Friday Fourteen

Today's Saying

Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice. ~Author Unknown

Click HERE to get to my 55s

What you are about to read leans on the truth and bends it ever so little . But in the process every Friday you will catch a glimpse of me.And I save the cost of a psychiatrist.

1. Last week I learned and relearned some things. ( Stems from never being too old to learn)
2. I learned there is no use trying to argue with an angry person ( Stems from their having already decided the way things are and that your guilty.)
3. I learned that my intent in writing a comment has no impact on how it is perceived. ( Stems from people reading comments from their perspective and not yours.)
4. I learned that all that you have been and are has no meaning if somebody wants to see you as doing something mean. ( Stems again from anger and this moment blotting everything else out.)
5. I learned that they way I perceive somebody’s blog entry may not be how they intended it to be perceived. ( Stems from my perceptions and personal pain)
6. I learned that people will see things in my blog for the day which weren’t intended and aren’t there. ( Stems from their perceptions and personal pain)
7. I learned that we are far too quick to judge the intent of others. ( Stems from those dang perceptions and personal pain. )\
8. I learned again it is good to have an honest friend that will cut through the bull of a personal pity party and kick you back to God’s grace. ( Stems from there not being many friends like that. Usually they feed the pity)
9. I learned that minutes on a treadmill or waiting for the time to get out of bed are longer than minutes watching a soap opera.( Stems from the way in which we perceive time. I hate long minutes)
10. I learned that moving to Neenah did not set us free from blizzards . ( Stems from the stupid hope we would have much less snow here than in the UP.)
11. I learned they close the mall in a blizzard. ( Stems from no customers I suppose.)
12. I learned how hard it is for an old man who has trouble standing without something to hold onto to wrap Christmas gifts. ( Stems from wrapping Betty’s while she was at Bible study)
13. I learned , by reading blogs, of a lot of wonderful things people are doing for people they don’t know as part of their Christmas celebration. ( Stems from Christmas bringing out the best in us)
14. I learned again that life is the real university and the people around you are the professors. ( Stems from the way things are.)

Last night Pigeon Falls was hit by a UP blizzard. The snowfall could be measured not in inches but in feet. When people got up this morning they discovered that their power was down and the local phone service gone. There was so much snow blown against their doors they couldn’t open the door to shovel. The man who drives the town snowplow couldn’t get out of his house to get to the plow so that he could begin opening the roads. But if he had made it to the garage there was so much snow blown in against it that he wouldn’t have been able to open the big garage doors and get the plow out.
Mrs. Trumble awoke to find her town completely shut down. She couldn’t even get to her office . So she used her cell phone to call the man who drives the town plow. She told him that she was going to climb out the window and shovel out the back door of her garage so she could get her snowmobile out. Then she would come an get him to go to the town garage and together they would shovel enough to open the door and get the plow out. She then went looking for a window she could get out.
Befoore she could find one, however, the strangest thing happened. The snow began to swirl around and then it all moved like a cloud down the road through town and into the big vacant lot on the edge of town. When the swirrling was over, it took about an hour, the main roadways were clear, the tracks were clear, the main street was clear and people’s driveways were clear. Soon thereafter the power came back on. Sometimes it pays to live in Pigeon Falls.
Tommy UK was very tired from his morning exertions. He had moved with his special power tons of snow and the effort had exhausted him. He really wished his father was back and they could have done this together but he wan’t and so he did what he had to do alone. He went home and went to bed only to have his mother tell him it was time to go to school. That’s when he thought I should have left the school buried in snow. But he got up , had breakfast, and got dressed for school . That’s when the announcement came that the Consolidated High School which was not in Pigeon Falls was closed because of the blizzard. Tommy went back to bed.
Somewhere in Pigeon Falls a good mother is reading a book of nursery rhymes to her children.

Winter

Today's Saying

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts. ~Janice Maedite

I interrupt my usual Thursday blogging experience to bring you these pictures of our blizzard.
Click on any picture to make it large.

The back of the Manger scene.

Our Neighbor's house.



Ready to grill.







Our Roof

Our Back Yard

Since they didn’t really lose any time with their last visit to the past the town is adjusting quickly to being back. One could say that life is back to as normal as it gets here.
Yesterday this child shows up on main street and is definitely not dressed for the cold weather. He puts down a candle which begins burning and he jumps over it. He jumps over it again and again and again.
Finally Chief Ican goes out and asks him who his parents are but he doesn’t answer. So Chief Ican picks him up and carried him into the warm jail. The kid keeps trying to go back to the street so finally the Chief locks him in a cell. Then he goes and brings the candle in still burning. He discovers he can’t put it out.
The kid refused to talk to him so the chief called Mayor Trumble and asked her to stop at the jail and see if she can identify the boy.
Mrs. Trumble who knows most of the families in town looked at him and said she had never seen him before. She thought he might be part of some visiting family. But just in case he was local she suggested that Chief Ican get the school teacher of that grade to come and see if she recognized him. As Mayor Trumble was leaving The Chief stopped her and told her to look at the boy. As they watched the boy slowly faded away and there was nothing in the cell. The candle faded as well.

A Picture Page

Today's Saying

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home. ~Carol Nelson

Our house lights.
Click on picture to make larger.

Getting the train ready for the tree.

The tree not yet trimmed

Pastor Joan looked out the window and there was the good , solid, stone church she had come to love. They were back in 2009. As the day went on she would discover that though they had spent a day in the past they were only gone from the present for about ten minutes. They hadn’t even lost a day.

Mrs. Trumble had gone to the town hall as soon as she knew they were back. “ It was so nice”, she thought” “ to come into a building that was warm and ready for you and where you didn’t have to start a fire to get warm.
Shortly after she arrived at the Town Hall Eugene showed up. He told Mrs. Trumble he would go and see Susan an ask her to put some kind of spell over Pigeon Falls to prevent this from happening again.
Mrs. Trumble immediately asked who is this Susan and why not ask Annabelle.
Eugene , looking troubled explained.” Annabelle is dead. Susan is her daughter and mine. When she was dying she and Susan together cast the spell that restored me to the age I was when I stayed behind and put me back in Pigeon Falls. Believe me my daughter will do what she can for us.”
Mrs. Trumble responded “ If Annabelle is dead and Susan didn’t send us back then we have a problem. Somewhere in Pigeon Falls there is somebody else with that power. What will he or she do next?”
Eugene said he would talk to Susan about that today. Before he left he had one other thing he felt he needed to tell Mrs. Trumble about. It was Susan who sent Pigeon Falls to the past. She knew how it would all play out but she couldn’t change anything. The Monk saw it long ago and it was predestined to happen. She did what destiny’s script demanded of her. She was as trapped as the town was. Perhaps she was even more trapped because she knew that if she didn’t send them back she would not exist. She would never be born and the man who would have been her father would go on being just another drunk.
Then Eugene went up the mountain to talk to Susan.
Pigeon Falls went back to being just plain ordinary Pigeon Falls.
Somewhere in Pigeon Falls a child plays.

Liberal Fundamentalism

Today's Saying

[I]t is the one season of the year when we can lay aside all gnawing worry, indulge in sentiment without censure, assume the carefree faith of childhood, and just plain "have fun." Whether they call it Yuletide, Noel, Weinachten, or Christmas, people around the earth thirst for its refreshment as the desert traveller for the oasis. ~D.D. Monroe

Liberal Fundamentalism

When I was in Science class in High School I was told that the essence of science is to accept nothing as true .
Instead every theory needed to be challenged with more experiments and more information gathering. If this lead to long held “ truths” being proven wrong that was a good thing not a bad one. The true scientist did not have any truth that couldn’t be challenged.
Thus one did not lie to protect a “ truth” if you were a scientist.
You did not act to prevent further study and publication of scientific challenges to the “ truth” if you were a scientist.
You did not try to silence those who did not accept the “ truth” if you were a scientist.
Religious people might do all those things as they did to Galileo who dared challenge the “ truth” that the sun revolved around the earth.
But for real scientists no truth was absolute.
Well my High school teacher never met the scientists who believe in the “ truth” of Global Warming caused by CO2 emissions.
For this absolute given “ truth” scientists have:
Fudged data.
Prevented the publishing of critical papers.
Gotten a colleague fired.
They have defended the “ truth” as carefully as the Church defended it’s “ truth” against Galileo .
Now I don’t know if Global Warming is true or not. It may very well be but I do know this is not scientific.
Instead science has surrendered to political agendas.
Politicians don’t like things that might be true.
They want absolutes to build their legislation on.
Once they have hung their legislation on a “ truth” they sure don’t want it challenged.
So science sells out for grants, preferred treatment, good standing with the people in power.
Sell outs are always zealots for the cause.
It is time for the scientific community to return to science.
Dissenting views with their data and supporting evidence need to be published. They need to be answered not destroyed.
Data like the last twenty years the earth has seen cooling not heating need to be examined and explained.
Science needs to disregard the political and act like scientists.
Out of all this it is possible that the Global Warming theory proves to be the best available theory to explain all the relevant data but it is also possible that it isn’t.
Real science looks for but doesn’t start with truth.
Let’s get back to science.

Pastor Joan looked out the window this morning and couldn’t believe her eyes,. The old wood church was back . She shook her head. “This could not be” she thought. “ I must be having a nightmare”. But she soon discovered it was no nightmare but they were back in the past again.
All of Pigeon Falls was discovering the same thing. Mrs. Trumble went to the town hall where she had to start a fire in the wood heater to get warm. Soon she was joined by Eugene who had come because he knew she would want to ask him why.
“ Do we have to pay Annabelle again to go back to the present” she asked.
Eugene shook his head “ Susan had nothing to do with this but when she finds that we are gone she will do something to bring us back.”
“Susan! I thought her name was Annabelle” Mrs. Trumble remarked.
“ There are a number of things I didn’t tell you before”, Eugene said .” Right now we just have to trust Susan.”
Mrs. Trumble , looking confused said, “ Why don’t you just go up the mountain and tell Susan and get us out of here.?”
Eugene looking very sad said “ First there is no Susan yet. Second everything I read while I was gone says that if there was time travel and that is what we have here and a man meets himself the paradox will cause a massive rift in the universe. I am still up in the cabin with Annabelle and I’m here with you. So I don’t dare go up the mountain and we have to hope I don’t come down. Our best course of action is just to wait and hope Susan acts fast. ”
Mrs. Trumble waited for the other leaders and then they decided to spread the word that this was a temporary glitch and they should be back in the future in a day or two.
Pastor Joan went and told Nancy as the best method of spreading the news.
Somewhere in Pigeon Falls a little child having heard a number of adults say the same phrase tries to say it. It come out in an ancient language that sounds like babbling. Here is what the child said.

"Те, що ніколи не був
Те, що повинно бути ще раз. "
Which in English is:

“That which never was is gone

That which should be is again. “

Disjointed Thoughts

Today's Saying

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens

Really Rambling and Disjointed Thoughts

Disjointed thought one.

I need to apologize to the USA Network. On Friday I chided them for killing my favorite TV detective. All of their adds for the final show lead me to believe they were going to kill him. But instead, at the last minute, they found an antidote for the poison, the bad guy committed suicide , Monk found a daughter of Trudy that he didn’t know existed and the ending was such a happy one.
So to the USA network I am sorry ,I doubted you.
You are really good people after all.
Now the door is open for some feature Monk specials or even a Randy series where Monk could guest star from time to time.
I am happy. The world is back in order.

Disjointed thought two

Aquabibs of the world unite.
I am tired of being on the bottom of the social pecking order because my glass has no alcohol in it.
I am not a freak or a religious fanatic ( well I might be a religious fanatic but not about drinking).
I am tired of remarks like “ What’s the matter drinking against your religion?” or “ You think your too good to drink”.
I am tired of trying to make my drink look like theirs.
I have made a rational decision that alcoholic beverages are not good for ME. I have a long family history and some very personal experiences I base this on.
My not drinking in no way judges or implies that anything is wrong with those who choose to drink.
So please stop trying to guilt me or shame me into drinking.

Disjointed thought three

Shopping on line can be weird.
I ordered gifts for my nephews and their families from a good company. They were willing to wrap them ( for a fee) and ship them directly to my nephews complete with a gift card. All I had to do was fill out the addresses. But here they wanted two things I don’t have, their e-mail and their telephone numbers. I never e-mail them. I never call them. I send them a birthday card ,a Christmas gift, and our annual really dumb letter. All I need is their address. Well the e-mail was optional so that was no problem but the telephone number was required. So I called my sister but of course she wasn’t home. So I had to go out on the web and find the numbers , which I did. But that used up a lot more time than the simple task warranted. The company really didn’t need those numbers.
Well now I have their telephone numbers for next year.
Some good can come out of inconvenience.
Or did I forget to write them down ?

Last disjointed thought

Walking on a treadmill is not the same as walking in Wal-Mart. When I walk on the tread mill I have a continuous supply of two liter oxygen making breathing possible. In Wal-Mart I would have to carry the little oxygen tank on the walker. At two liters continuous it does not last very long. On the scooter I set the tank on draw. I take only the oxygen I need and it lasts a couple of hours. The draw setting doesn’t work well for walking. So , for the moment, my freedom from the house is still scooter dependent.

It is a beautiful Monday in Pigeon Falls. The sun is shining. There is a light covering of snow. All the decorations are up. The town is clearly ready for Christmas.
Well the light is out in the stomach of one of the Santa Clauses hanging on main street. Somebody will have to get the extra long ladder and climb up and replace it, not an easy job . Eugene who is now the handyman at the Fly Inn has offered to do it. The town really doesn’t have any full time workers except Mrs. Trumble and the guy that cleans the streets. He, by the way, hates ladders.
Eugene has been working at the Fly Inn for several days now. He doesn’t seem to be tempted to return to drinking though his former drinking buddies are pressuring him to do so. It seems a sober Eugene makes them nervous. They like being drunk and still feel guilty about it. Eugene just smiles and sometimes he buys them a drink as a way of saying I don’t care if you drink.
Mrs. Trumble, however, thinks Eugene would be happier in some other job. She is going to go to the town council and try to get Eugene hired as the town handyman. She thinks the town owes him for the sacrifice he made when they were in the past.
Mrs. Pemberthy is happy having Eugene as a boarder. He has done a lot of the work her son hadn’t gotten around to. Plus he is so polite and kind. She makes him tea every afternoon when he gets home from work.
Next Monday Santa Claus will ride down main street. They have two real deer to pull the sleigh but they aren’t reindeer. They just don’t have a Santa Claus yet.
Somewhere in Pigeon Falls a little child tries to say something an adult said. What comes out sounds like babbling but is really an ancient language long forgotten.
The child said:

Що котрим зараз не є.
Що який ніколи не було потрапив.

Which in English would be:

That which was now is not.
That which never was is now.

Second Sunday

Today's Saying

And all mankind will see God's salvation.-Luke 3:6

Today in Liturgical churches we celebrate the second Sunday in Advent. It is time to prepare our hearts both for Christmas and the Christ who is coming again in power.
The text in the common lectionary is Luke 3:1-6.
This is where John the Baptist is sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus.
There are four things about this text that Luke wants you to know.
First of all it is a historic even that took place in the real world. It is not some made up story thst illustrates a point. So Luke tells us who was the Governor at this time, who the Jewish King was and the identity of the High Priests.. This nails the event to a particular time in history.
Second John receives his message from God. God’s word we are told came to John. John sees his task as preparing the way for the coming Messiah.
Third John’s coming was promised by an Old Testament prophet called Isaiah and Luke quotes him at this point. The coming of John at this time and in this place is not accidental but part of God’s plan for humanity.
Fourth the good news that because of John and the coming Messiah “ all mankind will see God’ s salvation” .Salvation will not belong , any longer , to just a special people.
The good news this morning is that you and I are part of the “ all mankind”. We have been saved and are being saved by this Jesus that John proclaims.
It is Advent and time to prepare your heart for the coming Christ.
It is Advent and John is calling us to get ready to see Jesus.
It is Advent and Christmas is coming.
It is Advent and the loving God has opened the very doors of heaven to us all.
It is Advent and we wait for the coming christ.
He will come gain.
Alleluia!

Pastor Joan has just finished her sermon for this morning. Here is a part of it:
This morning Luke takes us to the calling of John the Baptist. There a number of people he wants you to see . Each one will have to face and decide who Jesus is for themselves.
There is Pilate. One day he will stand face to face with Jesus and have to decide if Jesus is a king or not. He will make the wrong decision.
There is Herod he too will have to face Jesus and he too will be wrong.
There are the High Priests they will look on Jesus and demand his death.
Each one had his chance to respond and choose badly.
Then there is John . He will obey and in his obedience he will die. But he knows who the Messiah is. He will have chosen to accept God’s gracious gift.
Finally there are those who hear John. Some will see the Messiah and some won’t. Some wlll decide like Pilate, Heropd, and the High Priests to turn their back on Him.
But some will hear John and look for Jesus. They will become part of the early Church.
This morning John speaks to you. He tells you Jesus is coming. He tells you to get ready. He tells you to wait his coming. He tells you that God has saved and is saving you through this Jesus.
Now get ready for His coming again.
Get ready.

Six Words

Today's Saying

There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I walk fifteen minutes a day!

Pigeon Falls had six inches of snow fall last night. It looks like this time it will stay for awhile. But the plow is out and the street has been cleared. It has started on the country roads as well and they should be done by noon. Snow doesn’t really bother people in Pigeon Falls. Surprisingly even the dragons fly over despite the cold.
Eugene has been back for most of the week but some people are still discovering that he is back. He has had to tell his story at least fifty times. He almost seems to enjoy the telling but there is always a kind of sadness in his voice.
Petrovich will be back tomorrow on the late train. Grandma and Grampa wanted to keep the girls till Christmas but Petrovich said no. They wanted them at home.
Now that there is some snow tourists with snow mobiles will begin showing up. One can count on Dr. Fortress to run a special train just for snowmobilers and their vehicles. He does every year.
The poltergeist keeps the area in front of Nancy’s Coffee Shop free of both snow and ice. Nobody knows what it does with the snow but there are no piles.