Nice Tip, Marcel! - 31 July 2021 - Plague Journal Day 506

Micah 6:8
Galatians 5:22-23  Genesis 1:11
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 Avocado Day, so I'll share our amazing tip for keeping those little green devils fresh, tasty, and green.
Microwave them on high for about 30 seconds.
That's right, that's it. The microwaving, much like blanching other greens in boiling water, sets the chlorophyll and keeps the avocado from browning and getting horribly soft and mushy.
Many thanks for this tip go to Marcel Vigneron who discovered it in the heat of battle. I don't know if he really believed it as he did it, but we have found it works every time.

Now go forth and guac!

Microwaves have settings for everything these days!

Keep Calm and Don't 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.

Bittersweet - 30 July 2021 - Plague Journal Day 505

Micah 6:8
Jeremiah 22:10, 30:19 
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?

Last night was an emotional one. We had a bell choir rehearsal followed by a choir rehearsal. A typical Thursday evening at GPUMC.
Yes, except we were missing our late long-time Music Director, Patti, and her late husband, Charles.

We actually had an excellent bell rehearsal, listening to and watching each other closely, and I'm pretty sure it's going to go very well on Sunday.
Then we had a choir rehearsal to refresh the anthem we'll be singing on Saturday for the memorial service for both Patti and Charles. As Dave talked about the music, how we were sounding, where we would slow down or speed up, all of us, no doubt, were hearing Patti telling us the same kinds of things. It's going to be an emotional roller-coaster tomorrow. As is only fitting, it's a celebration of lives that touched ours with love and joy, but it's also our turn to acknowledge that they've gone on to be with the Lord. We won't see them this side of Heaven, but we do expect to see them then.

Still, what could be a more fitting tribute than to do more of what they loved doing with us - singing our love of the Lord and giving Him praise for all He has done for us? Nothing. And so that's what we'll do.

RIP, Patti and Charles, and SDG.

Keep Calm and Don't 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.

Peel Back the Layers - 29 July 2021 - Plague Journal Day 504

Micah 6:8
Matthew 23:4
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?

It seems that I've been remembering stuff from my university days quite a bit recently, and here's one more. Today is the 67th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy - The Fellowship of the Ring.
No, I most emphatically was not in university in 1954, so you're wondering how this relates. It was over the Christmas break of my freshman year that I first read that book. I checked it out of the library and took it with me on our family trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana where we visited my Mom's family over the holiday. It was one of very few times I was actually looking forward to a break ending, as I had finished the book with days to go and no way to find out what happened next!

One assumes that today's being National Lasagna Day is a nod to the many-layered plot and subplots of the Lord of the Rings.
Or perhaps not.
Still, I like lasagna, even if I haven't made any in a long time. (Applesauce? Applesauce.)


It's also Rain Day, a celebration shunned this year by nearly everyone in the Detroit area. Enough already!

Keep Calm and Don't 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 Would Gladly Pay You Tuesday - 28 July 2021 - Plague Journal Day 503

Micah 6:8
Psalm 107:8-9  James 2:15-16
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 Hamburger Day! What a wonderful thing to celebrate, no? There are so many ways to make them, so many ways to top them, but only one way to eat them - with relish! (No, not necessarily that chopped sweet pickle type stuff (and especially not that neon abomination folks in Chicago use on their hot dogs!), but rather with enjoyment, don't you know.)

You might well think we'd be celebrating with some delicious hamburgers here at Cleveland, but you'd be mistaken. Tonight's menu had been determined before I learned of this occasion - beef tenderloin, cilantro-lime rice, and a corn & black bean salad. I don't think I'll miss the burgers, but it would have been fun.

At any rate, I would gladly pay you on Tuesday ....

Keep Calm and Don't 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.

Roll for Initiative - 27 July 2021 - Plague Journal Day 502

Micah 6:8
Esther 3:7-11
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 very special day in the calendar of geekdom. It's Gary Gygax Day. This marks the birthday of the co-creator (with Dave Arneson) of Dungeons and Dragons, initially published by TSR (Tactical Studies Rules), now owned by Wizards of the Coast. D&D, amazingly enough, is still a paper and pencil, roll physical dice kind of game. It's never been computerized in any decent way, really. (Sure there are many PC, online, and console RPGs that owe their existence to the inspiration of D&D, but none that really embody the idea of a DM leading the players through a world / campaign created just for them.)

I spent many more hours than I should have in my university days playing D&D with friends. I've only just realized that I was really there at nearly the very beginning. The first sets of rules were published in 1974, and I started playing in 1975. I really had no idea I was so cutting edge as a nerd. Something to be proud of, I suppose.

If you're wondering what it's all about, and how people can have fun doing this, check out the folks at Critical Role to watch a bunch of friends who've been playing together for years. There are some very fun videos there.

Now I have to go roll a d20 to see if my magic flail (+4/+4) has hit and killed the hellhound that just burst into my room. Wish me luck!

Keep Calm and Don't 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.

The Shop of Dreams - 26 July 2021 - Plague Journal Day 501

Micah 6:8
Jeremiah 18:1-4
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?

Early in the pandemic days we started watching a BBC programme on Netflix called "The Repair Shop" which had been recommended to us by our English friend, Dorothy. Her recommendation was spot on.

We entered a world of the fixing of family heirlooms. of stuffed animals filled with wood wool and memories, of damaged oil paintings and village signs. More importantly, we entered a world of very caring artisans and craftsmen who lovingly repair and restore those items for the folks who bring them in, hoping for wonders, but expecting much less.

Most of the episodes we watched seem to have rotated off of Netflix, but we did manage to find a lot of them on DVDs - which necessitated the purchase of a region-free DVD player - and we're steadily working our way through the seasons.

If you like any of the Antiques Roadshow-type programs, and if you like any of the repair and restoration programs that are all over various channels these days, I can heartily recommend "The Repair Shop" to you. It's consistently heart-warming and fascinating in equal parts as you watch the artisans figure out how to repair the project of the day and hear the story of why that item is so important to the person who brought it to be repaired.


Keep Calm and Don't 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 - 25 July 2021 - Plague Journal Day 500

Micah 6:8
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
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?

 

 

For our 9:30 worship service we have a (very familiar) guest preacher, a special duet at offertory time, and two hymns for us to sing while Doug plays. Yes - we're back to congregational singing. We're Methodists again!
Remember, we'll be streaming for all those who can't join us in person, and intend to continue that practice indefinitely.

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 Don't 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