GLASSWING BUTTERFLIES

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From Snopes.com:

Ever seen a butterfly with transparent wings?

A rare and beautiful thing...

Take a moment - its worth it.

Glasswing Butterfly,
Lives in South America

A butterfly with transparent wings is rare and beautiful.
As delicate as finely blown glass, the presence of this rare tropical gem is used by rain forest ecologists as an indication of high habitat quality and its demise alerts them of ecological change.

Rivaling the refined beauty of a stained glass window, the translucent wings of the Glasswing butterfly shimmer in the sunlight like polished panes of turquoise, orange, green, and red.

All things beautiful do not have to be full of color to be noticed; in life that which is unnoticed has the most power.

My goodness! I'd never heard of such a lovely creature. How can something clear, something that's nearly not there, be so beautiful?

...in life that which is unnoticed has the most power.

Is it so? I'll need time to think.

Thanks to Doug.

"A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES" - READ IT!

From Loyola University in New Orleans:

As part of the First Year Summer Reading Program at Loyola University New Orleans, all first-year students will receive a copy of John Kennedy Toole’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “A Confederacy of Dunces,” published by Louisiana State University Press. Students will receive the book either by mail or during upcoming orientation sessions. The distribution of this book was made possible by a generous donation from the College of Law under the leadership of the late Brian Bromberger.

“This book is a fitting choice for many reasons, including its connection to Loyola. Southern literature is known for its connection to place, and no book better represents a place than this one,” states a letter to the students signed by the deans of Loyola’s College of Business, College of Music and Fine Arts, College of Humanities and Natural Sciences and College of Social Sciences.

While teaching in the English department at Loyola in 1976, noted Southern author Walker Percy was approached by the mother of a young, local writer who had committed suicide seven years earlier. The mother explained to Percy that in his career, her son had failed to find a publisher for his manuscript. After some persuasion, Percy read and saw promise in the piece and later used his influence to reintroduce it to publishers. As a result, “A Confederacy of Dunces” was published in 1980 and Toole was awarded a Pulitzer Prize posthumously in 1981. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the book’s publishing.

For students coming in to New Orleans from other parts of the country or the world, I can think of no better choice of a book to introduce them to New Orleans. For local students who have not read the book, shame on them. Now's their chance.

Why isn't Thelma Toole, John Kennedy Toole's mother, named? Thelma was a force, a character, made of stern stuff, not a woman to be deterred from her mission, which was to get her son's masterpiece published. "Confederacy" earned a Pulitzer Prize and a place on the best seller list for Louisiana State University Press.

Yay Loyola! Yay Alma Mater!

ONE DOCTOR VISIT - TWO TRIPS

Today, my granddaughter, pictured to the left when she was 3 years old, who is now 15, had a doctor's appointment, and the plan was for me to take her for the visit. I went to her school to check her out, and I was told that the proper procedure was to send a note on the morning of the appointment. In GD's case, she became ill over the weekend, so the appointment was made only this morning. Of course, I am only the grandmother and remain out of the loop for certain information on the rules of the schools of my grandchildren. And either my son or I could have called ahead to let the school know, but we did not.

Anyway, the students were at lunch recess, and no one was going to hunt GD down in all the nooks and crannies from amongst the 500 students at the school for anything short of a dire emergency, and a regular doctor's appointment did not fall in that category. The secretary said that the kids would be back in class in about 10 minutes. I called the doctor's office to see if we could come some minutes later, but the receptionist said that the doctor would be at lunch. She was kind enough to schedule us for later in the afternoon. "Oh well," I thought, "one trip for nothing."



Howevah! On the way home, I saw a Great Blue Heron in flight followed by the bird's landing in a nearby tree. Beautiful! The trip was not for nothing.

After a delicious lunch cooked by Grandpère, I headed back to the school, to the doctor's office, to the pharmacy to drop off the prescription, to my house to wait for the medication to be ready, and finally to take GD to her house, because it was too late to return her to school.

Another plus to having a busy day was that I had my mammogram on Friday, and even after 25 years, I tend to be a little anxious as I wait for the results, but I didn't even think about the mammogram today, and around 4:30 the doctor's office called to say that everything was fine. Thanks be to God.

The weather here is cold (still!) with a nasty north wind blowing.

I don't even know why I write these boring accounts of the trivia of my day, except that, at my age, I'm still somewhat taken aback to still be doing this sort of running around with children and teenagers.

Anyway, I gave you two pictures to spice up the post a little. I found the picture of the tiny ballerina while going through old papers. How 'bout that bright red lipstick?

JESUS AND MO - STOOD

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From Jesus and Mo.

PLEASE PRAY FOR LESLEY'S DAD AND FOR LESLEY

From Lesley at Lesley's Blog:

Two things have occurred to me:

1. Dad is going to die fairly soon
2. I love him and I don't want him to die.

I seem to either feel sad, or if I put it to the back of my mind, I feel anxious. It is all most peculiar, this sudden grief, and like I said at the beginning, I feel like I am seven years old again.

For Lesley's dad:

May God the Father bless you, God the Son heal you, God the Holy Spirit give you strength. May God the holy and undivided Trinity guard your body, save your soul, and bring you safely to his heavenly country; where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen

(Book of Common Prayer)

May God give strength and courage to all who love and care for Lesley's dad. May the peace that passes understanding keep their minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.

"LOST IN WONDERLAND"

From Throng:

A bent movie about a straight lawyer.

The Times of London cited barrister Rob Moodie for the most outrageous behaviour by a lawyer in 2006 after he represented himself in the New Zealand High Court dressed as Alice in Wonderland. He’s a straight bloke who likes to wear dresses. To some, he seems a freak, to others he’s a hero. Rob Moodie is an enigma to most. Until now. This film unravels the puzzle of a man who is above all an optimist, and a single minded battler for justice. Moodie’s extraordinary life, career and personality are examined in a documentary that’s as colourful as its subject matter.

At the age of 7, Moodie and his brother were separated from their family and became wards of the state, and he experienced such a sense of dislocation that he disappeared "down a rabbit hole" and had great difficulty establishing his identity.

He seems to have questioned gender roles from a very young age. If he did not actively resist it, then he at least questioned why boys and girls were expected to look and behave differently. Moodie talks wistfully about looking at a girl’s bright yellow ribbon, and wanting to wear one in his own hair. He recalls, “Girls were sugar and spice, and all things nice, boys were snips and snails and puppy dogs tails ... I asked why we had to be one or the other”. He wanted to embrace it all, whether it be dolls, diggers or dresses. And he formed a lifelong contempt for those who would say “no” - not from wisdom or fairness, but out of unquestioning conformity.

Moodie became a police detective, studied law, and became head of the police union.

The police were one of the most conservative groups in the country. Moodie dragged them kicking and screaming into the 20th century. And he did it wearing a kaftan and his wife's pearls.
....

At times of greatest stress in his life, Moodie says he always feels stronger when dressed as a woman.

The documentary is surely one that I'd like to see.

Read more at the link above.

Thanks to Lapin.

"PURPLE HAZE" - JOHNNY JONES AND THE KING CASUALS

I found the song over at MadPriest's place in his latest "With All Your Soul" podcast which you can download at iTunes. The details are over at OCICBW.

REMEMBERING THE FALLEN ON THE BEACH IN SANTA BARBARA

The pictures are taken at the beach in Santa Barbara right next to the pier.

There is a veterans group that started putting a cross and candle for every death in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The amazing thing is that they only do it on the weekends.

They put up this graveyard and take it down every weekend.

Guys sleep in the sand next to it and keep watch over it at night so nobody messes with it.

Every cross has the name, rank and D.O.B. and D.O.D. on it.

Very moving, very powerful??? so many young volunteers.

So many 30 to 40 year olds as well.

Amazing !

Prayer for our soldiers:

'Heavenly Father, hold our troops in Your loving hands Protect them as they protect us
Bless them and their families for the
selfless acts they perform for us in this our
time of need.
Amen.'

Thanks to Doug.

UPDATE FROM THE COMMENTS: Carlos said...

Those veterans comprise Chapter 54 of Veterans for Peace. They honor the fallen and advocate for getting the live ones out of Afghanistan.

Carlos J
Chief Petty Officer, USCG Ret.

PLEASE PRAY FOR PAUL (A.)

From Paul (A.)'s wife Catherine:

Home at last. Paul in hospital, 4 broken ribs, 1 punctured lung slipping down ice-glazed front steps this am. Other than that, he's fine.

Father of mercies, our help in time of need: We ask you to relieve Paul for whom we pray. Comfort him with a sense of your goodness, and give him patience as he heals from his injuries. Restore him to full health and strength, to your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

UPDATE ON PAUL (A.):

Thanks for all the prayers. Your support is keeping our spirits up. He was able to sit up, feed himself, and then pass out from (we think) dehydration-related low blood pressure. Life is never dull with Paul (A.)!

Catherine (Mrs. Paul (A.)

"WITH THE PRIMATES"

From Bishop David Chillingworth, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, at his blog, Thinking Aloud:

You have probably been wondering why I haven’t got around to saying anything about the Primates’ Meeting. Well it was interesting – and exhausting – even though it didn’t involve any serious travel for me. Here I am with my Celtic companions, Archbishops Barry and Alan.

First of all, I found the opportunities of building contacts and making friends quite extraordinary. It makes a difference – if one is talking about blasphemy laws in Pakistan – to be sitting beside Bishop Samuel Azariah of the Church of Pakistan. Far off places suddenly become very close. And that’s what Communion is about.

Secondly, I felt keenly the disappointment of not being with those who had decided that they could not be part of the meeting. It was my first Primates’ Meeting. I felt the poorer for not hearing what they had to say and having the chance of discussing with them.

But it was still a good and worthwhile meeting. As the statements make clear, the Meeting spent much time clarifying the role of the Primates’ Meeting as one of the Instruments of Communion. It should not be a place where decisions are made for the Communion or for Provinces. It was clear that most of us come – as I do – from Provinces where decision-making is collegial and consultative within our autonomous provincial structure.

So when our College of Bishops meets next week, my colleagues will not expect me to bring back a series of decisions for implementation. But they will want me to share with them the best account I can give of how other Provinces are dealing with the same problems as we face. That won’t just be an account of how far-off places are doing – because through the Instruments of Communion we expect to respond to the feelings and the difficulties of other Provinces. As they respond to us. That’s what it means to be a Communion. (My emphasis)

And we all say, "Amen!"