St. Patrick's Day is three days away

March is Irish American Heritage Month. My Irish beat the crowd and came to British America before the revolution, and no one was Catholic. I'm a huge admirer of that great missionary St. Patrick and liked this story.

Why I Hate St. Patrick’s Day by AMANDA TEIXEIRA

Imagine that you grew up uneducated. In your teenage years, you were kidnapped and sold into slavery in a foreign land. Your family was gone. You submitted to your masters and relied on God through this struggle, growing leaps and bounds in your faith. You escaped your slavery in an adventurous series of events. Later, you decided to go back to the land of your slavery to share the Gospel with the pagan land. In faith you began preaching, baptizing, giving your very self in love to the people who once enslaved you. They came to know Jesus Christ through your witness; they convert, their families convert, and eventually their whole country converts! They even decided, upon your death, to preserve that day as holy to celebrate your heroic generosity, bravery, and love.

Fast-forward 1700 years give or take. From heaven you gaze down to earth on your feast day…
And people are using it as an excuse to get drunk and be irresponsible as they stumble around with rainbows, shamrocks, and green beer flying in every direction.
Hello, St. Patrick!

Modern traditions didn’t pop up overnight, but these days most people in Western Civilization are decidedly Irish and Catholic on St. Patrick’s Day. Most saint feast days come and go without societal notice but St. Patty’s day has everyone jumping on the bandwagon. Even Wonka is aware of this.
OK, so I don’t really hate St. Patrick’s Day…I am Irish and Catholic; I can’t truly hate it. However, I can hate that the entire point of having feast days are lost in modern society.

Why do Catholics have saint feast days to begin with? To celebrate the life of someone who gave their life to Jesus Christ and shared him in heroic ways with the world around them. The reason for these days is to remind us of those older brothers and sisters who have gone before us and left behind a powerful witness. We are celebrating the grace of God in their lives as we also celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ over death and sin in our lives. We remember that we are but pilgrims on earth and, God-willing, one day will worship the Lord in heaven alongside the saint we are celebrating.

So, what can we do to reclaim St. Patrick’s Day? Or even take what’s already GOOD about St. Patrick’s Day and reintroduce the point of why it’s good to our culture?

Become a person who truly celebrates the REAL St. Patrick! Practically how can you do this?

1. Tell the real story! This man was sold-out for Jesus Christ and endured crazy hardships many people could relate to! Bring inspiration to those around you.

 
2. Become an evangelist! If Patrick was on earth for his feast day, this is what he would likely do. Remember the old legend about St. Patrick using shamrocks to explain the Trinity? Don’t hesitate to use the shamrock on his feast day to talk about God, who desires to be in communion with all people. Be bold and loving…not weird and creepy.

3. Drink some green beer! If you are 21 or older, feel free to have some beer on St. Patty’s dayin moderation. Set an example about how to use alcohol properly – to celebrate and make merry while maintaining sobriety. “Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, because it is now that God favors your works.” Ecclesiastes 9:7

4. Celebrate with others! Feast days are opportunities to join in communion and camaraderie with others to enjoy their friendship. Go to a local Mass, attend a parade, cook corned beef and cabbage, meet up at a pub…with others!

5. Get into it! Wear the hats, beads, (appropriate) shirts, temporary tattoos, etc. and have fun with the day! These Patty’s Day symbols of the day can increase our silliness and joy as we walk around looking like goofballs with all our buddies. Remember the Party Blog? We certainly can’t show the culture how to truly celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with long faces.

Have fun this March 17th, celebrating the REAL St. Patrick – a father in our faith and a hero for the New Evangelization.

“Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.” -Saint Patrick

This article was originally published at Focus.

THIS ARTICLE IS MADE AVAILABLE COURTESY OF THE CATHOLIC EXCHANGE

Fitness routine with the guys

I was minding my own business at the Lifetime Fitness Center watching HGTV on the big screen, but I couldn't help overhearing the 3 guys next to me. Men just rag on each other. It's a hoot. They call each other ugly, bald and fat, and then they all laugh. Don't try that with women. But after the introductions it's down to business. A friend who wasn't there on the treadmill was at the hospital with his wife who was having surgery; another guy was waiting for a kidney transplant; two guys were discussing the various taxes they were struggling with; another reminisced about the old days when our suburb had its own trash department and little scooters would go to the garage to pick up the trash cans (I'd forgotten that, but it was true).

And meanwhile, I missed which house was chosen by the home buyers.

House Hunters is getting a new twist. A New 'House Hunters' Spin-Off Is Coming to HGTV with a Major Twist (msn.com)

The State of the Union by Joe Biden

I didn't watch the SOTU, but here's what I gleaned from listening to podcasters who did. Joe's most popular programs are abortion, war, maiming children with the trans agenda, and invasion at our borders. (I heard the applause.) This is what he's asking Democrats to support. Oh yes, and he hates Donald Trump and thinks he's a Nazi, as well as half the country who support him. The only time he even mentioned the USA was when he was condemning Trump (or so I heard). Prove me wrong.

Be Kind Campaign for adults

The Ohio State Office of Student life is having a contest and I can't figure out what it is or how it is done! It's a good thing I'm not a student, and just a retired faculty member.

.
First, the rules sound like it is for kindergarten age, and second, it might work better in a church Vacation Bible School program than a campus of a major university.

Here's the name of the contest: #BeKind Instagram Walls Contest.

Here's the purpose of the contest: promote kindness, love, positivity and mental health support on the OSU campus and in the Columbus, Ohio, community.

 
Here's what the entrant submits: Art via Instagrammable wall. An Instagrammable wall is a decorated or artistic wall that lends itself to being photographed and posted on social media. The contest will consist of wall artwork that shares messages about kindness, happiness, love and Buckeye Pride. The art can be any type of visual 2D media (paintings, illustrations, photography, etc.) with other details on the website, which I won't post.

So, I was so stunned that adults needed contests to be kind and that Instagram is considered art (a 2-fer), I asked Chat/AI if kindness contests were popular on college campus. Oh yes, s/he gushed. It's really BIG. It can be like holding the door open for someone, or saying thank you, or sharing a snack!. Woo! Woo! Imagine that I said. They not only don't know basic biology, like who is a male and who is a female, but mom and dad didn't teach them any basic social skills, so one more reason Meta (who owns Instagram and Facebook) has to collect more information about them.

And don't forget, kiddoes, "by submitting a Submission, Entrants agree to grant to the University a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sub-licensable, fully paid-up, worldwide license to such Submission, together with all intellectual property rights therein, including, without limitation, the license rights to cache, publicly display, and reproduce the Submission. Entrants also give up any claim that any use by the University, derivative or otherwise, of any Submission violates any of Entrants rights, including, but not limited to, moral rights, privacy rights, rights to publicity, proprietary or other rights, and/or rights to credit for the material or ideas set forth therein." I'm just guessing that Meta takes a cut too.

Here's a link to a NATIONAL organization to be kind. It has a board of directors, corporate support, fund raisers and all sorts of things you could research. And to think that churches do this for free! And teachers at my parents' one room rural schools back in the 1920s knew how to do it! Amazing.
https://thebekindpeopleproject.org/about/school-support/

I smell the poop of a cash cow.

Update:  I found a poster for the OSU Kindness contest.

The Mighty Mississippi postage stamps

Not everyone cares. But I do. I send letters and notes and I like pretty or interesting stamps. My local USPS branch has diddly squat for stamp selection. The last time I was there the selection was four black history designs and one lunar New Year and a Valentine abstract beyond recognition. I bought the Valentine. Then I went home and looked on-line. It took about a week and $1.70 shipping and handling, but I now have some lovely "Mighty Mississippi" and "Historic railroad stations of the United States." The Mississippi river sheet is 10 different states (without location), and the rail stations block is 5 cities, although I only recognized Cincinnati, which by the way is spectacular if you ever want to see wonderful public art.

I suspect no one knows the location of the Illinois stamp "In Illinois, a sailboat passes limestone bluffs adorned with fall foliage in a photo by Walter Blackledge." (Waterways journal) I asked Chat and it gave me word salad. The closest I came was a comlex description of the limestone bluffs, only 2 small towns nearby.

https://www.usps.com/

Forgotten books--like strolling through the stacks

This morning I was looking on-line for a title about the hymn writer Frederick W. Faber and came across a reprint series. "Forgotten Books is a London-based book publisher specializing in the restoration of old books, both fiction and non-fiction. Today we have 1,294,132 books available to read online, download as ebooks, or purchase in print." I found what I was looking for plus many more written by Faber. But truly the oddest collection of titles with nothing in common except they are "forgotten."  https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en Everything from "Canned Poultry," October 1950 to "The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages" to "The Book of Costume, or Annals of Fashion From the Earliest Period to the Present Time" to "The Blind in the United States, 1920, by U. S. Bureau of the Census." Cost is about $9 a month to read as a member, or $9.50 for a paper copy.

Faber came up in my morning devotions.  He authored the well-known hymns "Faith of our Fathers" and "There is a wideness in God's mercy."

Antiques Roadshow pt. 4, the purse

On an Antiques Roadshow rerun (possibly 2018) I saw a lovely, 19th century beaded purse. I was surprised it was valued at only $385. It was beautiful. I wouldn't carry it, but I do have an antique purse. I get a lot of compliments on this purse--a few a week. I'd buy another one if I could find it. A faded denim which can hold my i-pad or phone, with two nice side pockets. Walmart--$9.00. I purchased it about 6 years ago, although I really don't remember, so it could be older. Since it began life faded and worn, it's hard to tell, but it's starting to develop some holes from my pencils.

Chef-o-Nette is closing

We heard some bad news Monday night. The Chef-o-Nette in Upper Arlington is closing! This week! When we moved here in June 1967 we rented an apartment on Farleigh Road. We cut through someone's yard to the little Tremont shopping center and found a restaurant. We lived in that neighborhood for 35 years. I couldn't count the times we've eaten there, or just popped in for the tapioca. I'm not sure but I think the last time I ate there was with Phil in September 2019 for my birthday 2 days before he was diagnosed with glioblastoma and our lives changed forever. I probably had a "Hang-over with fries." When he was in pre-school we'd go there for a snack then wait for Phoebe to get out of Tremont School across the street. I wrote about the Chef in this blog in 2010 and 2006.

Collecting My Thoughts: Chef-O-Nette in Tremont Center

Collecting My Thoughts

Collecting My Thoughts

 

Food labels and storage

Last night my neighbor Jan asked if I had any corn starch. I did, but it was waaaay beyond shelf life, maybe 10 years or so, so she declined and went to the store. Corn starch is inert and has no viable anything in it. But that shelf was high and I was on the step stool, so I checked out what else had expired. Most of it. Like 2010. But what was the most gross was the powdered milk. It was brown! Yuk! Ever the librarian, I looked it up, and learned it's a known chemical reaction called The Maillard reaction which is responsible for the color change. "It’s the same process that gives crusty bread its golden hue and imparts flavor to roasted coffee beans. In the case of milk, the lactose molecules react with amino acids, leading to the formation of brown compounds. " It's why milk turns brown when heating at higher temps. 

Powdered milk is safe for long term storage, however, mine was probably over 10 years. And the top cabinet next to the stove is NOT cool which is best for storage. You can also freeze it. With long storage, the vitamins decrease some, but the other essential nutrients—such as protein, carbohydrates, and minerals—remain relatively stable for years. Co-Pilot generated the answer to my question about why powdered milk turned brown with age.

https://orbitkitchen.com/why-does-milk-turn-brown-when.../?

The Cyber attack that wasn't

AT&T reported it was not a cyberattack last Thursday but "the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network." How many believe this given the unpatriotic way the Biden crowd protects even a land border from invaders (including Chinese and Russians coming across) and allowed the "weather balloon" incident near military bases? Biden just gives away the store. Democrats need a really big incident come November to disrupt and change the rules that keep elections safe. But it requires a little practice.

Antiques Roadshow, pt. 3, the dictionary

The Antiques Roadshow appraisal at our house today is my Merriam-Webster New International Dictionary of the English Language 2nd edition Unabridged. At least that's what I told my husband at dinner, but I was wrong. The word Merriam isn't in the title but is in the publisher's name. And until I looked at it carefully, I had several things incorrect. I'd assumed it was copyright 1948, but it is 1934. It has an updated "New Word" section which is 1939 and 1945, but 1948 is on the title page. That section (from the 40s) is truly fascinating. You can still purchase Mr. Webster's 1828 edition and it's interesting because it reflects a Judeo-Christian culture. The 1934 2nd edition unabridged was last printed about 1960 and the copyright doesn't end for a few years. But the 3rd edition is available.

This particular antique was a Christmas gift to my parents perhaps in 1949 or 1950 from my grandparents. My aunt and uncle probably were given one too. My parents had a special stand for it which someone else in the family might have. The volume is massive, so a stand that fits would be helpful. It sits on our dining room buffet. After my father died in 2002 it became mine. I use it frequently. 

Here's how language and dictionaries change with the culture.

 
Marriage (1828 Webster's dictionary): "MAR'RIAGE, noun [Latin mas, maris.] The act of uniting a man and woman for life; wedlock; the legal union of a man and woman for life. marriage is a contract both civil and religious, by which the parties engage to live together in mutual affection and fidelity, till death shall separate them. marriage was instituted by God himself for the purpose of preventing the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, for promoting domestic felicity, and for securing the maintenance and education of children."

 
The color plates and illustrations are as good as the day 10 year old Norma first looked at it. The print does seem to have grown smaller! There are 600 special topics with little bios about the editors and there were special assistant editors checking their work!

Antiques Roadshow, pt. 2, the dishes

Today's Antique Roadshow at our house is the dinner table set with hand painted Blue Ridge China (Mountain Ivy pattern) from the Southern Potteries company (1916-1957) Erwin, TN. I bought these from the Lakeside Archives shop in 2020. The pottery in Erwin which at one time was the biggest in the USA closed almost 70 years ago because of foreign competition after WWII. There are avid collectors and they have a show which this year is October 3-5 which coincides with an apple festival. Dinner was broccoli soup, grilled salmon, green beans with onions, fresh pineapple with red grapes, sour dough toast, and lemon cookies. I have a fairly full set, so I had enough pieces.

My own Antiques Road Show, pt. 1

Addictions start small. At first, I hardly noticed. One day I flipped on Roku (streaming service) to watch something while riding the exercycle and I came across reruns of PBS Antiques Roadshow, something I rarely watch. Now I watch several hours a day. I think the oldest show I've seen was 1998. I most enjoyed the 2019 Sarasota show at the Ringling mansion because we'd been there with Bob and Jeanne Poisal. I've seen a lot of changes in fashion, hair color of the appraisers (they are volunteers and not paid), and some ridiculous values, but they go up and down. Gen-X and Millennials don't care about Civil War flags or Grandma's pottery. But a Hot Wheels prototype can go for $100,000.

 
So, for Sunday dinner today I served up a box of watches and miscellaneous I found in my scarf drawer and asked Bob to identify. We think we know where the pocket watches came from but we're scratching our heads about the WWII compass. We're also pondering a set of cuff links with Phil's initials that was in the box. I'm checking with his ex-wife on that one, and the groom for whom he was the best man.

He gets us ad

The "He gets us" ad. Such a kerfuffle. It amazes me that so much misunderstanding and suspicion can ooze from such a simple message--Jesus' message. Mostly I've heard very conservative Evangelicals question it. They see a subtle SJW message. But here's a liberal Catholic:

"Even as I look at the images in the foot-washing ad, I note that several of them feature white Christians washing the feet of people of color—a priest washing the feet of a young gay Black man; a suburban mother washing the feet of a migrant who has just gotten off a bus. It feels patronizing, self-congratulatory: The white people performing humility as a sly power move to cement their authority in this situation.

As charitable as I try to be in watching something like this, I cannot help but wonder if this isn’t a Protestant evangelical sneak attack of some kind. A slick ad that somehow lays down groundfire for something more proselytizing to come in and penetrate our very brains."

The foot washing questions. That seems foreign to many. I was baptized in The Church of the Brethren, an Anabaptist group formed in 1708; foot washing is part of the communion service as it is for Amish and Mennonite groups (there are many different sects). It reenacts a passage from John and symbolizes humility, service and the call to love. If the writer thinks the ad unnecessarily shows whites in the role of being the humble, loving servant, maybe he should think about how that works with your fellow church member--the one you think sings off key in the choir or is a different political party or is the teacher who flunked your kid. Not all sins are about about sex and race--that's media hype.

 
Millions were watching that ad who perhaps had never heard of Jesus except as a swear word. Maybe they will ask a question. Maybe they hate white people, or black people, but maybe they hate their ex-wife, or co-worker, or are depressed about their failures, or are discouraged and suicidal -- and if this ad points them toward repentance and restoration, God love 'em.

Food insecure?

I saw an article about "food insecurity" yesterday That means that in the last 4 weeks the cook/mother/grandmother/oldest daughter once or twice or 10 times went to the cupboard and couldn't find enough to make a meal for the family/residents/siblings. Really? A gallon of milk is $2.65 and 10 pounds of potatoes are $4 in Columbus, Ohio.

 
A pack of cigarettes is $9 in Columbus--and a big chunk of that is federal and state taxes. The food in Ohio has no tax. You can fix a very nutritious meal for less than a pack of cigarettes, but you'll believe the stories on TV about hungry people in America. Potato combined with dairy is almost a perfect food. That's why smart mothers make potato soup and scalloped potatoes.

What's insecure is the cook. S/he has a 12 can pack of Coke for $4.00 and 13 oz. bag of Lays potato chips for $5 in the cupboard. And she may be smoking a cigarette. If she admires her $40 manicure when opening the cupboard, well, it's not the food costs but the values.

The survey (of a child or youth) to determine "food insecurity" is really vague and uses words like a lot, sometimes, enough, cheap food, run out, and asks the person to recall the past month (Self-Administered Food Security Survey Module for Children Ages 12 Years and Older, September 2006)

You might be a Christian Nationalist if

 You might be a Christian Nationalist if:

You believe in natural rights.

You attend church. Possibly more than once a week.

You support your children and participate in their lives.

You believe marriage is between a man and woman.

You believe men can't become women, nor women men.

You believe teachers and school administrators should not secretly influence your children against your family values.

You believe giving a child cross sex hormones and genital surgery is child abuse.

You believe the USA has borders that should be protected.

You believe children are being trafficked across the border.

You believe releasing foreign military age young men who are well dressed and physically fit into the general population with no tracking could endanger our safety.

You believe sowing distrust and loss of trust in the military with wokeism instruction is a threat to our safety.

You believe DEI has been destructive to student learning.

You believe in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

You believe Israel has a right to eliminate the danger of Hamas.

You believe Hillary Clinton and ladies in pink hats had a right to protest the election results of 2016, just as Trump supporters had a right to protest the election results of 2020.

I''m not a good list maker

I had printed my blog of October 17, 2022 (3 pages), and found it in a stack of papers today. I think it is a list I'd intended to check off. I'm not a good list maker--some of you live by lists. Not me. But #17 was interesting.

"17. Should I buy more food for emergency storage? Joe is talking Armageddon and nuclear war so we've got a crazy leader in Russia and a demented leader in the USA, and I don't even have extra batteries in the house, and I see a lot of pasta in my "emergency tornado" food box. How would we cook pasta if Putin dropped a bomb on NYC or DC? Remember in the 1950s when the basement of our school building was lined with huge bundles of dried (I assume) food stuffs. Must have been for the whole town. And we learned to duck under our school desks. Sure, that will solve the problem our government doesn't know how to fix."

Are you preparing for any more Joe-built disasters?

Letitia, another DEI hire, campaigned to get Trump

The latest non-crime and ridiculous "award" of nearly half a million (paid out to whom since there was no victim and no crime?) for "civil fraud" against Trump brings back to memory how our federal government created a housing/mortgage free fall in 2007-2008 and sent our entire nation into a recession by over valuing homes and getting inadequately funded suckers to fall for the trap. The government backed mortgage agencies have been over evaluating the real estate market for decades. We were helping our son buy a home at that time, and the ridiculous financing of that era was unbelievable--so we went the standard route with a solid down payment. Just call me Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac. The only crime was that of AG Letitia, another DEI hire, vowing in her campaign to get Trump. She used Trump to get elected. She called him "illegitimate" meaning she publicly campaigned on not believing in the results of the 2016 election. Isn't that illegal? Republicans are call Nazis for believing the 2020 election was a fraud. No one else would have ever been charged with what the government has done for decades.

See what New York AG said while running for office about charging Trump | CNN Politics

In 2008 I wrote a poem about the fed chair and the Secretary of the Treasury.

"I’ve got the low down, trillion dollar, Ben and Henry Blues"
by Norma Bruce ©

Woke up this morning ‘bout five fifteen,
Read my big ol Bible and a new magazine,
Jumped in the van, turning on the key
Let me tell you mama, there’s no stopping me.

Driving on to Main Street, stopping at the light
Heading for the coffee shop the other side of night,
Singing with the radio, changing stations now
Got the dog and pony show, candidates take a bow.

(refrain) Mitigating factors, oozing out the wazoo,
Sell ‘em or hold ‘em, it’s all a rescue.
I’ve got the low down, trillion dollar
Ben and Henry blues.

Warm bakery bread and yeasty brown rolls
Congress still propping up the C-E-Os
Espresso coffee chai and tea
The government ya know--that’s just you and me.

NINJA loans for aliens, flipping for the rich,
From coastal homes, to buildings in the sticks,
McBama to Fannie to Goldman Sachs
They’re pointing fingers and covering tracks.

(refrain) Mitigating factors, oozing out the wazoo,
Sell ‘em or hold ‘em, it’s all a rescue.
I’ve got the low down, trillion dollar
Ben and Henry blues.

A church joke from an internet friend

Subject: Squirrelly

The Presbyterian church called a meeting to decide what to do about their squirrel infestation. After much prayer and consideration, they concluded that the squirrels were predestined to be there, and they should not interfere with God’s divine will.

At the Baptist church, the squirrels had taken an interest in the baptistry. The deacons met and decided to put a water-slide on the baptistry and let the squirrels drown themselves. The squirrels liked the slide and, unfortunately, knew instinctively how to swim, so twice as many squirrels showed up the following week.

The Lutheran church decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God’s creatures. So, they humanely trapped their squirrels and set them free near the Baptist church. Two weeks later, the squirrels were back when the Baptists took down the water-slide.

The Episcopalians tried a much more unique path by setting out pans of whiskey around their church in an effort to kill the squirrels with alcohol poisoning. They sadly learned how much damage a band of drunk squirrels can do.

But the Catholic church came up with a more creative strategy! They baptized all the squirrels and made them members of the church. Now they only see them at Christmas and Easter.

Not much was heard from the Jewish synagogue. They took the first squirrel and circumcised him. They haven’t seen a squirrel since.

The gang's all here--retirees' lunch

 On January 5, 2024, the OSU Libraries retirees got together for lunch at the Morgan House.  This restaurant is in Dublin, OH, north of here about 20 minutes, and is named for a Civil War event.  It's a log cabin with additions moved to Glick Rd. from another location. About The Morgan House & John Hunt Morgan Near Columbus Zoo Restaurants | Dublin Ohio (morganhse.com)   Lots of back lighting, but that's my white hair in the front.  We don't talk much about libraries anymore.  I think we talked about Medicare and the drug plan changes. And cats, grandchildren and vacations.  Like all older people. From the left, Marty, Marcia, Mary Jo, Graham, Susan, Jerry, David, and me. On Februaty 2 it was my turn to host, so I chose the OSU Golf Course Dining Room.  It's close to my home and the parking is easy.