Much to my surprise my internet is back in operation early! While I am doing new posts, please treat this as an Open Thread. The usual Open Thread rules apply: be concise, be charitable, and, above all, be amusing!
Back Again-Open Thread
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Did the internet outage have any connection to the wind/dust storm that came through your neck of the woods on Friday?
Probably. We were told by AT&T that a box had been damaged and it had to be replaced, and this was around 4:00 PM on Friday.
That’s Ma Bell pulling the plug on The American Catholic. Look closely. AOC is in there somewhere…somewhere over t h e rainbow…
Glad you back.
My coffee wasn’t as rich as it normally is at 4:20 AM. 🥸
I agree with Philip. I am glad you have returned, Donald. Your writings at this blog I look forward to reading every morning. You are a voice of sanity and reason in a cesspool of idiocy and narcissism. I had feared that something untoward had happened and am glad that beyond a dust storm rendering AT&T electronics inoperative, that was not the case. God be praised!
Philip and LQC:
They only let me give you one thumbs up. So, here are a couple more.
This is so funny it hurts. My son’s package went to Michigan, then to Wisconsin, then back to New York. My son got his package in Ohio where he lives in about two weeks.
Welcome to AI with human neurons in the chip of Abby Normal.
Yes. AI is doing the mail.
Scary.
Soon you will realize that the most efficient way to deliver mail is by full truckloads only. If you are receiving less than a full truck, you will have to wait. Results may vary, but efficiency has never been higher!
A few months ago I began subscribing through Amazon for a biweekly delivery of a particular brand of cat litter for our 5 cats (now all grown up). At first it arrived regularly via UPS, then UPS canceled its contract with the Postal Service and we had to go pick up the shipment at the post office. Over time the shipments kept getting delayed more and more (allegedly due to “severe weather along the delivery route” which had occurred days before) and then one shipment never arrived at all. So I switched to Chewy (online pet supply service) which delivers via FedEx, and now we get our shipments like clockwork every 2 weeks.
Grew up in Chicago and my last 2 siblings are fallen away Catholics. They have little use for any comments or conversation about faith. But in the past 10 days, on a daily basis, they have initiated a call or text to share all the stories, memes and news about Pope Leo.
I’ll take it.
What’s being called a vibe shift is, I believe, a real phenomenon. Amazing to see.
Good morning. I was not aware of the technical difficulties. There was an awful windstorm that tore through Greater Pittsburgh, uprooting trees and knocking out power for tens of thousands for days. My yard was covered in branches but I handled it. Burning those branches while watching the chickens free range in the yard is relaxing.
I had the opportunity to assist in the FNE (Federation of North American Explorers) camping outing at Raccoon Creek State Park this past Friday and Saturday. I helped with cooking and washing dishes. We went canoeing..I helped keep an eye on the younger kids who were not experienced being on the water. I did a little bit of first aid on one young man who fell and skinned his knee and elbow. I scavenged for sticks and branches around the campsite for the fire Saturday evening. I would rather use that than buy firewood.
One gentleman who is a troop leader loves camping. He is an almost exact twin of the actor who played the biker Arnold Schwarzenegger threw around at the beginning of Terminator 2 (I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle…that guy). He has a hundred different camping meals tucked away in his head and loves doing it.
The troop leaders prefer to have the Scouts step up and cook and clean. Perhaps because of my age, or that I never had a sister or a daughter, I could not help myself from stepping in to show the young ladies how to start a grille, crack eggs, open cans with a manual can opener or step in to stir whit it was obvious it was a little too much for one of the young ladies.
Around the fire we prayed the Joyous Mysteries. The girls led the prayers and the last mystery we prayed in Latin. It was a beautiful experience.
Sleeping in a tent on or next to the ground is no fun at my age, but I got through it. Charlie (my youngest son) has aged out of the Timberwolves and there is not an Explorer troop (next age level) at this time, so he may be done with it. Children grow up and have to leave behind many things..toys, friends that come and go, sports in some cases…and parents have to let go as well.
I have never browbeat or forced my sons to participate in any activity..I only asked that they be honest with me and tell me that they did not want to do it anymore and that would be the end of it.
John quit on baseball in the middle of a season and all but quit mentally in the middle of a hockey season. I urged Charlie not to do that to his mother and me and so far he has not.