Povey Prattle

U.S. Representative Vernon Buchanan (R) of the 13th District of Florida (where I vote) mails glossy and expensive looking brochures to voters within the District about three times a year.  These brochures are mailed at the taxpayer’s expense. His brochures often include “tear-off” postcards, with questions to which he asks voters to respond, and mail back to his office (at the voter’s expense) Of course these questions are worded in a very simplistic way.  They are designed to elicit responses which are favourable to Rep. Buchanan’s point of view. I am not as unintelligent as Rep. Buchanan would suppose. In fact I find that his questions are “loaded”, and disrespectful of my wisdom and knowledge. Nonetheless I “fill in” and return his postcards. On the most recent one (see below) I wrote:this “These matters are far more complicated that can be answered with YES/NO/UNDECIDED. The questions insult my intelligence”. Are you listening Congressman Buchanan?

I followed a small pick-up trunk  down 17th St. here in SRQ.  It bore a large home-made and printed poster on its tail-gate. The poster read thus: “I am an independent, pro-life, Christian gun owner”. That caused me to ask myself two questions: 1. what part of the bible have I never read?  and /or 2. what part  of the biblr did I read,  but sorely misunderstand? Just Askin’

May 17th 2012 17 on the 17th: Virginia Theological Seminary conferred an honorary Doctor in Divinity degree upon Bishop Barbara C. Harris during its commencement ceremony today. It's her 17th Barbara Harris was the first woman to be ordained as Bishop in the Anglican Communion, way back in 1989. She served as a  Suffragan (Assistant)  Bishop in the Diocese of Massachusetts until her retirement in 2003. Bishop Harris came out from Boston  to St. Stephen’s, Pittsfield, MA in 1992.  I was then Rector at St. Stephen’s and we were celebrating the centenary of the consecration of the second St. Stephen’s church building (by the famous Bishop Phillips Brooks) on 19th November 1892. When I moved to Cambridge, MA in 2000 Barbara Harris became my own Bishop. What an honour! These days (both retired) we are friends, and we have great ‘phone chats three or four times a year (I brag).  She has a wicked and rib-tickling sense of humour. I honour her bold pr...

On Wednesdays the “landscapers” arrive to do their work in my community (Glen Oaks Ridge), and in the adjoining community (Glen Oaks Manor). This means that Wednesdays are noisy.  My ears are assailed with the sounds of grass mowers the size of tanks (I exaggerate), of edgers, of trimmers, of chain saws, of shrub trimmers, and of those ghastly gas (petrol) fuelled leaf blowers. The bothersome noise continues from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. It is not very pleasant. These dreaded noisy Wednesdays annoy me. But they also remind me of more pleasant landscaping sounds. Mr. and Mrs. Hurkett lived across the street from our home on Devon Road, Bristol, U.K. Their home was at the intersection of Devon Road and Stepney Road. It was a larger house than ours; with a big back garden which reached all the way back to the L.M.S. railway line.  Mr. Hurkett intrigued and fascinated me because he often told me that he had been a tinker. He was a keen gardener. He took care of a largi...

The evening meal In the U.K. it is called “tea” (by working class folks); or supper (by  middle class people). The “upper classes” are more likely to call it “dinner”. It’s all very confusing because U.K. people of all classes also have a snack just before bedtime which is also called supper. ============================================== In the USA “supper” denotes an informal meal at home, and “dinner” refers to a more formal meal at home or in a restaurant. ============================================================ I call it food! This evening (15th May 2012) I was at home alone. My evening  food included some fabulous vegetables:-  sweet potato, carrot, onion, parsnip, green bell pepper, green beans – all gently sautéed in a skillet with a wee  drop of olive oil and some rosemary., then supplemented with a few slivers of  roasted pork loin. I care not if this evening meal should be called tea, supper or dinner. Damn! ...

I was delighted to open the second section of my daily newspaper (The Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune) today, and see this picture. Kristen Paulus is known to me as Dr. Kristin Paulus.  She is my primary care physician, and she is “the best”. Her husband Dr. Kyle Ruffing (see Milo’s last name) is a neurologist with whom I have consulted, and he too is a fabulous physician. (Photo' and caption from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune) Kristen Paulus of Sarasota is joined by her son, Milo Ruffing, 10, at the 7th annual Mother's Day Brunch at Marie Selby Gardens in Sarasota on Sunday.

Oh the simple things!  I was at the home of my friends Ron and Charlotte in the Gulf Gate area of Sarasota for lunch today. Ron’s sister Karen and her husband Dennis were also there.  (Karen and Dennis have recently sold their Massachusetts home and moved to SRQ).  It was a lovely, lovely tiime. Before lunch we enjoyed a refreshing glass of lemonade out on the Lanai.  Then we shared a simple meal, and some lively and funny conversation. My beloved dog Penne joined us. She likes Ron and Char,  (who would not like them!) She became very excited as we entered the Thompson’s driveway, and once inside the house she became a perfect house guest. The food was so very good, because it was so simple: Roasted chicken, broccoli and sweet potato hash   - with strawberries and cantaloupe for dessert. (Why is it that chicken tastes so much better when someone else has cooked it?). As for the sweet potato hash:   Karen brought it from her home. ...