27 June 2020 - Plague Journal Day 107

Micah 6:8

2 Samuel 6:12, 14-15

Yes, your life matters.

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 is National Orange Blossom Day. If you're a fiddler, or any kind of Bluegrass or Old Time musician or fan, that's pretty special. (See what I did there?)

Back in my university days I was part of a couple different string bands, and we sometimes played square dances at (I remember one in particular at the Michigan Union where we had the dancers take part in what came to be called the "Suicide Reel" as we sent couples up and down the line with little or no regard to whether or not there were dancers in the way - it was great fun for the band.)

At that dance we did get a request for the Orange Blossom Special. The standard reply to that (the same went for Foggy Mountain Breakdown) was: "Sorry, we just played that one." It might be before we had started, but that was the answer nonetheless.

At another memorable square dance - it was a fraternity/sorority-sponsored fundraising Dance for Disease marathon - I got some really good advice on Bill Monroe and his music from a (possibly drunk?) frat member. He told me that he had heard Bill play his standard instrumental, Rawhide, in a really slow, almost funky arrangement one time. The lesson was that if Bill didn't always play his tunes exactly the same way, I could make those tunes I was learning my own. And I have done so. Thanks, possibly-drunk frat guy!

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

26 June 2020 - Plague Journal Day 106

Micah 6:8
Luke 8:22-25
Yes, your life matters.

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?


If we cross the border to the South here, we'll find ourselves in the Great White North (Canada to those not in the know), and we'll find ourselves there on National Canoe Day.
When I think of Canada and canoes, I go straight to that classic book (and later Canadian National Film Board film), Paddle-to-the-Sea, by Holling C. Holling.
It's the tale of an indigenous boy who carves a canoe with a paddler in it, names it Paddle-to-the-Sea, and releases it into Lake Nipigon. Well, that lake feeds into Lake Superior, and the little canoe manages to make it through the St. Lawrence Seaway right on out to where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It's a very exciting (and educational) tale; one which I like to give to kids when they get to the right age to enjoy reading books like that. (Sometimes I even give that book more than once. It's hard to keep track of who has what, and to whom I've given it.)
On a vacation in Ontario a few years back, we came across a large reproduction of Paddle-to-the-Sea in the town of Nipigon while we were getting a tire repaired (perhaps it was a tyre, we were in Canada after all), so clearly I'm not the only fan of the story.

Here's a bonus for you, with a warning.
In these United States of America, today is Take Your Dog To Work Day. These days there's probably more of a need for a Work Without Your Dog Day, but at least it should be fairly easy for many of us (especially for those who actually have dogs). Interestingly, today is also National Chocolate Pudding Day - a tasty treat indeed.
Please, be very careful if you're celebrating both of these!


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

25 June 2020 - Plague Journal Day 105

Micah 6:8
Genesis 37:3-8
Yes, your life matters.

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 is Color TV Day (or Colour TV Day if you prefer). This commemorates June 25, 1951 and what some consider to be the first broadcast of a TV program in color - albeit in a format that didn't catch on, that was incompatible with older, black and white sets, and that was only in a few cities (New York, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington DC).
My first memories of color television are quite a bit later than that date (pretty obvious, as I wasn't born until years later).
My most vivid color TV memory is of watching the first episode of the new season of Gilligan's Island, and seeing there on the screen a bold proclamation that the program was IN COLOR!
I still remember turning to my Dad and saying, "no it's not." And indeed, it was not - at least not in our house where we had only black and white sets. I suppose I should be grateful that they finally settled on a color broadcasting system that would allow those of us not on the bleeding edge of overspending consumerism to still watch the shows (and be exposed to the commercials) ... and I am.
I have two other memoris of color TV that are worth sharing (I'm making that judgment - it's not up to you at this point).
First was of walking down the street to our friends' house each week to watch the new episode of Jonny Quest in color. That was an exciting time, and the cartoon was vastly better in color than in black and white.
Second was of experiencing the nearly-painful saturation of the color set at my grandparents' house. Lawrence Welk in eye-searing color was the payment that had to be made to see George Pierrot's fabulous travel program in color as well.
Those were the days, my friend - those were heady days indeed.

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

24 June 2020 - Plague Journal Day 104

Micah 6:8
James 4:1-12
Yes, your life matters.

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 is International Fairy Day, and I am quite excited to celebrate it!
As you likely know, dear reader, I am what is known as a Methodist. In addition, I am a mathematician (and a musician - those two so very often go hand in hand), and thus am oriented toward logic and reason in all my endeavors. How then to explain my very real and deep fascination with the preternatural? As a Christian it is only to be expected that I would be interested in the supernatural, but what of things more on the order of elves, brownies, fairies, and the like? Why do they occupy my imaginings as they do? Who ever heard of a mystic Methodist?
While not Methodists, three of my favorite authors spent much of their output focused on these topics - C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams, three of the Inklings. Although they each treated the subject in radically different ways to one another, they all shared the belief that there are things we don't know or see that are real, and that are nonetheless not contrary to a Biblical understanding of reality.
Even moving earlier to the founder of Methodism, we find that John Wesley wrote "An account of the disturbances at my father's house, the haunting of Epworth Rectory by Old Jeffrey" in 1784 reporting events from his youth. It seems that even the most rational of us can be captivated by tales from beyond what we normally experience.
Yes, there's more to life than what you see and touch, and God is still in charge of it all.

If you want to understand why I write novels the way I do, read any of the novels of Charles Williams. That's what I'm trying to do in my own way.

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

23 June 2020 - Plague Journal Day 103

Micah 6:8
Philippians 4:8
Yes, your life matters.

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 is a double whammy of pink. It's Pink Flamingo Day and it's also National Pink Day.
There are several ways we could take part in these celebrations. We could watch a John Waters film, but that's for a very select few (and I don't think I'm in that number). We could bet our cars on a street race - again, that's for a very select few (and I'm not in that group either).

It's interesting to see that the pink / blue :: girls / boys association has not always pointed in the current direction. In fact, pink was associated with boys and men at one point in history. So instead of those potentially disturbing and financially disastrous activities, why not celebrate by wearing pink and black to acknowledge The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be, Bret "Hitman" Hart.

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

22 June 2020 - Plague Journal Day 102

Micah 6:8
Genesis 1:24-26

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?

As semi-chronicled in the previous two entries, we worked hard and had a pretty successful outdoor online worship service yesterday. Now the work begins for the next one. We'll be trying very hard to make this all a lot simpler. We shall see.

In the meantime, today is Take Your Cat to Work Day! This is actually a lot easier for many of us these days than it used to be. In face, it's hard to go to work without those feline coworkers in these days of working from home. If only my house were cold and I really wanted those furry furnaces nestled in my lap.

Oh well, I'm sure they don't mean any harm. (Or do they?)

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

21 June 2020 - Plague Journal Day 101

Micah 6:8
Ephesians 6:1-4

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?

We were back "in" church together! (Why the quotes? We're not wililng to limit ourselves to the governmental edict of small numbers inside, so we're going with an outdoor service where we can have up to 100 people appropriately distanced. We had nearly 80!)
As we hoped, everything worked well enough for the first time, but of course we left ourselves plenty of room for improvement. We had some small camera malfunctions, one audio malfunction, and nobody cared - we were together worshiping, and surely the presence of the Lord was in that place.

And, to all the fathers out there, I wish you a very Happy Father's Day!

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