Povey Prattle

I "got out of bed on the wrong side this morning", as a result of which I was in a foul mood.  There was no particular reason for this (apart from my mercurial temperament). So bad was my "humour"  that I decided not to pray.  "There" I said to God "that'll learn you".  She smiled and said "Oh thank God  (wait a minute, I am God!) -  that's one less boring human to deal with". My mood had not improved by 11:00, so I did the right thing.  I walked my dog (the ever-gracious-Penne); took a refreshing shower; and  ate a good lunch -  baked wild salmon, bean sprouts and sliced tomato. After these activities I had no good reason to stay in a lousy mood. Good Food is a blessing.  It feeds the body, and it refreshes the soul. (1) I get excellent bread from my local Publix supermarket. It is made by Eureka Bread Company from Fullerton CA. It is SO GOOD  ( see http://www.eurekabakingcompany.com/  ) I am especiall...

I drove up to the Veterans Administration Hospital  in  Tampa, FL today to visit with Bob H.  It is a sixty four mile drive, and it took me seventy five minutes. Bob is the former St. Boniface Church (Sarasota, FL)  employee who had an industrial accident at the end of November 2014.    I was pressed into service to visit him in the Trauma Unit of Blake Hospital in Bradenton, FL.  There were days when his sisters, his partner Frank, and I wondered if Bob would live. He showed some signs of progress in mid December, and was transferred to the V.A .Hospital (he is a U.S. Navy veteran) for more intensive rehab. Oh my!  He is making great progress, thanks to the V.A. He can walk for short distances, and his mind is beautifully focused. (He even responded appropriately to my corny humour).  We had a GREAT visit!. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Tampa Hospital i...

It's been good to receive so many lovely cards and letters for Christmas-tide.  I return your greetings with a song for the New Year. It's the fabulous "One more step along the road I go", by Sidney Carter.  The song has been on my mind all day.  We used to sing this at St. James's, Cambridge, MA at this time of year.  It's too bad that in many places it has been designated as a song for children.  It's for all of us! The video is from the B.B.C. and features two schools, the Edinburgh Academy in Scotland -  doing Carter's song proud, and the Ysgol Pen Barras in Ruthun, Wales  - with a great rendition of "Sing Hosanna" The music comes in at about 2:36  (the intro itself is fascinating)   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TC75pLZBbU&feature=em-share_video_user           One more step along the world I go, one more step along the world I go; from the old things to the new keep me travelin...

I am getting ready to make "Hoppin' John" for  1st January 2015. (I'll be using ham hocks). Some readers (especially those outside the U.S.A.) may be asking "what is "Hoppin' John".  (Other readers will merely yawn!). Here is an article from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoppin'_John But be warned, there are as many theories about the origin of Hoppin' John as there will be black eyed peas in my dish. My guess is that it was no more than a mid-winter dish for poor people in the southern United States, with dried peas and smoked ham hock being more or less available. There are scores and scores of on-line recipes for Hoppin' John. Here is the one which I will (more or less) use: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/hoppin_john/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My full name is John Michael Povey.  I am known to my family as John (or Uncle John)....

Fracquaintance   (n)    a person you see often enough that she/he is more than an acquaintance, but not  often enough to be called a friend. Frintimate   (n)   ( alternate sp. frientimate )  a person with whom you share your greatest joys, deepest sorrows, and darkest secrets.  (Never used for family members, counselors, pastors etc.) Frolerate (v)  Passive behavior in the presence of a person you do not like who is a friend of one of your friends. SOURCE   jmp Dec 2014

One of the good pleasures in retirement is that of making new friends.   This has been part of the joy of my retirement (to a new City).  High on the list of such new friends are Jack and Donna Chrisman.  I met them at St. Boniface Church in SRQ.  They have become very dear to me, and to my brother Martyn from Bristol U.K.,  who has met them on two visits to SRQ.   Jack, from Charlotte N.C. has enjoyed two wonderful careers.   He was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.  His service in the Navy led him to the rank of Captain.  He commanded three naval ships.   When posted to Athens, Greece  as the Naval Attaché  (I think) at the U.S. Embassy.   Whilst in Athens,  Jack, raised a Presbyterian, became an Anglican  because of the ministry of the Church of England congregation in that City.  That experience of Anglican life led Jack to a second career,...