Transportation 100 years ago

When my mother was a little girl, her family still kept a carriage horse in the barn that did useful tasks like pulling their cars out of the muddy lanes that approached their graceful farm home two miles from the main road near Franklin Grove, Illinois. I believe she told me the children never rode "Beauty" because she hadn't been broken to ride. Because I was madly in love with horses, I couldn't imagine having a horse that close and NOT riding it. My maternal grandparents were "early adopters" and owned automobiles probably before 1910. Draft horses were still used in the fields because tractors weren't reliable enough, but I believe they were stabled at the tenant farm barn. My father's family in the next county, however, used draft horses regularly in farming. My father told me they sometimes rode one to church, the Pine Creek Church of the Brethren (now disbanded). Draft horses are so massive, so wide and so powerful, I have difficulty picturing this. My grandmother was blind and the four older children would have been quite small. But then, picturing her walking there with little ones doesn't read either. (repeat from 2005 blog about draft horses)

The redefinition of marriage

Ryan Bomberger, chief creative officer and co-founder of The Radiance Foundation (Radiance, www.radiance.life), commented on this “redefinition” of marriage, noting that if liberals are intent to define marriage merely by “who you love,” it follows that any kind of union counts as well.

Bomberger commented, “A handful of House and Senate Republicans have handed the Left a dangerous victory — the redefinition of the very institution that every civilization depends upon: marriage. The entirety of the Democratic Party voted to redefine what God designed. The Republicans who voted against their own Party platform, their constituents, the Constitution, and the institution of marriage helped to pass the (zero) Respect for Marriage Act. This bill sues those who won’t comply with a lie.

“The (zero) Respect for Marriage Act and the First Amendment cannot co-exist. They will always be at odds. This is evidenced by widespread Leftist efforts to force religious organizations and people of faith to bow to LGBTQ+ dogma or be fined, fired, de-platformed, sued and/or bankrupted. The ACLU and Lambda Legal have succeeded in shutting down faith-based adoption agencies for who they are (Christians) and who they love (vulnerable children who need a married mom and dad). In government-run schools, such as those where I live in Loudoun County, Virginia, LGBTQ indoctrination trumps reading, writing and arithmetic and students’ safety. Americans of faith, or even no faith, should be deeply concerned when a government starts dictating what we’re able to believe or speak.”

Bomberger continued, “Voters’ moral dissonance is resounding. Hollywood, news and social media have been relentless in swaying the majority (60%) of Americans to support same-sex marriage, yet half (50%) of those polled simultaneously fear the negative impact on religious liberty. Policies have consequences. Bad policies have casualties. What stops the radical Left from legalizing bigamy, polygamy, incestual unions, objectophilia, or marriages between children and adults?

“Love is love, right?”

Bomberger explained, “The legislation’s text starts off declaring: ‘No union is more profound than marriage.’ This is true. Marriage between one man and one woman — and the family (whether biological or adopted) created by that union — is the bedrock of every society. Sadly, that won’t stop a self-identifying ‘Catholic’ President Biden, who blatantly defies Catholic teachings on human sexuality and our fundamental right to life, from disrespecting and dismantling marriage.

“This is just another attempt by the radical Left and ‘Republicans in Name Only’ congressmen to try to control the language by changing the very meaning of words. They also bolster their false ‘equality’ claims by hitching ‘race’ to ‘sexual orientation’ and pretending that marriages like mine (my wife is Greek/Italian, and I’m Nigerian/Ukrainian) are in any way threatened. Marriages of people of different hues of skin are not comparable, at all, to the redefinition of marriage that accommodates two men, two women, and what will eventually have to include polygamous unions or anything else that falls under the #LoveIsLove banner.

“Section 6 of the bill (which acknowledges the First Amendment’s individual religious freedom and conscience protections) actually contradicts the entire purpose of the law which forces persons ‘acting under color of State’ to comply or be sued. Americans who work for the government, like our brave men and women in the military who protect our freedoms, don’t lose their Constitutional rights. There is predictable irony that a ‘progressive’ bill that claims to provide equal protection under the law proudly treats millions of Americans unequally.”

Balenciaga's bad decision and poor apology

Balenciaga promoting the sexual abuse of children in its ads is bad, bad, bad. That said, how low does the New York Times have to be to blow it off as just another conspiracy by prudes and right wingers? Lower than a snake's belly? Lower than all the perps in the Metoo movement? Lower than all the cancel culture idiots? You may read that NYT fish wrapper; perhaps you buy products it advertises; maybe you know someone who works there. Give it up. If this is the best the old grey lady can do, she needs to be put out for pasture. So of course it didn't report on the Hunter Biden laptop and lied about Trump for 4 years + and went along with all the crazy conspiracies cooked up by the left during the pandemic.
Here's the first line, the lead. "Two new Balenciaga campaigns ignited a firestorm that traveled from the internet to Fox News, fueled by allegations that the brand condoned child exploitation." Notice, they got Fox News in the first sentence, and used the Inflammatory line "fueled by allegations." If you even saw the photos, that's no allegation. That's a slam dunk indictment. So much so, Balenciaga is suing the production company for $25 million in the NY supreme court!

 
The production company isn't to blame, the cameramen weren't to blame, the designers weren't to blame, not the costumers, not the light crew, the child models weren't to blame . . .( but their parents should start parenting classes). Who are to blame--first the people at the top, and not their sub-contractors. Also that ever present, group on the left that has been ripping apart any last shred of decency and history where sex, sexuality, biology, tradition, family, and human relationships are involved. That group is right up there advising your president and his administration about locker rooms, pronouns, athletic events, and court cases involving male/female in America.

And look at the take of CNN. The focus is on the image in the ad of the Supreme Court 2008 case on child porn, not on the disgusting images of the children! I guess because the owners are French they just didn't know what they were looking at? Hello! what about the kids! That might have been a clue. This wasn't "bad judgement" is the culture that is being promoted and pushed every day from the drag queen story hours to the hairy muscular athletes chasing ribbons on the girls' teams.

Balenciaga ads are a symptom of a deadly disease attacking our kids | Fox News

Balenciaga apologises for ads featuring bondage bears and child abuse papers | Balenciaga | The Guardian

https://whdh.com/news/balenciaga-suing-production-company-for-25-million-over-controversial-campaign/

Brittney Grinner

We're always happy when an American can be released from a foreign prison. Too bad Joe left so many behind in Viet Nam in 1975 and again in Afghanistan in 2021--sort of takes the sheen off the glory he'll be strutting.

From Saigon to Kabul: Biden?s response to Vietnam echoes in his views of Afghanistan withdrawal - The Washington Post

Immunity debt

" Immunity debt is not a new idea, though the specific coinage is fairly recent (and some experts bicker over the specifics of what the phrase does and does not mean). Its painful lesson has been learned by American honeymooners who drink the tap water in Cancún, Nigerian Americans who skip malaria prophylaxis while visiting their cousins outside Abuja, and unvaccinated seniors who were hospitalized from COVID-19 while their boosted peers suffered a mere head cold. At its heart, immunity debt is Immunology 101: Hosts whose immune systems haven’t been properly primed are more prone to infection and severe disease."

It seems there's a price to pay for all that unnecessary masking of children the last 2.5 years.

https://slate.com/technology/2022/12/immunity-debt-explainer-rsv-covid-masking.html

Joe Biden worsens the danger for children--Why do Democrats support him?

 " . . . when a school strives to create a “safe, welcoming, and inclusive” environment for transgender-identified students, it greatly increases the chance that children who might otherwise go through a temporary stage of identity exploration or confusion will reject their bodies in favor of a risky experimental medical protocol."

The School-to-Clinic Pipeline | City Journal (city-journal.org)

Art show reception this Sunday

 Reception December 11, 2022, 2-4 p.m.

Bob and Norma, married for 62 years and UALC members since 1976, have both been painting since 1972 and this show is the story of their years together with a few samples of their watercolors and acrylics. Both were interested in art as children, but only Bob pursued it as a career and avocation. Norma enjoyed a library career. He became an architect with fine arts and design classes in high school and college, plus some classes at an art institute as a child. Norma had the family dining room table with art supplies and paper, but no classes. Her teachers in kindergarten and first grade “featured” her art of a May pole dance, and horses were scribbled in the margins of school papers and books. The Bruces met at the University of Illinois in 1959 and married in 1960, but art really wasn’t a focus. Bob’s interest in painting was rekindled by his friend Ned Moore in 1972, so he dug out his old brushes from college art classes. That piqued Norma’s interest so she began taking a few workshops with local artists and later at Lakeside. 

They’ve chosen paintings that tell about their lives. In the library lounge are some stories about Illinois where Norma grew up and where they vacationed with their children, Phoebe and Phil, in the 1960s-70s. Norma’s mother had renovated her parents’ farm home in the 1960s near Franklin Grove, Illinois, as a retreat center and the Bruce family enjoyed roaming northern Illinois looking for farm scenes to paint. Included are paintings of family, two by Bob of Phil who died in 2020, Norma’s childhood friends and family from the 1940s, and her paternal grandmother in her wedding dress. Norma’s grandparents owned the Lustron in Mt. Morris on the postcard. It then was purchased years later by her father after her mother died in 2000.

 
In the hall in keeping with the rural and farm theme in the library lounge they’ve hung some flowers and vegetables, although they don’t garden. These are usually from a workshop at Lakeside or a “how to” book. Also in the hall are paintings of animals—Norma particularly liked horses, and owned one as a youngster (no paintings of him).

Also in the hall they’ve included paintings of travels after retirement in Ireland, Israel, Egypt, Alaska, and Spain—two borrowed from the current owners for this show. Bob went with the UALC mission group to Haiti for 10 years and taught architecture there. At the library door is Bob’s painting of three children from Westerville who were neighbors at Lakeside reading their Bible together. They are homeschooled and Bob helped with their art instruction. Also you’ll see Bob’s paintings of two UALC pastors who’ve had a big place in their lives.

 
The Bruce family began vacationing at Lakeside on Lake Erie in 1974 and owned a summer home there from 1988 to 2022. Paintings from those years are in the Fireside Lounge. Bob taught many classes at the Rhein Arts Center in Lakeside and both took advantage of the classes in watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, jewelry making, silk painting and pottery. Bob has been in the Lakeside summer art show for over 40 years and in 2021 published a book of his Lake Erie paintings.

 
1. Driftwood, Lakeside - Norma
2. Lakeside Transportation - Norma
3. Romancing the Freighter, Lakeside - Norma
4. Bring Three Friends, Lakeside - Norma
5. Marblehead Lighthouse - Norma
6. Post cards of Lakeside – Norma
7. Ice Cream More Ice Cream, Lakeside – Robert
8. Lakeside Women’s Club – Robert
9. Werden’s Porch, Lakeside – Robert
10. Lighthouse Spiral Staircase, Marblehead – Robert
11. Mouse Island Race, Lakeside – Robert
12. Lakeside Orchestra – Robert
13. Keeping Watch, Norma’s father, 1944 – Norma
14. Playmates, Forreston, 1946 – Norma
15. Grandma’s Wedding Dress, 1912 - Norma
16. Phoebe and Phil at the Marblehead Lighthouse - Norma
17. Snow Horse, Forreston, 1950 - Norma
18. Shuffleboard at Lakeside, 1974 - Norma
19. Phil Bruce with Guitar, 2018 - Robert
20. Phil Bruce, 2012 - Robert
21. Daysville Road Farm, Franklin Grove, 1974 - Norma
22. Olive in her Garden, Franklin Grove - Robert
23. Red Barns Vignette, Franklin Grove - Robert
24. Whitney House, Franklin Grove - Robert
25. Reflection no Horizon, 1974, painted at Franklin Grove farm - Robert
26. Red Geraniums in Brown Pot - Norma
27. Pink Geraniums - Norma
28. White Daisies – Norma
29. Squash in a Bowl – Norma

30. Vegetables on Lace – Norma

31. Purple Iris – Norma 

32. Jackie’s Daffodils - Norma 

33. Hall Children Reading their Bible -Robert 

34. Pastor Dave Drumel - Robert 

35. Pastor Paul Ulring - Robert 

36. Mendenhall Glacier, 2001 – Robert 

37. Camel and Pyramids, 2009 – Robert 

38. Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, 2009 – Robert 

39. Haitian Girl, Ouanaminthe, Haiti – Robert 

40. Ireland Landscape, 2007 – Robert 

41. Street Scene, Grenada Spain, 2015 - Robert 

42. Postcards of Alaska, 2001 – Norma 

43. Bay Horse, 1974 – Norma 

44. Mustang – Norma 

45. Cat on a Hot Pink Porch, Lakeside – Norma 

46. Baby Duck – Norma 4

47. The Plaza, Grenada Spain, 2015 – Robert 

48. Corbett Lustron, Mt. Morris, 2001 – Norma 

49. Mark fishing at Lakeside, 2022—Robert 

50. Friend fishing at Lakeside, 2022—Robert

 #38

 #21 

Walking backwards

 This is supposed to have health benefits, but I know I would fall down.  But there was a day when I could do it. https://weather.com/health/video/walking-backward-may-have-surprising-health-benefits

Pesky little weasels

 You’ve heard of weasel words? Here’s a few weasel phrases to watch for. Usually, they mean some version of “it’s my opinion,” or “I want you to agree with me” or even, “shut up, dummy.” And although I have heard conservatives say these phrases, usually they are the territory of liberals. Liberals love the words "dialogue" and "conversation," but it's often a monologue or a lecture. My own failure is  adverbs. We need to break up.  You can call me on it.

“Some would argue. . .”
“We need a conversation on . . .”
“Research shows . . .”
“Let’s have a dialogue. . .”

Remembering her Dad, Bob Poisal

A lovely tribute from our niece Julie Kelle, remembering our brother in law, her dad.

"One year ago today I lost my step dad. Very few men are willing to be a father to another man's children. I also lost my biological dad in 2004. I know it is confusing when I use the words "my dad" you don't know which dad I'm talking about. I never liked calling my step father "step" father because he was "my" dad. He was the man that "stepped" up and became that fatherly role model me and my little sister were so longing in our heart. I'm so glad "I picked him" and glad he picked us back.

 
Dad was the hero of the family and a person that was always available to help family, friend stranger, or foe. He was the best at handling emergencies, the best at cleaning up sickness messes, the best jack-of-all-trades. My dad was the best. He came into our lives at the perfect time.

Please remember my mom,  my little sister Joan, and her husband Dan , his surviving biological children Richard , Robert and Luann, his brother Mike, and all his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Our dad, husband, brother, grandpa was the very best and he is greatly missed for he was always a main part of all our lives and holidays. We need your prayers. 

Someday we appear like we are doing good but inside we are still struggling.

 
My heart and prayers go out to each and everyone of you who that have lost a loved one that God will send the "Comforter" until we can be with our loved ones again.

"Even so, come, Lord Jesus." "

Robert Lee Poisal Obituary 2021 - Indiana Funeral Care

The Cat who Saved Books

I just finished The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa and we're discussing it at Book Club this afternoon. Here's my take, which probably no one will agree with. The grandfather could have been anyone other than a Used Book store owner.  Perhaps he could have been a former coach in professional baseball or a retired horse trainer--who has developed a different or related business to his career. His death devasted Rintaro--love, caring, wisdom and security are gone leaving him frightened and empty. The cat and two other adolescents, Sayo and Ryota, from his school come into his life of grief and insecurity as well as odd experiences with adults in a fantasy world with a talking cat. He experiences compassion and empathy, which help him develop courage and a sense of self. Really, it's about relationships, not books, which is why I decided no books need be abused in this story. The cat, yes.

Our parents

In the book The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom wrote, "Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to define them - a mother's approval, a father's nod - are covered by moments of their own accomplishments. It is not until much later, as the skin sags and the heart weakens, that children understand; their stories, and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives.”

Full court press

 Indictments for Trump.

 Conspiracy theories about Musk. 

More Billions for Ukraine with no accountability. 

Wide open borders, and if you disagree you're a racist. 

Hating on DeSantis ramped up. 

Weasel words from Disney CEO. 

People against child sexual abuse are prudes. 

And finally, old Uncle Joe is quoting his grandfather again.

Even when they Factcheck they lie.

John Kirby: "“The president has issued 9,000 permits for drilling on U.S. federal lands, Peter, 9,000 of them being unused. There are plenty of opportunities for oil and gas companies to drill here in the United States.” [This is known as gaslighting.] . . .

Biden himself pioneered the claim about 9,000 permits in March, though pointing to permits as a way to blame supposedly lazy and greedy oil companies dates back to Bill Clinton. “It’s simply not true that my administration or policies are holding back domestic energy production,” Biden insisted. “[Oil companies] have 9,000 permits to drill now. They could be drilling right now, yesterday, last week, last year.”

 
PolitiFact rated his bogus claim “mostly true.” . . and then explained . . . Oil companies don’t receive a permit and immediately fire up a drill later that afternoon. A lot of evaluation, exploration, and ramp up is needed because a permit doesn’t mean there’s oil in them there hills. Many of those leases are simply there to run out the 10-year clock because companies can’t extract anything. Biden blocked drilling in ANWR, where oil companies know there’s oil. " via Patriot Post, Dec. 1, 2022

https://patriotpost.us/articles/93227-the-truth-about-those-9000-oil-permits-2022-12-01

Respect for Marriage Act does not Respect the First Amendment

There is nothing in the respect marriage act that protects marriage. It was already protected in a 2015 SCOTUS decision. What it does do is weaken the first amendment which guarantees religious freedom--makes it easier and legal to attack citizens whose religious beliefs are that marriage is between one man and one woman. It could be Christian, or a religion you've never heard of, since the definition of marriage in all cultures has always been between a man and woman, even if some had polygamy or polyandry.  Don't be whiffed by any mention of church or non-profits; religious freedom means you don't have to be in a church to believe, worship or pray. The last two years have shown us that churches can't protect us. It created what is called a "private right of action" for anyone to sue any government agency, official, contractor, or partner who did not recognize gay marriage. It could, in other words, become a gay marriage lawsuit machine. Republicans have stabbed us in the back again. Sensible amendments were rejected.

Health problems for trans people

 Before someone with gender dysphoria decides he needs to be a she to solve his problems, he might take a look at the health problems, either before or after, listed by Cleveland Clinic Transgender Health Services.  To the casual observer, it would seem the first step is to fix the problem before cutting off body parts. And after all that "screening" is finished (see below), then what? 

Metabolic conditions: These conditions, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes (glucose intolerance), liver dysfunction, and high cholesterol (dyslipidemia), can develop as a result of long-term hormone therapy (both estrogen and testosterone).

Obesity and heart disease: Transgender men and women have a slightly higher rate of obesity. Compounded with their long-term hormone use and higher rate of tobacco use, routine screening for heart disease is necessary.

Cancer: Transgender women (male-to-female) should have cancer screening for cancers of the breast, prostate, and anus. Screening for cancer of the reproductive organs should also be done for all symptomatic transgender men. Transgender men (female-to-male) should also need cancer screening for cancers of the breast, cervix, and anus, depending upon anatomy and stage of transition.

Alcohol and illicit substance abuse: Population studies have shown that the rate of substance abuse is higher in the transgender community than in the general population, and patients should routinely be screened for alcohol and illicit substance abuse. As such, patients should also be offered counseling and education regarding substance abuse and risk-taking behaviors.

Tobacco use: Population studies also show that transgender men and women have higher rates of tobacco use than the general population, and patients should be screened for this and provided with counseling and education about smoking cessation.

Depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): These medical illnesses occur at higher rates among transgender and non-binary individuals, often because of poor social supports, trauma, and challenges accessing affirming and knowledgeable providers. These conditions should be screened for regularly and be addressed by medical providers.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and AIDS: Individuals who use drugs and other substances and have condomless sex are at risk for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS. Patients who present with these risk factors should be screened for these infections and offered HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) if medically appropriate.

Who are the bad guys?

Can we talk? About hypocrisy?

I've never heard of that guy Nick Fuentes who's a "white supremacist" that Trump invited to his home. That said, the Democrats have been calling 80,000,000 Americans who voted for Trump racist, homophobic, Nazis for a number of years. So which is it? Only one or two guys? Are they more foul, evil and disrespectful of half of Americans than the ladies on the view, who disrespected black, white and gay? Didn't one of those mega-rich people dress in black face (as a costume) and one dissed the Jews? Democrats call every one white supremacists--even parents who want to know why there are boys using their daughters' locker rooms. Even people who won't bow to their little dictator, Fauci.

And hasn't the U.S. been doing business for decades (beginning with Nixon) with the Chinese Communist Party? The CCP killed probably 10x the number of their own citizens in the 20th century than Hitler did. And doesn't the CCP run concentration camps right now for their own Uyghur citizens who are Muslims? Isn't it an American company "woke" Nike who has contracts with slave labor for shoes? For SHOES! So now, across the board--CNN or Fox, and all the conservative bloggers and podcasters--they are running away from Trump. Let's line up the victims; who has done more damage and killed more people, our trading partners the Chinese or Ke and Nick?

Asking for a friend.

A Brethren group I didn't know about

 I was baptized on Palm Sunday, 1950, in the Mt. Morris, Illinois Church of the Brethren and have been a Lutheran (in 3 synods but same congregation and building) since 1976 when we were confirmed. I've watched from the sidelines what has been happening in the different Brethren groups from the original small group in 1708.  Today I came across a new split--the Old German Baptist Brethren New Conference. There seems to be a disagreement about foreign missions.

"On the heels of the Protestant Reformation, in 1708 a handful of believers under Anabaptist and Pietistic influence, embarked upon a journey of faith seeking a deeper reformation of doctrine and practice. Seeking a life that followed the Scriptures more literally, eight souls were baptized by immersion in the Eder River in Schwarzenau, Germany. This was a radical departure from the state churches’ practice of infant baptism. With a genuine desire to live the New Testament, these brethren were led to practices such as the Love Feast including feet-washing, the agape meal, and the emblematic bread and cup, non-resistance, the refusal to take an oath, and the practice of the holy kiss.

The group grew in Germany and Holland and migrated to America in the 1700’s establishing congregations beginning near Germantown, Pennsylvania. From there the Brethren migrated to Virginia and the West growing to a fellowship of approximately 70,000 members. In 1881, a small portion of these members, calling themselves Old German Baptists, separated from the larger group in a quest for a more godly and simple life. From this body of believers, the New Conference emerged in 2009." https://www.ogbbc.org/about

My relatives, the Shumans, who live near or in Pendelton, Indiana are members of the Old German Baptist Brethren, and this article is about them, presented by cousin Lois at the Pendleton Museum.  I see nothing about New Conference.  So I don't know how the churches decided which group to go with.  

"Addressing about 30 attendees, Shuman said the Christian religion was first organized in Germany in 1708.

The ruler of Germany at the time was tolerant to new religions, but when a later, less tolerant ruler took over, the German Baptists moved on to the Netherlands.

In 1719, the first members brought their religion to the United States. Like the followers of many other religions at the time, they settled in Pennsylvania, where William Penn had promised religious freedom, she said.

Old German Baptists are neither Catholic nor Protestant. They are recognized as Anabaptist.

Anabaptists establish rules that are to be strictly followed by the members of their sect, she said. Old German Baptists believe the newer sects are too progressive in their thinking.

The first group reached Pendleton in 1791.

“There are still descendants of the first families in our congregation today,” Shuman said.

Because the religious groups were so spread out in the state, one minister may have an area of 30 square miles to cover.

“It doesn’t sound like much now, said Shuman, but imagine how bad the roads were in the 1800s.”

About half of the Old German Baptists still live in Indiana and Ohio.

After Shuman’s talk there were many questions from the attendees.

She said her religion does not prohibit use of new technologies like some faiths. She has electricity, a microwave and many other modern comforts.

Shuman used a laptop during her presentation.

“We accept modern technology as long as it doesn’t get in the way of Christian living.”

She did point out that they do not have TVs, radios or the internet. She said “a computer without the internet is just a fancy typewriter.”

She uses her “fancy typewriter for her job with IU. While Shuman does have a phone, it is not a smart phone.

“I am able to text on my phone, but it’s a lot of work,” Shuman said with a laugh.

Church members do not vote or participate in government.

They are conscientious objectors and do not file or defend themselves in a lawsuit.

Children are encouraged to finish high school but for the most part are steered away from college, she said. They feel that college will cause children to question their beliefs.

Church services are different from what others might accustomed to seeing.

Meetings start with singing. There are no musical instruments.

“The minister reads the verse and the congregation sings it,” Shuman said.

There could be as many as five ministers for each service.

Ministers are appointed for life.

Normally, men and women sit on different sides of the church, but this is not a strict rule.

Old German Baptists have been called Dunkards and Tunkers. These names were used because they believe in full immersion baptism.

A person can become a member as soon as they reach the age of accountability, usually late teens or early 20s.

Children are encouraged to marry within the congregation.

Shuman said they have a 50% to 70% retention rate in their church.

Most women make their own clothes. Shuman said the cape is for modesty.

“When I became a member, I thought the dress was going to be very hot, but I got used to it, Shuman said.

Men wear plain coats and button-up shirts. Members of the ministry have a beard without a mustache. It is encouraged but not required among the membership.

Shuman finished her presentation by stating, “Everyone is welcome to visit our church.”" https://www.pendletontimespost.com/2022/03/10/history-talk-explores-old-german-baptist-beliefs/

Remembering the good old days before the church went high tech

This is an old photo taken at UALC on Thanksgiving Day--maybe 10 years ago. I don't know what's happening at your church or how other Christians stock food pantries for the poor, but I miss the days of this photo. Now in November we pick up smallish, printed bags with a list of ingredients/food items that will NOT be brought to the front of the church, but quietly whisked off to Lutheran Social Services for the food pantry before the actual holiday. Forgive me staff and pastors, but I think the "high tech, high touch" church has lost even "the touch," the personal involvement, and now it's all about making sure we follow the rules and check the church web page. In seasons past, I usually picked up $10-20 of non-perishable goods a week at the supermarket during November and put them in bags I kept in the kitchen. It helped me think about those who needed help. We were told how much more the food pantry could buy if we just wrote a check. But I also liked the idea I was supporting a local business who employed people who were taking the bus from parts of the city we suburbanites never see, or the truckers out on the free-ways, or the warehouse employees, or those who work in the processing factories and on farms to make sure we all can over-eat on a holiday. Call me crazy, but I liked seeing bags of groceries at the altar. I never remembered the sermon, but I knew my story.

How do you fix Tilapia?

I asked my Facebook friends:

"On Monday we had Tilapia for lunch. Bob came upstairs (studio on lower level) and said, "Something smells fishy." So I sprayed some air freshener and lit one of those stinky candles scented like apple pie. Now the house really smells strange, and it's been 3 days.

Tilapia is virtually tasteless. How do you fix it?"

• Jane said: I discovered a seasoning that I use on all meats and fish. It is delicious! You can get it from Amazon. Here is the name of it. Kinder's Premium Quality Organic Seasoning
• Joan wrote: I don’t like fish. I eat it because I know I should. Tilapia and Salmon are two of the few I don’t hate.
• Sue commented: Boil cinnamon in water or bake cookies! Takes over smells.
• Debbie chimed in: I bought some from Costco already marinated and seasoned. Just bake. Really enjoyed it. Don't remember house smelling fishy.
• Judy replied: I use Chef Paul Prudhomme's Cajun blackening spice mix on most every fish I cook. other than salmon.
• James suggested: I cook a lot of fish the way I get rid of the smell is I take vinegar and water and boil it while I'm cooking the fish works every time.
• Keith (who is a great chef) offered: Lemon paprika salt butter. Blacken/broil