Dr. John's Fortress

Way to Go Nancy

2009-12-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

If you don't believe in ghosts, you've never been to a family reunion. ~Ashleigh Brilliant

I really admire Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
She knows how to play the game of Congress as well or better than anybody.
She has a ignore your principles for free card.
There aren’t many of those around.
But Nancy has one.
That means in this game she is free to impose a standard on others that she ignores in her personal life.
That is a very important game piece.
She received it because she is the Speaker and she is a loud spokesperson for liberal views.
So the press except for Fox News gives her a ignore your principles free card. ( Fox News of course does’t count because it’s a raving right wing piece of nonsense)
Mrs. Pelosi plays the card well.
She attacks industry for pollution. She attacks individuals for driving gas guzzling cars. She struggles to get laws past to make them clean up their act. She is heroic in her determination.
Well done Nancy.
But almost every week she flies to California and back in a fuel guzzling huge jet she had special ordered for her as Speaker of the House. Nobody questions this because she has a ignore my principles for free card. Good for you Nancy.
Of course she could cut down considerably on her carbon foot print if she flew on a Commercial Airline . But that is so inconvenient and she can’t lose that much time.
Then there is the matter of government waste of tax payer money. Our hero Nancy is quick to denounce it wherever she sees it. She was really upset that those bankers who took a government loan dared to give themselves a million dollar bonus.
Well done Nancy.
Of course the jet she uses almost every week costs the tax payer $120,000 in fuel. Multiply that by the number of visits she makes to California every year and the cost to the taxpayer is over 4 million dollars and that doesn’t count the crew salaries.
Good use of the card Nancy. You play well. I’m proud of you.
Then there is the question of minimum wage. It has no greater champion than Nancy. She clearly states that everybody is entitled to a decent wage. She lead the recent Congressional action that ended in the raising of the wage from $5.15 to $7.25. Way to go Nancy.
But, of course she used her ignore your principles free card here as well and got American Samoa exempted from the increase. Apparently those people don’t need a decent wage. By doing this she helped Del Monte Foods since they are the largest employer in the area and they just happen to be one of the largest contributors to her political campaign. This gives Del Monte a clear edge over its competition which are in areas that the new minimum does apply.
Way to go Nancy. Very well played.
There is no question in the game of Congress nobody plays better than Nancy.
Nancy I salute you.

Chief Ican is having trouble finding Dr. Jim the magic person that he thinks might be able to help find the child doing magic and somehow neutralize it. He is fairly sure Jim lives in the Houston area but the old phone number doesn’t work and he doesn’t have a last name. It’s not like you could look him up in the yellow pages under “ caster of spells” or “ magic people”. So he has contacted a friend of his in the FBI that has a data base with old phone numbers and asked him to run the old number against the base and see if it will give them a name. He is waiting for his friend to get back to him.
Tommy UK’s birth father is expected back today or tomorrow. Mrs. Trumble is hoping that he might have some ideas on how to find the child.
This morning a child said

Миша підбігає годинник
Миша тікає годинник

On the main street a tall clock appeared standing off to the side. Then a big mouse ran up to the clock and sat on the top until the clock struck one and then it ran down. This was repeated over and over.
Chief Ican decided that since it wasn’t blocking the street and it wasn’t hurting anybody he would ignore it. He assumed that like the other creations it would after awhile just fade away.
It did fade away but not before a number of women and one man were scared by the mouse. One lady was so scared she had trouble breathing. It’s not every day that you see mice that big on the street of Pigeon Falls. The fact that each time it started its run to the clock from across the street didn’t help either. It almost knocked one lady down.
A number of people , including the owner of Wink’s Woods demanded that Chief Ican do something about the clock. He was thinking of dragging it over to the jail when it faded away.

More Christmas Pictures

2009-12-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you. ~Kendall Hailey,

At the Fortress we are in a race to get our Christmas decorations up before Christmas. I thought I would share with you this morning how far we have come.
Let's start with our outdoor manger scene.
It had one good night and then the blizzard hit and now it needs to be shoveled out.

Coming inside:

Here is our Firplace all decorated.

That is done. I think.

This is our manger scene.
If you click on it you will see it is really three manger scenes.

These are our angels watching over the manger.

Finally our tree.
The star leans and looks as if it will fall off.
The ornaments are the leftovers as we can't find the regular one's that we have used for years.
Who knows where we stored them this time.
But the tree has ornaments, bead garland, and all the lights work.
You can cause the tree to light and rotate and the train to run from a wireless remote you can use anywhere in the room.
It is a fun tree.
Click on the picture to see better.

Eugene returned from the mountain yesterday afternoon. He went and talked with Mayor Trumble and Chief Ican. It seems when he got to the cottage Susan wasn't there but she left him a note.
First she had put a protective spell over Pigeon Falls to keep it from being sent back to the past again. That was the good news. The bad news was that she was gone to California to help a gypsy and wouldn't be back until early next year. It looks like they just have to hope the kid doesn't cast any really weird spells while they wait for her to come back.
Chief Ican said there may be another solution.He said " When I was Chief of a big city police department we had a man who was using magic to kill people as well as steal. Somebody put me in contact with this fellow , Dr. Jim. He was a retired college Professor who was very much into magic. He had even taken some kind of vow to help those that were being hurt by magic. Well, he came and we found out who the man was and he helped us capture him and control the villian's magic powers.
I'll try to contact him. He might think this is interesting enough to come and help us even though we don't have a villan since people could end up getting hurt."
Mrs. Trumble and Eugene both thought that Chief Ican should try to get Dr. Jim to come to Pigeon Falls.

Christmas Meme

2009-12-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

The thing about family disasters is that you never have to wait long before the next one puts the previous one into perspective. ~Robert Brault,

Today I thought I would share with you this meme I borrowed from Melli. Be thankful my answers are shorter than hers.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Last coupler of years Santa just flew over left no gifts wrapped or unwrapped.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White on tree, colored on house.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Certainly not, never have. Next you’ll want us to hug.

5. When do you put your decorations up? After Thanksgiving when we finally discover where we put them last January.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Ham on a fresh baked bun.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Looking for Easter eggs. Wait! I think that’s the wrong holiday. I get confused. I’m old.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What truth? He hasn’t become a terrorist has he?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? If the grandkids are here and they beg long enough.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? By hand.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Hate it.

12. Can you ice skate? On ice, with skates– No. Sitting down with the WII Yes.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Oh! Yes I remember it. I will never forget it.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Lemon Pie

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas Eve Church service.

17. What tops your tree? A leaning star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? Neither

20 Favorite Christmas Show? Old Scrooge Movie

21. Saddest Christmas Song? White Christmas – I hate snow.

22. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Away in a Manger

Mrs. Trumble and Chief Ican met this morning, early. They tried to come up with some way to find the child that is casting these odd little spells. So far we have seen Jack Be Nimble and Humpty Dumpty on the street , and John the Baptist showed up at Last Lutheran. This means nothing really bad has happened, yet. They are, however, afraid that something bad will happen and they suspect that their one day trip to the past and return was also done by the same kid.
Chief Ican says when Eugene returns they might be able to get Susan to come an help. She might know how to find somebody who can use magic like she does. Eugene should be back tomorrow or late today.

A child babbles in an ancient language
Поштові світло є цукровий очерет

When Chief Ican left Mayor Trumble’s office he noticed that the middle two light poles were now tall candy canes. They weren’t plastic painted candy canes they were real candy canes as tall as the light pole with a light on the end of the curve. It looks like a Christmas decoration.
As Chief Ican is walking back to the jail three deer come into town and start to lick one of the poles. The Chief wonders how many animals will be attracted until the spell wears off.

Third Sunday in Advent

2009-12-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

⁸Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. .-Luke 3:8

Today Liturgical churches will celebrate the third Sunday in Advent . The Gospel in the common lectionary is Luke 3:7-18.
In today’s gospel we run head first into John the Baptist and discover that he pulls no punches. What he wants from the crowds or to be more exact from each individual in the crowd is real repentance. He wants them to see their sin and be sorry and then change. He doesn’t want them to recite a liturgy, or belong to the right religious group> He couldn’t care less about their position in the community. He wants changed lives. He wants the lives changed on the side of doing good to others or at least doing no harm. He will settle for nothing less.
Just imagine you came to Church this morning expecting to hear that God loves you. The preacher moves into the pulpit and says “ I don’t care if your Lutheran ( substitute Catholic, Baptist, or what ever you are) , I don’t care if you can sing hymns at the top of your lungs, I don’t care if your grandmother helped to start this Church. I don’t care if you think you are saved by grace. I’m telling you this morning that God wants changed lives. He wants you to care about the people who have no homes, no food, no hope. If you really belong to Him lets see some fruits of your belief. Leave church today with some idea of who you can help.”
What a shocker that would be. Its almost Christmas and you came to church to hear a nice word, a comforting word. You certainly didn’t come to be hit by a two by four. You didn’t come to be reminded of all the people out there that you would rather pretend didn’t exist. You have done your best to ignore the requests for money from all the organizations trying to help the, Just last week you thew away a request from the battered woman’s shelter, the community food pantry, and the addiction center. Who wants to be bothered by stuff like that during the holiday season?
I doubt many preachers will be that brave.
But John was. He even called the crowd “ a brood of vipers”. He pulled no punches. He wanted changed lives.
Well the bad news is God still wants changed lives. The good news is that in Christ he will give you the power to change.
It is Advent and John the Baptist calls us to repent and change.
Will we?

It is Sunday morning in Pigeon Falls and Pastor Joan has begun preaching. As part of the sermon she points to an empty spot across from the pulpit and says “ John the Baptist confronts you here this Sunday” it was intend to be a rhetorical gimmick but there is a child n the church that sounds like it is babbling and it says:

Іоанна Хрестителя з'являються зараз.

There is a flash of light and standing where Pastor Joan points is a stange man . He has a locust hanging out of his mouth, and is dressed in Camel’s hair. He is one scary looking individual.. He speaks:
“ What we have here is a bunch of Lutherans. You think because you do your liturgy well and sing the old songs with such gusto God will love you. You feel comfortable here at Last Lutheran. It makes you feel good. Well I see you for what you really are, a bunch of sniveling cowards. You are afraid too do what God called you to do so you hide behind ritual and grace. You pretend you don’t know people are starving. Your National Church set up a fund drive for world hunger and what this congregation has given to it is a disgrace. Around the world people starve while you are planning your Christmas feast. Shame on each and every one of you. Shame!
It is time for you to repent and change. The special envelope is in your bulletin. It would be a good start. Then you need to look in Pigeon Falls for people who need help. The God who save, the God of grace demands this of you.”
At that he vanishes and the church is deathly quiet except for the sound of bulletins and pocketbooks being opened.

Six Words

2009-12-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

Nothing's as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas. ~Kin Hubbard

Experiential learning can be very painful.

Standing in line a child tries to say something it heard in a book but what comes out is an old language that sounds like baby talk.

Велике Яйце на стіні
Ідіть вперед і падіння

Today Wink’s Woods had its Santa Claus day. Santa Claus had a special place in the store to visit with kids from ten o’clock in the morning until noon. Because there really isn’t a lot of space in the store a line of parents and children formed outside despite the cold. They were moving slowly in when the strangest thing happened.
In the middle of the street just down from Wink’s a wall suddenly appeared. It was four feet long and four feet tall. On it was sitting a great big egg with arms and legs and a really cute face. The egg waved at the children. One of the kids said look it’s Humpty Dumpty. The other kids looked and got very excited. For them this was better than Santa Claus. They waved back.
Suddenly the big egg leaned over and toppled off the wall. It broke into many pieces and seemed to be hollow inside. At that point two men on horseback showed up dressed like medieval knights . They tried to put the pieces back together using , of all things, Elmer’s Glue All. Even the horses tried to help by dipping their tongues in the glue and licking it onto the egg edges.But the egg kept falling apart. Then without any warning they all vanished.
The kids in line that were old enough recited the poem.
Mrs. Trumble called in Chief Ican and told him what they had to find whoever was doing this.It reminded her of some sequences from the TV show “ Bewitched”. “ If it is a child”, she said ,” We have to find it before its parent reads it a horror story or it sees one on TV. The town really does not need monsters on its main street.
Chief Ican agreed with her but told her he had no idea how to go about finding the child. Perhaps Eugene could get Susan to help.

Friday Fourteen

2009-12-11T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice. ~Author Unknown

Click HERE to get to my 55s

What you are about to read leans on the truth and bends it ever so little . But in the process every Friday you will catch a glimpse of me.And I save the cost of a psychiatrist.

1. Last week I learned and relearned some things. ( Stems from never being too old to learn)
2. I learned there is no use trying to argue with an angry person ( Stems from their having already decided the way things are and that your guilty.)
3. I learned that my intent in writing a comment has no impact on how it is perceived. ( Stems from people reading comments from their perspective and not yours.)
4. I learned that all that you have been and are has no meaning if somebody wants to see you as doing something mean. ( Stems again from anger and this moment blotting everything else out.)
5. I learned that they way I perceive somebody’s blog entry may not be how they intended it to be perceived. ( Stems from my perceptions and personal pain)
6. I learned that people will see things in my blog for the day which weren’t intended and aren’t there. ( Stems from their perceptions and personal pain)
7. I learned that we are far too quick to judge the intent of others. ( Stems from those dang perceptions and personal pain. )\
8. I learned again it is good to have an honest friend that will cut through the bull of a personal pity party and kick you back to God’s grace. ( Stems from there not being many friends like that. Usually they feed the pity)
9. I learned that minutes on a treadmill or waiting for the time to get out of bed are longer than minutes watching a soap opera.( Stems from the way in which we perceive time. I hate long minutes)
10. I learned that moving to Neenah did not set us free from blizzards . ( Stems from the stupid hope we would have much less snow here than in the UP.)
11. I learned they close the mall in a blizzard. ( Stems from no customers I suppose.)
12. I learned how hard it is for an old man who has trouble standing without something to hold onto to wrap Christmas gifts. ( Stems from wrapping Betty’s while she was at Bible study)
13. I learned , by reading blogs, of a lot of wonderful things people are doing for people they don’t know as part of their Christmas celebration. ( Stems from Christmas bringing out the best in us)
14. I learned again that life is the real university and the people around you are the professors. ( Stems from the way things are.)

Last night Pigeon Falls was hit by a UP blizzard. The snowfall could be measured not in inches but in feet. When people got up this morning they discovered that their power was down and the local phone service gone. There was so much snow blown against their doors they couldn’t open the door to shovel. The man who drives the town snowplow couldn’t get out of his house to get to the plow so that he could begin opening the roads. But if he had made it to the garage there was so much snow blown in against it that he wouldn’t have been able to open the big garage doors and get the plow out.
Mrs. Trumble awoke to find her town completely shut down. She couldn’t even get to her office . So she used her cell phone to call the man who drives the town plow. She told him that she was going to climb out the window and shovel out the back door of her garage so she could get her snowmobile out. Then she would come an get him to go to the town garage and together they would shovel enough to open the door and get the plow out. She then went looking for a window she could get out.
Befoore she could find one, however, the strangest thing happened. The snow began to swirl around and then it all moved like a cloud down the road through town and into the big vacant lot on the edge of town. When the swirrling was over, it took about an hour, the main roadways were clear, the tracks were clear, the main street was clear and people’s driveways were clear. Soon thereafter the power came back on. Sometimes it pays to live in Pigeon Falls.
Tommy UK was very tired from his morning exertions. He had moved with his special power tons of snow and the effort had exhausted him. He really wished his father was back and they could have done this together but he wan’t and so he did what he had to do alone. He went home and went to bed only to have his mother tell him it was time to go to school. That’s when he thought I should have left the school buried in snow. But he got up , had breakfast, and got dressed for school . That’s when the announcement came that the Consolidated High School which was not in Pigeon Falls was closed because of the blizzard. Tommy went back to bed.
Somewhere in Pigeon Falls a good mother is reading a book of nursery rhymes to her children.

Winter

2009-12-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts. ~Janice Maedite

I interrupt my usual Thursday blogging experience to bring you these pictures of our blizzard.
Click on any picture to make it large.

The back of the Manger scene.

Our Neighbor's house.

Ready to grill.

Our Roof

Our Back Yard

Since they didn’t really lose any time with their last visit to the past the town is adjusting quickly to being back. One could say that life is back to as normal as it gets here.
Yesterday this child shows up on main street and is definitely not dressed for the cold weather. He puts down a candle which begins burning and he jumps over it. He jumps over it again and again and again.
Finally Chief Ican goes out and asks him who his parents are but he doesn’t answer. So Chief Ican picks him up and carried him into the warm jail. The kid keeps trying to go back to the street so finally the Chief locks him in a cell. Then he goes and brings the candle in still burning. He discovers he can’t put it out.
The kid refused to talk to him so the chief called Mayor Trumble and asked her to stop at the jail and see if she can identify the boy.
Mrs. Trumble who knows most of the families in town looked at him and said she had never seen him before. She thought he might be part of some visiting family. But just in case he was local she suggested that Chief Ican get the school teacher of that grade to come and see if she recognized him. As Mayor Trumble was leaving The Chief stopped her and told her to look at the boy. As they watched the boy slowly faded away and there was nothing in the cell. The candle faded as well.

A Picture Page

2009-12-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home. ~Carol Nelson

Our house lights.
Click on picture to make larger.

Getting the train ready for the tree.

The tree not yet trimmed

Pastor Joan looked out the window and there was the good , solid, stone church she had come to love. They were back in 2009. As the day went on she would discover that though they had spent a day in the past they were only gone from the present for about ten minutes. They hadn’t even lost a day.

Mrs. Trumble had gone to the town hall as soon as she knew they were back. “ It was so nice”, she thought” “ to come into a building that was warm and ready for you and where you didn’t have to start a fire to get warm.
Shortly after she arrived at the Town Hall Eugene showed up. He told Mrs. Trumble he would go and see Susan an ask her to put some kind of spell over Pigeon Falls to prevent this from happening again.
Mrs. Trumble immediately asked who is this Susan and why not ask Annabelle.
Eugene , looking troubled explained.” Annabelle is dead. Susan is her daughter and mine. When she was dying she and Susan together cast the spell that restored me to the age I was when I stayed behind and put me back in Pigeon Falls. Believe me my daughter will do what she can for us.”
Mrs. Trumble responded “ If Annabelle is dead and Susan didn’t send us back then we have a problem. Somewhere in Pigeon Falls there is somebody else with that power. What will he or she do next?”
Eugene said he would talk to Susan about that today. Before he left he had one other thing he felt he needed to tell Mrs. Trumble about. It was Susan who sent Pigeon Falls to the past. She knew how it would all play out but she couldn’t change anything. The Monk saw it long ago and it was predestined to happen. She did what destiny’s script demanded of her. She was as trapped as the town was. Perhaps she was even more trapped because she knew that if she didn’t send them back she would not exist. She would never be born and the man who would have been her father would go on being just another drunk.
Then Eugene went up the mountain to talk to Susan.
Pigeon Falls went back to being just plain ordinary Pigeon Falls.
Somewhere in Pigeon Falls a child plays.

Liberal Fundamentalism

2009-12-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

[I]t is the one season of the year when we can lay aside all gnawing worry, indulge in sentiment without censure, assume the carefree faith of childhood, and just plain "have fun." Whether they call it Yuletide, Noel, Weinachten, or Christmas, people around the earth thirst for its refreshment as the desert traveller for the oasis. ~D.D. Monroe

Liberal Fundamentalism

When I was in Science class in High School I was told that the essence of science is to accept nothing as true .
Instead every theory needed to be challenged with more experiments and more information gathering. If this lead to long held “ truths” being proven wrong that was a good thing not a bad one. The true scientist did not have any truth that couldn’t be challenged.
Thus one did not lie to protect a “ truth” if you were a scientist.
You did not act to prevent further study and publication of scientific challenges to the “ truth” if you were a scientist.
You did not try to silence those who did not accept the “ truth” if you were a scientist.
Religious people might do all those things as they did to Galileo who dared challenge the “ truth” that the sun revolved around the earth.
But for real scientists no truth was absolute.
Well my High school teacher never met the scientists who believe in the “ truth” of Global Warming caused by CO2 emissions.
For this absolute given “ truth” scientists have:
Fudged data.
Prevented the publishing of critical papers.
Gotten a colleague fired.
They have defended the “ truth” as carefully as the Church defended it’s “ truth” against Galileo .
Now I don’t know if Global Warming is true or not. It may very well be but I do know this is not scientific.
Instead science has surrendered to political agendas.
Politicians don’t like things that might be true.
They want absolutes to build their legislation on.
Once they have hung their legislation on a “ truth” they sure don’t want it challenged.
So science sells out for grants, preferred treatment, good standing with the people in power.
Sell outs are always zealots for the cause.
It is time for the scientific community to return to science.
Dissenting views with their data and supporting evidence need to be published. They need to be answered not destroyed.
Data like the last twenty years the earth has seen cooling not heating need to be examined and explained.
Science needs to disregard the political and act like scientists.
Out of all this it is possible that the Global Warming theory proves to be the best available theory to explain all the relevant data but it is also possible that it isn’t.
Real science looks for but doesn’t start with truth.
Let’s get back to science.

Pastor Joan looked out the window this morning and couldn’t believe her eyes,. The old wood church was back . She shook her head. “This could not be” she thought. “ I must be having a nightmare”. But she soon discovered it was no nightmare but they were back in the past again.
All of Pigeon Falls was discovering the same thing. Mrs. Trumble went to the town hall where she had to start a fire in the wood heater to get warm. Soon she was joined by Eugene who had come because he knew she would want to ask him why.
“ Do we have to pay Annabelle again to go back to the present” she asked.
Eugene shook his head “ Susan had nothing to do with this but when she finds that we are gone she will do something to bring us back.”
“Susan! I thought her name was Annabelle” Mrs. Trumble remarked.
“ There are a number of things I didn’t tell you before”, Eugene said .” Right now we just have to trust Susan.”
Mrs. Trumble , looking confused said, “ Why don’t you just go up the mountain and tell Susan and get us out of here.?”
Eugene looking very sad said “ First there is no Susan yet. Second everything I read while I was gone says that if there was time travel and that is what we have here and a man meets himself the paradox will cause a massive rift in the universe. I am still up in the cabin with Annabelle and I’m here with you. So I don’t dare go up the mountain and we have to hope I don’t come down. Our best course of action is just to wait and hope Susan acts fast. ”
Mrs. Trumble waited for the other leaders and then they decided to spread the word that this was a temporary glitch and they should be back in the future in a day or two.
Pastor Joan went and told Nancy as the best method of spreading the news.
Somewhere in Pigeon Falls a little child having heard a number of adults say the same phrase tries to say it. It come out in an ancient language that sounds like babbling. Here is what the child said.

"Те, що ніколи не був
Те, що повинно бути ще раз. "
Which in English is:

“That which never was is gone

That which should be is again. “

Disjointed Thoughts

2009-12-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens

Really Rambling and Disjointed Thoughts

Disjointed thought one.

I need to apologize to the USA Network. On Friday I chided them for killing my favorite TV detective. All of their adds for the final show lead me to believe they were going to kill him. But instead, at the last minute, they found an antidote for the poison, the bad guy committed suicide , Monk found a daughter of Trudy that he didn’t know existed and the ending was such a happy one.
So to the USA network I am sorry ,I doubted you.
You are really good people after all.
Now the door is open for some feature Monk specials or even a Randy series where Monk could guest star from time to time.
I am happy. The world is back in order.

Disjointed thought two

Aquabibs of the world unite.
I am tired of being on the bottom of the social pecking order because my glass has no alcohol in it.
I am not a freak or a religious fanatic ( well I might be a religious fanatic but not about drinking).
I am tired of remarks like “ What’s the matter drinking against your religion?” or “ You think your too good to drink”.
I am tired of trying to make my drink look like theirs.
I have made a rational decision that alcoholic beverages are not good for ME. I have a long family history and some very personal experiences I base this on.
My not drinking in no way judges or implies that anything is wrong with those who choose to drink.
So please stop trying to guilt me or shame me into drinking.

Disjointed thought three

Shopping on line can be weird.
I ordered gifts for my nephews and their families from a good company. They were willing to wrap them ( for a fee) and ship them directly to my nephews complete with a gift card. All I had to do was fill out the addresses. But here they wanted two things I don’t have, their e-mail and their telephone numbers. I never e-mail them. I never call them. I send them a birthday card ,a Christmas gift, and our annual really dumb letter. All I need is their address. Well the e-mail was optional so that was no problem but the telephone number was required. So I called my sister but of course she wasn’t home. So I had to go out on the web and find the numbers , which I did. But that used up a lot more time than the simple task warranted. The company really didn’t need those numbers.
Well now I have their telephone numbers for next year.
Some good can come out of inconvenience.
Or did I forget to write them down ?

Last disjointed thought

Walking on a treadmill is not the same as walking in Wal-Mart. When I walk on the tread mill I have a continuous supply of two liter oxygen making breathing possible. In Wal-Mart I would have to carry the little oxygen tank on the walker. At two liters continuous it does not last very long. On the scooter I set the tank on draw. I take only the oxygen I need and it lasts a couple of hours. The draw setting doesn’t work well for walking. So , for the moment, my freedom from the house is still scooter dependent.

It is a beautiful Monday in Pigeon Falls. The sun is shining. There is a light covering of snow. All the decorations are up. The town is clearly ready for Christmas.
Well the light is out in the stomach of one of the Santa Clauses hanging on main street. Somebody will have to get the extra long ladder and climb up and replace it, not an easy job . Eugene who is now the handyman at the Fly Inn has offered to do it. The town really doesn’t have any full time workers except Mrs. Trumble and the guy that cleans the streets. He, by the way, hates ladders.
Eugene has been working at the Fly Inn for several days now. He doesn’t seem to be tempted to return to drinking though his former drinking buddies are pressuring him to do so. It seems a sober Eugene makes them nervous. They like being drunk and still feel guilty about it. Eugene just smiles and sometimes he buys them a drink as a way of saying I don’t care if you drink.
Mrs. Trumble, however, thinks Eugene would be happier in some other job. She is going to go to the town council and try to get Eugene hired as the town handyman. She thinks the town owes him for the sacrifice he made when they were in the past.
Mrs. Pemberthy is happy having Eugene as a boarder. He has done a lot of the work her son hadn’t gotten around to. Plus he is so polite and kind. She makes him tea every afternoon when he gets home from work.
Next Monday Santa Claus will ride down main street. They have two real deer to pull the sleigh but they aren’t reindeer. They just don’t have a Santa Claus yet.
Somewhere in Pigeon Falls a little child tries to say something an adult said. What comes out sounds like babbling but is really an ancient language long forgotten.
The child said:

Що котрим зараз не є.
Що який ніколи не було потрапив.

Which in English would be:

That which was now is not.
That which never was is now.

Second Sunday

2009-12-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

And all mankind will see God's salvation.-Luke 3:6

Today in Liturgical churches we celebrate the second Sunday in Advent. It is time to prepare our hearts both for Christmas and the Christ who is coming again in power.
The text in the common lectionary is Luke 3:1-6.
This is where John the Baptist is sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus.
There are four things about this text that Luke wants you to know.
First of all it is a historic even that took place in the real world. It is not some made up story thst illustrates a point. So Luke tells us who was the Governor at this time, who the Jewish King was and the identity of the High Priests.. This nails the event to a particular time in history.
Second John receives his message from God. God’s word we are told came to John. John sees his task as preparing the way for the coming Messiah.
Third John’s coming was promised by an Old Testament prophet called Isaiah and Luke quotes him at this point. The coming of John at this time and in this place is not accidental but part of God’s plan for humanity.
Fourth the good news that because of John and the coming Messiah “ all mankind will see God’ s salvation” .Salvation will not belong , any longer , to just a special people.
The good news this morning is that you and I are part of the “ all mankind”. We have been saved and are being saved by this Jesus that John proclaims.
It is Advent and time to prepare your heart for the coming Christ.
It is Advent and John is calling us to get ready to see Jesus.
It is Advent and Christmas is coming.
It is Advent and the loving God has opened the very doors of heaven to us all.
It is Advent and we wait for the coming christ.
He will come gain.
Alleluia!

Pastor Joan has just finished her sermon for this morning. Here is a part of it:
This morning Luke takes us to the calling of John the Baptist. There a number of people he wants you to see . Each one will have to face and decide who Jesus is for themselves.
There is Pilate. One day he will stand face to face with Jesus and have to decide if Jesus is a king or not. He will make the wrong decision.
There is Herod he too will have to face Jesus and he too will be wrong.
There are the High Priests they will look on Jesus and demand his death.
Each one had his chance to respond and choose badly.
Then there is John . He will obey and in his obedience he will die. But he knows who the Messiah is. He will have chosen to accept God’s gracious gift.
Finally there are those who hear John. Some will see the Messiah and some won’t. Some wlll decide like Pilate, Heropd, and the High Priests to turn their back on Him.
But some will hear John and look for Jesus. They will become part of the early Church.
This morning John speaks to you. He tells you Jesus is coming. He tells you to get ready. He tells you to wait his coming. He tells you that God has saved and is saving you through this Jesus.
Now get ready for His coming again.
Get ready.

Six Words

2009-12-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I walk fifteen minutes a day!

Pigeon Falls had six inches of snow fall last night. It looks like this time it will stay for awhile. But the plow is out and the street has been cleared. It has started on the country roads as well and they should be done by noon. Snow doesn’t really bother people in Pigeon Falls. Surprisingly even the dragons fly over despite the cold.
Eugene has been back for most of the week but some people are still discovering that he is back. He has had to tell his story at least fifty times. He almost seems to enjoy the telling but there is always a kind of sadness in his voice.
Petrovich will be back tomorrow on the late train. Grandma and Grampa wanted to keep the girls till Christmas but Petrovich said no. They wanted them at home.
Now that there is some snow tourists with snow mobiles will begin showing up. One can count on Dr. Fortress to run a special train just for snowmobilers and their vehicles. He does every year.
The poltergeist keeps the area in front of Nancy’s Coffee Shop free of both snow and ice. Nobody knows what it does with the snow but there are no piles.

Friday 14

2009-12-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. ~Phyllis Diller

Click HERE to get to my 55s

What you are about to read leans on the truth and bends it ever so little . But in the process every Friday you will catch a glimpse of me.And I save the cost of a psychiatrist.

1. I am eating more because the Doctor said I need to gain weight and I feel weird. ( Stems from all those years of trying to lose weight)
2. I remember when I was 350 pounds. Now I’m at 150 pounds. ( Stems from illness not diet)
3. Going to put a different train around the tree this year. We are changing from G scale to 0 . ( Stems from a desire for a change)
4. We have our tree up. Of course it is small and artificial but we love it. ( Stems from the need to fit on the table in the room)
5. Having reached fifteen minutes on the treadmill, next week I will increase the speed and try to walk further in the same time. ( Stems from trying to get maximum benefit.)
6. My stomach feels much better. ( Stems, I think from the walking)
7. Almost ran out of juice on the scooter in Wal-Mart the other day and poor Bree would have had to push me to the car. ( Stems from forgetting to charge the night before)
8. I am angry with the USA network for killing Monk. ( Stems from my really liking the character and wanting at least the possibility he could come back.)
9. The football team from the town where I was Pastor all those years made it to the state final for the sixth year in a row. They lost again. ( I haven’yt the slightest idea why they keep losing that last game.)
10. Bought a beautiful mixed berry pie from Perkins last Friday. I have had a piece with ice cream every day since. ( Stems from everyone else being on diets so it’s all mine.)
11. Have about half of our Christmas shopping done. Now we should start wrapping but haven’t. ( Stems from pure undiluted procrastination on the wrapping.)
12. This weekend we will get the manger scene up. ( stems from a need to get the display out before Christmas)
13. Sold five items on e-Bay this week. Cleared a little over $100. ( Stems from getting rid of stuff from the basement shelves)
14. Next week I see my lung specialist and will see if the new pill did any good. I am a bit afraid. ( Stems from a life long fear of Doctors)

The weather bureau is predicting a big winter storm for the upper part of Upper Michigan. Pigeon Falls got a dusting of snow last night but nothing of consequence. It melted this morning. But Winter is coming.
Kivi & Maki is having a winter coat sale. They have a sign in the window that reads “ Get your winter coat now on sale when you need it it won’t be on sale.” They seem to be doing good business.
A big black bear ambled into town this morning acting as if it owned it. It smashed in the door at Nancy’s place but the poltergeist picked it up and deposited it in the DNR barrel cage. That was one surprised bear. Now the DNR will take it forty miles away and release it in the woods. It’s doubtful it will return after that. It would have been a much happier bear if it had come on Wednesday which is garbage day. There would have been garbage bags all along main street waiting to be picked up. A veritable feast for a bear.
Eugene has a job at the Fly Inn. He is going to be the janitor/handyman. They offered him a free room as well but he declined because he likes his room at Mrs. Pemberthy’s. He feels fairly sure that he won’t go back to drinking.

Quilly's Word Day

2009-12-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

A child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer. ~Author Unknown

It is time to share with you another of my favorite blogs.

Sue-Outside my Window

This is my touch of the UP where I lived for most of my life. Here Sue tells us what's happening all around the central UP and I enjoy every minute of it. I share her with you today so you can get a little flavor of Upper Michigan.

Tommy UK met last night with Mrs. Trumble and talked about Christmas and the return of Tommy’s father. Tommy pointed out that has adoptive parents would love to have them come and share the Christmas meal with them. Tommy UK thought it would be wonderful because he would have all his parents together in one place.
Soon Tommy's birth dad would finish the process by which he ceased to be a Guardian of the Universe. He was giving up eternal life and non aging. When he came back he would be an ordinary person . Well he would be an ordinary person with extraordinary powers. The powers that he shares with Tommy he had before he became a Guardian so he still has them after he ceases to be one.
Mrs. Trumble felt that they needed to wait for him to return and shouldn’t be making plans for him. Tommy reluctantly agreed to wait but he really does want them all together for Christmas.
Petrovich and family will be returning late Sunday. He has a number of driblets that he is working at translating but the language is difficult and the vision of the monk not always clear . In addition the manuscript has some rips and creases that make it even harder. But when he gets back he will be refreshed and ready to go.
Eugene has taken the upstairs room at old Mrs. Pemberthy’s. Now he needs to find a job so he can pay her for the room. If he does it will be perfect because she can use both the money and a handyman to get some things done she can’t do.

Ungodly Child

2009-12-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring. ~Liz Armbruster

I just finished reading Rachel Green’s book “An Ungodly Child” and I want to say something about it.
First if you’re a Christian fundamentalist prone to read all books literally then you could easily see this as an attack on the Bible, Christianity, and morals. It could be interpreted that way. So if you see the book on your desk I advise you take a set of tongs and carry it at arms length to the nearest trash burner. I guarantee you will hate it.
But if you’re the type of person that allows creative authors to create a world of their own that may seem a bit like our world but is really one they create. If your willing to see that people often write with no axe to grind and without a desire to attack anything. If you can see they are just wanting to create a different and odd world then this is a great book.
The author creates a world using bible data, bible related myths, and fantasy creatures like vampires and fairies. In this world those we know to be bad are almost good and those we know to be good are not so good.
The main character is the most moral, kind, gentle character I have ever read about but given what he is he shouldn’t be.
The author weaves a humorous story with wonderful creative lines.
I would recommend the book to anyone whose mind is open enough to read it.
In addition it comes recommended by my friend Aims.
PS . I paid for my copy and was not paid for this review.

The word has spread through Pigeon Falls that Eugene is back. Not only is he back but he looks far better than when they left him with the old lady/witch in the past.
Mrs. Trumble told Tommy UK that she doesn’t think they have the full story of Eugene yet. He’s holding something back but she doesn’t know what or worry. But she is very sure he is.
Tommy UK told Mrs. Trumble that it would be hard to figure how a person should act after having gone through what Eugene went through . He may not be holding anything back at all just reacting to all that has happened.
Tonight the choirs of the Methodist, Catholic, and Lutheran churches will meet at Last Lutheran to begin working on the community Christmas Cantata. This year it will be at Last Lutheran sao it will be directed by the Catholic choir director. The accompanist will be from the Methodist Church as they have the best organist in Pigeon Falls. The location rotates between the Catholic and Lutheran Church. If a Church hosts the cantata itself then the choir director from the other church directs. The system has served them well.
Tomorrow the Holiday decorations will go up in town. They will also put up the manger scene in the town square. Remember the town square and the manager scene don’t belong to the town. This keeps the American Civil Liberties Union off the back of the town officials.

Ideaology versus Reality

2009-12-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. ~Franklin P. Jones

Take the public option out of the big health bill and put it in a little bill all its own. Then it can be looked at and the costs can be figured and a debate carried on on the public option.
Having done that the Democrats and the Republicans should be able to get together and discuss the other things that can be done to help save the health system. There are apparently a large number of things that both parties agree on that could be passed that would have an impact on health care costs.
What prevents any compromise now is ideology. The Republicans ideologically can not vote for anything that extends the governments activity in health care and the democrats ideologically are committed to the government option.
Ideology is a bad legislator. It doesn’t allow for practical questions like:
Can we afford this now?
Will waiting hurt the long term progress?
Can just a public option really give the government control?
The task from moment the Democrats were elected was to get the public option. The task from the moment the Democrats were elected for the Republicans was to block it.
I really wish that our President had given us more real leadership. The great Presidents rose above ideology to meet the needs of the moment.
Obama doesn’t seem capable of doing that.
But the true believers on each ideological side cheer on their party.
Those of us in the middle have trouble watching the system lock up.

Mrs. Trumble rode her bicycle in to work today. It still hasn’t snowed and she figured she could use the exercise. As she passed the Fly Inn there sitting on the front step was Eugene. She fell off the bike.
She looked at him. He looked just like he did when they left 1890 and returned to 2009 and he was sober.
“I’m staying at the Fly Inn”, he said. “ Until I find someplace better.”
She went with him to the restaurant and treated him to breakfast. “ How did you get back?” she asked.
Eugene said he spent many good years with Anabelle but the time came when she felt he belonged back in 2009. So she and one other cast a spell that brought him back to 2009 and restored him to the age he was when he stayed in 1890. She wanted what was best for him.
Eugene said, with a tear in his eye, “ she really loved me. You know!. She really did.”
Mrs. Trumble refrained from asking why he just didn’t go now up to her cabin. He could have the best of both worlds. But she felt there was something he wasn’t telling her but she had no idea what that could be.
She told him to put a note on Nancy’s bulletin board that he was looking for some place to stay. “Somebody probably has a room to rent” she advised him.” It will cost less than the Fly Inn.”

Matter of Perspective

2009-11-30T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.
~Stacia Tauscher

How we view the world and what we do depends on our perspective, our life at that moment.
I was reminded of that on Friday when I got this comment:
“Glad you are doing better and I hope you continue to exercise, if only a little. “
This was in response to my statement that I was walking seven minutes a day on the treadmill.
The commentator saw this as a “ little exercise”.
I saw it as a mountain to be climbed and I had climbed it.
Now from the perspective of somebody who can run, jump, and climb mountains seven minutes on a treadmill at the slowest speed is very little exercise.
But from my perspective since I hadn’t walked except from one room to another in over a year it was a mountain to be climbed. It was hard work. It hurt.
As of today I have reached my first goal of ten minutes.
From your perspective just a little bit more exercise but for me higher up the mountain.
To climb that mountain has taken lots of preparation.
I needed an oxygen hose from the concentrator to the computer room so I could take in two liters of oxygen all the while I’m walking.
I needed a chair nearby to drop into when I finished so I could let the pain pass.
For me a mountain top. For somebody else an ant hill.
The real problem is I don’t know if it is strengthening the stomach and chest muscles I need for breathing.
I certainly hope it is.
My next goal is fifteen minutes but that mountain is really high.
It does have some side effects though.
I’m having less stomach trouble and I’m sleeping better.
Sometimes a little bit is a long way up the mountain.
It’s all in the perspective.
When I came out of my coma my legs had forgotten how to walk.
My therapist worked with me every day. It was painful. It was impossible.
When I finally walked two feet he was so happy.
It’s all in the perspective.
I guess that’s true of most of life.
I hope you climb your mountains as you see them.

Petrovich , his wife and daughters are in Green Bay at her mother’s house where they went for Thanksgiving. They are planning on staying the week so that the grandparents can have some time with the girls and they can do some Christmas shopping. This makes people in Pigeon Falls rest easier because as long as Petrovich is gone there will be none of those horrible driblets.
Bonnie McGregor is getting ready for the first Christmas where her twins can open gifts. She knows their brother and sisters will give them far too much but she has to shop anyway. These were the twins that were once thought to be part of driblet 172 but it doesn’t seem now like they were. In any case Bonnie loves them and so does their daddy.
For the most part life is back to normal in Pigeon Falls. The dragons fly over once a day, the ghost piano plays, Nancy’s poltergeist continues to surprise, the train come through mostly on time, and the town seems to have recovered from its trip to 1890.
The residents are making Christmas lists and planning shopping trips. Dr. Fortress has set up a special train to Marquette and a bus or buses to take people shopping when they get there. They will have access to Target, Wal-Mart, Menards and a number of other big stores. He already has had to add an extra car the demand is so great.
Of course those with relatives in Iron Mountain can take the milk train in the morning ( it’s cheaper) to Iron Mountain and find some of the same stores. The relatives provide the transportation in the city.
All of Pigeon Falls is looking forward to Christmas.

Advent Sunday One

2009-11-29T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Today we start a new Church year. We move in the Common Lectionary from the B year to the C year. In the B year most of the Gospel readings were from Mark now they will be from Luke. If you attend a liturgical Church this morning you will notice that the Altar hangings have changed from green to either violet or blue. Violet is the color of Kings and marks the coming King Jesus. Blue is the color of the sky and marks our anticipation of the return of Jesus.
This is the first of the four Sundays of the Advent season. The season has two purposes:
1. To get us ready for the coming Christ of Christmas and the major Church holiday Christmas itself.
2. To remind us that Jesus is going to return.
The text for today is Luke 21-25-36.
Here Jesus gives the Church some signs of when he will return. People are and have always been fascinated by the end times. They love stories of dark angels, death horses, plagues, battles. These sell books . The writers always write as if they really understood it all.
In today’s text Jesus says “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. “
Then Jesus tells them that these signs should remind them that their redemption is near.
The signs which we will always have with us serve the pirose of reminding us of the One who saved us and who saves us.
It’s all about redemption. It’s not about fear or battles , it’s about being saved.
Jesus doesn't want us “ weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life”. He wants us to live free. To live as one of His. So He reminds us He is coming again. The when is not important. The promise is important.
Advent reminds us that Jesus did not save us and forget us. He is coming again.
Look up. Be ready. Be free.

Pastor Joan will be back in her good old pulpit again today. She will be preaching in the wonderful stone church. She will have a wireless mike. Here is part of her sermon:
“Once , a long time ago I went to visit a friend who lives near Detroit. I sent him a letter and told him when I was coming but somehow it all got confused. He got the dates wrong or maybe I did and he was in Upper Michigan visiting hisparents. I knocked on his door and his neighbor said he’d be back next week so I left the note on the door saying I was sorry I missed him and drove all the way back to Chicago where I was in Seminary. The note blew off the door. He waited the following week for me. We got everything wrong. We misread the signs. It is a miracle we ever married.
Advent which begins today is about signs. It is about signs that point to Christmas and to the Christ of Christmas who is coming again. If we are not careful we will make the signs more important than the Christ they point to. We will misread the signs and miss the Christ.
The purpose of the signs in today’s text is to point us to Jesus and remind us he save us. We need to know that in a world of stress , where you can’t turn on your TV without hearing some bad news that we have been set free.
We belong to Jesus and He is coming again for us.
He wants us to be free. He wants us to be ready. He doesn’t want us being crushed or destroyed by the prssires of the world. He know that this world’s answer to stress will destroy us.
It is Advent . Look up! He wo saves us is coming again.
Be free. Be ready.”

Six Words

2009-11-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

The great advantage of living in a large family is that early lesson of life's essential unfairness. ~Nancy Mitford

Somehow I survived a Thanksgiving gathering.

Some of the people of Pigeon Falls are having a little trouble adjusting to being back. They had learned to like the slower quieter pace of life in 1890. There was no music blaring, no TV on all the time, no cell phone that could find you no matter where you were. Now they are back to all those things and they feel stressed. They never thought they would look at the time in 1890 as special but they have begun to think it might have been.
Some of those people are using the best of that experience to change their life now. They are leaving the TV off. They are not taking their cell phone with them when they go out. They feel good about the little changes.
Of course, some just jumped back into 2009 with both feet. This is their world and they missed it. Some of those were in Iron Mountain on black Friday. They pushed into Wal-Mart looking for great bargains.
Giles Insolaw was one of those. He was just about to get the greatest computer buy ever when the fat lady pushed by and stamped on his foot. It swelled up like a balloon and they had to take him to the Emergency Room at the Hospital where he sat for an hour in pain before they got to him. After tests and X-rays he discovered a bone was broken and they called in an Orthopedic specialist. The Doctor said that he thought it would heal nicely on its own but as soon as the swelling goes down they should put a cast on it to protect the foot. They put him in the hospital over night. Nothing like that happened in 1890. But then if had stayed in Pigeon Falls it wouldn’t have happened in 2009 .

Friday

2009-11-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go by any rules. They're not like aches or wounds; they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material.
~F. Scott Fitzgerald

Click HERE to get to my 55s

What you are about to read leans on the truth and bends it ever so little . But in the process every Friday you will catch a glimpse of me.And I save the cost of a psychiatrist.

1. The new medication is still working wonders but it will soon come to the end of the dosage. ( Stems from that’s all the Doctor prescribed)
2. Has a great Thanksgiving at Peter’s house. ( Stems from loving my family)
3. Got too play some canasta . ( Stems from our strange Thanksgiving custom)
4. Am now walking seven minutes every day on the treadmill and it hurts. ( Stems from the arthritis in the knees)
5. Finally got five things posted to e-Bay that should have been posted a month ago. ( Stems from extreme procrastination)
6. Will not take my precious scooter out on this black Friday. ( Stems from fear that in my greed for a bargain I might run over somebody and get it all messed up)
7. Discovered that Lionel track left sitting in a box rusts . ( Stems from some stupid scientific principle but I hate rust.)
8. I think Monday or Tuesday we will put up our Christmas tree . ( Stems from a need to have it up as long as possible)
9. We have a new train to go around it. ( Stems from getting tired of the one we used every year for the last four)
10.It is hard to find fourteen facts for this segment. ( Stems from leading such a boring life)
11. They took off my NCIS on Tuesday for a local Christmas parade, I’m upset. ( Stems from my preference for mystery over marching bands and stuff)
12. The little Wal-Mart hand held pies have almost no filling and lots and lots of crust. ( Stems from crust being cheaper than good filling.)
13. Have now printed out all of October’s blog entries to send to my sister. ( Stems from her being too stubborn to go on the internet.)
14. Went to wrap Betty’s Christmas gifts but discovered I only had Star Wars wrapping paper . So I didn’t. ( Stems from my thought that Luke with a light saber was not a good wrapping for a Christmas gift.)

Yesterday was a great Thanksgiving Day in Pigeon Falls. The town. Of course, was happy to be back in 2009 and very thankful for that.
There were the usual family gatherings. The usual unreasonable amount of food was consumed. The usual families had the usual family fights. The usual people aren’t talking to each other. It will pass and they will be ready for another round by Christmas. Kids got to see cousins they only see once or twice a year and they played and screamed and like the big people they sometimes fought.
But it was a good Thanksgiving. Nobody got too sick. Nobody had an accident coming or going. There were new memories made and in years to come they will be shared at similar family gatherings.
One could say that life in Pigeon Falls was back to normal.

Today Wink’s Wood’s had its big Black Friday sale. There were some real bargains and the doors opened at 4:00 in the morning. The first person to show up came in at 8:00 and didn’t buy anything. Given when they got back they tried to get by with word of mouth advertising but it apparently didn’t work.

Some people did get up early this morning and took the milk train to Iron Mountain to try the black Friday sales there. They saw on TV that Wal-Mart had some really great morning sales. They hope to come back with a good part of their Christmas shopping done.
In the midst of all of this nobody missed Eugene. But then he had never been part of anybody’s celebration. Thanksgiving dinner had come from the leftovers brought in from the restaurant at the end of the day. Somebody else ate those today.
Eugene was appreciated but forgotten.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

The thankful people of Pigeon Falls wish all of you a great Thanksgiving and may your turkey be cooked just right.

A letter to God

2009-11-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

A Letter to God

Dear God I know this a perfectly stupid question but Why me?
There were four of us friends that became Pastors .
There was Lanse, Michael, Roy, and I.
Lanse was the go to Pastor. If Synod had a problem congregation on the edge of falling apart they sent in Lanse and he brought your healing and new life. He was very good at that. He had a heart attack not too long ago. He’s gone Home.
I’m still here.
Why me Lord?
Michael was a natural born leader . Everyone looked up to him. We expected one day he would be a Bishop. He died of cancer, He’s gone Home.
I’m still here.
Why me Lord?
Roy loved your Scripture had a real talent for Bible study. He was charismatic. He was Evangelical. He died of some kind of infection. He’s gone Home.
I’m still here.
Why me Lord?
Do you still have some job for me? I sure can’t do much .
I can’t preach any more. I can’t visit or teach.
I could have gone Home four years or so ago . The Doctors thought I was on my way.
But I’m still here.
Why me Lord? Why me?
Was it because the angel you sent to help me on the journey. The one named Betty whose faith held me up all those years. She taught me how to love without conditions. She taught this stubborn Finn to forgive. She loved me to a stronger and stronger faith. Was it because she wanted me to stay for a awhile yet. Was it her request you honored?
Whatever the reason Lord. My love for you grows stronger with the days.
But someday I’m coming Home.
Thank you for loving me.
And still I wonder why me?

“That which never was is gone
That which should be is again. “

All over Pigeon Falls people awoke wondering if they were back in 2009. It was like children getting up on Christmas morning looking to see if Santa came. They were not disappointed. They looked around and saw electric lights, TV, computers, telephones, cell phones, indoor plumbing. It was 2009 they way they remembered it. It was the day before Thanksgiving. They would have much to be thankful for.
As the day went on they discovered a strange thing the rest of the world neither noticed their going or their return. It was as if the entire event had never happened. There were strange , unexplainable gaps in school records. There were pages that were blank in the town records, but there was no real evidence of their vanishing or their appearance.
Somehow relatives in other towns hadn’t missed them. Apparently nobody tried to call them. It was as strange as the trip back and forth itself.
During the day people stopped into Nancy’s and talked of the experience . It was if they just wanted to be sure they were not insane but that others had been there as well. The talk would eventually turn to Eugene and his sacrifice for the entire community. He gave up the modern world so they could get back.. How could anybody do more than that.
Another odd thing was that no matter what they had done back then when they came back to 2009 they had the same money and things as before they left. Not more money and not less.
But they had memories. One man had seen his great grandfather. He would remember that forever.
They learned what it was like to live with outhouses and no cars.
They saw the good and the bad of what used to be
But they were back. They were back. Oh! Great joy . They were back.
They did have a problem tomorrow was Thanksgiving and no preparations had been made. There were no turkeys in the freezers. There were no pies already cooked. There were no plans of any kind. Usually they went to the city and stocked up on everything the week before but there was no time for that now, The little local grocery was soon out of everything.
Mrs. Trumble saved the day. She had everyone who needed anything come to the Town Hall and tell her what they needed and she would have it by 3:00 . She gave the list and the money to Tommy UK and he used his power to transport himself to the big grocery stores in Iron Mountain. There he filled the lists and then transported the good back with his power. People though they were hallucinating. Here was a kid standing with piles of frozen turkeys, canned hams, pies, and other food and then he just disappeared .Being as logical as Eino they simply decided that they didn’t really see that. But everybody got what they needed. There would be food enough for family gatherings tomorrow.
Relatives coming in by train will never know how close they came to eating Thanksgiving hot dogs, without relish yet.

Health Vultures

2009-11-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

If minutes were kept of a family gathering, they would show that "Members not Present" and "Subjects Discussed" were one and the same. ~Robert Brault

I saw a bit of sixty minutes Sunday night and I learned one of the reasons Medicare is on the edge of going bankrupt. Believe it or not it wasn’t government inefficiency or regulation. It was plain old American greed.
This poor old lady was in a nursing home being fairly well taken care of. She was comfortable and she hjad friends. She was living out the last of her life the best that it could be lived. She had a bad heart and kidney problems and one day she passed out. To be on the safe side the Doctor associated with the nursing home admitted her to the hospital. Now that seems to be like a reasonable thing to do.
But once she was in the hospital the health vultures descended. She was visited by twenty five specialists including a psychiatrist. Each one billed Medicare separately. None of them in any way improved her condition. But these specialists ordered a whole barrage of tests to be made some of them painful. These were administered by and billed through the hospital helping to pay the bills of that vast institution and , of course, draining money out of Medicare.
Now , at most , she should have been seen by a kidney specialist and a heart specialist. After a horrible four days when she could have been enjoying tea with her friends in the home she was finally sent back weaker and in no way improved.
From us they took Medicare money, from her four days of life but they all got paid.
Now I don’t know if this is typical but I saw some of it in people I worked with as their Pastor. Greed pushes up the costs of the system and greed doesn’t really care about the patient.
It is so sad.

That which was now is not.
That which never was is now.

Well when the old lady/gypsy showed up yesterday they were only $57.78 short of the goal. The horses were ready , the cows were ready and the wagon was ready. They explained to her that they had tried their best to raise the full amount and hoped she would take what they had as a good faith gesture.
She explained to them that she would like to because she could use the money but this spell required the exact change. It was the nature of the spell and not an arbitrary number.
The people who had gathered looked crushed. People began to realize that they would be stuck here forever. They would never get back to 2009. The little girl who brought in her piggy bank began to cry.
Then they saw him.
He was walking all alone up the main street.
It was Eugene.
“ I have decided”, he announced, “ to stay with her. This is my decision made by my free will. I have thought about it since I got back. I have no family in 2009. I have no friends. No one will miss me except the bartender at the Fly Inn. For once in my life I can do a good thing. I can make up for a pretty worthless life. I had a great talk with Anna Belle the other day. I think I will enjoy being here with her. All I ask is that sometimes you remember me and that I cared a lot for this town.
Then he got up on the wagon and sat down holding the horse reigns.
The old lady smiled raised her hands and said

“That which never was is gone
That which should be is again. “

Then she said “the spell will work over night and tomorrow you will find yourself back in 2009.”
She got up on the wagon and gave directions to Eugene. As they moved into the woods it was as if it opened before them and closed after them and soon they were gone.
A strange quiet fell over the town.

Pieces of Me

2009-11-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

When our relatives are at home, we have to think of all their good points or it would be impossible to endure them. ~George Bernard Shaw

1. The super pill has had wonderful effects. Breathing is much more even and without pain and I’m needing less oxygen. I’m not sure it will continue when the dosage ends. I am also not sure it is doing what the Doctor wants which is to strengthen the chest and stomach muscles that do my breathing. But I am thankful for the respite in any case.
2. For those who asked I have no idea what the name of the pill is. I do know it is a steroid derivative with oodles of potential side effects. Remember my COPD is not your usual COPD but is caused by the failure of my diaphragms to do their job.
3. Last week I apparently ended up with stomach flue as well and had two days of being really sick. We now think it was some kind of stomach flue because it hit Betty next.
4. My son Pat and his boys came Saturday. Together Pat, Alex ( his oldest) and I built the Manger enclosure for the Christmas scene. Last year poor Joseph kept getting blown over. Three generations working together was really nice. I provided design and direction and they did the building. Too bad we didn’t take pictures.
5. Poor Betty spent Saturday running between bathroom and bed as the flue hit her hard. Thus nobody thought to take pictures.
6. If my strength holds we will be going to Peter’s for Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to that.

This is the day of reckoning for poor Pigeon Falls. Today the old lady/witch comes to collect her two cows, her wagon, her two horses and $10,000. At this moment after all the money collected yesterday has been counted Mrs. Trumble has announced that they are have $8451.33. Not quiet $10,000.
But it is morning and they are hoping more will come in this afternoon.
If they don’t reach $10,000 they hope the old lady/gypsy will take whatever they do have and send them back to 2009. The general feeling is that she won’t.
But then there is Eugene. The problem is that nobody has even seen Eugene since the old lady/witch announced she would take him instead of the money. He has literally disappeared. A number of people wanted to beg him to save the town. There was even some fear some might try to force him to offer to go “ of his own free will”. But he hasn’t been available for begging or forcing, There just has been no Eugene.
As the time for her to arrive gets closer a little girl has brought in her piggy bank and two unnamed business people brought in money they were holding back in the hope that the total would be raised without them.
The total is now $9563.81. But it still isn’t $10,000.
So the governing group is sitting in he town hall waiting and they are depressed.

Christ the King Sunday

2009-11-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Saying

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. ~C.S. Lewis

With the Sunday we end the Liturgical year. It the Sunday of Christ the King. Next Sunday we start a new year and will move from the year B lectionary texts to the year C texts. We will move from Gospels for the most part out of Mark to those out of Luke.
If you attend a liturgical church you might not even notice that it’s the end of the Church year. There will be no special year end ceremonies , no horns blaring, no firecrackers. There will be a proclamation that Jesus is Lord. But it is an important proclamation.
The Gospel text is John 18:33-37.
Here Jesus face Pilate and Pilate asks him straight out “ Are you the King of the Jews?”
Pilate is having a hard time with Jesus. He can’t really find anything wrong with him but if he claims kingship then he can be perceived as a threat .
Jesus answer is not what Pilate expects.
Jesus says his Kingdom is not of this world. He has no earthly armies. He calls forth no battles. His is a new Kingdom breaking in to the world.
For those of us who live in this new Kingdom now, at least in part, this is good news.
Jesus is the King. He has come, as promised to deliver us. He has opened for us a new world filled with new possibilities.
He has given us the power to forgive. The power to rise above our hateful nature.
He has granted us the power to reach out in love.
He has changed our lives forever.
Christ is King and this is the Sunday that we are reminded that we have heard his voice and responded to his truth.
We stand partially in the coming Kingdom and partially in the old.
But for us Jesus is King and this is Christ the King Sunday.
A wonderful way for the Church year to end.
Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord indeed.

Pastor Joan is preparing what she prays will be her last sermon before returning to 2009. Here is part of that sermon.
Today the Church year ends and perhaps we will begin the next one back in 2009. But if we do or if we don’t one thing will remain true. Jesus Christ is King.
He is our King.
He is our Savior.
He is our God.
He is there in the good times and the bad.
He never abandons us.
But we owe Him our allegiance.
Sometimes we forget that.
We are so happy that Christ is there for us that we forget we are called to follow Him.
Sometimes we get so caught up in how He serves us we forget we are called to serve Him in the world by serving others.
Christ the King Sunday reminds us that Jesus is Lord.
He is more than some nice old God who pulls us out of the ditches of life.
He expects us to be his Body the Church in this world.
That is quiet an expectation.
It is hard to live the way Jesus wants us too. It is hard to give ourselves in the serving of others.
But we are His people. This is what we are called to do.
It is Christ the King Sunday and Jesus is Lord.