Sunday, November 26, 2017

Thanksgiving, Christmas—and Greed. Thanks For The Bees! Prayer.. With Thanksgiving. Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”, Just after Thanksgiving Day:

Thanksgiving, Christmas—and Greed

“So, I can’t help but wonder, Am I the only person struck by this? I’m talking about the paradox of this time of the year, the approximately one month from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I just find it amazing!

Here’s what I’m talking about: the fourth Thursday in November, the wonderful national holiday celebrated in the United States of America—Thanksgiving Day. What’s it all about? Gratitude, thankfulness, acknowledgement of divine blessing.

Here’s what President Abraham Lincoln, sometimes referred to as the father of the Thanksgiving holiday, proclaimed back in 1863:

“The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. … No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”

He then went on to “set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” He recommended “offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings.”

Isn’t that wonderful? Gratitude. Humility. Recognition of God’s merciful blessings and favor. Never mind that for far too many Americans in the 150 years since that proclamation, Thanksgiving Day has devolved into little more than “turkey day,” or a day to watch football. At least it started out right, as a day of thanksgiving.

But then the paradox. This year it didn’t even wait till “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving. For many retail establishments, it began on Thanksgiving Day itself: “Buy, buy, buy!” “Grab, grab, grab!” “Get, get, get!” Okay, so maybe it’s just because I’m a little older and bothered more by these things. Or maybe it actually is even more crass, even more aggressive this year. But this annual orgy of greed and grab seems to be more offensive and unpleasant this year even more than usual.

An example: At a Wal-Mart store in Elkin, North Carolina, fights broke out as one crazed shopper violently grabbed and shoved in a frantic consumerist push. For what? A TV set! And it didn’t even wait till the day after Thanksgiving. It was Thanksgiving night!  And this is about gratitude?

And so it goes on, just as it does every year, for one whole unpleasant month. Spend, spend and more spend. Stuff, stuff and more stuff. Grab and grab and grab—even with a little violence, if necessary. And for what? A day that supposedly commemorates the birth of the Savior of humanity, the One who gave His life for all humankind.

Leave aside for the moment the fact that Christmas isn’t even mentioned in the Bible. Leave aside the fact that it has pre-Christian origins. Leave aside the fact that it’s really a pagan festivity, baptized under the banner of Christ.

Leave all that aside, and you’re still left with that grotesque contradiction, a month ending in a holiday that supposedly epitomizes the Christian way of life, but that really seems to culminate four weeks of greed and coveting. How sad!

Am I the only one? No, I’m really glad that I’m not. Most of my friends are aware of the non-biblical roots of Christmas, and they do their best to avoid all the commercialism and ugliness of a celebration that has become little more than one giant retail binge.

We invite you to consider the true way of life—one of selflessness and outgoing concern, not of grab and greed—described in the pages of your Bible.   For Life, Hope & Truth, I’m Ralph Levy.”       From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/speaking-of/thanksgiving-christmas-and-greed/

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Thanks To The Bees, Food for All

         

An Amazing Fact: “Bees are very social insects, and mutual feeding seems to be the order of their existence. The workers feed the helpless queen, who cannot feed herself. They feed the drones and, of course, they feed the young. They seem to actually enjoy this social act. One bee always seems ready to feed another bee, even if that bee is from a different colony.

The bee has been aptly described as busy. To produce one tablespoon of honey for our toast, the little bee makes 4,200 trips to flowers. A worker bee will fly as far as eight miles in search of nectar. He makes about 10 trips a day to the fields, each trip lasting 20 minutes and covering 400 flowers. To produce just one pound of clover honey, the bee must visit 56,000 clover heads. Since each head has 60 flower tubes, a total of 3,360,000 visits are necessary. In the end, that worker bee will have flown the equivalent of three times around the world. And they never sleep!

The impact of the honeybee on your food goes beyond honey. This little wonder of God’s creation is responsible for 80 percent of all insect pollination; if it didn’t do its job it would significantly decrease the yield of fruits and vegetables.

Psalm 145 is a song of praise to the Creator. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). As we look at the amazing honeybee, we can join David in saying, “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works” (v. 5). When we consider the immense number of flowers it takes to make one pound of honey, it seems an impossibility, yet the Bible says, “The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing” (v. 15, 16).     Thank God for the honeybee!”   
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Give us day by day our daily bread. Luke 11:3

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Continue Earnestly in Prayer … With Thanksgiving

Colossians 4:2

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. …

The apostle Paul strongly connects prayer with thanksgiving in several other memorable passages:

  • “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
  • “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
  • “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

For more about prayer and thankfulness, see “How to Pray” and “In Everything Give Thanks.”

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Update.

We never know when we will have a sudden freeze at night, (we have already had one short 29 deg. temperature that crept up on us) so Zack and I readied the aloe vera plants for winter.  We covered up the long, long trough of them that are planted next to the hedge where they share the same underground watering system.   Then we moved all the many pots of aloe into the green house.  This year I haven’t been advertising the aloe like I should because of spending so much time working on the mini-house, so I have more pots than usual.

The county, or whoever, finally replaced the yellow caution traffic light on my corner, that the posts had became uprooted during Hurricane Harvey,  or there was so much rain that the poles just fell over.  Now it is slung from the tall main electric line poles and for the first time we have a street light at this junction.  Now the mini-house back door is always illuminated, so I don’t have to leave that porch light on any more. 

My foster-cat “Puddin” never did warm up to the kittens who were here for Thanksgiving week.  She didn’t want anything to do with them. They were so sweet, purring when held, and I taught them some “Catiquette”, like not darting through doors, and not getting on tables or coutertops.  They were picked up this morning and taken back to the Cat Habitat at Petco, awaiting forever homes.  I have some of their “playthings” picked up, like torn up newspaper, little boxes that they batted around, and the cat toys, but they preferred to play with the things that they found.  Just like kids would rather play with the box than the item that came in it.  I miss them, but I am glad that they are gone, too.  Little “Tux” was a little harum-scarum, and a bundle of energy, a little too much for me, he will do well with some kids.  “Marble” was more sedate and loving, more my kind of cat.

Jay seems to be doing alright with his sobriety, so I let him work in the mini-house, but I still have to watch him like a hawk.  He nearly cut the hole for the kitchen sink right over the sidewall of the cabinet, I stopped him after about 6 inches were cut, the sink will cover it, but Zack will have to caulk the cut to make it waterproof.  Jay installed the light over the kitchen sink, then he cut and installed the frame for the little bathroom door between my bedroom and bathroom, and the rest of the wall’s trim.  He fixed a bad spot on the drop-down-door-ramp on the lawn mower shed and has been helping quite a bit.

Jay was still staying sober, and went to church with me on the Sabbath.  I told him that he is a “non-drinker”, and he needs to remember that.  At church they were so pleased to see him again, and Gary, one of the elders, complimented him right from the pulpit. 

The Bible readings were Gen. 25:19-28:9, Mal. 1:1-2:7, and Rom. 9:1-31, mostly about Esau and Jacob.  The Teaching was about Overshadowing Providence and the Almighty Guardian.

There was a great big turkey for our Thanksgiving Dinner at church.  It had been deep-fried for an hour, but when we cut into it, the dark meat was still red, so everyone had to eat around the edges.  I had made Quinoa Dressing, made with white quinoa, celery, onions, garlic, carrots, butternut squash and seasonings.  (There was another stuffing there, but it just seemed like soggy bread to me, and I don’t eat regular bread or cornbread.  Regular bread, because it isn’t made of flour anymore, just fillers, and “enriched” toxic chemicals.  Cornbread, because most corn is genetically modified with Round-Up,  unless you buy organic.)  I also made Roasted Cauliflower with black quinoa, feta and finely chopped nuts.  I also took a jar of my Homemade Cranberry Sauce, which I had strained all the skins out, (that took the most time), and I took a little crockpot of Chicken Gravy.   There was Potato Salad and Coleslaw, veggies, green salad, and several pies, homemade pumpkin and homemade apple, and some store-bought pies, too.  There was a big cake, and a pie that no-one touched, so they were frozen for another time.   

The turkey meat was divvied up and sent home with different people, but I was given the task of making the big turkey remains into bone broth.  They all know that I will bring them something good made with the broth.  It was so big that Zack had to help me break it in half this morning before I could cook it.  One half in the slow cooker, and the other half in a pressure cooker.

When I left the church my van did the same old ‘not starting thing’…no noise, just nothing.  The guys at church fiddled and fussed with it, cut and spliced wires to the Neutral Safety Switch but it still wouldn’t start, not even with jumper cables.  Finally, Gary happened to touch the steering wheel tilt handle, and it started, so there must be a problem in the steering column.

While Jay was visiting his Mom in the hospital this morning, Zack and I were sanding, caulking and Kilzing the new wall between the bedroom and living room in the mini-house, and it should be ready for paint the next working day.

Thursday, November 23, 2017

In Everything Give Thanks. Thankful for God’s Goodness and Mercy. Thanksgiving Forever.

Just an extra post for Thanksgiving Day. 

In Everything Give Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:18   In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In everything give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18).“We have been looking at the importance of thanksgiving. Thankfulness is a hallmark of a true Christian. Almost anyone can be thankful when everything is going well, but Christians are to be growing in an attitude of thanksgiving in every situation.

This takes a spiritual perspective—the ability to see things more as God sees them. Though not everything that happens is something to be thankful for, a Christian is learning to see beyond the present suffering and to thank God for His eternal goodness and the end result of His great purpose and plan. This allows us to give thanks in everything.

When we truly believe that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28) and that “the testing of [our] faith produces patience” that makes us “perfect and complete,” we can “count it all joy” (James 1:2-4) and give thanks even when we face various trials.

“An Old Testament example of this was when Job lost his money, his children and his health. He blessed the name of God in spite of his personal tragedies, not because of them. Nothing speaks more powerfully of a walk with God than continuous thankfulness” (The NKJV Study Bible, note on 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Why is it God’s will that we give thanks? Because it helps us to become more like God and helps us develop His perspective and His character. Ingratitude and covetousness are the antithesis of God’s nature. Thankfulness grows out of a godly mind-set.

For more about the meaning of life that helps give us God’s perspective, see our article on the “Purpose of Life.””  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/in-everything-give-thanks/

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The Sacrifices of Thanksgiving

Psalm 107:22

Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.

Leviticus 7 describes a “sacrifice of thanksgiving” that involved offering grain and an animal sacrifice (Leviticus 7:12). This offering was not for sin, but for rejoicing and showing thankfulness to God.

We know from the book of Hebrews that the system of animal sacrifices has been superseded, yet Hebrews still talks about a “sacrifice of praise to God.” This is defined as “the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:15-16).

Praising God, doing good and sharing are sacrifices that continue to please our Creator today.

For more about thanksgiving, see “In Everything Give Thanks.” (above)

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Thanksgiving Forever

Revelation 7:12

Saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

This scene of praise by the angels before God’s throne follows a proclamation by an innumerable multitude of forgiven humans who say: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10). By saying “Amen,” the angels agree to this, but add much more.

The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary notes that the angels’ “doxology is sevenfold, implying its totality and completeness.” God’s perfection, wonders and loving-kindness are worthy of all praise for all time.

For more about praise and thankfulness to God, see “In Everything Give Thanks.” (above)

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Thankful for God’s Goodness and Mercy

1 Chronicles 16:34

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

On the joyous day that David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, he “delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD” (1 Chronicles 16:7). This theme of thankfulness for God’s goodness and mercy is found throughout the Psalms (see Psalms 106:1 and 107:1, for example).

Psalm 107 goes on to give examples of how God displays His mercy to sinners who cry out to Him: “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:13-15).

For more about God’s mercy, see “Mercy and Grace: Are They the Same?

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We are going to have our Thanksgiving dinner at church on the Sabbath, so I have been cooking most of the day.    Hopefully you all had a great Thanksgiving Day.  God Bless.  Penny

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Thanksgiving, Purim and Hanukkah. Blessings of Abraham: How They Came to the United States. More than Turkey and Football! Update.

    

For “Scripture Sunday”:

Thanksgiving, Purim and Hanukkah

“Since so many holidays have pagan origins, some have wondered, is there anything wrong with national holidays like Thanksgiving, Purim and Hanukkah?

Thanksgiving

Since so many religious holidays have pagan roots, some have wondered if all modern holidays are suspect. What about national holidays such as Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, and the Jewish national holidays of Purim and Hanukkah?

Purim and Hanukkah mentioned in the Bible

Though Purim and Hanukkah are not commanded feasts of the Lord, they are mentioned in the Bible. The book of Esther describes the events that led to the establishment of the festival of Purim, as God saved the Jews from destruction by evil Haman. Hanukkah was also called the Feast of Dedication, mentioned in John 10:22-23. It celebrates the rededication of the temple after it had been defiled by Antiochus Epiphanes.

Days for giving thanks

Both of these holidays were established to give thanks to God, just as the American and Canadian Thanksgiving days are. Though some modern customs of these days may not be pleasing to God, they are not rooted in paganism and do not subvert any of the truths presented in the festivals of God.”       From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/thanksgiving/

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Blessings of Abraham: How They Came to the United States

How did the United States become such a prominent nation? What made America great? How can we trace her roots?

The Blessings of Abraham given to America

The United States has been the most materially blessed single nation in history. Though few have recognized it, America’s rise to superpower status started with one man’s faithfulness to God.

Some 4,000 years ago God called a man named Abram (whose name God later changed to Abraham). God told Abram to leave his present country and go where He would lead him. God promised Abram that if he obeyed, He would cause many nations and kings to come from his lineage (Genesis 17:1-6).

Abraham continued to be faithful to God, and when Abraham passed the supreme test of being willing to sacrifice his son, God made an unconditional promise that his descendants would be innumerable and have world dominance (Genesis 22:16-18). The blessings of Abraham were then passed down to his descendants.

Promise of national greatness passed down

This birthright promise was passed down to Abraham’s son Isaac, then to Isaac’s son Jacob, and then to Jacob’s son Joseph.

Joseph had two sons while he was in Egypt, Ephraim and Manasseh. Just before Jacob died, he adopted these two grandchildren and, being guided by God, made them inheritors of his birthright promise (Genesis 48:13-16).

Jacob was also inspired by God to give a prophecy about his two grandchildren. He said that Ephraim would become a multitude of nations and Manasseh would be a great single nation (Genesis 48:19). Jacob foretold that in the last days the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh would spread (Genesis 49:1, 22). They would prevail in wars because God would be with them (verses 23-24). And they would also inherit great natural resources (verses 25-26)—all part of the blessings of Abraham.

Ancient Israel failed to receive the full birthright promise

God wanted to give ancient Israel national greatness. When He made the covenant with the 12 tribes of Israel in the wilderness, He told them they would become great if they obeyed Him.

We know that Israel did not obey God; and eventually 10 of the tribes, including Ephraim and Manasseh, went into captivity to Assyria in 721-718 B.C. From this point forward, they were scattered and seemed to disappear from the historical records.

What became of God’s promises to give the blessings of Abraham to his descendants? Many Christians understand that the promise of salvation through Abraham’s Seed was fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16). But what of the physical birthright promises? If we believe that God fulfills all His promises, we will look for a company of nations and a powerful single nation who have been blessed by God.

Where did the Israelites go?

Even though Israel was scattered, God said He would keep and preserve them (Amos 9:9). The Bible tells us in several passages, including Isaiah 49:12, that the Israelites migrated toward the northwest and to the “isles afar off” (Jeremiah 31:10). The British Isles are northwest of their previous homeland and the location of their captivity in Assyria.

Is it just a coincidence that the word British resembles two Hebrew words “beriyth-iysh,” which mean “covenant man”? The Bible repeatedly refers to the covenant (agreement) God made with Israel (Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 4:13).

God’s people would also be known by Isaac’s name. Americans and Britons are known as Anglo-Saxons. “Saxons” is simply a derivation of “Isaac’s sons.”

The United States and Britain become world powers

Before 1800, both America and Britain were regional powers. But shortly after 1800, both suddenly received many blessings. First Britain then the United States became world-leading superpowers.

In 1803 the United States acquired the Louisiana Purchase, which nearly doubled the size of the country. Britain’s empire suddenly spread around the globe, and the sun never set on her company of nations. At their peak, the United States and Britain came into possession of more than two-thirds of the world’s resources and wealth. God fulfilled the biblical promises to provide the blessings of Abraham to his physical descendants.

So what does it all mean?

There are many more biblical and historical clues that the United States and Britain (and the British “multitude of nations” including Australia, Canada and New Zealand) are indeed the descendants of ancient Israel. For more information about the United States’ roots in ancient Israel, read the related articles in “America in Prophecy.” To learn more about the promises to Abraham, read the articles “Promises to Abraham” and “God's Promise to Abraham.””    From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/america-in-prophecy/blessings-of-abraham/

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Thanksgiving: More than Turkey and Football!

Thanksgiving is about more than turkeys and football. It's a day dedicated to our Lord and Creator. As we approach the holiday this year, let's remember and acknowledge Him, and His role in our national blessings.

Video: An Englishman’s first Thanksgiving : https://youtu.be/SXSuBCgzBjQ

Transcript: “When I came to the United States a number of years ago, I was surprised and pleased to be invited into the home of some friends in late November. I knew little about Thanksgiving then, having just arrived from England, where we had no such national celebration.

What an enjoyable day it was! Lots of food, friends and football! I delighted in this very American national celebration, quite unlike anything I had ever done in my native land.  At first, it seemed to be a day just to stuff oneself, like the turkey on the table. But as time went by, I began to learn about the rich and meaningful history of Thanksgiving Day.  First observed in Plymouth Colony in 1621, Thanksgiving was a day for the pilgrims to thank God for having protected and provided for them in those perilous times. The day was later proclaimed by President George Washington, in the year 1789. Listen to these words of America's first president: 

“WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have… requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God…" NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be... “

What's striking about that first Thanksgiving proclamation is the nation's readiness to acknowledge the Creator, and to dedicate a day to Him. Even in 1863, over seventy years later, the sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, was unabashed in his gratitude to Almighty God, as he set a date for the celebration. Here are some of Lincoln's words:

“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God… No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. .. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States… to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

The United States of 1863 was going through times of great crisis, just as we are now, in the year 2009. Yet now we hesitate even to mention God in public, much less to request His help in our national trials. It would today serve us well to remember Lincoln's words, and to make them our own.

Thanksgiving is about more than turkeys and football. It's a day dedicated to our Lord and Creator. As we approach the holiday this year, let's remember and acknowledge Him, and His role in our national blessings. For GN Magazine, I'm Ralph Levy.”        Transcript of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXSuBCgzBjQ&feature=youtu.be .

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Update, late again.

Sunday was busy as it is the day when potential buyers like to look at items for sale because I am not available to show things on Saturdays, the Sabbath.  I showed a twin bed that Hans had for sale and they bought it right away.  Then a man came to look at a big old side-by-side refrigerator that is down at Roni’s old place, but he decided it was too big for what he needed. 

Several folks, including Jay, kept me busy on Sunday, so I was too tired to write this.  Jay says that he has given up drinking, and wants to have a better life.  So I let him watch TV and made him some dinner of Bison, Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts, with toasted Brioche for dessert.   I don’t suppose he has had a home-cooked meal for weeks, as his mother went to live with her daughter just to get away from drunken Jay.  Now she is in the hospital, with a bleak prognosis, so he is all upset that he treated her that way and might not have the chance to make it up to her.   

Do what you can for others while they are still around, you never know if you will lose your chance to make amends later.

Another morning, Zack and I cleaned the front screen porch.  It had become quite dusty over the summer, and we moved all the bins of potted soil, sand, rocks and broken pots (to put in the bottoms of potted plants) into the green house.   Zack and I placed the winter covers on my long trough of aloe vera plants, and moved all the potted ones into the greenhouse.  We are getting ready for winter and took the automatic timer off the hedge/aloe sprinkler system so that it couldn’t freeze.

The winds had blown pine needles and leaves all over, so that took a morning to get them raked up and burned, but I wouldn’t want to be without the shade trees here in TX. Even pine trees.   We unpacked some more of the boxes that Wendy had brought, and took more pictures of the things she wants me to sell. Then I went down to Hans with parts to fix his water leak.  He wants to get all these little jobs done as he is going on a cruise to see Jerusalem, Israel and Jordan.

One day, I just wanted a day off and went into Conroe shopping.  That means taking the paper to be recycled, going to a different Kroger’s, and maybe a glance in a thrift shop.  Zack went with me as he had something to return at Home Depot, so we shopped there a bit, too.  We took some unwanted clothes and things to be donated, and looked to see what they had in their shop, and I bought a leopard pattern jacket.  It should go well with my leopard purse, and the two-tone brown shoes that I bought.

Then Friday was Preparation Day again.  I had made some black quinoa, but decided not to take it to the church potluck.  I took some previously cooked gumbo as I had two containers in the freezer, and I really needed to make space in there.   Dumped them both in a pot on the stove to defrost and then into a crockpot.  Then, in another crockpot I made brown rice to go with it.  I also took some previously cooked frozen cabbage which I spiced it up with Cajun spices, and they loved it.

The Bible readings read by the Pastor were Psa. 136, God’s Love Endures Forever, Gen.23:1-25:18, 1 Kings 1:1-31.  Then Isa. 56, about the Sabbaths, was quoted by Gary, as a favorite place.  The teaching was about The Forgiveness of Sin, and Romans 10, which says there is no mediator except Christ.  For the potluck there was crockpot beef, chicken and rice, chicken and homemade noodles, my gumbo and brown rice, slaw, veggies and a lot more good food, plus a lot of camaraderie and conversation.  We have some new folks, so that is always interesting to listen to what they have to discuss.

Zack and I had the dog room ready for the kitten’s Thanksgiving week off from the Cat Habitat at Petco, and two arrived on Saturday evening, after I got home from church.  They were Tux and Marble, as I had expected, and they are just about inseparable.  They loved playing loose in the dog room, but I did lock them up in cages at night, for their own safety.  The following day I let them have the run of the house so that my foster cat “Puddin’” would get used to them being here.  I was hoping that they would all play together, but they haven’t so far.  Puddin’ stays away from them.  They are just like little toddlers, and into everything, but like granchildren, I am sure that I will miss them and will also be glad when it’s over and they go back to the SPCA Cat Habitat at Petco next Sunday.

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Help Veterans. Memorials to Peace, Not War. Banned Bible. Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”:

FREE to you.  Please Help Homeless and Hungry Veterans.

Click Every day! The Veterans Site

If you care about our veterans, maybe you could click on their site each day.  This gives them resources and doesn’t cost you a thing

The Veterans Site   (http://theveteranssite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/vet/home?link=VET_linktous_text )

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Memorials to Peace, Not War

“When properly understood in the context of all Scripture, the biblical Holy Days show the way to true and lasting peace.

Soldier and Sailors Monument

Soldier and Sailors Monument
Indiana Division of Historic Preservation
and Archaeology

“In my town, Indianapolis, Indiana, the centerpiece of the city is a monument to the soldiers of three conflicts in the 19th century. The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is a beautiful, ornate, German-designed structure, the first one, it is said, to honor the common soldier. This memorial is only one of many in our city. In fact, Indianapolis boasts more war memorials than any other American city outside of Washington, D.C.

All over the world towns of all sizes hold some type of monument to their dead from wars past. I have seen them in tiny Czech, Italian and French villages on some of my travels. I have seen a picture of my own great-grandfathers, veterans of the American Civil War, standing in front of a newly dedicated war memorial in their hometown in Georgia. It is good that people remember those who died in war. It would be even better if nations would learn the lessons that can prevent conflict from igniting into larger wars, consuming millions of lives.

I have never counted, but I think it is safe to say that war memorials outnumber memorials to peace. One of the most famous peace statues stands outside the United Nations building in New York City. It depicts the millennial scene from Isaiah 2:4 with a man beating his sword of war into a plowshare of peace. Most would agree, what a wonderful world that would be!

In America we have two days set aside each year to remember the human cost of all our wars. Veterans Day on Nov. 11 springs from the day the Great War, World War I, came to a close. Memorial Day each May remembers the fallen from all the wars. Other countries have set aside days to remember fallen soldiers. But how many days on our calendar actually commemorate and raise a memorial to peace?

God shows us in His Word, the Bible, several days set aside to teach, honor and show the way to peace among all the families of the earth. Leviticus 23:2 calls them “the feasts of the Lord.” Seven annual festivals are listed in this chapter with seven “holy convocations,” or Holy Days, when the people of God are to assemble and worship.

These little-understood days are the only ones mentioned in the Bible as days to be kept by the faithful who seek to support the Prince of Peace—Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6). (Christmas and Easter, while commonly assumed to be biblical holidays, aren’t part of the Holy Days God commanded.) When properly understood in the context of all Scripture, the biblical Holy Days show the way to true and lasting peace.

As you read these words, many thousands of people in all parts of the world are focusing on the true worship of God on these days. The biblical Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day are rich with meaning about key events yet ahead in the world. A full explanation of these days is available in our free booklet, God’s Holy Day Plan—The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.

These Holy Days herald a time of peace at the return of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. They give a vision of hope for a time when the source of evil will be banished and the way to peace among nations will be taught. Their message shows the depth of the love of God, and the opportunity all will have to accept the saving grace of Christ. As the subject of one of this month’s articles says, we need to pray, “Thy kingdom come.”

You need to understand the days God commands the entire world to observe as memorials to the way of life taught in the Scriptures. They are the days that show the sequence of events in God’s master plan for restoring all things through Jesus Christ. And when that occurs, it will indeed be a wonderful day!”  From: https://www.ucg.org/world-news-and-prophecy/restoration-memorials-to-peace-not-war

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Another kind of battle:

God vs. Satan

“An epic battle has been going on between God and a powerful, evil spirit, Satan the devil. How did it begin? How will the battle of God vs. Satan end?

Chess pieces; God vs. Satan.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Although we are only given small glimpses of the world prior to man, the Scriptures tell us that during this time Lucifer, one of the high-ranking angels serving before God’s throne, convinced a third of the angels to follow him in rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:13-16; Revelation 12:7-9).

Apparently, because of this great battle, the beautiful earth God had created (Isaiah 45:18) became “without form, and void” (Genesis 1:2).  Because of Lucifer’s rebellion, his name was changed to Satan, meaning “adversary.” His followers, fallen angels, became known as demons.

After refashioning the earth so it could sustain human life, God created the first man, Adam. Eve, the first woman, was created a short time later. In addition to placing them in the Garden of Eden, where they could live and multiply, God gave them instruction in the way of life that would lead to happiness and eternal life.

But this couple was also given the choice of whether they would obey their Creator or choose their own path. God gave Adam and Eve the first opportunity to rule when He put all things under the feet of man, giving him dominion over the works of God’s hand (Psalm 8:4-8).

Satan attacks mankind

Though largely banished to earth with only a few exceptions when he could appear before God’s throne (Job 1:6), Satan and his demons were not ready to concede in their fight against God. Satan the devil soon brought the battle to the Garden of Eden.

Satan convinced the first man and his wife to disregard the instruction and commandments of God. They bought the lie that man can choose for himself what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. As a result of this tragic decision, sin entered the world and death entered by sin. Man cut himself off from the guidance, direction and blessings of God.

From mankind’s perspective, this began the battle of light vs. darkness, right vs. wrong, evil vs. good. Sides were drawn. Camps and philosophies were developed.”

Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/kingdom-of-god/god-vs-satan/

Read more about the enemy Satan in the article “Satan Destroyed? How?

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Banning the Mention of God in Public Life

image“More and more, God is being shunted aside and banned in the public arena—particularly from schools.

In November 2012, a six-year-old girl was told by her North Carolina school that, during a Veteran’s Day program, she could not say the word God in reading a poem that honored her two grandfathers. “He prayed to God for peace, he prayed to God for strength,” the poem stated (Todd Starnes, God-less America, 2014, pp. 128-129).

School officials in southern Florida “banned a fifth grader from reading the Bible during ‘free reading’ time” (Breitbart.com, “FL Teacher Banned Bible From ‘Free Reading’ Time in Classroom,” May 5, 2014).

The Good News November - December 2014

Good News Magazine: November - December 2014

Meanwhile, officials at other schools are on the alert to make sure that Gideons International does not succeed in—horror of horrors!—passing out free Bibles to students at school.

An e-mail memo from the assistant principal of a New Jersey middle school stated: “It has been brought to the administration’s attention that Gideons may be near our campus to distribute literature to our students … Please make sure they DO NOT step foot onto our campus at anytime. There will be added police and security presence at dismissal” (quoted by Starnes, p. 116, emphasis added). Apparently some school administrators think distributing Bibles is the big danger in America’s public schools today—to the point that police must be called in to prevent it!

In 2012, national Democratic Party leaders removed references to God from their party’s platform at their national convention. But this wasn’t popular with everyone, and as it was shown on primetime TV nationwide, a move was made to put God back in—at which point many on the convention floor shockingly booed. Yes, booed God —or at least the prospect of God having anything to do with decisions in governing the nation! How far this country has fallen from the days of the Founding Fathers.

Nationally syndicated radio host Steve Deace comments: “This ‘New Left’ is not mere liberals. They are flat-out Leftists … They are Social Reconstructionists, whose goal is to empower government to replace our Judeo-Christian ideals of liberty and morality with what amounts to Cultural Marxism … That’s why their ultimate goal is silencing the church … For the church says that God alone is God, and government is not.

“Not to mention with God out of the way, so are your God-given rights, which makes you a de facto ward of the state and not a free person. As [noted author G.K.] Chesterton once said [paraphrased], ‘Whenever the government removes the god, the government then becomes the god’ ” (“The Left Officially Declares War on God,” Townhall.com, July 13, 2014).”  From: https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/banning-the-mention-of-god-in-public-life

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Update.

Roy hasn’t been around, so the wall in the mini-house isn’t finished yet.  Zack and I have been getting ready for my foster kittens coming home from the SPCA Habitat at Petco for Thanksgiving.  The Habitat is closed for over a week to give the volunteers, and kittens, a rest.  

We don’t know how many of the four kittens will be still be un-adopted by then. They are a bit older and bigger now so I can’t just leave them locked up in cages.  They need to learn “House Etiquette”, too.  Like not getting on tables or countertops.   We have been “kitten-proofing” my grooming room so they can play in there most of the time.  It hasn’t been a grooming room for a long time, it is now my mail room where I pack and ship items sold on eBay.  We put all my packing materials, shipping stuff, and mailing envelopes in the box that my new sink came in, and stored it underneath out of the way.  They would have had a field day with all that bubble wrap, etc.  

We clamped a big piece of cardboard over the shelf where I keep the pet medicines. and put walls of cardboard so they couldn’t get behind the furniture.  I am advertising a wire 2’ x 3’ dog cage for Hans, so he is going to bring it up here so I can store some of my items for sale in it, so they can’t get to them.  I already have one dog cage full of items for sale. 

Tux3 Kitten Habitat 2017There are only two cages set up in my dog room for the kitten’s nightime, so I hope they haven’t grown too much and that there won’t be more than two kittens.  Ming was adopted and Laila has a good ap on her, so it should just leave Tux and Marble.  Marble had an ap on her, but they got a kitten from another rescue because it was cheaper.  They don’t know what they missed.  I am really looking forward to having Tux back here.  He is the sweetest, loving little guy.  He would wiggle his way into my kitchen, and Puddin’ didn’t growl at him, so I am hoping that he will be a great playmate for her.  She wants me to play with her all the time, but I am sorry, I have to work.

Zach said he likes to vacuum, so I drug out the big heavy vacuum, (I usually use the lighter one since my surgery) The big one really sucks, it would suck the tits off a boar hog!  We were really ambitious and moved the couch and other furniture, and gave the living room a good clean.  The following morning, we shampooed the living room carpet, and even vacuumed and shampooed the carpet in my bedroom.  My daughter says her hardwood floors are easier to clean, but I like my bedroom carpeted.

DSCF1853-001As I had taken pictures of some of the cottage/birdcage decor items that my daughter had brought me, and I had listed them for sale, so Zack and I packed them up in boxes and moved them out of the storage tent into the greenhouse. There is no telling when they will sell, and they could get moldy in the tent if we get another downpour.  Fortunately, I have a good stock of all sizes of boxes.  I still have more of her items to sort out, and I need to spend some time in the tent and unpack all the boxes that she brought.

One evening Hans took me to a ‘dinner’ at the church around the corner.  It was mostly processed food, something our church rarely serves.  Boxed macaroni and cheese, canned corn, canned ravioli, some prepared chicken chipolte, and really sticky-looking cake.  Just a bunch of empty carbs.  I didn’t eat much there.  I don’t eat sugar or white flour, that includes white pasta, or processed food, and I won’t eat corn unless it is non-GMO.  I also noticed how many of the folks there were rather ‘portly”, and some down-right obese.  But that is what happens if you don’t eat right.

As usual, on Friday afternoon it was Preparation Day, getting ready for church the next day.  I had bought some Bok Choy and as I had a bunch of apples I found a recipe for ‘Bok Choy and Apples’.  I cooked the Boy Choy separately, and I am so glad that I did.  Bok Choy is very healthy, and as it is sold by the head, not by the pound, I bought the largest one.  Then I found out after I had cooked it, that the larger ones are more tough and fibrous.  There was no way I was going to take that chewy vegetable to the church potluck.  Anyway, I wanted all that healthiness for myself, so I ran the cooked Bok Choy through my Magic Bullet and made it into a creamy soup, enough for a few days.  It was delish! 

As for the apples, onions and red bell peppers that I had cooked for the Boy Choy recipe,  I just added them to some chunks of chicken breast and added a chicken gravy.  So it became Chicken and Apples, and it was good.  I cooked it on the stove, and then took it to the church in a crockpot.  In another crockpot I had some Gnocchi, (Italian potato dumplings.)  There wasn’t much left over of either.

The Bible readings were Psa.100, and 95, Gen. 18:1-22:24, (about God’s promise to Abraham, and Sodom and Gomorrah), 2 Kings 4:1-37, Luke 24:31-53.  The Teaching was about Divine Favor and Grace.

There was lots of good food and nearly everyone has seconds when they are at our church potluck, it is always so good.  We have hardly any over-weight folks at our church, we can make up for our indulgence the rest of the week, and just over-eat on the Sabbath day.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

It Is A Young Earth After All! Coal Creation. Coal, A Memorial to The Flood. Update.

For “Scripture Sunday:

To Decay or not to Decay?

These trees are fossilized in the UPRIGHT position!

“To the “man on the street,” one of the most impressive arguments for an ancient Earth is the testimony of sedimentary-rock layers. Scientists (and park rangers) show us examples like the Grand Canyon and present their theory so effectively that—as we observe layer after layer of sedimentary rocks piled one on top of another—the only explanation seems to be that vast amounts of geologic time must have been involved. Each division of the rocks, we are told, represents a time long ago, and an ancient world that long since has ceased to exist. Creationists, however, beg to differ, and suggest that a closer look at the “record of the rocks” suggests youth, not antiquity, for our home planet.

Embedded in sedimentary rocks all over the globe are what are known as “polystrate” fossils. Polystrate means “many layers,” and refers to fossils that cut through at least two sedimentary-rock layers. Probably the most widely recognized of the polystrate fossils are tree trunks that extend vertically through two, three, or more sections of rock that supposedly were laid down in epochs covering millions of years.

However, organic material (such as wood) that is exposed to the elements will rot, not fossilize. Thus, the entire length of these tree trunks must have been preserved quickly, which suggests that the rock layers surrounding them must have been deposited rapidly—possibly (and likely) during a single catastrophe like Noah’s Flood.

Trees, reeds, catfish, whales, and the other organisms with which the fossil record abounds—and that exist as polystrate fossils—did not die and lie around for hundreds, thousands, or millions of years while slowly being preserved. Truth be told, polystrate fossils testify loudly to a young Earth whose layers formed rapidly—and not very long ago! It is a young Earth after all.”  From: http://thecreationclub.com/to-decay-or-not-to-decay/

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Coal Creation.

“Recently someone asked a question that went something like this “If the earth is only thousands of years old, how did dinosaur bones turn into coal and oil?” After reading this question, I realized that a lot of people really don’t know what coal and oil are made of and how they are formed. In this article, we will talk about coal, and next time, we will talk about oil and natural gas.

First, let’s do some “myth busting”. Here are three common myths about coal:

  1. Fossil fuels – coal, oil, and natural gas – come from dinosaur bones
  2. It takes long periods of time (millions of years) to make coal
  3. Diamonds are made of pressurized coal (learn about the origin of diamonds here)

Dinosaur. From Pixabay.com

Without a doubt, coal is made of plant material – not dinosaurs. If you look through coal deposits, you will find lots of plant fossils. Where in the world did people come up with the idea that coal came from dinosaurs? Maybe because people automatically think “dinosaurs” any time they hear the word, “fossil”. But, there is so much more to fossils than just dinosaurs! Coal can be found in many different layers, or coal seems, around the world.  It can be found in layers below the rocks that contain dinosaur bones, in rock layers alongside dinosaurs, and in layers above them.  The most popular rock unit to find coal in is the carboniferous group, made up of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian units (more about rock units and the order of the rock layers here).

imageThe global flood, mentioned in the Bible, offers a much better model for coal formation than the ancient swamp explanation and actually fits better with what we see happening today. In this model, the violent flood waters would have gathered many different types of plants, turning them into peat. We see lots of different plant fossils in coal – including plants that don’t live in swamps. The peat would be deposited between layers of mud, where it would get the right amounts of heat and pressure, thanks to the mud layers on top of it and other flood factors. This flood model for coal is a “catastrophic transport” model, in which the plant material was transported away from where the plants grew and buried quickly.

Mount Saint Helens eruption. From wikimedia commons

Excerpts from: http://thecreationclub.com/coal-creation/

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Coal: Memorial to The Flood

Gippsland basin

“The Gippsland Basin, deposited at the edge of the Australian continent.

South-East Australia’s Latrobe Valley has some extremely thick deposits of brown coal which are mined to fuel several huge power stations. One bucket-wheel excavator removes the relatively thin overburden and exposes the coal seam. Another excavator digs the coal and drops it onto a moving conveyor belt for the power-station boilers.1

The machines are immense, towering over the people who work on them. Indeed, a person could easily disappear inside one of the many buckets. Each excavator can dig up to 60,000 tonnes of coal each day.1 Yet the coal seams are so thick that they dwarf these massive excavators, which must traverse the seam several times before the coal is completely removed.

Huge coal basin

The coal seams occur within thick layers of clay, sand and basaltic lava, which together form a 700-metre (2,300-foot) sequence of rocks, known as the Latrobe Valley Coal Measures.2 These lie in a large, deep depression, called a ‘basin’, shaped like a triangle 300 km (190 miles) long and 300 km (190 miles) wide (see diagram below). Most of the basin lies under the ocean off the southern coast of Australia. Offshore the coal measures are estimated to be almost 5 km (3 miles) thick.

Latrobe Valley coal consists of a mass of very fine plant debris containing partly-decomposed plant remains.1 It is clear that a great quantity of plant material accumulated in the past to produce such huge deposits of coal. 

This huge tree trunk, broken and dumped by watery cataclysm, is now coalified.

How did the coal get there?

How would such a great amount of vegetation collect together in one place? No-one alive today has ever observed such a process. All scientists can do is to invent plausible explanations based on what they think may have happened.

“It is consistent with the devastation of Noah’s Flood, which would have uprooted the entire pre-Flood biosphere and buried it with huge quantities of sand and mud.”

For those who believe the Bible, the presence of such great quantities of buried vegetation is easily explained. It is consistent with the devastation of Noah’s Flood, which would have uprooted the entire pre-Flood biosphere and buried it with huge quantities of sand and mud.

However, geologists who do not believe the Bible base their explanations on a different philosophy. They are committed, from the outset, to explaining the evidence using what we see happening today. There has only ever been one global Flood, and according to the Bible it occurred some 4,300 years ago. Since it can’t be observed today, these geologists will not accept that it happened in the past. Thus, they try to explain everything by slow and gradual processes over millions of years.

For these brown coal deposits, they say that the vegetation accumulated as peat in a swamp during ideal climatic and geologic conditions.1 They say the swamps formed on floodplains near the coast,2 which were slowly sinking and eventually inundated by the ocean.3

Then there are a number of distinct ash layers that run horizontally through the coal. If the vegetation had grown in a swamp, these distinct ash layers would not be there. After each volcanic eruption, the volcanic texture of the ash would have been obliterated when the swamp plants recolonized the ash, turning it into soil. Not only is there no soil, but the vegetation found in the coal is not the kind that grows in swamps today. Instead, it is mostly the kind that is found in mountain rainforests. The best match for the mix of vegetation in the coal occurs in the mountains of the western half of the island of New Guinea some 1,200–2,200 metres (4,000–7,000 feet) above sea level.4 Similar vegetation is also found in the mountains in Australia, Malaysia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. The kinds of plants that make up the coal did not grow in a swamp on a floodplain.”   

Excerpts from: http://thecreationclub.com/coal-memorial-to-the-flood-tas-walker/

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Update:DSCF1192-001

On Monday, Roy did some more floating on the new wall between the living room and bedroom, and while that was drying he installed the light fixture that goes in the pass-thru bar, and started to wire the similar one which will go over the kitchen sink.  It will also have it’s own switch, too.  I bought some energy-saving LED light bulbs for these light fixtures because the ones that came with them gave out a lot of heat, so you know they were making the meter spin faster.

One afternoon my front door lock seized up. I couldn’t open the front door, so I took the screws out and took the handle off. I had to slide the latch bolt over with a screwdriver each time I had to go out until Roy arrived the next day, then he fixed it.  The house had moved and the strike plate was catching on the lock’s bolt.  I had filed at the strike plate a little, but he took it off, put it in the vise to straighten it and then put it back.  But the strike plate for the deadbolt was also off a bit, so we had to fix that.  The house had moved during the hurricane with all that rain going under it, and then moved back again as everything dried up.

Zack showed up one morning, so we started to get the house ready for winter while Roy did some more floating the wall.  Another day, we moved and inspected some of the stuff stored here, discarded some, and took pictures of other items to list them for sale.  Zack and Roy had Friday off, as they were working other places, and I was getting ready for the church the next day, like doing my hair, setting out my clothes, etc, and cooking.

As my freezer is full, I had cooked a big batch of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I had been given.  Some was donated to Zack, but I knew I would never eat the rest of them, as I am not really that crazy about chicken.  I prefer organic foods like bison, lamb, some beef, cod or salmon.  Often I am given food by the other people at the church.  We share when we have an over-abundance of anything, so the best place to use up the chicken breasts was for the church potluck.  So I sautéed onion, green and orange bell-peppers, tomatoes, and garlic, mixed that with Cream of Mushroom soup and the chicken.  It was a great hit.  I also made some Brown Rice in Chicken Bone Broth, Broccoli with Fontina Cheese Soup and some Crockpot Apples for dessert, so I went to church with four different sizes of crockpots.

The Bible readings were Gen. 12:1-17:27, Isa. 40:27-41:16, and Rom. 4:1-25.  and the Teaching was more about Martin Luther’s life and accomplishments which have shaped a lot of religious beliefs over the last 500 years.

We had a good crowd and some visitors from the sister church in Cisco TX who haven’t been here for a year as he has been battling cancer, and won.   It was so good to see him, his wife, daughter and granddaughter again.  When we all went into the dining room we had lots of good dishes to eat, some chicken, some lamb, some beef, many veggies, salads and desserts.  As usual there was more than we could eat so some folks had ‘doggie bags"’.   Sometimes we put left over food in the freezer for the next week.   Waste not, want not!

Today is Guy Fawkes Day in the United Kingdom

“Guy Fawkes Night is annually held on November 5. It is sometimes known as Bonfire Night and marks the anniversary of the discovery of a plot organized by Catholic conspirators to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605. Many people light bonfires and set off fireworks.” More at: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/uk/guy-fawkes-day

The weather is still crazy, and we are having to run the AC each day.