I Couldn't Take The Green

Sorry, folks, I couldn't look at the green any longer. I stand with the Iranian protesters in their struggle, and I made my statement, but I could no longer stand looking at the green background.

"Put A Ribbon In Your Hair"

Petty Witter at Pen and Paper posted advice from an article in a 1958 issue of Good Housekeeping titled "The Good Wife's Guide". It's hilarious. What's sad is that women held themselves to those standards. I tried to follow some of it myself.

* Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

* Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people.

There's more, much more. I bought into the meal advice for over 20 years, and then I quit that job. After that, we either ate salads and sandwiches, ate out, or Grandpère cooked. I'd had enough.

Petty's dear Hubby, aka Themethatisme, provided her with the material for the post.

Update from the comments:

airedale said...

When I first married a good friend advised me that if I spoiled my husband enough that I wouldn't have to worry about another woman stealing him because they wouldn't be able to stand him. So I did it.
Within the first year I realized what an awful mistake I had made - He was so spoiled I couldn't stand him!!!!! All the following years were spend undoing what I had done in the first year.

Well said, Airdale! I fixed your wee typo.

"A New Church Is Born!"

Ruth Gledhill's guest blogger at the Times Online is none other than - Tah-dah! - Canon Dr. Chris Sugden reporting on the ACNA gathering in Texas.

Chris writes: 'Many will be quick to find fault with the launch of the Anglican Church in North America, a church representing a Sunday attendance of 69,000 Anglicans in 23 dioceses across the USA and Canada.

'It will to all intents and purposes be the 39th province of the Anglican Communion.
....

'Many orthodox clergy and congregations who have resisted TEC’s practice and direction have been driven out of their churches and buildings. Some individual church members have been sued for upwards of half a million dollars.

'What were the faithful bishops and clergy who cared deeply for their people and the teaching of the faith to do?

Driven out of their churches? Puh-leeze! How about walked away voluntarily with property that was not theirs that the courts subsequently ordered them to return to the proper owners?

Visitors from the Church of England included Bishop John Ellison, assistant bishop in the Diocese of Winchester. Greetings were read from the Bishops of Rochester, Winchester, Chester and Chichester.

The Church of England bishops roost for a brief spell in Texas before their return home to roost in England. I saw this coming, and I tried to warn the Archbishop of Canterbury, even as he scolded and lectured us in the Episcopal Church about how to be a proper church, but he would not listen. I said over and over again, "Archbishop Williams, take care. The chickens will go home to roost!"

See Pluralist Speaks on the FoCA gathering in London beginning July 6.

Note: Baby Blue Online live-blogged the ACNA gathering.

"Straight Outta Compline"

The BCP Boys with their number one single, now for the first time in this delightful rap video. Lyrics: "Straight outta compline! Thinkin about goin to bed Gotta say my prayers til the day I'm dea..."

H/T to Jim Naughton at The Lead at the Episcopal Café.

Cross-posted at OCICBOV.

Limbaugh - Sanford's Affair Is Obama's Fault

From TPM:

"This is almost like, 'I don't give a damn, the country's going to Hell in a handbasket, I just want out of here,'" said Limbaugh. "He [Sanford] had just tried to fight the stimulus money coming to South Carolina. He didn't want any part of it. He lost the battle. He said, 'What the Hell. I mean, I'm -- the federal government's taking over -- what the Hell, I want to enjoy life.'"

Rush, this is news? All of us know that everything, EVERYTHING! that happens now, is Obama's fault. I guess your radio show is over. Nothing left to say.

The Come-Back Crepe Myrtle

Above is a picture of our crepe myrtle tree after severe pruning due to damage from Hurricane Gustav. It couldn't be helped. Below is the tree today. I see many unopened buds, so the tree is still not in full bloom. It's made a rather nice recovery, don't you think?



Of course, it's nothing like it was. At least, it hides the electric box.



Oh, dear! I just looked at this picture. I had forgotten its glory before Gustav. This picture makes me want to cry - for my tree!

Update On Joel - "Out Of The Chaos"

From Margaret:

A miracle. Well, between our mothers and grandmothers, who could stand in the way?! I am so deeply grateful, I hardly have words for it.

The miracle? --when was the last time a doctor spent more than an hour with you? Listening. Patiently? Yeah --well yesterday, we were called in for Joel's appointment at 2:25, just 5 minutes after we were supposed to be called in (miracle in itself), and we left at 4:15..... yeah... more than an hour with a bright young woman who took chaos and didn't solve the problems, but gave them order and priority....

Read the rest of Margaret's post at the link above.

Thought For The Day

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned."

(Luke 6:37)

Jesus' teaching on judgment in the Gospels may not apply only to the hereafter. Our judgments may come back to bite us right here in the earthly Kingdom.

WHY GOD MADE MUMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the sticky tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from mens' bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mum?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's Mums like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mum?
1. My Mum has always been my Mum and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mum need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2.. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mum marry your Dad?
1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mum eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My Grandma says that Mum didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mum doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such an idiot.
2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between Mums & Dads?
1. Mums work at work and work at home and Dads just go to work at work.
2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Mums have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mum do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't have spare time.
2. To hear her talk, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mum perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. You know, her hair. I'd die it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Thanks to Erika.

"...generous discretion...."

From The Lead at the Episcopal Café:

Episcopal bishops in the six states that have legalized same-sex marriage are asking the Church's General Convention to "permit the adaptation of the Pastoral Offices for The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage and The Blessing of a Civil Marriage for use with all couples who seek the church's support and God's blessing in their marriages."

The legislation is being proposed by Bishop Stephen T. Lane of Maine. Sponsors include: Bishops Andrew Smith, Laura Ahrens and James Curry of Connecticut; Bishop Alan Scarfe of Iowan; Bishops Thomas Shaw, Roy Cederholm and Gayle Harris of Massachusetts; Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire and Bishop Thomas Ely of Vermont.

Resolved, That in those dioceses, under the direction of the bishop, generous discretion is extended to clergy in the exercise of their pastoral ministry in order to permit the adaptation of the Pastoral Offices for The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage and The Blessing of a Civil Marriage for use with all couples who seek the church's support and God's blessing in their marriages; and be it further

Resolved, That in order to build a body of experience for the benefit of the church, each bishop in those dioceses where this pastoral practice is exercised provide an annual written report on their experience to the House of Bishops each March and to the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music for its report to the 77th General Convention.

Read the explanation of the resolution at the Café.

UPDATE: I forgot to thank Ann for the link.