Sunday: windy, high storm tide as driving rain from tornadic clouds sped sweeping across the white capped Bay in front of 7H.  And then within ten minutes, all clouds racing rapidly through to leave Sunday afternoon in glaring sunshine. Monday night return of lightning, thunder, driving rain, wind pushing even higher tide ashore straight down from my window seat. Monday: hot lemon-honey water, coffee, chocolate, walk, dentist, muse. Nothing ever posted on +Time has ever been an invitation for feedback or comment: this blog has never been a forum. Not to stifle, but never to invite. Just so this morning. The grim, negative vicious bitter arrogance of the inaugural address astonished me, continues to burn. Afterward, WH press conference and later characterization of its outright lies on trivia as “alternative facts” stuns me: what shall we believe when the topics are larger than petty narcissistic obsession with who had the biggest crowd size? As to government lying, we...

72° 94% wind 11 mph. Flashes of lightning in the darkness. Noisy wave action from the Bay rolling ashore seven stories down.   Scripture for today, 3rd Sunday of the Epiphany season Psalm 27 A Psalm of David (KJV) The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies ...

Diese ist nicht eine politische Blog aber unser neue Lied wird sein "Amerika über alles". Melodie: Gott erhalte , J Haydn 1797 Because each nation’s national interests are therein put at risk, international economic interdependence, globalization expanding since World War II, is the best, most subtle, least costly political strategy toward longterm world peace. Not nuclear MAD, not walls of stone or xenophobic flagwaving hatred, suspicion and mistrust, but the mutual interdependence that free trade builds. Commerce is ar cheaper peace than the blood of patriots. To tear down commercial interdependence by such as import quotas, export subsidies and protective tariffs in moving toward a protectionist nationalism that is but veiled jingoism compartmenting a small planet, insidiously ravels the peace, endangers investment, counters comparative advantage, costs the American consumer, artificially protects American industry..  Early twentieth century redux.  From across the...

Today Caroline’s 14th birthday, shortly we leave for Tallahassee and to visit Pat & Bob Horn, Trinity Apalachicola friends and parishioners recently relocated there. Mid afternoon be at Charlotte’s middle school to pick her up when school lets out. Birthday supper wherever Caroline says, RON at Hampton Inn, breakfast likely at Village Inn and resist the pies. To satisfy my longing for pie, sometimes I treat the Spinks family to the pie of their choice.  Saturday’s plan was drive on down to Apalachicola, Trinity Church Sunday, return 7H Sunday afternoon, but cancelled that because of heavy weather forecast, seeing our main Apalachicola activity is walking around town; so return to PC tomorrow, traveling mercies and God willing. No Apalachicola this time but another stoppage time day or two. Yesterday. Several chapters of Laurus . Two or three Tolstoy short stories, two, three, five pages each, not novellas like Ilych . Read a long dissertation on War and Peace which novel I...

Laurus arrived yesterday, two or three weeks after being ordered, such that I thought it wasn’t coming, but fine, no matter. Already'd read the first couple chapters online, now reading the translator’s introduction before restarting the book.  Set in medieval Russia, the protagonist holy man born in 1440, I’m thinking, hoping, it won’t be a dark dostoevskian (There’s an interesting word, it’s an adjective: does it really need to be capitalized, what’s the rule on that? Yes, I guess it does, hasn’t been that commonized as hoover and frigidaire and now google. Oh well, already typed lower case, too late) soap opera. Gives me then two sabbatical reading projects to work on. Romans, the last letter we have from Paul before he was taken to Rome. Slow reading because instead of reading enjoyably through as one can do Philemon or One Thessalonians, I keep wandering off with the footnotes, looking at five translations, three columns from BibleGateway.com, The Jewish Annotated ...

Foggy whiteout this morning, 67° and wet, 95%. 7H porch had rain last night, soaking cushions. Every sunrise is different, and every sunset, close of day, some more extravagant than others, others, as above, simply closing peacefully with a hint of weather. Yesterday to Tyndall for haircut (sir, how do you want it cut? short sides and tapered back. bzzzzzz bzzzzz bzzzzzzz bzz sir, do you want the back blocked or tapered? tapered, thanks. bzzzzzz bzz) no waiting, sometimes many airmen there, dependents, retired military like me, holding number tickets, but always goes fast. My longtime barber was Ira Sheffield, whose shop was next to the bus station on Harrison Avenue. Ira died some years ago. Just before Thanksgiving that year I went for a haircut, the shop was closed, and never reopened. A couple years later I googled Ira and found his obituary. He had a faithful clientele and knew us all. Once years ago, Walt went in there for a haircut, Ira recognized Walt as me (!) and from...

John 1:29-42 (RSV) The Lamb of God 29  The next day (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30  This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.’ 31  I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32  And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. 33  I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” The First Disciples of Jesus 35  The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; 36  and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37  The two disciples hear...