"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Francis De Sales

Friday, September 27, 2019

Katie, Moving Sale & Leaves



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Our friend Katie was diagnosed with cancer and at one point was given nine months to live. She fought the cancer going through chemo therapy which caused her to loose her hair. We all prayed for her recovery as she dealt with the pain and suffering. The cancer is now in remission.

A few weeks ago Katie returned to the church choir. Sitting in the front row watching and listening to her beautiful voice brought tears to my eyes.
After Mass, I gave her a big hug and told her how much her presence and her voice added to the Sunday morning worship.

Thank you Lord for listening to all our prayers.

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This is from Paul’s Bods
(Please note that the photos may not be visible.)


"Christine de Pizan (1364 - 1430) wrote a Poem called  "Ditie de Jehanne dArc" (the Poem of Joan of Arc, also known as the song of Joan of Arc) in which she not only eulogizes Joan, but also celebrates the appearance of a woman military leader who, according to de Pizan, vindicated and rewarded all women’s efforts to defend their own sex, 

"Ditie de Jehanne dArc" - Stanza XXXIV;
Hee! quel honneur au femenin Sexe! 
Que Dieu l'ayme il appert,
Quant tout ce grant pueple chenin,
Par qui tout le regne ert desert,
Par femme est sours et recouvert,
Ce que Cm hommes [fait] n'eussent,
Et les traictres mis à desert!
A peine devant ne le creussent.

(Translation)
Oh! What honor for the feminine sex!
God has shown his regard for it,
in contrast to all the people who
destroyed the Kingdom and ran away and quit.
Now recovered and saved by a woman,
who did what 5000 men could not,
and now the traitors are no more
who would have believed this before


For those interested, there´s a very nice Illustrated PDF Version (in original and Translation in english, HERE"

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We are getting ready for our “Moving Sale.” The garage is full of stuff and Dee has listed the date and time for our sale. She has worked very hard in setting up everything. Friends and family have been assisting with the process.
This Saturday, the 28th, from 8AM to 4PM. 
Some of our neighbors are also participating, so there should be a nice selection.

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“Besides the Autumn poets sing
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the Haze...
Grant me, Oh Lord, a sunny mind—
Thy windy will to bear!”

Emily Dickinson
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I finished watching season one of “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.” It is well done and kept my interest. I like story line and the cast of heroes and villains. 
I’ve always been a Jim Henson fan and love his Muppets. Looking forward to the next season.

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Johnny Nash - "Hold Me Tight"



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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.


Friday, September 13, 2019

Anniversary, OBX & a Ship




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On Sunday, Bishop Barry C. Knestout, D.D., said Mass at our Church of the Epiphany 40th Anniversary. Afterward we enjoyed sharing food and drink with our Church families at our annual picnic. The Mass and the picnic were well attended.

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The Dare County, North Carolina officials opened access to Duck and some other towns at 4PM Sunday afternoon. We arrived around 9PM and avoided all the traffic. Our rental house is fine and we are enjoying the nice weather.

There are still many who are trying to rebuild from Dorian, so please keep all of them in your prayers.

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Deviantart

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“Thousands of people attended a ceremony at the Ground Zero memorial site in lower Manhattan to mark the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The ceremony began just before 9 a.m., with moments of silence and the ringing of bells to mark when planes hit the World Trade Center and when the twin towers fell. The attacks at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pa. were also observed during the ceremony.
As with previous anniversaries at the 9/11 Memorial, the names of the nearly 3,000 victims killed in the attacks were read by family and friends.”

These people are in my daily prayers.

For John Vigiano, for the souls of his sons Joseph & John Jr. For his family. 
(“John Vigiano, a former Marine and retired FDNY Captain has accomplished many things in his life, including the winning battle he waged with throat cancer in the 1980s. But his two greatest life accomplishments were his sons, NYPD Detective Joseph Vigiano and FDNY fireman John Vigiano II. John’s sons were taken from him on the morning of September 11 and the pain that his family and his sons’ families have endured has tested their strength.” 9-11-2001)

For the soul of “Father Mychal Judge, OFM, served as a chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. 
(After administering the sacrament of the sick to a fire fighter, Father Mychal was hit by debris and killed. He is the first officially recorded fatality following the attack.” 9-11-2001)

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A Bottle So Noteworthy 

“Walking along the sandy seashore
late on summers evening so cool
such peaceful scene everything so still
what a tranquil setting such a pull

For a number of hours there I was
spending these moments step by step
then out of the blue floating on top
so very clear looking so very in debt

But this looked elusive indeed
out of hands grasp it seems
then with quickness seemingly came
over these succulent soft streams

Eventually, my fingers found its touch
there deep inside a little note
took it out seeing only three words
its passion loose having no coat
A bottle so noteworthy
with no details what to do
mere words but so powerful
simply short saying I love you!”

Gordon McConnell

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Thought I would share a "Crusader ship" that was built over at Paul's Bods. He has completed a few ships, but I like this one. He does a great job in building these kits and fortunately provides details of each build. This particular ship is the "Hanse Kogge."




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This song is dedicated to an old friend who was an avid fan of Bob Dylan.


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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.


Friday, September 6, 2019

Folklore, A Poem & Grades





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Some time ago I found a folk story about a white deer in the county of Powhatan, Virginia. Unfortunately I don’t remember where I found it, so I went searching and found the same story, only it was from Brookhaven, New York. In either case, it is worth sharing.

A New York Spooky Story retold by S. E. Schlosser

"Aunty Greenleaf was a scrawny old woman with a wild thatch of gray hair and a crooked nose. She lived in a hut surrounded by pines just outside Brookhaven, and she sold herbal remedies to the folks in town. Mostly, people avoided her, except when someone got sick because it was said that Aunty Greenleaf was a witch. Her home remedies worked too well to be natural. Folks figured she had to have help from the devil or one of his familiars.

There were many stories whispered in Brookhaven about Aunty Greenleaf. People said she had hexed a farmer's pigs once after he spoke rudely to her, so that they all died, one right after another. One prominent citizen dreamed of Aunty Greenleaf, and the next morning her daughter fell ill with a fever and nearly died. It was also rumored that Aunty Greenleaf and her witch friends crossed the Atlantic in an egg-shell and frolicked with the witches in England. Then they put a spell on the egg-shell so that it brought them back here before sunrise

In the early fall, folks in town began talking about a large, pure-white deer that was seen roaming the woods near Brookhaven at night. Several hunting parties were gathered to go after the large animal, but it seemed to be impervious to bullets, and folks began saying it was a phantom deer. Around about that time, several women in the town began having trouble with their churning and a number of cows and pigs began to sicken and die. Folks blamed the incidents on the phantom deer, though each of the people afflicted with the trouble had crossed Aunty Greenleaf at some time in the last month.

The men of Brookhaven got up a hunting party to chase down the animal. They were gone all day, and well into the night. Finally they spotted the white deer. It was the largest deer any of them had ever seen, and was fast too. They couldn't keep up with it. The men got several good shots in, and swore that at least one of them hit the deer, but it just kept running. They returned home empty-handed.

One local farmer became obsessed with the white deer. Every moment he could spare from his work, the farmer would take his gun and go hunting in the woods around town. He saw the white deer several times, but he his shots always seemed to go astray. Finally, he decided the white deer must be a witch of some sort. 

The farmer melted silver to make bullets, and then he took his gun and went out hunting the white deer. He managed to make three shots with his silver bullets and the white deer actually stumbled as if one of the shots had hit it. Then it jerked upright and ran away. He tracked it almost to Aunty Greenleaf's hut, but then he lost it in the dark somehow, which was mighty strange, seeing as the deer was pure white.

The next day, the farmer learned that Aunty Greenleaf was ill. From the moment she took to her bed, the local farm animals stopped dying and the families who were having trouble with their churning were back to normal. Less than a week later, Aunty Greenleaf died and the doctor who cared for her told the minister he found three silver bullets in her spine.

After the death of Aunty Greenleaf, the phantom white deer was never heard of or seen again in Brookhaven."

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“I'm always amazed at how 'We The People' come together to assist one another during Hurricane Season or any other calamity. The beauty of human compassion always staggers me and reminds me of how divine we truly are. However, It shouldn't take a disaster, natural or otherwise, to remind us of our collective humanity.” 

Sabrina Newby

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“You are a poet, not an artist with a picture there to paint,
You share a certain sameness though your subject is so quaint.

Your pencil is the brush you’ll need to make the colors glow,
Your words the vital link I’ll need to make the figure grow.

You see I think the thing to do when you find beauty to convey,
Remember you’re a poet first, you know a better way.”

Dee, June 1970

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We are getting ready for the garage/yard sale this month. In the process of going through closets Dee found my first and second grade report cards from St. Francis of Assisi in Tonawanda, New York.


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Hurricane Dorian has left the Virginia coast. 
We are located west of Interstate 95 and missed the flooding and rain issues that Dorian was causing. Our prayers go out to those who were not so fortunate.

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The Newbeats - "Bread and Butter"
This is a "much watch," enjoy.


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Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.