Without the scraggly shrubs out front, it feels like we have a new home. I wonder if the Christmas cactus by the kitchen window will now get enough light to thrive. Little changes make a big difference.
Morning.
A most Happy Anniversary to you Linda and Steve!
Catch up day for me today. All those things not accomplished while guests were here this week. I actually napped yesterday, which I never do but I was exhausted! Now to set the guest room to rights. I miss that sweet niece already 😊
oh, so tired. We didn’t get back from the beach until 11:30 last night. And then I discovered my sun burn which made it difficult to sleep. Need to go buy some aloe vera.
I am glad that I went. It is always cool at the beach and to be with the grands was fun. I discovered that my oldest grandson actually talks and makes jokes. I had seen him as only silent.
Also did some bonding especially with the foster grand daughter. She gets left out at times.
I need a nap. I am with NJ. just wandering the house putting things away.
For those of you wondering what on earth is going on with the UFO fantasy coming out of the usual places, check out what our hero, Astrophysicist Hugh Ross has to say about the liklihood:
Here is my brief response to David Grusch's testimony before a U.S. congress committee two days ago: David Grusch was reticent about repeating his previous media-recorded claims as this article documents: https://t.co/TcSKgxuSYW…. pic.twitter.com/RQUSg3DTHZ
Our heat seems to be breaking, at least here on the coastal strip of SoCal. Last night the air was cooler and the house thermostat — with windows wide open — was at 74 around 9 p.m. (rather than 82 from the few nights before). This morning it’s overcast and cool. Yay.
More to come with the heat, I’m sure — August and September are our brutal months — but for now it feels much better.
(Although friend who lives in northern LA, “The Valley,” an hour’s drive away and inland through the foothills, told me it was 105 there yesterday.)
Work is busy, couple stories to do today & helping one of our crime reporters w/contacts on a local shooting that killed someone attending a summer event last night. (Crime reporters are spread throughout our now-large, multi-county area and don’t have the contacts that beat reporters have for specific areas.)
We had an overnight traffic tragedy where four people and a dog were killed with their vehicle going 100 mph on the stretch of expressway Art travels daily. It was at 1 a.m. and no racing was involved. Three were siblings, all teenagers or young twenties. The driver of the other car was not badly injured. I think they hit that car and maybe flipped with two ejected and two left in the burnong car. Hopefully dead before fire raged. The poor devastated parents.😒
~ … One of the great joys of believing in the absolute sovereignty of God over all things is knowing that he is in control of every falling bird (Matthew 10:29) and all the movements of the farthest galaxies (Isaiah 40:26).
Nothing anywhere in the universe happens apart from his plan. Whatever he causes directly, or whatever he permits less directly — everything happens in accord with his all-wise, all-just, all-merciful plan. He “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).
So no UFOs are showing up except by the plan of God. If they are fake, he rules over fake. If they are real, he rules over real. There are no cracks in complete sovereignty. Nothing squeaks through. God governs illusions. God governs atmospheric conundrums. God governs all the reaches of space and everything in it. … ~
The Guardian link isn’t working, but there is some of the discussion attached to the Tweet.
What I told someone who said to me I’ve limited legitimate inquiry into unexplained things by believing in the Scriptures —
Not really, not at all, though there is a framework in which we believe the creation exists.
But the scope of all of it we can’t fully see.
God tells us what we need to know, but He hasn’t told us *everything* and glimpses of mysteries in this world continue to mystify. As Ross points out, there could be spiritual explanations of phenomenon … maybe, possibly. We don’t know.
I, too, find it hard to believe, though, that the government would be able to successfully “cover up” actual confirmed knowledge of aliens from outer space for years.
Human nature makes us too prone to gab and spill secrets. Reporters rely on it.
And as a good reporter you know to look–what’s the other story we’re missing when people are fixing on something like this? 🙂
My favorite–and the most accessible for this tiny brain–book of his is Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men in which he comments that most of the UFO sighting reports are from people whose family–or they themselves–have occult experiences.
UFOs have been seen throughout the generations–and the technology is always just a little ahead of the most technological advances of the times. One of the Roman generals reported a “flying saucer,” in the sky some 2000 years ago.
Sorry they’re so late. We had a 3 1/2 hour drive to take the grandchilden from their house to a cave in the Ozarks. Then a 3 hour drive to our house. I’m bushed. Tomorrow we hope to to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL. It’s only 90 minutes away.
Loved this excerpt from a journalist writing about his long career in regional and community journalism, but also w/NYT back in the day (and written on the occasion of the Santa Barbara daily, in business since the 1800s, quietly shutting down recently 😦 ):
~ … When I reflect on those “good old days,” I’m struck by the dedication we had to our shared mission.
No matter the job or the department, we — including the ownership — understood we were stewards of the newspaper for just a short while, that it belonged to the community and not to us. …
We were building on the foundation left by those who came before us, and none of us wanted to be the one who screwed it up for those who would come after.
… we were committed to covering our community with thoroughness, integrity and respect. … (creating) a culture in which our professional journalists report the truth, not their biases. ~
Seems like all we have in so much of journalism now, I’m sorry to say, mainly on the “big (national) stage,” and especially in our internet/social media era, is biased on one side or the other.
Readers or viewers get bounced back and forth and have no clue what to believe.
The same story is reported completely differently depending on what you consume.
Or sometimes not reported at all.
Or sometimes reported repetitively, non-stop, 24 hours a day, repetitively.
And I see that my intro paragraph @7:20, well, makes no sense. Huh. Go figure.
I’d blame the cat for walking on my keyboard but I guess that requires me to get another cat before that excuse can work.
Meanwhile, I’m facing trying to ‘dissemble’ the giant, hulking and 12- to 13-year-old “cat tree” towering over the living room. Time to move it out. It served its purpose well, Annie loved it and it saved my furniture — she slept on it, scratched it fiercely several times a day. But I need the space back, especially now that I also have the Extra Large wire dog crate taking up so much real estate in the living room. Ugh.
But I don’t think I kept the Allen wrench (hex wrench?) the cat tree came with (took me at least 3 hours to put that thing together), so I’ll see what I can find, borrow or buy that’ll fit the fasteners to undo it. Only way to get it out of here is in pieces.
Wandering Views 
Good morning from H’lanta. Enough already.
Without the scraggly shrubs out front, it feels like we have a new home. I wonder if the Christmas cactus by the kitchen window will now get enough light to thrive. Little changes make a big difference.
Anything funny today, Peter?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Morning.
A most Happy Anniversary to you Linda and Steve!
Catch up day for me today. All those things not accomplished while guests were here this week. I actually napped yesterday, which I never do but I was exhausted! Now to set the guest room to rights. I miss that sweet niece already 😊
LikeLiked by 3 people
❤Happy Anniversary❤ to Linda and Steve! May you have a special day of loving memories of the past mixed with making good memories for the future!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Happy Anniversary, Linda and Steve and may you have many more blessed years together.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Good article on reaching the next generation (for those with grandchildren or youngish adult children):
https://research.lifeway.com/2023/07/26/2-questions-the-next-generations-are-asking-and-how-the-church-can-answer-them/
LikeLike
Happy Anniversary, Linda and Steve!
LikeLiked by 1 person
oh, so tired. We didn’t get back from the beach until 11:30 last night. And then I discovered my sun burn which made it difficult to sleep. Need to go buy some aloe vera.
I am glad that I went. It is always cool at the beach and to be with the grands was fun. I discovered that my oldest grandson actually talks and makes jokes. I had seen him as only silent.
Also did some bonding especially with the foster grand daughter. She gets left out at times.
I need a nap. I am with NJ. just wandering the house putting things away.
LikeLiked by 5 people
For those of you wondering what on earth is going on with the UFO fantasy coming out of the usual places, check out what our hero, Astrophysicist Hugh Ross has to say about the liklihood:
LikeLiked by 2 people
Huh?
LikeLike
Happy anniversary Linda and Steve —
Our heat seems to be breaking, at least here on the coastal strip of SoCal. Last night the air was cooler and the house thermostat — with windows wide open — was at 74 around 9 p.m. (rather than 82 from the few nights before). This morning it’s overcast and cool. Yay.
More to come with the heat, I’m sure — August and September are our brutal months — but for now it feels much better.
(Although friend who lives in northern LA, “The Valley,” an hour’s drive away and inland through the foothills, told me it was 105 there yesterday.)
LikeLiked by 3 people
Work is busy, couple stories to do today & helping one of our crime reporters w/contacts on a local shooting that killed someone attending a summer event last night. (Crime reporters are spread throughout our now-large, multi-county area and don’t have the contacts that beat reporters have for specific areas.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
LikeLiked by 2 people
We had an overnight traffic tragedy where four people and a dog were killed with their vehicle going 100 mph on the stretch of expressway Art travels daily. It was at 1 a.m. and no racing was involved. Three were siblings, all teenagers or young twenties. The driver of the other car was not badly injured. I think they hit that car and maybe flipped with two ejected and two left in the burnong car. Hopefully dead before fire raged. The poor devastated parents.😒
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s so sad, Janice. How awful for those families. 😦
Oh, and the shooting that killed a man in our area last night happened at an anti-violence summer event at a community center. 😦
Looking forward to checking out Michelle’s link. All very curious.
This is from a few years ago from John Piper:
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/ufos-and-the-laughter-of-faith
~ … One of the great joys of believing in the absolute sovereignty of God over all things is knowing that he is in control of every falling bird (Matthew 10:29) and all the movements of the farthest galaxies (Isaiah 40:26).
Nothing anywhere in the universe happens apart from his plan. Whatever he causes directly, or whatever he permits less directly — everything happens in accord with his all-wise, all-just, all-merciful plan. He “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).
So no UFOs are showing up except by the plan of God. If they are fake, he rules over fake. If they are real, he rules over real. There are no cracks in complete sovereignty. Nothing squeaks through. God governs illusions. God governs atmospheric conundrums. God governs all the reaches of space and everything in it. … ~
LikeLiked by 2 people
The Guardian link isn’t working, but there is some of the discussion attached to the Tweet.
What I told someone who said to me I’ve limited legitimate inquiry into unexplained things by believing in the Scriptures —
Not really, not at all, though there is a framework in which we believe the creation exists.
But the scope of all of it we can’t fully see.
God tells us what we need to know, but He hasn’t told us *everything* and glimpses of mysteries in this world continue to mystify. As Ross points out, there could be spiritual explanations of phenomenon … maybe, possibly. We don’t know.
I, too, find it hard to believe, though, that the government would be able to successfully “cover up” actual confirmed knowledge of aliens from outer space for years.
Human nature makes us too prone to gab and spill secrets. Reporters rely on it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And as a good reporter you know to look–what’s the other story we’re missing when people are fixing on something like this? 🙂
My favorite–and the most accessible for this tiny brain–book of his is Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men in which he comments that most of the UFO sighting reports are from people whose family–or they themselves–have occult experiences.
UFOs have been seen throughout the generations–and the technology is always just a little ahead of the most technological advances of the times. One of the Roman generals reported a “flying saucer,” in the sky some 2000 years ago.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Anything funny today, Peter? All you gotta do is click the red. There are several today.
Sorry they’re so late. We had a 3 1/2 hour drive to take the grandchilden from their house to a cave in the Ozarks. Then a 3 hour drive to our house. I’m bushed. Tomorrow we hope to to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL. It’s only 90 minutes away.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thanks, Peter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I liked best the one, Circling the Wagons.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The EMS workers who worked on that 1 a.m. crash are going to have treatment for PTSD. It was so awful.
LikeLike
Loved this excerpt from a journalist writing about his long career in regional and community journalism, but also w/NYT back in the day (and written on the occasion of the Santa Barbara daily, in business since the 1800s, quietly shutting down recently 😦 ):
~ … When I reflect on those “good old days,” I’m struck by the dedication we had to our shared mission.
No matter the job or the department, we — including the ownership — understood we were stewards of the newspaper for just a short while, that it belonged to the community and not to us. …
We were building on the foundation left by those who came before us, and none of us wanted to be the one who screwed it up for those who would come after.
… we were committed to covering our community with thoroughness, integrity and respect. … (creating) a culture in which our professional journalists report the truth, not their biases. ~
LikeLiked by 2 people
Seems like all we have in so much of journalism now, I’m sorry to say, mainly on the “big (national) stage,” and especially in our internet/social media era, is biased on one side or the other.
Readers or viewers get bounced back and forth and have no clue what to believe.
The same story is reported completely differently depending on what you consume.
Or sometimes not reported at all.
Or sometimes reported repetitively, non-stop, 24 hours a day, repetitively.
LikeLiked by 2 people
…. Ha. But I repeat myself …
LikeLiked by 2 people
DJ, thanks for the Piper piece at 3:18, I needed that today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So cute, Dj, in your repetitions.
LikeLike
And I see that my intro paragraph @7:20, well, makes no sense. Huh. Go figure.
I’d blame the cat for walking on my keyboard but I guess that requires me to get another cat before that excuse can work.
Meanwhile, I’m facing trying to ‘dissemble’ the giant, hulking and 12- to 13-year-old “cat tree” towering over the living room. Time to move it out. It served its purpose well, Annie loved it and it saved my furniture — she slept on it, scratched it fiercely several times a day. But I need the space back, especially now that I also have the Extra Large wire dog crate taking up so much real estate in the living room. Ugh.
But I don’t think I kept the Allen wrench (hex wrench?) the cat tree came with (took me at least 3 hours to put that thing together), so I’ll see what I can find, borrow or buy that’ll fit the fasteners to undo it. Only way to get it out of here is in pieces.
LikeLike
I think I found the wrench!
Junk drawer.
We always had one in the kitchen when I was growing up, best things ever.
LikeLiked by 1 person