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Our Daily Thread 4-15-14

Good Morning!

Today is Tax Day.

Boooooooooo!!! 😦

Today’s header photo is from Janice.

On this day in 1813 U.S. troops under James Wilkinson attacked the Spanish-held city of Mobile that would be in the future state of Alabama.  

In 1865 President Abraham Lincoln died from injuries inflicted by John Wilkes Booth.  

In 1871 “Wild Bill” Hickok became the marshal of Abilene, Kansas. 

And in 1923 Insulin became generally available for people suffering with diabetes.  

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Quote of the Day

“1913 wasn’t a very good year. 1913 gave us the income tax, the 16th Amendment, and the IRS.”

Ron Paul

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Today is Johann Friedrich Fasch’s birthday. From Tempesta di Mare and the Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra.

Today is Roy Clark’s birthday too.

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Anyone have a QoD?

71 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 4-15-14”

  2. Morning Jo.
    When I saw the ducks, I thought we were still on yesterday’s thread.
    We’re going to have a freeze tonight. I don’t have anything in the ground yet.
    I used to watch Wild Bill Hickok in the movies. I’ve forgotten who played him.
    Did anyone see the Blood Moon? It rained here all night. Still raining.

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  4. Morning Jo and Chas.

    No moon, too many clouds from the rain. 😦

    I haven’t changed the pic yet because WordPress is being a beast this morning. It took me over 45 minutes to get the posts up. They’re doing server maintenance. I’ll change it when they’re done.

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  6. Strange you should say it took 45 minutes to get the post up. When I go to WordPress and, get to “Wandering Views”, I have to click again on Daily Thread to get here. This morning it took a couple of minutes for Daily Thread to come up. I thought something was wrong, but abut the time I started out, it came up.
    Everything seems to be working ok now.

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  8. Good morning, all. I saw the red moon last night at 2:00am, when I was suffering with insomnia. It was cool.

    Becca and I are headed to Build-a-Bear this afternoon. She has a gift card from her birthday that she’s desperate to spend!

    I’m having lunch today with Brooke, a young lady who is now 22, whom I’ve known since she was 12. She used to be our neighbor and was a Mommy’s helper for me when she was young and then became a babysitter as she aged. She lost her dad on Christmas Eve. They were close as her parents divorced when she was young and her dad had full custody.

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  9. Good Morning, Y’all!
    Haven’t been by in a few days…missed y’all!
    AJ…can’t watch the clip until home, but Roy Clark is the coolest!

    The Braves game was spectacular last night.
    Hope you all have a blessed day!

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  11. I am alive and well, but swamped in more ways than one. Last night was terrible weather. Water splashed over the windshield of the Xterra. I was blinded by that and lightening. Then I dropped the iPhone in the driveway and didn’t discover it for an hour. I at least knew not to try to turn it on. I didn’t have rice to put it in so it spent the night in a bowl of dry grits. Thankfully IT WORKS!!!!! I was panicked at all the information I would have lost.

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  13. When I went to bed, I asked God to wake me up if it was clear out so I could see the eclipse. He did, about 12:15 so I had time to wake up children, get a blanket, and the telescope. It was cool, as always. Should be another in mid October and then not for a while.

    I was thinking how neat it is that we can figure out when they will happen. Millions of miles apart and yet the rules put in place by the Creator remain steady.

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  15. Good Morning. I didn’t stay up to see the blood moon…Paul was up but it was so cold he didn’t want to go outside to watch it…the moon was directly over the house. Last night the moon shone so brightly and the play of the shadows in the forest was a beauty to behold….I enjoyed that immensely! It is going to be Spring here for one more day…5-8 inches of new snow expected tomorrow night 😦
    Only in the south does one put their wet phone in grits!! 🙂 Happy to know it worked Kim! 🙂

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  16. Last evening, after I had already sacked out, Donna said that she had to write a piece about Easter. Something with a broad meaning.

    I don’t know if this helps, Donna, because it might be too religious for a newspaper, but I’ll tell you what I’m going, to do.
    Dr. George Jones, our SS teacher asked me to teach for him this Sunday because he is out of town.
    The lesson is from Mark 15:16-16:8 and is about the resurrection. I haven’t fully outlined the lesson yet, but I know what I’m going to do.
    I’m going to cover the crucifixion (Mk. 15:16f) and will, of course, talk about the resurrection. But we’ve all been through that before. I plan to discuss something we haven’t dealt with before.

    The only words Matthew and Mark record that Jesus said from the cross are, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me”. Luke records “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” ”Today you shall be with me in paradise”, and “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.” John records much: the conversation between Jesus and John concerning his mother, “I thirst” and “It is finished”. Our lesson, Mark 16:37 says Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost. In putting these together, I surmise that what happened after nine hours, Jesus cried “It is Finished, Father, into my hands I commit spirit”. And died.
    What I plan to dwell on, possibly a third of the lesson, or so, is to ask. Jesus said, “It is finished”. What a strange thing for a man hanging on a cross to say.
    What is finished?
    If you ask most preachers and teachers, they will say, “God’s plan of redemption” and leave it at that. But I consider that it was much more significant that that.
    There are two factors in this:
    1. His earthly ministry if finished.
    2. Spiritual ramifications are significant.

    1. All of history comes into focus at the cross. If you say that to Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, agnostics and atheist, they will disagree with you. But the game isn’t over yet and when the whistle is blown, the determining factor, not only of our souls, but the creation is resolved at the cross.
    a. The plan is finished. The plan is to present Jesus to Israel as their king. This happened on Palm Sunday and the common people received him. The religious and political leaders rejected him. The plan for redemption of mankind is finished.
    b. He trained his disciples and promised, though he was gone, his eternal presence with them.
    c. He left a different set of teachings by which men live.

    2. On a spiritual and eternal plane:
    a. The Law has been fulfilled and Grace reigns. There was no grace when the Israelis sinned while Moses was on the mountain. There was no grace when the man gathered sticks on the Sabbath (Num. 15:32), etc. But there is grace for the harlot who repents.
    b. The priesthood is replaced by the Holy Spirit. The veil of the Temple was torn. The priests repaired it, but God has eternally removed the veil between man and God. Each man has access to God without any help from anyone.
    c. Salvation is also for the Gentiles. In John 4:22, Jesus told the woman “Salvation is of the Jews”. I don’t know what all he meant by that, but I know that it is now for everyone who receives it. She, a Samaritan received it.
    d. And, probably most important, it determines the outcome of history. When the Lamb that was slain comes He will claim his throne.

    I haven’t finished all this for the lesson, and I know that it’s too heavy for a secular newspaper, but if you can use any of it Donna, you’re welcome to it.
    I have no copyrights.
    🙂

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  18. Chas, what an insightful lesson for Easter Sunday.

    The weather has changed drastically since that picture was made. It has rained a lot and now it’s very windy and overcast.

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  19. Donna, you could do something along the lines of A Day in the Life, Easter 2014 and get stories to compare and contrast how people in the local communities may spend their day. Feature a family fdom the biggest church you ard covering, festurd someone who will be working for the biggest employer on Sunay…in general go for the biggest whatsver to cover the most people, like the biggest recreztion of the day…maybe fishing, jet sking, picnicing, etc.

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  22. A note of warning to all you dear ones dithering over whether to plant a garden: do it. No water will be allowed to the farmers in the Imperial Valley this year. Farmers are having to let the land lie fallow. The US vegetable crop comes from there. Brace for higher food prices. 😦

    I’m planting, and buying buckets for the shower to have water. 😦

    Washing machine gray water diversion is complete. We’re now weighing what to plant ourselves.

    Or, start laying in supplies . . .

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  23. Grits come in handy for lots of things. I had to explain grits to a Massachusetts Yankee who married my DIL. In the early days, before around 1940, most men in the South were working men. By that I mean they went out and did physical labor. If you fed them Cheerios in the morning, they would be starving by 10 a.m. So, they ate hefty breakfast with eggs, ham/bacon, biscuits and grits. Grits are a filler. You eat them with something else. They really don’t have a taste of their own, they always go with something.
    I had grits for breakfast almost every day until I joined the AF. For the first time I ate potatoes for breakfast. it took me a while to figure out potatoes, like Mel had to do with grits.

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  24. When we are in TN one of the meals my husband gets always includes grits. My fifteen year old grandson eats those on top of his own, since my husband does not care for him. I am not sure why, since he loves hot cereal. One man’s dislike, though, is another man’s treasure.

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  25. You are making me hungry for wonderful grits and scrambled eggs all mixed together. My husband does not eat grits so I only have them if we go out for breakfast. He loves hashbrowns with his eggs. You’d never guess he’s a southern man. He will not eat hominy either. He loves corn on the cob, from a can or popped. I taught son to live up to his heritage. He likes grits and hominy or at least he did when he lived at home.

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  26. Even Bosley loves canned corn. It has been the one food that she went”ape” over. We don’t feed it to her now so she will not become a cornaholic.

    A friend told me about her mom’s cat that refuses to eat anything but kitty treats. The cat is tremendously overweight.

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  27. I enjoyed your Easter message, as well, Chas. Sometimes Christians have heard the story so many times, that we fail to really process it. I guess that is why we are told to meditate on it.

    I was thinking of the wonderful picture we are given by the thieves who were crucified on each side of Christ. One represents the mockers, who have been present since Genesis and will be until Revelation. Psalm 1 gives a good picture of what they are like and their end. (Among other scriptures.)

    The other thieve shows all the steps to God. 1. He demonstrates by his word, that he has the fear of the Lord. 2. He confesses he has done wrong. 3. He recognizes who Christ is.
    4. He asks for Jesus to help him.

    I just love how God has used so many devices to get man to see who he really is, who we are, what he has done and what we need to do. Our sense of smell in the incense made just for the sacrifice. Stories to draw us in and show us things in many different ways. People who actually acted out truth. Even pronouncements from on high for some who lived in certain periods. I could go on.

    Mumsee–just one reason to wonder about all the order and possibly see there is a Maker behind it all.

    I saw the full moon on my drive home last night. I got up just after 2:30am, when I happened to hear my husband, and peaked out the window in time to see some of the eclipse.

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  29. Janice – I just love that tulip tree. Can you send a picture of the whole tree so I can get an idea of what the tree itself looks like?

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  30. Kare, the picture today is of an azalea bush right outside our bedroom window. It is mixed in with a lot of other bushes. I bought several azalea bushes from the plant nursery where I once worked in accounting They are different colors and bloom at different times.

    I will send a few more of the earlier blooming tulip magnolia pictures to AJ so he can forward them to you. I don’t have one from a distance but you can see more of it as a whole in some photos.

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  31. Donna is busy covering a middle of the night fire at the local Elks Lodge–which is where my high school reunion is slated to be held in Sept. Unlikely now . . .

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  33. Grits just get a bad rep because of that name. All those who don’t like them have a memory of esting dirt as a child. They did not like the grit in their teeth frm eating dirt. Southern kids know better than to eat dirt. 🙂

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  35. Janice – oops – we don’t have azaleas up here either, so I don’t know what they look like 🙂 I am going to send AJ a picture of my double flowering plums (once the snow goes and they actually start blooming)

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  36. Hello, all. Life’s been busy, so I haven’t been on here as much.

    AJ, I enjoyed the Fasch piece. Good, energetic music and ensemble.

    Today also is the 90th birthday of Sir Neville Marriner, famed former conductor of The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and numerous other ensembles. He’s still living and doing well.

    Here is a video of him conducting the ASMF in Handel’s Messiah. I thought, given this is Holy Week, the songs “Worthy Is the Lamb” and the “Amen” that follows it, would be appropriate. It also fits well with Chas’ 10:17 post above, particularly point 2d. Thank you, Chas — well-written.

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  37. Clarification: the whole title for the song above (it’s actually one song, not two) is “Worthy Is The Lamb That Was Slain”, and the lyrics are based on these words, repeated and interwoven into the music in that lovely, Baroque-style, contrapuntal way that I love:

    Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by his
    blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour,
    and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto
    Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.
    (Revelation 5:12-14)
    Amen.

    Read more: Handel George Frideric – 53. Chorus: Worthy Is The Lamb That Was Slain Lyrics | MetroLyrics

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  39. Janice,

    Nooooo, grits get a bad name because they’re awful. 🙂

    And it had nothing to with tasting like dirt in my case. I never connected the 2.

    Although I did eat dirt once, it was for money. I’d eat anything for money, including dog, cat, and fish food, as well as toilet water (freshly flushed), puddle water, listerine (not the girly mint flavored stuff either), and straight clam juice.

    The only way I’ll eat grits again is if there’s cash involved. 🙂

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  41. A friend of mine mentioned to me the following article she saw last week on the front page of a newspaper in her area. It is about a “pilgrimage”, held on Good Friday each year the last several years and again this year, that calls attention to Jesus still suffering in his body today because of social injustice. The walk visits different places in the area, where participants “meditate” on such things as nonviolence, those who don’t have adequate health care, “Mother Earth”, immigration, etc.

    http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/social-justice-stations-tie-current-events-to-jesus-suffering/article_77edf7db-66a2-5eb4-91da-699adb4a4b96.html

    From the article:

    “It reflects the times — that there is always poverty, there is always war, there is always hunger, there is always damage to the Earth,” said Rosalie Hooper Thomas, coordinator of the event. “It’s a wonderful way to experience Good Friday in a real, true way.”

    There is no mention whatsoever of the real reason Jesus suffered and died for us.

    How do you engage someone in discussion, my friend and I wondered, whose “Jesus” is not the Jesus, our Savior from sins, of the Bible?

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  43. 😉 She brought me some brownies! I was sitting here reading and she brought in a plate of brownies. Just like that.
    That’s not the only reason I keep her, but it helps.

    Our church has a dinner for indigent people in the community every Thursday. This week Elvera is making brownies for dissert. She’s taking them over tomorrow.
    She cuts the brownies up into squares and I get the edges. Those are kinda burnt, more crusty and taste better than the rest. But not as nice looking. That’s why I get them.
    Suits me. 🙂

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  44. I heard a big boom and the power is out. Must be the big wind doing its thing. Glad I was not cooking anything.

    Wish I had some brownie edges. Instead I had a small handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Bosley just walked up and seeing her and thinking of chocolate at the same time reminded me of the ice cream parlor that served the Black and White which was a hot fudge sundae. That sounds good, too.

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  46. Brownie edges are the best!

    Husband to dentist, dog and cat to the vet, and me to the chiropractor – a busy appointment type day – all successful 🙂

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  47. I’ve eaten lots of good things with my eggs.

    1. At Juan in a Million in Austin, I have had great refried beans and corn tortillas with eggs.

    2. When in Colorado, I will drive 150 miles out of the way to eat the best fried potatoes in America at a little place in Alamosa. They grow potatoes in the San Luis Valley, so I assume these are really fresh and that is what makes them so good.

    3. In Birmingham, Montgomery, Vicksburg or Charleston, I order the eggs sunny side up with grits. The grits always have butter on top.

    I think I will go see an out-of-town Aggie SEC game this year just to get real Southern grits.

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  49. This is one “Yankee” that loves grits. With honey and butter, with maple syrup and butter, with salt, pepper and butter. Probably alone with butter. Butter seems to be the key to giving them a good flavor.

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  53. 6arrows, we still don’t have a whole story, but it sounds like she has to think about a lot of things and make some decisions. We’re not sure what precipitated this whole thing, but she was doing a whole bunch better when she left this morning. She knows we’re here for her so I guess we’ll just wait and pray. Thank you for asking. She can still use all the prayers she can get.

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  54. Peter and Janice know grits.

    Chas, My son and I have been looking at the South Carolina game. My wife won’t travel to away games. I’m afraid the Ags may be in some trouble. It will be their first game without Manziel.

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  55. Your daughter has my continued prayers, Kare. Sounds like her being home for the time she was brought considerable healing from what she’s dealing with. Your welcoming her with open arms, being willing to be there for her with a listening ear, has I’m sure been a great blessing to her.

    Hugs and blessings to you as you wait and pray.

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  56. My French grandfather from Louisiana ate grits. But he ate the instant stuff out of the box so y’all probably would not claim him. I like them that way and the other way.

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  57. It is freezing in the sunny south. April 15 and in the 30’s. I didn’t sign on for this. I would appreciate prayers if you have the time. A little is on the prayer thread. I am emotionally tired. The sun will rise in the morning and I will be better.

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  59. It does seem very strange with the weather going all cold again when all the flowers are in full bloom. Also, I already pulled out my summer clothes and packed away winter things. That will ake for some interesting layering.

    I am glad I got good pictures of the flowers in our yard in case the cold weather kills them.

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  60. Wow, great lesson Chas, thank you.

    Since I posted last night I learned that the assignment editor has in mind a ‘think’ piece about “forgiveness” and how we (internally) find it or reach it, especially with major man-caused tragedies such as mass shootings. Still a little broad, and I haven’t had time to think about it much since I wound up on fire duty all day today (and will be doing that again at least through the morning tomorrow, going back to the scene where they’ll be taking an arson dog through the Elks club that was basically destroyed by fire early this morning).

    Kim, a fellow reporter dropped her iPhone in the toilet at work a couple weeks ago. The rice worked for her. 🙂

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  61. I want to call the office to check on how my husband is doing but I know he does not need another phone call or interuption. I just drank a calming cup of chamomile tea.

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  62. Wow, Donna! Forgiveness is a tough topic to address if it has to be from a secular viewpoint. I think Jesus is the factor that makes true fofgiveness possible. It’s too hard for me to forgive those who do things like 9/11 on my own.

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  63. JaniceG, exactly. Seems like the idea is to rip Easter out of it’s very specific religious meaning and secularize or ‘spiritualize’ it — although I could perhaps find some theologians/pastors/seminary types who could speak to the topic from a more orthodox and religious point of reference — can there really be true forgiveness without repentance, for example (so at least that could be included).

    Too tired to think about it tonight. Maybe it’ll help to talk to the editor tomorrow (she’s in another office at one of our sister papers). Just don’t know how to do it all, I have a couple other features I’m still working on also.

    And the overall idea is still a bit fuzzy to me, I’ll admit.

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  64. Then again, it’s better than the suggestion made by another one of our reporters — that the story should look at the many (and growing) non-believers among us. 🙄 And sigh.

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  65. I had an elder share with me once about forgiveness. That our example is Jesus on the cross. He forgave them and no one was asking for forgiveness. Helped me a lot. In my life, he has never asked for forgiveness nor admitted to any wrong, but I am still commanded to forgive.

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  67. A helpful distinction I found in a book I read once explained that full and complete forgiveness — that includes reconciliation between people — is only possible when both parties are involved in the process, which includes repentance.

    But it went on to say that even when that doesn’t happen, Christians still must carry an ‘attitude’ of forgiveness, a complete willingness to forgive one who offends, whether the other party ever recognizes his or her wrong.

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  68. I think we see the difference when you have situations in which one party is able to genuinely apologize for an offense they have caused vs. when that doesn’t happen. The offended party may have the spirit of forgiveness, but it falls short of bringing true reconciliation.

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  69. the same day the elder shared with me, I got another phone call. On that call we discussed the difference between forgiveness and trust. We are commanded to forgive, but trust has to be earned. And without trust the relationship cannot grow.

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  70. Kim is complaining abut the thirties in Mobile.
    It’s 29.7 here and the apple blossoms hate it. It won’t kill all of them. We don’t know how much damage there is yet.
    Good evening Jo.

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