Povey Prattle

Via Mark D This  is actually not a Bonhoeffer quote, but a paraphrase of one of Bonhoeffer's principles that  Eric Metaxas  wrote in his  biography  of Bonhoeffer that has often been mistakenly attributed to Bonhoeffer himself. Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/books/12-essential-bonhoeffer-quotes#feW4vbbODXMgzuqq.99

1.   Those who believe that Marmite is not simply the best invention since sliced bread, but that it was the greatest invention before sliced bread. 2, Those who hate Marmite with a passion greater than that of  the North Carolina Legislatures and Governor and their hatred of LGBT people. 3. Those who have never heard of Marmite (approx. 7.3 billion people) . Take a guess as to which group I belong as you read this account of my lunch today. GOOD BREAD. Eureka Brand "Graniac" Organic Bread (from California). GREAT CHEESE Sharp Cheddar Cheese made from grass fed cows in New Zealand . A thin smear of MARMITE   from England , on the bread and under the cheese. Yes, it was some utterly divine CHEESE ON TOAST. Not my photo', but one from Google Images. Fabulous lunch.  Horrible Carbon imprint,

I live in the City of Sarasota (and also in Sarasota County).  Both City and County are pretty high on themselves: apt to boast about our  amenities, our beaches,  our cultural life, our "high end " houses and condominiums.  and our  attractiveness to tourists. If we have some traffic problems, both City and County assert that new or widened roads will solve that problem (for drivers but not for pedestrians ). If there is a wee bit of undeveloped land (especially within the City boundaries) it MUST be used to build luxury condos, or hotels, or fancy restaurants and the like. Meanwhile we in the lower middle class or working class areas are all but ignored by the "powers that be". ( And God help homeless people who have no place to stay). This neglect of we "ordinary people" became clear to me this morning. My car was at the fabulous and trustworthy "Sam's Auto"  (17th and Lockwood Ridge) for some brake work, I could have picked...

Back in the days before television (my parents bought our first one in about 1960 when I was aged 16 one channel only, the BBC!) ) much of our life centred around the wireless. In  those days there was no commercial radio, but we were blessed with the utterly fabulous BBC radio. On Friday evening Mum, Dad and the older members of our family would gather around to listen to the BBC Light Programme  for a live broadcast called "Friday Night Is Music Night". I am both surprised and delighted to discover that "Friday Night Is Music Night" yet survives, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_is_Music_Night One Friday night the male vocalist began to sing "Oh dear, what can the matter be?" - a naughty version of the song "Johnny's so long at the Fair". What?  Was the prim and proper BBC about to broadcast a bawdy song? - "Three (or seven) old ladies stuck in the Lavatory "  (see text below) Fear not.  The text was a ...

There is a hoary old story of the woman who had a patch of weed infested land next to her home. Over the years, with patience and hard labour she transformed this plot into a gorgeous flower garden, a source of joy for all her neighbours. One such neighbour stopped by one day and said "that's a beautiful garden you and God have made". The woman replied  "Yes, but you should have seen it when God alone took care of it". Religious folks will often ascribe the beauty of our world to God alone. I submit that just as humans have despoiled our planet and polluted it beyond repair (so it would seem), they have also enhanced natural beauty by their own endeavours. Here are four examples .  Two are  the beauty of a blood moon enhanced by the railway line which appears to lead into it, and by S.W. Florida's "Sunshine Skyway Bridge"   Two are of rainbows,  (how we all love rainbows),  whose beauty is enhanced by urban landscapes. Moon over the...

"If the (ancient) Greeks are to be believed we are not happy because it is summer - it is summer because we are happy." ( Quotation from page 55 in the novel by Kathy Giuffre "The Drunken Spelunkers Guide To Plato"  -  John F. Blair, Publisher, Winston-Salem, N.C.)

Penne and I went to see her Veterinarian last Friday. She'd been itching and scratching a lot, and there were signs that her left ear was again infected. There is a slight infection in that ear, but it at the outer edge and has not moved down to the ear canal. Her itching and scratching?   Well her skins is in good shape and there are no fleas, so we are guessing that Penne is allergic to the tow or the pollen which is all around us. It was also time for her (triennial?) anti-rabies shot and for a fecal float. We will use ear drops, and a canine anti-histamine. Despite these ailments, as the Vet's technician noted Penne is in remarkably good shape for a fourteen year old. And the $219? Examination                $57 Rabies Vaccination       $44 Fecal Float                   $35 Ear Drops                    $32 ...