Tuesday: 'tis the Season

 


Autumn for our son Joe: a tree outside his house in Louisville, Kentucky. I fondly recall but do not miss the four seasons, specifically shoveling snow, had plenty of that our Navy years in Rhode Island, Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania.

Oh - - that's not Joe's BMW, it belongs to his next door neighbor, and Joe tells me the BMW isn't driven, doesn't run and has a tire that's always leaking down. IDK, maybe it's there for prestige or to increase property values. Under the car cover, next to the BMW, is a 1966 Imperial, which Chrysler had as a separate make for some years. My grandfather Walter Gentry owned Chryslers all his life, including Imperials, which I loved driving.

Deer sausage out of the refrigerator and warming up to room temp prep to cooking for breakfast. 

May delay until after we return from early voting so I can have a bun with it, mustard and mayo on a hot dog bun. Later rather than sooner because eating bread or any significant carb early has the effect I've described here before that hits lots of people, especially us elderly: PPHT. post-prandial hypotension. Within ten or fifteen minutes, sudden and unexpected, a heavy head and sore neck caused by blood pressure plunge, for me, sometimes to mid-fifties over high thirties. When it hits you, feel your way to the bed and lie down - - it usually passes within about fifteen minutes. Though just as often a two-hour morning nap may ensue. It's all good.

Mullet Monday at Captain's Table last evening. They open at four o'clock now, so it's either supper or late dinner. Everyone prepares and cooks their fried mullet differently. A dear friend in Apalachicola used to bring us mullet - - totally filleted and skinned. Another, totally filleted but not skinned. Others, as Angelo's at Panacea, filleted, not skinned, and you get the backbone, also fried with the crispy tail. Me, I come from the rough crowd: scaled, head off, filleted-bone-in; which leaves the side with the bone especially moist and flavorful. 

October is no longer a favorite month with me, but October 2022 will go down as when I had fried mullet three Times and oysters on the half shell three Times.

This is not a food blog.

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Yesterday morning I started a blogpost, then we left to go do several errands, and when we returned it was dinner Time and then nap Time and I didn't bother to go back to it. What I started yesterday is below, incomplete:

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Up at two o'clock this morning for whatever not go back to sleep reason, punch the button and wait to hear and smell the coffee. Outside, Jupiter high in the west; high to the east, Sirius pushing Orion toward the top of the night sky. 

In early news, Russian defense minister phoning other defense ministers and our secretary of defense to create smoke that Ukraine is about to do something drastic, therefore expect Russia to do something. General Austin not buying it. A century from now, whoever is around will note the start of World War 3 with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, that it was some months escalating to how stupid humans are, to how ultimately immorally suicidal we proved ourselves. I keep thinking of Thomas Hardy's poetry that's so down on human nature and God.

Something I read yesterday in Fussell's "The Great War and Modern Memory" noted Germany's love for war: all my life, looking back from having lived through World War 2, and studying back on it, and parents' and grandparents' memories of World War 1, and studying back on that, I've always believe that about Germans and Germany, and for that reason I was appalled at Germany's reunification after the breakup of the Soviet Union; but I've never thought of Russia and Russians as war-loving people, and except for Putin and the sycophants that keep him in power, I still don't see Russians that way. Nor Persians, the Iranians these days, but brutal government. 

Though not only government - - none of us have evolved into the Genesis One promise of having been created in the image of God, at least, not a god of love and peace; Yahweh Sabaoth perhaps, Lord of Hosts, as my seminary Old Testament professor said, General of the Armies, but not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as some elements of Christianity have come to understand him theologically. "The God of Peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the Sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant ... "

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Let's see. Helper Priest: the calendar has me scheduled into the pulpit three more Times this year, 

Sunday, November 6 which will observe All Saints; 

Sunday, November 27 which is Thanksgiving weekend; and 

Sunday, December 25, which is Christmas Day. 

That final one, Christmas morning, we'll have our usual two services, partly because I very much oppose changing the Sunday schedule and taking a chance on disappointing someone who didn't get the word. But I'm figuring on what we call "a said service" in which the main thing that happens will be Holy Communion and hearing the Christmas story, the real one from Luke 2 (KJV): 


 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.  

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