Povey Prattle

The Rector at St. Boniface Church, Siesta Key FL., the Revd Dr. John C.N. Hall   was not elected to be the next Bishop of the Episcopal Church Diocese of South East Florida (based in Miami).  ( St Boniface is the parish in which I share in ministry as a retiree) He was one of six nominees. The successful nominee was Peter Eaton  ( see http://www.diosef.org/bishop-search/nominees/the-very-rev-peter-eaton/  ) The process for the election of Bishops in the American Episcopal Church is brutal, and quite possibly ungodly. Potential nominees are subjected to intensive scrutiny. If they pass muster in the first stages and become actual nominees the scrutiny is intensified. The actual nominees  (and their partners/spouses) have their lives and ministries laid bare (over a period of three to four months)  to the face of clerics and lay leaders who, in many  cases, are utter strangers. These "more or less strangers" then vote at...

This morning I  drove to the Nursing Home in South Venice (FL)  to collect the personal belongings of my late neighbour Edythe, and to bring them back to her home. I did this as a favour for her three brothers who live in Detroit and who are unable to take care of such matters at short notice. I felt a bit sad.  For, despite our chequered history, I grew to be a bit fond of Edythe as I visited her,  in what proved to be the last nine months of her life. On the other hand I am happy that I no longer have to take those weekly jaunts down Interstate 75 from Sarasota to Venice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Penne and my bed. I have been working on whatever has been spooking Penne, and making her to be unusually reluctant to be on my bed when I work on my computer.  I "love" having her in my room. Yesterday  morning (29th January) I decided to trick her,  by placing her...

Last night our friend Bob L (a crossword maven) introduced us a word which none of us had ever encountered.   It is the word "scilicet".  The word has fallen out of use, but it means more or less the same as "per se".  (See below).   Mutual friend Ben wondered aloud how it might be used.   He intended to say "how would it be used in a sentence?",  but he uttered:   "How would it be used in a sandwich"?   Ben immediately "heard" his semi-malapropism, as did I.   He and I were instantly "convulsed" in laughter, and I have been giggling about this all day.       http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scilicet

Some of you will remember my tales about my neighbour Edythe T.  We share a driveway, and our car ports are undivided. Edythe had a history of being mean and nasty to all and sundry, including me. In May 2014 at about 5:00 a.m., I discovered her, prone and hallucinating, in the driveway of another neighbour. She had been there all night. I called 911 and she was transported to a local hospital. Later that morning I called one of her brothers in Detroit (he is a retired Judge).to let him know what had happened to Edythe.  He was not surprised. He told me that Edythe had changed her Doctor, and that the new Doctor was opposed to Librium, the very drug she had needed. I had an "aha" moment. I came to understand that her mean and nasty behaviour arose from her mental illness. I was on the cusp of my trip to England, so when I got back home I called the Judge for the latest on his sister. In short, he told me that she was in a nursing home.  I promised to ...

My dog Penne is the finest dog in the world  (except for yours ). It has long been our pleasure that when I have been working on my computer  (in my bedroom), Penne would hop up onto my bed.  She would stay there until she heard the computer "dings" which indicate that I have logged off. That was until last Saturday (25th January 2015) when for some reason or other she would not come into the room, let alone get on the bed. I managed to get her to enter the room, but when I patted the bed and said "Penne, get on to Papa's bed" she slunk off and hid behind a chair. I patted her all over to see if I could find a lump or something which would explain a possible illness.  There was no such thing. I wondered if she was getting arthritic, but she has jumped into the back seat of my car with ease when I have taken her for a ride (her favourite activity). On Monday I lifted her and placed her on the bed, all the while "sweet-talking" her, and telli...

A few week ago at the sermon/bible study group I attend  (four or five men, one woman) we somehow strayed into chatting about the need which many men have for male/male friendships. I've been thinking a lot about this and have come to a few tentative conclusions, (please excuse my generalisations), about why this is so difficult. 1.  That men frequently fear intimate friendships with other men, because they find it hard to separate intimacy from sexuality. 2.  Lots of male friendships (particularly in groups) resort to banter and teasing, thus side-stepping any chance of deeper conversations.  (This is certainly the case within the group of gay men, single and partnered, with whom I hang out.  They are good guys, but we are for ever teasing each other). 3.  Men have often been taught to be self-reliant. 4. Males tend to be better at giving advice than they are at listening carefully. We formulate our "answers" before the question has be...

Here is the Gospel passage we read in Church today: Mark 1:14-20 14 Now after John (the Baptist) was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John , who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.   My friend and colleague the Revd. Andi (Andrea) Taylor preached a fine sermon based on this passage.   But the names caught my imagination   I thought of some family members, an...