What to do when the only thing left from the Thanksgiving feast is a pumpkin? The contest which happened here .... We all took turns. It turned pretty raucous at times.

Oremus pro invicem!

getting ready ....

for Thanksgiving dinner.

Oremus pro invicem!

Palmer Method

Now, there are certainly more important things going on in the world, but back to ordinary complaining ....

When I was taught to write in cursive, this is the alphabet I was taught: (although I think the T had a little more flourish at my school.)

Twice my daughter has written a letter to a friend who lives on a street beginning with "Q". Twice the letter has been returned because the postmaster didn't realize the "Q" was a "Q" and not a 2 on envelope's address.

 

Several times my kids have been asked if they can read and write cursive handwriting-because few can these days-apparently including a postal worker near us.

What is the world coming to!

Oremus pro invicem!

Peanuts

No, we are not growing them.

Took my wife and teenagers to see the movie last night. Never a huge Peanuts fan myself, it was still heartening to hear my teenage son's laughter ripple over the crowd at some of this innocent humor. I think we all enjoyed the movie.

Not to get mathematical, but I would say that Peanuts is to Toy Story (or UP) as Ant Man is to Captain America. All enjoyable, but clearly different classes in the type.

I don't always agree with Steven D. Greydanus movie reviews, but I think he hit it squarely with this one.

Now the previews for other children's movies (all animated) due out soon, show no promise at all.

Oremus pro invicem!

November 9

We finally fired up the woodstove for the first time this morning. It 63 F in here this morning. Not too cold and we will probably let the fire die before noon.

This is the 16th anniversary of my father's passing (Here pictured in 1942). May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace!

Oremus pro invicem!

I shouldn't rant ...

but I am self-employed and get my health insurance from the marketplace. I have probably ranted before ....

Here's what you have to deal with: You put in your monthly income-specifying it as monthly income. They ask to confirm it. Then they multiply by 12 and ask if this is your yearly income. Then they divide it by twelve and ask if this is your monthly income.

They ask if you are a US citizen. Then 45 questions later they ask if you are an illegal alien even if you already indicated you are a US citizen.

At some points in the application, the program will invariably lock up. At that point, hold on to your hair, because the only option is to x-out of the website and then re-login. The problem is that even though you think all the previous responses have been saved (after all there is a green check mark next to all "saved" answers), when you log back in, those answers are not saved and you start from scratch or (if you get extremely lucky) from the beginning of one of the sections.

It is not any better if you call in. In the past two years I have applied over the phone. The same thing happens-the program locks up and you call back 24 hours later and start from scratch.

Can I charge the government for my wasted time trying to fill this thing out?

You would think by now the bugs in the program would have been fixed, the redundancy eliminated, and well ..... it is a government thing.

All Soul's day

Praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory was the special apostolate of the late Requiem Press. Every order included a free copy of our booklet "Daily Prayers for the Church Suffering". Do remember the holy souls today and all during November. A plenary indulgence is available for the holy souls by your prayers-praying for them at a cemetery during the next 9 days (under the usual conditions).

1 Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord;  2 Master, listen to my voice; let but thy ears be attentive to the voice that calls on thee for pardon. 3 If thou, Lord, wilt keep record of our iniquities, Master, who has strength to bear it? 4 Ah, but with thee there is forgiveness; be thy name ever revered. 5 I wait for the Lord, for his word of promise my soul waits; 6 patient my soul waits, as ever watchman that looked for the day. Patient as watchman at dawn, 7 for the Lord Israel waits, the Lord with whom there is mercy, with whom is abundant power to ransom. 8 He it is that will ransom Israel from all his iniquities. (Psalm 130)

 

 

Update: Attended Divine Liturgy at St. Peter's in Cheraw, SC for All Soul's Day. Father used black vestments-as is appropriate, and faced the tabernacle during the consecration (as is appropriate).

Oremus pro invicem!