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Our Daily Thread 12-30-13

Good Morning!

It’s Monday, and we’re off to Shady Maple. 🙂

On this day in 1853 the United States bought about 45,000 square miles of land from Mexico in a deal known as the Gadsden Purchase.

In 1879 Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” was first performed, at Paignton, Devon, England.

In 1924 Edwin Hubble announced the existence of other galactic systems.

And in 1940 California’s first freeway was officially opened. It was the Arroyo Seco Parkway connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena.

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Quote of the Day

“I hate clowns.”

Tracey Ullman

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Today we have a birthday twofer. Not one but two Monkees have a birthday today, Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith.

Today is also Jeff Lynne’s birthday, so E.L.O.

And it’s Bo Diddly’s too.

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Anyone have a QoD?

57 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 12-30-13”

  1. Karen, Sorry I didn’t get back to answer your question. This granddaughter, Jocelyn Noel, was born to our younger son and is their first child.

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  2. Morning Linda. That’s a pretty name your granddaughter has. 🙂

    Do you want me to get you some pie from Shady Maple when we visit later this afternoon? I’ve got my mind set on a big piece of that 4 inch think chocolate silk pie they make. Mmmmmm…. 🙂

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  6. I also need to start gathering together all the things I will need for income tax purposes. Yech.
    I am feeling like Linda when it comes to the food issue. Nothing sounds good.
    We will be habing pork roast, riice and gravy, black eyed peas, cabbage, and cornbread for New Years Day. That is only two days away so maybe I will be interested then.

    This past Friday BG got her driver’s license. Saturday we had rain all day, George let her drive herself and a friend to the mall. Last night the friend drove them to a movie. This is a whole new level of worry. Saturday was somewhat like dropping her off for the first day of school.

    I am off soon to handle some real estate stuff for another agent and do an open house. Hoping to pick up buyers.

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  7. I do have a question for those who choose to answer it for me. Really it is a series of questions.
    As you know I am a fan of Duck Dynasty and have mentioned it before. I think what happened to Phil Robertson and the whole GQ/ A&E thing was wrong.
    One of the Facebook Groups started something called Chik Phil La Day. On January 21, 2014 they have asked people to go to Chik Fil A dressed in camo to show support for Phil and for a Christian business. So far on their site roughly 63K people have said they are going.
    Chik Fil A has come out and said they are in no way connected to this. Reading some of the comments on the page there are “supporters” who are questioning why this is being done. Why is Chik Fil A trying to make money off the Phil Roberson’s trouble? Is Chik Fil A offering discounts that day? It is brutal some of the in-fighting in the comments.
    Why are “Christians” so mean to each other? As I have said before there are a few of us out there that if that was the only “Christian Witness” I ever saw I wouldn’t want anything to do with us either!
    Also WHY CAN”T PEOPLE COMPREHEND? Chik Fil A has stated they are not behind it. Now there is bickering about it being about the almighty dollar. Of course it is!

    Thoughts? Comments?

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  8. I did see some posts about the Chik Fil A and Phil support day thing. It sounded foolish to me, so I didn’t look any further into it. Nor will I, although if there is a big to do, I will soon read more about it. If we spent a little more time in the bible and prayer, I think we would see much less of this type of thing, Kim. That is my main thought about it.

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  9. Kim I would suggest not joining the fray. I support Chick-fil-a on occasions where it is convenient because they franchise owner belongs to our church and we are familiar, not friends, with them.
    We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch yesterday, but wouldn’t have if they had remained obstinate about the Dynasty thing. But I haven’t made an issue of it.
    The Overton Window is moving in such a direction that the entire culture is being corrupted, and we should resist as much as we can.
    The world is in darkness and it appears that we are headed that way. It isn’t apparent here in NC when our complaint yesterday was that the Mud Creek crowd gets to the Cracker Barrel before us.
    But when we travel to the DC area from time to time, it is obvious.

    Some here, who live in the midst of it, seem to think that all is lost.
    But you have heard me say that there are still ten good men in Sodom.
    Evil has a plan. Our plan is not to resist the evil so much, which I do, but to preach and support the spread of the gospel. Our SS lesson yesterday was from John 15, about the branch bearing fruit. We cannot affect a change without the Vine.

    It looks bad, but I have peeked into the back of the Book. We win.
    I doubt that this helped your situation, but it’s the best I can think of.
    I would suggest that you enjoy Duck Dynasty and leave the rest alone. It takes emotional energy from important things.

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  10. Why are “Christians” so mean to each other?

    I think you answered your question by putting Christians in quotes. Not all who attend church are truly born again. All too many go to church because it’s what they have done all their lives, and have never come to know the Lord Jesus in a personal way. This is why we have so many thin-skinned religious zealots who say they are Christians, get all in a tizzy when someone says or does something “anti-Christian”, yet have no knowledge of what a true Christian is.

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  11. Re: my previous post.
    I see in this month’s The American Spectator that the “Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether the city council of Greece, New York, may open it’s meetings with prayers from local clerics.”

    Twenty years ago, that would not have made it past the first district court. If that far. But I just read an article in this months Newsmax that the activists are using the “Sue and Settle” technique to move the window forward. Just a notch is all they need.
    That means that they will settle for a generic prayer, for now.
    Dr. Jones, my SS teacher, says some have asked him not to mention Jesus in his prayer. He told them to ask someone else

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  12. We support Chick-fil-A weekly. I have never watched Duck Dynasty. We don’t have cable. I feel I would like the program, but since I am not a viewer I don’t have a duck in that squabble. I can see how the two Christian entities became connected by outside parties for what seemed to be at the moment of insight to be for good purposes. It is a shame how Christians can damage their witness with all the opinion flinging. That verse about only saying yes or no on a subject comes to mind. In this instance, the brilliance of God’s word speaks peace and love into the situation.

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  13. Kim, I have a few thoughts on your post. Please, keep in mind, that I am currently in cultural transition (and convalescence). If I come across as superior or offensive, let me know.

    When I saw this Duck Dynasty controversy discussed here, I confess I rolled my eyes. I had never heard of the show before and frankly, in a third world country, one has other things to do than to worry about the fate of a television show star. I know some here would haul out the overused Bonheoffer quote of “They came for the Jews…” but I would say that the Christians of the West are currently more in danger of micromanaging every possible threat to their freedoms.

    And therein lies the answer to your questions. The ‘Christians’ whose comments you read on that blog are not genuinely grieving for the disintegration of their nation. They are running scared. They have swallowed the right wing propaganda of the new apocalypse. Only, now that Communism is toothless, the threat is the Islamic hordes and the movement in support of sexual perversion. Both of which if not prevented, will lead to the same reign of terror as envisioned during the Cold War: losing all freedoms, internment camps, torture, death and the ‘mark of the beast’ Therefore, so these Christians’ logic runs, we must head all threats off at the pass. This results in such overreaction as you have witnessed, lending yet more discredit to the name of Christianity that years of prior hypocrisy had already heaped it high with.

    In these times of cultural collapse (for I do not deny that the West is in bad shape), every Western pastor needs to consider these words with his congregation: “He that saveth his life shall lose it.” I have been rereading Jeremiah, and I was again struck with his command to the people to go out and surrender to the Babylonians, who were not desirable overlords to say the least. I am convinced that the harder Christians struggle to retain their legislated freedoms from earthly governments, the tighter they are drawing the noose for themselves. I have lived in an Islamic country, and I can say from personal experience that we do indeed have all the liberty we need in Christ and He is our best and only real security from fear. We are strangers and pilgrims on this earth – we should view even our national freedoms as temporal and fleeting.

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  15. I appreciate your thoughts Roscuro, and no you did not come across as superior and offensive. I wish some of these other people could read what you have written.
    My issue is that everyone jumped on the bandwagon and drew the battle lines of which group was more insulted or offended and most had never bothered to READ the article. They formed an opinion based on what the media said. Sarah Palin jumped in and later confessed she had not read the article. Many didn’t. I did. Being from the South and having watched the show, I found nothing offensive nor surprising in the article. As a matter of fact I probably have heard my own father make some of the same sort of comments.
    My father didn’t understand homosexuality and thought it was wrong, but he had a guy who used to work for him that owned a florist. Anytime flowers were needed for an occassioin, be it birth or death he went to Tom to order the flowers. All he would ever say about the man was that he was one of the hardest workers to ever come through the paper mill and work for him. I have a 53 year old gay stepbrother. He and his partner stayed many times under my father and stepmother’s roof. He and daddy discussed world politics, past presents, past wars, and many other subjects. They never got into an argument over gay rights, etc.
    His view of black people was the same. I was taught to respect most and stay away from the others, same as he taught me about white people. There was a black lady that helped my grandmother raise 12 children. When she was old she lived in a house my father owned. Sometimes she paid rent and sometimes she didn’t. You should have seen her and my father when we would go by. She treated him like a prince making sure he had everything he wanted to eat at her table. He ate it up like a little boy. It was a sight to behold. He yes ma’amed and no ma’amed her and whenever she needed anything she called him and if it was within his means to take care of it, he did….just like he treated my grandmother.
    Things in life aren’t all black and white. There are many shades of grey and everyone has different experiences in this world. That doesn’t mean they are right in their opinions or wrong.

    I personally experienced a lot of Indians when I was in Maryland. They would come into the store and want to bargain for items. They would damage items trying to get a discount. They smelled strongly of curry. The men would stand in the center of the mall and glare at me while the women were in the store. Based on that being my first and only experience with Indians I decided I didn’t like them at all. Ten or so years later I happened to eat in an Indian restaurant, having overcome my aversian to curry. The food was delicious and I commented to the owner. He was so nice and took me into the kitchen to show me how some things were made. Hmmm. A bad experience and a good experience? Therefore not all Indians are bad. Some are nice. Shades of grey.

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  17. Chas, my pastor did the same thing that Dr. Jones did when approached with a similar request (open a meeting in prayer but keep it generic).

    Now that the Duck Dynasty dustup has been resolved (reasonably for now), I’m not sure why people are still talking about it. ?

    Yes, I know, it was frivolous in some ways, leave it to Americans to get into a dither about a reality show star (I’ve never seen the show either).

    But it also struck me oddly as perhaps a defining moment in what has been the steady push to demonize some views and to make sure they are not tolerated anymore in the public square. Many of us have seen and felt that in our own private dealings with friends, relatives and co-workers for several years now and it is, frankly, disconcerting.

    But I think Kathaleena has a good point — Christians need to spend more time in the word and in prayer (though prayer — and, when called for, action on behalf of our nation and for future generations who will live here is certainly not inappropriate).

    Perhaps what happens with some of these high-profile issues seems silly — compared to the very real attacks on Christians in the Middle East, for example. But I think it’s wise to also be watchful and aware. Politically, as well, we’ve all grown up in a free society. But that can easily be lost (perhaps not in our generation but in subsequent ones, and that road has a beginning somewhere).

    Our comfort in all of this, I think, is always that God is sovereign and uses even the evil in this world to bring about the glorious ending to the story.

    The church in America (and in the west as a whole) is weak, is way too comfortable and is in a pretty sad state, has been for a long time now. We are not being “persecuted” (yet). But we are starting to feel pushed around and cornered just a bit. It’s caught our attention. Perhaps, for now, we’re responding rather poorly, whining too much. It’s probably time we dig deeper into our own personal and corporate faith, to strengthen our reserves and to set our perspectives right.

    But through it all, God is working out his will, for his glory and for our benefit.

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  18. Rosceo ,let me add a couple points. First, there are Christians, right here and right now, who are facing some pretty severe persecution by the radical gay agenda. They are being forced to choose between their business and livelihood or their Christian conscience and some have lost businesses that they worked years to build. That is no small thing. Second; communism was a threat at one time and the only reason it is now toothless is because people like Reagan, Thacher and Pope John Paul II and a lot of others took a stand and held the line. As a Christan I get that everyone will not like us but as an American and a mother I will do what I can for as long as I can to preserve my child’s freedom of religious expression.

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  20. In a weird way — and as goofy as it was — the Duck Dynasty flare-up, I think, finally brought attention to an issue/trend (of curbing religious freedoms) that is politically important. Hopefully the dialogue will extend beyond social media and restaurant wars.

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  22. Kbells, I am aware of the shut downs that are happening to Christians. That is what I meant when I said that these struggles were tightening the noose. The noose is there (and always has been), but the efforts Christians are making to remove it are having the opposite effect, because they are made, not in the name of spreading the Gospel, but in the name of preserving our freedoms. Freedom is in danger becoming a false god and it will be taken away if we worship it instead of God.

    For the second point, I have mentioned on this blog some of the heinous methods that were used to remove the Communist threat, in the form of mass eugenics and other population control methods. In so doing, our leaders may have temporarily extended the lifespan of Western civilization, but the laws of nature and nature’s God decree that those who shed innocent blood will have to pay the price eventually. The West is simply another of those kingdoms of iron and clay foreseen in Nebuchadnezzer’s dream. It will not last forever, and it has shortened its existence by the injustices it has committed in the name of freedom.

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  23. Kim – To add to what has already been said, many Christians are just not mature yet, sadly.

    Re: teens driving. Here in Connecticut, for a period of time, teen drivers cannot have passengers while they drive at night. If you & George could agree on it, it could be a good rule for BG – no passengers if she drives at night, & she cannot be a passenger in another teen’s car at night.

    She’ll love this rule! 😉 (Okay, maybe not. But it would help keep her safe.)

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  25. Roscuro – It seems to me that American Christians have to sometimes separate, in their own minds, what they do for the gospel & what they do as voters, but sometimes (often?) the two are connected. (I don’t think that expresses well what I’m thinking.)

    I had a bit of a Facebook conversation with a Mennonite friend who does not believe that Christians should vote, because we belong to the Heavenly Kingdom, not an earthly one. My response was that voting for candidates who would not be likely to support high taxes, or not support abortion, etc. was another way of loving our neighbors.

    In the current climate, I think standing up for our freedoms (in a rational, polite way, not obnoxiously) is also a way of loving our neighbor & our fellow citizens, even if many disagree that there is a problem.

    Trying to keep the door open for religious freedom is one way of trying to make sure the gospel is freely spread. If God so chooses to let that door close, & to let greater persecution come upon us, then that His is will. & it will happen. But I think we in free nations have a responsibility to our neighbors to do what we can, within reason, to maintain the freedoms we have.

    What concerns me is that the “movement in support of sexual perversion”, as you called it, is blinding many to the truth of God’s word. It breaks my heart to know personally at least a couple young Christians who believe distorted views of God’s word, twisting the scriptures about homosexuality to mean that it was only male prostitution or older males with little boys that is forbidden, or even one verse that supposedly is only referring to heterosexual males who have homosexual sex, not homosexuals themselves. In so doing, they are distancing themselves from “orthodox” Christians, & the traditional interpretations of the Bible.

    Okay, I think I may be getting into rambling right now. I hope this is clear enough about what I’m trying to say. Yes, I do believe God is control of it all, & if the world we know collapses around us, He will take care of us. But I also don’t think He wants us to stand idly by, either. And I also believe that whatever we do should be preceded & bathed in prayer, following the Spirit’s leading.

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  26. Roscuro, if you mean by having an opposite effect that they will make fun of us and accuse us of hypocrisy and mock us on the Daily Show. They would do that no matter how we reacted. But being liked is also not who we are called to be.

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  28. Karen, I understand what you are saying, that we shouldn’t throw away the freedoms that we do have. I am not saying we should. I still vote for whom I think is the best candidate (I have been a member of a conservative party); and if I felt it necessary I would write a letter to the editor, sign a petition (I have done so in the past) or even partake in a peaceful march or assembly (I have held a sign to protest abortion and been in an public prayer meeting in support of traditional marriage).

    However, I would have to carefully examine my motives for so doing. In my teens, I wanted to preserve the way of life my ancestors had and I didn’t want to suffer for my faith and that is why I did all these political activities. Deep down, I was afraid my faith wasn’t strong enough to withstand persecution and so I tried to avoid persecution. If, by exercising my freedoms, I am avoiding and even violating (by cursing my fellow men) the calling which God has given me, I should refrain from exercising those freedoms.

    I understand your concern over how young people are twisting the Word of God. That is one of the instances where the reactionary movement has made things worse for Christianity. I come from the ultra-conservative side of that movement and so I know whereof I speak. I always had a feeling that my church elders’ response to the gay marriage debate was unbiblical, but I didn’t understand how. I now know it wasn’t the stand for Biblical truth that was wrong but the failure to understand how that Biblical truth was to be represented to the world.

    Let me give you an example from my young adult years that a missionary recently recalled to my memory – the making of the movie, “The End of the Spear”. You probably remember the kerfuffle in churches that they had cast an openly gay actor in the lead role. My pastor was one who spoke against. It struck me as all wrong and I spoke to my pastor afterwards and pointed out that homosexuals had as much a right to function in their careers as any other human being. He said something about it being because the actor was a militant gay, but I could see that my point had struck him forcibly.

    I figured out for myself how to interact with my openly homosexual classmates without compromising, since my church gave me no information on the matter, portraying them rather as lepers to be avoided. I was one of many young people in the same position. They too had to try to figure out for themselves how to interact with their peers, and many of them got it wrong. While our elders were trying to crush the homosexual movement in the world, they forgot to teach their children how to live in the world, but not be of the world. When they were unsuccessful in their attempt to reform the world, it left those children wide open to compromise with the world.

    There is a key to being the salt preserving agent in the world. You don’t go around blowing people up, either physically or verbally. You simply are different. I saw that so clearly in the village culture I was in. There, polygamous marriage is the norm – so they noticed the difference in Christian monogamous marriage, and I heard them comment favorably on it. There rape, prostitution, child abuse and acts of sodomy are common (they are publicly frowned on, but there is no protection for victims), just not talked about; so our willingness to drag what we saw in the clinic into the light of day made them nervous but they also agreed with us about the injustice of such acts. We made a difference, not in huge numbers; but in single acts to individual

    I think the Christians would have made a far better campaign against gay marriage had they talked about the needs of children rather than the right of religious expression. That is how the secular French campaign against gay marriage ran, and although it didn’t stop the legislation, it was successful in drawing millions to its side, including many from the homosexual community. In making it about religious freedom, the Church looks as self-centered as its most narcissistic opponents, and that gains nobody’s interest. It is not about us.

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  29. Worth a read from World Magazine:

    http://www.worldmag.com/2013/12/we_are_all_phil_robertsons

    “The A&E backtrack on Phil Robertson’s suspension from the hugely popular Duck Dynasty reality show may be an important watershed in the cultural and political battle for publicly visible Christianity in America. …

    “The push to suppress public expressions of Christianity has been moving forward aggressively for decades. We are left with what Richard John Neuhaus called a “naked public square,” a community life scrubbed of any embodiment of the Christian faith that characterizes, unites, and sustains many communities. …”

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  30. Michelle,
    I don’t much care if the earth is 6,000, 60,000, or 6 million years old. I do believe the Bible and that it was created in six 24-hour days (and probably 10,000 – 12,000 years ago, based on human history). But I chuckle at statements like “geological evidence of the earth’s great age.” If God could create a rock, He could create a 10-million year old rock, and, indeed, needed to. If He’d created everything brand new, the earth wouldn’t work – it needed to hit the ground running, so to speak. After all, He created a grown man and woman. If He’d created two babies, they would have both died without anyone to sustain them. I also happen to think that this very concept disproves both the “big bang” THEORY and the THEORY of evolution. Neither of those theories really “work” without preexisting conditions that they don’t account for.

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  32. I think most of us accept that gay marriage is a fact in our society, it’s approval has been rapid and, eventually, will be the law of the land. that battle has been lost, frankly, and all of the arguments were employed (including the welfare of children). Nothing was or is going to stop it, in my opinion.

    What we have now is the question of whether there will be any “conscientious objector” status allowed under the law and in the public square. Best piece I’ve seen so far on this was from The Atlantic:

    http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/12/the-genuine-conflict-being-ignored-in-the-i-duck-dynasty-i-debate/282587/

    ” … Missing in the controversy over A&E’s handling of its golden goose—or duck, rather—is the fact that the real conflict here is not between Robertson and A&E; it is between gay activists and a solid majority of Christians who believe homosexual acts are wrong. Again, Robertson’s views are hardly anomalous. Christians may disagree on the details, but the Bible strongly condemns homosexuality in both the Old and New Testaments; the marriage model of one man and one woman is first given by God in Genesis 2 and reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 19; and in Romans 1 the Apostle Paul denounces homosexuality as a hallmark of a degenerate culture. The point here isn’t that you have to believe any of this, but many Christians do believe it and feel morally bound to believe it….

    “The message A&E’s decision (initially to suspend the star) sends is that the network will not tolerate someone who conscientiously objects to homosexuality on religious grounds. The implication of that message is that 45 percent of Americans should, in principle, be prepared either to sacrifice their jobs or recant their beliefs and endorse a lifestyle to which they are opposed, conscience be damned. To the extent that we embrace that implication, in television and in other American industries, we’re also embracing an identity as a nation that forces conformity while calling it tolerance.”

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  33. One of the twelve year olds received a nice package from the UPS today. It was a prettily wrapped gift with a beautiful bow. She gazed at it for a while in admiration, then slowly and carefully removed the bow before tearing off the paper. She then asked for tacks so she could add it to her wall collection of beautiful bows. She thought the gift inside was pretty neat as well. Now we know why some folks go to the trouble, because it is worth it.

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  34. Roscuro – I wholeheartedly agree that we need to be loving & gentle in our conversations (in real life & or online) about these issues, loving others as fellow Image-bearers.

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  35. In tomorrow’s news thread I’ll post something that’s been bothering me since I first read it. It’s only a short slide down the slippery slope from gay marriage to this next one. I would just ask for someone to explain to me how you take a kinder, gentler approach with this particular evil and sin. I don’t see why we should or ever would. Is raising our voices to point out a wrong never the right thing to do? We’ve lost the gay marriage fight, and it had nothing to do with us not being nice enough. I think it’s advanced as it has because we were too nice. But the kind, gentle thing, as most of you know, I struggle with, so I’ll ask your opinions.

    On this subject I’m biased too, and will continue to be due to life experiences. Society caved on gay marriage. My fear is they will on this next issue too, and that it will do far more damage than gay marriage ever could. More tomorrow.

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  38. Interesting article here on social media and the effects they can have on a person when not used properly.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/5-reasons-social-media-is-dangerous-for-me_b_4023674.html

    The author’s five main points:

    1. Social media had transformed me into an input junkie.
    2. I’d become a validation junkie, too.
    3. Social media lured me toward shallow and rigid thinking.
    4. Social media threatened my only source of real peace and joy, which is gratitude.
    5. During my Internet fast, I learned that social media makes me feel bad.

    And from her second-to-last paragraph: “But I also can’t deny that social media has added so much good to my life and the world, too…”

    I had read through the daily thread here before I found the above article, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the author’s #2 and #3 points might not be behind a lot of the nastiness in the comments on the Chick-Fil-A / Phil Robertson issue, which Kim mentioned, and other nastiness on topics discussed on social media. Do people get bent out of shape because they so crave others’ approval, validation, and agreement with them on their take on the issues, even as they become increasingly narrow-minded and (gasp) intolerant of others’ viewpoints? It seems that way to me, although I’m not on social media (this thread on this blog is the closest I get to so-called social media, and I’m thankful that the discussions around here are much more respectful, from what I’ve heard, than some of those on Facebook, etc.). It seems there are getting to be more and more people out there who don’t know how to civilly handle dissenting opinions and conscientious objection.

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  42. I come here for dog advice and there’s an interesting discussion on Robertson.

    But first my dog. She was spayed today and is the saddest looking thing especially with the huge collar she wears to prevent her from licking her sutures. I was told to keep the collar on for 2 weeks and to give her light exercise, but I cant see her be so sedate for so long. Of course right now she’s whining in misery. Any suggestions?

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  43. I feel compelled to mention, also, in regards to my “get bent out of shape” comment, that I think there is a difference between passionately “arguing” your topic, and getting “bent out of shape” on it. We need not all become carbon copies of each other. Not everyone is going to calmly present their views on an issue, and that’s okay. Some of us, by our very God-given natures, are going to have more “fire in our bellies”, or however you want to say it, when discussing certain topics. Some may interpret that as being angry, whereas it may simply be our distinctive debating style. That’s not necessarily something that needs to be apologized for, even if some feathers get ruffled in the process. A little abrasiveness, as long as we’re not belittling people and the like, isn’t always a bad thing, IMO.

    Just my two cents.

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  44. H you should get down on the floor and love her. Did they do a full opening? Lulabelle was spayed with a very small incision, of course she was just a puppy. She will probably need to sleep in your bed for a while. Also you may consider a special diet of chicken and rice that you cook.

    Don’t laugh. I am not too far off from how we live. Amos is currently my food warmer and Lou Leigh is curled up on the floor. They are both rotten as dirt.

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  46. Oh no…HW’s dog is wearing the cone of shame….so sad. Did the vet give pain meds? When our dogs were spayed, it never took as long as the vet supposed for the healing to begin…we tried to keep them somewhat calm…but as I recall, they only wore the cone for about a week. Come to think of it, I think we put a loosely fitted doggie diaper on our little Aussie at times to kind of hold it all together and keep the surgical site non accessible…the cone of shame made matters worse for her..

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  47. As for Robertson, Roscuro is right, there’s more important issues out there for Christians and gay activists. Both groups endure serious discrimination and persecution elsewhere in the world which makes this little dust up over millionaire reality star’s ideas and biases seem quite out of place.

    A&E decided Robertson didn’t fit their corporate image jury and then realizing they were the network which gives us Storage Wars, Jail, Scared Straight, etc and really had no corporate image. For me its illustration of the mass distraction which prevents people from noting their economic similarities. And in fact, the narrowness of the issue also reminds me how narrow the political spectrum is in the US. In a narrow political spectrum the slightest differences need to be highlighted and emphasized in order for there to appear to be a real difference.

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  48. Yeah, the cone of shame is a bit too much. I hope by the time I go back to work she won`t need it. Right now she`s at my feet. When my daughter comes home, Sasha will probably sleep with her. She has a few internal sutures which should disappear soon.

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  49. hwesseli, when our dog was neutered, his neck was so skinny and long he could still reach his wound with his tongue. We took off the cone and put a t-shirt on him when we were around – it made it difficult for him to lick the wound, but he didn’t have to wear the cone of shame. The t-shirt sleeves went on his front legs and the length of the t-shirt covered his belly and top of his tail. Two weeks seems awfully long to me (but what do I know, my most recents dogs have been males)

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  50. Sasha is seven months but is rather large (height and length) for a german shephard. which means the cone is huge and cumbersome Unfortunately I don`t think a t-shirt will work for her.

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  52. As I recall, they will get to those stitches if they can so they just have to wear it. Try to keep her where she isn’t knocking things down, but she will quickly learn where the new her fits. Of course, you are a sensible guy so you keep the dog outside….

    Speaking of dogs, you will want to know that seven year old in glasses is quite the Jake walker. He takes his responsibility quite seriously and she listens to him. It has been a productive few years for the little out of control nonverbal fellow who could not walk stably because he could not see the ground.

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  53. AJ – I agree that there are times when the plain truth must be told. I think there is a difference between general statements, like on a blog or such, & what one says to a particular person. The Bible does tell us to speak the truth in love. Sometimes that may mean “straight talk” (no pun intended), but as gently as possible.

    Of course, I am used to how the Lord leads me in my dealings with other women, so I’m not sure how that translates to man-to-man discussions.

    One thing I think helps is keeping the “Golden Rule” in mind – How would I want someone to approach me with this subject if I were on the other side of it?

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  55. Her stitches are supposed to melt away but they still gave me the cone. Hopefully once they melt away the irritation will go away and the cone will go away.

    Its interesting for me to observe conversations regarding debate, tolerance, acceptance, etc. The same concerns and complaints can be found on American “liberal” sites. Its like both sides are saying the same things but don’t hear each other.

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  56. I feel really good tonight. The day went well. I finished reading through my Bible this year. I’d finished the Old Testament on Christmas Eve, and the New Testament, on which I’d gotten behind early this year, today, after reading about eight chapters a day the last few weeks.

    Today I also finished a book entitled The Unwired Mom: Choosing to Live Free In An Internet-Addicted World. Excellent book on finding balance in the internet and face-to-face worlds.

    And tomorrow I will finish sightreading all of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, with the last movement of the last sonata, No. 32. That’s been a project several years in the doing, and I’m so excited to wrap up this year by wrapping up all those great sonatas!

    Oh, and Karen, you’ll be happy to know I ate the frog early in the morning again today. 🙂

    Life is good.

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  57. I don’t normally read romances but made an exception for the Log Cabin Christmas. Enjoyed the stories, of course. One of my daughters reads romances a lot, though I try to discourage it and encourage other types, so I finally gave her my copy. She, of course, finished it in a day. I asked her which one my friend was. She got it right on the first try. I don’t know how, though I suspect I have mentioned Michelle by name and it got stuck in her brain, but it was kind of fun.

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