44 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 9-9-15”

  3. Good morning everyone.
    A lady a the Y said she saw me on Asheville TV spooning out gravy.
    I was hoping on one would notice. 😦
    But I expected everyone I knew to make fun of my hat.
    It was fun.

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  4. Public Service Announcement:
    If you decide to get a personalized car tag run it by several of your friends first.
    Today I was behind a white SUV with a Pink Ribboned Breast Cancer Awareness Tag that said:
    F HOPE
    Being from here I know that means Fairhope==F’hope. Just like B’Ham and P’cola. Someone without that knowledge would think this was a bitter person.

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  5. Janice, it’s a frog, a green tree frog or something like that, a tiny little thing just a couple inches long. Nope, gray treefrog is what I figured it was from the book (they can be gray or green), and the book says 1 3/4″. It was a cool addition to “species I’ve seen in my yard this year,” along with a toad that isn’t much bigger that was by our back steps for a few days. The first time I saw this frog (top photo) he knew I saw him, and he moved to get away. The second time (bottom photo) he stayed in place and hoped I wouldn’t see him, so I took a couple of photos and then left him alone. It’s when it’s nice to have a zoom lens, because you don”t have to get in the creature’s face, but can stay a few yards away, and it’s more likely to stay and not be frightened away–better for the critter (remaining undisturbed) and better for the photos, too.

    But praying mantises don’t care. I can put the camera two inches from their face and they will not move; they want everyone to think they’re just a part of the plant, and they pretty much don’t move unless it’s to catch something or to move to a different part of the plant.

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  8. In NC, the license plates are three letters followed by four numbers. e.g. ABC-1234.
    It had to happen, they came across the series WTF—–. Nobody cared until a girl mentioned something to her dad.
    There was a minor brouhaha and they changed his license plate.
    My License plate is WTS—–.
    I haven’t said anything, nor has anyone else.
    They can’t take out the entire WT? series .just because every combination will mean something.

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  11. Hello, everybody. I see I missed some literary conversation from yesterday.
    Janice, that book about the dragon sounds like the kind of story I would have thought stupid when I was small. I’m still a children’s story connoisseur and that plot summary made me want to poke my eyes out. Tip for all children’s authors, if you want a dragon in your story, do not set the story in the modern Western world. The incongruity of dragons operating in today’s society will not appeal to children and they will just roll their eyes at your story the way a teen rolls his eyes at a parent who tries to be cool. Children know when adults are talking down to them.
    Peter, any interpretation of Huckleberry Finn is highly ironic since Twain’s preface to that novel said this:

    NOTICE. Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot will be shot. By order of the Author Per G.G., Chief of Ordnance

    That also pretty much sums up my opinion of the higher criticism that goes on among today’s literary critics. I’m all for learning to express one’s opinion of a book, and why or why not one liked it. But it gets ridiculous when critics start practicing Freudian psychoanalysis on classic novels, and makes said critics look as if they are trying to justify their existence (and make a little more money).

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  12. Every once in a while, a tree frog will stick to one of our windows – we have a couple of trees that are fairly close to the house – and you can see the little suction pads on their toes. They have a trilling call that sounds very much like a bird.

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  13. You mat categorize this as Freudian Analysis, but I just thought it was interesting.
    I see in the Washington Times that Hillary and The Donald are 19th cousins. They are also royalty. Their 19th great grandfather was King Edward III.
    They also have ancestors who thought it wise to leave bonnie England and come to America.

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  14. Chas, by Freudian analysis, I meant viewing everything through the sexual orientation lense of Freud’s worldview. He viewed humans as primarily sexual animals who pass through different phases of sexual obsession. If someone calls someone else ‘anal-retentive’, that is a reference to one of Freud’s stages; or if someone is said to have an Oedipus complex, that is one of Freud’s diagnoses. So when a literary critic says there are underlying tones of homoeroticism in the relationship between Steerforth and David in David Copperfield (I actually read such an analysis once) they were is inspired by the Freudian philosophy that every relationship is driven by sexual motivation. I would just say that Freud had a very dirty mind.

    Studying people’s ancestry is merely genealogy. Now, if someone tried to make extrapolations about people’s personalities based on ancestry, that would probably fall into the trap of Galton’s idea of eugenics, that there is such a thing as good and bad genes that influence behaviour. Edward III was a great king, son of the contemptible weakling Edward II, who was son of the strong man Edward I (who is very unjustly slandered in the film Braveheart). Edward III’s son, Edward the Black Prince, would probably also have been a great king; but he died before his father, worn out by the incessant fighting of the Hundred Year’s war with France (both Edward II and his eldest son led the victory in the Battle of Crecy. Edward III’s second son, John of Gaunt, was a protector of the early reformer John Wycliffe, and a sponsor to Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of The Canterbury Tales. The Black Prince’s son (Edward III’s grandson) Richard II was the next monarch, but he was a weak ruler, and John of Gaunt’s son Henry IV led a successful insurrection against him. Henry IV’s son was Henry V, victor of the Battle of Agincourt (the second longbow victory), and immortalized by Shakespeare’s play of the same name. In fact Shakespeare wrote plays for Richard II, Henry IV (parts one and two – Falstaff, anyone?) and Henry V.

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  16. Roscuro- I had to deal with all that higher criticism in college Spanish literature classes. The American lit profs weren’t so high-and-mighty. We just had to express our opinion in a well defined, coherent manner. They would mention some of the literary critics, but didn’t expect us to regurgitate the information as did the Spanish lit profs. I hated Spanish lit for that reason. Now I am enjoying teaching some of the short stories to advanced classes, but we just discuss the story itself.

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  17. Wait! Where is my name in the results? Oh. Never mind. I am so embarrassed…I did not even get close enough to be on the list. That does it, next time my vote is the same as Tychicus. Or not.

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  18. Cheeyl, when I mentioned yesterday about the publishing world changing in regards to independents, I was under the impression that you were editing solely for well known authors with major poblishers. I did not realize you work with the independents, too.

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  23. After a too-hot night, today is supposed to be even hotter than yesterday.

    I can’t fathom that. Outside temp was 94 degrees when I left home this morning shortly after 9 a.m. My house never made it out of the mid-80s overnight.

    Having a hard day, lots of story angst & controversy, pray if you have a chance — and I heard that one of our church members, a father with a couple kids, has committed suicide, wife is devastated. 😦 😦

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  24. I just came back from a meeting of a “Curmudgeon Club”. The topic today was “The Scriptural Roots of Islamism”. About sixteen of us attended, one of whom was female. We met in a Synagogue and several of the men, I presume, were Jews.

    I was completely surprised by the amount of support Islam has with this group. My friend, Tony, gave a 20 min. presentation of the issue of violence in the Koran wrt propagating Islam. Then we had a discussion. Most of the guys defended Islam and the several who had no specific opinion went along with the defenders of Islam. Tony, Pam and I were alone in this.
    When it came my time to speak, I said that the title of the discussion was not relevant to what’s happening today. There is some reason 19 guys would hijack airplanes and fly them into buildings. Saying “Allah Akhbar” or why an army officer would go into a cafeteria and kill people, or two guys would blow up civilians. Etc.

    For the benefit of the Jews there, I read this that I copied from Drudge this morning:
    Israel will not survive the next 25 years, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday, making a series of threatening remarks published online.
    a quote posted to Twitter by Khamenei’s official account, Khamenei addresses Israel, saying, “You will not see next 25 years,” and adds that the Jewish state will be hounded until it is destroyed.
    The quote comes against a backdrop of a photograph showing the Iranian leader walking on an Israeli flag painted on a sidewalk.

    It made mo difference to them. I sat through the meeting for over an hour, but Tony started the subject of Islamic apostates. Phil, Tony’s main antagonist in this was sitting beside me and he and Tony got into a shouting match. I saw Phil shaking and I knew he had lost control.
    I came home. I will call Tony in a few minutes to tell him to stay away from that guy. He is full of hatred. I could tell. You can’t reason with such.

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  25. It is odd how people are so supportive of Islam. I wonder how many have read the Koran? But we know that the wisdom of God is foolishness to man and vice versa. People are blind to the Truth.

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  27. Wow, Chas, that is tragic that the Jews in your area feel so little concern over the potential threat to Jews and Christians worldwide. I live near a very large Jewish population. My friend, Karen and her husband live right down the street from the Torah Day School and synagogues and on a Saturday the sidewalks are full of people walking on their Sabbath. I am concerned for their safety, but know God is ultimately in control.

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  28. Tony came by on his way home to drop off my Koran and some other books I loaned him.
    We talked for a long while. I told him to stay a away from that guy. Tony says he is a retired Rabbi. He used to participate in the social protests in the sixties. I didn’t know that.

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  29. Interesting meeting, Chas. I wonder if those supporters of Islam realize that in an Islamic state, that meeting never would have happened. In fact, that synagog would not be allowed to be open at all.

    Oh, and the week 2 pigskin picks are on their way to AJ. Look for them tomorrow, unless he posts them tonight. For Chas, the list includes So. Carolina. And Mumsee will be pleased that Boise State made it this week, along with some of the usual schools.

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  30. I know a few liberals who are absolutely unmovable, entrenched,absolutely unable to see the other side at all — many of them having roots in the 1960s (and more than a few of them also Jewish).

    Left-wing politics has become a religion, of sorts, to those who don’t believe in anything bigger, if you will (including those who are Jewish by culture only).

    It’s how they interpret the world around them, it’s cast in stone.

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  32. Saw something on Facebook, about MIllennials, the current young generation. It said that Millennial goals & dreams are so minimal: wanting to have a car that doesn’t break down all the time, wanting to be able to consider one day buying a home rather than renting, not having so much debt (from college loans, I suppose). So many of them, as Michelle has pointed out, are having trouble getting decent jobs due to the current economic climate.

    But then it went on to say (referring to often being told they seem to feel “entitled”), “We are the least entitled generation.”

    I understand that many young people are frustrated to not be going anywhere in their chosen careers, but they really are not the least entitled. I replied to my friend:

    “It is very common for each generation to struggle financially as they start out, especially in their 20s. Many, if not most, had to take “crap jobs”, even a couple of them, to get by. But those “crap jobs” often eventually led to something better, often leading to their life’s work. (My dad & my brother each had successful careers that way.)

    Those who came through the Great Depression, World War II, & even the Viet Nam era, would probably roll their eyes at the claim in this post that Millennials are the “least entitled” generation.

    Baby Boomers seem to be an anomaly, but even many of them struggled a lot in their 20s.”

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  33. Seventeen year old, who has been living with eldest daughter in the city so she could get a job in the medical field, has been adamant she has to buy a new car. Brand new. Off the lot new. We will not sign for her. Eldest daughter considered it but her husband nixed it. Seventeen is working and paying rent and plans to get an Iphone when she turns eighteen and is going to college. She is using one of our older cars which runs fine. Children….Her brother and sister have both tried to talk her out of the new car mindset but she was solid there. We wait to see what she plans next….

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  36. We went out to dinner after Bible study tonight. While out, I filled up the truck at Sam’s.
    A gallon of gas cost me less, $2.109, fthan a cup of coffee $2.29.
    I noticed at the SUNOCO on the way home, it was $2.239. Still less.

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  37. I was 36 before I got my first “new” car. Officially it was new because it had never been registered, but it was a demonstrator with a couple of thousand miles on it already.
    A ’66 Plymouth. It had an air conditioner mounted on the floor in front. First air conditioned car I owned.

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  38. I’m 58 and still have never had a new car. The “newest” is the current minivan. It was 6 years old with only 20,000 miles on it when I bought it.

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  39. Having had 5 new cars. They aren’t all that much. My next vehicles will be previously loved. Of course I have had the Xterra for 9 years this month

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  42. Well, it’s almost 8 p.m. and 91 degrees inside my house. It’s 90 outside. No wind.

    Not a good day at work, either, got blasted from both sides on a trump story I had to do (political reporting really is thankless and puts you in the bulls eye of every nut out there; and there are many).

    I’m so burned out on our rude, “hair-on-fire” culture right now, what’s wrong with everyone?

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  43. I don’t know. We just had a nice dinner with our dentist and her receptionist husband and their eight month old baby. Husband is an excellent cook and the company was pleasant. We sat out on the deck and watched the coyotes pass by. Life is filled with good. Donna, the guest room is still available….

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  44. looking like rain outside, we will see what this does. I actually felt raindrops on my arm today.
    when you realize that these people have no other options, either their gardens grow or they have no food, you begin to pray earnestly.

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