If I have a favorite television program (I don't, I don't like any of them except when there's weather or other news that I need to know about), it's AFV, I guess it would be AFV, though I hate when it's offered as funny and people laugh when something happens that obviously hurt someone. For example, it's not the least bit funny when a guy gets bonked in the groin, and goes rolling on the ground, regarding that as funny is mean and stupid. But now and then I catch AFV with Linda, and enjoy the clips with animals and with children.   But no, oh, I take it back, there's a really good Saturday program about the Australian Zoo, I like that sometimes. Pretty much otherwise though, television, you can alphabet keep it. For Christmas I got a coffee club gift, and it's huge fun. My coffee, I like it hot and black, and the coffee the coffee club has sent so far is perfect. Dark, clear, clean, crisp. Would not think of spoiling it with cream and sugar. The fi...

The Gospel Luke 4:21-30 J esus began to speak in the synagogue at Nazareth: "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!' And you will say, 'Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'"  And he said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  When they hear...

  Yesterday, January 27th, was set aside for Holocaust Remembrance, and in truth I did have it in mind all day even more so than it's already always in the back of my heart and mind, the horror of it never far from the surface of my consciousness. I was nine years old in spring 1945 as the concentration camps were liberated and pictures and films revealed the evil that the German people* had committed and were; and into the eighth decade later it's hardly faded, images of indescribable and unspeakable and incomprehensible inhuman cruelty. People sometimes speak of forgiveness with Time, but forgiveness can only come from victims, who are not only those who suffered and died but their future and unborn generations who will stretch into eternity unable ever to Be or to Have Been, much less to forgive. Of the Holocaust, even to speak of a way toward forgiveness is itself evil, obscene; rather, never forgiveness, but forever holding the Holocaust up as an everlasting reminder...

  Wednesday morning in my office/study/den, just finishing a fresh-brewed pot of hot, black coffee, about four teacups, which would have been two mugs. Early, after three a.m. but before four a.m. and with the shutter tilted for privacy (it really doesn't matter, no one ever comes way down here to the far east end of Level 7, especially at this hour, except the PCNH carrier, who has already left the paper and I've opened the door into the pushing north wind to retrieve it for Linda, who's still sleeping), looking out on Beck Avenue.  I can see as far as the traffic light by St Andrew Baptist Church, where Beck crosses Highway 98. In my mind and history, St Andrews ends there (or more so at St Andrews School, Beck and 15th Street; beyond that went into Little Dothan), so from 7H I can see the entirety of it. From the pretty much self-sustained fishing village I grew up in, with our own fish houses and docks with large and small commercial fishing boats, and fish ...

  Shades of black and white and gray outside this morning, seems to be our typical Florida Gulf Coast winter these years. Fine by me. No snow included in the white, BTDT enough Navy and later years from ages 22 to 48. No rain here yet, but 80% chance of precip promised for the day, Tuesday. That picture is last night from 7H, looking west across the Bay at what used to be called Magnolia Beach (IDK, is it still?), but it's not clear, so I may change it, depends on whether it bothers me, and, no, it doesn't. Just finishing second mug of coffee club coffee this morning, black, and a square of 100% cocoa dark chocolate, both fun Xmas gifts that keep giving. Keep Xpistos in Xmas.  Okay, I finally worked around to food. Yesterday a determination washed over me, to keep January 24 as a day of celebration, Gina's birthday and my waking up in the recovery room and hearing my first words, "I'm alive!" Soon as I arrived home from Cleveland, early Feb 2011, Gina showed u...