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Snow

December 16, 2018 11:43 am / Leave a comment

As many of you know we have Grands and Greats. The Greats live in Brunssum, Netherlands with our granddaughter Samantha & husband Zed. Both the kids, as we still call them are USAFA grads and Captains in the USAF. Presently they are stationed at a NATO base in Geilenkirchen, Germany,  which is part of the Allied Joint Forces Command, it lies at the Tri-border of Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium.

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The Tri-border area.


Zed is a pilot and Sam is a support services officer.

470th Air Base Squadron

This young couple have four (4) children, ages five (5) and under. Mia, Ana, Dax and, Zoe. Since we are the Greats from Maryland in their lives, they are of course, beautiful, smart and wonderful children. Some would say a grand bag of chips.

They woke up today, Sunday, 16 December, 2018 to snow. Samantha posted on FB the following outbursts from the kids.

Until this morning I always thought one of the best things was to wake up to a snow scene. Now the best thing is to listen to my kids wake up to a snow scene.

Mia- oh my goodness, guys you’re never going to believe this
Ana – Oh my hay
Dax – who brought the snow
Zoe – woah
Mia – this is so butiful
Ana – I want to make a snow angel
Dax – how did this get here
Zoe – snow

The Kids back in October: 

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The father of Samantha is also a world traveler and is also in Europe at this moment. You know the man if you follow the Rooster regularly. “Where in the world is Jeff Berthiaume”? Well, he’s departed a recent stay in Sofia, Bulgaria and is now in Bucharest, Romania and has sent these photos along. 

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Jeff will hopefully return to the states later this week and get to enjoy the holidays at home. When he’s away I’m in charge of taking care of Attack Dog Lady Liberty. Like the military, she keeps things safe and secure. Not a K-9 you’d like to sneak up on in the dark, if you know what eye (dang, did it again) mean. 

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Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

Cereal or Serial ?

December 15, 2018 10:49 pm / Leave a comment

In yesterday’s Blog, I used the word cereal, as in Serial Killer. Just as an FYI, it was done purposely. You see, the visitors were coming in the morning hours when one might eat cereal. My smart ass daughter had stated, ” how do you know they’re not Serial Killers”?

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Over some years now of following Anne’s blog and viewing the Mehrling family and friends, I was quite sure Serial Killers they weren’t. The only thing they could be found guilty of was their van, which of course failed them once again. Perhaps it should have stayed at the funeral home where it became disabled not so long ago.

So, earlier today while shopping with her mother and, my daughter, granddaughter Abby decided to put me on display for the cereal reference.

At least they were Heart Health Cheerios.

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Cereal Has Roots in Roman Myth

The Roman goddess Ceres, the equivalent of the Greek Demeter, was a calm goddess who didn’t take part in the quarrels of the other gods. Her particular responsibility was the food-giving plants, and for that reason, the food grains came to carry her name. Cereals of the ancient Romans included wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and millet—but not corn (maize), which was a cereal of the Americas.

Recent Examples (SEREAL) on the Web: Adjective

There’s something thrilling about the tension of a seemingly regular person trying to maintain a veil of normalcy, while maintaining a separate identity as a serial killer or vigilante hero. — Verge Staff, The Verge, “The Verge’s guide to tolerable family streaming entertainment,” 21 Nov. 2018

Even if 2 percent of those people were killed by serial killers, that’s 387 people a year. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, “Criminal profiling doesn’t work. TV shows should maybe stop celebrating it.,” 12 Nov. 2018

So all turned out well, we are still alive, the Mehrling’s are safely in Long Island, NY and Anne shall post another blog in the not too distant future.

I’m sure this has not made a whole lot of cents (oops) there I go again. Have a great day my friends, get your shopping done early, relax and enjoy the upcoming holidays. I leave you with two words, BE KIND.

                                      Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

   

A Visit to Maryland from North Carolina

December 14, 2018 4:52 pm / 5 Comments on A Visit to Maryland from North Carolina

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The author of https://amehrling.com/ center, Anne Mehrling with husband John on the right and the Rooster’s wife Mary Agnes and, our trusty K-9, Benjamin Franklin after the Mehrling’s  stopped by on a trip from North Carolina to Long Island, NY.

 

The Rooster and his wife were so appreciative to have the Mehrling’s stop by on their trip north today. We have followed Anne’s blog for a number of years, and she has followed mine. We have been known to frequently respond with comments towards each other’s writings. Although time committments didn’t allow the visit to be lenghthy, it was wonderful none the less, in meeting the person holding the pen. Well, the hand punching the keys at any rate.

I’ve grown to know the family through Ann’s Blog, as well as the growth of eight year old neighbor Logan and others who live close by. It’s simply amazing how the blogging world brings people together. This one short visit and life’s event sharing, paints the picture further and fills the gaps not said in a Blog.

Several days earlier I had mentioned to our eldest daughter of the pending visit. My daughter inquired, what we would do if they turned out to be Cereal Killers? No worry’s here I assured her. The only thing that turned out to be dead was their car. Seems the van they rode in was a rental with NY plates. Anne has written several times lately about their own van. It died on them once at a Funeral Home, (how appropriate)  and, most recently needed a jump to get started. Turns out this was something I cautioned her about recently. Just yesterday she wrote in an email about their coming trip the following,  “To set your mind at rest — we got a new battery for the car this morning.  Yes, it helps my mind, too”. The cereal killer got the van my daughter.

So I’ll end this Blog with a most appreciative, thank you Anne and John for taking the time out of your busy schedule to vist with us. You are more than the fingers walking across the keys. We call you our friends and look forward to returning the visit, The Rooster and wife.

elderly couple

Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

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From our house to yours, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

 

 

 

Dam or Damn

December 10, 2018 4:51 pm / 1 Comment on Dam or Damn

The Rooster takes no credit what so ever for the following two letters. This was passed on to me from the wife who got it from a Facebook friend. I thought it worthy to share what the Beaurocrats have the time to do in their daily lives while working in the Keystone State of Pennsylvania. Enjoy!

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Google Images

 

 

This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. It was sent by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania. This guy’s response is hilarious, but read the State’s letter before you get to the response letter:

State of Pennsylvania’s letter to Mr. DeVries:

SUBJECT: DEQ … File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. DeVries:    Image result for Seal of Pennsylvania

It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property.

You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity: Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.

A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department’s files shows that no permits have been issued Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.

The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations.. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted.

The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel.

All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2013. Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff.

Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on > > the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.

We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

 

Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management Division

Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:

Re: DEQ File No.. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

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Google Images

 

Dear Mr. Price,

Your certified letter dated 11/17/12 has been handed to me. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania .

A couple of beavers are in the process of constructing and maintaining two wood ‘debris’ dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials ‘debris.’

I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.

These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.

My first dam question to you is:
(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) Do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. (Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the > Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)

I have several dam concerns. My first dam concern is, aren’t the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation — so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer.

The Department’s dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.

If you want the damed stream ‘restored’ to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers — but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.

In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond.

If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the > environment (Beavers’ Dams).

So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2013? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice by then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods.

I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your dam step! The bears are not careful where they dump!

Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.

THANK YOU,
RYAN DEVRIES & THE DAM BEAVERS

…and it’s a true story! Enjoyed this post? Make sure to pass it on.

Thanks to:    https://us.wakeupyourmind.net/

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elderly couple

Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

Something Fishy

October 29, 2018 3:32 pm / 1 Comment on Something Fishy

Yesterday we found ourselves at daughter Kathryn’s house for an early dinner of Chili. We also got a free meal the previous night and played some single deck Pinochle. Jeff and the Rooster were partners and we got our butts kicked two games to one. One of our losses was by more than 100 points, 120 is game, ouch!

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This blog is not about Chili, Pinochle or eating at the daughtersthough, it’s about something fishy. With Jeff off to work in our nations capitol for a few days we extended an invite to Kathryn and granddaughter Abigail & cousin Rachael for dinner tonight. We do that a lot when Jeff’s out of town and traveling.
So, Kathryn asks, “what’s for dinner Granny?” Me wife says, Cod Fish. Kathryn asks why do we put fish after the Cod? “Well, it could be Cod Cakes I say”. We also put fish after, Cat, I mean, would you ask someone to come to your house for cat? We put the fish after Tuna, Sword and Gefilte, don’t we? This led me to realize we put Brazilian & Sea prior to Bass. Should you be eating Drum, it’s color coded, Black or Red? Eldest daughter comes out with some strange thought provoking stuff now and then. Do I have you thinking? Are these prefix and suffix foods?
Tomorrow morning I’m having Bacon Pig with my eggs for breakfast, chicken eggs of course. What are you having for dinner tonight?  Are these prefix and suffix foods I ask?
As long as we have the La carte de vins the girls will be happy, bon appétit.

 

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Baked Cod

 

From the recipe book of https://www.delish.com
Total Time: 0 hours 20 mins
Ingredients:

4 cod filets, about 1-inch thick
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish
1 c. cherry tomatoes
1 lemon, sliced, plus more for garnish
2 garlic cloves, smashed but not peeled
2 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Directions

Preheat the oven to 400° and pat cod filets with a paper towel until dry. Season all over with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, cherry tomatoes, lemon slices, garlic, and thyme.
Brush a baking dish with olive oil. Pour tomato-oil mixture into dish, then nestle in cod.
Bake until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes.
Serve garnished with parsley, more lemon juice, and pan sauce.

elderly couple

Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

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National Pastoral Care Week

October 22, 2018 3:21 pm / 1 Comment on National Pastoral Care Week

From October 22 to 28 we recognize Pastoral Care Week, also known as Spiritual Care Week. As more people around the world come to recognize the importance of whole person care, we take note during this special week, now in its 32nd year, to celebrate those who provide this care through professional chaplaincy and pastoral counseling. These trained professionals minister to the needs of persons of all faiths or none. They provide this care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, hospices, nursing homes and military settings throughout the world. By celebrating the week we have the opportunity to recognize the important and often unrecognized work and healing gifts of pastoral care givers, be they clergy, chaplains, or volunteers. By Eric J. Hall (Huffington Post)

 

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www.peninsula.org

Back in June of this year daughter Kathryn, ever watchful over the lives of her aging parents, sent me an email pertaining to an upcoming educational program offered at the hospital where she is employed. The course offered the opportunity for an individual to be trained in Pastoral Counseling and ultimately be a Chaplain upon successful completion. I’m guessing she thought I had too much idle time on my hands. I accepted the opportunity, filled out a lenghthy application and passed the background investigation and was accepted.

I finished the course successfully along with five other classmates and have begun walking the halls of the hospital and doing patient visitations. I am part of the Volunteer Services of the institution and am proud to be worthy of this responsibility.

During my formative years I was raised a Methodist, practiced as a Lutheran and attended a Baptist church while in the Marine Corps in Washington, DC. Fifty three years ago I married a young Catholic girl and have long been a practicing member of that faith. I’ve worshiped with Mormons, Jews and those of the Episcopal faith and attended a few Charismatic services. The rooms I enter will have a listener from many perspectives and three-quarters of a century of life experiences. Now, if these legs just hold up, I may do some good. Not quite sure what they might say when they realize a Rooster’s walking the halls.

No matter the faith, we all ask for a blessing from a higher authority when the chips are not quite falling our way. This is especially true when sickness or injury brings us inside those antiseptic walls of a hospital. An ending quote from a Chaplain that was recently carried in the Huffington Post went like this.

““We as chaplains in health care are often invited by patients and family members to stand with them in sacred spaces at sacred times in their lives. We are there with them to witness the beginnings of the lives and the ending of lives. We stand with them and support them during some of the greatest joys and some of the greatest tragedies that life brings to any person.”

Pastoral Care Overview

The Catholic Health Association of the United States

https://www.chausa.org/Sitefinity/WebsiteTemplates/MatrixBaseTheme/App_Themes/MatrixBaseTheme/Images/subbanners/Banner_Pastoral_Care.jpg
Catholic health care is committed to care of the whole person – body, mind and spirit. We listen, we explain and we serve with compassion. As the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services states: “Since a Catholic health care institution is a community of healing and compassion, the care offered is not limited to the treatment of a disease or bodily ailment but embraces the physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of the human person. … For this reason, Catholic health care extends to the spiritual nature of the person. … Directed to the spiritual needs that are often appreciated more deeply during times of illness, pastoral care is an integral part of Catholic health care.” (Part Two: The Pastoral and Spiritual Responsibility of Catholic Health Care, Introduction)

Through the Pastoral Care Advisory Committee, CHA looks at the changing landscape, challenges and opportunities for delivering spiritual care in new and creative ways. While pastoral care has traditionally been provided in Catholic hospitals and long-term care facilities, the shift in health care delivery to non-acute care and outpatient settings has created new opportunities for patients and residents to receive holistic care in these new settings. Many of our members are using chaplains in physician offices and ambulatory settings where patients with chronic diseases are being treated. Catholic health care is committed to providing holistic care in whatever setting care is being delivered. The need for qualified chaplains is growing.

Recognizing there is a shortage of trained, qualified chaplains in health care, CHA is committed to working collaboratively with board certifying groups to ensure there will be enough qualified chaplains to fill the needs going into the future. Many members are finding ways to use board certified chaplains with the most critically ill patients and supplement their staff though trained volunteers and local clergy. For more information about pastoral care activities, please contact Brian Smith, MS, MA, M.Div., CHA senior director of mission innovation and integration.

elderly couple

Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

A Share from Minnesota

October 17, 2018 10:30 am / Leave a comment

Rev. Shirley Duncanson is a United Methodist Pastor. She is a graduate of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, Metro State University in Minnesota and Cleveland High School, in Cleveland MN where she grew up on a small fishing resort. Retired in 2013, she has served churches in Owatonna, Fairfax, Morton, Winona, Homer, Mounds View and most recently Hillcrest United Methodist Church in Bloomington, all in Minnesota. Shirley currently is a volunteer pastor at a nearby church. She is the mother of seven and grandmother of seven. Shirley enjoys photography, theological discussions, political discourse, book studies, and reading.

I share with you her perspective of the upcoming election. Shirley’s Blog can be followed @ https://shirleyhobsonduncanson.com/

Surviving the 2018 Campaign

Political ads are out in full force. If we want to learn something unseemly about a candidate, we can simply turn on our TV.  I am living in a battleground state.  Outside money is pouring in. A truth meter on every ad would help.    I yearn for the election to be over.   Meanwhile, airways are humming with innuendo.

Will that person running in the Third District be a pawn of Nancy Pelosi? Or the one in the Sixth District vote 100% with Donald Trump? Which party is really out to protect the pre-existing condition clause in the Affordable Care Act? And which one is out to destroy it? Did our congressman running for Governor suddenly stop working across the aisle since he decided to run for that office? Which candidates are ready to rip off Medicare? And who is out there with big oil, when Minnesota farmers are putting up windmills and making ethanol? Can a person be against a tax cut and still be for the people in their district? Or is opposition to a tax cut a fatal flaw? Which incumbent is destroying the environment and which one cares enough to save it? How can anyone be against “building the wall?”  Is there a place for sanctuary cities?     And who do we need to fear more – Nancy Pelosi or Donald Trump? I didn’t know that Nancy was running in Minnesota, but suddenly her face is appearing everywhere.

I hate this part of politics . . . Looking for dirt on others and making it up when it can’t be found. This year, the usual distortions of reality are turning into fear-based advertising. I see this from the Republican side in a slug of new ads this week. Likewise, I’ve been  disappointed in Hillary Clinton’s “You cannot be civil with Republicans.” And Eric Holder’s “When they go low, we kick them.” Neither represents a Christian World View any more than the “Lock her up” chants at Trump rallies.

I need a time out. I want people who treat each other decently in public office. I want the Citizens United ruling overturned and names of people who pay for all the ads that disgust me revealed.   I want debates that are mandatory and candidates required to answer the actual question asked. I want those debates broadcast live and transcripts available. I might actually find out something good about each one. It might sway my intended vote.

I hope you vote this year if you are eligible.   I hope you recognize the power of a vote and the nonsense spewed that your single vote doesn’t matter.   I hope you’re able to dig through the noise of the campaigns and get to the truth of a candidates position.   I hope your vote aligns with the words and the life of Jesus –  whose concern for the poor was primary and taught us that what we do for the least of our brothers and sister, is as if we are doing it for him.   I hope your vote is one that will promote justice.

In the meantime, while the ads spew, the “mute” button on my remote is a gift, and Netflix is a safe haven.

elderly couple

Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

A trip to Connecticut

October 15, 2018 12:30 pm / 1 Comment on A trip to Connecticut

When the wife and I say we want to go home, the place we always refer to is, Connecticut. We especially loved Connecticut in the fall. We would go to football games in Storrs on a Saturday and watch Uconn back in it’s Yankee conference days. They’ve gone big time today playing D-1 athletics in a big stadium in East Hartford. They happen to be loosing a lot lately also.

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Uconn-Icenter photo

We loved watching the tree’s turn colors. Our old neighbor’s, the Anderson’s, had a giant Maple that would turn the most beautiful shades of oranges and reds.

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Not the same tree, but it could be a twin.

Neighbors would bond while splitting firewood to burn in our stoves through the coming fall and winter. The smell of smoke would permeate in the air from those stoves. Ghosts and goblins would run through the local cemetary dating back to the 1600’s. On All-Hallow’s-Eve, back in the day when the children were young, this was a place which holds memories for a lifetime. With the coming of darkness, thoughts ran wild for those sitting on the stones, while stories were told. At times even the adults were taken aback with the frightful image of a translucent ghost moving among the headstones in the rear of the cemetary. Yes Vi Cordner, you pulled a good one on us that year.

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Bamforth Rd. cemetary, Vernon, CT

I helped coach a midget football team back in the day, the late 70’s. We always had a travel game to Portland, CT. On the return home from the game we would stop at the old cider mill in the town of Glastonbury. We would walk among the trees. we could smell the apples on the ground, and the Buzzing of the Bees that never bit you in that time of the year. All those adventures are rekindled in my memory as I write this post. A few gallons of the finest Apple Cider would be purchased that day, along with a half basket of apples. Once back home, a tasty apple pie would not be far behind. Take a deep breath in from your nose, can you smell it baking in the oven? 

Glastonbury today has many farms and agricultural resources, just click on the site below to view them.

http://www.glastonbury-ct.gov/departments/department-directory-a-k/health-department/better-health-initiatives/glastonbury-farms-and-resources

Connecticut is also home for the last steam powered cider mill in the U.S.

From their web site, I cut and paste to you, Clyde’s Cider Mill:

Welcome to B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill, WHERE TRADITION IS VERY IMPORTANT

Clyde’s Cider Mill is located in the small village of Old Mystic, CT. B.F. Clyde’s started making Hard Cider in 1881.

The apples for our Hard Ciders and Apple Wines come from local orchards and are pressed into juice here at our Mill. The juice is then pumped directly into oak casks in the Mill’s cellar, where it is fermented and ages for up to 3 years. Our Ciders and Apple Wines are still, in keeping with the tradition of cider makers of long ago.

Tradition is very important to us here at Clyde’s. In 1898, Frank and Abby Clyde built the Victorian style building and purchased the machinery still in use today.

We are the last steam powered cider mill in the U.S. today. In 1994, Clyde’s was designated a National Historic Landmark.

We are open from September thru late December. With our cider press operating in the Fall.

Take a StepBACK IN TIME

A visit to Clyde’s Cider Mill is like stepping back in time. Come see the only steam powered cider mill in the U.S..

We start our season in September with our hard ciders and apple wines, jams, jellies, local honey, maple syrup, fudge, and what many people call “The best sweet cider on Earth”! Also available in the Fall are apples, apple pies, pumpkin bread, gourds, Indian corn, pumpkins, candy apples, kettle corn and apple cider donuts.

So take a break from the ordinary and come visit a National Historic Landmark and see the 6th generation of Clyde family making cider just like B.F. Clyde did in 1881.

http://clydescidermill.com/

elderly couple

Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

A Reading on a Monday Morning

September 24, 2018 4:10 pm / 5 Comments on A Reading on a Monday Morning

Back in June, daughter Kathryn sent me information about an upcoming training course at the hospital she works for, Penisula Regional Medical Center. The course was a “Basic Chaplains course,” with participants responsible for “Pastoral Care in Hospitals” upon completion.

Twenty-six years ago I also was an employee of this institution. Just one of my many hats during three-quarters of a century traveling around the sun.  I have thought of volunteering at this hospital for some time. I felt it would be a way to give back for the thirty years of Cardiological Care I have received. I’ve had quite a few positive outcomes from various procedures and am a proud, five-time graduate of the Cardiac Rehabilitation program.

So I filled out the necessary paperwork for the “Basic Chaplain Course” and was quite pleased when I found out I was accepted. I looked forward to my Thursday evenings and engaging in dialogue with my fellow students and instructor. After several weeks we would meet with in-patients, explain the services offered by the “Pastoral Care Department,” and carry on dialogue with the patients under the guidance and oversight of staff chaplains.

I proudly completed that course last Thursday and look forward to starting my Volunteer Chaplain time at the hospital in the coming days. I’ve developed of late, a habit of doing a daily reading of one kind or another. Today I happened to read, An Accessible Woman: Remembering St. Teresa of Kolkata, by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB     One part of that reading was as follows:

“The fruit of silence is PRAYER. The fruit of prayer is FAITH. The fruit of faith is LOVE. The fruit of love is SERVICE. The fruit of service is PEACE. God bless you. –Mother Teresa.”

elderly couple

Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

Check your Freezer (A Share)

September 12, 2018 1:53 pm / 2 Comments on Check your Freezer (A Share)

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By

 

When a major storm is on the horizon, sometimes packing your bags and leaving home is the safe thing to do. But, if you’re worried about the food in your fridge being safe to consume when you return, you’re going to want to remember this brilliantly simple trick.

If the power goes out while you’re gone, everything from meat to milk will be at risk. But, if the power returns before you do, you’ll never know if your fridge was running the whole time or not.

As Sheila Pulanco Russell, from North Carolina, explains in her post, all you need is a quarter and cup of water. Put the water in the freezer until it’s frozen solid. Then, take it out, and put a quarter on top of the ice. Return the cup—with the quarter—back to the freezer.

All of that may seem pointless, but stay with us. When you return, if you find the quarter has moved to the bottom of the cup, then you’ll know your food was unrefrigerated while you were gone and it’s no longer safe to eat. Found the quarter in the middle? The food is likely still okay, but, as Sheila advises, “If you don’t feel good about your food, just throw it out.”

Where you ideally want the quarter to be is exactly where you left it—on the top. That means your freezer’s contents stayed frozen the entire time. Genius, right? Facebook agrees, too. In a matter of days, Sheila’s post was shared close to 400,000 times.

elderly couple

Don’t forget to check on the elderly.

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