It Gets Better

And the last one I'll add:

The neighborhood

Trinity Memorial, Warren, PA

Trinity Memorial Church in Warren, PA installed a new priest-in-charge yesterday. Our retired priest and I had sold cookies there two years in a row awhile back but I was never inside the building. I regret not getting a photo of the new man but someone was always in the way.

The Right Reverend Sean Rowe encouraged us to be missionaries.

The view of the Allegheny River from the front doors.

Friday cat blogging

This lovely lady's sitter invited me for tea and dessert this afternoon. She has unusual beautiful coloring, soft orange and smoke. Apparently she purrs like crazy but has no voice. She has a sister who is ill whom she seems to miss. She is visiting her staff's mother Sally for awhile.

Friday shuffle

1. Turkey in the Straw - Vassar Clements
2. When God Dips His Pen of Love - The Cox Family
3. Hurt So Bad - Little Anthony & the Imperials
4. Reflections - Diana Ross & the Supremes
5. See You in September - The Happenings
6. Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, Hut on Fowl's Legs - Knussen, Cleveland Orch
7. Sharpe: Sunset - Ambridge High School Steel Band
8. Phibbs: Rainland - Bach Choir of Pittsburgh
9. Runaway - Del Shannon
10. Dizzy - Tommie Roe

Christmas music kept coming up but I won't play Christmas music until Christmas. I'm too lazy to link for now. Maybe later.

Yes!

HT to Ellie via MP

Donald Duck meets Glenn Beck

Christ Church has a priest again

The Rev. Dr. Richard Elberfeld began his tour of duty at Christ Church Meadville this morning. Yea!

The suicides must stop

I believe there are two main causes of this problem - religion and ignorance. They are related. By instilling fear and hatred of "others", religion encourages ignorance. When "others" are seen as "evil" or somehow less than human, which prejudice does, they hide. Many people refuse to deal with what and whom they don't know. Some strike out in defense. The "others" don't dare expose themselves for fear of the actions of the ignorant. As a consequence, nobody benefits and lots of folks are excluded and hurt.

Personally I blame religion for most of the prejudice. Every clergy type person who preaches that homosexuality is sin and urges the flock to change or exclude or hate is guilty of promoting murder - spiritual if not physical. I pray Godde will find a way to teach them that Godde loves all Godde's children. I especially pray that those who are hiding their own perceived sin be freed from their own preaching and condemnation and come into the light of Christ as taught in the Gospels. We were given the Holy Spirit to do just that if only we would listen to her.

Two new blogs of interest

From St. Laika's:

Absolutely everyone is welcome at St. Laika's.

We are an ecclesial community without any formal membership. You are part of it if you want to be part of it.

We are pan-denominational and nobody is excluded because of their personal beliefs or lack of belief. Our worship is from the Christian tradition and our liturgy is borrowed from any source that takes our fancy.

We are an emergent church. We go where God leads us. We are an experiment that is attempting to blur the edges between the virtual and the real worlds. It is our intention to have a presence outside of the internet. We are an international group but each of us is based firmly in our own local context. We are what we are.


From Anchorhold:

Thomas Merton once said that "the only thing to remember about prayer is to begin where you are." The Anchorhold is a blog about remembering, about beginning and about how to know where we are - where we really are. It is a blog about spiritual practice.

Whatever the term "spiritual practice" means to you right now, you are welcome here. This is not a place for finished saints! Let's explore the relationship between prayer and action and what it means to pray without ceasing. And let us support each other in the process.


Please visit.

Friday cat blogging and much more

PuddyTat says, "Good morning!" to Tommie.

The neighbors have two bunnies. The one in back is very furry. The black and white one is lop eared. The near one is quite friendly, the other easily scared.

The clouds this year have been very interesting. I love the Hartstown Swamp especially when the water plants begin to turn red which usually precedes the trees. This is on the north side of 322, the others to the south. They are embiggenable.

Friday shuffle

1. Soldier Boy - Shirelles
2. Surfer Girl - Beach Boys
3. A Girl Like You - Young Rascals
4. Rheinberger: Vier Sechsstimmige Motetten, Angelus Domini - Phoenix Bach Choir
5. New Fool at an Old Game - Reba McEntire
6. Villa-Lobos: Choro - Pepe Romero
7. Mendelssohn: Paulus, Herr! Der Du Bist Der Gott - Rilling
8. Oy, Chuck and Kate - Keillor and Von Stade
9. Brand New Key - Melanie
10. Chelsea Morning - Judy Collins

World Habitat Day

Along with the Carters, I support Habitat for Humanity. Monday, October 4, 2010 is designated this year's World Habitat Day by the United Nations. What can you and I do to help? See their web page here then get involved.

Sunset

This was the sky and the color when I came out of Giant Eagle last night. Several people were taking photos. There are white lights on one of the buildings for contrast.

I drove up to Liberty Street and took another photo because the colors were changing.

Then I went on to choir grateful for the wonderful earth we inhabit.

I'm blessed with such interesting friends

Updated 9.23.10
Updated again 9.26.10

If you are on Facebook and friends with Ozzie Clumber, you can see the identities of all or most of these people. The original story of the red hats is here. I've met more than a dozen of these folks in person. We are from all over. Our leader with the purple hat is MadPriest who lives in England. The gal with the drumsticks is Lindy who lives in Wuxi, China. Some of us are on the other side now. They have golden hats. As I said, I'm blessed with so many wonderful, caring and definitely interesting friends. And these are just some of my blog friends.

Make it illegal and it will go away

Republicans sure are obsessed over homosexuality. Why? Jealous? Scared? Ignorant? Or just misled by people who believe they know Godde better than anyone else and, at someone else's expense, need to believe themselves better than others?

Montana Republicans have it in their platform. Read about it here.

Texans are clinging to it too. Here.

There is much evidence of how making something something illegal makes it disappear. Prohibition effectively stopped the production and sale of alcoholic beverages, didn't it? And alcohol was optional.

Homosexuality is not optional any more than blue eyes are. Yes, eye color can be changed with contact lenses but the result is a lie. Homosexuality can be denied but the result is a lie which harms the person and others around them.

Religion seems to be the primary culprit which denies full rights to LGBTs. Perhaps it is religion that should be outlawed? Better yet, outlaw Republicans who either lie or color the truth in order to stir up the fearful and ignorant to get votes.

Activist judges and other stuff

Friday cat blogging

Oh, there's Mom. She's down at my level to take a photo. Here I come, Mom!

Normally Dudie just lies around in the grass. When I look at him to take a photo he comes. Funny since he really doesn't like to be petted. I can stroke him as long as I don't get near his head.

Jellico avoids PuddyTat and LittleOne.

Tommie is not happy that LittleOne always wants to eat at the same bowl someone else is eating. Tom heads for the canned food.

Since I was taking a photo of PuddyTat eating on the ground level for a change, Jellico decided to leave. PT would have chased him anyhow.

Finally Tim doing what makes her by far the fattest of the felines. This is a rather homely little shelter I made from some shelves and constructor bags. There is a kitty thing at the back. It is one of the most popular shelters for some reason.

Friday shuffle

1. Every Time You Say Goodbye - Alison Krause
2. Beethoven Chased by Rossini - Garrison Keillor, Frederica Von Stade
3. Flop Eared Mule - David Grier & Mike Compton
4. Anon: Kyrie, Kyria Christifera - Anonymous Four
5. Earth Angel - Penguins
6. It Ain't Me Babe - Turtles
7. Halloran: Witness - Concordia Choir
8. Hang On, Sloopy - McCoys
9. He'll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
10. Dupre: Variations sur un Nöel - Michael Farris

Interesting collection. #2 is from Songs of the Cat. 2, 3, 5 and 6 are sort of non-human related. Michael Farris was the organist at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for a couple of years. He died tragically early while at Eastman.

Grump, Part 2

This is the tree and some debris from the car. The tree had a couple of damaged spots which makes me wonder if the car rolled the tree a bit which may have helped get over it. Where it was hit, the tree was about a foot in diameter. It was a poplar, I think, which is pretty soft wood.

This is what it did to the guardrail. The top of the tree and lots of branches are in the creek on the other side.

The owner of the only auto body place I will allow to touch my cars is away so I won't know more until next week sometime. They are approved by my insurer too. The Prius is at home there having been a deer magnet in its early life. I'm now driving a stealth Buick with Ohio plates and PA inspection stickers. I've never owned a GM car because they are made for people who aren't built like me. By the time I get the seat close enough to reach the pedals, the steering wheel is under my chin. But this car is old enough that I can barely see over the wheel.

Oh, yes, I removed and saved the bumper stickers.