Povey Prattle

Do you remember the food trends of recent years? There was the "sun-dried tomatoes" phase.  Every darn dish had to include them. Then the popular culture moved to "roasted vegetables" as the thing to eat.  (That  may be a keeper.) I must also mention kale and quinoa as trendy foods. I prefer not to mention the days of sickly-sweet cupcakes as the food du jour, but they too had their day.  The middle-class American world and her husband  were convinced that cupcakes would save civilization. (There is still a ghastly "reality" show on the "Food Channel" which has something to do with making 1,000 cupcakes). "Starbucks", that overpriced haven for the in-crowd is now pushing "frappuccinos" as the thing to drink.  Starbucks knows nothing.  We had frappes in New England long before Starbucks was a gleam in its father's eyes. And now there are "smoothies".  "Smoothies" are trending, (or were tren...

My auto insurance falls due next month. 1. I am (according to my driver's licence) a Florida "Safe Driver". 2.  I have not made a claim in years. 3. My car is nine years old, going on ten. Despite this my premium for 2015/16 is more than $100 more than it was for 2014/15. I checked this with my insurance agent A.A.A.  (American Automobile Association).  Their clerk called MetLife (my insurance company).  She was informed that this increase is because "there is a general increase in insurance rates)  More about this below at *** ------------------------------------------------------------- So, being smart, I went on-line to get a quotation from one of the Auto Insurance Companies which assure us, via their T.V. ads. that "this company will save you money". ( For U.S.A. readers , it was not the company which uses an animated Gecko to peddle its' wares. It was the one which, ( let the American reader understand ), whose name will remind ...

I wrote this on my blog a couple of days ago. On Wednesday I am to have dinner with a women I hardly know.  She is a friend of a friend of mine. She endures a lot of pain and loneliness.  Her best friend is away for the summer. She phoned me with her invitation. "Darn", I thought, "that's the last thing I want to do, have dinner with someone I hardly know".  But I accepted her invitation. "The last thing I want to do" Oh damn,  I was so wrong!  I had an utterly delightful visit with a very fine woman  (and good food to boot at the Retirement complex where she lives). The Food. Decent salad bar. Wonderful entrée  (lamb chops - four of them), with cooked but still crunchy vegetables. A delicious cookie for dessert/afters. The company and conversation. I had met this woman a couple of times, but had forgotten so much about her. She was born in Trinidad of Venezuelan parents. Spanish is her first language. The family moved to N.Y.C. ...

Thanks to my nephew Dan Povey who discovered this, I am now happy to invite you for a vacation on our estate: the Italian Island of Poveglia. Poveglia, Italy The following description will entice you. http://mentalfloss.com/article/24658/strange-geographies-happy-haunted-island-poveglia

Just a few days ago I sent the following (by Richard Rohr, a Franciscan), to some of my friends in the second or third parts of their lives. (My friend Kim H  had first posted this on Facebook) Richard  Rohr from "Falling Upward."    "Just remember this: no one can keep you from the second half of your own life except yourself.     Nothing can inhibit your second journey except your own lack of courage, patience, and imagination.     Your second journey is all yours to walk or to avoid.     My conviction is that some falling apart of the first journey is necessary for this to happen,  so do not waste a moment of time lamenting poor parenting,  lost job, failed relationship, physical handicap, gender identity, economic poverty, or even the tragedy of any kind of abuse.      Pain is part of the deal.     If you don't walk into the second ...

By John Pavlovitz I am a father of two, (Noah and Selah), and husband of one (Jennifer); a 17-year ministry veteran, specializing in trying to live-out the red letters of Jesus. I enjoy songwriting, exercising, cooking, hiking, and eating emotionally. This is a place where I say stuff that I think needs to be said. I welcome you to say what you believe needs to be said in response, knowing that ultimately the truth is somewhere in the middle. I proudly serve at North Raleigh Community Church. Thanks for stopping by, and for reading the pontifications of a flawed, passionate, work in progress. John Pavlovitz That phrase. We’ve all received it personally gift-wrapped by well-meaning friends, caring loved ones, and kind strangers. It usually comes delivered with the most beautiful of intentions; a buffer of hope raised in the face of the unimaginably painful things we sometimes experience in this life. It’s a close, desperate l...

 My favourite joke was told by the British comedian/actor/singer Alfred Marks. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Marks  ) I saw and heard him tell this joke on a British T.V. show some forty years ago.  My youngest brother (Martyn), also remembers the joke. The "set up" is in the working class areas of east London during WWII  (where many men worked in the old London Docks). The London Docks were an obvious target for enemy bombs. Alfred Marks' joke went this way. The air raid sirens went off. The male of the household  calls out to his wife. He says: "Come on me old Dutch, the Sireens  are goin' off, let's get to the shelta". She replies: " ''ang on a minute, I've got to get me false teef". He responds :   "Bloody 'el. 'itler's  droppin'  bawms  not sandwiches"