Visiting Phil's tree in the Memorial Garden

 Several mornings this summer I've walked from our cottage to the Lakeside memorial garden (Chautauqua Park) where our son Phil was interred last August.  He died in April 2020 after a brief battle with glioblastoma which had been found on October 1, 2019 after he had two seizures. I do that for a destination when I walk--it is beautiful, quiet and peaceful with park benches and fountains. I decided to call it Phil's tree, since there is no real grave.  It's a young Oak, surrounded with dwarf Iris, and five magnolia bushes behind the tree. Today I noticed there is a path into the woods to the north that I'd never seen before, so I went from stone and man made memorials, to the deep quiet and the dampness and smells of a forest, almost as dark as dusk although the sun was shining. There were several trails, but I eventually came out at another spot by the shelter where services are held. 

  

 

 

First world problems on a hot Sunday

 The neighbors have invited my husband for a sailboat ride, and now it's starting to thunder.

I told another neighbor I saw his daughter waiting tables at the Patio this morning.  Staffing is so light the "alumni" wait staff from years ago have been called in.  He told me she isn't his daughter, but was friends with his daughter and everyone makes that mistake.

My husband rarely complains about a sermon, but today we had a sweet young thing in her second church and third pregnancy.  It wasn't a bad sermon, but for people in our 80s, it was completely irrelevant.  We're finding that a lot these days.  "How to do it good" sermons and articles just have lost their appeal.

Speaking of that service, Michael Shirtz did a lovely, jazzy contemporary (his own, I think) arrangement of C. Austin Miles' "I come to the garden alone."  We don't hear it much these days, but early in the 20th century it was either loved or hated.  Adeline Jasper sang it at my grandmother's funeral in 1963, not knowing that my grandmother was one of the haters (according to my mother).  She considered it too shmaltzy and danceable for church--as did many others.  But it was a very popular hymn in those days.

Last night's program at the gazebo was breathlessly hot, both in weather and music.  The terrifically talented Chozen-Few from Cleveand played Motown, reggae, pop, jazz, blues and mostly 80s, so the gen-x grannies and over the hill boomers were getting up to dance to prove they've still got the moves. The squirrels in the tall trees surrounding the gazebo were going crazy jumping from limb to limb.  After 1.5 hours we left, and found out today it went on another 30 minutes.  We missed the sunset.

I left my beach towel at the Patio Restaurant this morning--I'd used it to cushion the hard bench in the park at morning worship. So I had to walk back in the heat to retrieve it.

On my way to the store, my neighbor on Oak handed me a sack of homegrown tomatoes while packing up his truck to go back to Dayton.  When I got them home I put two in the sun to ripen a bit.  Now it is cloudy and the sun has disappeared.  Wondering, is it too early for Ida to hit Ohio?  Ike (2008) did a few years back and in Columbus many neighborhoods were without power for days. 

Nap time is beginning earlier and earlier.  Today it was 11 a.m.

A terrible embarrassment--Joe Biden

If Biden had followed President Trump's withdrawal plan, which just about everyone wanted, lives and his own reputation could have been saved. As it is, he's claiming his disaster was Trump's. Ridiculous! He didn't follow ANYTHING Trump had negotiated. It's beginning to look like Biden's handlers (whoever they are, Obama? Susan Rice?) deliberately did this to destroy not only Biden's reputation and install Harris, but to also malign Trump and weaken our nation for China to pick the bones and grab the booty.

Now the military has an excuse to stay and fight again--something most of us didn't want. Biden has threatened the killers with strong words. Big Whoop. Democrats own this. These are the people who impeach for a phone call to another head of state, and yet can stand and stare at a real crime--13 Americans and 95 Afghans dead--and not have a clue. Their only regret is they might loose the 2022 elections.

 
Biden was never the "seasoned" diplomat and voice of reason that the media portrayed in 2020, or an antidote to Trump's tweets to clean out the cesspool. However, the shell of a man we saw in that press conference yesterday can only arouse pity. For him and us.

Biden voters, this is on you!

"For four years, we had a president who, over the course of a single term, managed to undo a great deal of the mischief wrought, and a great many of the mistakes made, by his recent predecessors. Trump revived America’s economy, shored up Americans’ individual liberties, forged several remarkable peace agreements, and greatly strengthened our international position — thus firmly checking the ambitions of our powerful adversaries. 

But, Biden voters, he had a personality that rubbed you the wrong way. He wrote nasty tweets. In the language of TV production, he was too “hot.” You wanted “cool.” The Democrats put up a candidate who was plainly in mental decline. It was obvious every time he spoke. But you didn’t pay terribly close attention to his speeches. The sources from which you get your “news” carefully clipped out all of the bits of his appearances in which his befuddlement was manifest. If you heard someone speak out about his senility, you dismissed the charges out of hand." 

The news media, particularly MSNBC and CNN filtered, edited and snipped the worst of Biden, but you knew, you all knew. They were really covering for you, the Biden Voter. You never even found out about Trump's wonderful successes, but you could see what you were electing. And you were so arrogant about your fellow Americans. Calling us white supremacists if we wanted safe borders, or Nazis if we believe biology, and God forbid, we might listen to or watch a video about saving people sick from Covid. 

Biden Voters. This is on you. https://amgreatness.com/2021/08/24/hey-biden-voters/

Update:  12 U.S. military just killed in a suicide bombing at the airport. 

Bug-out Biden

"At this point, we are left with two questions: Why did Biden do it? And what will happen next? The answer to the first is that, for all his years in government, Biden, unlike Petraeus, has no idea how to take advice. Strong leaders appoint chief lieutenants who know more than they do about a particular area of competence. A good leader takes input from all circles, engages in collaborative discussions, and forms a consensus before reaching a decision. Biden, in his haste to pull out early, showed no willingness to do anything of the sort.

 
And why? Political reasons. For Biden, the prospect of leaving twenty years to the day after 9/11/2001 was perceived to be a coup for the majority of Americans who wanted out, so much so that the public’s short-term memory would overlook the multiple human tragedies occurring nearly fifteen months before the November 2022 congressional elections. "

https://www.hoover.org/research/dire-consequences-afghanistan?

We had a brass duet program in the park--a French horn and Trumpet, husband and wife from the Toledo symphony.  During a Q. & A.  one man in the audience stood up and said in a teary voice,  "I'm so distraught about what is happening in Afghanistan, I wonder if you could play the Star Spangled Banner for our brave troops."  So she did.  It was beautiful.. . and sad.

We will miss Pastor Brodie at UALC

His message: "On Sunday the good people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church in San Diego, CA voted to call me to come and serve as their pastor. I am so honored to have this opportunity and so grateful to Upper Arlington Lutheran Church for the privilege of serving there these last 16 years. My last Sunday at UALC will be September 12 and my first Sunday at STLC will be September 19. Please pray for our family as we begin a season of great change!"

Clean up after Joe Biden--Cartoon

 

The hollow man, Joe Biden

   

Joe Biden Unfit to Lead Nation | National Review

Beltway and Democrat followers of WaPo and Biden

The ignorance and banality I read in the Washington Post comments about Afghanistan and what Biden has done makes me fear for our country. I get the feed on Facebook and see the responses. Let's review.

 
1) Trump had a plan. . .wasn't great, but no one since 2003 had a better one. It was to bring the Taliban to the table and THEN withdraw leaving no military treasure, no Americans and no allies behind. Trump knew Taliban couldn't be trusted to keep the agreement and also committed to blow them to smithereens if they defaulted.

 
2) Biden did the opposite claiming it was all Trump's plan, and therefore his fault. In July Biden said it would be no Saigon--what he gave us was worse, so I suppose he delivered. Biden GAVE the Taliban the whole TABLE.

3) The country, the military, the air force the Taliban didn't have and Billions and Billions of armaments so they can control the middle east including Israel which all Muslims, particularly the fundamentalists wish to destroy were a gift from Biden.

4) Washington Post (mostly the beltway and Democrats) loyalists are so naive and gullible. They've always been so critical of Trump supporters, and now look like toddlers in a race against seasoned Olympians. No Trump supporter, even those who stormed the capitol on January 6, would fall for this.

Duck and cover. Washington Post Biden coverage

Here's how Washington Post describes Biden's Afghanistan fiasco: "The president embraces a cautious worldview that prizes alliances but also narrows the aperture of American influence, with greater attention on domestic concerns." Huh? This isn't just a lap dog media; it's a lap up dog excrement media.

A rose by any other name. . . guest blogger

To the people who want to claim CRT is not being taught in schools: I was a Social Justice mouthpiece for 20 years. A true believer. I’m not some noob you can speak lies to and intimidate. I’ve seen you talk down to parents, condescend to them, bully them, use pseudo-intellectual jargon to tell them they don’t know what they’re talking about. All the academic jargon in the world can’t cover the fact that teaching kids to judge and treat one another differently on the basis of race is wrong.

 The only reason y’all are running scared from CRT now is because the pushback on it has been effective. Same way y’all ran scared from SJW once enough people started correctly identifying it as something bad & racist, like they’re doing with CRT.

You can call it CRT, Intersectionality, Anti-Racism, Social Justice, DEI, and try to play a shell game based on public perception of the different terms but we are coming for ALL of them. There’s not one you can hide behind. So go ahead, call it DEI this time. I don’t care. It’s not actually about Diversity or Inclusion, though it is about Equity.

It’s racism, it’s vile and we will defeat it.

Keri Smith

Why do you still trust the Democrats?

The Democrats, led by Biden/Harris, are depicting Trump supporters as dangerous terrorists. In June they unveiled a 'national strategy for countering domestic terrorism,' i.e., blaming 80 million Trump supporters to keep your eye off the border crisis. Of course, this isn't new. Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters called us terrorists all during the 4 years Trump was trying to drain their swamp. 50% of American voters. Yet they are importing infected border crossers while asking us to mask up and lockdown, and they are abandoning our allies in Afghanistan. They are cooperating, even encouraging, Big Tech to shut us down. Donald Trump can’t use Twitter, but the Taliban can—even bragging about who they are killing and trying to recruit silly minded liberals to their cause. 

Biden's fossil fuel follly

Trump had us oil independent, and now Biden . . . well, you know what he's been doing with the Leftist anti-fossil fuel folk.

"OPEC and its allies, including Russia, believe oil markets do not need more oil than they plan to release in the coming months, despite U.S. pressure to add supplies to check an oil price rise, four sources told Reuters."

OPEC+ Sees No Need to Meet US Call for More (oedigital.com)

"Major U.S. oil industry groups on Monday sued the Biden administration for halting drilling auctions on federal lands and waters this year, arguing the government is required by law to hold regular sales." (Offshore Engineer)

Oil Industry Groups Sue Biden Administration over (oedigital.com)

Preacher of the Week

John Ed Mathison is our preacher of the week at Lakeside. Before retiring at 70, he was senior minister at Frazer Memorial UMC in Montgomery, AL for 36 years. It grew from 400 to 9,000. Now at 83 he has a busy schedule of training ministers and speaking at conferences. Today he mentioned something I know I'd heard before, but he said they surveyed 800 of their new members to find out how they got to the church. 92% were brought by a friend or neighbor. That's probably the case for most churches. https://johnedmathison.org/ He has a blog and a radio spot called "Got a minute" in which he shares his faith and humor for 58 seconds on secular stations.

How Biden defeats the vaccine

A person we care about is in the hospital with Covid.  He began feeling ill on Sunday and Monday night was having trouble breathing, so his wife called the squad.  He's tested positive for Covid, but until then, they had no idea this was the cause.  He's on oxygen, but not a ventilator as I understand it, although his wife can't see him. so we're not positive.  Yes, he and his wife were vaccinated in February.  However, he lives in  a border state where the Biden administration has been making it very easy to non-Americans to cross the border.  Yes, some may be sent back, but according to some reports 40% are testing positive.  Shame on Biden and his duplicity--telling Americans to get vaccinated while shipping in the virus along with the drugs, crime and prostitution. 

Table for two, posted on FB as Ted Nugent

Hello.
Hi, table for two, please.
Sure, and your name.
Jessie.
Great. And do you and your guest have your vaccination cards?
We do. Can you tell us who our server will be?
Um, looks like Brad will be your server tonight.
Great. Can you show us Brad's vaccination card?
Um...
And also, can you provide me with proof that Brad is not a carrier of HIV, Hepatitis A or B, or any other communicable diseases?
Um...
Also, we would prefer not to be served by someone who is on or uses recreational drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, meth, fentanyl, etc, so if you could provide us with Brad's most recent tox screen, that would be great.
Um... Let me get the manager for you.
That would be great, thanks.

Why do we give?

Six years ago I wrote this thought about giving, alms, charity, and mercy and the long term benefits.

"I read the Columbus Catholic Times, a hand off from a family friend. I'm learning a lot. Just this week I noticed a difference in how Catholics and Protestants use the concept of giving. Catholics suggest "works of mercy" or "works of charity," and Protestants say we will change poverty, schooling, politics, the environment, etc. if we just chip in $10 for the food pantry, or a backpack for Highland school child, or cleaning up a town after a flood or tornado. There's a huge difference. We are to give because Jesus gave first, not because we will end poverty (we won't) or make up for the terrible home of a child (we can't). According to Matt. 25, we will meet Jesus in those acts of kindness and service, so we do them without expecting the reward of change. Meeting Jesus is the reward."

Texas takes stand on sexual abuse of children through surgery

One should be an adult before choosing for no medical reason a double mastectomy or penectomy with castration and a lifetime on toxic hormones. In fact, I can't even show you a video of the procedure without first declaring my age to some faceless guard at YouTube! I think the medical team and parents colluding on this should lose their license to practice medicine and to parent. The trans agenda can't even agree on terms--it's no longer a sex change, it's not even sex reassignment, it's gender affirmation. How's that for lipstick on a pig.

Texas determines sex-change surgery for minors is child abuse - TheBlaze

ABA (American Booksellers Association) which is even more liberal than ALA (American Library Association) has profusely apologized for outraging its members by sending out "Irreversible Damage," by Abigail Shrier, an extremely well researched and sensible book which includes the premise that there is a social contagion effect of young girls rushing into invasive transition surgeries and medical interventions for gender dysphoria that they are likely to regret later. Listen up sensible people--there is no honor, no common sense, no tolerance for the truth and certainly no freedom of thought, speech or religion on the Left. 

Just say NO to idiocy.

After Trans Activists Try To Ban Book, It Becomes A Bestseller (thefederalist.com)

My walking routine--no rain today

No one has ever accused me of being an athlete, but I do walk 2 miles every morning along the lake front and maybe another 2-3 miles during the day. Or maybe it's a stroll. However, this morning on my walk I fell in step with a younger woman, about 65 maybe, and she was really stepping. I changed my pace because we live on the same street and it seemed rude to fall down on a park bench to catch my breath. I barely made it to my front porch before I collapsed.

Ike warned us in 1961

When Democrats like Pelosi or Schumer piously mouth the words, "Our Democracy," it's not because they are patriots who are in awe of American exceptionalism or America the leader of the free world. No. They really mean "Our Oligarchy." They definitely don't mean Conservatives, Republicans or Libertarians. Ike warned us about government leaders like them 60 years ago--and at the time I thought only of the military, not being able to see our future relationship and a McCarthy-like control by leftists in Congress and Big Tech, which is bigger and more powerful than the military was in the 1960s. But his warning about government married to private business holds. Corporate power now pulls the strings of government, intent on "transforming" (destroying) our Republic.  When Big Tech has the power to shut down the President of the United States, The Commander in Chief of the military, then it's more powerful than the President or the military. Interpretation: Commander in Chief Clause | The National Constitution Center

 
"President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had come to understand large organizations that feed on government power and dispense vast private benefits, was not shy in warning about the danger they pose to the republic. His warning about the “military-industrial complex” that he knew so well is often misunderstood as a mere caution against militarism. But Ike was making a broader point: Amalgams of public and private power tend to prioritize their corporate interests over the country’s.

That is why Eisenhower cautioned against the power of government-funded expertise. “The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever-present and is gravely to be regarded,” he said, because “public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.” Government money can accredit a self-regarding elite. Because “a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity,” government experts can end up substituting their power for truth. " (We the People Convention) America is now a Classic Oligarchy - Not a Republic! | We the People Convention | wethepeopleconvention.org

  

  

From The Nation,