The outing

I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK!

Said the Libby to the Miller: "The aspens are turning."

A beautiful day!

Kathy and I drove up to Hyde Park outside of Santa Fe and adjacent to the Santa Fe National Forest. It was an incredibly beautiful day. We saw the glories of autumn in forests where aspens turn golden, like a shower of coins (feeling nervous, Danae?).

She heard the full tale of how my ex and I met, the wild incandescent fling I had after he and I split, all the poems of love and grieving I wrote a few years back (well almost all). Themes of life and hope and loss and grief and ongoing transformation and the eternal invitation into the future.

As we were descending from the mountains we saw some plumes of smoke. By the time we got back down to Santa Fe you could see great clouds of smoke. Pray for those endangered by wildfires.

We had lunch at Tomasita's next to the train station in Santa Fe. Kathy remembers when Tomasita's was a converted private house on Hickox, many years ago. I promised to lift a margarita for Doxy and I did so. The food was delicious.

Lots of revisiting memories for both of us, and allowing time and grace to carry us forward.

And that, my friends, was my sabbath adventure. (I know - I traveled more than 1,000 paces from home; do I look observant? Mr. Green Chile Cheeseburger?)

The conclusion of one poem:

and I breathed the morning air
grateful for the time
our hearts made love
as we slept.

--the BB

856

10/02/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Jack M. Martin III, 26, of Bethany, Okla...assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis, Wash... died Sept. 29 in Jolo Island, the Philippines, from the detonation of an improvised-explosive device.

10/02/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher D. Shaw, 37, of Markham, Ill...assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis, Wash... died Sept. 29 in Jolo Island, the Philippines, from the detonation of an improvised-explosive device.

10/02/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Alex French IV, 31, of Milledgeville, Ga., died Sept. 30 in Kwhost, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using an improvised-explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, Lawrenceville, Ga.

09/30/09 :
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. Jordan L. Chrobot, 24, of Frederick, Md., died Sept. 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

4348

09/20/2009
DoD identifies Air Force casualty
Senior Airman Matthew R. Courtois, 22, of Lucas, Texas, died Sep 20 as a result of a non-hostile incident on Abdullah Al Mubarak Airbase, Kuwait. He was assigned to the 366th Security Forces Squadron, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.

09/29/2009
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Ross E. Vogel, III, 27, of Red Lion, Pa., died Sept. 29 in Kut, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 67th Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade, Fort Gordon, Ga.

Wandering into the past

As I said last night, I have threatened poetry. I have tales in my life that friend Kathy has never heard. Whether over margaritas or out in nature, stories will be told and poems will be read.

I could not find the binder with all the poems of that era but the poems are all on the computer so I just spent about 40 minutes printing them all.

Most cannot be shared here. They are private, they include acrostics that spell out names, and some are still too intimate.

Sixty may well be the new forty {skeptical look}, but sixty is still sixty and I have already gone past that number. I have come to the season in life where one begins to review more, hoping to integrate the shards of one's years, to distill some wisdom from the journey, to make sense of one's life.

I have crossed cyberpaths on Facebook with people I have not seen or chatted with in ten, twenty, or forty-five years. This can be challenging. I was so busy keeping multiple masks on and trying to keep various facets of my life from colliding together that I have almost no memories of high school. Some, but compared to my classmates, virtually none. And not many more from college. A classmate reminded me a while ago of an episode in my freshman year that I do recall but had not thought of more than once in the intervening decades.

This Saturday I am not merely taking an opportunity but creating one to revisit the tumultuous transition after the love of my life and I took separate paths. [May I say at this point how grateful I am for my therapist and Paxil and people who loved and upheld us both?] Life was a true roller coaster - typical in those circumstances but we all must take our own ride.

So, in the medium of poetry and the presence of a dear friend, I shall revisit that ride.

Poetry, by the way, was how I managed to feel my feelings and survive. I was churning out something like two poems a week, a large percentage of them acrostics. I love the challenge of acrostics. You may read some of my poems (and hymns) from that period here.

Each night, immediately after the Lord's Prayer, I pray for the one I hold dearest (still) and for the one I briefly risked loving - the two who are the center of all those poems.

Don't you imagine the discussion and insights that emerge from this nostalgic visit come Saturday will prove fascinating? The content will not show up here but my musings thereafter may.

May we all find healing and integration of memories as we journey toward wholeness.

These fragments have I shored against my ruin
--T. S. Eliot, The Waste Land

--the BB

Failing to do the impossible

The only reason we’re still playing political patty cake about what to do in Afghanistan—or anywhere else in that part of the world—is to determine who gets the blame for "losing." A popular adage of war says it’s the losers who determine when they’re over. So, the logic goes, as long as we don’t quit, we can’t lose. Hence the "long war."

It’s all about seeing who gets the blame for failing to do the impossible.
--Commander Jeff Huber, U.S. Navy (Retired)

I commend his entire post to you.

Any delusions of "winning" in Afghanistan are just that.

Crackhead neocon hawks have no credibility in a rational world. I hope Obama is not led down their path of futility and more death for no viable purpose.

--the BB

No gnus

Nothing new to report today. Too tired to rant, most of the prayers are out there already, nothing clever or profound to contribute. Mama said there'd be days like this....

Got a little writing done today. Watched some TV tonight. Cooked me up some filet mignon and topped it with a sauce of seriously reduced crimini mushrooms in demi-glace. Added a glass of 2006 Zinfandel. Now to bed.

Planning a day trip Saturday to see the aspens turned all golden up in Hyde Park. There is a promise of margaritas at Tomasita's in Santa Fe. I have threatened to read poetry.

Bonne nuit, mes enfants!

--the BB

Damn you, Max Baucus and your ilk!

For tonight, at least, and probably until we get decent health care for everyone in this nation, Max Baucus' sins are retained. So are Kent Conrad's.

It is appalling to think that this asshole can bloviate like this:

"No one has been able to show me how we can count up to 60 votes with a public option," Baucus said. "I want a bill that can become law."

One of the first things he could do to make 60 votes possible is to give it his wholehearted support, since 2 out of 3 Americans WANT a strong public option. All he has done - allegedly in the name of (pardon me while I puke) bipartisanship but more likely as a good lapdog for his health industry donors - is enable the naysayers.

The man is so full of shit he could walk into the Capitol and back up all the toilets merely by his presence.

Oh yes, I am furious with DINOs like Baucus and Conrad and the others who enabled the Rethugnicans today. Their opposition to the watered down compromise of a public option - contrasted with single payer, which is what we should be going for and progressives HAVE ALREADY COMPROMISED ON - which means they support letting the health insurance industry in its ongoing rape of the American people and murder by spreadsheet, shows their true colors. They have no respect for the American people, their needs, their will, or their intelligence.

Fortunately for them, God is their judge. If it were up to me they'd be burning in hell tonight.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

Barring that I hope their sorry asses get kicked to the curb in the next primary.

--the BB

On mange bien ici

This evening a call came in at work just one minute before the call queue closed. I got it. The call lasted just over one hour. Sure, I billed the overtime, but ugh!

On my way to the parking lot I flipped open my cell phone and called Bill to see how many nibbles he got on the idea of seeing Oedipus next month as a group. It seems we now have a party of six for some Greek tragedy.

Then he asked if I would like to join him and his dad for supper. I accepted. Only fools turn down Bill's cooking.

Lovely to see them both.

We started by enjoying a Snow's Lake Vineyard 2007 Syrah from Rosenblum. Just lovely. Thank you, Steve!

First Course: a tomato and rice soup from the second volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Homegrown tomatoes. Lovely.

Second Course: Shrimp in Julia Child's Nantua sauce served over gemelli with broccoli florets. Bill described all the steps in making this sauce. OMG - in a commercial restaurant this should have cost an arm and a leg. And the portions were generous. The sauce was a form of liquid velvet. You knew it was rich and you didn't care; it was heaven.

Third Course: Salad of green leaf lettuce with scallions and small wedges of homegrown tomato with oil and vinegar.

Fourth Course: Apple slices flamed in bourbon and ladled over vanilla ice cream.

I had planned to come home and cook tonight. So glad my plans changed. Thank you, Bill!


I got my camera out of the car just for this rose in Bill's front garden.


It will be a long time before I know how to do night photography of the moon, but here is the moon and that little white speck below the cottonwood branch on the right is Jupiter, I believe.

That's my night. That's my story. And I'm sticking to it.

--the BB

Heart thread - 09/29/2009

I cannot honestly say I have any developed theology of prayer. And my practice is really quite sloppy. But I do believe it is an amazing privilege to hold the world in our heart with love and to stand before the Infinite Mystery. Doing that can be called by many names and done in endless fashions but I believe it matters.

I came home to this news from David@Montreal:

I was out to 'burbia last Friday to spend some truly wonderful time with Mam
it was a radiant day- the first of that 'thinner light' of early autumn
Mam was well- as enthusiastic and positive as ever,; we spent a bit of time in her garden- tidying up etc.
over one of several cups of tea we shared heart prayers for a number of folks, and that;s when she told me - that morning, knowing that I would be coming out, she had called our beloved cousin Frank, and his wide Carol in Brittish Columbia and through God's unfailing grace, and the love and generosity of your hearts Franks had beaten this latest round of c-difficile.
yes, there's still a form of pneumonia I've never heard of, but the experts say it's 'absolutely exceptional' the way his new immune system is building itself considering it was only a 9 of 10 genetic match.

Frank specifically asked Mam to pass on his deepest thanks to what he calls 'David's Giants', and Carol told Mam he still gets teary and shakes his head with incredulity when they speak of the great web of prayer and love which is upholding them through this.
at present Frank can manage to walk almost three city blocks!

still not out of the woods, Mam and I literally sang the doxology at this news- but then with a Welsh Mam praise is often sung!

as you continue to remember Frank and Carol in your prayers and practice, I'd particularly ask prayers for a beloved sister who has more than nine hours driving ahead of her in the next 24 hours.

to each and every one of you, my heartfelt thanks for your faithful generosity my beloved Giants of Prayer and Practice, you are such an awesome embodiment of the truth and blessing of living as the Living Body of Christ.

with love, prayers and abiding gratitude

From DioBytes, eNews from the Diocese of California:

Bishop Marc doing well after surgery
Sheila Andrus reports that Bishop Marc did very well with his surgery yesterday afternoon. The surgeon, she said, was extremely positive about how the surgery went and the outcome. It is not yet known when Bishop Marc will be released from the hospital, but that will happen in the next few days.

The Andrus family are all very grateful for the prayers and good wishes that they have received and they look forward to this time of healing.

Prayers for Grandpère and Grandmère:

Well Now...
...the good news is that he was NOT hurt. The bad news is that Grandpère ruined the front fender and bumper on my one-year old car. If you recall, the reason my car is fairly new is that GP totaled my old car driving in New Orleans. Here we are in New Orleans, and he's done it again, only this time with much less damage. He is a very good driver in most instances, but he is not a city-smart driver. Have you guessed who plays the fool in this drama? Moi! Maybe GP learned a lesson. I hope so. If not, next time it won't be in my car.

For those who mourn, especially grandchildren.

For Jack, aka Doorman-Priest:

This Friday evening I will be meeting with the Examinations Committee of the Lutheran Church to "discuss the way forward". I would value your prayers.

For young Oliver and his family, including Grandfather Malcolm+.

For Counterlight and Michael, one recovering from flu and the other coming down with it.

For victims of tsunami:

A tsunami ripped across islands of the South Pacific, wiping out several villages and killing at least 34 people in Samoa and American Samoa, with the number of dead expected to escalate as more bodies are found.

For victims of typhoon:

By Nguyen Van Vinh DANANG, Vietnam, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The biggest floods in decades threatened Vietnam's central provinces on Wednesday following a powerful typhoon that swept into the country after wreaking havoc in the Philippines.

For peace and justice in Honduras.

For peace and justice in Canaan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

For the establishment and acknowledgment in the United States of public health for all as a human right.

For widespread awareness of urgency and a will to cooperate in the matter of climate change:

WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Global warming will cut into world grain yields and result in less food being available in the developing world in 2050, a think tank said on Tuesday, calling for aggressive action to boost food output.

For normalized relations between Cuba and the United States.
Jane R had the scoop on Facebook (AP/Yahoo):

A senior American diplomat has held unannounced, high-level talks in Havana with the Cuban government, three State Department officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday, raising hopes for a thaw in long-icy relations.

For Diane who gots a cold.

Ongoing prayers for Myron, for Roseanne, for Joel, for Jeannetta, for Sandra, for Janet, for my other Diane, for Kathy, for John, for Karen, and all those you, dear readers, bring in your hearts to this post.

Holy Raphael, Healer of Heaven, by God's mercy succor the ill and comfort the afflicted.

--the BB

850

09/28/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casaulty
Spc. Kevin J. Graham, 27, of Benton, Ky., died Sept. 26 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

09/26/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (3 of 3)
Sgt. Titus R. Reynolds, 23, of Columbus, Ohio...assigned to the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash...died Sept. 24 in Omar Zai, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

09/26/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 3)
Sgt. Edward B. Smith, 30, of Homestead, Fla...assigned to the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash...died Sept. 24 in Omar Zai, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

09/26/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 3)
Spc. Joseph V. White, 21, of Bellevue, Wash... assigned to the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash...died Sept. 24 in Omar Zai, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

09/26/09 :
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Lance Cpl. John J. Malone, 24, of Yonkers, N.Y., died Sept. 24 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Fore, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.

Have a tissue handy

h/t to Hoffmania and the St. Petersburg (FL) Times

--the BB

Call them out!

I helped pay to air this in Montana.

--the BB

Heart thread - 09/28/2009 - updated

Today we pray for Bishop Marc Andrus of California who has surgery for prostate cancer this afternoon.

UPDATE:
Sheila Andrus reports that Bishop Marc did very well with his surgery this afternoon for prostate cancer. The surgeon was extremely positive about the surgery and outcome. It is not yet known when Bishop Marc will be released from the hospital, but that will happen in the next few days. The Andrus family are all very grateful for the prayers and good wishes and they look forward to this time of healing.
--the Episcopal Diocese of California (at Facebook)

And for Mimi's niece Donna, who will have surgery today for breast cancer.
Before an Operation

Almighty God our heavenly Father, graciously comfort your servants Donna and Marc in their suffering, and bless the means made use of for their cure. Fill their hearts with confidence that, though at times they may be afraid, they yet may put their trust in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today is the birthday of the Rev JoAnne Bennett.


Also the birthday of my friend Bruce.

Watch over your children, O Lord, as their days increase; bless and guide them wherever they may be. Strengthen them, when they stand; comfort them when discouraged or sorrowful; raise him up if they fall; and in their heart may your peace which passes understanding abide all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I give thanks that my sister-in-law Janet is doing well in her treatments and pray for her continued healing and health.

I offer prayer for Janet's sister-in-law Jeannetta who is dying.

Almighty God, look on this your servant, lying in great weakness, and comfort her with the promise of life everlasting, given in the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the people of the Philippines:

The authorities in the Philippines admitted today to being overwhelmed by weekend floods which inundated the capital, Manila, killing unknown hundreds of people and making tens of thousands homeless. [A new storm threatens.]

For the people of Honduras:

Honduras suspends civil liberties amid calls for 'rebellion'

For those who labor to respect the earth:

Climate envoys met today in Bangkok with a new sense of urgency, saying negotiators are racing against a December deadline to devise a global deal.

--the BB

She is also Lalut's granddaughter; don't underestimate her

"I am here before you to state, with neither threat nor treachery, that I lay claim to the throne of my father and his father before him and my grandfather before him.”

The princess declares her purpose to one of the Regents. She is not going to lay siege to the capital, as one claimant has already attempted. She sends no assassins into the castle by stealth. The Regents will have to decide whether to open the gates to her or not. For now, all remains in flux.

As usual, no writing over the weekend, but I did make progress last week (finally).

Tonight a new piece of the puzzle manifested itself. I will need to write it into the narrative when I revise. A prominent minor character just acquired more depth.

I need to compose a lament (think David lamenting Jonathan) for this tale. Or at least snippets of it. It is one of the fictive sources of the story.

The Chronicles involve stories within a story. As an amateur historian I have to at least postulate my sources, and sometimes write portions of them.

Here is my first Turkish vocabulary word to master:


Tomorrow I will work on "no."

Sweet dreams, my snoozing serpents!

--the BB

Heart thread - 09/2/2009

Massive Storm Hits Philippines
by Cpt Robespierre

Pacfic Typhoon Ondoy (aka Tropical Storm Ketsana) is the name.

From what we know it sounds like the storm itself may be far worse in some respects than Hurricane Katrina. Yesterday, in the span of six hours, more than 13 inches of rain hit the Manila area, with rain continuing much longer at a somewhat slower rate. Rivers are overflowing catastrophically, much like the breached levees in NOLA. I've been following the mess from a relative there, and she's been posting a lot of videos from people she knows.

CNN reported 41,00 were evacuated and there are at least 50 confirmed deaths reported, but that will certainly rise soon.

Let us pray for those in danger from rains, winds, and flooding.

I ask your prayers for Bp Marc Andrus of California who has surgery this coming Monday.

I ask your continued prayers for the Rev Sandra Bess that infections may be beaten down under her feet and that she may recover strength soon.

For those who depart a "cardinal parish" and for those who remain.

Margaret has lots of prayers to offer and we can join in.

For all churches whose titular saints are holy angels, that their patronal celebrations may be blessed, including St Michael and All Angels, Albuquerque, and San Gabriel, Corrales, NM.

For restoration of legal process for all held at Guantánamo.

--the BB

Yes, I have news

Yesterday Bill and I put down deposits on a trip to Turkey next February.

This tour is 3 nights Istanbul, one in Canakkale, two in Kusadasi, one in Pamukkale, one in Konya, and two in Cappadocia. We are talking two more nights in Istanbul at the end.

To stand in the Great Church of Constantinople - if you know me at all....

To be in the land of the Cappadocian Fathers and Mothers (ain't gonna forget Macrina!)....

To go to Troy....

Arma virumque cano Troiae qui primus ab oris
Italiam, fato profugus, Laviniaque venit
litora multum ille et terris iactatus et alto
vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram

[That is from memory, learned in 1962; I know more lines but just needed a touch.]

I dropped out of a doctoral program in early and mediaeval Church history; Bill's undergraduate major was Byzantine history. You can imagine. I wouldn't want to take this trip with anyone else. He has been once but it will be different when we do it together.

OK, I will try to settle down now.

--the BB

Home after a long day

Well, not long compared to those who work long days all the time, and I wasn't even working. But I left home this morning and returned about twelve hours later. Long enough.

Rafael de la Cruz (my Honda, aka Ralph, pronounced the British way) had his day at the spa. Got his rotors machined and his pads replaced and he zips down the freeway much happier; no judder when braking. My little trip to the car spa took over four hours and cost more than I had anticipated, which threw the rest of the day into crazy mode.

I was incredibly late getting to our mission's table at the village harvest festival.

I did get to visit with the folks from HawkQuest, most particularly being ensorceled by their male peregrine falcon and female bald eagle. Concerning the latter, I learned her father had been shot, her mother abandoned her, she was blown out of her nest and cared for by people. Which means she imprinted on people and never learned how to live in the wild and hunt for herself. The falcon is the perfect model for the falcon in my first two volumes. I think I can do some rewriting with description now that I have stood next to a live on just a few feet away. He kept eying me, which was either disconcerting or a mystical bond or both or neither. Well, it was disconcerting.

I love birds. At a distance. My reaction to birds physically close to me is like that of some folks to snakes or spiders. Adrenalin city.

I gave a donation, large enough to get my picture taken with a live golden eagle. Imagine! I did not go for it. She is a sweetheart, I know, but I could never have relaxed with a raptor inches away from me. Nor the stunningly handsome peregrine falcon.

Nonetheless, what a treat to meet them.

Potluck with the monthly dinner group. Always nice to see them and wonderful food! Cheese, crackers, grapes, wine; barbecued chicken that was fabulously seasoned; homemade biscuits; pilaf; homegrown grilled vegetables (eggplant, tomatoes, red peppers, red onions, garlic - all in olive oil, salt, a splash of balsamic); wonderful strawberries dipped in sour cream and brown sugar. Yum!

That's my day and I'm sticking to it.

--the BB

848

09/25/09 AP:
Four U.S. soldiers killed in of Zabul province,
Four soldiers died Thursday in the same small district of Zabul province, including three killed when their Stryker vehicle struck a bomb, said U.S. military spokesman Lt. Robert Carr. The fourth was shot to death in an insurgent attack, Lt. Carr said.

09/25/09 AP:
U.S. Marine killed while on foot patrol in Nimroz province,
A U.S. Marine was fatally shot Thursday while on foot patrol in Nimroz province, said Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a military spokeswoman.

Why we need to revisit the USA PATRIOT Act - update with link

Only three of the 763 "sneak-and-peek" requests in fiscal year 2008 involved terrorism cases, according to a July 2009 report from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Sixty-five percent were drug cases.
--Huffington Post

So all this USA PATRIOT Act hoorah boils down to 4/10 of one percent about terrorism.

No wonder Senator Franken had to read part of the Constitution to a Department of Justice lackey.

UPDATE:
h/t to MinistryofTruth


--the BB

Heart thread - 09/24/2009 - updated

I visited Mother Sandra in the hospital this evening. She was in good spirits though her convalescing will take quite some time. She said she feels herself lifted up by prayer and I thank y'all for being part of that. I anointed her and headed home.

Susankay has a follow-up on Molly the Wonder Dog:

Paul -- Molly and I thank you from the bottom of our respective hearts.

And ... since I e-mailed you with the good news, Molly has had two seizures so I need to ring in the prayer posse again.

Love to all.

Continuing prayer for Molly and her family.

Prayers for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who felt faint today and is hospitalized.

For JimB and healing for his legs.

UPDATE:
Earthbound Spirit writes:

Please keep me in your thoughts ... Friday. Time to meet the ministerial fellowship committee, the folks who decide whether someone is ready to be ordained in my tradition.
Blessings to you always and
Thanks,
EBS

May Earthbound Spirit be sustained by the deep peace of God and may mutual discernment lead in the direction for the greatest fulfillment and most effective ministry.

For those who know Robert Whalley, he will be ordained to the transitional diaconate by +John, Bishop of Wangaratta, on the Feast of Nicholas Ferrar, Friday, 4 December 2009 at 11am at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Wangaratta. Rob and I did CPE together. It has been a very long journey for him. Three cheers.

--the BB

09/23/09 :
DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty
Tech Sgt. James R Hornbarger, 33, of Castle Rock, Wash., died Sept. 12 as a result of a non-hostile incident in the Mediterranean. He was assigned to the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

09/23/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Pfc. William L. Meredith, 26, of Virginia Beach, Va., died Sept. 21 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 569th Engineer Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.

09/22/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
Spc. Damon G. Winkleman, 23, of Lakeville, Ohio...assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C... died Sept. 20 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover.

09/22/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
Spc. Corey J. Kowall, 20, of Murfreesboro, Tenn...assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C... died Sept. 20 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover.

4336

09/21/09 :
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Michael S. Cote Jr., 20, of Denham Springs, La., died Sept. 19 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when the Blackhawk helicopter he was in crashed. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Task Force 49, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

... deducant te angeli.

At long last, another chapter completed!

As [the sun] sank at last behind Mount V., conflict halted and all sides took stock of the day, noted their dead, wounded, and lost, and turned to the tasks of evening. Singers hailed the evening star, bodies were tossed upon pyres, healers moved about bringing such help and comfort as they could, meals were prepared, and mortals longed for rest.

The next day there will be more fighting. And the day after that. And after that.

In the annual procession through the heavens the zodiac sign of Grandmother W., goddess of wisdom, shifts to the season when the Veiled One, goddess of death, is prominent. The people embroiled in this civil war and those affected by it all know this for the constellations are their deities, the sundry manifestations of The One.

The countenance of the Veiled Queen is said to be loving and gracious but none can see it until the moment of death. Her lullaby, the song at time of death, begins with the words "Come my children, and do not fear...."

Indeed, as one sets out on the star path, the anxieties and terrors of life are laid aside. It is time for feasting and rest.

Sweet dreams, my oleaginous owls!

--the BB

This site does not speculate on the relationship between wise birds and Wesson parties. There are places the mind need not go.

Molly the Wonder Dog

Paul -- for all those who prayed for Molly when we were told early this year that she had a severe heart problem that would lead soon to her death from an aneurysm. Thanks to you all. I'm not clear about prayer but it would appear that it works with respect to our animal companions. Latest word from the vet is that it all has gone away. I may be forwarding prayers from him soon -- he is amazed.

susankay

And Molly the Wonder Dog is a lovely dog!

Let us also remember Babs, who received her golden tail today, and all who love and miss her.

ROWAN THE DOG'S PRAYER

Hail blessed Laika,
bless all us dogs
and make us brave like you.
WOOF!

--the BB

Obama Administration and state secrets

I am not at all pleased with several things under the Obama administration. One is their reluctance to let go of the executive power accumulated under Dick Cheney.... And wasn't that his intention: to restore executive power and take it further than ever before so it could never be undone?

You may read three articles from emptywheel today on the topic of state secrets and the administration's policy (or continuation of Bush's policy):

Obama’s New State Secrets Policy Is Reaffirmation Of Bush’s Policy by bmaz

More on Holder’s “New” State Secrets Policy by emptywheel

“New” State Secrets Policy “Smoke and Mirrors” also by emptywheel

The concept of state secrets is legitimate but it must have very careful constraints put upon it in order to preserve checks and balances, transparency, and accountability in government. Tyranny of every form is to be opposed.


--the BB

Slow going

The man who stood before her, clad in white and marked with ashes, had vacant eyes that opened to nothing. ... She wondered if the future of F. stood before her or merely one stanza of a very long song, a stanza sung and quickly forgotten.

It has been over a week and I have only half a chapter written. For fast-paced narrative in the first draft, this is slow for me. At least I am getting my mind back into it.

Sweet dreams, my chortling woodchucks!

--the BB

I say give Canaan back to the Canaanites.

Obama drops demand that Israel freeze settlements
CNN - Elise Labott - ‎1 hour ago‎
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Prodding Israel and the Palestinian Authority to restart talks aimed at a permanent resolution of their decades-old conflict, President Obama dropped a demand for an Israeli settlement freeze, US, Israeli and Palestinian officials ...

Obama Urges Compromise as Settlements Stymie Mideast Talks Push Bloomberg

There is no excuse and no justification for the settlements. I'd use our economic clout by cutting off every damn shekel until the expansion of settlements stops. Then the Israeli government could make their choice. Settlements or US aid? Otherwise we are supporting an injustice that will fester and undermine everything.

That does not mean I accept or condone attacks on Israeli citizens. I don't. No attacks on innocents is acceptable, no matter who commits them, including the United States. But then Palestine is not noted as one of our global allies; Israel putatively is. What I say about the settlments means I condemn the settlements and nothing more.

* The headline is witticism. I am quite serious about the rest.
--the BB

It's here

The spring winds scour the landscape of New Mexico and I can hardly wait for them to be over. Life in a sandstorm, even a minor one, is not much fun.

Now we have the autumn winds. They are not as fierce but the night before last I could feel my house being hit by gusts and hear the wind whipping about. Each evening as I leave work I feel them blow. Leaves have begun to turn, though the trees are still mostly green. The wind knocks the leaves off branches and sends them scuttling along the ground.

I love autumn. It is a season when the blood quickens after summer's lethargy.

A blessed autumn to all in the northern hemisphere, and a blessed spring to our friends on the other side of the equator.

--the BB

The world is too much with us

I am getting frustrated and cranky. I need to take charge of my own life again and take off my crankypants.

Just put these up at facebook:

Paul has less and less ability to play extravert. Wayyyyy too much people time this weekend.

and

Years ago I ran across a saying that I carried in my wallet for decades. Needed to remember it at work today. "Being mad at stupid people doesn't make them bright."

I kept my cool on the phone but a string of muttered obscenities followed when the phone was hung up. I took a break and stretched my legs, stretched muscles, took some deep breaths.

My usual mode is rather patient with people, meeting them where they are. But not always. Endless repetitions of something one has just told me and I have noted do not endear the speaker to me. Rambling halfway around the globe when I am trying to get some focus on what the issue is and how to resolve it efficiently, effectively, and amicably gets on my nerves. I just wanted to scream STFU. And when the phone was cradled I did say it loud enough for the people nearest to me to hear (but not their callers). I realize part of my job is to let people vent. With isolated instances I can usually handle it. This was a frequent caller who drives us all up the wall.

My last vacation larger than a long weekend was a year ago. The next planned one is five months away. I think I need one.

Knock me over with a feather. Who knew?

I'm shocked, shocked to learn this!

The CIA's harsh interrogation program likely damaged the brain and memory functions of terrorist suspects, diminishing their physical ability to provide the detailed information the spy agency sought, according to a new scientific paper.

The paper scrutinizes the harsh techniques used by the CIA under the Bush administration through the lens of neurobiology. Researchers concluded that the harsh methods were biologically counterproductive to eliciting quality information because prolonged stress harms the brain's ability to retain and recall information.

Pamela Hess of the AP reports on a new paper by Irish professor and researcher Shane O'Mara.

h/t to bmaz at emptywheel where you may read the short version.

--the BB

101

Were he still alive, today would be my Dad's 101st birthday.

--the BB

841

09/20/09 AP:
3 US troops die in Afghanistan, 1 in combat
Military officials say three American troops have died in Afghanistan, including one killed in combat in the country''s east...two of the Americans died Sunday in a noncombat-related incident in the south...The third American died in fighting on Saturday.

Heart thread - 09/20/2009

My grandnephew BJ and his wife are new parents of a girl names Makayla Hallie. Hallie was my mother's name and BJ was born on mother's birthday.

Mother Sandra continues to improve but her healing will take quite a while.

MP let us know that today is the 23rd wedding anniversary of TheMeThatIsMe and Petty Witter. TheMe has a wonderful comment by Robert Farrar Capon on marriage at Conscientisation.

To be born, to love a woman, to cry at music, to catch a cold, to die – these are not excursions on the narrow road of logic; they are blind launchings on a trackless sea.

And the lovely bride writes eloquently at Pen and Paper.

...I can still honestly say that Neal is the man I love, my rock, the person I look to before all others, the person I feel safest with, the person to whom I'd trust my life and, just as importantly, the person who I know loves me because of/despite me being me.

[I love mush. Much happiness to them in the years ahead.]

Mimi's gone and wrenched her ankle but that is not stopping her from celebrating "four birthdays and the one anniversary that fall in September." One of those birthdays is Mimi's.

Happy Birthday, Grandmère. We loves ya!

My sister Shirley has days when she can keep nothing down.

We continue prayers for Myron and for Roseann, for Elizabeth's brother John, and for so many on our hearts.

Welcome back, Jonathan. I miss you when you're out and about.

In another week I see the dentist for more of the needed fillings. What distresses me is that I still feel pressure tenderness on the tooth with a crown that just had its SECOND root canal. And guess what I just read in my mail? Cigna denied any payment because it is a "duplicate procedure." I will try to fight it but looks like I am out $1000. Imagine my joy.

Pray for civilized health care in this barbarian nation.

--the BB