60 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 12-7-19”

  1. Seventy eight years ago, I was an eleven year old kid. On Sunday afternoon, I went to the America theater in Charleston to see Gene Tierney in “Belle Starr “. When I got home, my parents were listening to the radio and said we were at war. It didn’t really affect me, though I thought I would be in it someday.

    I may have told you this, but it is also the day Elvera’s mother died. She was forty years old and had eight children already. Elvera thinks that is what killed her. I doubt it.
    Elvera was ten and was raised by her 19 year old sister.
    As I said, WWII didn’t affect me, but Elvera had two brothers and a bro-in-law who fought in that war.

    Liked by 6 people

  2. Pearl Harbor Day.
    Did you know there was a shooting on the Navy base at Pearl Harbor earlier this week? I didn’t either until it was mentioned yesterday that the one in Pensacola was the second in a week.
    I also noticed that I posted what happened and the conversation moved on to mundane things.
    I’m guilty of this too.
    Now I am heartbroken that this happens on such a regular basis that we acknowledged it happened and moved on so quickly. I am also upset that the State of Alabama seems to put the flag on half mast anytime someone has a hang nail. I notice it is on half mast and ask someone why. No one knows. I Google it. No reason. Yesterday afternoon as I drove home, crossed the state line and passed the welcome center, the flag wasn’t at half mast. There are a lot of people who live in Baldwin County and work on NAS Pensacola.

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  3. Kim, I don’t like the half-mast thing either. There used to be guidelines of when it could be done, and now it seems to be there all the time, and mostly I don’t know why.

    We weren’t made to “live” in sorrow all the time, either with the flags always at half mast or with always spending a lot of time thinking of the latest war atrocities, shooting, cancer deaths. I think that after a while the mind goes a bit numb, “enough already.” (One reason it isn’t good to spend much time with the news. By the time tragedy is local or locally important–9/11 an example of the latter–the mind is already numb.) I’m sorry about the shooting, sorry it does hit so close to home for you.

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  4. Good morning. I got up really early so I could cook a lot of food to send to the office with Art. I told him I had cooked about 10 meals worth and after that I cooked our eggs for breakfast. It is good to have something already waiting in the fridge. Leftovers make my day!

    I enjoyed reading about everyone’s wreaths yesterday. Nancyjill, do you have instructions for how to make those dried wreaths and garland? Is it on Pinterest? I like to find ideas on Pinterest. I did look at some wreaths at J.C. Penney and considered getting one but could not tell how well it would stand the weather on an unprotected door (it is at a covered porch). The wreath had artificial snow on it. I have never had any outdoor decor that had that added finish to it. The wreaths were on sale at 60% off.

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  6. Morning!! It is a beautiful day in this forest. Snow is melting slowly on the roads but the ground still is covered with several inches…very Christmasy..
    My crafty ideas are mostly shared thoughts of friends who probably found the ideas online somewhere. The beauty of drying fruits and veggies around here is that we are in such a dry climate. But drying the yams and oranges takes a while in a slow oven. I cut up yams in inch pieces, tossing them in a cinnamon/nutmeg coating, placing them on parchment paper in a 170 degree oven for about 10-12 hours. Then I string them with twine. The house smells delicious on the days I have done this! Same with the oranges with cloves and orange slices. I just let the key limes dry out naturally in an old antique wooden bowl…it looks pretty while they dry and the scent of the lime is wonderful! 😊 The cellar apple ring I purchased at my favorite antique shoppe…the creator of such lives in PA…I simply placed her creation inside of my pine wreath and tied a pretty red piece of overdyed wool on the top…simple beauty. How thankful am I that our Lord blessed creative minds to so many of my friends!

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  8. Janice, last night my husband and I watched the end of the Lord of the Rings. We have the extended edition, so we have watched it in six sessions over the last week and a half. I commented that I never did see the third movie in the theater, because it came out in 2003. That was the year my mom died in late September, and we buried her on what would have been her anniversary (except neither she nor Dad was alive for it) and the birthday of the brother who performed the service. My sister was in her third trimester of her third child, two-and-a-half months from delivery, and thus still able to travel for the funeral (but barely). She and I drove across the country, to Dallas, where we left my car and my youngest brother drove us the rest of the way. He had a small pickup, and I had to sit in the middle (over the gear shift) because he was the driver and she was heavily pregnant, after the death of our mother and several sleepless or nearly sleepless nights. (We were still the first ones of our family to get to town.)

    My mom was supposed to be at the birth of that baby. I was supposed to drive over and babysit the first two, and take her with me to attend the birth. (Mom was going to fly to Nashville and spend a few days with me.) Instead I was driving over alone.

    Just before I left for the birth, a friend called me. We’d been planning to see the third LOTR movie together, and she called to say she’d found it in 3-D and wanted to see that, if I was interested, and if not she would go by herself. I told her I couldn’t go, as I was on my way for a baby. So I lost the friend with whom I’d planned to see it, and I don’t see movies alone, so I didn’t see that one until watching it with my husband after we married.

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  9. I made a pine cone wreath years ago, but I am not sure where it ended up. My mother regularly made flower arrangements and crafts with natural items gathered on their property, so it was natural for me to do that also.

    There were three National Guard members killed when their Black Hawk helicopter went down here in Minnesota. The family, whose land it happened on, put up a flag near the spot. They did it quickly, but have said they would have a permanent one up for family members. None of them know any of those who died, but wanted to show their respect and help the family members in their grief.

    It is sad that our soldiers and their families have to be concerned about being killed by these people. 😦 And, yes, it is sad, whether it is shootings in schools, malls, work places, churches or military installations, that have become common place. Terribly sad. So is the downward spiral of pornography and crudeness. Not to be unexpected when we have grown more and more away from the Lord as a country. Terribly sad, nevertheless.

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  11. Yes, it is sad how we are getting use to shootings and don’t involve ourselves much in considering the tragedy for the victims and their families. At least here in Atlanta, the number of shootings seems to have increased greatly in recent years. Maybe because Hollywood settled here? I am overwhelmed by the news and the prayer needs of people in our vicinity. I do grieve at times when I see the stories. Often children are caught in the middle of gang gunfire. I can get too sad and unproductive if I get too caught up in it all. So some people are appearing to be insensitive when they are the opposite.

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  13. Also, there is the sense of feeling disturbed by the news, but not having anything productive or profound to say. We all agree that these tragedies are horrible and sad, but there’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said.

    These days, it seems like taking out one’s grievances with a gun in a public place is “the thing to do”. It’s scary.

    And this may be silly of me to even consider this, but I am concerned for my neighbors, Denise and Fran. (Fran is Francis, and goes by Fran or Frannie. Has anyone else ever known a man to go by those nicknames? Somehow with him, they don’t seem as feminine as one might think.)

    Nightingale had heard a while back to beware of Gabby’s Mom (GM). GM’s former best friend had to take out a restraining order against her because she became too clingy and then became belligerent (and maybe somewhat violent or threatening, not sure of the details) when the friend tried to cool things down.

    Over the past year or two, GM has attached herself to my neighbors. Some of that has been good, as she has helped them with their yard work and renovating the house across the street that they bought, gaining valuable skills for herself while helping them out.

    But yesterday Denise told Nightingale that GM is at their house seven days a week. (We had noticed this ourselves.) Denise told GM that she could not come over one day, and GM had a “hissy fit” about it. That shows that although GM appears “normal”, she must be disturbed or unstable emotionally in some way.

    Anyway, please say a prayer that this will work out okay, and for protection for all involved. (All involved have guns available.)

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  14. And since I mentioned Gabby. . .I feel so sorry for her sometimes. She is a strong-willed child who gets into trouble at times. But then her mom and Denise, and even another neighbor at the bus stop, will stand there and talk about what she did, expressing their displeasure and going on and on about it. Gabby will stand there with her head down, looking embarrassed and like she wants to cry but is holding it in. It’s like they think that shaming her will change her behavior.

    One morning after that had happened, and the bus had come and gone, I expressed feeling bad for Gabby. They poo-pooed her sad look, saying she puts that on for effect. I didn’t say anything more. (Please say a little prayer for her, too.) (I realize this not the prayer thread, but it is what we do. 🙂 )

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  15. Excuse me for all these comments, but these thoughts all came up recently. 🙂

    Had I told you all about X losing the duffle bag that Boy takes to his place when he stays overnight? He had set it on the ground, then was looking for his keys. After he found them, he had apparently forgotten about setting down the duffle bag, and drove off without it. When he got back after bringing Boy home, it had been stolen. (I was so glad that Nightingale had forgotten to pack “Spot”, a stuffed dog that Boy has had since he was a baby, and often likes to have with him at night.)

    In the bag, along with a change of clothes and whatnot, had been Boy’s football pads (the padded pants they wear) which belong to the football organization. X said he would pay for them. The equipment manager contacted him and told him he owed them $95. X got belligerent with him, saying it was “extortion”, and that his “wife” told him it would only be $50. First of all, Nightingale did not tell him that, and second. . .why is he referring to her as his wife?! (No, he does not have an actual wife, and I don’t think he has a girlfriend at this time, either.)

    (Nightingale knows about this because one of the coaches is a friend, and told her about it.)

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  16. This should be the last one. (For now. 🙂 )

    At the end of yesterday’s thread, Jo wrote, “I think the best part, Kizzie, is that you just made that room yours with new memories to come.”

    Yes, indeed. And yet I think it goes without saying that this is also bittersweet. Every change like this that we make has me wishing Hubby could see what we’ve done, and be a part of it. He would have loved the firmness of this couch. 🙂

    I am trying to embrace the idea of living “my life” instead of “our life”, of having “my home” instead of “our home”. But I think there’s always going to be a little bit of “our” lingering in my heart.

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  17. And did you enjoy the third LOTR film, Cheryl? I only find the Extended Edition of ‘The Return of the King’ bearable, as Peter Jackson does not seem to understand pacing and cut all the interesting side stories of the book out of the theatre release in order to give audiences more of what my dear friend and relative described as “I can’t go on Sam”.

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  18. Kizzie I wonder if Nightingale should document that interaction and let her attorney know of X’s combative attitudes towards those interacting with Boy along with his deceptive use of “wife”….just a thought.
    Kim I am sad that we do become numb to news of yet another horrific attack on those about us. I will say when I saw the post on FB concerning the young hero giving his life for so many others it made it raw and real. I cried at the loss of him. Twenty three years old…so young…yet his act of selflessness speaks volumes of just who he was. Not knowing his spiritual beliefs I pray for those who are left behind to grieve the loss of him…. ♥️

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  20. Losing the football gear, so sorry to hear about that.

    And the shootings, we are becoming immune I’m afraid. It seems to me to be another sign of our culture’s free-fall. A symptom along with many other symptoms all around us these days. 😦

    My uncle was a Pearl Harbor survivor (jumped off the Nevada and immediately learned to swim); my dad was part of a Navy crew that went in for cleanup after the attack which was a pretty grim duty. Oil was everywhere, he recalled.

    I’m tempted today to head back to the craft fair to pick up some of those white w/black trim ceramic ornaments, crosses and/or bowls as gifts. But I don’t think I will, it’s quite a drive. I have the artist’s card & phone #, it’s a mother/daughter team, so I might be able to order some to be shipped? They really would make nice, easy gifts for the few folks now on my list and the items I think were around $10-$15 each, depending, not super expensive.

    I slept in but woke up to several minor questions from an editor about the long story I left (which he praised — just a few minor issues he wanted to clarify). Seems like we all wind up working on weekends and vacations anymore. I felt bad that he was spending part of his Saturday doing that, but then I think he probably got a raise for being named editor in the past month so that helps. He’s young and has a future career somewhere else, I’m sure. He’s a very good writer and will miss doing that in his new position, I’m sure. But it looks good for the resume.

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  21. Looks like rain tonight and tomorrow, it rained lightly through most of last night.

    We have our church Christmas party tonight and also the dog park Christmas party.

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  22. I took Little Miss back to her Mommy. I dressed her in the Christmas-sy outfit I bought her in New Orleans.
    Then I tried to go Christmas shopping and find a pair of shoes to wear to my Christmas party. I finally threw my hands up and came home. Knocked out 3 presents on line.

    Just exactly WHEN did dress shoes get so ugly and most dress ones look like hooker shoes. NO WAY am I spending 3 to 4 hours in a 5 inch spiked heel. So my choices are to stagger around like a hooker or look like a me-maw.

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  23. Kim, it’s for your lady friends you worry about how shoes look.
    I can assure you, none of your male friends notice. And if he should happen to notice, he wouldn’t care. Shoe style is entirely a female thing.

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  24. Chas, my husband tells me differently. He tells me every man loves high heels–but neither of his wives could/can wear them, so oh well. But the shoes I wore on my wedding day were shoes I bought because he liked them.

    I do think that overall women care more about women’s clothes than men do, but I think for shoes it depends on the man.

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  25. NancyJill – Nightingale does tell her lawyer most of these things. Since that exchange did not involve her personally, I don’t know if it would be relevant. I’ll ask her about it, though.

    ******
    Here is something I wrote to her earlier:

    “I know that the custody agreement and its various points are based on what you want and what he wants, and I am “just the babysitter”. But could there be something in there with consideration for me?

    What I mean is that when he is supposed to have [Boy] until a certain time, I plan my day accordingly. But he sometimes brings him home early. One time that cut off a dinner I was trying to have before [Boy] got home. There’ve been other times when I did not get to finish something before he was dropped off.

    Today, apparently [X] tried dropping [Boy] off a little before 2:00 – a full hour before he was supposed to. The fact that I was trying to finish a TV show episode before [Boy] got home isn’t very important, I realize, but it was an annoyance.

    Not only that, I was not expecting to hear from him, so I didn’t see the ONE text that he was here until 24 minutes later. I guess they went elsewhere for a while.

    Initially, after seeing the text, I replied that I had been in the bathroom, but then I realized that his text had come in several minutes before that.

    Sometimes (especially with his texts), either I don’t hear the tone, or it doesn’t make a tone. I had decided to not have any TV or music on around the time he would be back, in order to make sure I hear the tone, but this was an hour early!

    Anyway, I may only be the babysitter, but some consideration for my own time would be appreciated. Can it be put in the next agreement that if he is going to bring him back earlier than expected, he should let me know earlier in the day – or at least an hour beforehand?”

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  26. Weather in Sonoma County today has been a bit crazy. We were prepared for monsoon downpours all night.

    Check.

    We were prepared for rain all day.

    Check.

    We are not prepared for the possibility of tornadoes . . .

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  29. No parties tonight for me. What a mob out there in the stores and on the roads. I finally found the Angel Tree gifts, a cute, pink “puffy” jacket (w/a hood trimmed in faux fur, all machine washable) on sale at Old Navy (long line, screaming kids); then a craft kit and markers at a craft store which had its own really long line; then paper and boxes I had to also pick up.

    I still have to wrap the gifts — they’re not really due until Wednesday at church but I’d rather drop them off tomorrow morning when I go to church.

    I still haven’t gotten into the garage to find the decorations.

    But also now I’ve noticed that Tess has an ear infection, I have heard her shaking her head and checked tonight — sure enough, there’s some bloody discharge in her left ear.

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  30. Craft store line featured a child behind me who dropped some kind of glass ornament — ooh, bad sound — and a child in front of me who apparently had just learned the word “fart” and kept singing “He knows when you have farted … ”

    Mom finally whispered something in her ear the refrain ended. 🙂

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  36. Janice, I’ve seen the LOTR movies with my husband at least once before this week, possibly twice. I think they are very, very well made, but I have favorite scenes and characters and others I don’t like as well, same as in the books. I don’t really like the battle scenes and there are a lot of them (though they are of course important). Some parts seem a bit of a departure from the books, but I think the feel is mostly right and the characters superb–and the costuming and other “setting” choices is really excellent. Overall, they are well worth seeing.

    “The Hobbit,” however, was a disappointment; they did a real disservice to stretch it out into three movies, and to exaggerate certain scenes beyond the books and beyond realistic rendering. The second movie was a particular disappointment, and after it we pretty much just saw the third to complete it (though the third was better, and I think we all agreed it was the best of the three). We had no interest in buying the videos or ever seeing the movies again.

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  37. Thanks for sharing that article here AJ….sobering 😢
    Poor Tess…Dj is there something your vet recommends to put in her ear ie. Peroxide solution? Babe used to have ear troubles….
    Cheryl we too like TLOTR movies but stopped at The Hobbit. We went to see the first Hobbit with our youngest and a group of kids from her school on opening night…at midnight! It was like a Saturday morning cartoon with animation of rocks coming alive and the never ending action was way too much stimulation for my brain…especially at midnight! 😳

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  40. Mumsee – How is Mike feeling? Has he gotten over the pneumonia and its cough yet?

    I am feeling better than I was, but still coughing, especially in the morning and at night, and still feeling tired. I don’t know if it is always like this, or if it is because I waited almost two weeks to get diagnosed and start treatment. But I’ve heard that it can take a long time to fully recover. Hoping Mike and Miguel are doing well and recovering more quickly than I am.

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  41. A quote from World’s “Dispatches”:

    “At a rally in Louisiana, [Trump] told a crowd that “evangelical leaders” had called to tell him: “The church has never been more energized as it is right now because of what they are trying to do to our president. Ever.”

    If that is true, it is tragic.”

    I agree with the last sentence.

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  42. I watched the first Hobbit film, and was so disappointed that I never saw the next two. It should have been great. Sir Ian Mckellan had already proven himself in the Gandalf role and Martin Freeman was an excellent choice for Bilbo. There was a note of caution as to tone, since The Hobbit is a much more lighthearted tale than LOTR – Hugo Weaving’s austere and somewhat aloof Elrond in LOTR did not quite match the Elrond in The Hobbit, who was “as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer”; while I was a bit surprised when Richard Armitage was cast as Thorin, as I had only seen him play brooding romantic parts the BBC’s adaption of Gaskell’s North and South). But what really ruined the film was Peter Jackson’s production decisions. The storyline about the Necromancer that Jackson added was improvised out of a thin thread of material found in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lost Tales and Jackson is no talespinner, as his added-out-of-wholecloth elf-dwarf romantic subplot in the second and third films clearly demonstrate. Also, instead of using the physical visual effects that were such an important part of the LOTR, he relied almost completely on CGI. The flaw especially showed with the orcs and goblins, who had been played by actual actors in LOTR wearing facial prosthetics and heavy makeup, but who were completely computer generated in The Hobbit. The effect of too much CGI was somewhat like watching a computer game being played, which is great if what one wants is to watch a computer game, but not if one wants to watch a film. The Spanish director Guillermo del Toro was at one point going to direct The Hobbit, and I think he would have done a better job at portraying the childlike simplicity of the book.

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  43. I think it’s possible to feel that the impeachment process is a partisan-driven political maneuver long planned and plotted by the other party but also to feel cool or lukewarm, if that, toward this particular president, with support coming mainly when one looks (horrified) at what the opposition is offering up as a replacement.

    It’s not our country’s finest hour, to be sure.

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  44. It was good to fellowship this morning. I do so like singing Christmas hymns.
    It is an overcast day around her with glimpses of the sun from time to time. Snow is to return this week and next weekend…we will have a white Christmas this year 😊
    Dj I am no fan of our current President. Sometimes I think he truly wants what is best for our nation but his approach to that end are a tad bit…off sometimes? However, when I view the lunacy of the left and Democrats towards him…I think he must be doing something right!!

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  45. It would be a terrible indictment of the church in America if that quote is true. It would indicate that we had put our eggs in the political basket, and that what “energizes” us is protecting our president rather than growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and seeing the lost saved.

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  47. Re; Karen’s 2:32
    I see no evidence that any church I know of is concerned about politics.
    I had lunch with the men in my SS class Friday. They support Trump. Other than that, I see no evidence of evangelical leader’s participation.
    Though I can see that they may be concerned because of the direction the liberals are taking our nation.
    I fear for the younger generation.

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  48. I’d say the church in America has perhaps become more wary (which is good) about becoming too entangled in politics. Quite a few in my own church, including my current and retired pastors, are not Trump ‘supporters,’ although they despair probably more of what the “other” side offers. Not a great set of circumstances facing us right now.

    We should be involved as citizens and not squander our ability in this country to take part in choosing our leaders. But it’s also vital to remember the church and civic government are different realms of authority (but both under God’s authority). It’s always important for believers to keep a proper perspective of what is most important.

    We sang O Come All Ye Faithful and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing today in church. Because Thanksgiving landed right at the tail end of November, it’s just felt like a very abrupt transition into full-on Christmas for me this year.

    Friend and I were going to go to Knott’s tomorrow but I think I have to get Tess in to the vet for this ear infection, she may need some antibiotics. So hopefully we can reschedule the Knott’s trip for Tuesday or Wednesday.

    I still haven’t gotten into the garage to dig out the decorations (along with the wrapping paper, cards, etc.). And today I’m just really sleepy, started feeling it during church and so I think I have a nap and not much work in my future for the rest of today.

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  50. I can only recall being in one church in the past many years that even alluded to a right and wrong in politics. The focus has been on Jesus Christ and learning to be more like Him through the Word. We were in an E Free church in Utah for 9 11 and even then, the focus was on pointing the crowds (and there were) to Christ as the answer.

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  51. Roscuro- I never thought about how dark the Hobbit movies were, but I see that now that you mention it. When I heard it was going to be two movies, I thought it would be okay, since 1 movie would have been too long. Then when it went to three, I knew it would not be good.

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  53. Oh, my. On one of my Facebook posts, one of my FB friends wrote that Christians are “the most uppity, judgmental a******s you’ll ever have the displeasure of knowing.” I commented politely that I am a Christian and I respectfully disagree, and said that it is the negative ones in any group (the vocal minority) who get the most attention. She said she respected that.

    Then another Christian friend came along and parsed her words, pointing out that she is being judgmental herself, and seems to have offended her. Oh, great. 😦

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  55. Kizzie, the “evangelicals” around Trump are actually heretics, as I understand. The word “evangelical” doesn’t actually mean very much anymore, and the evangelical pastors who have prayed, counseled, etc. are not even on the edge of heresy, they are all the way over the edge. (I can think of two in particular, with an additional one probably on the edge.) And some of Trump’s supporters talk of him almost as if he is a god. So it is actually possible someone did indeed say something like that.

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  56. Roscuro, had I been finding a friend to see the “Hobbit” with me, I wouldn’t have bothered to see the second one–and the second was worse than the first, so you were wise to stop when you did. I think it was just my husband and me who saw the first one, and maybe the girls saw it but separately from us. Then our older daughter wanted to see the second one, and so my husband and I went as a family event (we haven’t seen other movies together), though he and I might not have bothered if she hadn’t been interested. And when she wanted to see the third we figured might as well wrap it up and have it over with. The third was the best, and if the first had been done as well, I’d have been less hesitant . . . but overall it was indeed a video game and nothing like the quality of LOTR. One wonders how the ball got dropped so badly.

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  57. Has anyone heard of dogs freaking out over the scent of roasting lamb? I guess it’s “a thing” — one of my friends who has an Aussie said they were cooking lamb and the dog went nuts, ran and hid, would not come near the kitchen and wouldn’t even go near his water or food bowls for over 24 hours. She looked it up online and found other similar stories. Very weird.

    I agree with Cheryl regarding heretics being among the more vocal and public so-called ‘evangelical’ followers of Trump — and that ‘evangelical’ isn’t even a very useful term anymore.

    I recall a study that was done of those who self-identified as ‘evangelicals’ and voted for Trump — they tended to not be active church members (or even hardly church goers/members at all) so those polls really can’t be taken very seriously.

    But back to impeachment, this whole process is just making the state of our divided culture so much worse than it has been (which is hard to even imagine). Seems like we’re in uncharted political waters in the U.S. at this particular time.

    I guess I was really tired, took a 3-hour nap this afternoon. Nice not to have to go back to work tomorrow but I wish my energy levels were higher.

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