49 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 11-6-17”

  5. Is this my personal blog this morning?

    I was also reading John, Ch. 4 this morning. In v.20, the woman at the well asked Jesus about places to worship. I hesitate to tell this because I have forgotten the details.
    (Several decades ago, I taught a series on the inter-testimonial period –sometimes erroneously called “the silent years”. If you read the Maccabees, you realize God wasn’t “silent”. It was in Falls Church, and I have forgotten most. I think Mt. Gerizim, but maybe not.)
    The point is, the woman was not trying to change the subject. I have heard preachers and teachers say that. She was asking a real prophet a valid question that was important to her. Samaritans worshipped God at a temple & location different from Jews.
    There’s more than I can discuss at this time.

    Just don’t say the woman was trying to change the subject.t

    Liked by 8 people

    Reply

  6. We had just had dinner at the best little Greek place. I forgwt what it is like living in a city. In the same strip mall we had a choice of Greek, Japanese, Thai/Mandarin, Mexican, and Indian.
    Did I miss one Janice?
    It was great to visit and get to know each other a little more.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

  7. Good morning. We enjoyed a meal at a Greek Pizza restaurant near us compliments of Kim. Art had planned to pay, but Kim was quicker on the draw with her credit card. P was having back issues from the long sitting of the ride so Kim got take out for him.

    With the meetups, I am amazed how it feels like being with people I have known since high school. And if it’s possible, I like the people even more in person. It’s a really cool happening.

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply

  9. I see Kim posted as I was writing my post. She posted most of the choices, but there are also a Jewish deli, Steak & Shake, a Sub shop, Wendy’s, Bruster’s Ice Cream, Outback, Chili’s, and Longhorn across the street. The French restaurant, Petite Auberge, recently relocated. That is foodie spots just in one direction from our home. That is about two blocks from my churcn.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. Oh that is a lovely photo of two lovely ladies! ❤️
    Sun is peeking over the tops of the pines and it appears that sky is going to be bluer than blue today….tomorrow the clouds and snow will be taking stage!
    This hour change has the dogs confused over their breakfast and dinner schedule…pesky little critters….I feel their pain….another cup of coffee is coming up!
    RK…how are you and Miguel doing? Praying continually

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  11. I’m till getting up in the dark. I have an early assignment today so need to be on the road at 7:30 a.m. to go over the bridge to the LB courthouse. And then I have my overdue annual eye exam at 2 or 2:30, can’t remember which. I wrote it down on the calendar at work.

    Great photo. 🙂 Looks and sounds like you two had a good time. But where is Miss Bosley?

    I went to bed before 9 last night, I was so sleepy, and slept until almost 5:30 so I did get plenty of sleep (even factoring in a 3 a.m. Cowboy call for a backyard break). I’ve had him on the higher dose of his incontinence pills since Friday night and it’s working well, I think.

    The foundation guys were here all day yesterday, which surprised me. I tried taking a nap after church but they were working right under the bedroom — bang, bang, lots of talking and laughing in Spanish, the sounds of a radio — so that clearly didn’t work out too well. Next up is clearing the spaces in front of all the big windows so the window crew that’s coming Thursday can do their thing. I have to clear off one large couple of large bookcase and am trying to figure out where to store all those books.

    So more upheaval and disorder and mess, but it’s all worth it (or so I keep telling myself).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Oh I don’t know Kare. Hubs wants to take a train trip across CANADA so that is one of my goals for next year. It is one of his bucket list item not one I ever considered but have decided to adopt for him.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

  15. I wouldn’t mind that train trip . . .

    I read “When the World Came to Gander, Newfoundland on 9/11” last week and enjoyed the vignettes so much, I had the map out yet again.

    My husband was less enthusiastic than I am, but that’s generally the case when I’ve come up with another great idea of a place to visit.

    He’s not been to Banff and Lake Louise . . . must cogitate on Kare’s neighborhood . . . for the summer.

    But wait! He did agree to visiting Fairbanks this winter so I can scratch “see the Northern Lights” off my bucket list . . .

    He really is a trooper. Right now he’s doing pushups with Tasha lounging beside him to observe. Nope, there’s the door–he’s out to run in 41 degrees.

    I think I’ll make coffee and listen to the heater. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  16. No car this week (the poor thing is at the shop, in Calistoga of a friend/fire victim) as all the chips, dings and damage done back in August by Stargazer’s move and apparently our evacuations, are fixed.

    I was aghast at how expensive it was to fix and debated even bothering in September–at the time it seemed more fair to send the money to people in Puerto Rico–when my husband and our aforementioned friend helped me see I did need the bashed section banged out and repainted.

    This week I noticed paint is chipping off the hood and it has a line of scratches. I have no idea where that came from but this poor SUV, which is younger than my kitten, really does look like it’s been in a battle.

    “Why, Lord, did I buy this car in August? Why did you make sure I bought this car in August?”

    When I asked this question in September, I thought it had to do with seeing my friends as I drove the car home from Seattle. Nice road trip for me, good conversations, helpful insights.

    In the middle of the fire, Son #2 who got my old SUV said, “You don’t know how thankful I am I’m driving the SUV and not my 20 year-old Saturn that dies at unexpected moments.”

    Yikes. We are blessed and I’m thankful that my husband agreed to the new car when I felt the push to buy one.

    I don’t even care it’s banged up that much–well, it was a shock when I saw all the damage after its FIRST car wash on Thursday . . .

    The point of all this was, I have to stay home all week and that’s a wonderful thing. Plenty of writing to do, guests coming, housework and I’m still very tired. God is good.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  17. Yesterday Art and I drove by the old Cokesbury store, the Methodist book and church supply store where I bought communion supplies, that had been in our community for years but shut its doors maybe two years ago. It is now a Muslim meat market. That was a bit shocking.

    Like

    Reply

  18. Well, if you do take that trip, Kim and/or Michelle, let me know when you are going through southern Ontario. I should be somewhere close (currently, I’m really close) to a station stop. Unless, of course, I’m up in northern Canada (way up, as in near the Arctic circle), where I hope to do a placement for three months next summer. Getting that placement is dependent on my success in my current courses, including the clinical that has now been delayed for four weeks. I have nevertheless applied for a northern placement in the hope that the Lord will work out all the details.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

  23. Enjoying new snow this morning. Wondering if the guy who wants to buy the ramlings will show up. Listening to the sounds of geese heading south. I love this time of year!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  26. Daughter who got delayed on Snoqualmie Pass, had lined up for some folk to come get some ramlings today. Which was fine because she would be here to catch them. Unfortunately, she is not going to be here so, in about half an hour, guess who gets to go race through the snow chasing down rams? If only Jake had decided sheep were better than chicken.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  27. Sorry, but this is me jumping in again without having read comments yet.

    In trying to plan ahead a bit, I found the paper that Social Security sends out each year (I think) which tells the person how much they would receive at full retirement, & am trying to figure out how much I could receive of Leon’s benefits when the times comes. But, I keep finding conflicting information – from Social Security itself!

    For instance, in one place it says I can start receiving benefits at age 60, & in another it says at age 62. On one page I read that I would get 100% of his benefits at my own retirement age, but 71-99% starting from age 60. And elsewhere I read that the maximum benefit, at my own retirement age, would be only 50% of his benefits.

    I fully admit that with my mind not in full gear these past weeks, I may be missing something. So I am sharing two pages that contain this conflicting info, & hoping someone here can tell me what’s what.

    https://www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors/ifyou5.html

    https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/quickcalc/spouse.html

    Is the second one, by any chance, referring to spouse when the other spouse is still alive & receiving benefits?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  29. Such discouraging news: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/11/06/talks-between-colleges-union-continue-as-strike-enters-4th-week.html
    Let me be perfectly clear, I see a need for unions, especially in large companies in the private sector. There have been enough factory workers in my extended family for me to see the benefit of unions, and I saw what large private companies did to workers that weren’t unionized from my father’s experience with the national company that took over the small business he worked for, when he was first given unreasonable working conditions, and then finally let go in a way that legal counsel said was actionable. The public sector employee unions, however, shouldn’t be allowed to strike, since it affects the public in very detrimental ways. Twenty-one years ago, my father was in an accident that cost the other driver their life and left him in a coma for several days, when the driver of the other car hit an icy patch during a provincial road workers strike. Eight years ago, it was a daily challenge getting to my college course, because, once again, road workers were on strike in the middle of winter (the municipality broke that strike by hiring famers to clear the roads – the farmers made extra money and the municipality actually saved money). There should be binding arbitration for public service employee disputes. The article notes that 300,000 students are affected, but that paper is for the Toronto area and it is a province wide strike, the total number of students affected is over half a million. I don’t understand why the premier hasn’t tabled back-to-work legislation. She has an election year coming up, and half a million students and their families are going to be upset with her lack of leadership. End of rant. I’ve been trying to follow David’s example of encouraging oneself in the Lord in difficult circumatances, and I remind myself that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called of him.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  30. Kizzie, it would be worth your while going to talk directly to the people that administer Social Security. They should be able to give you details related to your specific situation and might even have some loopholes available.

    So, it being a day off today due to the strike, I went first to get my flu shot because it just became available and it is something that is required for the currently non-existent clinical placement – my arm is still quite sore. Then, I obeyed my mother’s orders, who sent me a gift to go out and eat, and went to a café in the most hipster part of town. It was very reasonable, and quite good. Then I went to the special shops along the street and found some artisan glass drawer pulls for the antique vanity, which was missing four drawer pulls, that my mother gave to me when my parents moved their room downstairs – it was in exchange for the antique washstand that was in my room, because the washstand fit better in their now smaller bedroom.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  32. I shouldn’t have said the pulls were glass, as they are in fact glazed pottery. Not thinking clearly.

    It was a beautiful day to walk along the gentrified suburb. The old Victorian/Edwardian houses looked so picturesque amongst trees that have finally changed orange, yellow, and red, all against a backdrop of blue sky and soft white clouds.

    Like

    Reply

  33. Kizzie….the earliest Leon could have started SS would be 62…which he was. If he had started drawing SS at 62 he would have gotten a certain amount and you would have gotten 50% of his when you reached 60. As it is, when you reach the age of 60 you will be eligible for 100% of Leon’s SS. FYI this is what happened to my friend when her husband passed away from cancer almost 8 years ago.
    My Mom received 50% of my Dad’s SS while he received his 100%. When he passed away, Mom receives now his 100% and no longer her 50%…clear as mud? That’s govment!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  34. It doesn’t surprise me, Kizzie, to get various answers. You will find the same with income taxes and any social services help. It all depends on who you talk to about it. Sad, but true. With thousands of pages of laws and regulations it is inevitable.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  35. Roscuro, I’m sorry the strike continues to affect you so directly. I too think that public-sector employees should not be allowed to strike, and I’m sorry that strikes have had some grievous ramifications in your own life.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  36. Michelle & Mumsee, you asked if you thought that my asthma would be improved by being up north. The answer is, I’m really not sure. Certainly, I would be far away from the urban pollution that permeates southern Ontario (some of which actually comes from the U.S., due to the way air moves around the Great Lakes). When my mother mentioned to my grandmother my interest in the far North, my grandmother said she knew a woman whose son had severe asthma who went North for work, and found it completely cleared up. When I was looking at the health statistics, however, I noted that the Inuit population in Nunavut (the territory I’m interested in) has very high rates of asthma and other chronic respiratory illnesses. Now, they also have very high rates of smoking (60 percent), so that would have a great deal to do with it, but I also wonder if the stuffiness of houses in a very long and cold winter might also play a part. It won’t hurt to try – it can’t be any more risky to my asthma than going to West Africa, and it will be for a shorter time.

    Like

    Reply

  37. Sounds logical to me, Roscuro. My son had a bad allergy to dust mites when we lived in the Seattle area–which is humid and our house was particularly designed for energy savings–triple paned windows, thicker walls for insulation.

    When we moved to Hawai’i, his room had no curtains and no rug. He spent a lot of time outside–we practically lived outside with each room having a wall of windows. He hasn’t had trouble with such allergies since–20 years later.

    So, maybe Hawai’i would work? 🙂

    I’d say your guess on Inuits makes sense.

    Like

    Reply

  38. Kim, I have been enjoying slices of pizza all day long!

    I would love to see Canada. That would require a passport which I’ve never had. More than seeing the land in Canada, I would love to see Blog Family members.

    I am still trying to digest the church service yesterday. We have a lot to ponder. I suppose I need to take time to listen to some online sermons. Basically, I did not feel the sermon appropriate for an aging congregation. It did stick to scripture so no problem with that. There was a lot I liked, but I do not know why the subject was approached as it was on what King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes about declining health and abilities of the aged. It felt hurtful to some. I know their congregation is age 25-45 and it would be good for them. And then we had our new interim music team, husband and wife, who started yesterday. They seem quite professional. But it was another thing on top of the other to adjust to.

    Like

    Reply

  39. Chas, you asked yesterday about the difference in touch between men and women pianists. I would say that it has to do with hand size, rather than sex. I have been told many times that I have a very gentle touch, but then, my hands are quite small and I cannot manage the recurring octaves that often occur in more theatrical piano music. My eldest sibling, on the other hand, has very long fingers and her hands, which I always think are quite pretty, are bigger than her husband’s. When she played hymns – she was the main church musician in the tiny church my family attended until she got married and moved – she often improvised accompaniments with many octaves, in the style of the late Rudy Atwood, who was the pianist for the Old Fashioned Revival Hour Quartet:

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  40. Michelle, for all the words the Far North conjure up a vision of a frozen and snowy landscape, it is actually quite a dry climate in much of Nunavut – which is huge, covering over 700,000 square miles of land and Arctic Ocean, with only a population of 37,000, 85 percent of whom are Inuit – so the humidity index is very low. There is also a limited amount of vegetation, primarily consisting of vari-coloured lichens, which means that the pollen count would be a lot lower. So it has climactic conditions that are favourable to asthmatics, but not necessarily living conditions.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  42. Well, a good time was had by all. The purchaser was a Muslim from Niger and his driver was Mennonite from this area. They stayed all afternoon. The guy was able to grab the lambs when I coaxed them up to the gate to eat. Then I convinced him he could slaughter and butcher them here so we could see how it is done his way. It was quick and relatively painless. I did have to point him toward Mecca because the animal was supposed to be laid a certain direction. He prayed to Allah and the other guy and I prayed to God. We had several hours of good discussion about the things of God. Time well spent. And then he saw the guineas and could not stop talking about how hard he had looked to find them. So they will be back. A few less animals for me to feed over the window. I know more about slaughtering and butchering. And it was a good time of fellowship with one and learning with another.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  44. So, it seems that merely asking the question, & glancing again at the pages as I shared them here, was enough for me to realize the difference, which Jo & NancyJill also mentioned. The first page was for surviving spouses & the second page was for spouses whose spouse is still living.

    What a relief!

    Based on the number on the paper I found, & further info, it looks like once I am 60, I will get a decent benefit, which will nicely supplement whatever Nightingale will be making in her job.

    Now we just have to get through the next three years & a couple months. It’s going to be scarily tight, especially if the VA does not approve anything for me.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  45. I think Donna had asked about why my church was seeking a merger. It is because our members have dwindled and we do not have enough members currently to support the upkeep of our facilities.

    Like

    Reply

  48. Mumsee, you might want to talk to Mike and your pastor about what to do if he buys further livestock from you. I see no reason not to sell animals to anyone who wants to buy them . . . but killing a beast religiously while praying to a false god is something I would not willingly see on my own property, and Mike may agree with me (as does my husband).

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  49. I’ve also been somewhat confused by SS not to mention Medicare. What a maze to get through.

    Thanks Janice (re the reminder of why you are merging).

    No real change in my eyeglass prescription this year.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment