Rainy, cold, and dreary here, too, Chas. It would probably be an ideal day to go vote since the numbers will be down. It
just means longer lines when the weather is better.
Good morning! At least Miss Bosley thinks so since she is cuddled up and purring. ♡ Eight years and she keeps right on purring. The Energizer Kitty.
My busiest semester ever is winding down. One college class done, the other ends tonight. I just have to grade finals (online, only 10 of them total). The high school is not doing finals this year, so I won’t have that to do. Everyone is looking forward to time off.
Good morning. Sounds rainy and cold here as well, though I have not been out. Little older cousin got up bright and early this morning so I have been doing that stuff and making her and her cousin and granny’s cream of wheat. They like theirs with cheddar cheese in it. I prefer walnuts, butter, and cinnamon. It works. She is asleep on Gramps while the cream of wheat is cooling. Hmm. Gramps is asleep also. Those recliners are handy.
Lots of forms to fill out today and I need to drive close to an hour to Walmart to get the pneumonia vaccine. Public health will give me the polio and flu on the 31st. What a way to end the year
Oy, that LA school district. Most of our failing students are ones who don’t turn in the work. I have one who only took the tests, but did nothing else. He’s back in school full time now, and might squeak by with a D because of a 1st quarter B.
I am so sorry for all the young people who have fallen through the cracks these past months. Also for those who are missing out on good bible teaching, because of Covid. OTOH, many young people are learning how helpless we are as human beings when it comes to natural happenings. That is not a bad lesson. I also thank God for my own children who over see what their children need to learn.
With my shoulder pain keeping me from sleep, I have, more than once, missed having a recliner. I have a rocker made by my dad in the place where we used to have a recliner. It is patterned on a rocker brought from Germany that his mother had. He made one for each of his children. The funny thing is that he also made one for a cousin on my mom’s side of the family. She was admiring a rocker and commented she would love one of those. He thought she meant this full size rocker. She was actually commenting on a small doll rocker he had made, so she was very surprised to receive the full size one!
My relative commented that many students are falling way, way, behind, and he’s particularly concerned about students with learning disabilities. Basically, they’re throwing away a year of school.
Morning Chas and all! Aj that photo is once again just beautiful..is that a frozen creek or a path? It just makes me miss winters back home….
We cancelled our small group last night. It was to be at our leader’s home and they may have been exposed to the virus…no symptoms but we felt it prudent to stay home. This thing has certainly become a factor in so areas of our lives.
Praying for you Jo as you prepare to fly away home…and I am thrilled for you!
I got caught up with all my vaccines this year — well, I still need the second of the shingles shots & a measles shot, but that will do it for me. And, of course, the Covid vaccine, I won’t decline that one for sure. 🙂 Jo, can you at least get that one at your destination? I’m surprised they aren’t requiring it, though, since I thought it was the pandemic that was preventing your return in the first place?
Things are a mess out here, as Michelle suggested. There’s also continued bickering (putting it mildly) over the businesses that remain open despite the closure orders. One group insists these small businesses are just doing what they need to do to survive; the other side, exhibiting some rather scary “control” instincts, is livid and in a state of frustration (even outrage) over what they see is the lack of following the rules.
It seems that we’ve finally hit the point of turning on each other in this pandemic — and it isn’t pretty.
I’ve been reading in Habakkuk 1 today. The book is a lament about the disdain of the Israelites in Judah toward God after Babylon captured the Northern Kingdom.
Habakkuk sees the apostasy of those around him who do not honor God–and he complains.
Look what Enduring Word had to say in 1:17’s commentary:
Why do You look on those who deal treacherously:
Habakkuk was first troubled that there was no judgment against Judah; God answered by telling him judgment was on the way. Then Habakkuk was troubled by the agent of judgment, the Babylonians – who were an even more wicked people than the people of Judah.
i. It would be like crying out to God about the state of the church in America, and hearing God respond by saying, “I’ll fix the problem by an enemy invasion of America.” We might say, “Wait a minute LORD – the problem is bad, but Your cure is worse than the disease!”
ii. Some people face crisis times like this all the wrong way. They withdraw from the church and from fellowship and they pull back into a little spiritual corner. Others give up on God altogether. Lloyd-Jones guides us to a better response:
· Stop to think – before talking about it, think about it.
· Restate basic principles – As you think about the problem, don’t begin with the problem. Go back further to basic principles about God and His dealing with man.
· Apply the principles to the problem – now, think about your problem in light of these basic principles.
· Commit the matter to God in faith – whether you know what to do or not.
Kare, those weights sound fantastic if they’re accurate. I don’t know if they can measure in utero weight more accurately now than they could 20 years ago, but when my sister was pregnant with her firstborn, the weight they estimated for him scared her enough that she had him induced lest he be “too big” and she would have to have a C-section. I don’t remember the details, but the weight they estimated was way heavier than he was when he was born a week or so later (when he should have been heavier still). As I recall they were off by at least two pounds, or 25% or so.
But whatever weights they end up being, they sound like they are really thriving. You are going to get a wonderful Christmas present this year!
Just received an email from the pastor of our sister church — where I and many others were attending outdoor services (I pulled back 3 weeks ago after the numbers started surging countywide) — tested positive for Covid this morning. He’s young and strong, but has all the classic symptoms which he said began coming on right before the church service last week. The session is calling off in-person services for two weeks.
I worry about my home church (we share some session members) which is still meeting indoors with masks ‘optional.’ Haven’t heard whether they’ll pull back also now or not.
I finished my Christmas shopping…Barnes and Noble was my last shoppe to hit…but then again I thought I had finished last week…just like Colombo…”just one more thing”! 😊
Kare we are waiting with much anticipation for those grand babies to arrive…such an exciting Christmas for you!!
Dj I am concerned about some attitude concerning the virus. I think for the time being we should just be streaming the service but our church sent out an email citing the court ruling that the government cannot prohibit our meeting…but I wonder if that is trumping the safety of the congregants? We aren’t going to be attending for a while…
I have no idea how she’s doing it, but she is a rock star. She’s seeing a specialist for multiple births and they’ve had to do 3D u/s, so I think that might help in weight guestimation?
Nancyjill, I entirely agree with regard to in-person worship when numbers skyrocket. Just because we can (and should be able to) exercise our right to public, in-person worship doesn’t mean it’s always wise to do so in all circumstances.
Our ICU beds are down to something like only 2% availability right now.
I’ll be curious to see what our home church decides to do in light of all this. I’ve never thought the mask-optional second service was wise — in fact it seemed reckless to me — but we had very split views among our elders so they proceeded to try to have something for everyone, from virtual service to a controlled mask- and reservations-required early service to the mask-optional service — and including the outdoor option at our sister church for those who preferred to go there.
Sad news for our family. I have often mentioned my maternal family on here, which is quite close knit. We learned today that my mother’s eldest sister has inoperable pancreatic cancer. It is the same form of cancer her first husband died of, and he died within a week if his diagnosis. My aunt, after the deaths of my grandparents, has been the surrogate matriarch of the family, the hub of information concerning the various branches. Her sons, in recognition of that, have been reaching out to all those various branches to let us know before it is mentioned on FB. Her first son is supposed to leave in the New Year for Southeast Asia, where he and his wife are missionaries. Her second son is the pastor of a church Toronto. Her third son, who has been taking good care of her and her husband all through COVID, just became a grandfather. Between the three sons and their wives, she has eight grandchildren, three of whom are married and two great-grandchildren. Three of her siblings and their spouses are still alive – I have mentioned my uncle and aunt who died within a year of each other – and she has eighteen nieces and nephews, all married except one who is widowed and myself, and 40 grandnieces and nephews. She also, via her second marriage, has two step daughters and their families. Until COVID struck, she and her husband were active in seniors ministry in their church – some of those seniors subsequently passed away from COVID. Her first husband, whom I have mentioned was a Jewish refugee from Germany, was a well loved and respected pastor and one of the gentlest and wisest men our family ever knew. Her second husband is also quiet and wise, and though he is not a pastor, he has taught many Sunday School lessons and Bible studies. My maternal grandparents both died while in their seventies, and my aunt, my eldest uncle (who is not in the best of health), and my mother are all now in that decade of life.
I also learned yesterday, via a message conversation with Aji suun, that my namesake died in the summer of this year. I was given a Wolof name when I went to the village, as all those who work on the team are. It is a way of incorporating us into the community. In the culture, being named after someone means that the members of their family become your family members. The son and daughter, who have both predeceased their mother, of my namesake used to call me their mother. So many of those whom I knew there have died in the seven years since I returned. My namesake might have died of COVID, because of the symptoms she had and the fact that surviving members of her family also reported characteristic COVID symptoms, but it is not known for certain. As Aji suun says people die of so many causes with similar symptoms, and health service is so limited, that it is hard to know how deaths it has actually caused.
I just got to the end of the little book I am reading, Praying the Bible, by Donald Whitney.
Here is a quote about something I never considered before:
“Jesus prayed the Psalms. The final act of his earthly life was to pray the words of a Psalm.”
Yes, Roscuro, you have much to feel grieved about. So sorry to hear of all that loss.
My brother attended a funeral for our cousin today over in AL near MS. Our cousin was in his 60’s and never married. He was found s by a sibling and spouse (I can’t remember if it was a sister or brother). He died from COPD.
I got a call from the health dept while I was in Walmart and there is a cancellation tomorrow so I will go in for the other two shots that I need.
Keeping busy….
Now I am filling out the request to quarantine in Ukarumpa and the international air passenger travel form. I had to have a dish of ice cream first to help me along.
Wandering Views 
God morning everyone.
It’s rainy and 32 degrees in Greensboro. Just cold enough. But everything is OK so far.
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Rainy, cold, and dreary here, too, Chas. It would probably be an ideal day to go vote since the numbers will be down. It
just means longer lines when the weather is better.
Good morning! At least Miss Bosley thinks so since she is cuddled up and purring. ♡ Eight years and she keeps right on purring. The Energizer Kitty.
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Jo said she is flying January 17th and does not need the vaccine. Feeling much joy over that Christmas blessing.
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Greetings to all.
My busiest semester ever is winding down. One college class done, the other ends tonight. I just have to grade finals (online, only 10 of them total). The high school is not doing finals this year, so I won’t have that to do. Everyone is looking forward to time off.
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Good morning. Sounds rainy and cold here as well, though I have not been out. Little older cousin got up bright and early this morning so I have been doing that stuff and making her and her cousin and granny’s cream of wheat. They like theirs with cheddar cheese in it. I prefer walnuts, butter, and cinnamon. It works. She is asleep on Gramps while the cream of wheat is cooling. Hmm. Gramps is asleep also. Those recliners are handy.
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I like yours best, Mumsee.
Our Bible study leader is sick so I am not sure if we are having that this a.m.
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LA City School District, without discussion with the union, told its teachers they cannot fail any students this semester.
They want teachers to tutor any failing students over Christmas break.
Student COVID cases are going through the roof— parents bringing it home.
It’s unsettling and disturbing out here.
One RN we know got the vaccine yesterday; great relief for many.
I’m praying for rain.
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Aren’t you glad, Janice, that we convinced you to keep that kitten! Lol
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Lots of forms to fill out today and I need to drive close to an hour to Walmart to get the pneumonia vaccine. Public health will give me the polio and flu on the 31st. What a way to end the year
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Oy, that LA school district. Most of our failing students are ones who don’t turn in the work. I have one who only took the tests, but did nothing else. He’s back in school full time now, and might squeak by with a D because of a 1st quarter B.
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I am so sorry for all the young people who have fallen through the cracks these past months. Also for those who are missing out on good bible teaching, because of Covid. OTOH, many young people are learning how helpless we are as human beings when it comes to natural happenings. That is not a bad lesson. I also thank God for my own children who over see what their children need to learn.
With my shoulder pain keeping me from sleep, I have, more than once, missed having a recliner. I have a rocker made by my dad in the place where we used to have a recliner. It is patterned on a rocker brought from Germany that his mother had. He made one for each of his children. The funny thing is that he also made one for a cousin on my mom’s side of the family. She was admiring a rocker and commented she would love one of those. He thought she meant this full size rocker. She was actually commenting on a small doll rocker he had made, so she was very surprised to receive the full size one!
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Jo – You mentioned not needing the Covid vaccine. But wouldn’t it be a good idea to get that anyway?
*******
Kathaleena – Praying for easing of pain, and for healing, of your shoulder.
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13 !
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My relative commented that many students are falling way, way, behind, and he’s particularly concerned about students with learning disabilities. Basically, they’re throwing away a year of school.
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I love the Messiah: https://email.breakpoint.org/the-story-behind-handels-messiah?
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Morning Chas and all! Aj that photo is once again just beautiful..is that a frozen creek or a path? It just makes me miss winters back home….
We cancelled our small group last night. It was to be at our leader’s home and they may have been exposed to the virus…no symptoms but we felt it prudent to stay home. This thing has certainly become a factor in so areas of our lives.
Praying for you Jo as you prepare to fly away home…and I am thrilled for you!
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I got caught up with all my vaccines this year — well, I still need the second of the shingles shots & a measles shot, but that will do it for me. And, of course, the Covid vaccine, I won’t decline that one for sure. 🙂 Jo, can you at least get that one at your destination? I’m surprised they aren’t requiring it, though, since I thought it was the pandemic that was preventing your return in the first place?
Things are a mess out here, as Michelle suggested. There’s also continued bickering (putting it mildly) over the businesses that remain open despite the closure orders. One group insists these small businesses are just doing what they need to do to survive; the other side, exhibiting some rather scary “control” instincts, is livid and in a state of frustration (even outrage) over what they see is the lack of following the rules.
It seems that we’ve finally hit the point of turning on each other in this pandemic — and it isn’t pretty.
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But I, too, am happy for you Jo 🙂 Merry Christmas
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I’ve been reading in Habakkuk 1 today. The book is a lament about the disdain of the Israelites in Judah toward God after Babylon captured the Northern Kingdom.
Habakkuk sees the apostasy of those around him who do not honor God–and he complains.
Look what Enduring Word had to say in 1:17’s commentary:
Why do You look on those who deal treacherously:
Habakkuk was first troubled that there was no judgment against Judah; God answered by telling him judgment was on the way. Then Habakkuk was troubled by the agent of judgment, the Babylonians – who were an even more wicked people than the people of Judah.
i. It would be like crying out to God about the state of the church in America, and hearing God respond by saying, “I’ll fix the problem by an enemy invasion of America.” We might say, “Wait a minute LORD – the problem is bad, but Your cure is worse than the disease!”
ii. Some people face crisis times like this all the wrong way. They withdraw from the church and from fellowship and they pull back into a little spiritual corner. Others give up on God altogether. Lloyd-Jones guides us to a better response:
· Stop to think – before talking about it, think about it.
· Restate basic principles – As you think about the problem, don’t begin with the problem. Go back further to basic principles about God and His dealing with man.
· Apply the principles to the problem – now, think about your problem in light of these basic principles.
· Commit the matter to God in faith – whether you know what to do or not.
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I just received The Swan House book through Prime from Wesley (B/D gift). Thanks, Michelle, for your recommendation.
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As an Atlanta native, you’ll really enjoy it.
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Sigh. My daughter-in-law just sent me a video of Tiggerboy singing his new favorite song: “Grandma got run over by a vacuum!”
Trying not to take it personally . . .
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Michelle, you raised enough boys to know they can be very silly creatures.
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Update: December 23 is likely date for a c-section. Babies are 6 pounds and 5 pounds 14oz. I guess I’ll just have to wait. 🙂
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Kare, those weights sound fantastic if they’re accurate. I don’t know if they can measure in utero weight more accurately now than they could 20 years ago, but when my sister was pregnant with her firstborn, the weight they estimated for him scared her enough that she had him induced lest he be “too big” and she would have to have a C-section. I don’t remember the details, but the weight they estimated was way heavier than he was when he was born a week or so later (when he should have been heavier still). As I recall they were off by at least two pounds, or 25% or so.
But whatever weights they end up being, they sound like they are really thriving. You are going to get a wonderful Christmas present this year!
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Just received an email from the pastor of our sister church — where I and many others were attending outdoor services (I pulled back 3 weeks ago after the numbers started surging countywide) — tested positive for Covid this morning. He’s young and strong, but has all the classic symptoms which he said began coming on right before the church service last week. The session is calling off in-person services for two weeks.
I worry about my home church (we share some session members) which is still meeting indoors with masks ‘optional.’ Haven’t heard whether they’ll pull back also now or not.
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Fantastic weights, indeed, for twins! The poor mama carrying so much weight!
Do they really think she’ll last until next week???
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Joy on the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth, for your listening pleasure:
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I finished my Christmas shopping…Barnes and Noble was my last shoppe to hit…but then again I thought I had finished last week…just like Colombo…”just one more thing”! 😊
Kare we are waiting with much anticipation for those grand babies to arrive…such an exciting Christmas for you!!
Dj I am concerned about some attitude concerning the virus. I think for the time being we should just be streaming the service but our church sent out an email citing the court ruling that the government cannot prohibit our meeting…but I wonder if that is trumping the safety of the congregants? We aren’t going to be attending for a while…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have no idea how she’s doing it, but she is a rock star. She’s seeing a specialist for multiple births and they’ve had to do 3D u/s, so I think that might help in weight guestimation?
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Christmas babies, how exciting Kare
Nancyjill, I entirely agree with regard to in-person worship when numbers skyrocket. Just because we can (and should be able to) exercise our right to public, in-person worship doesn’t mean it’s always wise to do so in all circumstances.
Our ICU beds are down to something like only 2% availability right now.
I’ll be curious to see what our home church decides to do in light of all this. I’ve never thought the mask-optional second service was wise — in fact it seemed reckless to me — but we had very split views among our elders so they proceeded to try to have something for everyone, from virtual service to a controlled mask- and reservations-required early service to the mask-optional service — and including the outdoor option at our sister church for those who preferred to go there.
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Sad news for our family. I have often mentioned my maternal family on here, which is quite close knit. We learned today that my mother’s eldest sister has inoperable pancreatic cancer. It is the same form of cancer her first husband died of, and he died within a week if his diagnosis. My aunt, after the deaths of my grandparents, has been the surrogate matriarch of the family, the hub of information concerning the various branches. Her sons, in recognition of that, have been reaching out to all those various branches to let us know before it is mentioned on FB. Her first son is supposed to leave in the New Year for Southeast Asia, where he and his wife are missionaries. Her second son is the pastor of a church Toronto. Her third son, who has been taking good care of her and her husband all through COVID, just became a grandfather. Between the three sons and their wives, she has eight grandchildren, three of whom are married and two great-grandchildren. Three of her siblings and their spouses are still alive – I have mentioned my uncle and aunt who died within a year of each other – and she has eighteen nieces and nephews, all married except one who is widowed and myself, and 40 grandnieces and nephews. She also, via her second marriage, has two step daughters and their families. Until COVID struck, she and her husband were active in seniors ministry in their church – some of those seniors subsequently passed away from COVID. Her first husband, whom I have mentioned was a Jewish refugee from Germany, was a well loved and respected pastor and one of the gentlest and wisest men our family ever knew. Her second husband is also quiet and wise, and though he is not a pastor, he has taught many Sunday School lessons and Bible studies. My maternal grandparents both died while in their seventies, and my aunt, my eldest uncle (who is not in the best of health), and my mother are all now in that decade of life.
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I also learned yesterday, via a message conversation with Aji suun, that my namesake died in the summer of this year. I was given a Wolof name when I went to the village, as all those who work on the team are. It is a way of incorporating us into the community. In the culture, being named after someone means that the members of their family become your family members. The son and daughter, who have both predeceased their mother, of my namesake used to call me their mother. So many of those whom I knew there have died in the seven years since I returned. My namesake might have died of COVID, because of the symptoms she had and the fact that surviving members of her family also reported characteristic COVID symptoms, but it is not known for certain. As Aji suun says people die of so many causes with similar symptoms, and health service is so limited, that it is hard to know how deaths it has actually caused.
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Oh Roscuro, those are sad reports. So sorry!
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I just got to the end of the little book I am reading, Praying the Bible, by Donald Whitney.
Here is a quote about something I never considered before:
“Jesus prayed the Psalms. The final act of his earthly life was to pray the words of a Psalm.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, Roscuro, you have much to feel grieved about. So sorry to hear of all that loss.
My brother attended a funeral for our cousin today over in AL near MS. Our cousin was in his 60’s and never married. He was found s by a sibling and spouse (I can’t remember if it was a sister or brother). He died from COPD.
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I am trying to see if my friend Karen might get the Swan House audiobook since reading is difficult for her.
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Roscuro, I am so sorry for your multiple losses.
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As am I, Roscuro. 😦
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I got a call from the health dept while I was in Walmart and there is a cancellation tomorrow so I will go in for the other two shots that I need.
Keeping busy….
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Now I am filling out the request to quarantine in Ukarumpa and the international air passenger travel form. I had to have a dish of ice cream first to help me along.
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