Bold

Jen over at Home is Where You Start From has issued a challenge - post a picture that makes you think of BOLD. This shot of a tree sporting its spring colors certainly fits the bill!

Why not be bold, too - head on over to Home is Where You Start From and share your bold shots! Don't forget to visit Straight Out Of The Camera Saturday too - more great pix!

Guidelines for Cats

H/T to James S. Huggins' Refrigerator Door for this, 

but PLEASE don't let our cats see it!

Guidelines for Cats
 
Doors
Do not allow closed doors in any room. To get door opened, stand on hind legs and hammer with forepaws. Once door is opened, it is not necessary to use it. After you have ordered an "outside" door opened, stand halfway in and out and think about several things. This is particularly important during very cold weather, rain, snow, or mosquito season. Swinging doors are to be avoided at all costs.
 
Chairs and Rugs
If you have to throw up, get to a chair quickly. If you cannot manage in time, get to an Oriental rug. If there is no Oriental rug, shag is good. When throwing up on the carpet, make sure you back up so that it is as long as the human's bare foot.
 
Bathrooms
Always accompany guests to the bathroom. It is not necessary to do anything . . . just sit and stare.
 
Hampering
If one of your humans is engaged in some close activity and the other is idle, stay with the busy one. This is called "helping", otherwise known as "hampering." Following are the rules for "hampering":

• When supervising cooking, sit just behind the left heel of the cook. You cannot be seen and thereby stand a better chance of being stepped on and then picked up and comforted.
   
• For book readers, get in close under the chin, between eyes and book, unless you can lie across the book itself.
   
• For knitting projects or paperwork, lie on the work in the most appropriate manner so as to obscure as much of the work or at least the most important part. Pretend to doze, but every so often reach out and slap the pencil or knitting needles. The worker may try to distract you; ignore it. Remember, the aim is to hamper work. Embroidery and needlepoint projects make great hammocks in spite of what the humans may tell you.
   
• For people paying bills (monthly activity) or working on income taxes or Christmas cards (annual activity), keep in mind the aim-to hamper! First, sit on the paper being worked on. When dislodged, watch sadly from the side of the table. When activity proceeds nicely, roll around on the papers, scattering them to the best of your ability. After being removed for the second time, push pens, pencils, and erasers off the table, one at a time. When a human is holding the newspaper in front of him/her, be sure to jump on the back of the paper. They love to jump.

Walking
As often as possible, dart quickly and as close as possible in front of the human, especially on stairs, when they have something in their arms, in the dark, and when they first get up in the morning. This will help their coordination skills.
 
Bedtime
Always sleep on the human at night so s/he cannot move around.
 
Play
This is an important part of your life. Get enough sleep in the daytime so you are fresh for your nocturnal games. Below are listed several favorite cat games that you can play. It is important, though, to maintain one's dignity at all times. If you should have an accident during play, such as falling off a chair, immediately wash a part of your body as if to say "I meant to do that!" It fools those humans every time.
 
Cat Games

• Catch Mouse
  The humans would have you believe that those lumps under the covers are their feet and hands. They are lying. They are actually Bed Mice, rumored to be the most delicious of all the mice in the world, though no cat has ever been able to catch one. Rumor also has it that only the most ferocious attack can stun them long enough for you to dive under the covers to get them. Maybe YOU can be the first to taste the Bed Mouse!
   
• King of the Hill
  This game must be played with at least one other cat. The more, the merrier! One or both of the sleeping humans is Hill 303 which must be defended at all costs from the other cat(s). Anything goes. This game allows for the development of unusual tactics as one must take the unstable playing theater into account.

Warning: Playing either of these games to excess will result in expulsion from the bed and possibly from the bedroom. Should the humans grow restless, immediately begin purring and cuddle up to them. This should buy you some time until they fall asleep again. If one happens to be on a human when this occurs, this cat wins the round of King of the Hill.

Toys
Any small item is a potential toy. If a human tries to confiscate it, this means that it is a good toy. Run with it under the bed. Look suitably outraged when the human grabs you and takes it away. Always watch where it is put so you can steal it later. Two reliable sources of toys are dresser tops and wastebaskets. There are several types of cat toys.

• Bright shiny things like keys, brooches, or coins should be hidden so that the other cat(s) or humans can't play with them. They are generally good for playing hockey with on uncarpeted floors.
   
• Dangly and/or string-like things such as shoelaces, cords, gold chains, and dental floss (& Q-tips) also make excellent toys. They are favorites of humans who like to drag them across the floor for us to pounce on.
   
• When a string is dragged under a newspaper or throw rug, it magically becomes the Paper/Rug Mouse and should be killed at all costs. Take care, though. Humans are sneaky and will try to make you lose your dignity.

Paper Bags
Within paper bags dwell the bag mice. They are small and camouflaged to be the same color as the bag, so they are hard to see. But you can easily hear the crinkling noises they make as they scurry around the bag. Anything, up to and including shredding the bag, can be done to kill them. Note: any other cat you may find in a bag hunting for bag mice is fair game for a sneak attack, which will usually result in a great Tagmatch.
 
Food
In order to get the energy to sleep, play, and hamper, a cat must eat. Eating, however, is only half the fun. The other half is getting the food. Cats have two ways to obtain food: convincing a human you are starving to death and must be fed now; and hunting for it oneself. The following are guidelines for getting fed.

• When the humans are eating, make sure you leave the tip of your tail in their dishes when they are not looking.
   
• Never eat food from your own bowl if you can steal some from the table. Never drink from your own water bowl if a human's glass is full enough to drink from.
   
• Should you catch something of your own outside, it is only polite to attempt to get to know it. Be insistent. Your food will usually not be so polite and try to leave.
   
• Table scraps are delicacies with which the humans are unfortunately unwilling to readily part. It is beneath the dignity of a cat to beg outright for food as lower forms of life such as dogs will, but several techniques exist for ensuring that the humans don't forget you exist. These include, but are not limited to: jumping onto the lap of the "softest" human and purring loudly; lying down in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen, the "direct stare", and twining around people's legs as they sit and eat while meowing plaintively.

Sleeping
As mentioned above, in order to have enough energy for playing, a cat must get plenty of sleep. It is generally not difficult to find a comfortable place to curl up. Any place a human likes to sit is good, especially if it contrasts with your fur color. If it's in a sunbeam or near a heating duct or radiator, so much the better. Of course, good places also exist outdoors, but have the disadvantages of being seasonal and dependent on current and previous weather conditions such as rain. Open windows are a good compromise.
 
Scratching Posts
It is advised that cats use any scratching post the humans may provide. They are very protective of what they think is their property and will object strongly if they catch you sharpening your claws on it. Being sneaky and doing it when they aren't around won't help, as they are very observant. If you are an outdoor kitty, trees are good. Sharpening your claws on a human is not recommended.
 
Humans
Humans have three primary functions: to feed us, to play with and give attention to us, and to clean the litter box. It is important to maintain one's Dignity when around humans so that they will not forget who is the master of the house. Humans need to know basic rules. They can be taught if you start early and are consistent.
 
Cats as Humanitarians
Humans have a very tenuous hold on reality and it is up to the cats to help them maintain their grasp on said reality.  For instance, humans often speak to imaginary friends while holding a small object up to their ear, with no other humans in sight, obviously losing touch with the real world!  A cat must put a stop to this as quickly as possible!  Climb on the human and get your face right up in theirs and meow very loudly until the human acknowledges you, therefore bringing them back to reality.  If that fails, you can use the top of your head to try and knock the small object out of their hand/away from their ear, which almost always succeeds in stopping their talking to thin air.
 
Human Inconsistency
Humans spend many hours sitting in front of a box with moving pictures, tapping tiny squares on a board with their fingertips...it is rumored that this is actually how humans sharpen their claws!  Considering how sanctimonious they are when they catch cats sharpening their claws, humans obviously need a lesson in consistency.  One of the best ways to do this is to walk on the board with the tiny squares...that will always get a huge reaction from the human, a good indication that you're actually teaching them something!  If that doesn't work, lay on the board or throw up a furball on it!  There's no good reason why humans should be allowed to sharpen their claws while forbidding cats to do so!
Cat Speak
Humans will sometimes try to speak in cat language, attempting to 'meow' at you while having no real idea what they're saying!  Cats can either meow back and try and fool the human into thinking that there is a real connection going on, or they can stare at the human with a puzzled look on their face...after all, the human just told you that your mother was the whore of every tomcat in town!  Did they mean that or did they simply not understand the implications of their attempting to meow?  It's hard to say, as the level of human advancement in this area is very limited...about the only 'catspeak' they actually understand is "I'm starving" and "Let me out...NOW!"  If they have truly insulted you or your family, feel free to either tell them how stupid they are in cat language or walk away indignantly.
 
The Eternal Question
When faced with the age-old question, "Is it love, or is it Fancy Feast?", we all know that it is Fancy Feast, of course.  However, it is absolutely crucial that cats not let the humans know this, or the humans might stop sharing this treat with us!  Always convince the human that your sudden, intense attention showered on them is LOVE!  You can go back to normal behavior after the treat has been consumed!

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OH - as long as we're on the subject of cats...

Can anyone give me a suggestion how this cat got into this predicament?

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More on the "royal obsession"

It's quite possible to carry the "royal obsession" too far.

As in the case of the man who willingly spent 6 hours in a dentist's chair getting pix of the royal couple tattooed on his teeth. (You can read here for more info.)

I didn't even know teeth could be tattooed.
 

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Two words sum it up for me.

It is estimated that 1.3 million abortions occur annually in the United States. This dumpster expresses my feelings about this issue perfectly.

Please.

Choose life.

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The title of this post sums it up for me in six words.

Do you have six words that sum it up for you? 

Share them at Six Word Saturday

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Don't forget to enter the caption contest that runs through the end of April.

You can find out more about it here. Good luck!

And visit Jennifer at Cnversion Diary each Friday for 7 Quick Takes

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Duct Tape or a Nail?

A man dies and goes to heaven.  St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates and says, 'Here's how it works.  You need 100 points to make it into heaven.  You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was.  When you reach 100 points, you get in.'

'Okay,' the man says, 'I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.'

'That's wonderful,' says St. Peter, 'that's worth two points!'

'Two points?!' he says. 'Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.'

'Terrific!' says St. Peter..  'That's certainly worth a point.'

'One point!?!!' 'I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.'

'Fantastic, that's good for two more points,' he says.

'Two points!?!!’

'Exasperated, the man cries.  'At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God.'

'Bingo!   100 points!    Come on in!'
We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and duct tape.

 God did it with a nail.

This guy is far more creative... and patient... than I'll ever be!

Scott Weaver's Rolling through the Bay from Learning Studio on Vimeo.

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Ever wonder what it would be like to jump out of an airplane?

The word "crazy" comes to mind. Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane? But the 101st Airborne does it with style. In this video, you get a view of what the parachutist sees as he jumps into the football stadium to deliver the game ball.

Wordless Wednesday: Great places to get away from it all...

Please hop over to Wordless Wednesday for some more great pix!

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A "top ten" post

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly carnival. Amanda asks readers to write a Top Ten post which can be serious or funny, long or short... but it does have to be a list of TEN. I decided to try my hand at it today. Here's my submission:

The Top Ten Ways To Tell If You're Compulsive

1. You refuse to eat fried chicken solely on the grounds that your fingers might get messy.
2. You find it unthinkable to wear hose with runs in them underneath your slacks.
3. Your household cleaning supplies are arranged by container height.
4. You arrange your husband’s underwear in alphabetical order.
5. Your Christmas shopping is completed by Valentine’s Day.
6. The jars on the refrigerator door are sorted by height.
7. You clean up before the cleaning lady gets there.
8. Your idea of fun is reorganizing your closets.
9. Your pocketbook and shoes always match.
10. You purchase “his” and “hers” computers.

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From my inbox: tips to save at the gas pump

I received this is today's email and plan on trying to follow these tips.

I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here in California we are paying up to $3.75 to $4.10 per gallon. My line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon...

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL. i.e: NEVER allow your tank get more than 1/2 empty! The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

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Start the week with a bang, a whistle, and a toot!

I'm chiming in with Monday's Music Moves Me with this performance by Professor Gizmo and his one man band. Head on over for more musical fun!

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The rest of the story...

The joyful celebration of the Easter feast yesterday ushers in a time of celebration for Christians: a time to remember the promise of eternal life to those who believe in a Savior who rose from the grave. It is a wondrous event, and one that we rightly rejoice in.

But in the midst of rejoicing, it is important to remember the rest of the story: the sacrifice and suffering of Jesus. And if we are called to be like him, we must expect that we, too, will experience moments of sacrifice and suffering. John 13:16 certainly suggests that this will be the case when it says, "Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master." 

It is hard to imagine that any of us will be asked to suffer as Jesus did, but neither should we expect a carefree life free of challenges. We are called to emulate a God who took on human form and showed us how to love and how to serve.

In giving his life for us, Jesus asks us to live our lives for others. He asks us to share in his work of redemption. That’s why the Gospel is never merely a call to be “nice” to others. There’s nothing sweet about Golgotha. Life in Jesus Christ is a call to heroic and self-sacrificing love.

- Charles J. Chaput, OFM, Archbishop of Denver

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What's for Easter dinner?

I have to try this recipe. I can't believe it won't be good!

Roast Rack of Pork with a Cranberry-Walnut Crust & Sauce

Ingredients
Pork rack, backbone removed – 8 bones wort 8 bones worth
Allspice - a pinch
Kosher salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
Vegetable oil - 2 Tbsp
Butter - 2 Tbsp
Onion - 1 medium, roughly chopped
Ruby port - 1 C
Balsamic vinegar - 1/2 C + 2 Tbsp
Craisins - 3/4 C dried
Dried chile - 3/4 tsp dried flakes
Walnuts - 1 1/2 C, toasted and chopped medium-coarse
Italian (flat-leaf) parsley - 2 Tbsp, roughly chopped
Chicken broth - 3 C

Let the roast sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Position a rack in the middle of the oven & preheat oven to 400. Put a roasting rack in a roasting pan or in a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet, lining the pan with foil to make clean-up easier.

Season pork liberally with salt & pepper on all sides. Turn on the exhaust fan & heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, sear the rack of pork til browned on all sides and the ends. Transfer meat to the roasting pan, meaty side up, and set aside to cool while you prepare the crust.
Pour off all fat in the saute pan, return the pan to medium-high heat, & add butter. When it stops bubbling, add onion, reduce heat to medium low, & cook, stirring occasionally, til onion is soft & medium brown, 10-15 minutes. Add port, 1/2 of the balsamic vinegar, dried cranberries, chile flakes, & allspice. Raise heat to medium high & boil til the liquid has almost completely evaporated, about another 10 minutes.

Transfer cranberry mixture to a food processer & pulse 12-15 times to create a slightly chunky paste. Scrape it into a small bowl & fold in the walnuts & parsley. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Reserve 3 Tbsp of the cranberry mixture to make a sauce later. Pat the remaining cranberry mixture onto the top & sides of the pork rack.

Roast the pork for 30 minutes, then tent a sheet of aluminum foil over the roast for the remaining cooking time to keep the crust from overbrowning. Continue to roast til an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 140 degrees, about another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the chicken or beef broth to a boil.

Add the remaining 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar & boil til mixture is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium & whisk in the reserved cranberry-walnut crust paste. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Let the meat rest for 10 minutes. It will continue to cook as it rests. Then, carve into chops & serve with sauce.

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HAPPY EASTER!!!

Cohabitor's vows.

Thanks to Jen at My Chocolate Heart for sharing this one.

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I can't resist Simon's cat!

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Don't forget to enter the caption contest that runs through the end of April.

You can find out more about it here.

Good luck!

What makes Good Friday different from any other day?

According to a news article from earlier this week, it's difficult to find a place to eat out in Australia on Good Friday. Apparently most Australian restaurants are closed on that day. Restaurateurs found it was too expensive to open on a day which set apart, a day on which we remember the terrible death that Jesus endured for us.

I remember Good Friday as a more somber day when I was a kid (back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth). Lots more businesses were closed. Lots more churches were open. A fair number of people observed a 3-hour period of silent meditation from noon until 3 PM, the hour when it was thought that Jesus died.

Now it seems like we've lost a sense of the sacred of this day.

I'm not advocating that restaurants and businesses close on Good Friday; that's not what I'm suggesting at all. I'm not recommending a 3-hour period of prayer and meditation in the midst of the workday.

But I hope all of us will take a moment today to remember a Savior who was willing to endure a painful and humiliating death on a cross for the sins that we committed... and to thank Him.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, 

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

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Special moments

Giving Up On Perfect has asked readers to share special moments in their spiritual life. The blogger mentioned Communion as being special to her, and as a Catholic, I can't help but agree.

One of the most precious moments for a Catholic is receiving Communion. We believe that Jesus was being literal when he said "This is my Body" and "This is my Blood". And we believe that when we receive the bread and wine, we are receiving His Body and Blood - just as He said. I can't imagine a more intimate moment with our Lord than to actually be able to partake of this sacred feast.

Padre Pio composed a prayer to read after receiving Communion. My husband reminded me of this prayer today at the Holy Thursday service, and I hope you'll find it as meaningful as we have.

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.

Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.

Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.

Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.

Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.

Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.

Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I wish it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes, death, judgment, eternity approaches.

It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You.

It is getting late and death approaches. I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows.

O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!

Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You.

Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.

Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.

Stay with me, Jesus. I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it, but, the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You!

Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for: Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.

With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity.

Amen

May God richly bless you as we approach Good Friday and the great Easter feast.

The Turbo Encabulator

According to this site,

If you ever have to give a Press Conference on a difficult subject I suggest you watch this gentleman from Rockwell International discuss the Turbo Encabulator. Rockwell International decided to get into the heavy duty automatic transmission business and they were getting ready to tape their first introductory video. As a warm up, the stage crew began what has become a legend within the training industry. Keep in mind, this is strictly off the cuff, nothing is written down. He had NO script! This was a rehearsal for camera, lighting and stage crew.

I could never pull that off. For one thing, I don't think I could ad lib like that. For another, I'd surely crack up. I'm horrible at "spoofing"! But this man is a master!

H/T to Rich for this one!

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Please tell me I'm dreaming.

A drive-through foot-washing ceremony? This is too zany for words!

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3 steps to holiness

Last week, at the conclusion of his audience, the Pope offered a three-step plan for achieving holiness:

Go to Mass on Sunday, begin and end the day in contact with God, and make decisions according to the Ten Commandments. Well, to be precise, he expressed the essentials to achieving holiness as follows:

What is the most essential? Essential is that no Sunday be left without an encounter with the Risen Christ in the Eucharist -- this is not a burden but light for the whole week. Never to begin or end a day without at least a brief contact with God. And, in the journey of our life, to follow 'road signs' that God has communicated to us in the Decalogue read with Christ, which is simply the definition of charity in specific situations.

There really isn't a whole lot to add, is there? If we did those three things, we'd be well on the way!

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Today is Spy Wednesday

This is something I hadn't heard of before - had you?

The Wednesday of Holy Week has been referred to as "Spy Wednesday" because it is on this day that we remember Judas' striking a bargain with the high priest to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. In Matthew 26:14-16, we read, "Then one of the Twelve — the one called Judas Iscariot — went to the chief priests and asked, 'What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?' So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over."

I wondered what 30 pieces of silver would equate to in today's dollars. I honestly have no idea, and the research I did wasn't much help at all. I found a very wide range of figures on-line - anywhere from $400 to $6,000,000. Even $400 must have seemed like an immense amount of money in Jesus' day. But still, most of us are somewhat shocked to imagine one of Jesus' inner circle betraying him for any amount of money.

Yet if we're honest, don't we have to acknowledge that we sometimes betray him for far less?

Our God is faithful - he always has been and always will be. Let us make every effort to imitate the faithfulness of our God. We are made in his image; let us try to emulate him.

Wordless Wednesday

Don't you love to see the blooms bursting out in springtime? I snapped these yesterday, and hope you enjoy them. You can also find pix others have taken - or share your own - at Wordless Wednesday.

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My hubby's favorite cake

Maybe I'll make it this weekend if he's R-E-A-L nice!!!

MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE

Beat together 2 eggs & 2 11-oz cans of mandarin oranges, drained.

Add 2 C granulated sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 C all-purpose flour, and 1/2 tsp salt, beating until well blended.

Pour into greased & floured 9x13" pan. 

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly while making the glaze.

Bring 3/4 C packed brown sugar, 3 Tbsp milk, & 2 Tbsp butter to a boil & pour over cake after it cools a bit (but hasn't cooled completely).

I'm sharing this recipe at Two Maids A-Baking, A Southern Fairytale, Tasty Tuesdays, Just another meatless Monday, Melt In Your Mouth Monday, This Week's Cravings, [Where]ever After, My Meatless Mondays, Make a food-"e" friend, and Bizzy B. Bakes.

Kindergarden concert.

I don't know about you, but I'm impressed!

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Great prank from Anita!

H/T to Anita for sharing this one - THANKS ANITA!

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Don't forget to enter the caption contest that runs through the end of April.

You can find out more about it here.

Good luck!

Are we known by the company we keep?

During the year 2010, 6 countries led the world in executions. The undisputed leader was China, which does not release this information. But the 5 other countries who were world leaders in state-sanctioned executions were responsible for over 61% of the 714 known instances of capital punishment in 2010.

There are lots of arguments on both sides of the debate about the death penalty. I was once in favor of capital punishment, but after research and reflection, I can no longer support it. Not when life imprisonment without possibility of parole is a viable choice. Not when 138 people have been released from death row when evidence showed they were innocent. Not when there is strong evidence that there have been innocent people executed (although the exact number is not known). Not when there is proof that the death penalty is significantly more expensive than the alternative of life without possibility of parole. And not when analysis of violent crime statistics shows conclusively that death penalty states have a higher incidence of violent crime than states without the death penalty.

I also think it’s interesting to look at the other countries who execute more people than any other. Remember that the U.S. was one of 6 countries that led the world in executions. Are the other countries ones which share our values? You look at the list and decide. The nations who implement capital punishment more than any other are China, Iran, North Korea, Yemen, the Unites States, and Saudi Arabia. One more reason to reconsider.

Not long ago, I ran a week-long series on the death penalty. I tried to present the issue from a variety of angles. If you’re a new follower, you may want to check out these posts, which start here. And read also this statement from the American Catholic Bishops, taken from “Confronting a Culture of Violence”:

Increasingly, our society looks to violent measures to deal with some of our most difficult social problems - millions of abortions to address problem pregnancies, advocacy of euthanasia and assisted suicide to cope with the burdens of age and illness, and increased reliance on the death penalty to deal with crime. We are tragically turning to violence in the search for quick and easy answers to complex human problems. A society which destroys its children, abandons its old, and relies on vengeance fails fundamental moral tests. Violence is not the solution; it is the most clear sign of our failures. Too often we seem to be unable to resolve our most intractable problems without resorting to violence. 

****While you're ruminating on this post, be aware that an inmate I've been writing to for several years is to be executed a month from now. Please keep Donald, his family, and the family of the victim in your prayers, and pray also that God will give me the words to say to him as he prepares to die.

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Don't forget to enter the caption contest that runs through the end of April.

You can find out more about it here.

Good luck!

Sometimes a guy just has to get away from it all.

Love is not tolerance.

Christian love bears evil, but it does not tolerate it.

It does penance for the sins of others, but it is not broadminded about sin.

The cry for tolerance never induces it to quench its hatred of the evil philosophies that have entered into contest with the Truth.

It forgives the sinner, and it hates the sin; it is unmerciful to the error in his mind.

The sinner it will always take back into the bosom of the Mystical Body; but his lie will never be taken into the treasury of His Wisdom.

Real love involves real hatred: whoever has lost the power of moral indignation and the urge to drive the buyers and sellers from the temples has also lost a living, fervent love of Truth.

Charity, then, is not a mild philosophy of "live and let live"; it is not a species of sloppy sentiment.

Charity is the infusion of the Spirit of God, which makes us love the beautiful and hate the morally ugly.

- Fulton Sheen

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Don't forget to enter the caption contest that runs through the end of April. 

You can find out more about it here. 

Good luck!

Calling for captions!

It strikes me that this picture is begging for one.

Share your creative caption ideas in the combox below. At the end of April, I'll select my favorite entry, and the winner will receive a copy of the book "Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom". But you'll have to include a way for me to contact you via email (or via your website, if you have one) in order to claim the prize!

Good luck!

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We have a winner!!!

To see all of the suggestions I received, look at the comments below.

Be sure to look for Marion Teague's comment - she was our winner!

Tech support calls from the not-too-technical

 I can't swear all of these are true, but I've known people who could have placed some of these calls!

>===============

Tech Support: “How much free space do you have on your hard drive?”

Customer: “Well, my wife likes to get up there on that Internet, and she downloaded ten hours of free space. Is that enough?”

  >===============

Customer: “I’d like a mouse mat, please.”

Salesperson: “Certainly sir, we’ve got a large variety.”

Customer: “But will they be compatible with my computer?”

>===============

Customer: “Can you copy the Internet for me on this diskette?”

 >===============

Customer: “So that’ll get me connected to the Internet, right?”

Tech Support: “Yeah.”

Customer: “And that’s the latest version of the Internet, right?”

Tech Support: “Uhh…uh…uh…yeah.”

>===============

Customer: “My computer crashed!”

Tech Support: “It crashed?”

Customer: “Yeah, it won’t let me play my game.”

Tech Support: “Alright, hit Control-Alt-Delete to reboot.”

Customer: “No, it didn’t crash — it crashed.”

Tech Support: “Huh?”

Customer: “I crashed my game. That’s what I said before. Now it doesn’t work.”

(It turned out that the user was playing Lunar Lander and crashed his spaceship.)

Tech Support: “Click on ‘File,’ then ‘New Game.’”

Customer: [pause] “Wow! How’d you learn how to do that?”

 >===============

Compaq is considering changing the command "Press Any Key" to "Press Return Key" because of the flood of calls asking where the "Any" key is.

>===============

Technical support had a caller complaining that her mouse was hard to control with the dust cover on.  The "dust cover" turned out to be the plastic bag the mouse was packaged in.

>===============

A technician advised his customer to put his troubled floppy back in the drive and close the door.  The customer asked the tech to hold on, and was heard putting the phone down, getting up and crossing the room to close the door to his room.

>===============

Another customer called to say he couldn't get his computer to fax anything.  After 40 minutes of trouble-shooting, the technician discovered the man was trying to fax a piece of paper by holding it in front of the monitor  screen and hitting the "send" key.

>===============

Yet another customer called to complain that his keyboard no longer worked.  He had cleaned it by filling up his tub with soap and water and soaking the keyboard for a day, then removing all the keys and washing them individually.

>===============

An exasperated caller to computer tech support couldn't get her new computer to turn on. After ensuring the computer was plugged in, the technician asked her what happened  when she pushed the power button. Her response, "I pushed and  pushed on this foot pedal and nothing happens." The "foot pedal" turned out to be the computer's mouse.

>===============

Another customer called tech support to say her brand-new computer wouldn't work.  She said she unpacked the unit, plugged it in, and sat there for 20 minutes waiting for something to happen.  When asked what happened when she pressed the power switch, she asked "What power switch?"

>===============

Caller: "Hello, is this Tech Support?"

Tech: "Yes, it is. How may I help you?"

Caller: "The cup holder on my PC is broken and I am within my warranty period. How do I go about getting that fixed?"

Tech:   "I'm sorry, but did you say a cup holder?" 

Caller: "Yes, it's attached to the front of my computer."

Tech:   "Please excuse me if I seem a bit stumped, It's because I am. Did you receive this as part of a promotional, at a trade show? How did you get this cup holder? Does it have any trademark on it?"

Caller:  "It came with my computer, I don't know anything about a promotional. It just has '4X' on it."

At this point the Tech Rep had to mute the caller, because he couldn't stand it. The caller had been using the load drawer of the CD-ROM drive as a cup holder, and snapped it off the drive!

>===============

Tech support:  What kind of computer do you have?

Customer:  A white one...

>===============

Tech support:  Click on the 'my computer' icon on to the left of the screen.

Customer: Your left or my left?

>===============

Tech support:  Good day. How may I help you?

Male customer: Hello... I can't print.

Tech support:  Would you click on "start"  for me and...

Customer:  Listen pal; don't start getting technical on me! I'm not Bill Gates!

>===============

Customer:  Hi, good afternoon, this is Martha, I can't print. Every time I try, it says, "Can't find printer".  I've even lifted the printer and placed it in front of the monitor, but the computer still says he can't find it...

>===============

Customer:      I have problems printing in red...

Tech support:  Do you have a color printer?

Customer:      Aaaah....................thank you.

>===============

Tech support:  What's on your monitor now, ma'am?

Customer:  A teddy bear my boyfriend bought for me at the 7-11.

>===============

Tech support:  Your password is the small letter a as in apple, a capital letter V as in Victor, the number 7.

Customer:  Is that 7 in capital letters?

>===============

Tech support:  What anti-virus program do you use?

Customer:  Netscape.

Tech support:  That's not an anti-virus program.

Customer:  Oh, sorry...Internet Explorer.

>===============

Customer:   I have a problem. A friend has placed a screen saver on my computer, but every time I move the mouse, it disappears.

>===============

Tech support:  How may I help you?

Customer:  I'm writing my first e-mail.

Tech support:  OK,  and what seems to be the problem?

Customer:  Well, I have the letter 'a' in the address, but how do I get the circle around it?

>===============

A woman customer called the help desk with a problem with her printer.

Tech support:  Are you running it under windows?

Customer:  "No, my desk is next to the door, but that is a good point.  The man sitting in the cubicle next to me is under a window, and his printer is working fine."

>===============

Tech support: "Okay Bob, let's press the control and escape keys at the same time. That brings up a task list in the middle of the screen. Now type the letter "P" to bring up the Program Manager."

Customer:  I don't have a P.

Tech support:  On your keyboard, Bob.

Customer:  What do you mean?

Tech support:  "P".....on your keyboard, Bob.

Customer:  I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT

 >===============

Which is it?

Either this is trick photography or this guy is amazing.

Or maybe both. Watch the video, then take the survey at the bottom of the post.

H/T to Home Grown Families for posting this clip.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Thinking thankfully

When I was 6 years old, my mother died suddenly of meningitis. She was 29 years old, and my sister (who'd been born premature and spent over 2 months in the hospital) had only been home for three days. My dad was faced with the daunting task of raising two girls, which he did with the help of my grandparents and, later, his second wife.

My mom & uncle

As I said, Mom was 29 when she died, and I was 6. I remember thinking she was pretty old... and from the perspective of a 6-year-old, I suppose she was. But as I got older, I realized just how young she was. I developed a strong premonition that I, too, would die at the age of 29. Apparently it's not at all uncommon for a child who has lost a parent to conclude that they will die at the same age.

So the year that I turned 29 started a rather nerve-wracking time for me. I remember feeling a bit anxious much of that year, and I remember having a tremendous sense of relief when I woke up to find that I'd turned 30 without incident.

Since then, I've lived with a greater sense of appreciation for life. But it was only this year that I was struck by just how fortunate I am. This year, I've lived exactly twice as many years as my mother. It's really rather humbling to realize that. 

So, Father God, I thank you for this gift of life. I offer my life to you to do with as you will... and I pray that you will enable me to use the time I have remaining to glorify you.

Look on high

 

How can we journey on the path of holiness, how can we respond to this call? Can I do so with my own strength? The answer is clear: A holy life is not primarily the fruit of our own effort, of our actions, because it is God, the thrice Holy, who makes us saints, and the action of the Holy Spirit who encourages us from within; it is the life itself of the Risen Christ, which has been communicated to us and which transforms us...

 I would like to invite you to open yourselves to the action of the Holy Spirit, who transforms our life, to be, we also, pieces of the great mosaic of holiness that God is creating in history, so that the Face of Christ will shine in the fullness of its brilliance.
 

Let us not be afraid to look on high, to the height of God; let us not be afraid that God will ask too much of us, but let us be guided in all our daily actions by his Word, even if we feel that we are poor, inadequate, sinners: He will be the one to transform us according to his love.

 

- Pope Benedict XVI

What's in a name?

 

 

As our baseball team's opening game at home is tonight, I thought I'd entertain you with some baseball trivia. I'll pose a question and see if you can come up with the correct answer.

 

 

Why Did Boof Bonser, a pitcher with the New York Mets organization, have his name legally changed from John to Boof?

I figured there HAD to be some significant reason for a man christened “John Bonser” to have his name legally changed to “Boof Bonser”.

Right?

So I did some research to satisfy my curiosity.

I invite you to choose the correct response from the possibilities listed, then see how well you did.

The actual answer is supplied below.

# 1 - He was honoring the memory of a feminist author slated for beheading by an Islamic government.

# 2 - He’s a white water rafter.

# 3 - It was the right thing to do.

# 4 - He named himself after a comic book produced in the United Kingdom.

# 5 - He is fond of Iranian fast food.

# 6 - He’s a great big idiot.

Look below for the correct answer…

There actually is an Iranian fast food restaurant named Boof... There’s one just in Tehran if you'd care to run out for lunch. But while Bonser may indeed be fond of Iranian fast food, this choice is wrong.

Fans of white water rafting like to boof. Boofing is similar to performing an eddy turn. If you’re interested in learning more about this, go to www.chrisj.winisp.net/articles/boofing.htm. But actually, this is NOT the reason John switched to Boof.

He named himself after a comic book produced in the United Kingdom. Although you may think this answer is comical, it, too, is incorrect.

He’s a great big idiot. This possibility comes from Australian slang (although I had to spell his name “Bonzer” rather than “Bonser” to make this one work). This choice, however, is wrong. (Well, actually, he MAY be a great big idiot, but this is not his avowed reason for changing his name.)

Honoring a feminist author. In truth there IS a feminist author named Kola Boof (although her given name was actually Naima Bint Karith) who sentenced to death by beheading by the Islamic government of Sudan. (She apparently didn’t return to Sudan to see if they’re really serious about this.) At any rate, this choice is wrong.

It was the right thing to do.  No, this can’t be right, right? 

Wrong. 

Actually, when interviewed, Boof said that this is indeed the correct answer. According to Boof, he received his nickname from his mom, and later, “I figured why not? Everybody knew me as Boof, anyway. So I figured it was the right thing to do.”

So now you know.