, October 1, 2010
EILEEN NEARNE R.I.P.
She was a quiet, little old lady who lived her life in her small English coastal town and was known to love cats.
She had very little money and when she died, she was thought to be destined to be buried in a pauper's grave.
But such was not to be the case.
Authorities going through her things found that she had been more than what she appeared to be.
They found she was a heroine of WW2.
She helped to win the war.
She was seriously affected by the war.
And when the dignitaries and the great limos began to arrive for the funeral, her community came to know the truty.
Rest in peace.
Read the story in the link below.
Eileen Nearne, Wartime Spy, Dies at 89
She had very little money and when she died, she was thought to be destined to be buried in a pauper's grave.
But such was not to be the case.
Authorities going through her things found that she had been more than what she appeared to be.
They found she was a heroine of WW2.
She helped to win the war.
She was seriously affected by the war.
And when the dignitaries and the great limos began to arrive for the funeral, her community came to know the truty.
Rest in peace.
Read the story in the link below.
Eileen Nearne, Wartime Spy, Dies at 89
TODAY WE RAN OUT
Today we ran out of peppermint schnapps.
What to do?
We had high quality cocoa mix – the real thing…but no schnapps.
Himself thought of Scotch whisky.
Bless him.
After all, Scotch mixes well with chocolate and milk, so why not with Dear Wife’s fav cold weather drink, a ‘snuggler’, cocoa and milk and now, Scotch.
And tonite it is cold.
And tonite the new recipe worked.
Thank the Lord.
We pulled Kayla Elise’s moorings today; shopped in town, sans schnapps; and hunkered down with dinner, a close game of scrabble, and a UK snuggler.
How sweet it is!!!
What to do?
We had high quality cocoa mix – the real thing…but no schnapps.
Himself thought of Scotch whisky.
Bless him.
After all, Scotch mixes well with chocolate and milk, so why not with Dear Wife’s fav cold weather drink, a ‘snuggler’, cocoa and milk and now, Scotch.
And tonite it is cold.
And tonite the new recipe worked.
Thank the Lord.
We pulled Kayla Elise’s moorings today; shopped in town, sans schnapps; and hunkered down with dinner, a close game of scrabble, and a UK snuggler.
How sweet it is!!!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
WE WERE CLOSE
We drove an hour today, one hour to go back fifty years in my history, 130 years in America’s history.
We traveled from our camp to the town of Elk Rapids, one hour away.
Many of the storefronts and homes bore oval markers dating them from the late 19th Century.
We love it.
One home was dated 1876, the year of the Custer wipeout at Little Big Horn.
Other dates, 1883 and 1871, I could couple with an event if I did a little work.
And this town was close to a bay front cabin I used to visit half a century ago.
We went in search of that cabin, the past.
And we got close.
Sophie was along.
We left her in the car when we ate lunch, lunch in what had been reincarnated from 1920’s repair garage to antique emporium to its present incarnation as that of upscale restaurant.
Food was superb. Wait staff knowledgeable, efficient, and beautiful.
Hostess knew of certain clues to the property we wanted to visit and gave us directions.
But before the setting out, there was Sophie to walk.
She wanted to go into every open door, to sniff every post and wall and bit of grass.
The fudge shop invited us all in, Sophie included.
Same for the post office as we bought stamps.
It is hard to like folks who do not like your dog.
We liked these folks.
And the postmistress gave us additional directions regarding our quest.
Anyway, back to the car and off we went.
We followed the advice of the postmistress first.
It was close to town, did not seem likely, but was so close.
Did not feel right. Was not right.
It was time to try the advice of the hostess.
The only name I remembered from the early days was that of a cluster of tourist cabins, Kay and Ray’s Cabins. The hostess remembered them, or thought she did.
She made her guess and now we took her directions. She said look for a road named Yuba.
Two roads ahead, and the first was named Kay Ray Road.
How about that? It was too good not to give it a looksee.
We were close. The water was on the left and the driveways and geography looked right…but not quite.
But we were close.
Back to the main highway, and past the other road named…Yuba, the name she had actually said to look for.
We drove past it. It was late. We had an hour drive ahead of us. We drove and then began to have second thoughts.
We now believe that was the one.
Hostess had said she thought the Kay Ray cabins had been razed and replaced by a park.
And Mary Kay had seen a park sign pointing up this little road.
We were by than half way back home.
And the plan to follow if the park was the site of the Cabins occurred to me only then.
If I had had the idea just a bit sooner we might have spent the additional time required.
Next time we try to find our place, we will drive up, or down this road to the park.
We will walk into the park and look to see if the Bay is in front of us.
If it is, we will walk down to the water and turn right, walking along the shore. Private property or not, in Michigan, along Great Lakes water, the part of the beach at the water is public land.
Anyway, the plan is to walk for about 20 minutes or so until something looks familiar.
Even if the cabin is gone, I should be able to recognize the lay of the land.
If nothing works, we will have tried.
We will have been close.
We will have touched a little part of my, even our, past.
We traveled from our camp to the town of Elk Rapids, one hour away.
Many of the storefronts and homes bore oval markers dating them from the late 19th Century.
We love it.
One home was dated 1876, the year of the Custer wipeout at Little Big Horn.
Other dates, 1883 and 1871, I could couple with an event if I did a little work.
And this town was close to a bay front cabin I used to visit half a century ago.
We went in search of that cabin, the past.
And we got close.
Sophie was along.
We left her in the car when we ate lunch, lunch in what had been reincarnated from 1920’s repair garage to antique emporium to its present incarnation as that of upscale restaurant.
Food was superb. Wait staff knowledgeable, efficient, and beautiful.
Hostess knew of certain clues to the property we wanted to visit and gave us directions.
But before the setting out, there was Sophie to walk.
She wanted to go into every open door, to sniff every post and wall and bit of grass.
The fudge shop invited us all in, Sophie included.
Same for the post office as we bought stamps.
It is hard to like folks who do not like your dog.
We liked these folks.
And the postmistress gave us additional directions regarding our quest.
Anyway, back to the car and off we went.
We followed the advice of the postmistress first.
It was close to town, did not seem likely, but was so close.
Did not feel right. Was not right.
It was time to try the advice of the hostess.
The only name I remembered from the early days was that of a cluster of tourist cabins, Kay and Ray’s Cabins. The hostess remembered them, or thought she did.
She made her guess and now we took her directions. She said look for a road named Yuba.
Two roads ahead, and the first was named Kay Ray Road.
How about that? It was too good not to give it a looksee.
We were close. The water was on the left and the driveways and geography looked right…but not quite.
But we were close.
Back to the main highway, and past the other road named…Yuba, the name she had actually said to look for.
We drove past it. It was late. We had an hour drive ahead of us. We drove and then began to have second thoughts.
We now believe that was the one.
Hostess had said she thought the Kay Ray cabins had been razed and replaced by a park.
And Mary Kay had seen a park sign pointing up this little road.
We were by than half way back home.
And the plan to follow if the park was the site of the Cabins occurred to me only then.
If I had had the idea just a bit sooner we might have spent the additional time required.
Next time we try to find our place, we will drive up, or down this road to the park.
We will walk into the park and look to see if the Bay is in front of us.
If it is, we will walk down to the water and turn right, walking along the shore. Private property or not, in Michigan, along Great Lakes water, the part of the beach at the water is public land.
Anyway, the plan is to walk for about 20 minutes or so until something looks familiar.
Even if the cabin is gone, I should be able to recognize the lay of the land.
If nothing works, we will have tried.
We will have been close.
We will have touched a little part of my, even our, past.
Monday, September 27, 2010
THY WILL BE DONE
The Kayla Elise sailed her inland sea today.
We slipped our cables and headed out to the Narrows with the three of us aboard – Mary Kay, Sophie, and Himself.
Few vessels were encountered, but one with neighbors aboard and others with fisherman trying their luck and/or skill.
Many docks were boatless – the craft pulled rather than operating.
The season is advanced.
We anticipate one more cruise before withdrawing ourselves.
Two swan families still with nearly fully-grown signets warmed our passage thru the Narrows.
As we have noted before, the seasons change, the cycles turn.
Such is life.
The bell tolls for us all.
God willing, the cycle will turn again for all of us and the Kayla Elise will launch again.
God willing.
Thy Will be done.
We slipped our cables and headed out to the Narrows with the three of us aboard – Mary Kay, Sophie, and Himself.
Few vessels were encountered, but one with neighbors aboard and others with fisherman trying their luck and/or skill.
Many docks were boatless – the craft pulled rather than operating.
The season is advanced.
We anticipate one more cruise before withdrawing ourselves.
Two swan families still with nearly fully-grown signets warmed our passage thru the Narrows.
As we have noted before, the seasons change, the cycles turn.
Such is life.
The bell tolls for us all.
God willing, the cycle will turn again for all of us and the Kayla Elise will launch again.
God willing.
Thy Will be done.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
THE TIMES ARE A’CHANGIN’- LET THE GAMES BEGIN
Two friends and I were at dinner Monday night.
The three of us are retired, but, as the saying goes, “Not expired.”
We talked of this and that. The food and drink were most pleasant, the wait staff pleasant and attractive, and conversation ebbed and flowed in the nicest manner.
At a quiet moment, I ventured to comment on the difficulties currently being faced by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, one of the cultural entities which has survived from the golden days of yore down to these difficult times.
I opined that it was interesting, a sign of the times, that Detroit funds the implausible, fantastic expense of no less than four professional sports teams, franchise which play children’s’ games, while at the same time finds it impossible to pay the expenses of one high quality cultural entity, an entity which would cost a fraction of what possibly a few players of these children’s Games make in a year or two.
This was not my way to argue for any form of tax support for the arts.
What it was was instead a commentary on the changing tastes of our people, tastes which prefer ball games to classical music.
We do not pretend to know what this apparent change of values really means, just that it seems to exist.
The classical arts in this part of our world are in trouble.
Children’s games are thriving.
And the public is happy.
The three of us are retired, but, as the saying goes, “Not expired.”
We talked of this and that. The food and drink were most pleasant, the wait staff pleasant and attractive, and conversation ebbed and flowed in the nicest manner.
At a quiet moment, I ventured to comment on the difficulties currently being faced by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, one of the cultural entities which has survived from the golden days of yore down to these difficult times.
I opined that it was interesting, a sign of the times, that Detroit funds the implausible, fantastic expense of no less than four professional sports teams, franchise which play children’s’ games, while at the same time finds it impossible to pay the expenses of one high quality cultural entity, an entity which would cost a fraction of what possibly a few players of these children’s Games make in a year or two.
This was not my way to argue for any form of tax support for the arts.
What it was was instead a commentary on the changing tastes of our people, tastes which prefer ball games to classical music.
We do not pretend to know what this apparent change of values really means, just that it seems to exist.
The classical arts in this part of our world are in trouble.
Children’s games are thriving.
And the public is happy.
RECOVERY
The November elections draw ever closer.
The economic news grows ever grimmer.
It is our hope here at The Study that no false glimmers of improvement intrude themselves upon the scene until after the fall elections.
We say this not to condemn anyone to continued economic hardship, but rather to hope that no false credit is given to the failed economic policies of the b.o. Administration.
The American electorate is, in the short term, a fickle one. In this it is by no means unique.
We do not want it to be tempted to make a mistake in this all-important matter.
b.o. is bad news for our economy, for our nation, indeed, for all aspects of our national identity.
It is important for national democrats to suffer defeat this fall and for credit for any national recoveries of any sort not to be assigned to a wrong-headed regime.
The economic news grows ever grimmer.
It is our hope here at The Study that no false glimmers of improvement intrude themselves upon the scene until after the fall elections.
We say this not to condemn anyone to continued economic hardship, but rather to hope that no false credit is given to the failed economic policies of the b.o. Administration.
The American electorate is, in the short term, a fickle one. In this it is by no means unique.
We do not want it to be tempted to make a mistake in this all-important matter.
b.o. is bad news for our economy, for our nation, indeed, for all aspects of our national identity.
It is important for national democrats to suffer defeat this fall and for credit for any national recoveries of any sort not to be assigned to a wrong-headed regime.
THE NEW BOOK
The new book by bob woodward apparently details infighting by b.o. advisors regarding the Afghanistan war strategy.
We find it not at all surprising that insiders provide the President with a variety of opinions about strategy and tactics, etc.
Savvy folks of all political persuasions know that infighting is not only normal within administrations, but is actually very important and should be encouraged.
What is discouraging is the two-facedness of this President – his own apparent desire to ‘lose’ the war- and his willingness to treat the war as a purely political issue, not one of real national security which requires leadership, even politically sacrificial presidential leadership.
We find it not at all surprising that insiders provide the President with a variety of opinions about strategy and tactics, etc.
Savvy folks of all political persuasions know that infighting is not only normal within administrations, but is actually very important and should be encouraged.
What is discouraging is the two-facedness of this President – his own apparent desire to ‘lose’ the war- and his willingness to treat the war as a purely political issue, not one of real national security which requires leadership, even politically sacrificial presidential leadership.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
DEFINITIONS AND A COMMENT AND A QUESTION
A capitalist economy is one in which producers and consumers own all or most of the means of production and make most of the decisions about what goods and services shall be produced; how they shall be produced; and for whom they will be produced.
A mixed economy is one in which the government owns some of the means of production and makes some of the decisions about what and for whom and how…but consumers and producers own most of the means of production and make most of the decisions about what and for whom and how.
A socialist economy is one in which the government owns more of the means of production and makes more of the decisions about what and how and for whom…but some, even many decisions are still made by consumers and producers regarding what and how and for whom.
A communist economy is one in which the government owns all of the means of production and makes all of the decisions about what; for whom; and how. Consumers and producers make virtually none of those decisions.
A fascist economy is one in which means of production commonly remain in private ownership but the government makes all of the decisions regarding what; for whom; and how. Consumers make virtually none of those decisions.
The economy of the United States historically has been one best described as mixed.
The government has long exercised influence, even considerable influence at times, over the American economy.
But consumers and producers have always made most of the decisions of what; how; and for whom.
You decide whether or not the b.o. Administration is striving to maintain a mixed economy or is seeking to establish a socialist economy.
A mixed economy is one in which the government owns some of the means of production and makes some of the decisions about what and for whom and how…but consumers and producers own most of the means of production and make most of the decisions about what and for whom and how.
A socialist economy is one in which the government owns more of the means of production and makes more of the decisions about what and how and for whom…but some, even many decisions are still made by consumers and producers regarding what and how and for whom.
A communist economy is one in which the government owns all of the means of production and makes all of the decisions about what; for whom; and how. Consumers and producers make virtually none of those decisions.
A fascist economy is one in which means of production commonly remain in private ownership but the government makes all of the decisions regarding what; for whom; and how. Consumers make virtually none of those decisions.
The economy of the United States historically has been one best described as mixed.
The government has long exercised influence, even considerable influence at times, over the American economy.
But consumers and producers have always made most of the decisions of what; how; and for whom.
You decide whether or not the b.o. Administration is striving to maintain a mixed economy or is seeking to establish a socialist economy.
CYCLES
Saturday morning.
It is raining and cloudy and cool.
We love it.
Dear Wife and Dear Daughter are off on a ladies’ weekend…to a country fair with a Dear Cousin.
They will be gone for a few days.
Sophie and I remain at The Study to ‘hold down the fort’.
There are errands and hereing and thereing [I know, not words] and rituals to perform.
The cycles go on.
Thank the Lord.
Leaves and raking and trick or treating and wood splitting and Northern Camp closing and buying new winter boots and fueling up snow blower and making cocoa and too many other things to mention.
And there are the political cycles.
As the song lyric of the 60’s said, “Something’s happening here.”
Love the song. Cannot remember the title.
b.o. has spent trillions and failed to cope with economic problems – has even made things worse – and we fervently hope that his party pays the price in the November elections.
Failure after failure of stimulus efforts are being revealed/discovered.
The effectiveness of tax and spend policies have once again been shown to be what they are – shall we say, less than helpful.
The Republican Party is reinventing itself.
Thinking democrats are concerned. Ignorant dems, a considerable number, ridicule the realignment going on in the GOP, much as the French knights at Agincourt probably ridiculed the English archers as the latter strung their bows.
Go Sarah!
Go non-establishment Republicans, whether they make tea or not.
May one or both Houses of Congress abandon the idiocy of the national democrats.
The poverty level as defined by the Federal Government is rising at an alarming rate.
Home sales are tanking.
Unemployment rates are not responding to democrat fixes.
US efforts to resolve Middle Eastern hostilities will not succeed.
State and national deficits grow at horrendous rates.
b.o. continues to embolden our enemies in Afghanistan by announcing our abandonment timetable, as he has done in Iraq.
Gitmo continues to do its duty.
The Republic is resilient.
We have had less than ideal leaders before.
We will again.
But perhaps this fall some sanity will return.
God willing.
It is raining and cloudy and cool.
We love it.
Dear Wife and Dear Daughter are off on a ladies’ weekend…to a country fair with a Dear Cousin.
They will be gone for a few days.
Sophie and I remain at The Study to ‘hold down the fort’.
There are errands and hereing and thereing [I know, not words] and rituals to perform.
The cycles go on.
Thank the Lord.
Leaves and raking and trick or treating and wood splitting and Northern Camp closing and buying new winter boots and fueling up snow blower and making cocoa and too many other things to mention.
And there are the political cycles.
As the song lyric of the 60’s said, “Something’s happening here.”
Love the song. Cannot remember the title.
b.o. has spent trillions and failed to cope with economic problems – has even made things worse – and we fervently hope that his party pays the price in the November elections.
Failure after failure of stimulus efforts are being revealed/discovered.
The effectiveness of tax and spend policies have once again been shown to be what they are – shall we say, less than helpful.
The Republican Party is reinventing itself.
Thinking democrats are concerned. Ignorant dems, a considerable number, ridicule the realignment going on in the GOP, much as the French knights at Agincourt probably ridiculed the English archers as the latter strung their bows.
Go Sarah!
Go non-establishment Republicans, whether they make tea or not.
May one or both Houses of Congress abandon the idiocy of the national democrats.
The poverty level as defined by the Federal Government is rising at an alarming rate.
Home sales are tanking.
Unemployment rates are not responding to democrat fixes.
US efforts to resolve Middle Eastern hostilities will not succeed.
State and national deficits grow at horrendous rates.
b.o. continues to embolden our enemies in Afghanistan by announcing our abandonment timetable, as he has done in Iraq.
Gitmo continues to do its duty.
The Republic is resilient.
We have had less than ideal leaders before.
We will again.
But perhaps this fall some sanity will return.
God willing.
Friday, September 17, 2010
THOSE POISON WARNINGS – A VICIOUS CYCLE
We read the papers at The Study.
One columnist we especially enjoy is a gardening expert who has a lot to say about the intelligent use of chemicals in and around the home and garden.
A couple of his remarks:
40+% of American households hire chemical companies to administer pesticides and herbicides and fertilizers to their lawns.
Those are the folks who put those lovely little skull and crossbones poison warning signs all over our neighborhoods, warning people to stay off.
Lots of creatures in our part of the land cannot read.
But no matter.
The contamination goes on.
And the chemicals kill all the bugs and such in our lawns. Well, not in our lawn because we do not use them.
But on the target lawns, all the bugs die.
Except, when the chemicals wear off, get washed down into the soil, replacement pests return to infest the lawn, and the good bugs are not there in sufficient force to resist them.
A good bug, by the way, is one which kills those which do damage to home and garden, such as fireflies and ants and ground beetles.
And guess what: the chemical companies are then called out again.
The author of the article wonders if the company is aware of this vicious cycle.
You think??
One columnist we especially enjoy is a gardening expert who has a lot to say about the intelligent use of chemicals in and around the home and garden.
A couple of his remarks:
40+% of American households hire chemical companies to administer pesticides and herbicides and fertilizers to their lawns.
Those are the folks who put those lovely little skull and crossbones poison warning signs all over our neighborhoods, warning people to stay off.
Lots of creatures in our part of the land cannot read.
But no matter.
The contamination goes on.
And the chemicals kill all the bugs and such in our lawns. Well, not in our lawn because we do not use them.
But on the target lawns, all the bugs die.
Except, when the chemicals wear off, get washed down into the soil, replacement pests return to infest the lawn, and the good bugs are not there in sufficient force to resist them.
A good bug, by the way, is one which kills those which do damage to home and garden, such as fireflies and ants and ground beetles.
And guess what: the chemical companies are then called out again.
The author of the article wonders if the company is aware of this vicious cycle.
You think??
A RETIREMENT AND A PASSING
Edwin Newman, dead at 91 this past August.
Sonny Eliot, retired as of this September.
Two more examples of the Old Guard passing.
Mr. Newman was a journalist of note for many decades and was an important part of the news, appreciated by millions of American TV viewers.
Mr. Eliot, Sonny, a Detroit – area TV weatherman who was infinitely more than just a weatherman, has decided to retire.
Edwin Newman was the more remote of the two, in the manner of a Brinkley, Huntley, or Cronkite.
Sonny was more on the order of a member of the family, welcomed daily or nightly into one’s home with wit, humor, and folksy wisdom.
Two more folks have moved on.
We wish them well.
Sonny Eliot, retired as of this September.
Two more examples of the Old Guard passing.
Mr. Newman was a journalist of note for many decades and was an important part of the news, appreciated by millions of American TV viewers.
Mr. Eliot, Sonny, a Detroit – area TV weatherman who was infinitely more than just a weatherman, has decided to retire.
Edwin Newman was the more remote of the two, in the manner of a Brinkley, Huntley, or Cronkite.
Sonny was more on the order of a member of the family, welcomed daily or nightly into one’s home with wit, humor, and folksy wisdom.
Two more folks have moved on.
We wish them well.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
CONSEQUENCES
Imagine!
Imagine that hundreds of thousands of people could fail to understand why a nation’s history could possibly have any effect on the present day.
Imagine!
Such is the case with folks who express shock that there could be anything other than an entirely fulsome welcome by the British public for the Pope’s September visit to the United Kingdom.
Britain holds the dubious reputation of being the most secular nation of what is known as Western Europe, even tho Anglophiles argue that Britain is not really part of Europe.
We at The Study agree with the tongue-in-cheek newspaper headline: “English Channel fogbound. Europe isolated.”
Anyway, Britain’s supposed, conscious and/or unconscious prejudice against the visit by the head of the Roman Catholic Church is easily understood when one considers that Rome and London have engaged in numerous conflicts over the centuries, conflicts which at the time were bloody, costly, and bitter.
The modern folk of Britain have perhaps largely forgotten most or all of the details, but there doubtless remains a cultural memory, even unconscious if you will, that affects millions of them.
And they don’t even know it.
And to that memory you can add a host of very current complaints, complaints which I will not insult you by listing.
And so it goes.
Folks often do not know their history but they are rarely unaffected by it.
Fact, My Dear, fact.
Ignorance is a sad state indeed.
Imagine that hundreds of thousands of people could fail to understand why a nation’s history could possibly have any effect on the present day.
Imagine!
Such is the case with folks who express shock that there could be anything other than an entirely fulsome welcome by the British public for the Pope’s September visit to the United Kingdom.
Britain holds the dubious reputation of being the most secular nation of what is known as Western Europe, even tho Anglophiles argue that Britain is not really part of Europe.
We at The Study agree with the tongue-in-cheek newspaper headline: “English Channel fogbound. Europe isolated.”
Anyway, Britain’s supposed, conscious and/or unconscious prejudice against the visit by the head of the Roman Catholic Church is easily understood when one considers that Rome and London have engaged in numerous conflicts over the centuries, conflicts which at the time were bloody, costly, and bitter.
The modern folk of Britain have perhaps largely forgotten most or all of the details, but there doubtless remains a cultural memory, even unconscious if you will, that affects millions of them.
And they don’t even know it.
And to that memory you can add a host of very current complaints, complaints which I will not insult you by listing.
And so it goes.
Folks often do not know their history but they are rarely unaffected by it.
Fact, My Dear, fact.
Ignorance is a sad state indeed.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
TWO THOUGHTS
Today I am wondering what compensation survivors of civilian dead at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941, were given.
And then b.o. calls for toleration and understanding regarding the placing of the mosque at Ground Zero.
One of the folks interviewed on TV today remarked: “Toleration/understanding of evil is suicide."
He was a First Responder on that fateful day.
Amen.
And then b.o. calls for toleration and understanding regarding the placing of the mosque at Ground Zero.
One of the folks interviewed on TV today remarked: “Toleration/understanding of evil is suicide."
He was a First Responder on that fateful day.
Amen.
TIME TRAVEL
We traveled back in time today.
We arose ca. 8:30 and did the necessaries, one of which was walking Sophie Matilda.
And then it was coffee and fruit and oatmeal and blueberry muffins and half a bagel for the Old Fella.
And then showers and an emergency shopping trip to one of our villages for groceries and then blts and soup and then dishes washed and then off to the 19th Century.
We drove into a 19th Century city which is full of parking meters, none of them are used on Saturday.
And then we parked and went to our favorite bike shop for info and parts and then began our tour, the first such tour this year.
We have been foolish not to have gone back in time a couple of times this year.
Anyway, we walked the Boardman River and salivated over the Victorian homes and the neighborhood and then…and then onto the shops and stores which abound.
There was the coffee shop for lattes/mochas, one each, and a lavatory stop.
And then gift shops galore and then a surperb tobacconist – I know, bad, but there you are.
And then up and down the commercial district, past the humungous book shop and the Victorian Opera House and the marina and the Oil and Vinegar store …….to die for!!!!!!!!!!.........with most attractive sales staff -
And folks walking dogs and young people and oldsters … we were there… and we found that we had used up over three hours and it was time to head back to the 21st Century.
We stopped on way back to camp for more emergency groceries to go with our new oil and vinegar and then back to Sophie M. and wine and martinis and classical music and absolute silence except for the classical music playing on our ever-so-modern stereo…and our discussions of a beautiful day.
How sweet it is!
We arose ca. 8:30 and did the necessaries, one of which was walking Sophie Matilda.
And then it was coffee and fruit and oatmeal and blueberry muffins and half a bagel for the Old Fella.
And then showers and an emergency shopping trip to one of our villages for groceries and then blts and soup and then dishes washed and then off to the 19th Century.
We drove into a 19th Century city which is full of parking meters, none of them are used on Saturday.
And then we parked and went to our favorite bike shop for info and parts and then began our tour, the first such tour this year.
We have been foolish not to have gone back in time a couple of times this year.
Anyway, we walked the Boardman River and salivated over the Victorian homes and the neighborhood and then…and then onto the shops and stores which abound.
There was the coffee shop for lattes/mochas, one each, and a lavatory stop.
And then gift shops galore and then a surperb tobacconist – I know, bad, but there you are.
And then up and down the commercial district, past the humungous book shop and the Victorian Opera House and the marina and the Oil and Vinegar store …….to die for!!!!!!!!!!.........with most attractive sales staff -
And folks walking dogs and young people and oldsters … we were there… and we found that we had used up over three hours and it was time to head back to the 21st Century.
We stopped on way back to camp for more emergency groceries to go with our new oil and vinegar and then back to Sophie M. and wine and martinis and classical music and absolute silence except for the classical music playing on our ever-so-modern stereo…and our discussions of a beautiful day.
How sweet it is!
A DAY OF SERVICE
b.o. calls for 9/11 to be observed as a day of service.
How about observing it as it really should be observed: how about a Day of Remembrance when all Americans remember what barbarian murderous acts were done; to whom said barbarian acts were done; and by whom said barbarian acts were done?
How about that b.o.?
What a flaming liberal farce!!
How about observing it as it really should be observed: how about a Day of Remembrance when all Americans remember what barbarian murderous acts were done; to whom said barbarian acts were done; and by whom said barbarian acts were done?
How about that b.o.?
What a flaming liberal farce!!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
BOOK BURNING
The Muslim Holy Book should not be burned, not because it will incite even more murderous and barbarous behavior from the Moslems, those peaceful, tolerant citizens of the earth, but rather because there are indeed lots of really peaceful, tolerant Moslems who should not be tempted to engage in murderous barbarism.
And, more importantly, absolutely no good purpose would be served by burning any books.
Book burning is an idea of an idiot.
The pastor who thought up the idea is a flaming [pardon the pun] idiot.
We understand that Moslem barbarians would be enraged by the burning.
But, but, they are already enraged.
Again, the book should not be burned because civilized societies do not burn books.
It is a nutty idea.
And, more importantly, absolutely no good purpose would be served by burning any books.
Book burning is an idea of an idiot.
The pastor who thought up the idea is a flaming [pardon the pun] idiot.
We understand that Moslem barbarians would be enraged by the burning.
But, but, they are already enraged.
Again, the book should not be burned because civilized societies do not burn books.
It is a nutty idea.
Friday, September 3, 2010
THOUGHTS ON A COLD NORTHERN NIGHT
‘Tis late once again as we sit down to keyboard.
And the wind is howling – as Conan Doyle wrote in one of his Sherlockian Tales, “The wind is howling like a baby crying in the chimney [words to that effect].”
40 mph!
Would be tough crossing the Mackinac Bridge tonite w/o being delayed.
We have secured light outdoor things lest they be carried off.
At 59 pounds Sophie is heavy enough – not to worry.
Our several villages were busy this day and yesterday. Lots of folks came North for Labor Day and now are denied the use of the lakes – the weather being too bad.
And we too braved the rain and wind and did our errands.
How sweet it is!
And even North we are aware of some of the ‘chatter’ in the world.
Especially when we have finished our ‘summer reading’ and serious texts for the moment cannot hold our attention.
We activate our various sources and our windows on the world open up.
His Justice Department is going after Arizona for trying to enforce Federal and state law.
Go b.o.
Why would you want a state to help enforce laws and suppress crime.
Casualties are up in Afghanistan and Iraq.
We have drawn down prematurely in the latter and have not yet had time to suppress the barbarians in the former.
b.o. is such a leader.
And unemployment is above 9%.
Go b.o.
And the economic options remaining for b.o. are virtually, politically non-existent.
Go b.o.
He is on vacation again.
And he has deigned to involve himself ‘more directly’ in the various Mid-East crises.
Can he believe that he can win this one? His econ policies have failed. His energy policies are a joke. He dealings with the barbarians of the world would be a laughing matter if they were not so serious. He has led his national party in two years toward what we at The Study hope will be a winnowing out for them with tremendous wins for the Republican Party.
We hope and pray that salvation does not come to the myriad problems until after the November elections.
We do not pray for any disasters.
The elections are not that far away.
Let things continue to worsen, short of horror, and then, with the restoration of sanity to US national leadership, let the repairs begin.
If repairs begin to succeed under b.o.’s leadership, he will be given the credit for them by his ignorant supporters and others who may not know any better.
And that would be a shame.
And the wind is howling – as Conan Doyle wrote in one of his Sherlockian Tales, “The wind is howling like a baby crying in the chimney [words to that effect].”
40 mph!
Would be tough crossing the Mackinac Bridge tonite w/o being delayed.
We have secured light outdoor things lest they be carried off.
At 59 pounds Sophie is heavy enough – not to worry.
Our several villages were busy this day and yesterday. Lots of folks came North for Labor Day and now are denied the use of the lakes – the weather being too bad.
And we too braved the rain and wind and did our errands.
How sweet it is!
And even North we are aware of some of the ‘chatter’ in the world.
Especially when we have finished our ‘summer reading’ and serious texts for the moment cannot hold our attention.
We activate our various sources and our windows on the world open up.
His Justice Department is going after Arizona for trying to enforce Federal and state law.
Go b.o.
Why would you want a state to help enforce laws and suppress crime.
Casualties are up in Afghanistan and Iraq.
We have drawn down prematurely in the latter and have not yet had time to suppress the barbarians in the former.
b.o. is such a leader.
And unemployment is above 9%.
Go b.o.
And the economic options remaining for b.o. are virtually, politically non-existent.
Go b.o.
He is on vacation again.
And he has deigned to involve himself ‘more directly’ in the various Mid-East crises.
Can he believe that he can win this one? His econ policies have failed. His energy policies are a joke. He dealings with the barbarians of the world would be a laughing matter if they were not so serious. He has led his national party in two years toward what we at The Study hope will be a winnowing out for them with tremendous wins for the Republican Party.
We hope and pray that salvation does not come to the myriad problems until after the November elections.
We do not pray for any disasters.
The elections are not that far away.
Let things continue to worsen, short of horror, and then, with the restoration of sanity to US national leadership, let the repairs begin.
If repairs begin to succeed under b.o.’s leadership, he will be given the credit for them by his ignorant supporters and others who may not know any better.
And that would be a shame.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
LIES
b.o. claims he is paying no attention to the doings of one Mr. Glen Beck and his Rally.
He is doubtless lying.
We are telling the truth when we say that we do not listen to any of the b.o. speeches as they are delivered.
Rather, we read their texts on the rare occasions when we feel they are saying anything worth hearing – and we invariably look for analyses by folks we trust.
We do not lie.
b.o. should pay attention to the Rally folk because he is the President of all the American people, not just his liberal base.
Of course he is paying attention to Mr. Beck.
He is doubtless worried sick about the ‘backlash’ which is developing.
But he lies.
Of course, he does not represent anyone but those folks of his base.
We know that.
Too many folks do not know that.
And now he is declaring an end to the American involvement in Iraq.
We will see.
Can this man ever tell the truth?
He is doubtless lying.
We are telling the truth when we say that we do not listen to any of the b.o. speeches as they are delivered.
Rather, we read their texts on the rare occasions when we feel they are saying anything worth hearing – and we invariably look for analyses by folks we trust.
We do not lie.
b.o. should pay attention to the Rally folk because he is the President of all the American people, not just his liberal base.
Of course he is paying attention to Mr. Beck.
He is doubtless worried sick about the ‘backlash’ which is developing.
But he lies.
Of course, he does not represent anyone but those folks of his base.
We know that.
Too many folks do not know that.
And now he is declaring an end to the American involvement in Iraq.
We will see.
Can this man ever tell the truth?
CHEERS AND JEERS
It is after midnight.
And it is raining.
Thunder boomers.
And it has been a good day.
We arrived in The North yesterday, Monday, and were up till 2 a.m. reading.
Good grief.
And today up to Omena Bay for a 45th Anniversary dinner, ½ the tab on the house.
We belong to the diners’ club of the establishment.
But we arrived too late to do a wine tasting in the adjoining tasting rooms.
But the meal was superb – walleye and trout; a beautiful bay to eat beside; cocktails; a superb and attractive wait staff; and many memories.
We have lots of nice things on our minds right now, but a new item has inserted itself in the last few days.
Detroit, of course, is largely a lost cause. But it is a study in lots of what is wrong with our nation today.
I know that sounds hopelessly, nonsensically, unfeelingly, cruelly in the clouds, but it is nonetheless true.
And that pathetic city’s newspaper noted a few days ago that the Detroit Symphony Orchestra may become a thing of the past in that woebegone city.
And that wreck of a metropolis boasts no less than four professional ball teams –– activities that children play.
Grownup people pay tens of millions of dollars a year to watch grownup people play with balls and pucks.
But they cannot support an adult classical art form.
But boy, are the people of SE Michigan in the 21st Century superior to those benighted folks of the 19th and 20th who supported the arts.
Now, make no mistake.
This is not an essay which claims that taxes should be levied to pay for the arts.
Rather it is a condemnation of the dumbing down of the American people which has taken place since the 1950’s.
And the dummies are so dumb that they have no idea how dumb they really are.
Sorry about this negative note.
But so be it.
And it is raining.
Thunder boomers.
And it has been a good day.
We arrived in The North yesterday, Monday, and were up till 2 a.m. reading.
Good grief.
And today up to Omena Bay for a 45th Anniversary dinner, ½ the tab on the house.
We belong to the diners’ club of the establishment.
But we arrived too late to do a wine tasting in the adjoining tasting rooms.
But the meal was superb – walleye and trout; a beautiful bay to eat beside; cocktails; a superb and attractive wait staff; and many memories.
We have lots of nice things on our minds right now, but a new item has inserted itself in the last few days.
Detroit, of course, is largely a lost cause. But it is a study in lots of what is wrong with our nation today.
I know that sounds hopelessly, nonsensically, unfeelingly, cruelly in the clouds, but it is nonetheless true.
And that pathetic city’s newspaper noted a few days ago that the Detroit Symphony Orchestra may become a thing of the past in that woebegone city.
And that wreck of a metropolis boasts no less than four professional ball teams –– activities that children play.
Grownup people pay tens of millions of dollars a year to watch grownup people play with balls and pucks.
But they cannot support an adult classical art form.
But boy, are the people of SE Michigan in the 21st Century superior to those benighted folks of the 19th and 20th who supported the arts.
Now, make no mistake.
This is not an essay which claims that taxes should be levied to pay for the arts.
Rather it is a condemnation of the dumbing down of the American people which has taken place since the 1950’s.
And the dummies are so dumb that they have no idea how dumb they really are.
Sorry about this negative note.
But so be it.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
IT USED TO BE SO EASY – THANKS FOR THE RALLY, MR. BECK
I know, it is late and the day has been busy, but it has been a good day and although at times frustrating, it still was/is a good day.
And a few thoughts occur.
They usually do.
Last night we watched the cable coverage of the upcoming Beck rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
The libs were, of course, negative as all Hades, predicting the fostering of hate and bigotry and so on.
What right did such a person as Glen Beck have to do anything, to say anything, on such a hallowed day as the anniversary of the MLK speech?
And all this before the rally had happened.
And then the rally happened. And it was not hateful. It was intense. It was big. It was impressive. It was not hateful. It did not engender divisiveness.
It was a good thing.
And all this put us in mind of fifty years ago or so when we watched such talking heads as Cronkite and David Brinkley and Chet Huntley and a number of others which I cannot recall at this advanced hour and age.
And for the life of me, I do not remember any major ‘anchors’ who were as disreputable, biased, ludicrous, as we see today on cnn and msnbc.
Now I know there are decent folks at the above two cable stations. But there sure are some horrendous liars.
And they maintain their positions because the viewing public likes them. Or perhaps ignorantly believes them. But no, a significant part of the viewing public likes them.
That is even more depressing than the fact that they exist.
They have an audience.
God save us from our fellow citizens.
And now, decision making has become so flaming difficult.
Again, it used to be so easy.
If a bank robber, in the course of robbing a bank, blew apart the spine of a wounded bank guard who was lying helpless at his feet, the choice of a verdict of life or death would be easy.
Whether or not to build a mosque on the site of Ground Zero would be a no brainer.
The idea of a super bug being spread around the world by people seeking non life-saving cures, but rather elective cosmetic surgery would be unthinkable.
Human resource departments not being allowed to screen exconvicts from hiring short lists would be unthinkable.
A President of the United States would never allow his nation to be branded a civil rights violator.
Foreigners visiting the United States would not assert that Americans should not worry about anything because their country is so beautiful – and be praised by a newsperson as being so very wise.
And then today, at lunch, we were treated by one cable network to a film on folks who mutilated themselves for personal fulfillment – graphic films of such – unwatchable, grisley, sick, disgusting – prime time.
And then the ads for sexual performance enhancement – prime time.
Gertrude Himmelfarbe said it: “When the abnormal becomes normal, the normal becomes abnormal.”
We at The Study are very happy with the Glen Beck rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
We need it.
And a few thoughts occur.
They usually do.
Last night we watched the cable coverage of the upcoming Beck rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
The libs were, of course, negative as all Hades, predicting the fostering of hate and bigotry and so on.
What right did such a person as Glen Beck have to do anything, to say anything, on such a hallowed day as the anniversary of the MLK speech?
And all this before the rally had happened.
And then the rally happened. And it was not hateful. It was intense. It was big. It was impressive. It was not hateful. It did not engender divisiveness.
It was a good thing.
And all this put us in mind of fifty years ago or so when we watched such talking heads as Cronkite and David Brinkley and Chet Huntley and a number of others which I cannot recall at this advanced hour and age.
And for the life of me, I do not remember any major ‘anchors’ who were as disreputable, biased, ludicrous, as we see today on cnn and msnbc.
Now I know there are decent folks at the above two cable stations. But there sure are some horrendous liars.
And they maintain their positions because the viewing public likes them. Or perhaps ignorantly believes them. But no, a significant part of the viewing public likes them.
That is even more depressing than the fact that they exist.
They have an audience.
God save us from our fellow citizens.
And now, decision making has become so flaming difficult.
Again, it used to be so easy.
If a bank robber, in the course of robbing a bank, blew apart the spine of a wounded bank guard who was lying helpless at his feet, the choice of a verdict of life or death would be easy.
Whether or not to build a mosque on the site of Ground Zero would be a no brainer.
The idea of a super bug being spread around the world by people seeking non life-saving cures, but rather elective cosmetic surgery would be unthinkable.
Human resource departments not being allowed to screen exconvicts from hiring short lists would be unthinkable.
A President of the United States would never allow his nation to be branded a civil rights violator.
Foreigners visiting the United States would not assert that Americans should not worry about anything because their country is so beautiful – and be praised by a newsperson as being so very wise.
And then today, at lunch, we were treated by one cable network to a film on folks who mutilated themselves for personal fulfillment – graphic films of such – unwatchable, grisley, sick, disgusting – prime time.
And then the ads for sexual performance enhancement – prime time.
Gertrude Himmelfarbe said it: “When the abnormal becomes normal, the normal becomes abnormal.”
We at The Study are very happy with the Glen Beck rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
We need it.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
SALMON PATTIES
A year or two ago The Study acquired a copy of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 75th Anniversary Edition.
It is desirable to this fella not only because is it packed with neat recipes, but it is also a cogent history of a people – of a lot of the tastes and mores of a people, the American people to be exact.
I had intended to write about the similarities and differences of this edition with that of the one which Dear Wife and I acquired as newlyweds a thousand years ago – but no matter.
At any rate, a Dear Friend recently asked me to share a recipe – one for salmon patties for which, in my small circle, I have become somewhat the talk of the town. Albeit a small town.
And so, below is the recipe for the salmon patty as contained in the Cook Book – with suggestions for the rest of the meal suggested by us.
The book really is a historian’s paradise.
The recipe:
1 egg
¼ cup milk
¼ cup chopped green onions (2)
1 tb snipped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill
¼ tsp black pepper
1 14 3/4 oz can salmon, drained, flaked, and skin and bone removed
¼ cup dried bread crumbs
Olive oil to lube non-stick pan
Beat the milk and egg together and then mix all together in a bowl. I use the two-handed squish method.
I then form the mix into four dandy patties and fry two at a time in the pan.
They are best when lightly crisped, not burned on both sides.
Cookery is helped when cook allows herself or himself a moderate quantity of adult beverage.
Hummus, pita bread, roasted almonds, and hot crackers are a delightful compliment to preparing the entrée.
We usually accompany the patties with tossed salad; mashed sweet/white potatoes; and a medley of summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes sautéed in olive oil.
Enjoy.
And the after dinner can be heaven in itself.
It is desirable to this fella not only because is it packed with neat recipes, but it is also a cogent history of a people – of a lot of the tastes and mores of a people, the American people to be exact.
I had intended to write about the similarities and differences of this edition with that of the one which Dear Wife and I acquired as newlyweds a thousand years ago – but no matter.
At any rate, a Dear Friend recently asked me to share a recipe – one for salmon patties for which, in my small circle, I have become somewhat the talk of the town. Albeit a small town.
And so, below is the recipe for the salmon patty as contained in the Cook Book – with suggestions for the rest of the meal suggested by us.
The book really is a historian’s paradise.
The recipe:
1 egg
¼ cup milk
¼ cup chopped green onions (2)
1 tb snipped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill
¼ tsp black pepper
1 14 3/4 oz can salmon, drained, flaked, and skin and bone removed
¼ cup dried bread crumbs
Olive oil to lube non-stick pan
Beat the milk and egg together and then mix all together in a bowl. I use the two-handed squish method.
I then form the mix into four dandy patties and fry two at a time in the pan.
They are best when lightly crisped, not burned on both sides.
Cookery is helped when cook allows herself or himself a moderate quantity of adult beverage.
Hummus, pita bread, roasted almonds, and hot crackers are a delightful compliment to preparing the entrée.
We usually accompany the patties with tossed salad; mashed sweet/white potatoes; and a medley of summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes sautéed in olive oil.
Enjoy.
And the after dinner can be heaven in itself.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
DELIGHTFUL COINCIDENCE
We are ‘downstate’ and it is late and it has been a delightfully busy day.
Indeed, it has been a delightfully busy week and a half.
And it seems that ‘postability’ [I know, probably not a word] has returned to The Downstate Study.
And so we take up keyboard to renew the line of communication with self and with whomever [sp?] happens across these pages.
An ususual coincidence occurred in our family eight years ago that is worth mentioning.
Eight years ago on August 22nd our second Dear Granddaughter was born. And it just so happens that August 22 is also the anniversary of the birth of Dear Wife, the Dear Gramma of that Dear Granddaughter.
And, it also happens that that date is the anniversary of the marriage of Dear Son and Dear Daughter-in-law, the parents of that Little Person.
At the parents’ wedding, all the folks at the reception sang happy birthday to the Mother of the Groom.
How about that?
Now Gramma is well organized, but this is really out of the ordinary.
Indeed, it has been a delightfully busy week and a half.
And it seems that ‘postability’ [I know, probably not a word] has returned to The Downstate Study.
And so we take up keyboard to renew the line of communication with self and with whomever [sp?] happens across these pages.
An ususual coincidence occurred in our family eight years ago that is worth mentioning.
Eight years ago on August 22nd our second Dear Granddaughter was born. And it just so happens that August 22 is also the anniversary of the birth of Dear Wife, the Dear Gramma of that Dear Granddaughter.
And, it also happens that that date is the anniversary of the marriage of Dear Son and Dear Daughter-in-law, the parents of that Little Person.
At the parents’ wedding, all the folks at the reception sang happy birthday to the Mother of the Groom.
How about that?
Now Gramma is well organized, but this is really out of the ordinary.
Friday, August 6, 2010
A LAKE AT THE END OF THE TRAIL
We walked with the Dear Granddaughters in a Conservancy Forest today, one of those that has been purchased by a group intending to keep it as it has been, evolving naturally with minimum input from the ‘non-natural’.
We perhaps have written of it before.
One trail takes ca. 45 minutes to climb, winding its way up the dune to decking overlooking Lake Michigan.
Thoughts occurred whilst climbing:
A ‘conserved forest’ has a lot to say about the reality of life as we know it.
Looking in any direction will exhibit the eternal cycle: the birth of the young plants; their maturity; and their ultimate decline and fall.
Such a reminder of ‘the last things’, and the first things for that matter. Not to mention the in-between.
And then the symbolism of the beautiful Lake at the end of the trail.
“Send our mail to the end of the trail.”
Now where did that come from.
Birth, growth, maturity, decline, and death, and then the Beautiful Lake.
There has to be meaning in all of that.
The symbolism of the Lake just now hit me.
We may have mentioned that a Victorian town we visit when going to Sophie’s doctor has situated the high school right next to the town cemetery, a cemetery at least 150 years old.
Many of the kids have to walk thru the greenwood to get to classes.
Another old friend has just passed away at our Church.
It has been a tough year.
It has been a real year.
We believe that there is a beautiful Lake at the end of the trail.
We perhaps have written of it before.
One trail takes ca. 45 minutes to climb, winding its way up the dune to decking overlooking Lake Michigan.
Thoughts occurred whilst climbing:
A ‘conserved forest’ has a lot to say about the reality of life as we know it.
Looking in any direction will exhibit the eternal cycle: the birth of the young plants; their maturity; and their ultimate decline and fall.
Such a reminder of ‘the last things’, and the first things for that matter. Not to mention the in-between.
And then the symbolism of the beautiful Lake at the end of the trail.
“Send our mail to the end of the trail.”
Now where did that come from.
Birth, growth, maturity, decline, and death, and then the Beautiful Lake.
There has to be meaning in all of that.
The symbolism of the Lake just now hit me.
We may have mentioned that a Victorian town we visit when going to Sophie’s doctor has situated the high school right next to the town cemetery, a cemetery at least 150 years old.
Many of the kids have to walk thru the greenwood to get to classes.
Another old friend has just passed away at our Church.
It has been a tough year.
It has been a real year.
We believe that there is a beautiful Lake at the end of the trail.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
A MOVIE AND ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
A movie was made in our Northern Community two years ago.
A real honest to goodness movie.
There were semi-tractor trailers and immense power generators and food caterers and dozens of extras and folks who shouted cut and action and print that and stuff like that.
And there was security at night. Not much – but enough to make it interesting.
And there were handsome and gorgeous people. I talked to a few.
Even offered to take in a most attractive actress’s little dog on an especially hot day.
Well, I had to think of something to say.
She said not to worry; they had air-conditioned facilities for them just off the set.
And hair salons.
And they filmed for about six weeks. Cannot remember exactly.
And this year the film came out on DVD.
It was terrible – nothing to even think about.
And tonight, whilst walking Sophie Matilda up where the vans and tractors and salons and cooking tents were located, it occurred to me that millions of dollars and hundreds of people and weeks and months and months of planning went into making this hour-and-a-half of nothing.
And then I thought of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Now, I am not suggesting that St. Thomas is not worth thinking about.
Quite the contrary.
But there is a connection of sorts.
A Dear and Respected Friend suggested to me that near or on his deathbed, St. Thomas referred to his Summa, that Work of Works, as significantly less important than any of my professors in University had ever done.
I am guessing that Thomas knew he was on the brink of the Really Important, that his work was done, that he was now ready for the Real Thing.
And it got me to thinking, as least it did whilst walking Her Honor, that we sometimes put so much effort, so much time and sweat and the like, into things which in final analysis, at the end of our time hereabouts, really are not worth worrying about.
Thomas worked on stuff that really mattered.
So does the airplane jumper.
The parachutist can worry and fret about whether his ‘chute is properly arranged when there are hours or days to go until the jump, and rightly so.
But, as with Thomas, there is little need to worry when going out the door.
The movie folks worked so hard for so little.
To paraphrase a Great Statesman’s commentary during World War 2, “It is common for so many to owe so little to so many” these days.
Our MSM and our advertisers and our politicians and our experts and the like go on and on about so many things - so many things which are often of so little importance.
St. Thomas was so brilliant and had and indeed has so much to say to so many of us today – and yet so few of us even know who he was/is.
But even he recognized that there will come a time when enough is enough, when it is time to reap what has been sewn and not to worry about it.
There is a song – “You have to know when to hold ‘em; know when to throw ‘em; Know when to walk away; Know when to run.”
Or words to that/those effect(s).
Ecclesiastes is full of such wisdom. I will not bore with attempted quotes.
As indicated elsewhere in these pages, C.S. Lewis has rightly observed that many of us are simply not equipped to deal with many of the issues which so often divide us from our brothers and sisters, matters which are amenable only to those familiar with “…the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
And if we don’t know what we are talking about, why should we spend much time doing it.
Blowin’ in the wind.
Sorry about more attempted song lyrics.
You’re right, I’m not really sorry.
And those who stir the pot in which we labor know our relative ignorance.
Wouldn’t it be a grande thing to know the difference between the real and the junk before we are at the end of time, as it were?
How neat it would be to know what we know, to be confident in it, and to have a healthy respect for all the stuff we do not know much about.
It was St. Francis who uttered the prayer, I think, "Lord, help me to know the things I can change and those things which I cannot change, and to know the difference."
Or words to those effects.
As the song says, “What a wonderful world that would be.”
A real honest to goodness movie.
There were semi-tractor trailers and immense power generators and food caterers and dozens of extras and folks who shouted cut and action and print that and stuff like that.
And there was security at night. Not much – but enough to make it interesting.
And there were handsome and gorgeous people. I talked to a few.
Even offered to take in a most attractive actress’s little dog on an especially hot day.
Well, I had to think of something to say.
She said not to worry; they had air-conditioned facilities for them just off the set.
And hair salons.
And they filmed for about six weeks. Cannot remember exactly.
And this year the film came out on DVD.
It was terrible – nothing to even think about.
And tonight, whilst walking Sophie Matilda up where the vans and tractors and salons and cooking tents were located, it occurred to me that millions of dollars and hundreds of people and weeks and months and months of planning went into making this hour-and-a-half of nothing.
And then I thought of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Now, I am not suggesting that St. Thomas is not worth thinking about.
Quite the contrary.
But there is a connection of sorts.
A Dear and Respected Friend suggested to me that near or on his deathbed, St. Thomas referred to his Summa, that Work of Works, as significantly less important than any of my professors in University had ever done.
I am guessing that Thomas knew he was on the brink of the Really Important, that his work was done, that he was now ready for the Real Thing.
And it got me to thinking, as least it did whilst walking Her Honor, that we sometimes put so much effort, so much time and sweat and the like, into things which in final analysis, at the end of our time hereabouts, really are not worth worrying about.
Thomas worked on stuff that really mattered.
So does the airplane jumper.
The parachutist can worry and fret about whether his ‘chute is properly arranged when there are hours or days to go until the jump, and rightly so.
But, as with Thomas, there is little need to worry when going out the door.
The movie folks worked so hard for so little.
To paraphrase a Great Statesman’s commentary during World War 2, “It is common for so many to owe so little to so many” these days.
Our MSM and our advertisers and our politicians and our experts and the like go on and on about so many things - so many things which are often of so little importance.
St. Thomas was so brilliant and had and indeed has so much to say to so many of us today – and yet so few of us even know who he was/is.
But even he recognized that there will come a time when enough is enough, when it is time to reap what has been sewn and not to worry about it.
There is a song – “You have to know when to hold ‘em; know when to throw ‘em; Know when to walk away; Know when to run.”
Or words to that/those effect(s).
Ecclesiastes is full of such wisdom. I will not bore with attempted quotes.
As indicated elsewhere in these pages, C.S. Lewis has rightly observed that many of us are simply not equipped to deal with many of the issues which so often divide us from our brothers and sisters, matters which are amenable only to those familiar with “…the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
And if we don’t know what we are talking about, why should we spend much time doing it.
Blowin’ in the wind.
Sorry about more attempted song lyrics.
You’re right, I’m not really sorry.
And those who stir the pot in which we labor know our relative ignorance.
Wouldn’t it be a grande thing to know the difference between the real and the junk before we are at the end of time, as it were?
How neat it would be to know what we know, to be confident in it, and to have a healthy respect for all the stuff we do not know much about.
It was St. Francis who uttered the prayer, I think, "Lord, help me to know the things I can change and those things which I cannot change, and to know the difference."
Or words to those effects.
As the song says, “What a wonderful world that would be.”
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
AUGUST IN THE NORTH
August has arrived, the Sunday of the summer.
86+ degrees, 96% humidity.
Hotter tomorrow.
But no rain.
We will water the garden and remember how it used to be cool in the North.
Well, we tell ourselves that it was anyway.
This is not the way it used to be we will say.
And we read that the Lakes, the Great Ones, that is, are warming, prematurely.
What to think.
Cycles? Climate change?
Or no one knows.
You pays your money and you takes your chance.
We have been North the last two days. Voted absentee in the primary.
Dear Wife sees to it that we do some of our duties.
She does all of her duties.
Today a quiet day, art class for Granddaughters in the morning, swimming in the early afternoon.
And then salmon dinner with good friends in the evening.
And speaking of a salmon dinner…please visit a journal item of a favorite site:
http://breathless-expectation.blogspot.com/2008/07/fresh-salmon-smores.html
Fellowship; food; a beautiful and bountiful river; good friends/family; and the Good Lord.
Again, as a Dear Friend used to say, “How sweet it is.”
Granddaughters are with us for a few days.
Yesterday was the trip North.
Today was art class, swimming, games, and their second night of the visit.
So much is happening Downstate and in the world.
So much to know about – to think about – to write about.
And so much to do.
God give us the strength and desire and ability.
It is so easy to lose oneself in The North.
86+ degrees, 96% humidity.
Hotter tomorrow.
But no rain.
We will water the garden and remember how it used to be cool in the North.
Well, we tell ourselves that it was anyway.
This is not the way it used to be we will say.
And we read that the Lakes, the Great Ones, that is, are warming, prematurely.
What to think.
Cycles? Climate change?
Or no one knows.
You pays your money and you takes your chance.
We have been North the last two days. Voted absentee in the primary.
Dear Wife sees to it that we do some of our duties.
She does all of her duties.
Today a quiet day, art class for Granddaughters in the morning, swimming in the early afternoon.
And then salmon dinner with good friends in the evening.
And speaking of a salmon dinner…please visit a journal item of a favorite site:
http://breathless-expectation.blogspot.com/2008/07/fresh-salmon-smores.html
Fellowship; food; a beautiful and bountiful river; good friends/family; and the Good Lord.
Again, as a Dear Friend used to say, “How sweet it is.”
Granddaughters are with us for a few days.
Yesterday was the trip North.
Today was art class, swimming, games, and their second night of the visit.
So much is happening Downstate and in the world.
So much to know about – to think about – to write about.
And so much to do.
God give us the strength and desire and ability.
It is so easy to lose oneself in The North.
Monday, July 26, 2010
ESPECIALLY
We’re home tonite – have been for several hours.
We’ve unpacked and sorted mail and fed Sophie Matilda and snacked and finished up reading thet last few pages of novels started Up North…
And emergency laundry is in the machine.
And now I sit before keyboard - and once again it is late and it has been a busy day.
Yesterday was a special day.
We were concluding our week or so North and winding things down.
We attended a 152 year-old chapel in Leland in the morning – a delightful Priest takes the reigns over the summer – it is a seasonal chapel – and then breakfast in a small town - good fellowship and decent food but inexperienced waitstaff –
And then home to camp for an unexpected nap –
And then off on a hike up the Whaleback trail – a lovely little hike up to a site overlooking Lake Michigan –
Have not done the trip for couple of years….
Very emotional – there we were lookin’ out at the Big Water…pure beauty with sun and waves, gentle from our height – and drift wood and beach far below – and …it was very emotional.
Could have cried. Did a little.
And yet we were so happy – and yet, could have cried. Did.
So many emotions.
The Jesuits have a saying: “Let us have the kids when they are young and we will never lose them….”, or words to that effect…
And it is so true.
50 years ago I was privileged to spend summers on one of the Arms of Grand Traverse Bay.
A veteran of WW1 gave me his cottage for a week at a time – a teenager, can you believe that?
And I drove up to the Bay and unloaded my gear and made the bed and cooked the food and built fires in the Franklin Stove and walked the beach and swam in the Bay and heard the woods sounds and took Dear Gramma Gaines there to enjoy it too and inhaled the woods and Bay air – and so many other things too – and lived the life of a Northerner – and I have never forgotten.
And yesterday brought it all back.
It was so long ago, those fifty years. And yet they seem so recent too.
And then we walked back down the trail….downhill this time, with the roots and the sand and the mushrooms and the fallen trees and the sun’s rays shining through the trees - and o my….all the memories.
Anyway, it is late and I am not sure what you will make of this…but there it is.
The North is special, especially if you have known it as a youngster.
We’ve unpacked and sorted mail and fed Sophie Matilda and snacked and finished up reading thet last few pages of novels started Up North…
And emergency laundry is in the machine.
And now I sit before keyboard - and once again it is late and it has been a busy day.
Yesterday was a special day.
We were concluding our week or so North and winding things down.
We attended a 152 year-old chapel in Leland in the morning – a delightful Priest takes the reigns over the summer – it is a seasonal chapel – and then breakfast in a small town - good fellowship and decent food but inexperienced waitstaff –
And then home to camp for an unexpected nap –
And then off on a hike up the Whaleback trail – a lovely little hike up to a site overlooking Lake Michigan –
Have not done the trip for couple of years….
Very emotional – there we were lookin’ out at the Big Water…pure beauty with sun and waves, gentle from our height – and drift wood and beach far below – and …it was very emotional.
Could have cried. Did a little.
And yet we were so happy – and yet, could have cried. Did.
So many emotions.
The Jesuits have a saying: “Let us have the kids when they are young and we will never lose them….”, or words to that effect…
And it is so true.
50 years ago I was privileged to spend summers on one of the Arms of Grand Traverse Bay.
A veteran of WW1 gave me his cottage for a week at a time – a teenager, can you believe that?
And I drove up to the Bay and unloaded my gear and made the bed and cooked the food and built fires in the Franklin Stove and walked the beach and swam in the Bay and heard the woods sounds and took Dear Gramma Gaines there to enjoy it too and inhaled the woods and Bay air – and so many other things too – and lived the life of a Northerner – and I have never forgotten.
And yesterday brought it all back.
It was so long ago, those fifty years. And yet they seem so recent too.
And then we walked back down the trail….downhill this time, with the roots and the sand and the mushrooms and the fallen trees and the sun’s rays shining through the trees - and o my….all the memories.
Anyway, it is late and I am not sure what you will make of this…but there it is.
The North is special, especially if you have known it as a youngster.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
THE DAY AFTER
Thursday morning, just turning over to afternoon.
Breakfast is over…late one this morn.
Dear Wife has gone to town with Dear Friend to grocery shoppe – Friends bringing salmon tonite – The Study furnishing veggies and a dessert.
Friends, Fellowship, Food, Drink.
As the Dear Colleague used to say, “How sweet it is.”
Low sixties last nite…low eighties today.
Cloudy with rain a good chance overnight.
Nice contrast to hot and nineties and windy.
Not for always, but once in a while.
Camp is quiet now.
Relatives have left, completing a five-day visit.
We talked and laughed and grilled and walked marinas and shopped and dined in a multitude of splendid Northern Eateries.
And talked of the old times.
And of politics; religion and theology; and the changing times we all live in.
And we did things we have done before – those things known as family traditions.
Again, how very sweet.
And now there are Dear Neighbors and ‘catchups’ and the doing of things we did not get to.
Chores and reflections and thinking and planning and thanking God for His Blessings.
“These are the days the Lord hast made – Let us rejoice and be thankful!”
Breakfast is over…late one this morn.
Dear Wife has gone to town with Dear Friend to grocery shoppe – Friends bringing salmon tonite – The Study furnishing veggies and a dessert.
Friends, Fellowship, Food, Drink.
As the Dear Colleague used to say, “How sweet it is.”
Low sixties last nite…low eighties today.
Cloudy with rain a good chance overnight.
Nice contrast to hot and nineties and windy.
Not for always, but once in a while.
Camp is quiet now.
Relatives have left, completing a five-day visit.
We talked and laughed and grilled and walked marinas and shopped and dined in a multitude of splendid Northern Eateries.
And talked of the old times.
And of politics; religion and theology; and the changing times we all live in.
And we did things we have done before – those things known as family traditions.
Again, how very sweet.
And now there are Dear Neighbors and ‘catchups’ and the doing of things we did not get to.
Chores and reflections and thinking and planning and thanking God for His Blessings.
“These are the days the Lord hast made – Let us rejoice and be thankful!”
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
HONORS
A brief message by a beloved Clergyman.
Three volleys, seven shooters.
Three shell casings given to the Widow as reminders of the three volleys.
One flag presented with softly-spoken comments by a military officer.
One bugle playing taps.
And so it went Monday at the National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan for a Dear Friend.
Grieving family and friends.
A grateful nation.
Another circle is complete.
Requiescat in pace.
Three volleys, seven shooters.
Three shell casings given to the Widow as reminders of the three volleys.
One flag presented with softly-spoken comments by a military officer.
One bugle playing taps.
And so it went Monday at the National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan for a Dear Friend.
Grieving family and friends.
A grateful nation.
Another circle is complete.
Requiescat in pace.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
UNDERCURRENTS
July is well underway.
A summer heat wave is buffeting the US Middle West and we hunker down and go about our business as well as we can.
In the 1950’s, as a youngin’, I well remember hot summers in Toronto, Canada.
Dear Gramma’s house was a two story in a pleasant neighborhood, a neighborhood where all the neighbors watched out for each other, and when the heat hit we laid low.
Definitely no AC, anywhere but maybe a movie theatre.
Stores were ovens.
After chores, and there were chores, we would luxuriate in the coolness of the old house or play monopoly or canasta or cribbage on the large front porch.
Neat!
And English Gramma assured us that hot tea would cool you off on a hot day, as would running cold water on your wrists if it really got hot.
She mopped her brow whilst she told us these bits English lore.
Oh boy.
Breakfast would be toast and jelly and tea and fruit.
Lunch was milk and thick slices of cheese with bread and butter and cookies.
Dinner would be roast beef and potatoes and veggies – with bread and gravy.
Apple slices would be dipped in sugar, as was sliced grapefruit.
It is only sugar, Son, Dear Gramma would say.
And of course, salt on the cantaloupe.
And the toaster was a two-door fold down which was anything but automatic.
We still have it in our library.
With our manual portable Royal typewriter.
But my point is not to go into all of that good stuff…but I would love to…the memories are so sweet.
But we at The Study are so aware right now of some of the undercurrents at play as we go about our daily lives.
Weddings and funerals.
And tomorrow is a burial at a new National Military Cemetery in Holly, Michigan.
We understand the burial schedule is every half hour on the half hour, during business hours.
Processions were lined up for us the last three times at a civilian cemetery.
And there are the weddings, joyous occasions.
And I just read text from an npr program regarding the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, arranged in 1938 the article said, for thousands of Vets in their 80’s and 90’s.
So much life, passion, memory, devotion, consciousness.
And then gone.
And then gone.
All that humanity.
Anyway, it is late, and Dear Wife and Dear Sophie are fast asleep and tomorrow is a day of witnessing another undercurrent and lots of ‘overcurrents’.
More later.
A summer heat wave is buffeting the US Middle West and we hunker down and go about our business as well as we can.
In the 1950’s, as a youngin’, I well remember hot summers in Toronto, Canada.
Dear Gramma’s house was a two story in a pleasant neighborhood, a neighborhood where all the neighbors watched out for each other, and when the heat hit we laid low.
Definitely no AC, anywhere but maybe a movie theatre.
Stores were ovens.
After chores, and there were chores, we would luxuriate in the coolness of the old house or play monopoly or canasta or cribbage on the large front porch.
Neat!
And English Gramma assured us that hot tea would cool you off on a hot day, as would running cold water on your wrists if it really got hot.
She mopped her brow whilst she told us these bits English lore.
Oh boy.
Breakfast would be toast and jelly and tea and fruit.
Lunch was milk and thick slices of cheese with bread and butter and cookies.
Dinner would be roast beef and potatoes and veggies – with bread and gravy.
Apple slices would be dipped in sugar, as was sliced grapefruit.
It is only sugar, Son, Dear Gramma would say.
And of course, salt on the cantaloupe.
And the toaster was a two-door fold down which was anything but automatic.
We still have it in our library.
With our manual portable Royal typewriter.
But my point is not to go into all of that good stuff…but I would love to…the memories are so sweet.
But we at The Study are so aware right now of some of the undercurrents at play as we go about our daily lives.
Weddings and funerals.
And tomorrow is a burial at a new National Military Cemetery in Holly, Michigan.
We understand the burial schedule is every half hour on the half hour, during business hours.
Processions were lined up for us the last three times at a civilian cemetery.
And there are the weddings, joyous occasions.
And I just read text from an npr program regarding the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, arranged in 1938 the article said, for thousands of Vets in their 80’s and 90’s.
So much life, passion, memory, devotion, consciousness.
And then gone.
And then gone.
All that humanity.
Anyway, it is late, and Dear Wife and Dear Sophie are fast asleep and tomorrow is a day of witnessing another undercurrent and lots of ‘overcurrents’.
More later.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
TRADITIONS
We have written time and time again about tradition and the importance thereof.
This early July friends and family have helped preserve a number of traditions which we look forward to.
As we have reported, June and early July this year have been times of sorrow as well as of gladness – marriages and funerals, the number of which we cannot remember the likes of.
Is that wording awkward or not?
No matter, as Dear Gramma would say.
It is what it is.
It would have been easy to let a few of the dear traditions fall by the board for a year.
In addition to the weddings and funerals, there have been and are ongoing home improvements North as well as Downstate.
There have been anxieties and nervousness and happiness and joy and confusions.
And life goes on, and Dear Wife and Dear Family and Friends conspired to walk the walk, to keep up the old things, the old ways.
Dear Daughter and Son-in-Law traveled North with us to observe Fourth of July doings.
Her Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law could not make it this year.
They were missed but we carried on.
And beloved friends/family from The Mole Hole were in Camp as well – and we joined together to view fireworks, The Sound of Freedom of the Navy’s Blue Angels, and many meals and cocktail hours and hours of fellowship.
We put out the flag and talked of politics, religion, and other such wonderful subjects so many folk are afraid to talk about. Or which many folks do not know how to talk about.
And now we look forward to the annual family visit to another Up North village, perhaps dinner out or, failing that, delicious sloppy joe leftovers brought up by Dear Son-in-Law and Dear Daughter.
A bike ride this morning to a bikers’ coffee shop for coffee and muffins marked the second edition of a new tradition, four of us huffing and puffing along a beautiful stretch of highway, following the curves of Our Lake.
Well, one of us was doing the most puffing.
Cloudy skies; high humidity; and nearly ninety degrees. Unsettled weather. Good chance of storm.
Not a good day for our kind of boating. The Kayla Elise remains in dock.
But the villages beckon.
And there is a village potter on the outskirts of one who makes gorgeous things in clay and writes notes on their undersides reflecting any of his observations of the moment.
Neat!!
Now there is a dog to walk.
More later.
This early July friends and family have helped preserve a number of traditions which we look forward to.
As we have reported, June and early July this year have been times of sorrow as well as of gladness – marriages and funerals, the number of which we cannot remember the likes of.
Is that wording awkward or not?
No matter, as Dear Gramma would say.
It is what it is.
It would have been easy to let a few of the dear traditions fall by the board for a year.
In addition to the weddings and funerals, there have been and are ongoing home improvements North as well as Downstate.
There have been anxieties and nervousness and happiness and joy and confusions.
And life goes on, and Dear Wife and Dear Family and Friends conspired to walk the walk, to keep up the old things, the old ways.
Dear Daughter and Son-in-Law traveled North with us to observe Fourth of July doings.
Her Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law could not make it this year.
They were missed but we carried on.
And beloved friends/family from The Mole Hole were in Camp as well – and we joined together to view fireworks, The Sound of Freedom of the Navy’s Blue Angels, and many meals and cocktail hours and hours of fellowship.
We put out the flag and talked of politics, religion, and other such wonderful subjects so many folk are afraid to talk about. Or which many folks do not know how to talk about.
And now we look forward to the annual family visit to another Up North village, perhaps dinner out or, failing that, delicious sloppy joe leftovers brought up by Dear Son-in-Law and Dear Daughter.
A bike ride this morning to a bikers’ coffee shop for coffee and muffins marked the second edition of a new tradition, four of us huffing and puffing along a beautiful stretch of highway, following the curves of Our Lake.
Well, one of us was doing the most puffing.
Cloudy skies; high humidity; and nearly ninety degrees. Unsettled weather. Good chance of storm.
Not a good day for our kind of boating. The Kayla Elise remains in dock.
But the villages beckon.
And there is a village potter on the outskirts of one who makes gorgeous things in clay and writes notes on their undersides reflecting any of his observations of the moment.
Neat!!
Now there is a dog to walk.
More later.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
RAMBLINGS
'Tis Sunday, 4 July, a day, a date, that is perhaps one of the most important anniversaries of all the anniversaries in the history of the planet.
Fireworks!!!
Dear Wife loves them.
I am somewhat less enchanted.
But Teddy Roosevelt loved them too...and he was a good judge of things.
And so there will be fireworks.
And good ones.
In the tiny village of Northport, Michigan, there is one fine display of pyrotechnics (sp?).
They appear, they actually are igniting over your head, but way, way up high.
And the oohs and the ahhs.
Dear Wife insists we go...and we take large or smaller groups.
And we have a good time.
The funeral of Dear Cousin yesterday was well done...
Pastor was inspirational.
Funeral preps were superb.
The assembly of family was most endearing, for many reasons.
And the United States Air Force rendered full military honors.
All this for a young veteran of 1941 who risked his life on 35 or so missions over Hitler's Germany.
And did it willingly.
And did it well.
And now he has died.
All known senior relatives are gone.
Thank you, Cathy, for your kind comments.
We returned North after services.
Sad times downstate.
But now Daughter and Son-in-Law have arrived, through horrendous traffic, and they and our two Dear Dogs are installed with us in The North.
The Blue Angels are performing over the Bay tomorrow, as they did today.
THE SOUND OF FREEDOM...
The United States Military.
As someone once said, military power is simply another arm of diplomatic power...
A most vital leg of the several faceted sides of national power.
God bless the United States Military...and may our Nation be on the side of Right...
As it usually is.
Fireworks!!!
Dear Wife loves them.
I am somewhat less enchanted.
But Teddy Roosevelt loved them too...and he was a good judge of things.
And so there will be fireworks.
And good ones.
In the tiny village of Northport, Michigan, there is one fine display of pyrotechnics (sp?).
They appear, they actually are igniting over your head, but way, way up high.
And the oohs and the ahhs.
Dear Wife insists we go...and we take large or smaller groups.
And we have a good time.
The funeral of Dear Cousin yesterday was well done...
Pastor was inspirational.
Funeral preps were superb.
The assembly of family was most endearing, for many reasons.
And the United States Air Force rendered full military honors.
All this for a young veteran of 1941 who risked his life on 35 or so missions over Hitler's Germany.
And did it willingly.
And did it well.
And now he has died.
All known senior relatives are gone.
Thank you, Cathy, for your kind comments.
We returned North after services.
Sad times downstate.
But now Daughter and Son-in-Law have arrived, through horrendous traffic, and they and our two Dear Dogs are installed with us in The North.
The Blue Angels are performing over the Bay tomorrow, as they did today.
THE SOUND OF FREEDOM...
The United States Military.
As someone once said, military power is simply another arm of diplomatic power...
A most vital leg of the several faceted sides of national power.
God bless the United States Military...and may our Nation be on the side of Right...
As it usually is.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
KEEPING IN TOUCH
It is late.
We write from The North.
We return Downstate to another funeral, this time of a Dear Cousin –
Bomber pilot, B-17, thirty-two or a few more missions over Germany.
Hero, a real hero.
Not what often passes for such a label.
Dear Wife of Cousin died three weeks ago.
Both gone.
We return for funeral and then back North for the Fourth of July.
All the relatives I remember from my childhood are gone now. There are probably more, but none that I know of.
And the same thing is happening to my Dear Wife. The senior family members are gone or going.
As Jane Fonda said when her Dad died, we move up to the turnstile.
The Big Mysteries will be solved.
We are involved with new digs at Camp – and news has totally eluded us still.
We know really of nothing that is happening in the outside world.
So little time, so much to do.
Potluck in camp this evening – no sign up – but what a feast!!
fellowship and food - in The North -
If you are in the North, it is good enough.
Fearing we would be late, a Dear Neighbor came by in a tiny vehicle and waited to pick us up while we finished our dish to pass.
Guardian Angles are alive and well.
More later.
There is an English Bulldog to take out – and it is dark and late and cold…
Take very good care.
We write from The North.
We return Downstate to another funeral, this time of a Dear Cousin –
Bomber pilot, B-17, thirty-two or a few more missions over Germany.
Hero, a real hero.
Not what often passes for such a label.
Dear Wife of Cousin died three weeks ago.
Both gone.
We return for funeral and then back North for the Fourth of July.
All the relatives I remember from my childhood are gone now. There are probably more, but none that I know of.
And the same thing is happening to my Dear Wife. The senior family members are gone or going.
As Jane Fonda said when her Dad died, we move up to the turnstile.
The Big Mysteries will be solved.
We are involved with new digs at Camp – and news has totally eluded us still.
We know really of nothing that is happening in the outside world.
So little time, so much to do.
Potluck in camp this evening – no sign up – but what a feast!!
fellowship and food - in The North -
If you are in the North, it is good enough.
Fearing we would be late, a Dear Neighbor came by in a tiny vehicle and waited to pick us up while we finished our dish to pass.
Guardian Angles are alive and well.
More later.
There is an English Bulldog to take out – and it is dark and late and cold…
Take very good care.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
REGARDING 'POSTING'
Marlyn,
Thanks for the note re 'POSTING'.
Please visit us a lot.
Our regarding the months of the summer and early fall as days of a weekend are a long and hallowed tradition in our home.
Talk to you soon.
Thanks for the note re 'POSTING'.
Please visit us a lot.
Our regarding the months of the summer and early fall as days of a weekend are a long and hallowed tradition in our home.
Talk to you soon.
Monday, June 28, 2010
THE END OF JUNE...AND I WONDER
The end of June is at hand.
When we were teaching, before retirement, Dear Wife and I would refer to the month of June as the Friday of the Summer, August being the Sunday of the Summer.
And then September was the Monday of the Summer.
Time to go back to work.
Now, well, when things are going well, all days can be thought of as the beginning of good things, as the Fridays of the Good Times.
Anyway, we are in The North and when things are good in The North, they are really good.
When they are not so good, well, then they could be better.
We have been preparing new accommodations for selves and family and friends, and hopes are high for enjoyment all around.
And there have been duties of home maintenance which have cried out for attention, duties which in the past have been all too easy to put aside, to put aside for another day.
At any rate, remediation and plans for such doings are now to some degree on track, and it is good to report that The Study is still, as far as we know, alive and well.
So many things have been happening.
From our Northern Study, we note that the anarchist crazies are alive and well in Toronto.
And b.o. is in attendance, urging stimulus upon the nations of the world.
What a guy!!!!
We understand with concern that summer hurricane season threatens efforts to contain the oil spill.
We look with hope and confidence to the drilling of the lateral wells which seem to offer a good chance to choke the spill once and for all.
We lament the posturing and inanity of the Federal efforts regarding the spill.
Dare I say it? IS IT NOW McChrystal clear????????? Is it now clear how line officers feel about their commander in chief????
The shame is not that the General and his staff feel the way they do.
The shame is that it has been made public, made the talk of the town, as it were.
As it has been pointed out all over the place, US general officers have often had little regard for their civilian leaders.
Their regard is of no necessary relevance to the excellence or non-excellence of their abilities.
General McChrystal is by all reports an excellent, superb officer.
An idiot allowed an idiot reporter to get near the General and his people at the wrong time – at a social event.
They spoke casually. They spoke honestly.
They were not treasonous. They were not by such doings displaying any lack of military professionalism.
They were betrayed to the danger of public relations, a fact of life which can be a good thing, in certain contexts.
This was not a good context.
We have lost the services of an excellent officer.
He is not in disgrace.
He goes out in honor.
The people he cares about know that.
b.o. did what b.o. does.
Liberals and even others say he had no choice.
A weak man often has fewer choices than a strong one.
This might be one of those times.
Perhaps you question the characterization of b.o. as being weak.
We suggest that it is one thing to be ruthless.
It is another thing to be wise and judicious in the wielding of great power.
b.o. wields great power.
He is ruthless.
He has yet to prove that he is a strong, wise, judicious, tough leader on the world stage.
But the nation has lucked out. General Peteraeus (sp?) is also a brilliant officer.
I wonder what he thinks of b.o. in private.
When we were teaching, before retirement, Dear Wife and I would refer to the month of June as the Friday of the Summer, August being the Sunday of the Summer.
And then September was the Monday of the Summer.
Time to go back to work.
Now, well, when things are going well, all days can be thought of as the beginning of good things, as the Fridays of the Good Times.
Anyway, we are in The North and when things are good in The North, they are really good.
When they are not so good, well, then they could be better.
We have been preparing new accommodations for selves and family and friends, and hopes are high for enjoyment all around.
And there have been duties of home maintenance which have cried out for attention, duties which in the past have been all too easy to put aside, to put aside for another day.
At any rate, remediation and plans for such doings are now to some degree on track, and it is good to report that The Study is still, as far as we know, alive and well.
So many things have been happening.
From our Northern Study, we note that the anarchist crazies are alive and well in Toronto.
And b.o. is in attendance, urging stimulus upon the nations of the world.
What a guy!!!!
We understand with concern that summer hurricane season threatens efforts to contain the oil spill.
We look with hope and confidence to the drilling of the lateral wells which seem to offer a good chance to choke the spill once and for all.
We lament the posturing and inanity of the Federal efforts regarding the spill.
Dare I say it? IS IT NOW McChrystal clear????????? Is it now clear how line officers feel about their commander in chief????
The shame is not that the General and his staff feel the way they do.
The shame is that it has been made public, made the talk of the town, as it were.
As it has been pointed out all over the place, US general officers have often had little regard for their civilian leaders.
Their regard is of no necessary relevance to the excellence or non-excellence of their abilities.
General McChrystal is by all reports an excellent, superb officer.
An idiot allowed an idiot reporter to get near the General and his people at the wrong time – at a social event.
They spoke casually. They spoke honestly.
They were not treasonous. They were not by such doings displaying any lack of military professionalism.
They were betrayed to the danger of public relations, a fact of life which can be a good thing, in certain contexts.
This was not a good context.
We have lost the services of an excellent officer.
He is not in disgrace.
He goes out in honor.
The people he cares about know that.
b.o. did what b.o. does.
Liberals and even others say he had no choice.
A weak man often has fewer choices than a strong one.
This might be one of those times.
Perhaps you question the characterization of b.o. as being weak.
We suggest that it is one thing to be ruthless.
It is another thing to be wise and judicious in the wielding of great power.
b.o. wields great power.
He is ruthless.
He has yet to prove that he is a strong, wise, judicious, tough leader on the world stage.
But the nation has lucked out. General Peteraeus (sp?) is also a brilliant officer.
I wonder what he thinks of b.o. in private.
POSTING
A dear friend has written to say that posting on this site is proving to be difficult.
Suggestions:
1) Select 'comment' at bottom of my post.
2) Type comment in comment box.
3) Select one of the 'Choose an Identity' choices
4) If asked to type a series of letters in a box, do so..
5) Select 'Publish Your Comment.'
WE sure hope this will help.
We love Commenters.
Suggestions:
1) Select 'comment' at bottom of my post.
2) Type comment in comment box.
3) Select one of the 'Choose an Identity' choices
4) If asked to type a series of letters in a box, do so..
5) Select 'Publish Your Comment.'
WE sure hope this will help.
We love Commenters.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
THE NEW MONTH HAS BEEN BUSY
The keyboard beckons.
May has become June and half a month has passed since thoughts were recorded in this place.
The new month has been busy.
We attended the funeral of a Dear Relative, wife of a Cousin.
We journeyed to Small Town USA and watched a parade; attended a 68th wedding anniversary; and a fiftieth birthday party.
We watched loving Senior Citizens treat each other lovingly.
The thought occurs that there is a major difference between the love of the newly-married and that of those married for a long time:
those just married are experiencing a love that is just beginning, that is immature, that is sweet and lovely but that is still based on that which will pass away.
And these days it often does pass away, prematurely.
The long-married have the joy of an evolved love, one that has endured and deepened and that will last until the last days, that very likely will not pass away.
The 50th birthday party was held in an airplane hanger.
The two planes were removed by the man renting the hanger – he is a pilot – and it is the custom of the Communion Group to which many of these folks belong to meet for special events in that hanger.
How delightfully different, precious is that?
It is not elegant.
It is a working hanger with some grease spots and dust and a vintage car parked over in the corner.
The frig had no ice and folks brought their own and we sat at folding tables and Dear Wife and I met the nicest group of folks you could ever hope to meet.
Many of their friendships extended back over fifty or more years.
The 68th anniversary was held in a church reception hall.
Again, dozens of friends who have known each other and loved each other for over half a century celebrated with their families and friends.
Dear Wife’s Dear Cousin made both of these events available for us.
We enjoyed a dinner at the Elks Club and a breakfast at a newly opened eatery.
Smiling wait staff; good food; and unbelievable prices.
We talked politics and religion and immigration and gardening and dogs and family and sat on the front porch and watched neighborhood kids playing.
And then it was time to head North.
The car was reloaded and Dear Wife and Dear Sophie and I were off.
And now it is late and raining and we are in Camp and we think about the last few days and about our home and family downstate and about the world we have found in the North.
The new month has been busy.
May has become June and half a month has passed since thoughts were recorded in this place.
The new month has been busy.
We attended the funeral of a Dear Relative, wife of a Cousin.
We journeyed to Small Town USA and watched a parade; attended a 68th wedding anniversary; and a fiftieth birthday party.
We watched loving Senior Citizens treat each other lovingly.
The thought occurs that there is a major difference between the love of the newly-married and that of those married for a long time:
those just married are experiencing a love that is just beginning, that is immature, that is sweet and lovely but that is still based on that which will pass away.
And these days it often does pass away, prematurely.
The long-married have the joy of an evolved love, one that has endured and deepened and that will last until the last days, that very likely will not pass away.
The 50th birthday party was held in an airplane hanger.
The two planes were removed by the man renting the hanger – he is a pilot – and it is the custom of the Communion Group to which many of these folks belong to meet for special events in that hanger.
How delightfully different, precious is that?
It is not elegant.
It is a working hanger with some grease spots and dust and a vintage car parked over in the corner.
The frig had no ice and folks brought their own and we sat at folding tables and Dear Wife and I met the nicest group of folks you could ever hope to meet.
Many of their friendships extended back over fifty or more years.
The 68th anniversary was held in a church reception hall.
Again, dozens of friends who have known each other and loved each other for over half a century celebrated with their families and friends.
Dear Wife’s Dear Cousin made both of these events available for us.
We enjoyed a dinner at the Elks Club and a breakfast at a newly opened eatery.
Smiling wait staff; good food; and unbelievable prices.
We talked politics and religion and immigration and gardening and dogs and family and sat on the front porch and watched neighborhood kids playing.
And then it was time to head North.
The car was reloaded and Dear Wife and Dear Sophie and I were off.
And now it is late and raining and we are in Camp and we think about the last few days and about our home and family downstate and about the world we have found in the North.
The new month has been busy.
Monday, May 31, 2010
MEMORIAL DAY 2010
We are downstate again.
Two quick trips North have seen the Camp opened and the Kayla Elise once again restored to her element.
She sails the narrow waters again in all appropriate splendor.
Our Northern Neighbors have largely reestablished themselves and the Community is restored – as in our version of Brigadoon, if you will.
It is late on this Memorial Day, 2010, and it has been a busy day.
The ole mind is not as clear as it should be as I take keyboard in hand. We marched today in the Memorial Day Parade – temp in the upper 80’s in our part of the neighborhood.
Thousands of people in attendance.
What a thrill to participate – the staging of the parade; the parade walk; the ceremonies at the cemetery; and the afterglow.
All marchers were invited to the VFW for free, that is free hotdogs, pop, and chips.
Small town!!!!!!!!!!!
How sweet it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And then it was off to Dear Son-in-Law’s birthday party.
Wonderful fellowship ensued, as did adult beverages and cooling off in AC after a really strenuous morning and early afternoon.
But what a splendid time.
Today we honored those who have died in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and the birthday of our Son-in-Law.
And we think of the dangers facing our military in the world beyond.
We think of the apparent incompetence of our national leadership and the brilliance of our Armed Forces.
We trust the Good Lord to preserve and safeguard the legitimate interests of the United States. And those who labor in behalf of those interests.
You note that our current national leadership never uses such language.
We lament the catastrophe of the oil spill and the failure to stop it.
We are alarmed by the positions taken by the b.o. administration regarding Israel; Iran; the UK; the EU; Afghanistan; Iraq; Arizona; Gitmo; the War on Terror; and on and on and on.
We take heart in a major Republican Lincoln Day Dinner event we were privileged to attend.
We were privileged to attend an evening of politicking with the keynote speaker being no less a personage than Karl Rove.
We were invited by a fellow high school classmate.
A first for us, and we mingled for a few moments with political powers-that-be.
Fun! Inspiring!
Hope, faith springs eternal.
Anyway, now it is late.
I must shut down for the night.
I hope this Memorial Day was fruitful and constructive for all.
It is one of our holidays which should not be allowed to degenerate into merely a time to grill burgers and ogle bikinis.
Not that it is not superb fun to do both.
But all things in moderation.
Pray for our Military and for our First Responders.
They are our Thin Blue and Thin Red Lines and we need them these days more than ever.
More later.
God bless!!
Two quick trips North have seen the Camp opened and the Kayla Elise once again restored to her element.
She sails the narrow waters again in all appropriate splendor.
Our Northern Neighbors have largely reestablished themselves and the Community is restored – as in our version of Brigadoon, if you will.
It is late on this Memorial Day, 2010, and it has been a busy day.
The ole mind is not as clear as it should be as I take keyboard in hand. We marched today in the Memorial Day Parade – temp in the upper 80’s in our part of the neighborhood.
Thousands of people in attendance.
What a thrill to participate – the staging of the parade; the parade walk; the ceremonies at the cemetery; and the afterglow.
All marchers were invited to the VFW for free, that is free hotdogs, pop, and chips.
Small town!!!!!!!!!!!
How sweet it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And then it was off to Dear Son-in-Law’s birthday party.
Wonderful fellowship ensued, as did adult beverages and cooling off in AC after a really strenuous morning and early afternoon.
But what a splendid time.
Today we honored those who have died in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and the birthday of our Son-in-Law.
And we think of the dangers facing our military in the world beyond.
We think of the apparent incompetence of our national leadership and the brilliance of our Armed Forces.
We trust the Good Lord to preserve and safeguard the legitimate interests of the United States. And those who labor in behalf of those interests.
You note that our current national leadership never uses such language.
We lament the catastrophe of the oil spill and the failure to stop it.
We are alarmed by the positions taken by the b.o. administration regarding Israel; Iran; the UK; the EU; Afghanistan; Iraq; Arizona; Gitmo; the War on Terror; and on and on and on.
We take heart in a major Republican Lincoln Day Dinner event we were privileged to attend.
We were privileged to attend an evening of politicking with the keynote speaker being no less a personage than Karl Rove.
We were invited by a fellow high school classmate.
A first for us, and we mingled for a few moments with political powers-that-be.
Fun! Inspiring!
Hope, faith springs eternal.
Anyway, now it is late.
I must shut down for the night.
I hope this Memorial Day was fruitful and constructive for all.
It is one of our holidays which should not be allowed to degenerate into merely a time to grill burgers and ogle bikinis.
Not that it is not superb fun to do both.
But all things in moderation.
Pray for our Military and for our First Responders.
They are our Thin Blue and Thin Red Lines and we need them these days more than ever.
More later.
God bless!!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
THE GOOD DOCTOR SAYS IT LIKE IT IS
Sir Winston Churchill said it decades ago - actually, ca. seventy years ago, in words to this effect:
He or they had the choice of peace or war. He or they chose peace. He or they got war.
The Good Doctor speaks and writes well.
History can repeat itself.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/20/AR2010052003885.html
He or they had the choice of peace or war. He or they chose peace. He or they got war.
The Good Doctor speaks and writes well.
History can repeat itself.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/20/AR2010052003885.html
THESE ARE THE DAYS THE LORD HATH MADE...REJOICE AND BE GLAD
Spring is upon us.
Flats of flowers have begun to appear from various sources: from elementary school, from church, and from Dear Daughter on Mother’s Day.
Both lawns are in full growth mode. And we don’t put down fertilizer.
A fence needs repairing.
Interior walls have been painted and exterior ones could use similar attentions.
The North beckons. The Lake calls. The towns and villages we love so much await.
Dear Sophie Matilda can walk again around the ponds at the Nature Center.
The umbrella is up on the deck and the flags can be unfurled.
The cycles turn, life goes on.
There are songs to sing and beautiful things to do and see.
And then there is the awareness that all of these are but forshadowings of things to come.
Perhaps this realization is the most important of all realities.
C.S. Lewis reminds us:
The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things – the beauty, the memory of our own past – are good images of what we really desire…; they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.
Flats of flowers have begun to appear from various sources: from elementary school, from church, and from Dear Daughter on Mother’s Day.
Both lawns are in full growth mode. And we don’t put down fertilizer.
A fence needs repairing.
Interior walls have been painted and exterior ones could use similar attentions.
The North beckons. The Lake calls. The towns and villages we love so much await.
Dear Sophie Matilda can walk again around the ponds at the Nature Center.
The umbrella is up on the deck and the flags can be unfurled.
The cycles turn, life goes on.
There are songs to sing and beautiful things to do and see.
And then there is the awareness that all of these are but forshadowings of things to come.
Perhaps this realization is the most important of all realities.
C.S. Lewis reminds us:
The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things – the beauty, the memory of our own past – are good images of what we really desire…; they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.
Friday, May 14, 2010
WHAT WAS THAT??
Did we really hear what we think we heard?
Did press person gibbs actually say the Government would keep a boot on the throat of BP?
Is the implication that BP really does not mind causing such catastrophes?
Are some states really starting to serve dinners as well as breakfasts and lunches to school children??
Is the restorative recipe for financially embarrassed Greece and possibly Europe to cut back on the public sectors of the economy and welfare and to privatize?
Is the b.o. Administration delaying the mirandizing of captured terrorist barbarians?
Is Gitmo still open?
In some states, is it legal to be illegal?
Has outspoken eric holder really not read the Arizona immigration law?
Has b.o.?
Does the President of Afghanistan, touring Arlington, really care about how many Americans have died fighting in his country?
Is ‘profiling’ by law enforcement simply a pejorative term by liberals for being on the alert for clues?
How disconnected from anything beyond their everyday world are the liberal voters of the United States of America?
Did press person gibbs actually say the Government would keep a boot on the throat of BP?
Is the implication that BP really does not mind causing such catastrophes?
Are some states really starting to serve dinners as well as breakfasts and lunches to school children??
Is the restorative recipe for financially embarrassed Greece and possibly Europe to cut back on the public sectors of the economy and welfare and to privatize?
Is the b.o. Administration delaying the mirandizing of captured terrorist barbarians?
Is Gitmo still open?
In some states, is it legal to be illegal?
Has outspoken eric holder really not read the Arizona immigration law?
Has b.o.?
Does the President of Afghanistan, touring Arlington, really care about how many Americans have died fighting in his country?
Is ‘profiling’ by law enforcement simply a pejorative term by liberals for being on the alert for clues?
How disconnected from anything beyond their everyday world are the liberal voters of the United States of America?
Saturday, May 8, 2010
THIS AND THAT
Inches of snow will fall tonight in Michigan’s UP.
‘Tis a cold, hard environment.
‘Tis a land easy to love.
The BP ‘dome’ so far has not worked.
One mile down and fifty miles out.
Easier to fix on land.
40+ mph winds here this morning with rain – very large branch, 30 feet long, eight inches wide, fell on wires.
Winds blew it off.
Wires ok.
UDT, Seals, cleared of abuse charges.
You Go, Guys!!
Economic turmoil in Greece.
Perhaps the tip of a continental iceberg.
Perhaps a harbinger of things to come in a socialized democracy.
Mother’s day starts the second week of May.
God bless wives and mothers.
They civilize the world.
We attend a bulldog puppy show Sunday.
It is a Mother’s Day function, complete with baby bulldogs and lots of bulldog Moms and owners.
And a superb luncheon buffet.
We work the souvenir table, as we have done for a number of years.
Small town.
Speaking of small town, never have we at The Study been more impressed with the virtues of our small town.
Breathless Expectation, a favorite site, reminded us of this the other day.
The local grocery; Church; Elks Club; eateries; movies; library; stores that know you; the local school; health club; hardware; and on and on and on.
So much could be written.
We are believers.
This retired teacher used to wear a sweater to school, for years and years.
And every morning I would place my brief case and tote bag on my desk and then hang up my coat and sweater in the closet.
If a student was within earshot, I would sing a few lines of... I want to be your neighbor….
Sometimes the more knowledgeable of the young folk got the joke.
I loved it.
Our Brigadoon in the North is coming to life. Emails are informing us that our neighbors are beginning to reassemble.
The cycles are repeating.
Thank God we can be a part of them.
‘Tis a cold, hard environment.
‘Tis a land easy to love.
The BP ‘dome’ so far has not worked.
One mile down and fifty miles out.
Easier to fix on land.
40+ mph winds here this morning with rain – very large branch, 30 feet long, eight inches wide, fell on wires.
Winds blew it off.
Wires ok.
UDT, Seals, cleared of abuse charges.
You Go, Guys!!
Economic turmoil in Greece.
Perhaps the tip of a continental iceberg.
Perhaps a harbinger of things to come in a socialized democracy.
Mother’s day starts the second week of May.
God bless wives and mothers.
They civilize the world.
We attend a bulldog puppy show Sunday.
It is a Mother’s Day function, complete with baby bulldogs and lots of bulldog Moms and owners.
And a superb luncheon buffet.
We work the souvenir table, as we have done for a number of years.
Small town.
Speaking of small town, never have we at The Study been more impressed with the virtues of our small town.
Breathless Expectation, a favorite site, reminded us of this the other day.
The local grocery; Church; Elks Club; eateries; movies; library; stores that know you; the local school; health club; hardware; and on and on and on.
So much could be written.
We are believers.
This retired teacher used to wear a sweater to school, for years and years.
And every morning I would place my brief case and tote bag on my desk and then hang up my coat and sweater in the closet.
If a student was within earshot, I would sing a few lines of... I want to be your neighbor….
Sometimes the more knowledgeable of the young folk got the joke.
I loved it.
Our Brigadoon in the North is coming to life. Emails are informing us that our neighbors are beginning to reassemble.
The cycles are repeating.
Thank God we can be a part of them.
ERNIE HARWELL, 1918-2010 ...R.I.P.
Ernie Harwell, 1918-2010.
Mr. Harwell was Mr. Baseball in Detroit, Michigan.
We are not sports fans.
But we are interested in current events, in how people near and far get along with each other and thrive and work and play.
Mr. Harwell apparently was one of the very good guys.
We at The Study salute him for the excellent example he apparently set for all who were touched by his personality and by his professional excellence.
Losing a good guy is never a good thing.
Especially these days.
Mr. Harwell was Mr. Baseball in Detroit, Michigan.
We are not sports fans.
But we are interested in current events, in how people near and far get along with each other and thrive and work and play.
Mr. Harwell apparently was one of the very good guys.
We at The Study salute him for the excellent example he apparently set for all who were touched by his personality and by his professional excellence.
Losing a good guy is never a good thing.
Especially these days.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
RANDOM THOUGHTS LATE ON A RAINY NIGHT
May!
Funny, the older and slower we become, the faster life seems to hasten by.
Already more than a week since last entry.
And so much is going on, within and without The Study.
Significant rain started very early this morning.
And then it stopped until late afternoon, perfect timing for going to Church and for Dear Granddaughters’ soccer game.
And then delightful showers began again as darkness settled in.
We used to call this Camelot Weather - perfect days and rainy nights – the best of both worlds.
And so we sit down to express a thought or two.
In Michigan, the smoking ban has taken effect.
There are those who see it as an infringement on their freedom to assault others with their noxious habit.
And there are others who see it as an enhancement of the nonsmokers’ right to be free from such assault.
A no brainer.
No argument.
As the old saw has it, your freedom of expression ends at the tip of my nose.
And the oil disaster continues.
We expect the media to make much of the reasons why it will be difficult to contain the spill and much of the failure of BP to handle things optimally.
Contrast such observations with the condemnations of the Bush Administration to deal with such a simple problem as Katrina.
Little enough said of the uniqueness of that weather event.
But it says much of the liberal bias against corporate America and non-liberals.
Facts: ca. 1/3 of US oil comes from offshore wells.
Offshore drilling has to go on.
The damaged well was fifty miles out because it is illegal to drill closer – closer is easier to maintain.
Alaskan fields cannot be developed – land drill sites which would be mickey mouse to maintain.
The US Senate is pillorying Financial America, the economic engine of the world.
The politicos are using the public's ignorance of the ins-and-outs of the world of high finance to convince voters that the real enemy of American prosperity, their prosperity, is Wall Street.
Fact: the complexity of rarified financial dealings is an unknown art to many of us common folk in our everyday world – unless we make it our business to discover it.
Most of us have not seen fit to make it our business.
Don’t believe the Senators who are grandstanding.
As Mark Twain and Will Rogers were fond of saying, in so many words, “Congress is in recess. The country has a chance.”
All the negative press devoted to the Arizona Immigration Law has now been shown to be bull sh.t.
Police cannot stop folks and ask for papers, the clever allusion to nazi practice.
Good grief!!
And then there is the question of the legality of illegality.
A commission to study whether or not it is illegal to be illegal???
And how grande it is to see the mobs taking to the streets to legislate the Arizona Law.
As someone said, THERE OTTA BE A LAW!!!
The US debt trajectory is apparently unsustainable in the medium run.
And the new programs were not supposed to cost an extra dime – stopping waste and graft would fix everything.
Nobody’s taxes would increase.
Did someone lie?
DID SOMEONE LIE??????????
Go b.o.
Funny, the older and slower we become, the faster life seems to hasten by.
Already more than a week since last entry.
And so much is going on, within and without The Study.
Significant rain started very early this morning.
And then it stopped until late afternoon, perfect timing for going to Church and for Dear Granddaughters’ soccer game.
And then delightful showers began again as darkness settled in.
We used to call this Camelot Weather - perfect days and rainy nights – the best of both worlds.
And so we sit down to express a thought or two.
In Michigan, the smoking ban has taken effect.
There are those who see it as an infringement on their freedom to assault others with their noxious habit.
And there are others who see it as an enhancement of the nonsmokers’ right to be free from such assault.
A no brainer.
No argument.
As the old saw has it, your freedom of expression ends at the tip of my nose.
And the oil disaster continues.
We expect the media to make much of the reasons why it will be difficult to contain the spill and much of the failure of BP to handle things optimally.
Contrast such observations with the condemnations of the Bush Administration to deal with such a simple problem as Katrina.
Little enough said of the uniqueness of that weather event.
But it says much of the liberal bias against corporate America and non-liberals.
Facts: ca. 1/3 of US oil comes from offshore wells.
Offshore drilling has to go on.
The damaged well was fifty miles out because it is illegal to drill closer – closer is easier to maintain.
Alaskan fields cannot be developed – land drill sites which would be mickey mouse to maintain.
The US Senate is pillorying Financial America, the economic engine of the world.
The politicos are using the public's ignorance of the ins-and-outs of the world of high finance to convince voters that the real enemy of American prosperity, their prosperity, is Wall Street.
Fact: the complexity of rarified financial dealings is an unknown art to many of us common folk in our everyday world – unless we make it our business to discover it.
Most of us have not seen fit to make it our business.
Don’t believe the Senators who are grandstanding.
As Mark Twain and Will Rogers were fond of saying, in so many words, “Congress is in recess. The country has a chance.”
All the negative press devoted to the Arizona Immigration Law has now been shown to be bull sh.t.
Police cannot stop folks and ask for papers, the clever allusion to nazi practice.
Good grief!!
And then there is the question of the legality of illegality.
A commission to study whether or not it is illegal to be illegal???
And how grande it is to see the mobs taking to the streets to legislate the Arizona Law.
As someone said, THERE OTTA BE A LAW!!!
The US debt trajectory is apparently unsustainable in the medium run.
And the new programs were not supposed to cost an extra dime – stopping waste and graft would fix everything.
Nobody’s taxes would increase.
Did someone lie?
DID SOMEONE LIE??????????
Go b.o.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
GLACIERS RETREATING
Glacier National Park, Montana, is losing some glaciers, according to a news report.
Global warming??
The press release states that the losses began in the 1850's.
Okedokie.
Global warming??
The press release states that the losses began in the 1850's.
Okedokie.
ARIZONA
It seems that Arizona has a new law regarding illegal immigrants.
b.o. is asking his Justice Department to check into whether or not it is illegal to be an illegal immigrant.
‘Nuff said.
b.o. is asking his Justice Department to check into whether or not it is illegal to be an illegal immigrant.
‘Nuff said.
msm OBJECTIVITY
A naturalized US citizen told this old joke the other day.
It seems that President George Bush was in a rowboat with some foreign leader and that leader’s hat blew off into the water.
Mr. Bush got out of the boat and walked on the water to retrieve the hat.
He walked back, on the water, to the boat and got in.
msm saw the whole thing and were ecstatic.
The headline the next day was: BUSH CANNOT SWIM!
It seems that President George Bush was in a rowboat with some foreign leader and that leader’s hat blew off into the water.
Mr. Bush got out of the boat and walked on the water to retrieve the hat.
He walked back, on the water, to the boat and got in.
msm saw the whole thing and were ecstatic.
The headline the next day was: BUSH CANNOT SWIM!
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