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The road to ascension has been long and arduous. It has provided us many opportunities in which to grow, learn, evolve, and transcend many limiting aspects of self and the collective (illusions, beliefs, fear patterns, systems, and structures). As a result, we've reclaimed more of our higher dimensional memories, capacities, identities, power, sovereignty and therefore, deeper communion with the One and connection with the All. And together, we've raised the experience of Earth back to its natural higher-dimensional state.
You may be looking around thinking it sure as hell doesn't look or feel that way, but I assure you, the conditions that needed to be met to create the shift needed have occurred. The last year marked the final monumental shift needed in the Higher Collective Mind, to guarantee that what now unfolds will lead us all to higher shores and a much richer and more fulfilling earthly and spiritual experience. The ascension of earth and humanity is now inevitable. Greater love, freedom, healing and harmony - the final decree.
What you witness now is simply the unfolding of that monumental collective mental shift, the tipping point reached. Which immediately impacts and throws into chaos the collective emotional body. And the dance between these two has only just begun. In 2017, you will see this exchange intensify as deeper and deeper layers of hidden truths are revealed, ancestral memories unlocked, and a great deal more collective energy surfaces for healing. Now that the larger critical shift has taken place, the remaining ascension movements/shifts needed to manifest the new world/age will happen in rapid step-wise succession.
Some incarnated souls will suffer greatly during these times in a state of severe cognitive dissonance and/or denial. They will have difficulty processing the tsunami wave of revelation on tap for this year. Both mentally and emotionally they will struggle to keep up. It is important to send them your love but not become mired in their perspective/attitude. Conversely, many many others across the globe (like us) will experience the unfolding of such events very differently. We will experience them as exciting, miraculous, empowering, liberating, and as an opportunity to reshape reality the way it was intended to be. We get to say good riddance to those things that have suppressed the truth and only perpetuated the grand lie of dis-empowerment, division, control and limitation. We will be stepping into and embracing our new roles as visionaries, healers, artists, mentors, and conscious creators of the new. Ascended masters actualized!!!
It is in knowing this and weighing it over these last many months in my heart and mind that I have made the decision to not focus on updating this blog or channel messages at this time. Instead I would like to spend my remaining time on Earth as I know it, simply witnessing. Watching and feeling it all unfold as it unfolds...not trying to gauge it, simply experiencing fully one of the greatest moment's in cosmic history - the shifting of an Age! It no longer resides in the future - but here in the present.
As a way to mark the transition, I have created a new blog called April's Expressions where I will share my artistic expressions, reflections, and impressions of this grand unfolding as it unfolds. I hope you will come and visit me there.
For those who would like to continue to be informed of energetic/ascension forecasts and happenings, I encourage you to visit regularly George Stankov's Universal Law Press website. Also, there are many great channeled blogs noted in the Recommended Links section on the left hand side column of this blog.
Celebrate, for we are in the most exciting times ever on Earth! Consider how you too would like to spend your remaining time on this planet as you know it. I shall see you all very very soon.
Much love and light,
Blog of Méline Lafont where you can find my own Divine Channelings of Light combined with enlighten work of fellow Lightworkers and friends ♥
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Tuesday, March 14, 2017
April Bender ~ Crossing a New Threshold
Geplaatst door Méline Lafont op 5:50:00 PM
Labels: april Bender, channeling, March 2017, spirituality
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When a foreign child is abandoned by her family in Isolann's wolf-ridden forests, she is taken to live under Azrar's protection as his ward. The strange ability that the girl possesses, a power that so terrified her own people, could be the only hope for Prince Azrar's survival.
The Dark Kind is an ancient species, the top of the Primate food chain, slowly dying out as ever-present Humanity expands.
A powerful Dark Kind Warlord brings up a Human Girl, Khari, for she holds special powers. When the Human world inevitably intrudes upon her peaceful world, her Guardian sends her out to learn about her own kind, while he fights the menace that threatens the health and well-being of every living thing.
This is a Vampire story. That much is certain, but despite the obligatory vampiric introduction of Jendar Azrar in the first chapter, full of the joys of the hunt and his feeding, "Blood Tears" is certainly not your usual type of Vampire story. "Blood Tears" is a Dark Fantasy and Raven Dane knows how to construct a realistic tale, drawing the reader into the world without them noticing. She has woven the fantastic elements of the story through the backdrop of the Second World War in such a way that it is a seriously plausible accounting of the war.
This is not a story for those who want the emotional "I've lived for a hundred years and I'm sooo lonely" type of Vampire; there is no teenage angst here. The horror doesn't come from the Dark Kind, but the various human monsters both in military uniform and civilian guise… and I don't just mean the Nazis. All the usual Vampire clichés are here; however, Raven's writing style makes the whole book original and new, with reasonable explanations for all the cliches from being Nocturnal to needing Human Blood to survive.
I've read many different ways of presenting Vampires (except Twilight – don't ask) and this is very much my favourite one. I feel that "Blood Tears" is on par with "Interview with a Vampire" and in many ways surpasses it. The characters are created in such a way that it is a real wrench to leave them at the end of the book and you are left wondering what happens next. I fell in love with Jazriel from the moment he was introduced and hated Prof. Parrish with a similar passion and this is why I love the book!
If you like the Vampire / Gothic Romance Genre then this is one book you are going to love!
Praise for Blood Tears
Vampirism at a deliciously literary level, dark fantasy at its best!' - Gary Power, Author
Taut, pacey and beautifully written, a refreshingly different vampire novel. I cannot praise Blood Tears enough. - Karen Stevens for The British Fantasy Society
"The story is compelling and intriguing - a must to read." - Helen Hollick, author of Pendragon's Banner Trilogy, Harold the King and A Hollow Crown
"Sexy, subversive and beautifully written" - Rachel Cropper, TFC
"Raven continually manages to use clichés of this romantic gothic genre and
twist them into something new. Incredibly refreshing" - Alix Ali, Bucks Free Press
To pick up a copy of this wonderful book in both Print and Digital format, click through the link below:
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

subset: commoncrawl


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Helmut Schmidt (age 92) came out of retirement in December and gave a very powerful address to his Social democrat colleagues about Europe. It's worth watching (in German) and reading (in English) – first for what he says about German responsibilities -
For all our surpluses in reality constitute the deficits of the other nations. The claims that we have on others are their debts. It is a case of undesirable damage being done to what was once elevated by us to a statutory ideal: »external balance«. This damage must unnerve our partners. And when foreign, mostly American, voices – then they came from all quarters – have been heard to call for Germany to take the leading role, all this together causes further unease in our neighbours. And it revives bad memories.As for what he says about the financial measures Europe needs to take -
This economic development and the simultaneous crisis in the ability of the organs of the European Union have continued to force Germany into a central role. Together with the French president, the Chancellor has accepted this role willingly. However, there has appeared in many European capitals and likewise in the media of many of our neighbours a growing concern about German dominance. This time it is not a question of an overly strong military and political central power, but rather of an overly powerful economic centre.
At this point, it is necessary for a serious and carefully considered warning for our politicians, our media and our public opinion to be issued.
If we Germans allow ourselves to be seduced into claiming a political leading role in Europe or at least playing first among equals, based on our economic strength, an increasing majority of our neighbours will effectively resist this. The concern of the periphery about an all too powerful European centre would soon come racing back. The possible consequences of such a development would be crippling. And Germany would fall into isolation.
The very large and very capable German Federal Republic needs – if only to protect us from ourselves – to be embedded in European integration. For this reason, ever since 1992 and the times of Helmut Kohl, article 23 of our constitution obligates us to cooperate »with the development of the European Union«. Article 23 obligates us as part of this cooperation to the »principle of subsidiarity«. The present crisis regarding the ability of EU organs does not change these principles.
Our geopolitically central location and, in addition, our unfortunate role in European history in the first half of the twentieth century and our current capacity, all these things together demand from every German government a very large measure of sympathy towards the interests of our EU partners. And our willingness to help is essential.
We Germans have indeed not achieved our great reconstruction of the last sixty years alone and through our own might. Rather it would not have been possible without the aid of the Western victorious powers, without our involvement in the European Community and the Atlantic Alliance, without the aid of our neighbours, without the political break up of eastern Central Europe and without the end of the communist dictatorship. We Germans have reason to be grateful. And likewise we have the duty to show ourselves worthy of the solidarity we received through providing our own solidarity towards our neighbours.
The governments of the entire world in 2008/2009 saved the banks with guarantees and taxpayers' money. Ever since 2010, however, this flock of highly intelligent (but also prone to psychoses) financial managers have continued to play their old game of profit and bonification. In any event, the countries that participate in the common European currency should join together to put into practice far-reaching regulations of their common financial markets. Regulations to separate normal commercial banks from investment and shadow banks, to ban the short selling of securities at a future date, to ban trade in derivatives, provided they are not approved by the official stock exchange supervisory body, and regulations for the effective restriction of transactions that affect the Euro area and are carried out by the currently unsupervised ratings agenciesAnd it was remiss of me not to have mentioned before now the courageous speech given in Berlin in November by the Polish Foreign Secretary who dared also to talk about German responsibilities, Here are some of the responses.


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This is a podcast series (episode 13 is the latest) "the brainchild of Jason Puckett. Along with Jason, Rachel Borchardt and Anna Van Scoyoc co-produce monthly shows focused on all things library instruction related. Topics may include: information literacy programs, instructional technologies, teaching methods, gaming in the classroom, and assessment techniques." The Adventures in library instruction website is at http://adlibinstruction.blogspot.com/
There is also a Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/adlibinstruction
There is also a Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/adlibinstruction
Makes me wonder whether I ought to revive an idea I had of doing podcasts...Photo by Sheila Webber: bluebells in the wood, Hailsham, May 2010


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Today, let's look at 1953's Adventures into Weird Worlds#14 (reprinted from Crypt of Shadows#5) and Sol Brodsky's story "The Man Who Steals Gravestones!"
He's actually using a modest winch, but when I first saw this splash page years ago I thought the gravestone-nabber had an elaborate removal device.
We open in a cemetery with Josiah Creech, the man who steals gravestones. After loading the old gravestone into his wheelbarrow, then into his truck, Creech brings the stone back to his shop and chisels the names off the slab, then places it in his display window; you see, Josiah is in the business of gravestone sales.
One day an older gentleman purchases a gravestone from Josiah for $100 and Josiah carries the stone to the cemetary himself, intending to plant it lightly in the ground so it will be easier to re-steal. However, once the gravestone is planted the purchaser disappears without having paid Josiah. Josiah wonders what's going on, when suddenly he's pulled through the ground itself!
Josiah finds himself within a coffin beside the man who purchased the gravestone. He believes since Josiah seems to want his gravestone so badly...
Creech already has such a look of death about him (the tight skin on his skull, the sunken eyes), he actually looks less lively than the dead man.
Be back tomorrow for another "I Love Atlas Comics!"


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Discovering Rav Elyashiv zt"l
My article in the current issue of Jewish Action
(It appears there in a slightly more polished version, courtesy of JA's editors)
Rav Elyashiv zt"l was an opaque person. His public persona did not give us a sense of who he was. He was a closed book, and it is not clear that the book can ever be opened. Rav Elyashiv did not write in a systematic manner. Even his teshuvos, which he himself wrote, are only available as edited by his talmidim – who have inserted many ellipses, limiting the personal quality of Rav Elyashiv's writings.
A teshuva written to the Kaliver Rebbe shlita. In 1985, the Kaliver Rebbe suggested a takkanah to recite the pesukim of Shema Yisrael following Aleynu every morning. The intent of the takkanah was to use that practice as a means to unite ourselves with the memory of the six million kedoshim of the Shoah.
Rav Elyashiv begins his response by acknowledging that the Rebbe himself is a survivor of the Shoah, and that obviously the memory of that horrific time is always with the Rebbe in a way that Rav Elyashiv himself is not. Nevertheless, continues Rav Elyashiv, since the Rebbe asked his opinion, he would give it.
Rav Elyashiv relates that shortly after the Shoah a proposal was made to institute a fixed, permanent fast day to remember that tragic period. At the times, recalls Rav Elyashiv, the Chazon Ish zt"l came out against the proposal, saying that our generation is one that had best remain silent, and is not worthy of introducing permanent enactments.[1] This earlier repudiation of a similar proposal in and of itself, writes Rav Elyashiv, may suffice to negate the Rebbe's proposal. But, adds Rav Elyashiv, there is an additional issue here. The Kaliver Rebbe's expressed intent was that this practice serve as a time of contemplation l'hisyached im ha'kedoshim – "to unite with the martyrs" – is not a form of contemplation that we find in our classic sources, in Chazal.
Rav Elyashiv here manifests an approach that is not unique, yet is noteworthy as a hallmark of the Lithuanian approach to Jewish practice: Sentiment is not an adequate basis for a public policy, even if the policy does not clash with any specific Halachic parameter. Even though can be no inherent Halachic objection to an individual repeating Shma after davening, its repetition as a formal ritual is objectionable in and of itself, so long as it is not grounded in a known form of Avodas Hashem sanctioned by Chazal.[2]
In a similar teshuva, Rav Elyashiv responds to an unidentified correspondent whose parents has perished in the Shoah, who wanted to purchase unused land in a cemetery and erect a monument there to memorialize his parents.
Rav Elyashiv begins his response by considering the issues that may be involved in this case. We know that we are forbidden to emulate inherently non-Jewish rituals.[3] The Rema (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 178) defines inherently non-Jewish rituals as either ceremonies that manifest lewdness (pritzus), or ceremonies in which they engage for no apparent reason. Since the ceremonies are not grounded in any apparent reason, we must take into account that they are grounded in heathen worship or superstition (Darchei Emori). On the other hand, writes the Rema, non-Jewish rituals that are based on obvious and positive motivations may be adopted by us. Accordingly, it would seem, that the erection of such a monument – while admittedly a form of commemoration of non-Jewish origin – should be permissible, as it is obviously and positively grounded in the questioner's quest to honor his parents.
However, continues Rav Elyashiv, the Gra (to Shulchan Aruch ibid.) rules stringently, that we are even forbidden to adopt non-Jewish rituals that are based on obvious and positive motivations. This would seem to rule out the erection of the monument. However, continues Rav Elyashiv, it is not clear that the practice of erecting commemorative monuments is, indeed, of non-Jewish origin. After all, we find Avshalom, who had no heirs, erecting for himself already during his lifetime, the commemorative monument known as Yad Avshalom. And the Gra would also allow us to adopt rituals common among non-Jews if they can be traced to our own practices as recorded in Tanach.
On the other hand, writes Rav Elyashiv, we must also consider the use of the land of the cemetery for this purposes. The land of a cemetery is similar to the status of a synagogue in a location frequented by the public – viz., such land can only be used for its stated purpose – which, in this case, would seem to be the burial of the dead, not the erection of monuments. However, after citing and analyzing several sources, Rav Elyashiv concludes that there is sufficient Halachic basis to permit this manner of usage of cemetery grounds.
But... concludes Rav Elyashiv, even though Din Torah allows for the erection of such a monument, from the perspective of Da'as Torah this is not a laudable venture (Ein ruach chachamim nocha heimena). Rather, the questioner should consider one of time-honored manners of commemorating the departed – e.g., by donating something [such as a light fixture, etc.] to a shul [to which one could, of course, affix a plaque], which would generate merit for the deceased and commemorate him at the same time.
Here again Rav Elyashiv here manifests an approach that is not unique, yet is noteworthy – and which enhances our understanding of his teshuva to the Kaliver Rebbe: Halacha is the letter of the law (Din Torah), but the knowledge and observance of Halacha inculcates us with a "sensitivity" to its spirit (Da'as Torah[4]). More precisely, perhaps, Halacha consists of both rulings (Din) and opinions (Da'as). In both these teshuvos Rav Elyashiv is clarifying that even if something may be permitted according to a narrow ruling, it may still remain out of sync with the value system of the Halachic minded. And, in cases where the questioner is motivated by sentiment, the spirit of the law should definitely prevail.
Most of this teshuva is clearly missing. As it "starts" with paragraph Gimmel (3). But the part of the teshuva that has been published is fascinating. The question under discussion is the propriety of exaggerating in stories about Gedolim. Rav Elyashiv writes that it is inappropriate to do so. He cites the Taz in Yoreh Deah 344. There the Shulchan Aruch rules that in a eulogy we mention the good traits of the departed and we "add a bit" (mosifin ketzas). On this ruling the Taz asks, what difference does it make if a lie is a big lie or small lie?! A lie is a lie! Rav Elyashiv explains the Shulchan Aruch's meaning: You can add something that you can assume – based on your knowledge of the deceased – that he would have done were he to be in that situation.
The next teshuva concerns a related issue. The teshuva is addressed to Rabbi Boruch Horovitz shlita, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshivas Dvar Yerushalayim. Rabbi Horovitz published Matteh Levi, the responsa of his grandfather, Rabbi Marcus Horovitz zt"l, who was the Orthodox rabbi of the Grossgemeinde[5] in Frakfurt-am-Main. In one of the teshuvos, Rabbi Horovitz discusses the renowned incident of the "Cleves Get,"[6] and argues in favor of the position of the Frankfurt Beis Din nullifying the get – a ruling that was opposed by virtually every other Halachic authority of 18th century world Jewry.
Rav Elyashiv begins by stating the facts of the case, and postulating that were the controversy to have arisen at a time in which a Sanhedrin existed, the Frankfurt Beis Din would have been in violation of the Torah prohibition of Lo Sasur. Moreover, writes Rav Elyashiv, even in later generations there still exists the concept of "The Lord stands with the community of God" (Elokim nitzav b'adas Keil), and the majority of Chachmei Yisrael cannot be mistaken.
Rav Elyashiv continues that, be that as it may, he could not understand why Rabbi Horovitz reprinted all the pronouncements and bans issued by the Frankfurt Beis Din, which were derisive and degrading of great Rabbonim of the time. Granted, at the time of the controversy, when tempers were flaring, excessive zeal understandably may have led the Frankfurt Beis Din to act inappropriately – but what justification was there to bring these matters up now? There is no doubt that so many years after the controversy died down, when all the combatants have already been for so long in the Olam HaEmes, that they can have no pleasure from the re-opening of the issue. And, concluded Rav Elyashiv, even if your grandfather's teshuva and its publication can somehow be justified as an halachic excursus, how can you justify the publication of the scandalous material surrounding the episode? Such publication surely clashes with Kavod HaTorah.
In these two teshuvos Rav Elyashiv again teaches that there is Din Torah and there is Da'as Torah. More precisely, perhaps, Halacha consists of both rulings (Din) and opinions (Da'as). In both these latter teshuvos Rav Elyashiv is clarifying that our recollections of individuals and events must also be subjected to the scrutiny of the value system of that complements narrow Halachic parameters.
In this teshuva, Rav Elyashiv considers the status of a non-Jew who studies Torah. He quotes a remarkable Meiri. The Meiri remarks that a Jew who attempts to grow in piety by making a holiday – be it of his own invention, or observing our days of rest – is punished. On the other hand, if a non-Jew attempts to grow in piety in any other manner, he is to be encouraged. The Meiri asserts that such voluntary piety on the part of a non-Jew is to be regarded by us as akin to voluntary sacrificial offerings brought by a non-Jew, which we are told to accept.
As far as a non-Jew learning Torah, writes the Meiri, it depends if he is learning merely to gain knowledge of Judaism – which should not be allowed – or to grow in piety – which should be encouraged, even if his studies concern mitzvos that are not included in the Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach, the Seven Noahide Laws.
At first glance, the Meiri's position seems difficult, since the Gemara itself only lauds the non-Jew's Torah learning if it is focused on one of the Sheva Mitzvos. Rav Elyashiv resolves the issue, explaining that the Meiri's opinion is that since a non-Jew is permitted to perform any mitzvah other than those that concern holidays, once he undertakes to fulfill any mitzvah it has for him the same status as the Sheva Mitzvos. Why, then, did Chazal express themselves in a manner that might lead us to mistakenly limit the learning of a non-Jew to studies of the Sheva Mitzvos? Rav Elyashiv suggests that it was so as to teach us that the learning must pertain to a mitzvah that can be fulfilled in our day and age. The implication is that just as the Sheva Mitzvos are always applicable, so too whatever the non-Jew studies must pertain to a mitzvah that is currently applicable.[7]
This teshuva, written in 2004, is addressed to the American posek Rabbi Feivel Cohen shlita. Rabbi Cohen posed the unfortunate contemporary question, whether it is permissible to inform the authorities of the activities of a child molester.
Rav Elyashiv bases his response on Teshuvos HaRashba (3:393) who writes that when there are clear witnesses that someone has committed crimes, Beis Din is allowed – even in our day and age – to impose upon him monetary fines and corporal punishment. The Rashba asserts that this is a part of our responsibility of kiyum ha'olam, to sustain the world. For were we to limit our punishments to the precise parameters that we find in Torah, our code of law would not suffice to maintain society. It is therefore appropriate for Beis Din to proactively enact appropriate laws in addition to the laws of the Torah – so long as the government of the time and place gives us the authority to do so.
Rav Elyashiv adds that even if the government does not grant us such autonomous authority, it remains incumbent on Beis Din to ensure tikkun ha'olam. Therefore, even if we cannot ourselves impose the penalties, the tikkun ha'olam of curtailing molestation is sufficient reason to inform the authorities of the perpetrator (so long, qualifies Rav Elyashiv, as the charge is borne out by evidence).
In these last two teshuvos we come full circle. Here too, Da'as Torah influences and even shapes practice – beyond the scope of narrow Halachic rulings. In the case of the non-Jew learning Torah, it is the Meiri whose Da'as Torah rejects the narrow limitation of Sheva Mitzvos, permitting any learning that is beneficial to the spiritual state of the non-Jew. In the case of the molester, it is the Rashba whose Da'as Torah rejects the narrow limitation of Beis Din's powers, encouraging all that is necessary to sustain society. In both cases, of course, Rav Elyashiv follows in the footsteps of the Rishonim he cites.
All of the teshuvos that we have seen relate more to public policy than to normative Halachic practices. These are not "beracha on corn flakes" she'eilos. Decisions in these areas require a scope of vision and a depth of sensitivity. Here we have tried to get beyond the opacity in which Rav Elyashiv zt"l was often hidden. May his merit sustain us, and may his Torah – together with the Torah of all Gedolei Yisroel of all times – guide us along the path of Avodas Hashem towards the ultimate tikkun olam b'malchus Shaddai.
[1] It is interesting to note that Rabbi Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik zt"l was opposed not only to enacting special commemorative days, but even to commemorative kinnos. He maintained that only the Rishonim had the capacity to author prayers, and that no later kinnos could be added to the Tisha b'Av liturgy (heard by the author from Rabbi Soloveitchik, Tisha b'Av 1980).
[2] Rav Elyashiv suggests instead to learn Mishnayos for the sake of the martyrs. Learning is always good, not matter what its specific catalyst may be.
[3] Based on the Torah's admonition: B'chukoseihem lo seileichu.
[4] This usage of the term Da'as Torah is unrelated to its more controversial use as an assertion of the binding authority of opinions expressed by Torah sages. It is used by Rav Elyashiv, rather, to indicate broader sensitivities that complement narrow Halachic rulings.
[5] The Grossgemeinde, "Larger Community," was the general community which included both Orthodox and Reform constituencies, although the Reform faction dominated. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch zt"l was famous for asserting that it was forbidden to be a member of the Grossgemeinde, and for founding the secessionist Austrittsgemeinde, "Leaving Community." However, even after Rav Hirsch formed the Austrittsgemeinde and developed it into a thriving entity, the majority of Orthodox Jews in Frankfurt remained affiliated with the Grossgemeinde – in many case holding dual memberships in the two organizations. Rabbi Horovitz was the Orthodox rabbi of the Grossgemeinde from 1882 until his death in 1910.
[6] The incident of the Cleves Get is extraordinarily fascinating and extraordinarily complicated. Here we will cite the brief synopsis given at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0004_0_04354.html:
During 1766–67, a great controversy flared up, which was to become known as the Cleves get (bill of divorce), one of the causes célèbres of the 18th century. Though its focal point was Frankfurt, it came to involve most of the great scholars of the day. On Elul 8, 5526 (August 14, 1766), Isaac (Itzik), son of Eliezer Neiberg of Mannheim, married Leah, daughter of Jacob Guenzhausen of Bonn. On the Sabbath following the wedding the bridegroom took 94 gold crowns of the dowry and disappeared. After an extensive search he was found two days later in the house of a non-Jew in the village of Farenheim and brought home. A few days later Isaac informed his wife's family that he could no longer stay in Germany because of the grave danger which threatened him there, and that he was obliged to immigrate to England. He declared his willingness to give his wife a divorce in order to prevent her from becoming an agunah. His offer was accepted, and Cleves on the German-Dutch border was selected as the place for the get to be given. Consequently, on the 22nd of Elul, Israel b. Eliezer Lipschuetz, the av bet dinof Cleves, effected the divorce. Leah returned to Mannheim and Isaac proceeded to England. When his father learned of the divorce, he suspected that the whole affair had been contrived by the woman's relatives to extort the dowry money from Isaac. He turned to R. Tevele Hess of Mannheim who invalidated the get on the grounds that in his view the husband was not of sound mind when he delivered it. Hess, not relying upon his own judgment, applied to the bet din of Frankfurt and to Naphtali Hirsch Katzenellenbogen of Pfalz, Eliezer Katzenellenbogen of Hagenau, and Joseph Steinhardt of Fuerth, requesting their confirmation of his ruling. The bet din of Frankfurt, headed by Abraham b. Ẓevi Hirsch of Lissau, not only agreed, but demanded that Lipschuetz himself declare the get invalid and proclaim Leah to be still a married woman. The rabbis of Pfalz, Hagenau, and Fuerth, on the other hand, upheld Lipschuetz, declared the divorce valid, and the woman free to remarry. Both sides appealed to all the rabbinical authorities of the time. The rabbi of Cleves received the support of almost all of the leading scholars of the generation, among them Saul b. Aryeh Leib Loewenstamm of Amsterdam, Jacob Emden, Ezekiel Landau of Prague, Isaac Horowitz of Hamburg, David of Dessau, Aryeh of Metz, Elhanan of Danzig, Solomon b. Moses of Chelm, and ten scholars of the klaus (bet-midrash) of Brody. The bet din of Frankfurt was virtually alone in its opposition. The moving spirit in the dispute was the Frankfurt dayyan, Nathan b. Solomon Maas, on whose initiative the Frankfurt rabbis even went so far as publicly and with solemn ceremony to commit to flames the responsa of the Polish rabbis in protest against their intervention in favor of Lipschuetz. The couple finally remarried and out of deference to the opinion of Rabbi Abraham of Frankfurt, no blessings were pronounced at the ceremony. Instead the groom said that "with this ring you are still married to me." The complete episode of the Cleves divorce was recorded in Or ha-Yashar (Amsterdam, 1769) by Aaron Simeon Copenhagen who had followed the events and who had himself played a part in the granting of the get. Israel Lipschuetz devoted no less than 37 of his responsa to the polemic in his Or Yisrael (Cleves, 1770).
[7] In several teshuvos Rav Elyashiv addresses the issue of why, strictly speaking, Halacha does not allow a Jew to desecrate the Shabbos to save the life of a non-Jew. While his explanation is beyond the scope of this essay, it is noteworthy that Rav Elyashiv feels compelled to write apologetically on this issue.


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CT PUG Shoot Out Rocks the House!!
Last night was the first ever CT PUG Annual (bi-annual, monthly, can't we have another one today?) Shoot Out...and it rocked the HOUSE!! There were disco shirts, cowboy hats, feather boas, fake muscles. fedoras, pink ruffly tuxes and loads of fun had by all! Well over 30 CT photographers got together for a sweet shoot out on the beach, followed by hours of good clean fun around a campfire. It's so amazing to watch all these guys together....just running around on the beach laughing, having fun, and yes even some rolling around in the water just doin' what they love. To think that just a few short months ago almost none of us knew each other is really just *insane*...I gotta think Paul said it best: "Y'know Mary, this isn't just a group we have going here. I look around here and I think, these are friendships." And it's so true. I love all you guys! Your friendship blesses me every day I'm around you.
K, off to go meet with my group now!!


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You left me on the arm of the couch, sprinkled with glass. I did not hear you leave, my senses blurred, inundated by the chink-chink-chinks of shattering rage. Never before had I felt such fear. It shook me thoroughly. Before I could gather myself together, a barrage of heavy-footed men robed in black stormed through the house. I cowered in her shadow as the questions came, wave after wave, each time the shining flashlights blinding her, searching for the answers she would not give. How did she remain so calm, so aloof from the previous events? They did not believe her, their penetrating eyes boring into her, seeking the truth behind her story. She did not falter; and laughing quietly with a feigned embarrassment, she answered each officer in the same soft voice. The bare skin of her thigh brushed against me. I closed my eyes and exhaled. Did she know I was here, a silent witness to the event? That I would have testified if I had the voice, but would have remained silent with one glance and one whisper? I waited to ask my own questions, biding my time as the last pair of boots exited the front door. An uneasy emptiness settled around us. Her fingers found my sleeve. I sighed at the touch, collapsing into her hands. Gently yet deliberately, she picked me up. The violent remains were carefully brushed from my navy fleece before I was folded neatly and carried into her room. She moved quickly, tucking me away into a dark, crowded drawer. She knew I would be safe from him. The drawer shut and there was silence. I closed my eyes and thought of you. A multitude of emotions flooded over me. How could you forget me? How could you leave me? Why didn't you come back for me? Would I ever see you again? Would I again feel the warmth of your skin? My life seemed a blur of faded memories and shattered glass. I longed to be with you, securely wrapped around your body in the quiet safety of your presence. And now I was hidden and alone in the dark. Had we parted for good?
In the dark, I sat and waited.
The drawer opened, jarring me into consciousness. Harsh light shocked my senses. How long had I been a prisoner in that dark drawer of despair, strangled by pantyhose and crowded by socks? How many days had I been passed over, yearning for more than a brush of her fingertips as she searched for a missing article of clothing? Today she chose me, plucking me from the dismal depression. I was stuffed into an encapsulating bag of plastic where I joined a pair of jeans. They sat silently, ignorant of my presence. I struggled to breathe in the bag's stifling heat. Where were we going? To you? Or perhaps you were coming for me? My heart soared on hope's wings. To be worn by you again…. The sensation overwhelmed me so much that I could only sigh and fall back against the crisp jeans. I laid about in a gluttonous daze, my mind thick with thoughts of you and our reunion. Soon, I told myself, soon I would see you again. I anticipated your first touch, my worn fleece clenched in your firm grasp, your fingers lingering for a moment before I was casually tossed into the seat beside you. Our bond unspoken but strong. Time crept by but soon never came. The jeans departed, never to return. Alone, I drifted into a dreamless sleep. Hours later, the bag stirred. Soft hands roused me from a listless slumber. Her face had changed from the last time you had seen her, yet her smiling lips contradicted her glassy eyes. I came undone and warm arms filled my sleeves. I embraced her body. It was different. Her arms were longer than I was used to and I had to stretch to cover her slender wrists. Her hair enveloped me, tickling my collar. She smelled sweet and clean. It was different. It was nice. Before I could settle around her body, I was unzipped and removed. I braced myself, ready to return to my plastic prison. Instead, she brought me to her nose and inhaled deeply. She spoke, but I could not make out what was said, her warm voice muffled against my blue fleece. A sigh escaped me. We remained together for an eternal moment, cheek to cheek in the fading sunshine, before she carefully folded me up and tucked me under her arm. We rode home, me nestled in her lap.
The bliss was not long shared. Into another bag I went. For my own protection, she whispered. The bag was crowded with new clothing. Two shirts eyed me cautiously. They were crisp, fresh, and unfriendly. I kept to myself, wondering if this would be my new life – hidden away in drawers and bags between stolen moments of rapture. We were tossed on the couch, an arm's reach away from where you and she ensconced yourselves in ignorant elation days earlier. Voices filled the air and one by one, all of the new clothing left the bag. Only I remained. Peering through the top of the bag, I saw him. I froze. Although he smiled, all I could see were wild, white eyes and foaming mouth. Memories of Friday night came flooding back to me and I pressed myself down, away from discovery. The new clothes were discarded, heaped upon me. I gasped for air, laden down by their weight. A hand, different from hers, found me and pulled me from the pile. A small boy stared at me for a moment, then dropped me before running off. I laid on the cold wooden floor, panting, looking up at the pile of clothes as they stared at me with cold eyes. I was not one of them. I was not wanted. How could you leave me to this existence? Why hadn't you come for me?
Footsteps returned. This time it was her. Her fingers were always delicate with me. Always gentle. How could I not love her? She was not you, but she needed me. And I realized that I needed her. Up from the floor I went, not to the pile of clothes, not to the white bag, not to the dark drawer. She pulled back her blankets and I went where you never had. The sheets were cool and refreshing. I sighed and closed my eyes, resting my head beneath her pillow.
That night, after the house had fallen into a quiet slumber, she found me in the darkness. Her fingers wrapped around me, pulling me close to her face, her breath moist. We slept together in a deep embrace, both alone and longing for you.
Weeks Later.
Thoughts of you came less often, and only when I laid against her warm, soft skin did you come to mind. I wondered if I would be rejoined with you. Your smell was faint. . . fading.
Months Later.
I do not know how many nights we spent together. I cannot count the days we shared. I fell into her morning routine, assisted with her daily chores, and joined her on errands. I received her children's messy fingers and runny noses along with the scents and splatters from evening meals. I was the silent third wheel on her dates with him, her gym partner, and evenings knitting in bed. You were gone. Your scent was no longer. She often spoke of returning me to you, but we both knew that the words she spoke were false. I found myself glad to be chosen in the morning, and pained to be discarded when I was no longer fit for wearing. I accompanied her on vacation, where she laughed more than she had ever laughed, and spoke flippantly about our last night. One would have thought her cold and emotionless, but I knew her well. I alone comforted her on those cold lonely nights. I brushed away her tears. And as the weeks passed into months, I found myself in the hamper more often, along with the other favorites.
The End.
One response to "The Jacket."
[…] 2. Feeling dumb Finishing my short story! […]


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Morning Report (April 3): Ducks Ready for Dallasby Staff Writer / Anaheim Ducks
|"I think that shows you we're super confident with the group we have. We've got what we need here." -- Sheldon Souray, on a quiet deadline day.
Update: The Ducks have acquired center Matthew Lombardi from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for left wing Brandon McMillan.
Fresh off a four-game road trip, the Ducks were on the ice at Honda Center this morning in preparation for tonight's rematch with the Dallas Stars. It's the second of a three-game miniseries with the Stars, which opened in Dallas with a resounding 4-0 victory.
Viktor Fasth was the first goaltender off the ice and is anticipated to start tonight's game. Fasth is coming off a 26-save shutout over the Stars in Dallas two nights ago.
Rookie Emerson Etem, who played his most physical game of the season in Columbus on March 31, was slotted on the second line with Andrew Cogliano and Teemu Selanne.
David Steckel did not participate in the morning skate due to illness, said head coach Bruce Boudreau.
It's been a quiet Trade Deadline Day for the Ducks, and defenseman Sheldon Souray said he's not surprised.
"This is a little unique for me, in the sense that this is probably the first year where guys haven't really even talked about the deadline, haven't talked about trades," Souray said. "I know last year we had a deadline party at my house. We were all just sitting there looking at my TV."
On a quiet trade deadline day for the Ducks: "I think that just shows you we're super confident with the group we have. I'm not the GM, but I'd imagine that if there isn't a significant upgrade up there from what we've got, it's probably just not worth it. We've got a good team in here. We believe that we have a team that can be successful in the long run. I'm not surprised at all and not disappointed in it either. We've got what we need here.
"When you talk about Cup runs, you've got to talk about depth. And we have depth. We have two goalies who are No. 1 goalies. We have seven [defensemen] who can play at any time and we've proven that, and are fresh and ready. We have five lines now that can go out and play and not hurt you. We've had call-ups throughout the year come in and fill in perfectly. I think we're in no way feeling like we're missing something.
"We've made a couple good moves. We got [Radek] Dvorak, [David] Steckel, and [Ben] Lovejoy. Those are moves that are going to help us in the long run."
On the current Ducks roster: "We're a close-knit group. I like our team. I like the way our guys act around the dressing room. I like the way they've rebounded after a bad week. There's nothing to say we can't continue being competitive with anybody."
"I think the biggest move we made all year was the growth of our team, from nobody expecting us to be any good at all to all of a sudden a team that's starting to believe in themselves. We've got good depth and everybody is happy with each other. All of those things are real positive notes. Whatever happens, happens. But we're happy the way we're at."
On the emergence of rookie Emerson Etem: "Youthful energy is tremendous especially in the dog days, and the dog days are usually about a week or two before the trading deadline whether it's a full season or half season as we're going through now. Emerson, especially the game in Columbus, when he started hitting everybody in the second period, turned the whole game around. Then he scored a goal from that, and I think [Columbus] only had five shots in the last two periods. That's what you need."
Boudreau: "He's feeling much better, but we don't want to rush anything or put any pressure on him. He doesn't have the numbers people look at as a real important cog to the team, but he's a real important cog to the team. He plays power play, kills penalties, can be out there in the last minute, he's got a great set of hands. We're looking forward to him in probably the next two weeks.
"He's still not skating. We're hoping he starts skating next week."
Perry – Getzlaf – Ryan
Etem – Cogliano – Selanne
Dvorak – Koivu – Winnik
Beleskey – Holland – Palmieri
Souray – Beauchemin
Sbisa – Lovejoy
Allen – Fowler


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I toyed with the idea of labeling this as my "Week 1" weigh-in because it is the end of my first week on the Weight Watcher's bandwagon again. However, I feel as though that would be deceiving since I'm not a Weight Watcher's virgin. No matter what you want to call it, I'm pleased with the results.
Based weigh-ins throughout the week, I was projected to lose around 6 pounds my first week back. That was BEFORE we went out on Saturday. I saved Saturday for my once weekly dining out excursion, and Dan and I explored Princeton for the first time with friends. I drank a daily allowance worth of WW points, ate delicious food at Teresa Caffe, and finished the night with a delightful cupcake from House of Cupcakes (a Cupcake Wars winner!). I tried to minimize the damage by making low-point yet filling decisions before we went out and made wiser choices at dinner. When all was said and done, I consumed approximately 66 WW points. YIKES! I was not going to let my points dictate my fun. I am happy to report that one day of fun did NOT sabotage my week.
This Week's Weight Loss: 4 lbs
New Weight Left to Lose: 13 lbs
TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS: 73 lbs


text: The idea of gender double standards is critical in today's society. There are different expectancies in the ways which women should act, dress and even take part in certain activities versus men. One idea that I am very familiar with is the gender double standard of male dancers versus female. As a dance teacher and student myself, I have been exposed to many stereotypes that it is acceptable for a girl to dance but if a boy dances, he will be considered "gay." I believe that a boy can be just as talented in this form of art as a girl can be. Only a couple of years ago, I had a friend at my dance studio that was a male who was a fantastic dancer and even went off to college as a dance major. He danced from the time he was two years old and all the way up to eighteen years of age. Through the years, I am sure that he was teased about dancing instead of participating in a more male- like activity, such as sports. Currently, I have two young boys in my classes where I teach little kids. Of course, the number of girls in the class is much greater, but the amount of talent is equal. We strive to make all of our students aware that it is perfectly acceptable for a boy to dance as well as a girl especially the younger girls who are already being told that a boy should play sports and a girl should be a dancer. I believe that anyone can participate in any activity whether it is a boy in dance class or a girl in football. It is all about taking part in something in which you enjoy and with practice you can achieve the same goal. This sexual double standard is one that may never go away, as there will always be those who believe as well as convince others that girls should be dancers and boys should be football players. I am hopeful that as time goes on, the amount of people who believe this stereotype will decrease and that they become more open-minded about the idea of a male dancer as well as the talent that they can hold.


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Cherry & peach blossoms in the hot & humid island of Singapore? Yes, no kidding about it. It's happening right now in the Flower Dome, even earlier than Japan and Korea. What a treat!
This first-ever experimental blossom display – Blossom Beats – is presented by the Gardens by the Bay.
Blossom Beats celebrates the delicate nature of life. It features a good variety of blossoms including cherry (sakura) and peach. The overall display was designed in the setting of a Japanese garden, decorated with a Torii (a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found in Japanese Shinto shrines), kimonos and other Japanese-themed decorations.
Torii in the midst of a variety of beautiful blossoms
Not all had blossomed yet at the time of my visit last Sunday (13 Mar)
Near the entrance of Flower Dome, a Japanese garden with cherry blossoms (behind the bridge).
Bonsai arrangement is another highlight in this two-week (only) display.
It has been almost 9 years now since I last saw cherry blossoms and it was in South Korea. Though I have also seen it in Japan, it was certainly a joy to have this opportunity to appreciate these beautiful blossoms again, more so for the first time here in Singapore. I was actually hoping for another holiday in Japan later this month for a true Hanami experience in the parks but my plan could not materialise due to other commitments. Save it for next time.
Prunus Accolade – pink flowering cherry
Prunus Yodoenis Yoshido which are white in colour
Peach blossom Prunus "Genpei Shidare" which is characterised by flowers of two colours – red and white
Prunus Fujishidare which has pendulous branches
Close-up of Prunus Fujishidare
Cherry Shirotae (Prunus Shirotae) – known to flower abundantly. Flowers are white and lightly fragrant
Later in that afternoon, we were treated with a beautiful traditional Japanese music performance – Blowing in the Sakura Wind : Sounds from Japan – by two renowned musicians from Japan.
Mother & son pair : Kaho Irie, Koto (Japanese stringed music instrument) Grandmaster and Yosuke Irie, Shaku Hachi (Japanese end-blow flute) artiste from Japan
This performance was a joint collaboration between Japan Creative Centre Singapore and Gardens by the Bay, held in commemoration of the 5th anniversary of The Great East Japan Earthquake (11 March 2011) and also in celebration of SJ50 (50 years of Singapore-Japan diplomatic relationship) in 2016.
I was glad that hubby could finally take a breather from his furious work schedule for many weeks now, and joined me in this special experience in the Gardens by the Bay. I think our government should do more to enforce work-life balance in private corporations and take action against companies that make their employees work like headless chickens!!
Blossom Beats is surely one unique event not to be missed especially for those who have not seen cherry blossoms before. I imagine it involved massive efforts from many to make it happen. Beautiful blossoms aside, a visit to the Flower Dome is educational too, as I always find it. There is always something new to discover, and new knowledge to bring home too. All we need is just to pay a little bit more attention to what's being displayed together with the flowers, like these ones below.
Should there be future cherry blossom displays planned, I think it will great if the designers could consider creating a better Hanami experience like organising the trees more closely in rows and allowing visitors to walk under the trees.
This time, while the blossoms are beautiful, I find the overall display too cluttered with irrelevant decorations such as the huge artificial rocks and wood-carved monkeys from the past display (Dahlia Dreams) that was held over the Chinese New Year period. These don't seem to fit into the theme, and the huge artificial rocks are too overwhelming and distracting. Perhaps there was not enough time to clear them since Dahlia Dreams had just ended on 8 March and the people had only 3 days to put up this new display.
If time permits, I may make my way down to the Flower Dome again for another round of visit before the display ends on 27 March. 🙂


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This section contains 626 words
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Scene 3 Summary
This scene opens in the hyacinth room with the young lady sitting at the harp and the student standing beside her. The colonel and the mummy can be seen sitting motionless and silent in the next room. The young lady asks the student to sing a song to her flowers.
The young man tells the girl that the hyacinths symbolize the earth with the stars above it. He asks the girl why her parents sit in the drawing room without talking to each other.
The girl tells him that her parents don't have anything to say to each other because they can't trick each other anymore anyway. She tells him about the cook, a Hummel that sucks all of the nutrition out of everything she cooks and won't leave, even if they try to fire her. They also have a maid that they...
(read more from the Scene 3 Summary)
This section contains 626 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)


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i have been quite excited about the arrival of some house guests that were here over the weekend. (i LOVE house guests...hint, hint) my mom and the behr parentals road tripped to kc to watch matthew wrestle in the lee's summit holiday invitational. because i can't think of a better way to celebrate the christmas season than spending two days watching a bunch of scantily clad high school boys roll around on top of each other.
we love those vikings!


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Half term never works out as you plan it! Mine has flown past and although I have caught up with some things I needed to do, I still need about another week! The weather has been strange -not knowing what to do and I don't think that helps with mood-swings.
I have been busy planning marketing strategy and reaffirming my intentions as an author! Lots to do and none of it writing my book unfortunately! I will endeavour to pick it up very soon. On top of this I have masses of stuff for Furness Abbey Fellowship which never seems to end-lots of paperwork and red tape! But it will be worth it in the end! We have lots of fundraising activities coming up soon and we have launched our membership details-anyone can join but schools are free.
We have also launched an appeal for funding a display cabinet to house the Abbot's treasure when it finally returns. We would like to raise more than the initial target of £6,000 as it would be fantastic to help to provide a gallery. We are working closely with English Heritage and hope that this partnership will be very beneficial to the rehabilitation of Furness Abbey. Do have a look and if you would like to join or donate please get in touch.


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This information is provided for your convenience and may no longer be valid.
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first OregonLive.com user to add photos or videos of First Church Of God
First Church of God can be found at Nw 5th St 521. The following is offered: Religious Organizations. The entry is present with us since Sep 8, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Prineville there are 21 other Religious Organizations. An overview can be found here.
First Church Of God is located at 521 Nw 5th St in Prineville and has been in the business of Church Of God since 1952.


text:
We've already seen portable transport upgraded from fold-up bicycles to the suitcase-sized Moveomotorbike. Now the Hovertrax is a Segway-like electric gyroscopic vehicle that is hands-free and can fit in the user's backpack.
Similar to the self-balancing scooter, the Hovertrax features a platform that connects two electric motor-powered wheels, which use gyroscopes and accelerometers to keep users upright. After stepping onto the vehicle, users lean forward to start moving. The platform is split into two, enabling users to turn by putting greater pressure on one side than the other. The batteries that power the device allow riders to travel at up to six miles per hour for around four miles. Without handles users can step off the machine at any point and at nine pounds in weight, the vehicle can easily be carried by hand or in a backpack when not in use. The video below shows the Hovertrax in action:
Inventist – the company that developed the Hovertrax – has already surpassed its target on crowdfunding site Kickstarter. With greater development and more power, could this be the future of pedestrian transport?
Website: www.inventist.com
Contact: www.inventist.com/contact
Contact: www.inventist.com/contact
Spotted by: Murray Orange


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Script Frenzy started 11 days ago, and I've not written a word! Tsk, tsk.
Whether right or wrong, I've concluded that my topic isn't interesting enough for this one-month challenge. I was going to write about my experience making my first documentary film, but it's possible I'm too close to that to write about it.
So I've switched topics. I've got a new focus: an old script idea I've had for a long time. One that just won't leave me alone. Based on reality, but when written it'll be much more entertaining than what actually transpired. Plus it's about being young and on vacation, so who doesn't wanna spend time there mentally?!
Last night I fell asleep writing the opening scene. It's pretty awesome, not gonna lie. I found that my excitement about just this opening scene is enough to get me to actually write something, so that's good.
Anyway, isn't that the goal of Script Frenzy? To get you writing and actually finish something? Who cares if it never gets read by anyone. You've actually finished a script! And that's a very motivating reward for me.


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And now comes the rain!!!!!! This winter seems to really want to punish us for some reason. Yesterday's rain simply swamped our paddocks with the forecast being further rain! Our pacas therefore are spending some time in the barn away from the mud and water. When I open the paddock gates to let them in at night, there is an almighty stampede to the barn which demonstrates their preferences in no uncertain terms!!
The other day, whilst making up the feed in the barn, I heard a dog barking immediately outside and upon investigating this, found that someones dog had managed to climb through (two) perimeter fences and ended up on our internal track outside the barn barking at the alpacas. They had gathered in force to look at this uninvited creature and thus doing so, seemed to have intimidated the dog into simply barking (thank goodness)! I was not too pleased with this as the double external fencing was installed to prevent any animal access, so I am now focused upon tightening our security even further!
Wednesday saw the departure of two of our boys who now have a new home on a local farm and today, another two will be heading off to pastures new in Hampshire. The couple who are the new owners will be arriving at Easter-Wood to have a routine husbandry session with us before transporting them off to their new home.
I don't know if anyone else has the same problem but I am finding that we get an awful lot of hay/haylage wasted around the hay feeders in the paddocks. Whilst the hay/haylage is packed well in the feeders, the "spillage" is considerable and I have calculated that there is about two barrow loads strewn on the ground every month!
As I type this, I hear the rain pounding on the roof again and so my thoughts are turning rapidly to the promise of a warm, barmy spring??............... Ah well, off to don my waders and waterproofs again!
Noah had the right idea ! - Well yes I know , we're all in the same boat ! But wow has it rained ! Beginning to get just a little sick of all this water - on the plus side I don't have...
2 years ago


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· Blessed are the poor in spirit—it is a Hebrew idiom meaning "repentant." Jesus was not referring to poor as those in "poverty." The repentant—doesn't that speak of salvation? The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who repent; the saved ones are the ones who populate heaven! I knew that but never saw that connection here before.
· Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. I take this to mean the ones who go way beyond remorse; who are deeply grieved by their own sin and failure as well as by society's failure to uphold God's ways and give Him glory.
· Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. A "meek" person is not the "wallflower" we often think of when we use the word but one who is humble, gentle, and not aggressive—they can still be of strong character and principled. In the ancient Greco-Roman world, such humility was no more valued than in our world today. Inheriting the earth as future compensation suggests that the meekness in view also included a lack of earthly possessions.
· Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness…For the poor, "righteousness" would include having their basic needs for food met, but it goes on to include a desire to see God's standards established and obeyed in every area of life.
· Blessed are the merciful…"Merciful" embraces the characteristics of being generous, forgiving others, having compassion for the suffering, and providing healing of every kind. Extending these behaviors to others will invoke the law of sowing and reaping! It will come back to us pressed down and running over!
· Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God—of course they will! The pure in heart have nothing in them (resentment, unforgiveness, hatred, etc.) to cloud or distort their vision! Purity in heart refers to moral uprightness and not just ritual cleanliness. This is a life-style characterized by pleasing God. The "pure in heart" exhibit a single-minded devotion to God that stems from the internal cleansing created by following Jesus. Holiness is a prerequisite for entering God's presence. The pure in heart pass this test, so they will see God and experience intimate fellowship with him.
· Blessed are the peacemakers…"peacemakers" focus on interpersonal relationships. Those who work for shālôm (wholeness and harmony rather than strife and discord in all aspects of life) and who reconcile others to God and each other--these will "be called sons of God." Others will identify them as God's true ambassadors, as those who are being conformed to His likeness.
· Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake… All of these characteristics which Jesus labels as blessed are usually not welcomed in the world at large. Hostility may well arise against Jesus' followers, but even persecuted people are seen by Christ as fortunate. This persecution, however, must be the result of righteous living and not due to individual sin or tactlessness (see 1 Pet 3:14; 4:14–15). What is even more tragic is when one Christian persecutes another, allegedly "because of righteousness," (proper dress, food, amusements, etc.) when the persecution actually stems from too narrow a definition of Christian belief or behavior.
· 5:11–12 These verses repeat, amplify, and personalize v. 10 by shifting from third-person to second-person address. "Because of me" provides another key qualification. As in v. 10, the only persecution that is blessed is that which stems from allegiance to Jesus and living in conformity with his standards. Because this life is just a fraction of all eternity, we can and must rejoice even in persecution. The joy commanded here, as elsewhere in Scripture (esp. Jas 1:2), is not an emotion but an attitude.
· "Reward" (more literally wages) is more a promise of "future recompense (compensation) for a present condition of persecution and reproach" than a reward for piety. There is no comparison here between those with a lesser reward and a greater reward. So the reward should be thought of as heaven itself and not some particular status in the life to come. Jesus offers a poignant reminder that the great men and women of Old Testament times often suffered a similar fate. The prophet Jeremiah provides the classic example. The same is true of Christian history. When we suffer, we must avoid the trap of thinking that we are the only ones who have ever experienced such problems—or thinking God is mean or does not care!
· The upshot of the Beatitudes is a complete inversion of the attitude popularly known in our culture as "machismo." In fact, this attitude is not limited to a particular culture but characterizes humanity's self-centered, self-arrogating pride which invariably seeks personal security and survival above the good of others. We are enabled to invert these natural, worldly values only when we recognize that God will in turn invert our marginalized status and grant eternal compensation. This is not to promote works-righteousness; Jesus is addressing those already professing discipleship (5:1). But, like James among the Epistles, Matthew is the one Gospel to emphasize most the changed life that must flow from commitment to Christ.
These insights are taken from the New American Commentary, but I will have to wait until I can consult my reference librarian for a complete biblegraphic citation!
Please share with me what most impacts you.
Blessings, Carol
I'd love for you to leave a comment for how these gems have affected you! And!! we have only begun!!
Blessings, Carol


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Double Billing
Michelle Pawk & John Dossett
by Sheryl O'Connell
"Watch the ball, Jack!" The woman calling to her son on the T-ball field has a voice that is beautiful. You can't help but think that the golden, reverberant sounds don't belong to just anyone. It's not that she's trying to call attention to herself; the voice is what it is - well trained, distinctive. You might correctly guess that she is an actress; after all, Maplewood and South Orange are home to plenty of professional actors. At the local baseball diamond, it is both natural and thrilling to have a Tony Award winner here.
Now if it weren't delightful enough to have Broadway star Michelle Pawk show up at all your kid's T-ball games, the pleasure is doubled since Pawk's husband, who also attends the games, is the Broadway star and Tony- nominee John Dossett. Like Pawk, he is warm, gregarious and the ideal neighbor. Dossett knows everybody by name, loves to get on the T-ball field to pitch, and enjoys getting to know people in his new community.
As it turns out, it is unusual for Dossett to be at the T-ball field. He is one of the leads in the Broadway production Mamma Mia; his performance schedule would not normally have allowed it. "Well, I was doing Mamma Mia but I tore my meniscus," he explains. "So I had an operation." Recovery from the knee surgery has provided him the rare opportunity to enjoy this slice of life and he's grateful not to be working. "I was so happy to have the time just to participate. I would have missed all of the T-ball season. And boy, it's so much fun to watch the progress."
Dossett is a full-fledged leading man in musical theater; with well-received turns in shows like Ragtime and Gypsy he's been a regular fixture in the New York theater scene since the early 1980s. He starred in Lincoln Center Theater's production of Dinner at Eight and opposite Bernadette Peters in Gypsy, earning a Tony nomination. On screen Dossett has been seen in Nick and Jane, Longtime Companion, Law & Order, Sex & the City, Cracker Man and Big Eden among others. Currently, he is gearing up for a new comedy at Lincoln Center called The Clean House that will run from October 5 to December 17.
Pawk, who has had a successful and varied career in theater, TV and film has received Drama Desk Nominations for such shows as Cabaret and Crazy For You and won the Tony Award in 2003 for her performance in Hollywood Arms. She is in rehearsals for Losing Louie, a new Broadway play at the Biltmore Theatre. Previews for her show begin on September 21.
In late 2005, she and her husband joined the cast of Mamma Mia, in which she had the lead role of Donna Sheridan and he played Sam Carmichael. The press made much of this pairing, calling them the new "Lunts" of Broadway.
It's rather rich that two stars from Mamma Mia moved to South Orange, where a poster for the show has long been a prominent feature on the train station platform. It played, however, no part in their decision to move here; indeed, the suggestion draws a big laugh from them. "We moved for our son, specifically. And schools," Dossett states firmly. "We didn't want to get caught up in the rat race of testing him to get into [a] specific program. We had friends and neighbors who would literally take their kids to school on a crowded subway at rush hour in the morning." He mimes incredulity: "So you're spending two hours a day of your life on the subway?!"
"We had no desire to put Jack through that whole testing-pass-fail-acceptance thing," Dossett continues. "And that's why we moved when we did, so Jack would be starting kindergarten with everyone else. That's very important."
As with many in the area, it was friends who led the couple here. "People had talked about Maplewood," says Dossett. "We went to friends of ours who were selling a place in Leonia and it was a nice house. But we said, 'We're not doing anything until we go [to Maplewood and South Orange],' because so many people had talked about it."
They came out here every chance they could, fell in love with the area, and then just waited for a house. They found a gorgeous one with a lovely park across the street where Dossett has led the neighborhood kids in games of softball. "We were told that when you walk into a house you'd know. We walked into this one and that was it!"
Jack's new school, Seth Boyden, also felt just right, which made the couple ecstatic. "He just loves going to school. Oh, we got a great teacher," says Dossett enthusiastically. "She was fantastic!"
Pawk was able to settle the family into its new surroundings after she dropped out of Mamma Mia in February. "John and I took [the job] so we could be together. We hadn't worked together since we [first] met."
She is referring to their initial meeting in 1994, when they were hired for a Michael John LaChiusa musical called Hello Again. Just as they knew their house when they found it, they knew this was it when they met. "We really, truly, had a blast," says Pawk.
When asked about working together again in the future, a dialogue starts between them:
PAWK: I'd like to work with him again.
DOSSETT: Oh, gosh, . . .
PAWK: (Stepping on his line.) Tomorrow! Maybe we could get a job at Paper Mill Playhouse together! We must know somebody over there.
DOSSETT: We'd be the resident couple. (Sounding like an old man.) You need a couple?
PAWK: The old and geriatric…
(DOSSETT laughs.)
The lights begin to fade. The two actors continue to joke and laugh together. From the sound of it, they may stay in the area for a long, long while. (Blackout; end of scene.)
Sheryl O'Connell writes from her home in Maplewood. This is her second profile for Matters Magazine. \
More stories from Matters Magazine
Return to Maplewood Online


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Anyway, Friday night, right after work, I went to check the mail box and look what came in!
I'll post all the other card for my next post. LOL, since I made that many cards, might as well use it for the blog post, right? I also received some personal thank you cards from some of you and I will share those here sometime this week. Girls, I am the one who need to thank you for all the support. I can plan and organize this card drive, but it wouldn't been a success without your help. You made it possible!
Now, I feel like I am out of creativity juice. Not good. LOL, I cannot afford of having my mojo go on vacation. I haven't even start my own personal Christmas cards. Eekkk...
One more card for the card drive. This one is Christmas card, inspired by EBTKS challenge, Jay Gee's Nook, and Moxie Fab Diggin' on Damask challenge.


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Today my girls went back to school and with them I decided to send along gifts and treats! Gifts for the teachers, aids and office staff and treats for my girls. :) I used DCWV grade school paper stack, My Creative Time's Stamps and Dies, my Cricut and Peachy Keen Face stamps.
My girls will find these fun cards in their snack bags at recess along with a couple treats.
These are corner bookmarks I made for the girls homeroom teachers and their aids. I bundled them together in a pencil box with a tall bookmark, pens, pencils a highlighter and peppermints.
For the office staff, PE & Computer teachers and the Librarian, I made these happy apple cards. Inside they'll find a Ghirardelli dark chocolate square with caramel.
I also gave the office staff post it note holders.
Lots of goodies that hopefully brought a smile to some amazing teachers, staff and the best little girls I know!!! I can't wait to pick up them up and see how their first day went! Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a great day too.


text:
Robert Pearson recently offered thought provoking suggestions re: the causes of Chess Blindness, a frustrating subject that I groused about a couple of months ago. Tim Hanke has also written extensively regarding obstacles to improvement and concrete positive steps forward. Today I'd like to add a bit more insight from my own efforts to improve my "advanced age" competitive results.
Nearly every Sunday morning I teach three one-hour group classes (Novice, Intermediate and Advanced) to students age 5 to 13 (roughly Gaussian, with median 8.75, standard deviation 1.25). "Advanced" is relative term – as known by parents and students alike, it does not equate to a Black Belt! As students graduate from the Advanced group, they are ready to play on even terms against the lower rated club players. We also used to have a Beginner class (and we teach Beginners during the week in after school programs) but found it more efficient to give a few private lessons to beginners, then have them join the Novice group. Students who have already learned how the pieces move and have "some" playing experience go directly into Novice; these students also may be vaguely familiar with pawn promotion and castling, but do not yet have the finer points. Typically, they respond with blank stares to the word "stalemate" and, of course, all of them at this level are clueless about capturing in passing. After they learn about capturing in passing, I ask them, in the spirit of Soupy Sale's New Year's Day Incident to teach their parents. Promotion to the next level is not at all automatic, and is based on demonstrated progress in the classroom and playing results.
After class (or before class in the case of the Advanced group) students have supervised free play in a large room adjoining the classroom with the parents. Unfortunately, there is practically no sound abatement between the rooms. Although classroom rules are strict – no food, no talking, raise your hand, etc. what all three groups have in common is their proclivity for making noise from the playing room. There is a familiar pattern: first it is quiet, then the noise steadily builds, and then … the crescendo! After a brief but stern intervention, the process repeats … Somewhere near the end of the three hours begins the onset of my "Sunday headache."
The Chess Club (adult members, teens and a few younger students who play open tournaments) meets starting right after the group classes. When we have open tournaments, registration (handled by my wife, Belle) typically "ends" as the last group class is ending. Then I, as Tournament Director, handle the computer entries and pairings, plus a few parent conversations, late entries, etc. and try to get the event started within15 minutes. Then, if we would otherwise have an odd number of players, I play in the event. This happens irrespective of how much sleep I got or anything else, because the alternative is to have a player sitting out with a Bye every round. This sounds so very nice of me, but perhaps the truth is that I'm a chess addict and will use any excuse to play!
At the start of each round I'm usually setting clocks for players who should have brought their own clocks, while my opponent patiently waits. My lunch arrives sometime during the second round, courtesy of Belle. It is also around this time that I begin to wonder "Did I take my blood pressure medication?" All too often, the answer is "no," and even more often, "I don't remember."
So, what does all of this have to do with Chess Blindness? Maybe nothing at all. After all, I've had chess blindness when not playing in my own events, with longer time controls, no classes to give, etc. Well, I submit the following game against one of my former students for its dark entertainment value.


text:
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Rainy Sunday
1 comment:
- Bubba Muntzer said...
Thanks again for some great pictures.
I never realized St Petersburg was that far north. The social elites who are the subjects the great Russian novels were always dashing back and forth between Moscow and "Petersburg," as they called it, and in the winter time it was in horse drawn sleighs and carriages on runners.
I got a big kick out of seeing the battleship. The Aurora is famous to anyone who studies Socialism or the Russian Revolution. The sailors, many of whom were bolsheviks (a democratically run socialist labor organization founded by Lenin), mutinied and set off the revolution. Later on, in 1921, they rebelled again, this time against Lenin, when he took the authoritarian turn that eventually led to Stalinism and the big black eye Socialism lives with until today. This later, Kronstadt Rebellion, was put down.
What a treat it must have been to see the Hermitage, and all those Rembrandts! The Hermitage's collection was mostly assembled by the empress (female czar) Catherine the Great, as you no doubt know. Next time I have a spare 15 years that's where I'll be!
Again I urge your readers to click on one of the photos, which sets up a nice slide show of full screen pictures you can control manually. That's one of the best views of the Aurora you'll see anywhere!
- September 02, 2012


text:
Photographer's Note
Taken from the rooftop terrace of my hotel at Erg Chebbi in the western Sahara shortly after dawn. The 2 Australian eucalyptus trees at left, frame the path to the swimming pool just off frame and not visible from here. Fortunately, it was no mirage, as daytime temperatures here in summer often hit 45c. I used that path a lot! There are some birds perched atop the towers.
Critiques | Translate
siudzi (34141) 2013-11-07 1:04
Hi Chris,
You had a really fantastic view from your rooftop terrace! The soft golden & blue tones are marvelous and have been managed very well to achieve such a charming sight. Well done! TFS.
besnard (58189) 2013-11-07 1:08
Bonjour Chris
la nature est une artiste et nous offre un beau spectacle avec les dunes vallonnées. Un beau jeu d'ombre et de lumière, une bonne photo.
Amitiés et bonne journée.
dta (90429) 2013-11-07 1:08
Hello Chris ,
Une très belle vue du désertt marocain avec les constructions typiques au premier plan . LA douce lumière est très belle .
baclama (19044) 2013-11-07 1:13
une photo classique et tres reussie de ce bout du monde que j'aimerai connaitre....
lousat (108907) 2013-11-07 2:05
Hi Chris,i been there 2 years ago and i remember very well these dunes,the doors of the desert taken in a magic moment whit a special light,great pic and atmopshere,i like it! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano
ikeharel (90534) 2013-11-07 3:31
Marvelous desert scenery, Chris, with the moving sea-of-sand as backdrop's to the village houses.
If you ever come again to this location, you would realized the dunes changed its shape alltogether...
Fine side afternoon-light, shed its rays on the simple huts and walls.
Nice atken from POV chosen, cntrast well onto the blue sky.
snunney (120877) 2013-11-07 3:47
Hello Chris,
A very atmospheric view over the dunes nicely framed by the traditional architecture of the hotel that merges so well with the landscape. I like the lighting and sculptured 3-D effect. Excellent technical presentation.
pierrefonds (81599) 2013-11-07 4:19
Hi Chris,
The distance between the hotel and the sand dunes is giving depth to the composition. The point of view is showing the details and colors of a section of the hotel. The good luminosity is enhancing the colors. Have a nice day.
Sergiom (104715) 2013-11-07 5:05
Bonjour Chris,
On voyage beaucoup en te suivant dans ta galerie. On fait presque le tour du monde assis devant notre écran.Ici, on se retrouve dans un monde de calme à l'abri des dunes de sable. La lumière en diagonale est de toute beauté.
John_F_Kennedy (43763) 2013-11-07 5:33
Hi Chris,
A lovely place! I like the desert framing the picture so well. Fantastic capture!
best wishes
timecapturer (49288) 2013-11-07 6:14
Hi Chris
this has a real magical atmosphere about it. The early morning light is soft and gentle as are the sand slopes in this beautifully tranquil image. Like it a lot! Wonderful!
Regards - Brian.
Royaldevon (53412) 2013-11-07 6:35
Hello Chris,
Wow, what a view!
I would imagine with temperatures like that, you would need the water!!
The buildings tell their own tale, so very characteristic of the region. Because of their colour, they make a very natural link with the softly undulating sand hills beyond. Only the two trees add a little green relief.
Your shot is beautifully composed with good leads and an off-centre opening to admit the b/g.
Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)
Kamilutka (8107) 2013-11-07 7:26
Hello Chris,
very captivating scene with the sand dunes in the background and typical Moroccan architecture placed in the foreground. The light you managed to capture is splendid and casts very beautiful shades on the sand. Lovely colors.
Thanks for sharing
rychem (56033) 2013-11-07 9:09
Through this side light the dunes have special forms, fantastic effect, beautiful landscape, excellent photo
regards Ryszard
worldcitizen (10892) 2013-11-07 9:53
Hello Chris,
It's always amazing for me to see towns so close to these giant sand dunes. I can imagine a strong wind blanketing everything with sand. Lovely POV, with the hotel and trees in the foreground.
dkmurphys (74476) 2013-11-07 10:20
Hi Chris,
The composition with the dunes and the oriental architecture is quite spectacular. Well taken, good idea.
PaulVDV (41382) 2013-11-07 11:19
Hello Chris,
I really like the beautiful gently undulating movements of the dunes. The position of the sun and the alternation of light and shadow make this dunes even much more attractive.
That hotel must have been a great place to stay with a view of the endless sand desert from your window.
Best regards, Paul
nikkitta (17070) 2013-11-07 11:58
The desert in a super atractive composition, Chris, a well organized composition where the more I liked (after the golden dunes) are the towers and the always present birds
Must be a marvel to stay at such a place enjoying the view from the piscine
Well done, TFS
Silvio1953 (172027) 2013-11-07 13:33
Ciao Chris, fascinating desert view, splendid light, excellent clarity and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio
eldancer1 (36343) 2013-11-07 14:32
Wow! Awesome capture of this famous sand dunes and I'm glad you included the buildings for scale. Good dof with nice details. Love the warm golden colors. Well done, tsf.
The blurring of the wing of the F-22 was caused by the heat from the engine.
jjcordier (79299) 2013-11-07 22:49
Ce réveiller avec un tel spectacle devant les yeux....quel plaisir que tu nous fais partager avec cette très bonne photo.
Graal (103038) 2013-11-08 1:15
Hello Chris,
nice view of biggest desert. Amazing pattern of Sahara sands. It being interested in juxtaposing with buildings beside. However there is a life here. Well done photo.
Have a nice day.
Cricri (141836) 2013-11-08 12:02
Hi Chris
De jolies ondulations du sable, le jeu ombre et de lumière, l'architecture typique du désert, j'aime beaucoup le désert Marocain
Belle soirée
carlo62 (68286) 2013-11-08 15:28
Ciao Chris
bellissima luce, sembra modellare la duna con un bell'effetto 3D.
Un ottimo pov ci permette di vedere il panorama in tutto il suo splendore.
mcmtanyel (41675) 2013-11-09 18:44
Hello Chris,
Raw beauty! The reflections and shadows from the early morning sun are sublime. A most excellent photograph!
Didi (61475) 2013-11-11 9:00
Hi Chris
Very nice view wit a good lights management well balanced with shades
I think that it was possible to stitch xith a second picture for giving more foreground
Best regards
jemaflor (114604) 2013-11-13 12:34
Hi Chris,
Beautiful dunes, good effect with the lateral light to give contrast , well framed with the FG.
macjake (82245) 2013-11-14 0:57
Hi Chris
I'll have to remember this when I go to Morocco!
seems like a cool place to hang out for a couple of days.
the architecture seems so out of place here, but...why not eh! the bg scenery is to die for!
lucky for you!
So this is where you go for camel tours? is that the main purpose here?
cool and strange at the same time
Miguel82 (27750) 2013-11-14 11:17
This is a fantastic shot of a huge dune (erg) and traditional house of Sahara, you got remarkable tons of colors, good light, bravo, all the best, have a nice evening Chris
ourania (51103) 2013-12-19 13:12
Hello Chris,
I like very much this evening view and its atmosphere. You captured beautiful warm colours and an intriguing play of light and shadow. All the colours are gradually losing their daytime vigour and become milder, darker and sweeter, you captured this mesmerizing effect superbly. I also like the juxtaposition of the geometry of the cozy building and the wild and fluid beauty of the dunes. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a good night,
Photo Information
- Copyright: Chris Jules (ChrisJ) (135918)
- Genre: Lieux
- Medium: Couleur
- Date Taken: 2012-08-22
- Categories: Nature
- Camera: Nikon D 90, Polarizing Filter
- Exposition: f/4, 1/250 secondes
- More Photo Info: view
- Versions: version originale
- Date Submitted: 2013-11-07 1:00


text:
Friday, October 31, 2014
This day of cold blustery winds will be stripping the trees bare of their remaining foliage. The origins of our current day all hallows eve are deeply rooted in Celtic belief. Today, as we light candles in windows and in jack-o-lanterns, we mark the end of our harvest and beginning of the darker months. The sounds of laughter and running shuffles through leaves will fill the air as children of all ages run from home to home performing in their costumes for a treat. When we return we will warm ourselves with a shared meal, hot apple cider, spiced wine and apple cake. As the kids settle in to count their cache, the adults will be thankful for glowing warmth in the darkness a bountiful harvest and remembering those who came before.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
#tbt First House
circa 1995, halloween right after we bought our first house in Las Vegas. Carrying on my families tradition of carving the giant pumpkin, this beauty drove back from CA with us in the back seat of our car.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Gotta Love Fall Weekends
What a difference a few days makes! We had a beautiful weekend, temperatures reaching 70 made it perfect for being outside and working diligently on the fall cleanup. It was a weekend of:
pancetta starting
volleyball playing
hamburger grilling
compost moving
leaf jumping
and pudgy pie making
Thankfully we got a big chunk of the work done last weekend, as this weekends highs are predicted to be in the low 40's, and windy with the possibility of a few wet snow showers! Gotta love these late fall weekends!
Monday, October 27, 2014
Eyeing B & W
Last week I was tagged in a black and white photography challenge on facebook. For five days I posted a black and white photo and tagged another photography friend to do the same each day. I really enjoyed the exercise and how my wall filled with amazing photos taken by friends. I have always enjoyed black and white photography, but amid trying to capture all of the brilliant fall colors, I had not thought about it recently. As I have spent the last several days eyeing the world around me through a black and white lens, I was reminded of how striking the light and depth of field are in b & w. I realized that I need a challenge once in a while, a tangible reason to get out of the daily routine and re-invigorate my eye, such fun!
Friday, October 24, 2014
Work and Relaxation
With slightly warmer temps and no rain in the forecast, our weekend is looking to be bathed in golden autumn sun. After a hectic, unexpected, exhausting week, this weekend is welcomed with open arms. I am hoping for a mixture of work and relaxation as we put the outdoors of the farm to bed.
We cleared the front porch this afternoon, vacuumed the runners and nestled them into the attic until next year. It looks so bare and unexpectedly spacious, yet rather inviting in this beautiful soft light, a perfect spot to sit and read for a while. See? Work an relaxation.
What are your weekend plans? Whatever they are, be sure you get out and enjoy the weather. My mantra with the kids has been, get out there and enjoy it, there are not many more days like this left!
::check out julie's post on architecture, great minds think alike, and were obviously awed by the cityscape of our times in New York!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
#tbt Football
#tbt circa 2011, papa teaching Charles the fundamentals of the game.......I think it's about time that Charles taught papa the finer details of the other football! :)
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Fall on the Farm
A windy rainy week will be capped off tonight with a frost advisory. It is beginning to look a lot like fall around here. Crisp temperatures make grabbing a sweater the norm, walking across the yard is a shuffle amongst the fallen leaves and the Halloween decor made its appearance this week. Sadly, the beautiful gourd display that I normally decorate the porch with will remain hidden this year. I suspect a mischievous puppy and a basket full of gourds would not be a good mix!
The cool weather crops are enjoying the temperatures. We are still pulling leaks, peppers, kale, flower sprouts and onions from the garden. As you can see the one light frost that we had last weekend finished the winter squash plants and this weekend will see them harvested and nestled into their new root cellar home.
It looks like after this weekend we will see a string of dry days together. With more than half of the garden beds closed down, and frost in the forecast, I suspect that the next couple of weekends will be comprised of finishing the remaining beds, topping the asparagus, pruning berry canes, planting garlic, and beginning the task of next seasons compost by way of a mass mowing and the beginning of leaf pick-up. Just a few little tasks, mid to late fall on the farm is the last big push towards putting everything to bed before the darker and much colder months ahead.
Friday, October 17, 2014
The Architecture of Life
I am bundled in a sweater this afternoon looking out onto an incredibly grey and blustery day. Life has presented me with many opportunities and seen to it that I have lived a number of very different places. I grew up in Long Beach, a suburb of Los Angeles, and had a wonderful neighborhood upbringing with friends walking to each others homes in a close knit, albeit large community.
I enjoyed big city living as a college student in London, a city that has my heart and if ever I were to live in a big city, that one would be it. From there I got my first taste of the country living in a Midwestern college town called Manhattan, Kansas 'the little apple'. This is where I met B and began to fantasize about that 'little house' life I had romanticized as a child.
As college ended a young couple looking for work and adventure ended up where else? Las Vegas. Here, I learned to love the outdoors in a way that I had not before. There is something magical about sitting on your porch at midnight when it is still 100+ degrees and it feels great...remember it is a dry heat! We had our first real garden where we learned the merits of xeroscape. This wild west town was on the cusp of major growth and we grew with it.
Eight years later, once we were firmly ensconced in adult life, and my stomach swelled with the beginnings of a new adventure, we moved onto opportunities in the upper midwest. Here our little abode has encompassed the best of all worlds; the rural lifestyle that we both had craved yet close to several larger cities.
Last weekend while visiting 'the big apple' I somewhat expected to have the feeling that I had living in London. Though both large bustling cities, they felt vastly different. I saw first hand a population density that created its own vertical architecture. I gazed into buildings on top of buildings for miles at a time and saw floors upon floors of small homes full of vitality. A vastly different life from the one that I know, or have experienced. As I walked the streets I could imagine the early days of the city, almost hearing echoes of those generations past. A very cool, yet surreal experience for this now smallish town girl.
It lead me to think about where we have come from and where we are going. We begin as a clean slate, a foundation and our experiences create our own unique architectures. We build on our experiences to become fully constructed. If we are lucky, we enjoy the ride, and continue to grow and maybe do a little remodeling as we go. As I write this I think of Sid, off on her own first real travel experience alone, a school trip to DC. I wonder what little bricks will be put into place in her foundation this week? At least the boy is contented building his foundation out of Lego's....for the time being. :)
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Savoring Tidbits
Life is a whirlwind, but never more-so than when an intimate group of friends get together. Especially friends who have never technically met and do so in amazing and invigorating backdrops.
Experiencing the city in this context allowed us to roam from place to place in awe, yet as would be typical of me, our meals comprised some of my favorite moments. Whether it was dining in a community that was making the most concerted effort towards locally supplied food that I have ever seen or a dessert composed of a mind-blowing cheese platter or paper thin carpaccio or skewers of beef on the street at 3 am, the company and conversation arising from such meals are what makes memories.
It is also funny to me that as people ask me to recount the experience, I cannot seem to do so entirely. I float from scene to scene, and then after the conversation I recall precious little tidbits that are probably the most interesting, but I guess they are mine to savor, and maybe share here as time goes on.
As I continue to digest my trip, get back into the swing of things and catch up on sleep, here are a few tidbits:
:: Wow, I can make it to after 2 am two days in a row!
:: Though our little town is know widely for its 'Danish' Kringle.... I found out that it is not so much something actually found in Denmark!
:: People watching in NYC is fun, but even more so when Comic Con is in town.
:: There is something spectacular about giant laundry lines stretched across the countryside in Amish Country.
:: Grand Central Station has the best and most expansive apple store. #eyecandy
:: You are never too old to have your caricature drawn.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Stolen Moments
I have decided that slowing down is just a figure of speech. I have always envisioned that slowing down means reducing the calendar commitments for more idle time, but really it is more about how you view the calendar and use the time in between. So many times the calendar can be seen as something overwhelming, the days looking so full there is little time for breath. But really thinking about it, even if there are multiple commitments, the trick is not letting the prospect of what is next up take your breath away. It is more about how your utilize those spare moments in between. As I went home the other day, a route that I drive multiple times daily, I passed this tree. I thought, oh I should take a picture of it before the leaves all drop. Yesterday, I stopped and I did. Slowing down is more about stolen moments consciously taken to do something that would otherwise just be a fleeting thought.
Speaking of stolen moments, they can also be the conscious effort to do something. I am so excited to meet a couple of blogging friends this week! I am sneaking out of town to spend 48 hours in Pennsylvania and another 36 hours in New York, the ultimate girls weekend with a couple of girls that I have 'virtually' known for many years. I am so thankful that B will be taking over the kiddos commitments so that I can make this trip!
Happy Sunday, spend some stolen moments enjoying the fall colors that are appearing brilliantly around us!
Thursday, October 2, 2014
#tbt Welcome October
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