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Sunday Thoughts: 2/16/25

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  I have two totally unrelated thoughts that have been chewing at my brain today thanks to two unrelated social media posts from friends.  (This is not a bad thing!)  So indulge me for a few minutes while I share what I've been mulling over in my mind. Friend #1 wrote that she is losing her job yesterday.  She didn't lose it because she isn't a good employee, she lost it because the small local business that she worked for is closing down.  I don't know how long she worked there or how long the business had been in operation, but my heart aches for her.  Losing a job, no matter what the job might be, is painful. My friend has down played the loss.  She points out that it was only a part time job and the money that she made there went for "trivial" items such as coffee and a travel fund.  She is the friend that I met up with a Disneyworld last September.  ( https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2...

Valentine's Day For "Old People"

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 For the record, I am "old".  I think I have always been old.  I think and act like an "old person."  Which for me means I think logically (most of the time), I am reasonable (most of the time) and I often (not always) thrifty.  And that means that while today may be Valentine's Day, I am not getting, nor do I necessarily want, flowers, candy or jewelry.  I'm not even getting a card, nor do I want one.  (Well, that's not completely true.  When my father was alive and healthy, he would always send me a Valentine's Day card and I DO wish I could have one of those today.) It is a cold Valentine's Day here in the Northeast.  (Side note:  I am SO OVER winter.  For the most part it's been colder than usual, something that I'm not fond of.  We've also had more snow storms than we've had in a long time, which I am also not a fan of.  We haven't had that much snow accumulation, but we have had day after day of snowfall and ice....

Random Questions For Lincoln's Birthday

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  February 12th is Lincoln's Birthday.  He's my FAVORITE President of all times.  (Partially because of some family ties, but that's just part of it.)  I am so old that I remember when we didn't have a President's Day, but instead celebrated two holidays in February (not counting Groundhog Day and Superbowl Sunday, which wasn't always in February anyway), and those two were Lincoln's Birthday and Washington's Birthday.  While they may not be national holidays anymore, they are still important days for me. This February 12th I "celebrated" by getting sick.  Nothing too major, just your typical head/chest thing.  For once I decided listen to my body and took a sick day.  (Amazing, I know.)  While I was resting (or at least trying to and ignore work emails that came in), my mind wandered to various questions.  None of which are related to Lincoln (or Washington for that matter), but I thought I'd just pose them here. Why can't I find the f...

What Kind of...?

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  A friend of mine, who I have known for over 30 years, posted a link on social media that really burned me up.  To be clear, it was not my friend who burned me up or her posting the link (which she found laughable).  It was what the "commentator" of a certain "news" channel said that really got up in my craw.  It annoyed me so much, that I went and checked out the "commentator" and his daily show to make sure that it wasn't edited in some way. (While I was really ticked, I wanted to make sure that it was an actual clip and not someone trying to manipulate things...no matter what the source is, everything is worthy of a double check.)  And sure enough had been posted WAS said. Now you'd think that what ticked me off was the political rhetoric.  This man is conservative and is on a conservative news station.  It wasn't the political rhetoric.  What I heard, I expected.  I may be disgusted and offended, but that didn't set me off. So what DID...

Bfth Embarrasses Herself: The Early Writings

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 Our house in the Poconos has a lot more space and storage than our 100+ year old house in New Jersey.  So we've dragged a lot of "junk" from there to here.  For me this includes plastic containers that sat in the basement for years filled with notebooks.  And I mean a LOT of notebooks.  Some filled.  Others have writings and are mostly blank. So what are these notebooks?  Well, they are "diaries" as well as attempts at stories/fiction.  (And let me be perfectly clear, these attempts are mostly "fan fiction" rip off that just might constitute plagiarism.)  I dug through some of them today. I read things that made me cringe and realize that while in some ways I may have been a mature kid, as a "young" adult (take that as you will), I was pretty darned immature and downright idiotic.  When did I actually "grow up?"  I'm not sure I ever actually did, but I'd like to think I've matured and gotten (a little) wiser. I du...

61

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  February 7, 1964, was 61 years ago.  It's hard for me to believe.  And in case you didn't know, I WASN'T alive on that date.  Although in some ways I wish I was.  I don't WANT to be older (I feel old enough most of the time), but I would have liked to have been alive that day.  Or maybe you should make those days, since it was 2 days later that the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.  (If you're not  old enough to know who that was, go ahead and Google it.  If you don't know who the Beatles are, then I have to wonder if you are human.  And you should probably stop reading this post right now...not that this one is going to be long.) Yes, it was 61 years ago today that the Beatles landed on American soil.  The rest, as they say, is history. The Beatles certainly changed history.  Though all might not agree; I'd say for the better.  Their music can be a salve to the soul.  It lifts us up when we are down.  ...

Green(ish) Thumb?

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  We're still in the midst of winter.  It's cold and gray.  (And I'm so over it.)  While the snow outside can be pretty to look at, I'm ready for spring.  I'm ready for those warmer days. I've never been very good in keeping plants, whether they be indoor or out.  My father was the "plant man."  He mostly grew tomatoes and cucumbers in his later years, but when I was a kid, he grew those and a whole lot more.  He dug out a plot of land in the backyard and grew flowers and a variety of vegetables over the years such as peppers, zucchini (I'm not a fan) and even corn for popping.  (I'll have to admit that it didn't turn out too great, but...)  He would start his seeds indoors under a grow lamp in the colder months and then transplant them outside in the spring.  When he gave up the house with the plot of land for a large garden (a plot that is now grown over and not in use which is sad), he still started his seedlings indoors (...

Terrible Tuesday?

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 Things are pretty crazy in the world  I keep thinking back to the "popular" questions:   are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?  Now four years ago , we were still in the midst of Covid, which was definitely NOT a fun time.   However, by then  we were moving forward.  Vaccines were on the horizon.   So while it was not a great time, it felt like we were emerging from the dark days of 2020. There was reason for hope.  Today...I'm not feeling the hope.  (Though I do try to see the bright side whenever I can.)  I continue to battle anxiety.  Anxiety that I feel for myself and for the world at large.   Let's been honest, chaos surrounds us, no matter who we are or where we are .What the heck is going on?  What the hell happened to common sense and decency?  When did "Christian values" cease to include Christ's teachings?  You DO know the guy who the religion was named for him, r...

February 2, 2025

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  As I write this, it is a cold, overcast day in the Pocono Mountains.  However, earlier today, when poor Punxsutawney Phil was pulled out of his home, there was sunshine.  Phil saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter.  (Which actually puts us just about at the date when spring arrives on the calendar.)  I'm not thrilled with that.  It puts us at the halfway mark.  We've gone through about six weeks of winter already.  Many of those days have been colder and grayer than I can recall recent years being.  I've asked people in the Poconos as well as in NJ, if this year seems to be colder than usual.  I've heard a lot of yes (usually said in resignation). I've never been a fan of winter. (Sorry to all my winter fans out there.  I know you exist, I just don't live in your sphere.)  So, why did you move to the mountains Bfth, I hear you ask.  Well, I like the mountains.  I like the trees.  I like ...

One Down; Eleven To Go

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  January is finally on its way out.  Logically, I know that January has 31 days, but emotionally this month has felt like at least 730 days! I know others feel the same way. There have been days when my stress level has been through the roof.  I know others (too many others) have experienced the same thing.  I am not alone when I say 2025, one month in has NOT been a banner one thus far.   Cold weather, biting winds, fierce fires and so much other drama is so draining and exhausting. And in my heart I know that I actually have a pretty good, even though it doesn't feel that way. Is it any wonder that when it gets dark out (and I DO know that the days are getting longer, but it doesn't feel like it yet), I just want to take a hot shower, grab my pjs and jump into bed?  It feels like my only refuge from all the daily chaos.  (And to be honest it's not that much of a refuge.) Sometimes it feels like fear rules my life. I'm sure it feels the sam...

Gaining My Religion: My Faith Journey

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  Everybody seems to be talking about Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde.  They are talking about her sermon based on a two minute clip that is being shown on social media.  It's a great clip, but I encourage you to find 15 minutes (actually slightly less) to watch her sermon in its entirety.  It can be found:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwwaEuDeqM8 .   As a layperson who has occasionally filled the pulpit, I think it's a wonderful sermon.  Certainly I wouldn't be able to top it.  But then I don't have the education and experience that she does.  Furthermore, I don't think I could actually do her "job" because there's a lot more to it than just going in front of a congregation once a week.  That actually might be the "easy" part, IF there's any easy part. Based on that one sermon, I certainly admire her and want to hear more of what she has to say.  Her book:  How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith ...

Baby It's Cold Outside!

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  Yes, I know it's winter and I've said it before, this one is COLD!  And it's not just because I'm in the Pocono mountains.  Yes, it is WAY cold up there this morning.  (Weather app tells me it is currently 0 with a high of 13.)  It's not too warm here in NJ either...it's 9.  How many more days till spring? We got our first "real" storm of the new year Sunday into Monday.  It wasn't as bad as they said it was going to be, but there was still half of foot, not just in the mountains of PA, but in my NJ backyard as well.  I have to say I am extremely grateful though.  I woke up yesterday morning and since I didn't have to go to work, didn't get out of bed.  Then I heard a strange noise outside.  It was a truck.  Now usually I don't want to hear trucks at 6 in the morning, but this was the company that plows and shovels out our property so I was thrilled to hear the sound.  I did go turn on the front light so they could see...

January 20, 2025: A Federal Holiday

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Every year on the Sunday before the 2nd Federal Holiday of the year in the United States, a church that I attend plays part of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.  They do this, of course, because the next day is Martin Luther King Jr Day, which is observed on the third Monday of January to honor Dr. King and his legacy of service.  (So much in fact that in 1994, President Clinton signed into law that the day should be a day of volunteer service.)   Service to others makes good leaders great.  Think not just of Dr. King, but of those men and women who served humankind and made this world a better, fairer place.  As a Christian, I automatically think of Christ.  "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10)  Great leaders, no matter what their faith (or even if they have faith), serve humanity. Perhaps it is an innate part of th...

Good Bye Yellow Brick Road; Farewell David Lynch

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  You've probably heard by now that David Lynch has died.  And right before his birthday.  Lynch had emphysema so it shouldn't be a complete surprise, but it doesn't make it hurt less. Lynch is probably best known for  Twin Peaks  and I'll talk about that in a minute, as I am a fan of the series, but if you know him only for his bizarre and surreal films, you're missing out.  Before I even knew who David Lynch was, I was a fan of the movie  The Elephant Man .  Yes, he directed  The Elephant Man .  He also directed a very sweet film that I'm guessing most haven't heard of that I adore,  The Straight Story.   It's definitely not what you would expect from David Lynch, or from the David Lynch that you THINK of.  If you can, check it out!   Back to  Twin Peaks , when it originally came out, I did watch it.  I was not as pulled in as many of my friends were and I lost interest during season 2.  (Mu...

Dear Mom & Dad: Your Pride And Joy

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Dear Mom & Dad, We're halfway through the first month of the new year.  Your grandson will be going back to school next week and I really wish you were here to see how he is maturing and thriving.  While most people might say they regret that you weren't around to see him graduate from high school and won't see him graduate from college in 2027 (fingers crossed), I regret that you haven't witnessed his growth as a human being. (Actually mom, I really wish you could have seen him in "Hello Dolly" when he was a senior in high school in the spring of 2023.  I know that was one of your favorite shows, having seen it on Broadway with Carol Channing, and I'd like to think that seeing your grandson in one of the lead roles might have even topped that.) He's doing really well in college.  Over 3 semesters he's gotten almost all As. (Darn that required accounting course!)  He also might (and this is a big might) be following (slightly) in Great Uncle Ha...