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on this date in history

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Today is the eighty-first anniversary of the Allied firebombing of Dresden during World War Two. Much more so than Hamburg, it has been a hot moral topic ever since, and I remember my surprise and anger with my Ethics course professor at the Univ of Michigan when in class one day, probably this anniversary date, he railed vehemently against our military action as atrocity and war crime.  In fact, his Business Ethics course required a researched term paper, and I wrote mine on the subject, taking strong issue with his view. Because my vehemence was equal to his, but in the opposite direction, I, rather defiantly, expected a bad grade; but he graded my paper A, and also my grade for the course, which surprised me again, but impressed me to find that he was a scholar of integrity who welcomed argument, disagreement as integral to human relationships.  That was Spring semester 1963. Since then, America the Beautiful has come a long distance in the direction of Evil and has finally...
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wandering, wandering

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hot & black, 3:33 AM 61° 95% way too dark early Thursday, but WOW is the coffee good this morning!  And who'd believe a doddering nonagenarian can learn something? Everyone knows that some foods are unhealthy, and hotdogs are at the top of the list, but a little research - - reading and personal taste-test - - reveals which brands are better anyway. From a lifeTime of only Oscar Meyer I sorted it down to three: SRF wagyu beef franks, Hebrew National kosher all beef, and Sabrett.  Sabrett because if you buy a hotdog from a NYC street vendor it's sure to be Sabrett. Last week I bought a package and with my coffee this morning I ate just a plain Sabrett wiener cooked 60 seconds in the microwave: much more flavorful than Oscar Meyer ( Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,  That is what I'd truly like to be-ee-ee.  'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,  Everyone would be in love with me), but a bit salty.  My experiment put Snake River Farms wagyu frank...
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Wednesday morning at 7H

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It's gray out, light but gray, cloudy, and feels damp. Temp here at 32401 is 63° and sure enough 98% humidity. Little to no wind but that's not to be trusted, because it's always calm on 7H porch even when the wind is vicious on the Beck side of HV.  Yesterday I wrote a blogpost about cars, cannot remember why, what triggered it. Oh, now I do, a pic on Facebook of a totally desirable gray 1953 Chevrolet 210 two door sedan, my favorite, but with a most detracting and distracting flaw of a 1954 taillight. I had a good Time writing that ramble, then didn't post it because (1) I didn't finish it even though it was rambling on too long; and (2) earlier I'd already pressed Publish for a different post, I think something religious.  Yesterday was good: perfect oysters, farm raised in Alabama, somewhere around Mobile Bay we were told; oysters and fried mullet. That was all after we did other chores - - stop at Sam's to pick up a prescription med, amoxycillin that fo...
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see. seek

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It's easy to find art depicting Peter, James and John on the mountaintop witnessing Moses and Elijah with Jesus as he is transfigured in blinding white and acclaimed by the voice from heaven, "This is my beloved son: listen to him." This painting by Raphael (1516-20) goes well. Our gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday (Last Epiphany), the Transfiguration is reported in the synoptic gospels Mark, Matthew and Luke, but not in Gospel John. Because I like to compare, each account is printed below. Mark's account would have been first and oldest, the other two based on Mark. Matthew's version is our reading for this, lectionary year A. Mark 9: 2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling bright, such as no one on earth could brighten them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Pete...
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other than polite chit-chat

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To yesterday's suggestions of topics for dinner party conversation (mind, you're meant to do only one, select one for the evening's discussion), I'll add, +  what is the Bible to you? The responses, around a table of folks who - - beginning uneasily with quotes from the Catechism or other doctrinal statements of one's religious community to show their orthodoxy - - might come to feel they can trust each other's confidence  in the intimacy of the situation, and in the Time of the evening - - possibly including minds relaxed and tongues loosened by wine or cognac - - would grow into telling personal perspectives, experiences, histories, views, opinions, questions, doubts and certainties.  A group mostly of Episcopalians - - whose Sunday worship is bible-intense - - might include lay and ordained, folks with no involvement in Sunday school or other small group Bible study, as well as folks who'd studied in Sewanee's EfM course - - and who, understanding the...
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what do you THINK?

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  Sunday morning seven-thirty-two, sitting here in my chair at my table by my window looking out across the Bay, slowly enjoying my magic mug of hot & black from my monthly coffee club. This cup of coffee is my first significant event of a day, and  enjoying it while  waking up unrushed, sans pressure to hurry, affects how I feel about the rest of my day.  Some urgent sense of Passing Time this morning, though, because it was our rotating day for eight o'clock Church, but getting up four Times in the night led to my sleeping until just after seven o'clock, making it a ten-thirty Sunday.  From arriving in Apalachicola summer 1984 until total retirement after being supply priest for Shell Island Sunday summer 2025, Sunday was my favorite day of the week for, what? forty-one years? Sunday is still my favorite breakfast because Sunday mornings Linda makes soft-scrambled cheese eggs; otherwise Sunday is different for me anymore: unless there's an early doctor app...
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Fri Feb 6

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  This coming Sunday our Propers, the prayer and bible readings, lash out at sin, ungodly sinfulness, and specifically the wickedness of the nation, rulers and (at the Time) God's people Israel. It is an apt theme, characterizing, as it does, our national life here in the twenty-first century, people intentionally being treated with cruel, mean viciousness.  O n January 20, 2025, i n her sermon at the traditional service for newly installed leaders the Episcopal bishop of WashingtonDC pled that peoples' dignity be honored, and I watched as they stared at each other, incredulous that anyone would dare preach to them, offended by the gospel message Love God Love Neighbor (culminating in "Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?") that is central to Christianity as we understand it in the Episcopal Church.  In my mind, the nation's new viciousness, that includes frightening cruelty to little children, is ev...
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