It's Saturday again. In a little while I will meet my brother-in-law for breakfast at Eggberts. Later we will go on to Bartlesville for Ernie's funeral at 2:00. Phyllis will be there and hopefully we will see her at the reception afterward.
We have breakfast every Saturday. Phyllis is a friend of both of us. When we were meeting with the Alzheimer's support group, she often came. She had Ernie in a nursing home in Nowata at that time. He did not have Alzheimer's Disease but did have a different type of dementia. First he lost his ability to speak and had to write his messages to Phyllis. Later he even lost that ability. It was a tragedy as all dementia is. She is free now and so is he. Phyllis is comforted by the belief in an afterlife that restores all to a perfect state.I do not share that belief but if it comforts her, I'm not about to try to destroy that belief for her.
I went over to Bob's about 2:30 and ate a bite of their Thanksgiving dinner. The girls had worked hard to put a nice dinner on the table. They were really good to invite me too. Diana gave me a Christmas gift and that was very nice of her. I put it with the rest of the gifts I have bought and will put it under my tree when I get my tree up.
We decorated the church for Christmas yesterday morning. Melissa, Leslie, Bobby and Karan and I showed up and got the church looking wonderful. I will try to get out there and take a photo of it and post it here later. We plan to hold a holiday dinner on December 9th after church. It will look lovely for that. On my birthday on December 2nd, I will put up my tree and decorate my house for Christmas and put away the fall decorations.
I love Christmas. I start buying my few gifts in September so I can have my gifts all bought before December. I only buy gifts for those who can attend out family dinner. I couldn't afford to do more and the postage to send them off. But I refuse to give up gift shopping altogether. It's a valuable part of the Christmas experience for me.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Black Friday and Politics
Black Friday won't be anything different for me. I am not doing any shopping. I am going out to church this morning to help decorate the church for Christmas. Then around noon I am going over to Bob's for dinner with his children.
Bob came over last night and we watched A Time To Kill. I had seen it before but he hadn't. It was a good movie with a great lesson for us all about prejudice.
We went to Leslie's home for our Thanksgiving dinner. My pies were good but the crusts stuck to the pie plates...both of them. I don't know why. I didn't do anything different. I did have foil on the second shelf and I wonder if that reflected too much heat back up to the bottom of those pies. Next time I bake a pie I will take that foil out and see if that makes any difference. I left the half pumpkin pie with my daughter and sent the half pecan pie and the leftover Waldorf Salad home with Bob.
Anyhow, I had been reading Bob's book, an autobiography of Andy Williams, and I finished it yesterday. It was a relaxing day for me that way.
Bob called awhile ago and asked me if I wanted to come to Eggberts and have the small biscuits and gravy with him. I agreed and we met there.
Tomorrow I will go back to Bartlesville for the funeral of my friend's husband at 2:00.
Now back to politics:
Republicans and Democrats mean very different things when they use the word "Small Business," and there is already too much of this word being used as we face the (imaginary) "fiscal cliff."
Republicans use a Small Business Administration business that has expanded over the years for bestowing greater political favors. For instance, Donald Trump has split his business empire into a number of separate entities, many of which (intentionally) qualify as "small business" under SBA guidelines.
On the other extreme, Some qualify as a "small business" due to the way they bill their services, but no one is employed. Democrats like to include these in their count.
So there is no single governmental action that favors small business or hurts it. Health care is one example. A small pizza chain owner, who provides health care to his 70 employees, was complaining about how Papa John's, who does not, can undercut him on price by using more part-time and no-benefit employees.
In many ways, the best thing that could happen would be to go over the "fiscal cliff." First of all, it is not a cliff. Nothing dramatic happens on January 1. Your taxes will likely go up a small amount in each paycheck. If you are truly concerned about the deficit, this basically solves our deficit problem in one fell swoop.
The biggest benefit would be that the Grover Norquist "no tax increases" pledge goes out the window, and we can get that nonsense behind us.
Bob came over last night and we watched A Time To Kill. I had seen it before but he hadn't. It was a good movie with a great lesson for us all about prejudice.
We went to Leslie's home for our Thanksgiving dinner. My pies were good but the crusts stuck to the pie plates...both of them. I don't know why. I didn't do anything different. I did have foil on the second shelf and I wonder if that reflected too much heat back up to the bottom of those pies. Next time I bake a pie I will take that foil out and see if that makes any difference. I left the half pumpkin pie with my daughter and sent the half pecan pie and the leftover Waldorf Salad home with Bob.
Anyhow, I had been reading Bob's book, an autobiography of Andy Williams, and I finished it yesterday. It was a relaxing day for me that way.
Bob called awhile ago and asked me if I wanted to come to Eggberts and have the small biscuits and gravy with him. I agreed and we met there.
Tomorrow I will go back to Bartlesville for the funeral of my friend's husband at 2:00.
Now back to politics:
Republicans and Democrats mean very different things when they use the word "Small Business," and there is already too much of this word being used as we face the (imaginary) "fiscal cliff."
Republicans use a Small Business Administration business that has expanded over the years for bestowing greater political favors. For instance, Donald Trump has split his business empire into a number of separate entities, many of which (intentionally) qualify as "small business" under SBA guidelines.
On the other extreme, Some qualify as a "small business" due to the way they bill their services, but no one is employed. Democrats like to include these in their count.
So there is no single governmental action that favors small business or hurts it. Health care is one example. A small pizza chain owner, who provides health care to his 70 employees, was complaining about how Papa John's, who does not, can undercut him on price by using more part-time and no-benefit employees.
In many ways, the best thing that could happen would be to go over the "fiscal cliff." First of all, it is not a cliff. Nothing dramatic happens on January 1. Your taxes will likely go up a small amount in each paycheck. If you are truly concerned about the deficit, this basically solves our deficit problem in one fell swoop.
The biggest benefit would be that the Grover Norquist "no tax increases" pledge goes out the window, and we can get that nonsense behind us.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thanksgiving Day
It's Thanksgiving Day. I got up about 4:45, got myself ready for the day and baked my two pies and made up my Waldorf Salad. I hope those pies turn out alright. I have never baked two different kinds at the same time. I made a pumpkin pie and a pecan pie. My grandson ordered the pecan pie. It's 7:30 now and my day's work is mostly finished. I will help my daughter by cleaning up after the dinner but she is cooking the turkey and everything else.
We all have so much to be thankful for. Even with a limited income and having to work, I am so thankful for my wonderful health and great friends. One of my friends called last night. Her husband, of 56 years had dementia and he finally died Tuesday. It's tragic but under the circumstances, it's a blessing for them both. He is released from his affliction and she is finally free from care giving after several very difficult years. Now perhaps she can get on with her life. I went out after the paper came last night and I saw his obit and bought a card to send to her. I enclosed the obit for her family.
We are all getting old enough that we can all expect that fatal day to come even for ourselves. I intend to do whatever I am able to do until my time comes. I bought another season ticket to Silver Dollar City for 2013 and so did Bob. We will go down there as long as we're able. We love to go to Branson. It's not too far (3 hours) and there's lots to do and see there.
But enough of that!
Everyone reading here, do have a wonderful Thanksgiving...hopefully with family or friends.
We all have so much to be thankful for. Even with a limited income and having to work, I am so thankful for my wonderful health and great friends. One of my friends called last night. Her husband, of 56 years had dementia and he finally died Tuesday. It's tragic but under the circumstances, it's a blessing for them both. He is released from his affliction and she is finally free from care giving after several very difficult years. Now perhaps she can get on with her life. I went out after the paper came last night and I saw his obit and bought a card to send to her. I enclosed the obit for her family.
We are all getting old enough that we can all expect that fatal day to come even for ourselves. I intend to do whatever I am able to do until my time comes. I bought another season ticket to Silver Dollar City for 2013 and so did Bob. We will go down there as long as we're able. We love to go to Branson. It's not too far (3 hours) and there's lots to do and see there.
But enough of that!
Everyone reading here, do have a wonderful Thanksgiving...hopefully with family or friends.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
A Very Busy Wednesday
This will be a very busy day. I think I will wait until the morning to bake my pies. There is no room in my frig until after lunch/dinner today. I will have the Waldorf salad to do tomorrow too before I go to Leslie's. I can do that while the pies are baking.
Bob and I will eat our leftover roast today at noon. I will save making the tetrazzini until late next week since we will have turkey tomorrow.
We watched the video Bucket List last night. It was entertaining although it had a sad ending. I will return it to the library on my way to work today.
More later...
I took the video back to the library before I went to work this afternoon. It was not due but it's better to get it returned since we watched it.
I got off work at 3:00 today and lost two hours of work. I can make it up on Monday morning. I don't want to lose the money. I will have already lost Thursday.
Tonight Bob will come over and watch PBS with me. Nature and Nova are on tonight.
Hillary brokered a peace deal today between Israel and Hamas. She is the most popular woman in the world. I don't think she will run for president though. She looks exhausted.
Bob and I will eat our leftover roast today at noon. I will save making the tetrazzini until late next week since we will have turkey tomorrow.
We watched the video Bucket List last night. It was entertaining although it had a sad ending. I will return it to the library on my way to work today.
More later...
I took the video back to the library before I went to work this afternoon. It was not due but it's better to get it returned since we watched it.
I got off work at 3:00 today and lost two hours of work. I can make it up on Monday morning. I don't want to lose the money. I will have already lost Thursday.
Tonight Bob will come over and watch PBS with me. Nature and Nova are on tonight.
Hillary brokered a peace deal today between Israel and Hamas. She is the most popular woman in the world. I don't think she will run for president though. She looks exhausted.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Discussing Process Theology
Process theology makes sense. It rests on some ideas about the nature of reality that are fundamentally different than those of traditional theologies. Process Theology has good ethics and values. I find the ethics of the traditional God appallingly erratic and often demonic. In the Bible and in much Christian thought, God has been described as directly willing and causing great evils: war, slavery, plague, famine and even the hardness of human hearts. God is depicted a standing by and allowing needless suffering that God could have easily prevented.
On the other hand, the God of Process Theology does everything within divine power to work for the good. “Reality” is relational and is a social process. “Dominion” has proven to be a tragic theological model for understanding our ethical relationship to the world. Instead we must come to realize that as participants in a complex and fragile web of relationships each person has some value.
God is love. God’s power in the world is necessarily persuasive… not coercive. God is the source of our freedom and therefore cannot coerce the world. Because God loves perfectly, God suffers with the world, calling to us in each moment through divine revelation, sharing a vision of the good and the beautiful. God cannot overrule our freedom, but instead awaits our free response, constantly and with infinite patience seeking to create the best that can be gotten from each choice we make.
I became even more convinced of this when Bob was sick. I felt God very near to me giving me strength to face each day that I did not have myself. This is the only theology that makes any sense to me.
I also reject the traditional Christian teaching of salvation theology. That is the product of Paul and the thinking of the middle ages. It is selfish in motivation..thinking only of oneself and an afterlife. Jesus is portrayed as teaching about the Kingdom of God in the New Testament remembrances and testimonies of him as found in the synoptic gospels. John, on the other hand, was much later and has an entirely different portrayal of Jesus. Paul, the earliest writer, had very little to say about Jesus having never known him personally.
Jesus taught that we should take care of one another and in the very early Christian movement, that's exactly what they did.
On the other hand, the God of Process Theology does everything within divine power to work for the good. “Reality” is relational and is a social process. “Dominion” has proven to be a tragic theological model for understanding our ethical relationship to the world. Instead we must come to realize that as participants in a complex and fragile web of relationships each person has some value.
God is love. God’s power in the world is necessarily persuasive… not coercive. God is the source of our freedom and therefore cannot coerce the world. Because God loves perfectly, God suffers with the world, calling to us in each moment through divine revelation, sharing a vision of the good and the beautiful. God cannot overrule our freedom, but instead awaits our free response, constantly and with infinite patience seeking to create the best that can be gotten from each choice we make.
I became even more convinced of this when Bob was sick. I felt God very near to me giving me strength to face each day that I did not have myself. This is the only theology that makes any sense to me.
I also reject the traditional Christian teaching of salvation theology. That is the product of Paul and the thinking of the middle ages. It is selfish in motivation..thinking only of oneself and an afterlife. Jesus is portrayed as teaching about the Kingdom of God in the New Testament remembrances and testimonies of him as found in the synoptic gospels. John, on the other hand, was much later and has an entirely different portrayal of Jesus. Paul, the earliest writer, had very little to say about Jesus having never known him personally.
Jesus taught that we should take care of one another and in the very early Christian movement, that's exactly what they did.
Tuesday Hair Day
I will go to Independence today to deliver the cakes to the First Christian Church. Bob will go too. He needs a haircut and I do too. After that, we will go across the street and eat a mini pizza at Big Cheese. Then we will come back home, I will take him home and go on to work.
I will have a lot of filing today. I scanned a lot of documents yesterday. There will be even more today. Lynn's scanner is not recognized by her new computer so I am doing all her scanning until they get their new scanners installed.
I iced my cakes this morning and am listening to NPR for the news. I sit here at the counter in my kitchen with this lap top and turn on my Bose radio every morning.
Bob had an eye appointment yesterday and while over there, he brought my new contact for my right eye back to me. I just opened them and they were only $75.00 That seems awfully inexpensive but I'm not going to argue about it.
I think I will bake my pies tomorrow morning and put them in Tupperware containers. It will take me some time to make the Waldorf salad on Thursday morning. There is a lot of fruit and celery to cut up for that.
More later...
I will have a lot of filing today. I scanned a lot of documents yesterday. There will be even more today. Lynn's scanner is not recognized by her new computer so I am doing all her scanning until they get their new scanners installed.
I iced my cakes this morning and am listening to NPR for the news. I sit here at the counter in my kitchen with this lap top and turn on my Bose radio every morning.
Bob had an eye appointment yesterday and while over there, he brought my new contact for my right eye back to me. I just opened them and they were only $75.00 That seems awfully inexpensive but I'm not going to argue about it.
I think I will bake my pies tomorrow morning and put them in Tupperware containers. It will take me some time to make the Waldorf salad on Thursday morning. There is a lot of fruit and celery to cut up for that.
More later...
Monday, November 19, 2012
Another Monday
Today I will do some house cleaning and tonight I will bake my cakes for tomorrow. This morning I will fix chicken tetrazzini for lunch/dinner. Tomorrow we may eat at Big Cheese if Bob goes with me for a haircut with Carol. Wednesday we will probably eat our chicken tetrazzini leftovers. Wednesday evening I will bake my pies. Outside of preparations for Thanksgiving, I have nothing scheduled for this week.
Friday I will help with decorating the church for Christmas.
More later...
I had a huge day at work. I really didn't even get finished. When I got home from work I baked my two cakes for the dinner tomorrow at the First Christian Church in Independence, KS. I will ice them in the morning.
Bob and I will leave at 8:30 in the morning to take the cakes to Independence and both of us will get a haircut afterward. Then we will stop at Big Cheese and have their mini pizza.
He came over this evening and I iced his cake and then we watched part two of the Dust Bowl on PBS. That was quite a program. We each had a cup of tea and some of his banana nut bread. It was quite good. Now I have taken my bath and will go on to bed. I am very tired.
Friday I will help with decorating the church for Christmas.
More later...
I had a huge day at work. I really didn't even get finished. When I got home from work I baked my two cakes for the dinner tomorrow at the First Christian Church in Independence, KS. I will ice them in the morning.
Bob and I will leave at 8:30 in the morning to take the cakes to Independence and both of us will get a haircut afterward. Then we will stop at Big Cheese and have their mini pizza.
He came over this evening and I iced his cake and then we watched part two of the Dust Bowl on PBS. That was quite a program. We each had a cup of tea and some of his banana nut bread. It was quite good. Now I have taken my bath and will go on to bed. I am very tired.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Very Busy Sunday
I got up early this morning and baked a coffee cake to take to church. Bob always makes coffee for church school and I thought it would be good to have coffee cake too. Bob made a loaf of banana nut bread too. I brought it home with me and we will have it this evening with a cup of tea. We are going to watch the Dust Bowl on PBS.
This afternoon I will drop by the library for their 100th Anniversary party. Since I am on the board I really need to support that.
Later....
I stopped by the library for their open house celebrating their 100th anniversary in Coffeyville. Then I came on home and read awhile. Bob came over at 5:00 and we watched the news before the Dust Bowl program came on.
The Dust Bowl was a horrendous event in history. It was the worst environmental disaster in American history to date.
A tearful Cyndi dropped by to tell us about her husband's terrible dilemma. He has a bad back and over the weekend he hurt it again. She took him to the hospital emergency room but they were swamped. It took a long time before they gave him something for his pain and in the meantime he convulsed from the pain. She left after telling us about it and went back to the hospital. They had managed to get him out of pain so she took him home for the night. She will take him back tomorrow for an MRI in their portable unit. I called her after 9:00 and she was doing somewhat better since he was not suffering so badly. The poor woman is really all alone to face this. Her mom is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's Disease. So she has no real support system except me and Leslie. Leslie is her best friend.
I will need to bake my two cakes Monday for the dinner in Independence at the First Christian Church and get them iced after they are cool. Wednesday I will need to bake my pies for Thanksgiving. I will probably do that Wednesday evening. Then Thursday morning I will need to put together my Waldorf salad. Leslie is having the Thanksgiving dinner at her home.
This afternoon I will drop by the library for their 100th Anniversary party. Since I am on the board I really need to support that.
Later....
I stopped by the library for their open house celebrating their 100th anniversary in Coffeyville. Then I came on home and read awhile. Bob came over at 5:00 and we watched the news before the Dust Bowl program came on.
The Dust Bowl was a horrendous event in history. It was the worst environmental disaster in American history to date.
A tearful Cyndi dropped by to tell us about her husband's terrible dilemma. He has a bad back and over the weekend he hurt it again. She took him to the hospital emergency room but they were swamped. It took a long time before they gave him something for his pain and in the meantime he convulsed from the pain. She left after telling us about it and went back to the hospital. They had managed to get him out of pain so she took him home for the night. She will take him back tomorrow for an MRI in their portable unit. I called her after 9:00 and she was doing somewhat better since he was not suffering so badly. The poor woman is really all alone to face this. Her mom is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's Disease. So she has no real support system except me and Leslie. Leslie is her best friend.
I will need to bake my two cakes Monday for the dinner in Independence at the First Christian Church and get them iced after they are cool. Wednesday I will need to bake my pies for Thanksgiving. I will probably do that Wednesday evening. Then Thursday morning I will need to put together my Waldorf salad. Leslie is having the Thanksgiving dinner at her home.
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