Lenny

Lenny died this week. He would have been 90 in December. I am going tomorrow to Canada for the funeral. We met in 1972 and got mugged together. The families stayed together. Works like praying together. May your soul rest in peace Lenny.

Help

My friend Marmite invited a few people to camp on her property. Slowly they took over the property. They volunteered various jobs in return for the camping privilege - for which they billed her! I had originally thought they could do a few jobs around my house. No longer.

Walking

Walked the dogs tonight in the dark. Plenty of frogs out on the road which they did not see until they stepped on them or the frogs suddenly moved right in front of dogs' noses. Of course the dogs got interested in the frogs but they must not smell good, because, after a brief sniff, they continued with the walk. Then there was a loud thunder clap. Fritz must have thought that was a heavenly "no." He stopped and jumped into the air. Funny. The other two dogs did not care. Time to give New Jerusalem her English lesson.

Abortion and Health Care

Yes, we need health care reform. No, abortion is not health care, nor is it women's care nor some other fine-tuned euphemism for the word "murder." It should not be part of health care reform. Hitler never said that he would gas the Jews. Read a German newspaper of the times. The papers always talk about resettlement. We are "resettling" millions of innocent children. We resettling them right into heaven. Unfortunately, that is a job for God alone and not ours to make. We offer them up to the false gods of convenience, greed, depression, resentment, despair. False gods are worshipped by the rich and worshipped by the poor. The medical profession takes an oath to heal. There is no room to kill. Not at the beginning of life, not at the end of life, never. If we kill the unborn then people have to be concerned at what other stages of life, life becomes meaningless. However, let us not forget that millions of children die in this country because they have NO health insurance and get no care. Let us start with them. Let us overcome our differences and help the children.

About St. Fidelis

In 1674 P. Lucianus Marent von Schruns wrote:

Wanderer, stop and take in:

Here rests in holy peace

As his name says

Fidelis, a loyal steward.

Assiduously he tilled the field

and sowed the seed of truth.

And that he could bring Him sheaves of wheat

He nourished him with the blood of his heart

Look, He longs for you too

to be held in his heavenly barn

Oh don't deny him

swear to it before you depart.

The meeting

I ran into the self-appointed spiritual director for the Big Herod this morning. We all have to do some grocery shopping occasionally. His Excellency, the hawk, was over to their house already twice. "It was like my grandfather visiting." Oy veh.....The hawk gets along fine with the husband apparently. The husband is nice enough. It is a spiritual menage a trois with the Big Herod with which the husband seems to be OK. I hope this does not become a foursome.

Canada trip

Drove today over the border to Canada. Got stuck in traffic. So I was late for the lovely temple service by the Rabbi. No time to wash my feet prior to entering. Lovely kosher lunch. We did not mix milk and meat. Ooops??? What is in wanton soup? PORK? Rats. Sinned again. The Rabbi looks good and seems to be in good spirits. I bought some beads on the way home. To make some Jewish rosaries. The birdie was late coming out of his golden cage, so I missed him. Not sure what to think of the Big Herod's career plans - if he gets what he wants. On one hand, it will be good to see him out of the area. On the other hand, I can't reconcile myself that he should have such a plum job. He is too slick. Oh, well......

The branch

Things are very quiet at the branch. We roll down the cheese off the mountain. Miss Hitchley is on vacation. A volunteer showed up and we cleaned all the pyxes. They were nasty looking. Nobody had paid attention for a while. We washed and soaked and threw the water on the ground outside and then we polished and they all look like new. Took the office manager to lunch today. We have a new and very cheap and very good Chinese restaurant around the corner. It is a buffet for lunch and unbeatable. Great food. Today we had Mass with the elephants next door. The pastor said that the Gospel was handselected by the head elephant. That was funny. I am still sorting books. It was time. I had too many piles and they did not go together. Different subjects were mixed together. Now each subject has a bin or box or will have.

Sweet Dreams

I usually don't have any or better I don't often remember them which is good. Truthfully my dreams usually are the most unusual, stupid, idiotic stuff that a) I don't remember when I wake up b) would not know what to do with them c) when I do remember, I just get angry at the idiotic stuff I do dream about. So last night, miracle, I dreamed I not only met Mr. Right, but Mr. Perfect. Unfortunatly, I got a headache - in the dream - and I woke up. I also tied up New Jerusalem with her leash in a little packet - in the dream. Just shows you the dreams still have a long way to go to be perfect even with meeting Mr. Perfect. Oh yeah - Mr. Perfect wore a white military uniform. I think I lived in this neighborhood for too long! I also was about 30 years younger. Hey - Mr. Perfect can stay lost but where was the Fountain of Youth? I would like to find that again. Not to take the age away - just the wrinkles.

The Cooking Class

I had a great response to my cooking class. Twenty-four people sign-up. I gave two speeches today at the branch. Well, I will be another Julia Childs......We will start September 14th. I am doing a lot of reading to prepare myself. I love doing this. Can one baptize a lobster before sticking him into the hot water or IS THAT baptism? Perhaps one should anoint him prior.

Work

I made a nice flyer and sign-up sheet for the cooking class that I will teach on Monday nights. I will speak on Sunday after each shift in the cheese factory. That will be a first. Come to my cooking class on Monday nights! We will give you a toaster if you sign up today. If you don't sign-up, we have a way of finding you.

The Detail

I am driving a clunker car that I am not willing to trade in because I am too cheap and it drives fabulously. I have a good mechanic. Today I took it to be "detailed." It was getting pretty nasty looking and I have spilled coffee inside which looks gross. So the inside and the outside will get redone for $100. So this afternoon I will drive a spiffy clunker.

The Rabbi and Elvis

What is the difference between the Rabbi and Elvis? None - both are sighted occasionally and someone sighted the Rabbi here recently and wondered if he walked all the way from Canada. These days it is pretty humid to walk or do much of anything outside and I wonder if it was a mirage. Oh, no I just remember: bi-location! Yeah, that's it.

The Addition

The Big Herod is talking about the addition after each Mass. Apparently SOME people have gotten a walk through. Probably the "A" team. I am getting e-mails from people telling me that they are seeing a change in him as though he is ready to leave. I would not trust him with a 2 inch pole. He once referred to other priests as "snakes in the grass." I think he forgot that he is one of them.

The bus

The branch manager worked on his bus yesterday. A friend came down from Alaska - that is further up than Canada and helped him. He also got permission to park the bus next door where there is an old man who does favors. The bus needs to get painted. I have seen the bus. It will take a lot of paint. I does run. I am being told that that is miracle in itself because initially it did not run and people thought it would never run.

Friday mornings and chocolate

On Friday mornings I meet with my support group at the local Diner at 7 a.m. They seat us in the back of the place because we can be so rowdy. It is a fun group of women. Next to us is a men's group and we exchange insults. After that it I made a stop at the grocery store today for dog food. They get more pampered than I pamper myself. Nutritious snacks for healthy eyes and coats made out of banana and apples. They actually like it. I was surprised. I am tempted to try one of these myself but I rather stick to the little cheese cakes for humans which are my treats. One cheese cake for me and one banana and apple snack for each dog. They live healthier. I don't like chocolate in any form except pure dark chocolate in a bar or the delicious German chocolate with the 50 % brandy inside. No chocolate cake for me or chocolate sauces or other adulterated chocolate stuff. So when the nun orders a chocolate cake for herself I can truly enjoy it from a distance. It does nothing for me.

The luncheon today

I was invited to a luncheon today and I missed it because I thought I was invited out for dinner. C'est la vie. Bummer

The counter

I just noticed that the counter does not work. Just as well. I guess the people who provided it did not like it that I made some minor adjustment - like taking their name off. These counters used to be free and one could copy and paste. I have not found one of these any more.

Wonder about the names?

Every noticed how the Europeans like hyphenated names? The Swiss President is Hans-Rudolf Merz and the Swiss Justice Minister is Eveline Widmar-Schlumpf. OK: Patricia-Karen Smith-Owens. Well, it just does not sound right in English. For one thing, the last names have rarely much pizzas as Singelfingen-Heimerdinger. Can't beat that.

The Branch

The branch manager moved his bus today and I gave him a ride. He would like to get a dog. Why not? We did some German lessons today. He is getting pretty darn good.

Arrest in Epic Cyber Swindle

That was the headline in the WSJ a few days ago. It seems when there in an epic swindle two names are always mentioned: New Jersey and Miami. These two are always connected. The crooks in New Jersey must all vacation in Miami or the crooks in Miami mut all vacation in New Jersey. I think all have relatives somewhere in Russia. No offense dear Russians. This only pertains to people who do Cyber Swindles.

Celebrating a birthday

We celebrated the birthday of a brown hood out here. Friends invited him out and provided a lovely lunch in his honor. We gave him a complete set of Italian Opera CDs. That was a big hit. Afterwards the nun and her nephew (the little one) came over and the dogs got some play time. I just fed them - the dogs - and it is time to take them for a walk. It's early bed time for me because I have middle of the night adoration. Well, I pretend to go to bed early. I read and read and so I get a couple of hours sleep before I get up again.
Oh - I bought lovely white roses for the house this morning. I love flowers in the house and especially roses.

The family rosary

I try to pray the family rosary every afternoon. I pray it with the three dogs. Afterwards a little bit of bible reading then back to every day life: feed the dogs, walk them and put them to bed. They all have their preferences. Fritz sleeps in his crib, New Jerusalem sleeps with me and Paisley sleeps in a big lounge chair. I am reading several books and so folks this is the end for today.

What's Right to Life?

My pious friends are starting a Right to Life Committee out here, except it is actually an anti-abortion committee. That is where it ends. That is very noble in itself but when it comes to right to life my friends don't see the need for health reform. That millions of children don't have insurance in this country falls under the category that these children, I guess, can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and fend for themselves. We don't want the unborn killed but the born can die of neglect and disease and a death by torture is absolutely acceptable.

The News from this Street

Saw the Julia Child movie tonight with two friends. Absolutely adorable. I worked myself through some of her receipes years ago and one I can do in my sleep. It took a few years to get there.
I am organizing my books. Can't find a copy of something of which I had actually two copies quite recently. Stuff like that drives me nuts. Tomorrow I have several meetings. Need to go grocery shopping tomorrow or I will be eating dog food. I have been away and I am still eating out now that I am back.

Adoration

I love my adoration in the middle of the night. Last Saturday I filled in another hour which happened to be after mine. I was asked and knew in advance. Then the person who was supposed to arrive after the second hour did not show. I walked out. I hope he or she got the message. I don't mind filling in one hour, two hours, but I like to be prepared and will not wait because somebody cannot get there on time.

Color Purple

Went to France today and saw the last performance of the Color Purple in the Opera House. Great set design and music. A fight broke out on the way out among two women. I was not happy that my companion wanted to have a closer look and could not be persuaded to turn around and walk away until it ended. I am still somewhat ticked about it as I am writing this.

Where's my Chicken?

Two days ago someone invited us out to dinner. Chinese. I like Chinese. One of us in the party ordered "orange chicken." A huge plate came that could feed ten thousands. It occurred to this person that I should take this chicken home for lunch the next day. Unfortunately a) I don't like orange chicken b) I was several hundred miles away from home and the chicken would have to roost in the car overnight until I got home. After dinner we visited a friend and I tried to sneak the chicken into her condo but it was noticed and I had to leave the chicken in the car. So the chicken was in the car until the next afternoon and I did not bother to take the chicken out of the car as I arrived home as I was not going to consume it nor feed it to the dogs. They deserve better than day old chicken that sat and travelled in a car unrefrigerated. This morning I decided to take the chicken out of the car - finally - and placed the container momentarily on the roof. Yep, you already know the end of the story I bet. I drove off, forgetting to pitch the chicken into the trash. Suddenly, around the bend, I heard this plop, plob and the plastic container had fallen off the roof, opened and the chicken pieces were rolling all over the road. That is my chicken story. When I came back several hours later, the road was clean. I wonder who had orange chicken for lunch today.

Home Sweet Home

I came back today with Fr. Valieriano from this little town down south where they all run around and practice identity theft of people who lived 200 years ago. He turned 88 today. No kidding. We had a nice time. He has a friend down there and I have a friend down there and so we all friendlied out very friendly. Tomorrow I will join the black and white hoods and I had to come back and wanted to come back anyway because this is almost the third week that I have been gone from home. Not much longer and the dogs would all speak Spanish.