IrishAyes
IrishAyes's JournalYes it is, and I won't shed a tear for them either.
Though I do try to keep that smirk off my face, only because it might disaffect a potential voter. So I try to go for the serene Buddha look.
I can't be sure what their politics were in times past; possibly GOP considering this is such a
blood-red area. But I do sense a little thawing in the general political atmosphere, and I thoroughly celebrate the slightest hint.
Thank you, sheshe.
I understand President Obama has indicated plans to use every bit of executive power the office affords to do something for the longterm unemployed.
You might be interested in the new handyman who came highly recommended by someone I've learned to trust; he's been looking over several jobs at the house that must wait until the weather eases up a bit. Meanwhile his wife came along to visit with me at a time when I was, let's say, feeling rather down. She sat with me 7 hours one day; we talked about a lot of personal things, both of us, though not politics directly because I usually try to avoid that in RedNeckLand unless necessary. A lot of these nut jobs are just getting way too dangerous, so I generally use the newspaper to pass the word.
Anyway, she's good at saying things w/o actually saying them, too. That plus both of them saw the Obama pictures in the living room, along with LFR's donkey painting, and didn't storm out in a hypocritical snit speaks volumes to me. I know how these people are here in general, and many if not most wouldn't spit on me if I were on fire. The husband works at a seasonal contracting job but gets thrown on unemployment and his own devices in between. The wife has some severe medical problems, and of course until ACA they seldom if ever had health coverage. Now they do and are so very grateful. I feel I might've met a couple new friends with compatible hearts. You know I'm going to love anyone who appreciates President Obama.
Well, supposedly this was a group of Catholics, not any Jews that I knew of;
and it was the second half of my statement that stirred them up, even though I explained my reasoning. Not that we were to keep kosher either. And this wasn't even an original notion of mine. I've been blessed in the past with some highly educated Reform Jewish friends in NY and L.A., which is where I first picked up that notion and endorsed it heartily. And of course Jews for Jesus certainly consider themselves still completely Jewish, and they don't hold to many ancient practices and traditions. To me it just seemed reasonable. But this online Catholic group pitched a hissy fit at the notion of Christians being Jewish whether they know it or not, whether they like it or not. Regardless of whether those holding to the more ancient traditions welcomed them or not. It simply is what it is.
And I'm still perfectly happy with the thought. I do have a strong ecumenical bent anyway, and will always treasure the time I got to spend with such wonderful people. It would be great to hear what Pope Francis might have to say about that some day; but I'm already not the least bit concerned that he might call me a heretic.
While I'm on this roll anyway, I might mention that I also have strong Buddhist leanings. Any real Buddhist will say it's a philosophy, not a religion as it's often mistakenly called. At least in Asia there are practicing RC priests who are also Buddhist, and they're allowed to co-officiate at certain religious ceremonies with non-RC priests. Have been for who knows how long. That online group would've really flipped out if the discussion had lasted long enough for me to bring that up. But it's true and I'm more than fine with it.
Yes, I know history provided ample reason for mistrust. So I feel extra blessed to have known the liberal people I did, and to have been so warmly accepted by them. It set a good example for me! They weren't trying to change me, and vice verse.
Hence the adage, "You don't own a house - it owns you." Worse than a boat!
Worse than that, loving old houses should count as a Class A Mental Disorder. There's nothing you won't do for them, and they always demand more. Mansions on Rodeo Drive might leave you cold, but the sight of an old faded rose, especially a real Painted Lady, sets your heart atwitter. Don't ever fall in love with anything that can't love you back.
Rest assured it shall. As I noted elsewhere, when I hear the word 'never' about female priests
(eventually cardinals and even a pope!), I snicker up my sleeve. If God said in Him there is no male or female, slave or free, traditional human heirarchy hasn't got a leg to stand on. With such a flimsy base, it must fall sooner or later.
Say, maybe that was the same group I stumbled into.
I posted an OP called Jesus Is Jewish, referring to an excellent scholarly article I'd found on that subject; it coincided with my own statement that a Jew can be a Jew w/o being a Christian, but not vice verse since we are grafted onto their tree.
Well, you'd think I'd committed blasphemy! A self-styled leader even found my location and threatened me with excommunication on top of whatever he might do himself. I was terrified.
True, but liberal Christians don't take the Holy Bible as the complete, literal, inerrant word of
God anyway. There are very scholarly, devout and feminist-favorable translations and interpretations available. You might legitimately have other objections, but don't worry about fundies. They're our version of the Taliban.
Over time, back in my dating years post-divorce, I learned a few shortcuts to finding out
what a man really thought about feminism. You do know some will lie in hopes of a lay, don't you? Well, referring to the Higher Power as 'she' proved a dead giveaway. Watch for the immediate micro-expression when that first falls on their ears. You'll learn a lot. If it was somebody I didn't think would care one way or another because they might not be the least bit religious, I might smile my sweetest and ask who he liked better, Pig Boy or Gloria Steinhem? Oh, the garden paths I escaped with that ruse. Better not to start down that road in the first place.
No apology needed; we're all here to learn from one another.
You must've missed my Endless OP wherein I held forth at unforgivable length about the grand scheme that turned out all wrong. I'll try to make this reply short and sweet.
Polar vortex:
As a damnYankee I know a thing or two about living in cold climates. What I failed to learn is how to cope in the MidWest where the house I bought for retirement has a narrow crawl space that nobody's been willing to enter for any amount of $ in 8 years so far. The pipes are unwrapped. The trap for the pvc exit pipe for the washing machine is NOT just above the laundry room floor where it belongs. Every year at least a couple times the water in the trap freezes; all I generally need to do if I can't wait for it to thaw on its own is pour boiling water down the exit pipe, or failing that, baking soda and vinegar.
Before this year the weather's never stayed so far below zero such a long time, at least not since I've been here. Recently I tried over a week to thaw the ice jam in the trap and couldn't, the mound of dirty laundry prompting my doomed solution. Next I tried non-toxic anti-freeze. No luck - too late. Then I hit upon the brilliant idea of pouring a few teaspoons of non-toxic de-icer salt down the exit pipe, which promptly swelled up and hardened like brick when I added boiling water on top of it. For another week that refused to budge. The manufacturer assured me it would NOT melt. So I had to saw off the exit pipe around 2" above the floor and throw away the 3' plugged up section. There was a tiny bit of de-icer left that low but not too much to work out.
So I got off rather easily, discounting wear and tear on my nerves. There would've been no use turning any sort of heat on the original 3' of pipe sticking up above floor level because (pre-salt) I would've been heating air. The trap's ice jam is too far away to be affected. The only permanent solution - putting the trap inside the house - is too expensive right now. So with the next Polar Vortex due soon, I'll put a half cup non-toxic anti-freeze down the pipe before it has a chance to freeze. The washing machine hose itself fits way down that 2" section of pipe that still extends above floor level w/o any attending problems.
So apparently the sometimes infamous Luck of the Irish ran north this time. But nobody except a masochist would want to use ice melting salt on an ice jam in a pipe. One of the worst ideas I ever had, no matter how clever it seemed until I did it. Live and learn.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHome country: US
Current location: retired to MidWest
Member since: Mon Feb 18, 2013, 10:15 PM
Number of posts: 6,151
