Merry Christmas Everybody!

 

Oh, come let us adore Him.

Spring is in the Air

Well, springish.  It is snowing right now.  March is what you might call a diverse month.

Still, birds are whooping it up out there.

  Soon there will be youngsters and green grass.  

'Tis a time to ponder...

Happy Belated Holidays

 

I have been severely remiss about posting lately.  Lately- as in for weeks and months.  

Here is a shot of me taken by The Handsome One to thank the in-laws for their Christmas gifts. 

It may seem strange that a festive wreath is displayed next to shelves in a basement.  Actually, it's hanging from Malcom's enclosure.

From Malcom and all of us here at Bad Dog Ranch,

The Lord bless and keep you: The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you: The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.              -Numbers 6:24-26

Thanksgiving 2021

 

Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.                  ~Philippians 4:6

Thanksgiving 2020

 

By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

July 4, 2018

   

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

-Thomas Jefferson

He is Risen

We need an Easter reading.
How about some Paul?

OK.  I got one.  O death, where is your
victory?  O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power
of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who
gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ.

And Paul goes on to say: Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the
word of the Lord, knowing that in the
Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:55-58

Alleluia

A Simple Man

My cousin, Bob died last week.  He was what is often described as a simple man.  Bob wasn't famous.  He didn't have a fancy job title.  He liked to fish and to ride his motorcycle.  He loved his dogs.  He raised his daughter in the same city where he grew up.
 

 

I grew up in that city too.  Aunt Jean's house was a five minute bike ride away.  Bob was several years older than me.  He had a way about him, sort of, hey, you may never need my help but I'm watching out for you.  Chivalrous.

As adults, we saw each other now and then.  Bob always seemed glad to see me, to talk to me.
 

Now living two hours away from that hometown, I made the drive for Bob's funeral.  His wife of  31 years, now a widow, stood at the side of Bob's casket.  I hugged her.  "Roseanne, I'm so sorry."  Words that don't seem adequate.  Many people said those same words.  There really isn't anything else to say.  Still, it matters to say them.

A scene from a movie keeps playing in my mind.  Students at the New York ballet academy are walking down a hallway following the first class of the semester.  One girl who performed badly in class, says, "I swear I'm better than that.  I'm just so nervous."  Another girl says, "don't sweat it.  First day doesn't count, OK?"  Another girl, a veteran of the academy says, "everything counts here."

There were lots of  people at Bob's funeral.  Many of them were weeping.  This simple man touched many lives.  

Everything counts here.

Who Shall Abide in God’s Sanctuary?

O Lord, who shall sojourn in thy tent?
    Who shall dwell on thy holy hill?
 He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right,
    and speaks truth from his heart;
 who does not slander with his tongue,
    and does no evil to his friend,
   nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
 in whose eyes a reprobate is despised,
    but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
 who does not put out his money at interest,
    and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

 

- Psalm 15:1-5

Birds in Heaven

Winter has winded down and birds are whopping it up.  Robins gather, preparing to pair off.

Beyond the Robin filled tree, the raucous cry of Red-winged Black Birds mingles with the dour cry of Mourning doves.

A pair of swans flying no more than thirty feet overhead, their long necks stretched toward their destination, are silent, but for the whooshing of huge flapping wings.

Certain male ducks are quarrelling, jockeying to be Top Drake.

Mabel was a bird watcher- from the inside Finches to the outside Sparrows.  Last April when we brought baby ducks into the basement, Mabel was so fascinated, that in spite of the discomfort of stiff joints, she repeatedly charged down the stairs to visit the bird youngsters.

Sadly, Mabel didn't get to see the ducks grow up.

Mabel has been on my mind a lot lately.  She has been gone for not quite a year.  I thought I'd used up all my tears.  Not so.

There is, at least, some comfort in the certain hope that there are many many birds in Heaven with Mabel right now.

They Found Me

There are many things about living in suburbia that I do not miss.  For instance, the common occurrence whereby a car stuffed with people parks on the street. The people pile out.  After a brief huddle, they break into pairs and each pair heads off in a different direction.

That's right.  Jehovah Witnesses doing their thing.

Now that I am living rural, I figured the JW wouldn't bother bothering me anymore.

Not so.

Even though my house is some distance from the road, indeed, is barely visible from the road, still they came.  A car stuffed with people. 

I saw the car and went out to see who they were.  The car was pulling away.  A young man in the passenger seat told me they left me a pamphlet.

Sure enough.  There was a pamphlet on the back porch.  "Where can we find answers to life's big questions?" asks the pamphlet in bold letters.

On the next page, you are invited to visit the JW web site for the answers.  JW don't even bother to talk to us non JWs anymore.  They've got a website!  Must be quite the time saver.

The car stuffed full of JWs drove away before I could ask each one of them for their home address.

I was thinking of showing up uninvited at each of their homes and leaving a Rosary on their back porch.