Bfth's Boring Blog

  I recently wrote an article for a church newsletter about scams.   They are all around us and I know we all try to be vigilant, but… I wrote the article because I had recently gotten an email from church rector.   The note was brief:   “Do you have some time.   I have a request I need you to handle discreetly.   I am currently busy, no calls so just reply to my email.” Seems reasonable…or does it? Now of course I’m willing to help (anyone in the congregation would be because like most religious organizations [at least the ones that I’ve been involved with], members are supportive, caring and always willing to help) but a few things caught my eye.   It was signed using his full name.   That’s not typical.   Under that was the title “Pastor”.   He is indeed a pastor, but in the couple of years that I’ve known him, he’s never signed email that way.   Nor does he usually include the church’s name and address at the bottom of his...

  It's banned books week again.  So I thought I'd talk about 7 of my favorite banned books.  They are not my favorites because they are banned.  They are my favorites because I really enjoyed them.  Some of them have appeared on my annual "Best Books I Have Read This Year" list.  In my opinion, they are good books.  They tell a good story.  They have stuck with me.  They mean something to me and I think they mean something to others as well.  So here they are in no particular order (because that's just too hard to do): 1.        To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Okay, this is one of my all-time favorite books. It may very well be my favorite book.  I read it as a freshman in high school.  (Again I say thank you to Mrs. Y for having it as part of the curriculum.)It might have been the first book we read during the school year.  And nothing else I would read that year could even come close. (To t...

 I haven't written in a week, which is unusual for me, but then we are living in unusual times.  (At least I hope these times are unusual...if our current "climate" [and I'm not just talking weather here, although that's what I'm going to be mostly talking about] then we are in deep trouble.  Really deep trouble) It's another overcast Sunday, although nor'easter to content with.  There's going to be rain again and it's colder than I'd like.  (You know me, I'm NOT a cold weather person, so I was hoping we could stretch out the warmer and sunnier todays for a bit longer.)  I'm hoping that I might be able to get outside for at least a quick walk, but you never know.   In the meantime, I am sitting here typing this blog post and blowing my nose because suddenly my allergies seem to be kicking into high gear. (You've heard of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer; let me present to you Bfthie the red eyed/red honking nose semi-human.) N...