09 May 2020 - Plague Journal Day 58

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Do you remember that yesterday was No Socks Day? Likely some of you lost a sock as a result, and that's probably why today is Lost Sock Memorial Day.
Here's a video to make you feel better about that.
You're welcome.

Right.
That's all well and good, but the real news today is that this is World Buckfast Day!
"What's Buckfast?" I hear you ask. Why nothing but a fabulous caffeinated fortified wine kind of beverage originally made by the monks at Buckfast Abbey in Devon, England. Now it's made under license by regular non-monk type folks so it's even more available than ever.

Caffeinated fortified wine? What could go wrong?

Well I have to assume it's no coincidence that today is also Stay Up All Night Night.
Again, you're welcome.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

08 May 2020 - Plague Journal Day 57

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Day 57. What could that mean, other than Heinz? After all, the number 57 became so closely associated with Heinz that they used it to name a steak sauce.
It's interesting, though, that when that advertising slogan was created (57 varieties of pickles), the Heinz company already have at least 60 varieties. Apparently H.J. Heinz made up the number while riding on an elevated train, simply because he liked that number.
Regardless of its origin and accuracy (or lack thereof), I would suggest today would be a good day to enjoy something with a bit of a Heinz condiment. Perhaps some frites with some mayonnaise? some chips with some malt vinegar? I could go on for 55 more options (or so), but I don't want to waste your time.



Instead, let me point out that today is also No Socks Day. Here in Michigan, we normally would have reasonable weather for this celebration, but today is supposed to be colder than it was this past Christmas, so perhaps we should wait. Of course we realize that every day is No Socks Day in Grosse Pointe.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

07 May 2020 - Plague Journal Day 56

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Welcome to Thursday, one of my two favorite days of each week.

I'm not sure I could have imagined a less appropriate celebration in these times of quarantine and craziness than today's National Day of Reason. We're told we need to be in the grip of unreasoning fear at all times, lest we die of Schrödinger's Virus. (Act as if you have it to protect everyone else, act as if you don't have it to protect yourself - we all have it and don't have it, so we're all dead and we're all alive. You're welcome.

Now, how about a full-on shameless self-promotion of my books? That seems like a great idea. (At least it does to me.) After all, today is Make A Book Day, and, furthermore, I have made a book - actually more than one!

You may be looking for reading materials during your in-place sheltering, and have I got some suggestions for you!

• For some light, science-fiction-y humor I can heartily recommend Bytes Akimbo - Cybersleuth: Being a Zany, Madcap Romp from Here to There, and Beyond!
  This is a rollicking romp around the world and out of it! Join our intrepid heroes as they attempt to save the world from a threatened invasion. Perhaps the finest book ever written on this theme using these characters - yes, quite likely the finest. It's available in both paperback and Kindle editions.
• For some spiritual alternate history reading (but still set in the present), I also heartily recommend A Rune With A View. This is the best Grail quest I've ever written.
  
  Jerry Lombard enjoys his life in the Michigan resort town of Charleroi: singing in his church choir, cooking gourmet meals, and selling unusual items at Lombard's Miscellanery.
  That quiet life changes when Charleroi is invaded by Vikings … or rather by biker Viking wannabes intent on enjoying the Summer season on the shores of Lake Michigan.
  Jerry finds a new friend among all those new folks in town, and once he’s met Karl, he begins finding other things – notes, poems, books – and having and remembering dreams that feel more real than life. It's available in both paperback and Kindle editions.
•  For some US Civil War adventure reading, let me urge you to consider An Adventure with Guerrillas, by Ethelbirt Crouse (my great-great-grandfather)
  
  This little book is a memoir of an encounter with Confederate Guerrillas during the Civil War. The author was captured by a band of Confederate Guerrillas, and taken to be executed along with 12 other Union soldiers. He actually survived two execution attempts, escaping with the only other survivor. This is the story of their journey from behind enemy lines - exciting, insightful, and sobering all at once. Really, a must-read for any student of history, war, the United States, and mankind. It's available in both paperback and Kindle editions.
• Finally (for now) for some actual Bible study, how about The 3:16 Journal - Exploring Sixty-Six Books of the Bible
  This is a Bible Study based on examining all the 3:16 passages in the Bible, book by book. A set of questions is posed for each passage to lead the Bible student through the scriptures by looking at verse 3:16 (or the nearest verses to it) in each of the 66 books of the Bible. It's only available in paperback.

That's all for now, but you can always check my stuff on Amazon at my Amazon Author Page.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

06 May 2020 - Plague Journal Day 55

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Welcome back, friend.

Here we are in the middle of Teacher Appreciation Week, and I'll be using my stationary bike to celebrate Bike to School Day today. Once I've arrived at school (ha!), I will have a beverage to celebrate National Beverage Day. Remember, it pays to hydrate.

I understand that not everyone has a stationary bike (or even a mobile one) to use in today's celebration. In that case I would suggest a treadmill. OK? Go!

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

05 May 2020 - Plague Journal Day 54

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Let me join the crowd in wishing all and sundry a very happy National Teacher Day.
This year, with all the forced home-schooling going on, there are a lot more folks acting as teachers than usual - at least in that more formal capacity. Really, though, aren't parents always teachers? What they teach and how effectively certainly varies, but I have trouble imagining a kid who never learned a lesson from a parent. That seems beyond unlikely.

So:
Teachers - thank you for what you do year in and year out.
Parents - thank you for stepping up, and for what you do day in and day out.
Keep up the good work - all of you!

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

04 May 2020 - Plague Journal Day 53

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Yesterday was Garden Meditation Day, but we misread that and celebrated Garden Mediation Day.
My arm is still sore from repeatedly pulling the starter on the tiller, but the garden has been tilled!

Today is a big day. It's the day we celebrate the return of Baltimore Orioles to Michigan. (No, it's not a baseball game.)
How? Why? Etc? Well, it's Great Lakes Awareness Day, it's Bird Day, and it's Orange Juice Day. What could be clearer?

Isn't it great when the Stars align to celebrate something so simple as birds enjoying oranges (and grape jelly!)?
Yes. Yes it is; and clearly that's more than enough to celebrate today.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

03 May 2020 - Plague Journal Day 52

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today I'm just going to share a little bit of liturgy and a bit more from Scripture. That's what feels right today.

I'm sure that I'm like most Christians these days: missing worship together, missing fellowship, missing singing together, missing communion.
Thinking of communion reminded me of the Confession and Pardon from the current United Methodist Hymnal:

 Merciful God,
we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have failed to be an obedient church.
We have not done your will,
we have broken your law,
we have rebelled against your love,
we have not loved our neighbors,
and we have not heard the cry of the needy.
Forgive us, we pray.
Free us for joyful obedience,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (UMH page 8)
Digging through the old Methodist Hymnal for prayers and such, I came across this beautiful Act of Praise:

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

- Habakkuk 3:17-18 ESV (from Methodist Hymnal 646)

And then two more that just joined together beautifully (well, Paul wrote them both, so why wouldn't they?):
If God is for us, who can be against us?
 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 8:31b-32, 35, 37-39, 12:1-2, 9-17, 21 ESV (from Methodist Hymnal 650 & 651)

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.