40 Days - 13 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 366

Micah 6:8
Mark 1:9-13
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?

Many of you know that I edit / publish a book of Lenten devotions every year for my church (Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church, to be specific), and have done for more than 20 years now. If you'd like to follow the readings (sorry, I should have done this weeks ago), a new devotion is posted each morning at the church blog. In fact, my sister's church near Nashville, TN (College Grove UMC) is in their second year of doing the same thing - with the added bonus that they also published a book of Advent devotions this past Advent season.

I told you that to tell you this - every year I have a wonderful book of devotions for each day in Lent. Each year I've already read all of the devotions for each day in Lent before the season even starts (Yes, I try to edit carefully, and I'm often charged with finding Scripture references and titles for those who haven't supplied their own. It can be a lot of work sometimes, but it's a joy none the less.) At any rate, I try to find another book of devotions to give me something new for each day. This year and last I got a copy of Jacki's book, so that was mostly new each day, but I'm also reading another 40 day book - 40 Days of Decrease, by Alicia Britt Chole. It's been a really good journey so far, and it's gone beyond my expectations. I had assumed it would focus on John the Baptist's "He must increase and I must decrease" statement; and it does, to an extent, but really it's about decreasing as fasting, and each day is a challenge to fast some other thing that gets in the way - that gets between me and God. Some of them don't seem like much of a challenge to me, while others are huge asks. (I'm sure everyone will have different fasts that are harder or easier.)

If you haven't taken up a Lenten discipline - be it fasting from something or taking up something - why not go ahead and do it now? There's no rule that says you can's start late and try to catch up, and - even better - the Glory that is Easter is getting ever nearer! Hallelujah! Amen!

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Carnage du Jour + - 12 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 365

Micah 6:8
Numbers 28:26
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?

A quick update to yesterday's horological musings. Further research indicates that EST looks about right for the Detroit area, as noon is quite close to solar noon, and even as far West as Ironwood it's still pretty darned close (and closer than CST), so I would go with EST all year for the State of Michigan. I'm sure my recommendation carries a lot of weight.

 

A Carnage du Jour? Surely not pork tenderloin again. Sorry to "disappoint" on that count, but it is indeed pork tenderloin (the world's most versatile cut of meat), this time with cabbage and noodles.
Please be assured - my red cabbage bears almost no resemblance to that "A Christmas Story"pot of stuff that cooks for days. No indeed. Mine gets a quick sauté in a heavy roasting pan with some canola oil, then when it's just softened a bit, I add some butter and some stock (this time it was mushroom stock mixed with red wine). Before that happens, though, in that same roasting pan I sear the tenderloin which has been seasoned with a fairly standard selection of spices and seasoning (Beau Monde, White Pepper, and Nutmeg are my normal pork choices, but in this case Smoked Paprika seems especially appropriate). Once there's a good sear on all sides, the pork is removed, oil added, and the cabbage (nicely shredded by Heidi) goes in. As I stated above, once it's softened, in go the butter and stock, a bit more heat there on the stove with a fair bit of stirring, just to get everything happy, then the tenderloin is placed atop the cabbage and the pan moves to the oven (preheated to 375F).
I didn't really pay enough attention to the time to report it here, but I'm guessing it was about 15-20 minutes when the pork was just past medium-rare. Still a bit of pink, and still tender and juicy. That time coincided with the boiling of a pot of nicely salted water and the cooking of a bunch of wide egg noodles. When they were done and drained, the pork was resting and much of the cabbage was stirred into the noodles. Then the slicing and serving ... and enjoying.
Highly recommended.

Today - Plague Journal Day 365 - could hardly be allowed to pass without some mention of what happened one year ago. That was Thursday 12 March 2020 and we were told to work from home for two weeks to help flatten the curve of COVID-19. I remember saying, "see you in a couple weeks" to Tom as I left that evening. I've only seen him on a computer screen since then. Who'd have thought we'd celebrate the anniversary of a fortnight to flatten the curve by still being locked down? Certainly not yours truly.

Friday Fun Fact: As of 1998, over 50% of Iceland’s population believed in the existence of elves. (Who can blame them?)


Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - 11 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 364

Micah 6:8
Matthew 25:13
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?

Daylight Saving Time is coming this Sunday. As always, folks are up in arms because we're all going die in car crashes or heart attacks because the clocks move. I don't understand the mechanism here, but the stats indicate that there are more deaths each time we change the clocks. 

Now there's a movement for Michigan to stay on Eastern Daylight Time year-round. That seems foolish to me. We moved to Eastern time from Central time about a century ago in order to be on the same time as New York, purely for business reasons. Essentially, we've been on Central Daylight Time whenever we think we're on Standard Time. 

If we're going to stick with one time across the year, Eastern Standard / Central Daylight would be my choice. Setting ourselves on Eastern Daylight Time (= Atlantic Standard Time) is setting our clocks about two hours ahead of the Sun. Noon according to the Sun's position would be around 2PM. That seems a bit extreme to me. Eastern Standard time puts solar noon around 1PM, so that's what we consider Daylight Saving Time anyway. Let's stick with that.

I really would like to see us go to a half-hour time (like Newfoundland, to pick the nearest example), but I don't think most people could handle that.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Great Moments In History - 10 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 363

Micah 6:8
Isaiah 66:4
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 Landline Telephone Day.
Why? Because on this date, 10 March, in 1876, the first telephone call is made:
Alexander Graham Bell spoke the famous words “Mr. Watson, come here - I want to see you” to his assistant, Thomas A. Watson, who was in the next-door room. Poor Watson apparently had a Crick in his neck from waiting for the call to come in while sitting uncomfortably twisted around in order to watch both the doorway and the phone. He later recounted that he didn't want Bell to be able to say that he had called, but discovered Watson Did Not Answer.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Starving Artists? - 09 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 362

Micah 6:8
Psalm 126
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 Unique Names Day, a day that is perfect for a little more of my shameless self-promotion. If you were to peruse a character list from my first novel, Bytes Akimbo - Cybersleuth, you would find a veritable plethora of unique names. From Boden Bdrndrn to Malcolm X Forbes with a raft of others in between. I highly recommend this book for a few reasons. First, I know its author quite well, and I think pretty highly of him. Second, it still makes me laugh when I read it, lo these many years later. Third, I could use the royalty checks. Why not check it out? It's available in both printed and Kindle versions. (By the way, I work hard to avoid ever saying something is "more unique" or "very unique" as those are nearly meaningless. Either something is unique or it's not. Another pet peeve revealed.)

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

I Need Some Coffee - 08 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 361

Micah 6:8
Colossians 3:15-17
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?

I think being alone all the time is getting to me.
I seem to be more emotional about little things than I ever was before. Maybe it's just getting older, but I don't think so. Anyway, we added back a responsive reading in worship yesterday. It's really very simple - responsively reading a psalm, the liturgist alternating with the congregation.
I choked up in the middle of our first response.
Hearing my church family speaking together out loud - masked and distanced, but together and out loud - was obviously something I had missed more than I realized. I really did choke up and couldn't finish that first line, simply because it was so wonderful to hear everyone around me. It may seem silly, but that's how it hit me.
Now it's on to some singing! (One of these days, the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.)


I also wish a Happy Commonwealth Day to my commonwealthy brethren and sistern. A bit nasty for the former Prince (and soon to be former Duke?) and Duchess to badmouth the royals on this celebration of the Commonwealth. Bad form, you two.

This Day in History:
08 March 1913 – The Internal Revenue Service began collecting income taxes.
08 March 8 1999 Joe DiMaggio died.

Where did you go, Joe DiMaggio? The nation turns its sleepy eyes to you.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Worship - 07 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 360

Micah 6:8

Psalm 34:1-8
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?

 

 

This Sunday is the Third Sunday in Lent.

With the COVID case levels settling down in Grosse Pointe, we've resumed our in-person worship!
Yes, we're going to be back in-person in the Sanctuary today. You'll need to register ahead of time to attend, and an email went out from the church with all the details!

In addition to a solo at the offertory time, Doug will be back at the organ and piano for opening and closing voluntaries based on familiar hymns - and we'll have a hymn for the congregation! We won't sing along, but rather read the words as Doug plays it for us. We're slowly getting back to real Methodist worship! Remember, we'll be streaming for all those who can't join us in person.

As usual, today's stream should just appear as the latest entry on our YouTube channel, here.
You'll find all our previous worship videos right there at that same place, and today's stream will stay there as a recording as well.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264