Povey Prattle

My junior cat, Adelaide, loves to be outdoors. I have to restrict her explorations to those times when my next door neighbor is not at home - for I have observed this neighbor being quite, let’s say “unkind”, to Adelaide. Said neighbor went out a wee while ago. So I allowed Adelaide to go outside. In truth Adelaide made the decision. She kept coming up to me, mewing, and then leading me to the back door. I am easily persuadable when the coast is clear. Adelaide bounded out. I watched her as she raced around, leaped up a tree, leaped back down, and raced some more. “Sheer joy?” Maybe. More importantly Adelaide was fulfilling her evolutionary destiny. That destiny is to be a hunter. My dear cat was chasing, catching, and sometimes killing some of the many little lizards which abound here. I wept not for the lizards. Evolution is morally neutral. And without the feline Adelaides of this world we could be overwhelmed with lizards!

My favourite Tapas Bar CLOSED My favourite breakfast/lunch restaurant CLOSED Interesting juxtaposition of businesses Dead Supermarket Business is bad 4 Business is bad 3 Business is bad 2 Business is bad 1

When two Alpha dogs encounter each other there will likely be injury unless both dogs back off. 'Tis a pity that neither the Professor, nor the Policeman knew this. Saving face can be wiser than upping the ante. Saving face can lead to saving grace.

1. I was asked by an 80 something woman parishioner to explain female circumcision. Her 50 something daughter would not tell her. 2. I was asked by a mother of four to explain something of which she had heard them chat. "What", she asked me, "is a B.J.? 3. No one in Seminary told me what to do or say when, as I did today, I "caught" a couple having sex in a Chapel (at Res. House). Never, ever think that Priests/Ministers live in a cloistered world. (I rose to all three challenges).

In the midst of life we are in death. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. (Book of Common Prayer). Last Sunday, July 19th 2009, my good pal Ben came to my home for dinner. I invited Donald W and Jerry T to join us. Don and Jerry are local folks. I like them immensely. I would categorise them as lovely acquaintances, rather as dear friends. We had a fine evening. I made a stir fry with shrimp and chorizo. We ate a “store bought” Banana Cream Pie for dessert. This morning, July 21st I walked my dog Penne at 6:00 a.m. As often happens, I encountered Jerry T as he walked his two dogs. As we paused to chat Jerry got teary eyed. He related that Donald has dropped dead on Monday night. This is all too much. On Sunday evening I enjoyed having Ben, Don and Jerry as dinner guests. By Monday night Don had died. If you pray, please do so for Jerry. And spare a thought for me. I am the second youngest of “our gang” here in Sarasota. Since I moved here in 2006, three of my p...

This friend and his wife have each undergone serious and major surgery. Here he writes on prayer. I think that he is on to something. Some more theology, thank you for the replies to last night. If you believe (I don’t) that in answer to prayer, maybe enough prayer or prayer with enough faith that we get answers that change real physical circumstances in this world, you have to face the real question of why it only works sometimes, I would say not very often. Was it an answer to prayer that the surgeon was fantastic and a failure of prayer that some of the nursing was rubbish? The trouble with the theology of God answering our prayer requests is that you need a theology for when He doesn’t. Many of these are available …. God allowed you to go through this because he knew you were strong enough to take it ! (thanks a lot!) ….. This is a test of you faith! (Let’s see whose faith needs testing….zap), at some time in the future you will understand the answer … the list goes on. To me, (...

It was Dorothy Parker’s hairdresser who said of Calvin Coolidge “He looks like he was weaned on a pickle”. At the 9:15 a.m. service today an older parishioner looked just like that: “Weaned on a pickle”, I thought . Never a smile. Never an eye contact. No sense that he was in any way engaged in the service. After service he approached me and said “that was a terrific service. I truly enjoyed your sermon” . I was a wee bit surprised since I had sensed his disapproval. A few minutes later his wife sidled up to me. “My husband”, she said, “never comments on services. So what he said today was unusual and true”. Lance was in Church. He’d traveled the 45 minutes or so from North Port FL. You’ll remember that Lance was a High School kid who attended St. Stephen’s, Pittsfield with his buddy Michael when I was Rector there. You’ll also remember that I called my ISP “Comcast” earlier this week, and Lance (by happenstance?) had fielded my call. As I called he remembered my na...