tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41710278592891504882024-03-02T17:47:26.902-08:00Carpe LanamKnitting, quilting, and other woolgathering.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.comBlogger942125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-78468123862648121712024-02-09T22:26:00.000-08:002024-02-09T22:26:34.394-08:00Genealogy, part I: or, Learning to climb the tree.<p> It started mildly enough, a few decades ago. My mother-in-law, a librarian, went to an Elder Hostel at BYU with my father-in-law, and spent the next 4-5 years compiling several binders full of research and pedigree charts for her children and her sons-in-law and daughter-in-law (that's me). My parents, especially my mom, pitched in and came up with notes from my grandparents and great-uncles and aunts, but there weren't a whole lot of mysteries in my family within the last hundred years, and a great-uncle had already written a book about his side of the family, so I didn't think much about it. Eventually the binders came to live with us. They were interesting to leaf through, and wonder if I was really descended from the Plantagenets or if that was just mythology, but I had no way to evaluate it all.</p><p>But Mom Chapman never really solved the mystery of her own roots, for all that work. So some years back, Steve got her an Ancestry DNA kit as a gift, maybe for Mother's day. Then he took the test, maybe for his birthday. And by Christmas, or maybe New Years, I took one too. It's a little weird and feels, to this descendant of Puritans (which I already knew) a bit too potentially prideful and self-indulgent to be proper.</p><p>But then, a month or two later, when the results came back and had very few surprises (Scottish, English, Northern European, Germanic, and that's pretty much what I expected) I had to laboriously enter my own family tree just to give the database something to work with. I was irritated about how long-ago record-keepers had spelled my ancestors' surnames. And I wasn't willing to pay a subscription fee just to find misspelled records for people I already knew were my ancestors, so I just kept entering the family tree Mom Chapman had so generously researched for me, as well as the lineage recorded in Great-Uncle Everett's Maffett book. On some lines it was easy to get back to the Puritans, or the later English or Scots-Irish settlers in the mid-Atlantic states... but on others, it quickly became confusing and frustrating. Still, I was hooked. I was just curious to go back further in time than 150 years, which had all been pretty well documented for most lines, or find out about the hillbillies, who weren't documented much at all. The gaps in Mom Chapman's notebooks became increasingly tantalizing to me. Who was the father of Zebulon Burch? Who was the father of Martin Burch? Who were the parents of Mercy Rodgers Crouch? Who was Catherine Unknown? Where was Thomas Bogue buried? I still don't have the answers to those questions. But I came to view it all as a grand exploration and quest for knowledge.</p><p>Sometimes I'd see something on Ancestry and wonder if the claims made about that person were true, so I'd do a basic Google search, and I started seeing <a href="https://www.wikitree.com/" target="_blank">WikiTree</a> profiles occasionally. And I discovered that, basically WikiTree is a vast database of genealogy that you can contribute to. I was in the phase of wanting to learn Markdown formatting for my Wikiversity Latin course (which, I'm sorry to say, I haven't added much to the way I'd hoped), and I just jumped in, and created a profile to try to learn my way around. It involved recreating separate profiles for myself and my family, which was excruciatingly slow at first. And it made me anxious, because you have to have sources, and some people get snooty about what a source is. I could quickly see though, that you could bump into cousins on WikiTree in a more direct way than on other DNA platforms, and I liked that it was free to access and edit. This was in July of 2019. I started adding my family tree, and within a few weeks I'd bumped into two great-great grandfathers who were already on the tree. The adrenaline rush of making a connection in the sea of names and dates was addictive. It was worth the anxiety about whether my research was good enough. Gradually, my confidence grew.</p><p>By October of 2019 I had reached back to the early 1800's and late 1700's on some lines, hitting a few brick walls. I signed up for the "source-a-thon" and learned some basic formatting tips for sources that made my profiles look a bit better. </p><p>After that, I stumbled across a book from the late 1800s about the Wagenseller family, which I'm descended from. I ended up creating a profile for all the Wagensellers or Wagonsellers in it who weren't already on the tree. And I was hooked after that.</p><p>I'll have more to say about the genealogy quest in future posts. I find it endlessly fascinating in the same way that putting together a quilt or a massive jigsaw puzzle is fascinating. </p><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-83321947164974335682023-10-31T21:30:00.001-07:002023-10-31T21:30:56.183-07:0095 Reasons to be Thankful this Reformation Day<p>(Totally, Unconditionally, not Limited to 95, but Irresistible to try to Persevere... and as October, month of the Reformation, turns into November, month of Thanksgiving, it's a good place to start).</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>SOLA SCRIPTURA</li><li>I have a Bible in my home. You probably do, too.</li><li>You know how to read it (universal literacy is prevalent in countries touched by the Reformation).</li><li>You went to school, so you can understand it better (universal education, likewise).</li><li>The Bible is available in every language spoken on Earth. Not so before the Reformation.</li><li>Churches that preach from God's word are found all over the world.</li><li>God blesses these churches and brings new believers to them.</li><li>When believers read the Bible, that's enormously powerful. It changes lives.</li><li>Humans constantly fail, but the word of the Lords stands forever.</li><li>We must test human teachings against the Scriptures. So even when we sin, and our leaders sin, the standard doesn't change. It is there, like the North Star, pointing the way.</li><li>Martin Luther took a courageous stand at the Diet of Worms in 1521, refusing to recant, because of this core principle. And to this day, he cannot be proven wrong from Scripture.</li><li>SOLA GRATIA</li><li>None of the blessings we receive from God are from our own efforts.</li><li>Most notably, our salvation is by grace alone.</li><li>Not because of any work we have done, so we shouldn't brag about it.</li><li>Many blessings we receive are from what is called "common grace" - available to all humans.</li><li>God pours out His grace in a special way on His people, in ways that are often intangible but obviously God's work by those on the receiving end.</li><li>God blesses our efforts as Christians to grow in understanding.</li><li>God gives us courage to stand for the truths revealed in the Scriptures. </li><li>God gives us courage to stand against the culture, when necessary. He puts the right words in our mouths, as he did with Martin Luther so many years ago.</li><li>God raises up leaders at the right time, and performs mighty works at the right time. His time, not ours.</li><li>We don't have to understand God's grace. But we should acknowledge it.</li><li>SOLA FIDE</li><li>We are saved by faith alone, not works. Our faith doesn't come from ourselves; it is the gift of God.</li><li>A gift! From God! </li><li>If that's not amazing enough, read the "Faith Chapter" (Hebrews 11). Let's take the heroes in groups so we don't go over 95:</li><li>Abel, whose faithful sacrifice was approved of God, and who still speaks even in his death; Enoch, who was translated and never tasted death; Noah, who built the ark to save his household;</li><li>Abraham, called to go to an unknown country; Isaac and Jacob, his promised heirs who were nomads all their lives; Sarah, who got over her laughing disbelief and conceived in her old age;</li><li>Joseph, who trusted that one day his bones would be buried in the promised land; the parents of Moses, who hid him from the pogrom of that day until he became protected by a princess; Moses, who when he grew up, rejected the privileged position he held and identified with his people, and led them out of Egypt;</li><li>the children of Israel who conquered Jericho under Joshua's leadership; Rahab the harlot, who believed;</li><li>Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah;</li><li>David, Samuel, the prophets;</li><li>women who received their dead raised to life again; those tortured to death, hoping for the resurrection; </li><li>those who were mocked, scourged, bound and held in prison; </li><li>stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword; </li><li>wanderers in goatskins, destitute, living in caves and deserts...</li><li>"of whom the world was not worthy." And that's it. Grace, and faith, which is a gift.</li><li>SOLUS CHRISTUS </li><li>Christ is our mediator; we can only approach God the Father through Jesus the Son.</li><li>We don't have to worry about going through any human mediator. </li><li>Not the Pope (don't even try to say this is a good idea, it is laughable).</li><li>Not Mary. She would be profoundly offended if she knew people were praying to her, and point them to Jesus.</li><li>Not church hierarchy, whether bishops, pastors, elders or other; they, just as we, must approach the Father through the Son. If they are fulfilling their calling, they would all point to Christ.</li><li>Not the saints, prophets, or apostles and martyrs. They would all point to Christ.</li><li>Christ was born at a specific time in history, </li><li>lived a sinless life, </li><li>suffered an unjust death on our behalf, </li><li>descended into hell,</li><li>rose victorious from the dead</li><li>ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father --</li><li>and He shall surely come again, in power and glory, to judge the living and the dead.</li><li>SOLI DEO GLORIA</li><li>Glory to God alone - J.S. Bach chose this as his signature line for a reason. This is where the Christian life begins. </li><li>What is the meaning of life, anyway? What is, (not) to coin a phrase, the chief end of man?</li><li>To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. (Westminster Shorter Catechism #1, which you probably know if you've read this far).</li><li>And that looks different with every Christian. But there are family resemblances.</li><li>We meet once a week to praise God and rejoice in Him,</li><li>We build friendships and structure our home and work lives around those priorities.</li><li>When this world, with devils filled, threatens to undo us, we will not fear --</li><li>Not to fear is a choice of the will, and it's necessary to remind ourselves of this, because the world is indeed filled with devils.</li><li>But we do not tremble for the prince of darkness, because his doom is sure.</li><li>We have the Spirit of God, and the gifts that come from Him.</li><li>If God is for us, who can be against us?</li><li>SEMPER REFORMANDA</li><li>Giving thanks: here are some more things, stemming from the Reformation, that we should consider:</li><li>Countries touched by the Reformation have been blessed by their embrace of the freeing truths Luther first articulated.</li><li>The printing press was invented at just the right time to give access to the Bible and educational materials to ordinary people. That led to...</li><li>Upward mobility: Martin Luther lived in a feudal world, where only the hereditary rich had power. But if common people could learn to read they could improve their lot, and learn new trades... </li><li>And they did, in large numbers. Printing presses made Bibles affordable and a rising middle class had time to evaluate things that needed to change.</li><li>The rise of the middle class led to much-needed reforms in government.</li><li>Every European country had to come to grips with the reality that Protestants existed and demanded reform.</li><li>And if the government was not responsive to the requests for reform, a whole New World was waiting for settlement.</li><li>Protestants wanted more freedom and, 3 or 4 some generations after Luther, migrated to America in astonishing numbers.</li><li>In the Old and New Worlds, representative government became the norm, gradually of course, and with many setbacks. </li><li>500 years after Luther's 95 Theses, it is almost unthinkable for a modern country not to have checks and balances on its head of state.</li><li>Universities were established in America at first with the primary purpose of training preachers. </li><li>Medical doctors also.</li><li>And lawyers. </li><li>Some polymaths loved learning so much that they got degrees in multiple professions, for the sheer joy of it, and to serve God better. I'm rather fond of some of the clergymen-physicians of New England.</li><li>Slavery still existed as it always has, but increasingly frowned upon by Christians, and with less institutional support. Abolition of the slave trade in England was a long and frustrating process. It would take a terrible war and untold bloodshed to stop slavery in America.</li><li>Women more frequently learned to read and were granted agency in ways that had been inconceivable under feudalism.</li><li>Women were more likely to be provided for in their husbands' wills, for example. </li><li>500 years after Luther, it is almost inconceivable for a modern state that has been impacted by the Reformation, not to have universal literacy...</li><li>universal suffrage...</li><li>accountability requirements for government leaders...</li><li>a free press that is allowed and expected to expose corruption...</li><li>a police force that is bound to serve and protect the public good...</li><li>judges and legislators that are held to a constitutional standard...</li><li>a standard of fairness in the treatment of the poor, elderly, and disabled...</li><li>toleration for religious minorities...</li><li>laws against oppression of ethnic minorities.</li><li>But civilizations wax and wane, and it is easy to be discouraged about the negative trends that we see today, as God is mocked in American civil life and Christians are as well.</li><li>No civilization is eternal, except for the City of God...</li><li>But it is the City of God that is our hope and our eternal citizenship.</li><li>May we all keep the vision of that bright city firmly in our minds as we tread the pilgrim highway.</li></ol><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-79463796597958116592023-10-16T17:13:00.000-07:002023-10-16T17:16:25.694-07:00Abner's Mill - a Quilt finish.<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-t-Q9JQlKupc-todBdsg29l0hvmZJ8bdGwDxSDJWcf-yD3Yxm2c1nxIybczks2tgeIY8TNpb-mBMEq-jqGGFEUUEaNG-cpAWW0tEtnpDy-BuyK-Xz89Tl7FgqM3X-VLzcgwUh7JqIPzI8yymXDRHlrBbnhN8xLIRKtVLhINkNC3qSgPMDy0-5YrfhWc/s1800/046D2D17-DAE0-4BAF-BF3E-D48FD500533C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-t-Q9JQlKupc-todBdsg29l0hvmZJ8bdGwDxSDJWcf-yD3Yxm2c1nxIybczks2tgeIY8TNpb-mBMEq-jqGGFEUUEaNG-cpAWW0tEtnpDy-BuyK-Xz89Tl7FgqM3X-VLzcgwUh7JqIPzI8yymXDRHlrBbnhN8xLIRKtVLhINkNC3qSgPMDy0-5YrfhWc/s320/046D2D17-DAE0-4BAF-BF3E-D48FD500533C.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p>This is my take on Rhododendron Trail, the Bonnie K. Hunter mystery quilt event from 2021. You can get the pattern <a href="https://quiltville.com/shop.html#!/Rhododendron-Trail-Digital-Pattern-Booklet/p/442910163/category=13038426" target="_blank">here</a>. Obviously, I went rogue with the color scheme. It was an homage to a spring walk along a trail with brilliant yellows, pinks and aqua ribbons of sky. But it was autumn, my father was in failing health, and I felt the cultural upheaval and the oppression of the COVID lockdowns and groupthink very keenly. I was physically ill looking at such cheerful colors. So I played with opposites.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWAdWVdO2bMi7YhDS_lM0QbRk5YY4-c6peVz7z4hnWiBZwxNeg4HhAZyDUFOAyCrP1O38HNGYDzVAyqetfsy2yzdxYy8-uUIu0DSKNFW_B5WExaG9cTzo3kFLTbx6HuUg22pc4GhaG0xdWapcZU_LsBnaoUIHl6yY0_BuC-NqGByWqwNdlpJTNsLGjYc/s2048/IMG_0865.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWAdWVdO2bMi7YhDS_lM0QbRk5YY4-c6peVz7z4hnWiBZwxNeg4HhAZyDUFOAyCrP1O38HNGYDzVAyqetfsy2yzdxYy8-uUIu0DSKNFW_B5WExaG9cTzo3kFLTbx6HuUg22pc4GhaG0xdWapcZU_LsBnaoUIHl6yY0_BuC-NqGByWqwNdlpJTNsLGjYc/s320/IMG_0865.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Brown instead of pink. Tan instead of cranberry. Gray instead of yellow. And "Blue is the new neutral." Medium to dark blue. I played with these colors for the first clue or two.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9ofYD0RzOWkZ1ddv4ZZI7_fZAbCZO3wK2Ro0_OH8TeLqgeei4A1MxYSQRCQ8hr6UQsaEZr9OD8sZ6BRif3_y6wWsiycDLV8PD89ipV4v2wonGOlZW6QbyhEY04I-T3c9y_d2UDQ0xN3JO72o7ojaoZx0PQqGTqecFplzV_wukfSua2m-nid1QFfhFmo/s2048/IMG_0866.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9ofYD0RzOWkZ1ddv4ZZI7_fZAbCZO3wK2Ro0_OH8TeLqgeei4A1MxYSQRCQ8hr6UQsaEZr9OD8sZ6BRif3_y6wWsiycDLV8PD89ipV4v2wonGOlZW6QbyhEY04I-T3c9y_d2UDQ0xN3JO72o7ojaoZx0PQqGTqecFplzV_wukfSua2m-nid1QFfhFmo/s320/IMG_0866.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Steve liked my color scheme. "Masculine colors," some of them from old shirts. I wasn't convinced at first, but I wanted to piece a quilt and bright colors were just unappealing to me. I went with it and moved forward on the mystery quilt, but slowly. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJaGcpuRAK5hghxf93BSBdiAQLktLwMwxbwSISP8OxahJ0y2lNxYVaySoEFydwZft472HJL_cOV9ThsVnFSGLAtTEjH0RVJSdoDKOBCwaDGZZsG4T0dxByvu5lGMEfjRslnst8l6Hqu19azuvhVW09FH5J14IgAi8I2iC5AaiilX3Ir8QAjEC1SvX7nCM/s2048/IMG_0887.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJaGcpuRAK5hghxf93BSBdiAQLktLwMwxbwSISP8OxahJ0y2lNxYVaySoEFydwZft472HJL_cOV9ThsVnFSGLAtTEjH0RVJSdoDKOBCwaDGZZsG4T0dxByvu5lGMEfjRslnst8l6Hqu19azuvhVW09FH5J14IgAi8I2iC5AaiilX3Ir8QAjEC1SvX7nCM/s320/IMG_0887.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Through the fog of all the confusion and anxiety of early 2022, I pieced, in fits and starts, until I had quite a bit of the clues done, and I couldn't justify not keeping at it. As my father's health worsened to a crisis, it sometimes felt like the one thing I could do.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh54YsntBKk-EBs1Iw62gd5ofE41FpUIImb81WfKnEBuw8Fr-Sa5PrbxFicjXTUW3FcoXApjACuriTRyxOFXMS2466bme6vnJqtpNlOH3mP-LeQPCcbir9ua09gngveECknQZU0kDiHJvARB9t_6ivzlpmR0Fll7RmtHuYXQPla-ItviKt5EXHMy6JviM/s2048/IMG_0925.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh54YsntBKk-EBs1Iw62gd5ofE41FpUIImb81WfKnEBuw8Fr-Sa5PrbxFicjXTUW3FcoXApjACuriTRyxOFXMS2466bme6vnJqtpNlOH3mP-LeQPCcbir9ua09gngveECknQZU0kDiHJvARB9t_6ivzlpmR0Fll7RmtHuYXQPla-ItviKt5EXHMy6JviM/s320/IMG_0925.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>The blocks started adding up.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtq66ztkzNSDenu9vklQEhI_dC7ypzSoi57k08PC5A9Hn1NtDjZ63IFftq870NKXAoPLmcn4KpTWku_eCz8N5oUYP0oxERc85Pwqj5CAOYBWLEAv4VKyz_5LAUTgGd34euNrbwvW_S9sf67uEM2G_FAVWcpqsHzD1OylRBMT0b32ZlE6aqbqADDR2Y4Io/s2048/IMG_0927.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtq66ztkzNSDenu9vklQEhI_dC7ypzSoi57k08PC5A9Hn1NtDjZ63IFftq870NKXAoPLmcn4KpTWku_eCz8N5oUYP0oxERc85Pwqj5CAOYBWLEAv4VKyz_5LAUTgGd34euNrbwvW_S9sf67uEM2G_FAVWcpqsHzD1OylRBMT0b32ZlE6aqbqADDR2Y4Io/s320/IMG_0927.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>I didn't stick with somber blue, there were some brighter blues mixed in. But it's still a sober, somber quilt.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4mdEEbFUDEdLsrmj_yrb183oQ3kyMtNOnULMWKhd48jYuU1Je9iLr_OPZCYAxlGYFw-AHTY18kKy9B-DPJqKxhSwAIi_OAzl0PYp_DWJ4y4VRA5doqWSb3jG1dfTSEK-QHHhL6R-zqF9Fcw9GyQ-OBp5Zd8_iPW5EG3pja5RfxLH3mlHTRHVE7bABv4/s2048/IMG_0936.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4mdEEbFUDEdLsrmj_yrb183oQ3kyMtNOnULMWKhd48jYuU1Je9iLr_OPZCYAxlGYFw-AHTY18kKy9B-DPJqKxhSwAIi_OAzl0PYp_DWJ4y4VRA5doqWSb3jG1dfTSEK-QHHhL6R-zqF9Fcw9GyQ-OBp5Zd8_iPW5EG3pja5RfxLH3mlHTRHVE7bABv4/s320/IMG_0936.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>The main block, when revealed, reminded me of a millwheel, not a cheerful path strewn with flowers.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejN-WbZ9i7nSuj8huxlPz0A6bw4WXelx__7AEW_KOFH6PxEgROk0urvmcNr9faZb_rUBfju9l_honBbJIUjhOiGr7SyQaEqhvHfC6c7pHPdh_eQ0bwE61K3qTdBWCzbaYL_EwALuHmFYvqH_vhDprDZLIQmEEsJKvib-l4-fAj7Ggf6-ktvIQqE87I1A/s2048/IMG_0937.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejN-WbZ9i7nSuj8huxlPz0A6bw4WXelx__7AEW_KOFH6PxEgROk0urvmcNr9faZb_rUBfju9l_honBbJIUjhOiGr7SyQaEqhvHfC6c7pHPdh_eQ0bwE61K3qTdBWCzbaYL_EwALuHmFYvqH_vhDprDZLIQmEEsJKvib-l4-fAj7Ggf6-ktvIQqE87I1A/s320/IMG_0937.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>The old wooden mill turns, with creaking that could be ominous, and the little sawtooth accent blocks reminded me of the paddles, that shed water as the wheel turns. There are many metaphors to be found in this quilt. The wheel of time, the whirligig of time, water moving over the millwheel. I wasn't looking for the metaphors, they are just there. I decided to call it "Abner's Mill" in homage to Abner Landon, an ancestor who was a millwright in Connecticut and Upper Canada, whose sons were millwrights and moved into the Ohio territory in the early days, when people needed to clear the land before it could be farmed and if you had the skills to build a mill, you wouldn't starve.<p>And the only fabric I bought outright for the project was the constant fabric, which had to be pieced oh-so-carefully in very narrow strips between the blocks. Instead of that cheerful aqua, I looked for a deep forest green... and found it within seconds of walking into the quilt shop. It's that "Grunge" fabric in the colorway "holly." It was like a shaft of sunlight illuminated it and a bright soprano voice was hitting a high A.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCA13bVgf9q5bo0DjpqYeH2Gz3KkMPsp8xe2J8pgsKhWYjBj_vORjpkpfsuosrr3PU89ta9JZsdjNdyzdMYxBcBRLAOBKaymk9EfcrM0Cr9_LgnK9DJJE7sQ-8WboMORMtnqmxnG5a_dy3NS_Ma6WQL59Hp-2D1QfZhyphenhyphen92p2qodWMjSaaE5cKrw9__i8E/s3040/4DE993DA-6E34-4516-B583-17EE38FB0D12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3040" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCA13bVgf9q5bo0DjpqYeH2Gz3KkMPsp8xe2J8pgsKhWYjBj_vORjpkpfsuosrr3PU89ta9JZsdjNdyzdMYxBcBRLAOBKaymk9EfcrM0Cr9_LgnK9DJJE7sQ-8WboMORMtnqmxnG5a_dy3NS_Ma6WQL59Hp-2D1QfZhyphenhyphen92p2qodWMjSaaE5cKrw9__i8E/s320/4DE993DA-6E34-4516-B583-17EE38FB0D12.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>A lot of slow, painstaking piecing getting those pencil-width sashings and tiny cornerstones in.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucEs_uamFlElafFiIfVck-A-9y1awReYX5Y58N6ejAc9sGFDvIPC07r_5_zt0GDeHHxy2ICUscItqqeodqd4OWJ_ZDQw-j4HHvR77d2BK7EoZs7Vvfx-l3gLgkEIqkHdfqorlATZNlniF5CPXmNl7hOW24sOLIElnTZeMTzp3KXD1m1FzJAdB7IsBetA/s2048/IMG_1427.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucEs_uamFlElafFiIfVck-A-9y1awReYX5Y58N6ejAc9sGFDvIPC07r_5_zt0GDeHHxy2ICUscItqqeodqd4OWJ_ZDQw-j4HHvR77d2BK7EoZs7Vvfx-l3gLgkEIqkHdfqorlATZNlniF5CPXmNl7hOW24sOLIElnTZeMTzp3KXD1m1FzJAdB7IsBetA/s320/IMG_1427.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>I had to use the seam ripper on the final flying geese borders a few times.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPN30pRl_AwXDWisS08jtb49XWSUJl0nIA8kGrneS_Llqc3sU7KvCMwPsjXePx9WB5HlxWhxrKW8jmlogA77lgZEevTk4HaA40Z6bzeFF0vs4KejPe75s6E9M-9QqI2Fj0e6vQfcjcxF-ZM4Ds_DXfP1B2_YzO1Nxbq1KFjnrDGKJjfrXJ5MM7Cj_YTwI/s2048/IMG_1428.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPN30pRl_AwXDWisS08jtb49XWSUJl0nIA8kGrneS_Llqc3sU7KvCMwPsjXePx9WB5HlxWhxrKW8jmlogA77lgZEevTk4HaA40Z6bzeFF0vs4KejPe75s6E9M-9QqI2Fj0e6vQfcjcxF-ZM4Ds_DXfP1B2_YzO1Nxbq1KFjnrDGKJjfrXJ5MM7Cj_YTwI/s320/IMG_1428.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>But the quilt cooperated and it lays flat. For the first time ever, I took it out to be quilted by a longarmer.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpc3NUGErhwkIul5jsWTiZU_LrkHVi7SdVOGp2j-ZnijuvPoXal1Z_YFnQU3uNLxBOOWgpmojwINwzKcVxyFuHu0DNVRXX3tIOQTkddmwhp7E0xYEVGJ6fIVJXU0LzEmemyfLsIHp32rInYgDSgkgaDX27b4_Vb0k8iAWZ1bfcjnVdZUH60bj4uZ1yu4/s2048/IMG_1514.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpc3NUGErhwkIul5jsWTiZU_LrkHVi7SdVOGp2j-ZnijuvPoXal1Z_YFnQU3uNLxBOOWgpmojwINwzKcVxyFuHu0DNVRXX3tIOQTkddmwhp7E0xYEVGJ6fIVJXU0LzEmemyfLsIHp32rInYgDSgkgaDX27b4_Vb0k8iAWZ1bfcjnVdZUH60bj4uZ1yu4/s320/IMG_1514.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Just for Fun Quilts did a fantastic job. Kind of an antique gold thread with a bit of shimmer and a leafy, scroll-y allover pattern.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTFqK-HwZ-0DPdJS9TXs9nZWqRof1sv1Lw_Fu9FJXDXMISpGTxbC2mHXyFUEP7s9dv6nDcFGWLXrA-HcbbWJ6y3BuExbPNPebrkLTpNwKf3RRyHdg0PliGtYLUrHvMg8QRjcD44U3ntDTIoysvQQWWsAns6FcpYD9lP8_RAMoaxu1RAdrPil-21I1hB4/s2048/IMG_1553.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTFqK-HwZ-0DPdJS9TXs9nZWqRof1sv1Lw_Fu9FJXDXMISpGTxbC2mHXyFUEP7s9dv6nDcFGWLXrA-HcbbWJ6y3BuExbPNPebrkLTpNwKf3RRyHdg0PliGtYLUrHvMg8QRjcD44U3ntDTIoysvQQWWsAns6FcpYD9lP8_RAMoaxu1RAdrPil-21I1hB4/s320/IMG_1553.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>And that's Abner's Mill. I gave it to Steve for his birthday last year and it's been on our bed ever since.</div>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-76354281536024804532023-10-14T11:25:00.000-07:002023-10-14T11:26:14.613-07:00Randomday, with an actual blog post<p> How's this for a Randomday? I'm actually blogging, and that's random.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhNH_edR5Xfcg6ODsZ2HA8dR6CTD0phHo83xOtHhyIrnhAl5dlSUu_SeTnLzx_e6-buOxCz00pBIy6kZqFBI8uYm_rcL1tdv4jrplTayi31QQF8Xg74JKEShTwJPg1I6TRUQ60hkpmnRLSuxEP8CQO0sFwGv72q9LPTANGEND9ZM13LrukOZh0chen2g/s861/Kathy%202023%20profile%20crop.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="574" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhNH_edR5Xfcg6ODsZ2HA8dR6CTD0phHo83xOtHhyIrnhAl5dlSUu_SeTnLzx_e6-buOxCz00pBIy6kZqFBI8uYm_rcL1tdv4jrplTayi31QQF8Xg74JKEShTwJPg1I6TRUQ60hkpmnRLSuxEP8CQO0sFwGv72q9LPTANGEND9ZM13LrukOZh0chen2g/s320/Kathy%202023%20profile%20crop.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div>I have a new profile picture. This is even recent! I made <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lake-life-henley" target="_blank">Lake Life Henley</a> by Megan Williams, back in 2020. The lovely green yarn is by <a href="https://www.cedarhillyarns.com/" target="_blank">Cedar Hill Farms</a>. Both pattern and yarn are sweet. I won the pattern during one of the Down Syndrome sock challenges on Ravelry, before Ravelry went woke and shadowbanned all the conservatives.<br /><p>Pictures are the thing that keeps me from blogging. Adding pictures to the blog requires me to think in computer, which I don't do so well. So I put off blogging, which is a shame, since I can write without anxiety and I need the outlet.</p><p>Every few months I have a struggle session with my iCloud where it refuses to back up my phone because there's no room on the cloud, so I download a bunch of photos from the cloud to my hard drive and then lose track of them and redownload, or end up forgetting to move them to the current year working file. Or I copy them to Steve's family picture file, and then forget which I've copied so I'm afraid to delete them without comparing both folders. Or I have a panic attack because I thought I downloaded them but they're in a zip file and I can't get them out. Steve is very patient talking me out of corners but I do forget and it seems like a lot of busy-work just to make sure pictures aren't lost in the void. So I'm not even going to worry about crunching down photos to a smaller size because no one ever yells at me from Google blogger that I still need to be doing that. Maybe if they do, I will try to remember how to do that. But for now, I'm in this weird kind of world, closer to 60 than 50, where all the stuff I used to know how to do on computers is no longer relevant, and people are supposed to do everything with a smart phone, and everything is streaming and archives are nonexistent. Why should I trust a Cloud, anyway... and let's not even start on AI. I'm still upset about the loss of the Great Library of Alexandria.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Rh_YfD6klyyf3vnB__XlLgkwk8z3tZhah7GJKQxwG6UJT-3UMR1LuxM4XM3pyokBAh-dMcls1A5OUmz_vufDIE4BQ2O4vWI1TFox5bWzZT-jy46LWSBokSMOqcRMlsZUPMjtTeTajQwLhCYDQLKKsf1EsFUePgGTFPq6DfdF9b1Aqlt8UsbH-CbPcqE/s2048/IMG_1624.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Rh_YfD6klyyf3vnB__XlLgkwk8z3tZhah7GJKQxwG6UJT-3UMR1LuxM4XM3pyokBAh-dMcls1A5OUmz_vufDIE4BQ2O4vWI1TFox5bWzZT-jy46LWSBokSMOqcRMlsZUPMjtTeTajQwLhCYDQLKKsf1EsFUePgGTFPq6DfdF9b1Aqlt8UsbH-CbPcqE/s320/IMG_1624.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4vuqRwyZ6uCaRVUTIYTHL3CczTp61oiI5TY8_WQO7dBoPwWsHN4yniig-JB6WDwTuIxJgyIV1V4YKTTlUrq5sZfLicqOAQl4GkQg6vqEXnbbl2164o_2Lcpzff1z01VcZHz3sS7nH3v0pgwxl2EPAoh-qZG3TsMvLgoCymUwY3sJPF9q17mHPTOg02g/s4032/IMG_1818.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4vuqRwyZ6uCaRVUTIYTHL3CczTp61oiI5TY8_WQO7dBoPwWsHN4yniig-JB6WDwTuIxJgyIV1V4YKTTlUrq5sZfLicqOAQl4GkQg6vqEXnbbl2164o_2Lcpzff1z01VcZHz3sS7nH3v0pgwxl2EPAoh-qZG3TsMvLgoCymUwY3sJPF9q17mHPTOg02g/s320/IMG_1818.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p>I have two granddaughters now, and that is amazing.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-41397293692628757942023-08-04T23:11:00.001-07:002023-08-04T23:11:53.022-07:00Barbie meets her makerFor Quarta's 21st birthday, we had our nails done, dressed in pink and went to see the Barbie movie. I had avoided listening to reviews beforehand; I was not particularly looking forward to it because despite avoiding reviews, I could pick up on the buzz that was pegging this as a radical feminist manifesto ("poisoning the well" would not be an exaggeration). But I was pleasantly surprised. And yet, conflicted. Which is perhaps what director Greta Gerwig intended. I respect her previous work enough to give her the benefit of the doubt... and she has brought forth something I wouldn't have thought possible: a Barbie comedy... with depth.<div><br /></div><div>I didn't play with Barbies growing up. I read Nancy Drew instead. I don't consider myself a feminist and never have; if pressed, I'd say I'm a Christian Classical Humanist. I was mildly surprised to see Barbie brought forward as an icon of feminism at all; that is a very 21st century rewrite of a 20th century marketing strategy that seemed designed more to promote materialism and capitalism aimed at children (must buy all the accessories!!) Also, Barbie was always shallow to me, and self-absorbed in a way that I disliked more as I grew older; she was the stereotypical "cheerleader type" who was the arch-enemy of us smart/awkward girls. Maybe Mattel made Doctor Barbie and Politician Barbie, but I certainly don't remember them featuring prominently, or at all, in the Saturday morning ads. Or maybe, my mother was skeptical about the advisability of Barbie as a role model for me until I was old enough that, when I finally did buy one, I developed a slight aversion to Barbie all on my own. Because I had my loyalties, and they were to Nancy Drew. So, I was going into this prepared to be a bit cynical... and Barbie surprised me by being a bit cynical back, but with a core of human-like compassion that elevates the story above fluff. </div><div><br /></div><div>Toy Story taught us that a movie about a child's playthings could have great emotional depth and be appropriate for all ages. I thought at first this was a pink-flavored riff on Toy Story. But there, the toys unquestionably serve their kids and rigorously obey the rules of their world when kids are present, only taking on a life of their own when no humans are around. Here, Barbie herself, played to blonde perfection by Margot Robbie, begins a human-like quest for self-actualization when she wakes up one morning with flat feet and thoughts of death. </div><div><br /></div><div>Stereotypical Barbie, after this sudden awareness of her mortality, seeks help from Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), an outcast who resembles what happened to my sisters' Barbie when they tried to turn her into Ken. She is told she needs to leave Barbie Land and go to the real world to find her girl, because she is being affected by her girl's thoughts. So Barbie sets off using all the pink modes of transport available to her... and her counterpart Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, stows away until it's too late to leave him behind. When they reach the real world, Barbie goes into Nancy Drew mode to find out what has caused the sudden self-awareness. It's a quest for the meaning of her life, and ultimately strikes the viewer as religious in nature.</div><div><br /></div><div>Barbie infiltrates Mattel headquarters, which is in this setting run by an all-male board designed to produce a sense of vast unfairness in the audience and seems a bit of a cheap shot... until you realize that Mattel authorized this movie and will profit from it handsomely. She finally finds her girl (not quite the first one she thought it was), who is also dealing with thoughts of death, but who has some wise advice to give about Barbie's fears: "That's life. It's all change." To which Barbie responds, "That's terrifying." </div><div><br /></div><div>While fleeing from Will Ferrell and numerous dark-suited executives who are threatened by her intrusion into the "real" world, Barbie meets her creator, Ruth, played sweetly by Rhea Perlman. Her quest to the "real" world awakes in her a need to become real herself and find meaning by transforming from a perfect doll to a flawed real woman. At this point I realized this was a story more like Pinocchio, or the Velveteen Rabbit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, Ken is discovering that men in the real world have more agency than the Kens in Barbie Land, where Ken is basically an accessory to Barbie and his only job description is "beach." So, he sets out back to Barbie Land to introduce the concept of patriarchy to the other Kens. When this news reaches Barbie, she enlists the help of the America Ferrera's character and her daughter. They have a little hesitancy about leaving everything to go to Barbie Land, but they decide that Dad will be fine without them for a bit, as he is practicing Spanish on Duolingo.</div><div><br /></div><div>The battle of the sexes back in Barbie Land is a little over-the-top... but then, this is a comic movie about a doll developing self-awareness so... I took it as comedy. You might cry at parts though.</div><div><br /></div><div>Barbie is appropriate for older children, but not really for the 8-10 and under set. It has a great deal of irony that will just be confusing to young children and adults who don't fully process irony. And because it posits a "Barbie Land" where women rule and men are just ornamental beach bums, you shouldn't inflict it on men or boys unless they come willingly. (I mean, give Ben Shapiro a break, of course he's going to trash the movie if he was forced to watch it. I would have done the same if I had been forced to watch Rambo.) Others have criticized the symbolism of little girls smashing their baby dolls in the first scene as being a metaphor for abortion, but I wonder if they've ever actually seen little girls play with dolls, because that part seemed humorous to me. Oh yes, and Doctor Barbie was a ringer. Again, I'd caution against ignoring the PG-13 rating.</div><div><br /></div><div>My mother would have disliked the fact that the movie portrayed most of the men as buffoons, like too many cartoons and sitcoms of the 20th century. And my harshest criticism would be that Ryan Gosling's Ken was not given the same opportunity for character development. Maybe, there should be a sequel giving Ken that opportunity. I think it would be great if Mel Gibson directed it.</div>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-8788610420880388682023-07-06T16:05:00.000-07:002023-07-06T16:05:06.921-07:00Finished top: Rainbow String Star<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxmkjaZMaWt6sjK5CD1z3zWwLLfaadkkC-gsdCwDrGNPFqLKSZpCvDrW79zFqUmb_fXobCE2E-T3zXXIfdI6tG5X44XgIZPEOwMm8oTcld6QijBvcbaMhk0GOMvAN_Ox8WsvN-8YAon-VHQw7kQmyKMCp--JeqfcNsSYcVgDV5BFxL6niV4iCLKXBeg4/s2048/IMG_1736.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxmkjaZMaWt6sjK5CD1z3zWwLLfaadkkC-gsdCwDrGNPFqLKSZpCvDrW79zFqUmb_fXobCE2E-T3zXXIfdI6tG5X44XgIZPEOwMm8oTcld6QijBvcbaMhk0GOMvAN_Ox8WsvN-8YAon-VHQw7kQmyKMCp--JeqfcNsSYcVgDV5BFxL6niV4iCLKXBeg4/s320/IMG_1736.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Hey, here's a radical idea... an actual quilt featured in my blog, which is mainly about quilting and knitting! </p><p>Based on "Santa Fe String Star" from Bonnie Hunter's book "String Fling" (2012). Bonnie's designs have been a huge part of my quilting life since about 2010, and I've made her mystery quilts almost every year and had a grand time doing them. For this one I was playing with my strings in color families, so I took it in a different direction. I made the center star a color progression, and I used leftover diamonds to piece 8 mini stars to set around the center star. Bonnie's design has a double border of flying geese, but I used applique to attach the mini stars. That was a slow process and it sat for a long time between stitching sessions, but it's finished now. Except for the quilting, sigh. I'm thinking of trying to achieve a "pebble" circular pattern for the background gray. </p><p>Many of the strings were from my MIL's scrap collection, and she loves bright colors. I seem to have even more than when I started though. That is the way of scraps!</p>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-42075306525287603642023-06-30T18:27:00.002-07:002023-06-30T18:27:50.521-07:00Things I picked up from my father - Part II<p>(Last blog entry, more than six months ago. Let's see if I can do a little better.)</p><p>I was recounting shaping influences of my Dad, and how reflecting on his life makes me realize some of the intangible things I've always known were true, but not why. I'd left off a few years after this photo was taken, around Christmas 1967, at my grandparents' home in Princeton, IN. My oh-so-young parents with me, and that's my dad's sister Carol and her husband. Aunt Carol died, too suddenly, in December 2021, a few months before Dad's last illness started.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooVZ7xodAdPO4YuZyFJYuwxDHgfFrEZYGnDU67mXAUDn5V3AHzs8I0V710vKAgPCCXADT1eHdpg2p7JSaXLfg2QnDP8qTYPBUmlcnMmt8E1lfr02v7AhZefJmSplER-1sqJY98-6c9-I5k0gpcJRc9llTEYl57vDDh4CiS6ZE2EpYry1HheUpsodmNwI/s710/007%20with%20Carol&Churck%2067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="710" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooVZ7xodAdPO4YuZyFJYuwxDHgfFrEZYGnDU67mXAUDn5V3AHzs8I0V710vKAgPCCXADT1eHdpg2p7JSaXLfg2QnDP8qTYPBUmlcnMmt8E1lfr02v7AhZefJmSplER-1sqJY98-6c9-I5k0gpcJRc9llTEYl57vDDh4CiS6ZE2EpYry1HheUpsodmNwI/s320/007%20with%20Carol&Churck%2067.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My first memories were of the Allenside UPC, the congregation that was my father's first pastorate. We lived in the manse, I learned to ride a two-wheel bike in the church parking lot, and I would visit Daddy in his office sometimes. Mrs. Hawley, her hands purple with ditto machine ink from printing the bulletins, would show me in, and Dad would give me a handful of cinnamon red-hots and let me draw a picture with his colored pencils, which he would then attach to his filing cabinet with a magnet.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJg1HGtwFcZrFaVsNnrYIVL_jkRf2jaayDIEY8v-fAucao8t65ZHj_Qei-TS57ajFQurXchKDch53EPTHomx_C_PWZfWzcomlc5QKkasQhy7CgJjAAqRxwHEZhuSXMP8iALP0id8ktuN3k6SuTtr4f3v7RCqxwm77LvLk7fQLg--r1Bk1viCgcZlno4o/s2592/004%20AUP.Manse%2072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1680" data-original-width="2592" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJg1HGtwFcZrFaVsNnrYIVL_jkRf2jaayDIEY8v-fAucao8t65ZHj_Qei-TS57ajFQurXchKDch53EPTHomx_C_PWZfWzcomlc5QKkasQhy7CgJjAAqRxwHEZhuSXMP8iALP0id8ktuN3k6SuTtr4f3v7RCqxwm77LvLk7fQLg--r1Bk1viCgcZlno4o/s320/004%20AUP.Manse%2072.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Among many other tasks, my parents took charge of the youth group. And you had to have summer projects for the young people... this was in 1971, when they went on a work camp trip down to New Mexico. My brother and I went along, but I'm hazy on the details. This may have been the trip when we were each sick with different things, pinkeye and an ear infection, but we swapped midway through. I do remember the "big kids" and their projects - a paper drive, a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis, and witnessing youth group in the basement of Allenside, with pillow fights (Mom wouldn't let me participate) and the game where you have to blow a ping-pong ball across the goal line.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBjWrYS4An498GdkiqXh3gyO6hu2vrLIejTEf2HVzY18x4Wv5NeUMsDB7pRmrt-iTpT7UjlVYW4-dNKQ5lyaLJ9_9rbxL56uQ-eQhJV5i10Z8LcTqRUBBAuAm0jFMjGVsYBONSFJcgPJIDvSnnYIstv6Cs1Ss0W8o8cqbQlMw6PxdwCYJXGbACnkjNzY/s2592/061%20Patch%20the%20holes%20and%20paint%20%20AUP%20workcamp%207-71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1680" data-original-width="2592" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBjWrYS4An498GdkiqXh3gyO6hu2vrLIejTEf2HVzY18x4Wv5NeUMsDB7pRmrt-iTpT7UjlVYW4-dNKQ5lyaLJ9_9rbxL56uQ-eQhJV5i10Z8LcTqRUBBAuAm0jFMjGVsYBONSFJcgPJIDvSnnYIstv6Cs1Ss0W8o8cqbQlMw6PxdwCYJXGbACnkjNzY/s320/061%20Patch%20the%20holes%20and%20paint%20%20AUP%20workcamp%207-71.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKdCYuvLmG53enkTCcHNcRlhlxqtAu99RDwIS6KnGprQlaXXBSTrM8vCjt81NsjexYo1zSlyXM9rsaQCcND3n-gGWXibmg2y3nwv62BXnN8Ri70gwZdWTq7QcGD4RkZZzDrLNcT7TBs2hxm-4Za5ZxdPRcuW6UTRlDmgnq6y1_2MP3q7hVnbDNyz0rJI/s1270/0221%20On%20way%20home%20NM%20Workcamp%20summer%2071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="1270" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKdCYuvLmG53enkTCcHNcRlhlxqtAu99RDwIS6KnGprQlaXXBSTrM8vCjt81NsjexYo1zSlyXM9rsaQCcND3n-gGWXibmg2y3nwv62BXnN8Ri70gwZdWTq7QcGD4RkZZzDrLNcT7TBs2hxm-4Za5ZxdPRcuW6UTRlDmgnq6y1_2MP3q7hVnbDNyz0rJI/s320/0221%20On%20way%20home%20NM%20Workcamp%20summer%2071.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When she wasn't helping lead the youth group, Mom spent a lot of time stripping the varnish off of old oak furniture that had been stored in her grandparents' barn, rubbing it with linseed oil and restoring it to beauty and utility. She proofread, typed and retyped my dad's thesis. She took us to doctor's appointments and the special evaluations my brother needed, and made sure I knew about stranger danger and how to walk the two blocks to Rimer school safely. She was active in the women's Bible study, and both my parents took the training and were leaders for Evangelism Explosion, which sparked a mini-revival within the church. Dad was active in shaping the church session and participated in Presbytery and Synod while he prepared to return to the Netherlands to defend his thesis and receive his doctorate.<div><br /></div><div>But unbeknownst to me, storm clouds were brewing. The mainline UPC church was liberalizing, and ordination of women elders was the issue they used to force Dad out. He became one of the founding fathers of Ascension Presbytery in the PCA. You can read the big picture version on the Aquila Report <a href="https://theaquilareport.com/founding-pca-ascension-presbytery/" target="_blank">Founding of PCA Ascension Presbytery</a> , written by my dad's good friend Dick Knodel. I was seven, and the months from March-July of 1975 (and for a bit after too) are a series of flashbulb memories with mostly a blur in between:</div><div><br /></div><div>FLASH * Daddy is preaching his resignation sermon, wearing his black robe, I'm watching from the church balcony and seeing him cry for the first time in my life. There's a crowd of people all around * FLASH * Miss Hall, Miss Barrow, the Bruders, the Oldakers, the Peppers, the Calers and a bunch of other people are seeing us off at Akron-Canton Airport. I'm excited, it's the first time I remember being in an airplane and I have my own flight bag and I get a whole month off of 2nd grade while we are in Holland. *</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YLEJQ6NE-fKlbks8jqZwYHQBxe3OtPfmIp61s05xzAZE_NRoXMgXGXdpxZF0SSwTkH47EiZ4c9eRF0s7dsMCe9yzoPD1D-l4VN87wQJQmtKFEPWNOobJoV44SFCoYknWmUu-EcYLId_mC19k-IMTCZjxWwjSiZ8ezMQvaquQ0j0b2hii5eGDEeBPY8I/s677/431083_482571151755954_233779255_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="606" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YLEJQ6NE-fKlbks8jqZwYHQBxe3OtPfmIp61s05xzAZE_NRoXMgXGXdpxZF0SSwTkH47EiZ4c9eRF0s7dsMCe9yzoPD1D-l4VN87wQJQmtKFEPWNOobJoV44SFCoYknWmUu-EcYLId_mC19k-IMTCZjxWwjSiZ8ezMQvaquQ0j0b2hii5eGDEeBPY8I/s320/431083_482571151755954_233779255_n.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div>FLASH * Arrival in Holland, picked up at the airport by the Van Vlimmerens, our home for the month is a 2nd floor apartment in Dordrecht and my room has a wardrobe... does it lead to Narnia? But it's locked. * FLASH * Organ recital at the Grote Kerk. There are people buried under those carved stones on the floor! * FLASH * Rainy days, visit to the toy store to buy Lego sets to keep Andy and me occupied while Dad studies. Mine is a windmill. * </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUbXMOAa_s-RaU5wpZfIfCh1zFtB2mTpYH3umjUVwzveHsXm2ibQUmXMMsgf_YxqSSbVL-qjnZ----yYA5YGe0eTDO7EWfH85_RNN92k4nsN5gk66wZ0uFWsDRCgJgvSQT0wbnCI-j0JKjeYlw7IhiV-IWCrYq-50mzUPTTRRSAbAtvlBy4DxOGjYSC8/s2592/08%20Our%20home%20for%20April%201975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1680" data-original-width="2592" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUbXMOAa_s-RaU5wpZfIfCh1zFtB2mTpYH3umjUVwzveHsXm2ibQUmXMMsgf_YxqSSbVL-qjnZ----yYA5YGe0eTDO7EWfH85_RNN92k4nsN5gk66wZ0uFWsDRCgJgvSQT0wbnCI-j0JKjeYlw7IhiV-IWCrYq-50mzUPTTRRSAbAtvlBy4DxOGjYSC8/s320/08%20Our%20home%20for%20April%201975.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Rp5egn8H9d4AUnFG5mIxqF_PHmYmE5mg__fQsrAlOPcZ_Q9w8oLmAvSOIY-uKugVRhm5XfMCG3aNB4xWdIe6yIhwFzPUftQPeXeAopTTGk-DLsw6DD7G2_9Y65vNouEe4S74UlD6VqfDzJcDN9EjxKP1wLpw8E48_xUfIHLqyKLxdGmDxwK-O3qXZ5w/s2592/12%20Promotion%20VU%20to%20ThD%20April%2075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Rp5egn8H9d4AUnFG5mIxqF_PHmYmE5mg__fQsrAlOPcZ_Q9w8oLmAvSOIY-uKugVRhm5XfMCG3aNB4xWdIe6yIhwFzPUftQPeXeAopTTGk-DLsw6DD7G2_9Y65vNouEe4S74UlD6VqfDzJcDN9EjxKP1wLpw8E48_xUfIHLqyKLxdGmDxwK-O3qXZ5w/s320/12%20Promotion%20VU%20to%20ThD%20April%2075.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aR3eu83y2P8omzJ8gn8DwuaOni9-XFVdvPqVN63EQt5t7rytz58IxOfGe9wVdCW8YZmdpyrMAOADavZ2LR77MsWwH31wa0fP7H-pj5OXAZQBZHqqwkJoPcGuFjPuKPKxzUALPo_HHlWuWZM_fug1FrqavqyffpFlttxQKxfqEJtbk4X2Tmj9a9PPUqU/s1787/13%20April%20975%20Promotion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1787" data-original-width="1471" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aR3eu83y2P8omzJ8gn8DwuaOni9-XFVdvPqVN63EQt5t7rytz58IxOfGe9wVdCW8YZmdpyrMAOADavZ2LR77MsWwH31wa0fP7H-pj5OXAZQBZHqqwkJoPcGuFjPuKPKxzUALPo_HHlWuWZM_fug1FrqavqyffpFlttxQKxfqEJtbk4X2Tmj9a9PPUqU/s320/13%20April%20975%20Promotion.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><div>FLASH * April 11. A large lecture hall and everyone is talking in Dutch. Daddy is now a Doctor. He wears a formal suit with tails on the coat. The Princess Beatrix passes by on her own business accompanied by a small crowd, remarks on the cuteness of my brother, doesn't notice me. But her coat is in Daddy's dressing room and I get to see it. It's plain white wool, not purple velvet like I was expecting. * FLASH * Markets, De Efteling, rijsttafel, Madurodam, Kinderdijk, Rijksmuseum, Dutch cheese, flowers... * </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvUNZCakw-3BiQ5XCYxlfhca1IiPF1UnC8KeMbQShQmjHqo0o3xhfdec78kfYf1G8eAd6sb01uz2AAL6B4zG-Hz3reYrXn3bMTcF9Y5dEFUvQAg8_GiC0ydxQ8IN9hx1mvyenTr5PeySfsoylrHMJnrC9o8TNgToEgJOjzmw4Abx6ZmS0qjNoghxaT14/s2651/074a%20New%20FPC%20cong%20at%20Erwine%20Middle%20School%202-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1770" data-original-width="2651" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvUNZCakw-3BiQ5XCYxlfhca1IiPF1UnC8KeMbQShQmjHqo0o3xhfdec78kfYf1G8eAd6sb01uz2AAL6B4zG-Hz3reYrXn3bMTcF9Y5dEFUvQAg8_GiC0ydxQ8IN9hx1mvyenTr5PeySfsoylrHMJnrC9o8TNgToEgJOjzmw4Abx6ZmS0qjNoghxaT14/s320/074a%20New%20FPC%20cong%20at%20Erwine%20Middle%20School%202-75.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>FLASH * Back in the US, Faith PCA is begun and meets at Erwine Middle School. We sing "Faith of our Fathers" in the gymnasium. * FLASH * I have no memories of how or when we moved, but we are living at 4105 State Rd. I have my own room. It is smaller than the one in the manse, but I get to choose the paint color. I choose orange. * FLASH * The church has a property. It is a former golf course clubhouse. The men from the church do a lot of work to make it usable as a church. * </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsgygRuutVTEF6x2FsGzTjiH715WIdfrf3ActrrBOJ6MXT_6-abVANMM6OESfAWK9tcpr3PRDgs9CE_kQHiTxiSY1mOZyfsnNZGu_F62xeYDmW1IYsnqYMNJiyUu7s2T-kgF6DQRwmyzJF2axwMa-SPfZQoTYQIALjem8JiHNz6y_QbJZM_CSAr2k5vU/s1676/252%20June%201975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1676" data-original-width="1008" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsgygRuutVTEF6x2FsGzTjiH715WIdfrf3ActrrBOJ6MXT_6-abVANMM6OESfAWK9tcpr3PRDgs9CE_kQHiTxiSY1mOZyfsnNZGu_F62xeYDmW1IYsnqYMNJiyUu7s2T-kgF6DQRwmyzJF2axwMa-SPfZQoTYQIALjem8JiHNz6y_QbJZM_CSAr2k5vU/s320/252%20June%201975.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7ePKMUkjOL3lPvjUlU14sDuPigDZwF1BMZ3Kr7p3Ri2KggiF6dB9y-rPQxeTNzHzV3c70Xr-ZcZLJvp6wLjLKDr17AkRUbqDQ8cPNC4mOaHDaLOjqJvInzBYFUboSeZp1lH7SIrNWa33Wm3hRN9652sSU7lacqP6wLkmYHWpqrPWVli1yv0VU13tnvo/s2592/078%20FPC%20Beginning%201975%20%20Pastor&Congregation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1680" data-original-width="2592" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7ePKMUkjOL3lPvjUlU14sDuPigDZwF1BMZ3Kr7p3Ri2KggiF6dB9y-rPQxeTNzHzV3c70Xr-ZcZLJvp6wLjLKDr17AkRUbqDQ8cPNC4mOaHDaLOjqJvInzBYFUboSeZp1lH7SIrNWa33Wm3hRN9652sSU7lacqP6wLkmYHWpqrPWVli1yv0VU13tnvo/s320/078%20FPC%20Beginning%201975%20%20Pastor&Congregation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>FLASH * I am in 3rd grade at Turkeyfoot Elementary, and I have no friends. * FLASH * The house is small but there is a lot of land with many apple trees, a grape arbor, cherry trees, berry bushes, and woods in the back with blackberries and blueberries. I learn to climb the maple tree in the backyard. * FLASH * 4th grade. Mrs. Lucia. Mrs. Fink who teaches music. Bus 19. I start reading Nancy Drew. * FLASH * My baby sister is born. I get to share a room with her. Two years later another sister is born, and I get to move upstairs to the attic guest room. Except when there are guests, when I sleep in the basement rumpus room. Dad builds a really cool treehouse in one of the apple trees. * </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYe-c5pD5ZyLskAqTAubIloazWxxvN4FHPY-qIERpnZvcl6GcFfwcrAaLj1r_YwbQZ8FmZyhaZNqV29Vg8npZMRUnFKVuRK4LjZnQgCt3bQeL-r_eQ5MMhXttI8kmrcDb8R_WX6v-X46Absyst2BAVw8_nqxfQsheIJn_7ZIpVp1LmXB-mhqunJ1ld3U/s2592/031%20Back%20Yard%20State%20Rd%20%20Jun%2078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1680" data-original-width="2592" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYe-c5pD5ZyLskAqTAubIloazWxxvN4FHPY-qIERpnZvcl6GcFfwcrAaLj1r_YwbQZ8FmZyhaZNqV29Vg8npZMRUnFKVuRK4LjZnQgCt3bQeL-r_eQ5MMhXttI8kmrcDb8R_WX6v-X46Absyst2BAVw8_nqxfQsheIJn_7ZIpVp1LmXB-mhqunJ1ld3U/s320/031%20Back%20Yard%20State%20Rd%20%20Jun%2078.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBXu08Op0VE6GP3NWFUyQqFZ27rI7LJoXMLJWz0oFIkAMLxQkvFsgLnX-yYJGFr6ZSuqivlyid3PL7W9ddZJky_HAcmpg8dJUPkbZcUmofQKPbjsQG8ZE25XYKe5USpcV0lU0aGm2WaUmopxsxuYr4gXTjThsrE-7xJ1sZ2KbDAcRFk6VfEpp-mq_eZw/s2592/032%20Apple%20blossoms%20State%20Rd%20%20Jun%2076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1680" data-original-width="2592" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBXu08Op0VE6GP3NWFUyQqFZ27rI7LJoXMLJWz0oFIkAMLxQkvFsgLnX-yYJGFr6ZSuqivlyid3PL7W9ddZJky_HAcmpg8dJUPkbZcUmofQKPbjsQG8ZE25XYKe5USpcV0lU0aGm2WaUmopxsxuYr4gXTjThsrE-7xJ1sZ2KbDAcRFk6VfEpp-mq_eZw/s320/032%20Apple%20blossoms%20State%20Rd%20%20Jun%2076.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In the 5 years between 1975 and 1980 we lived in 3 different houses and I attended 5 different schools. I'm pretty sure we were below the poverty line for that first year, but I never felt it and Dad never looked back. They were hard years, but the thing that made the difference for me was church family. I'm sorry for people who don't have an extended church family. Mr. Pepper taught Dad the finer points of gardening and Mr. Beckley was his fishing buddy and brought bags of day-old bread and government surplus cheese on occasion. There are so many others who were our social safety net, and I think of them even today in the same way as family members... just "church family" as Dad would call them. But a big part of it was that they were incredibly grateful and loyal to my father. He had, in a sense, led them out of Egypt. </div><div><br /></div><div>He never did get the seminary or college professor post he had prepped for, but he had a very busy life and played an active role in the PCA in those first years. He served on multiple committees and always attended General Assembly, forging new friendships each year and returning to us with a few of the new jokes he collected. Sometimes we went along and set our trailer up in a nearby campground so we could experience the host city of General Assembly before heading to New Mexico for the rest of vacation. I remember doing this at Covenant College, Calvin College, and in Baton Rouge, Saint Louis, and somewhere in Wisconsin, when we bought an enormous wheel of cheese and ate it for the rest of vacation. He mentored several young men who are pastors today. He served as a fraternal delegate to the OPC on a few occasions, and served on the "Joining and Receiving" committee when there was an attempt to complete a merger of the two denominations. We had many missionaries and guest speakers come through for special conferences and speaking events, and we put them up in our home. He was intellectually honest, fair to everyone and never spiteful to those he disagreed with. As a teacher, I tried to emulate that and still keep reminding myself that there are no stupid questions and everyone is a beginner at first. Some of us have to begin multiple times.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eventually his extensive correspondence will be donated to the <a href="https://www.pcahistory.org/" target="_blank">PCA Historical Center</a> in Missouri. Many of his sermons are available now on <a href="https://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?sortby=oldest&keyword=drcarlwbogue&SourceOnly=true&AudioOnly=false" target="_blank">Sermon Audio</a> for everyone. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-61403239566224549622022-11-01T22:47:00.003-07:002022-11-01T22:47:23.981-07:00Things I picked up from my father - Part I<p> A major life event, like the loss of a parent, triggers a great deal of introspection, taking stock of your life and values, philosophizing, etc. For me, I always think "I will remember these lessons forever" and then I don't. So I'm writing some of them down here, before they fly away. It won't be polished, but at least they will be recorded.</p><p>My dad grew up in small town Indiana, descended from people who moved into Indiana from about 1800-1850. There were Revolutionary War patriots, Quakers from North Carolina, German farmers from Prussia who took a riverboat up from New Orleans with their life's possessions in a few crates, English, Scottish, Scots-Irish, and Welsh. Whatever their background, and none were very wealthy, they banded together and helped turn Indian territory from wilderness to fruitful farmland. Today isn't the post for full-on genealogy, but trust me, I've grown in appreciation for the shaping influences of generations before my grandparents while getting into that hobby. Suffice it to say, he inherited humility, honesty, industriousness, kindness, courage and conviction from his ancestors. And this may be reading into it a bit, but it's my rambling blog after all - I think he also inherited a bit of impulsiveness, risk-taking, and a stubborn commitment (the kind that digs in when challenged by "superiors") to what he believed was the right thing to do. The courage of his convictions. He was not naturally patient... but few people would have known that outside his family, because he kept impatience in check.</p><p>His parents were not wealthy and worked hard - his father reported 60 hours a week in 1950. He didn't go to kindergarten... that was still a newfangled thing in the 40's, I guess. ADHD as a diagnosis also hadn't been invented yet... so he was allowed to grow up more or less normally, only developing an antipathy for those teachers who had a clear prejudice against him. Orville Redenbacher was the county agricultural agent and his wife was chair of the PTA. Popcorn was one of the four food groups, and he had a side hustle with a school buddy buying a truckload of ripe watermelon to take to Chicago and sell. He had other side hustles... the longest-serving paperboy for the Princeton Courier for example. He knew every business owner around the town square and took us on visits to the fire department and some of the farms he knew. He had a chemistry set as a boy and made mad experiments with it... including a bottle rocket that waited approximately 40 years to be let off, one 4th of July. He was part of the class of '57 that had its dreams. He was headed for a Navy ROTC scholarship to Purdue to be an engineer, when he felt the call to become a minister. </p><p>So he started down the Road Less Traveled. He went to Muskingum, a small Presbyterian school in Ohio. He studied Philosophy and History, met my mom, became lifelong friends with my "uncle" Wayne, and was a member of the Ulster club, a fraternity for prospective ministers. Philosophy, taught by Roy Will Butler, was a challenge but he was determined to master it, and did. (My mom added philosophy to her list of majors, but said she never really "got" it other than in a book-learning way.) He spent a year after college in Ethiopia, originally intending to be just one of a team of young men doing grunt construction work... but was recruited to teach middle school English and math instead because of his college degree. He came back from Ethiopia with a lifelong heart for missions and eagerness for travel, and a love of the spicy Ethiopian beef stew, Wat, served with hard boiled eggs and pancakes when I was growing up. Later, he would hear of the fall of Ethiopia into Marxism and the persecution, perhaps torture, of some of his former students. My memories of this are fuzzy, but impressed on me importance of knowing what you stand for from an early age. (Of course, growing up as the child of both my parents did this anyway, but it was a real-life application of what they were teaching me anyway.)</p><p>Back from Ethiopia, he married my mom. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zA8-X-gQABAr9GgMGjuGVxsUxcAFG5khZOGqIMl6XuxZACCig5xxte0OfBvtYTO9fW0iOGTRx_PplApjNco3J3AMb5z_pBpLQe4hsXmm19wT5hPpp2s6D5PZFWqunPfel9B6vLBWq3m272OKnhvsyMzuTltOtg-x86zbNasLpz9yL5ODyPm-amJQ/s898/005%20%20Reception%20line%20Aug.%2012,%201962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="898" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8zA8-X-gQABAr9GgMGjuGVxsUxcAFG5khZOGqIMl6XuxZACCig5xxte0OfBvtYTO9fW0iOGTRx_PplApjNco3J3AMb5z_pBpLQe4hsXmm19wT5hPpp2s6D5PZFWqunPfel9B6vLBWq3m272OKnhvsyMzuTltOtg-x86zbNasLpz9yL5ODyPm-amJQ/s320/005%20%20Reception%20line%20Aug.%2012,%201962.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPy-iGpZyzydTfzKFiCk4e87oBkj3LXq8fAv8nwgbycNZ2_AVmgAhy-TYbbZRX8XE4-eP_054jUNctcb1zkRWkjrm27HK3V5Qn5BbwOhEQ4_RI5fmtHjvQt-s4YFrtJLhWF5MVjBtb9UAO2Pnd3dMWM0bp-ynEqbzwAhKqywFVcsGwnRND_Pm31iKh/s158/001%20wedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="134" data-original-width="158" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPy-iGpZyzydTfzKFiCk4e87oBkj3LXq8fAv8nwgbycNZ2_AVmgAhy-TYbbZRX8XE4-eP_054jUNctcb1zkRWkjrm27HK3V5Qn5BbwOhEQ4_RI5fmtHjvQt-s4YFrtJLhWF5MVjBtb9UAO2Pnd3dMWM0bp-ynEqbzwAhKqywFVcsGwnRND_Pm31iKh/s1600/001%20wedding.jpg" width="158" /></a></div><p>They moved to Pittsburgh, where he attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Mom taught middle school (yes, I got it from both sides!) and Dad studied under John Gerstner, the token conservative at a liberal leaning seminary. Gerstner was relegated to teaching church history, where management thought he could do little harm. You can still find Gerstner's video series on church history... the most theologically oriented church history course in church history, probably... from Ligonier, the ministry founded by his most famous student, R.C. Sproul. Gerstner used to encourage the brightest students who were in his inner circle... maybe they used to call themselves the "Fundy Club", I'm not sure... to seek post-seminary education from (in Gerstner's opinion) the keenest theological mind in the world, Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer, professor of Systematic Theology at the Free University of Amsterdam. It was a personal crusade for Gerstner, who had witnessed liberalism take over the mainline Presbyterian church. Dad was interested in the mission field, after Ethiopia, or possibly a preaching and teaching ministry in a small church; but Gerstner was stern in his insistence that there must be men trained at the highest level in theology, or there might not be a faithful church left to send out missionaries at all. (This from a conversation with my dad some years ago). So in his final year of seminary, Dad worked on learning Dutch. He told the story of how R.C. Sproul and his wife came to visit them in the seminary apartment to get some tips about preparing for Holland (R.C. was a year behind Dad, I think) and Dad spun him a yarn about how he was concerned about the Dutch theologians, they might be only 4-point Calvinists, denying Irresistible Grace. The way Dad told it, he had R.C. going for a bit, and then showed him the Dutch vocabulary card for tulip - "TULP" it said.</p><p>So Dad and Mom moved to the Netherlands. Mom taught at an American school, learned Dutch, played basketball, and apparently got really into knitting when she was pregnant with me. Dad had his studies in Amsterdam, about half an hour from Dordrecht where they lived, and I of course know only what they told me, or what was recorded in pictures, letters, or audio tapes, about this time.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_TCvI4xECZl9E3AF7DQU1Noa_mMNFsUAA1NWWvk8sLYsy9cDg3JGvPqDrn9SCpsWBIe8QOoNWOo9NPNs2q9uXQh5oYRasGs_rKiGAQLxwsQ5L1g1FwS9ows0Ko_IyC7vaT2D2RCucONpgsIyhPyXAwHXW9swUAX4UQ5zwG41JT5FB9b3WPJKzxJy/s638/continentalmomanddaughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="638" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_TCvI4xECZl9E3AF7DQU1Noa_mMNFsUAA1NWWvk8sLYsy9cDg3JGvPqDrn9SCpsWBIe8QOoNWOo9NPNs2q9uXQh5oYRasGs_rKiGAQLxwsQ5L1g1FwS9ows0Ko_IyC7vaT2D2RCucONpgsIyhPyXAwHXW9swUAX4UQ5zwG41JT5FB9b3WPJKzxJy/s320/continentalmomanddaughter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I was about 20 months old when we returned to America, on a ship, and Mom was pregnant with my brother. Dad had achieved his "Doctorandus," roughly the equivalent of a Masters with an IOU for a dissertation. Mom's family home in Middletown, OH was our landing pad. My brother was born there, and within a few months of Dad sending out resumes and applications, he had a call to a United Presbyterian Church in Akron. I gather that he planned to serve that congregation for about 5-8 years, while working on his dissertation, and then seek a job in higher education teaching theology, at a seminary or university. But that didn't happen as planned, and that's a story for next time.</p>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-41548932228604232432022-10-21T14:07:00.001-07:002022-10-21T14:28:50.351-07:00Mainly photos of Dad<p> In no particular order, please enjoy these pictures of my dad Carl W. Bogue, et al.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bHLQU73EbvQ5U6oTtWu2TsYxzbXKKbpPl-wvyHPI3C4hoNJ3mZVj-d5QGu_razz8uU4u1QANkE37pzOl7-dDqT-uBELRs77WJ-CNF2kDXnXtMeVcxsnXjvUssVMQgDvNkyR_XBPYCC-mgu9f-r5RiIOsgzDJ5eXCqQITnjStJ6A5S8QFPfqT7DEd/s634/003%20Carl%20Sr%20&%20Jr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="431" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bHLQU73EbvQ5U6oTtWu2TsYxzbXKKbpPl-wvyHPI3C4hoNJ3mZVj-d5QGu_razz8uU4u1QANkE37pzOl7-dDqT-uBELRs77WJ-CNF2kDXnXtMeVcxsnXjvUssVMQgDvNkyR_XBPYCC-mgu9f-r5RiIOsgzDJ5eXCqQITnjStJ6A5S8QFPfqT7DEd/s320/003%20Carl%20Sr%20&%20Jr.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ0NJQG5uXcvpx4OAXTPIDyOoZeud8FMnH5OL9sPexxWU7_dfcFcoYppjNFqayBPPhJQFP4mwpk1nti-f_lNG3sEV4yZrC4FCnJRSfk_Sy7eGe7Q7KlWKBe7GQwxpN98mWErjKyAbkk5s-CONoS1OAeiEzPxVSdtngE5TcMsi0uojawANtgMCK4AE/s1008/089.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1008" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQ0NJQG5uXcvpx4OAXTPIDyOoZeud8FMnH5OL9sPexxWU7_dfcFcoYppjNFqayBPPhJQFP4mwpk1nti-f_lNG3sEV4yZrC4FCnJRSfk_Sy7eGe7Q7KlWKBe7GQwxpN98mWErjKyAbkk5s-CONoS1OAeiEzPxVSdtngE5TcMsi0uojawANtgMCK4AE/s320/089.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSmZuRhYGxDv_Y_3JaCgVW7yUvsOWJyVnCC0pwFmxdz7TR1LoyyX9m9ylOHTHcwJxiqo36SFMEbCnIKdKEnJm7J0evKG09p_vAO8O0B55cTAfGXQ_UPUOq0V-NK2wLZFWcozJXlgBsyrcvUso_z6cP0itx0to6CtF9_SOaeHj4tIydlel40VhEVD8/s915/0211%20%20Ordination%2011.02.69.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="915" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSmZuRhYGxDv_Y_3JaCgVW7yUvsOWJyVnCC0pwFmxdz7TR1LoyyX9m9ylOHTHcwJxiqo36SFMEbCnIKdKEnJm7J0evKG09p_vAO8O0B55cTAfGXQ_UPUOq0V-NK2wLZFWcozJXlgBsyrcvUso_z6cP0itx0to6CtF9_SOaeHj4tIydlel40VhEVD8/s320/0211%20%20Ordination%2011.02.69.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="543" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCL09tuqcXAHEIDxHpybhxQAfvSqHeEgtacRxMww-4K_KqWn2B5pd51QDgPfwUdUQstpA8HvvKexnE6QEYnxZsF2GoDbypcBDQF_HOa3A-RA0hiJqGb3o0q940jEjk7dZ22e8I2t9RgsfEk6MDPoupV9xBNHeMHvEJXMNx2hSM2kkpo2fJYNBUlar2/s320/Entering%20college%20in%201957%20before%20he%20was%20known%20as%20007.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBu1JYOe57WLs_YBxQfJCjTaaW_PXyzXF7oGHpWAcGBGI-YQuvPv1zof2t1h_MyRDAYhvH9SIb_NuLI6nqvnX5dWh916ZBRj2u2QenO5qwX6eRdSFAFDgdSQivz4pawtHuZzwwUFPy-EEpuHfRCDNbI86OeaWjEojBZwrXlr6SOL66qZSXzx4yZ0-F/s960/0201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="431" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBu1JYOe57WLs_YBxQfJCjTaaW_PXyzXF7oGHpWAcGBGI-YQuvPv1zof2t1h_MyRDAYhvH9SIb_NuLI6nqvnX5dWh916ZBRj2u2QenO5qwX6eRdSFAFDgdSQivz4pawtHuZzwwUFPy-EEpuHfRCDNbI86OeaWjEojBZwrXlr6SOL66qZSXzx4yZ0-F/s320/0201.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYG3hAoR3No">Funeral service Oct 15 at Redeemer PCA in Hudson, Ohio </a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.mooreffh.com/obituaries/carl-bogue">Obituary</a><br /></div>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-63266479877559948092022-09-24T18:06:00.000-07:002022-09-24T18:06:08.567-07:00Rev. Dr. Carl W. Bogue 1939-2022<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsEk4WQWQ_Urr5K2l4ouwhTiyBjNl62mjn_bwTAkI_U-5jXLFi0RpYYO4xnEbSFwRmoOohc2tjOB7hgdGoAH7c_xq3yk0CtsbfYyJKB0sEghX2vbgjsBZKgQFD0CWvYH-yW1yYZcwIn4joiAx7WepIvtd8fWDNhZR_MpsFxBN5WSb69rxLzevRcCt/s4850/0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4850" data-original-width="3880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsEk4WQWQ_Urr5K2l4ouwhTiyBjNl62mjn_bwTAkI_U-5jXLFi0RpYYO4xnEbSFwRmoOohc2tjOB7hgdGoAH7c_xq3yk0CtsbfYyJKB0sEghX2vbgjsBZKgQFD0CWvYH-yW1yYZcwIn4joiAx7WepIvtd8fWDNhZR_MpsFxBN5WSb69rxLzevRcCt/s320/0006.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /><p>Carl William Bogue fell asleep in the Lord and passed into glory on Sunday morning, September 18, 2022. Carl was born in 1939 in Vincennes, Indiana, the son of Carl W. Bogue Sr. and Jessie Mae (Parker) Bogue.</p><p>He grew up in Princeton, IN, graduated from Princeton High School in 1957, and attended Muskingum College in Ohio, where he met his future wife, Rosalie Maffett. He graduated in 1961 with a B.A. in History and Philosophy.</p><p>After college he spent a year at the Presbyterian mission in Dembi Dollo, Ethiopia, teaching 7th and 8th grade.</p><p>He married Rosalie in 1962. They would eventually have four children together. He then attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary for three years, receiving an M.Div. After graduation from seminary he moved to the Netherlands, where he studied systematic theology at the Free University of Amsterdam, receiving a Doctorandus and ultimately, ThD.</p><p>Returning to the US in 1969, he took a pastorate at Allenside United Presbyterian Church in Akron, Ohio. He would spend the rest of his career in Akron, first at Allenside and then at Faith Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church in America), which he led out of the mainline denomination in 1975. Faith PCA was the first church in that denomination outside of the southern United States. </p><p>Also in 1975, he defended his doctoral thesis, <i>Jonathan Edwards and the Covenant of Grace,</i> by oral exam, in Dutch, at the Free University. His doctorate was republished in 2009, in coordination with the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University.</p><p>In addition to pastoring a church and keeping a full preaching schedule, he was active in church leadership at the regional level (Ascension Presbytery) and the national level, serving on various committees for the PCA General Assembly. He was a signatory to the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. He taught theology to students at Westminster Academy, a Christian school started by Faith Church. Over the course of his career, he mentored many young men who later became pastors and missionaries in the PCA or Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Besides his thesis, he wrote numerous articles, some pamphlets, and contributed chapters to several books. He taught courses focused on theology and missions at several seminaries and institutions of higher learning, both in the USA and in South Korea and Cyprus. Over the course of his long career, he maintained an extensive correspondence with his colleagues in the pastorate and on the mission field, and with fellow Christians around the world. He welcomed opportunities to travel and teach or preach wherever he went.</p><p>Rosalie passed away from cancer in 2004. He remarried, to Deborah Jones Feil. He retired in 2007 and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. Even after retirement, he maintained an active preaching and teaching schedule, preaching in many vacant pulpits throughout Arizona and at Calvin OPC in Phoenix. He was received into the OPC in 2020 (Presbytery of Southern California). He and Deborah recently joined a new OPC church plant in Scottsdale; Providence OPC.</p><p>He enjoyed playing tennis, and was a lifelong fan of Indiana college basketball, Ohio State football, and the St. Louis Cardinals. He appreciated classical music and had a large record collection. His photo collection was even larger, a testimony to a life filled with family, church work, and travel. He was a skilled gardener and loved fishing in the Portage Lakes of Ohio and the trout streams of New Mexico and Arizona. He had his private pilot’s license for many years. After he retired, he took up skiing with Deb and looked forward to every opportunity to practice his new hobby. </p><p>He is survived by wife Deborah, children Katherine Chapman (Stephen), Andrew Bogue, Elizabeth Bogue, and Sarah Coombes (Christopher), and eight grandchildren: Daniel (Caroline), Peter, Emma, and Chloe Chapman; Liam, Ulrik, Rosalie and Brynn Coombes. He was a mentor and father in the faith to many more. After fighting the good fight, keeping the faith, and finishing his course, he is at home with his Lord. He would not want us to mourn him too much, but rather to work diligently for Christ’s kingdom.</p>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-43911299419591310972022-05-05T09:38:00.030-07:002022-05-05T09:38:00.207-07:00Free Speech Matters, and Why it Does<p>Think of this as the forbidden section of the library. Like many others during the pandemic, I have been spending too much time on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google, and even though most of my time is spent in purely selfish pursuits and I've not had a lot of time to research forbidden topics, I still find myself bumping up against blocks for "harmful information" or "spam" when I come across an interesting link now and then. I'm genuinely curious, so of course that makes me research all the more. And you know what? I'm an educated woman with good critical reading skills. I see nothing, NOTHING, that is worth censoring with such Gestapo tactics. And the very fact that there is a monolithic firewall of big tech billionaires in collusion with a corrupt government makes me very, very suspicious. I was willing to be convinced to some degree, but they had to double down on totalitarianism and censorship. And there is nothing I hate more than a bully.</p><p>So this is a holding place for links of interest. Without endorsing them or vouching for "the Science" (which is stupid, anyway - tech billionaires have flunkies to do science for them), why don't you read and decide for yourself, if you like.</p><p>Dr. Kathleen Ruddy has a series of informative videos on Brighteon. Here are some:</p><p>* Humanized Mice: <a href="https://www.brighteon.com/2d9285b7-bf4c-4fd0-bc4a-e04baec633ba">https://www.brighteon.com/2d9285b7-bf4c-4fd0-bc4a-e04baec633ba</a></p><p>* No Abortion, No Pandemic: <a href="https://www.brighteon.com/9a3a0afd-c21f-48a9-a5f6-50cba801e37a">https://www.brighteon.com/9a3a0afd-c21f-48a9-a5f6-50cba801e37a</a></p><p>* (and the paper this was based on) <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.3985">https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.3985</a></p><p>* I wonder if linking to Dr. Ruddy's channel "Heard Immunity" would bypass the censors: <a href="https://www.brighteon.com/channels/docruddy">https://www.brighteon.com/channels/docruddy</a></p><p>* Now, I've been following the harvesting of aborted baby stem cells since the Center for Medical Progress did its expos<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156;">é</span></span> videos of Planned Parenthood years ago. I watched every minute of the uncut videos myself, and the "deceptively edited" videos (they were shorter, ok?) as well. I did a little extra research. I looked up "chim mice," a phrase I heard in the videos, and found out way more than I could believe. But apparently, it is no longer considered ethically unthinkable to create human/animal chimerae, as long as the creature is killed off as soon as it has served its purpose for "Science." I was nauseated and researched no more at that time, but recently this came up: <a href="https://www.fetalindustry.com/post/humanized-mice-horror-at-university-of-pittsburgh-caution-graphic-images">https://www.fetalindustry.com/post/humanized-mice-horror-at-university-of-pittsburgh-caution-graphic-images</a> ... and this: <a href="https://www.fetalindustry.com/post/lungonly-mice-precision-test-models-for-the-covid-vaccine">https://www.fetalindustry.com/post/lungonly-mice-precision-test-models-for-the-covid-vaccine</a> These may be a better explanation of </p><p>Now, I'm writing this on the day after the leaked Supreme Court decision and abortion is on everyone's brain today. I'm going to schedule the publication of this post, which is really a grab bag of things I'd like to think about and invite you to think about with me, for later this week. I'm planning to cover the Supreme Court situation in a post which I hope to publish May 3.</p><p>* I remember when trying to share Hunter Biden's laptop coverage would get you marked as a disinformation scammer, but maybe it's ok to link now. Certainly you can get to Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_Biden_laptop_controversy">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_Biden_laptop_controversy</a> And maybe to <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/04/investigating-hunter-biden/" target="_blank">National Review</a>. The idea that major media outlets would conspire to suppress information unfavorable to their favored </p><p>* Back in February, I shared an article from the reputable conservative magazine National Review about how, according to a Johns Hopkins study, <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/johns-hopkins-analysis-lockdowns-should-be-rejected-out-of-hand/?fb_news_token=GxIgCg6ESlgTp25t%2FNFY2g%3D%3D.HPrKmYRzBdY3tlXMH2P6A5PmyKo%2BZj3m3cotIOD140KevZr0jkvFzVuA4NIUemgmHCZDzZBQFxTpCSRY424SAU2auJt5RRXXdM1e%2B3EJnUnLBazjw7kUTxjy6I9vWvx0CKPnkCOd4i7QkLLgyFpEzh5Olib2W624aqkUrPjhC7UMYl%2FP3ckciQjEj0pkR%2BDIzLgbrt%2BuMvzINXquSTt%2BR7qvl1Xb6dWwOuROSiBd1C%2FdVpOJzuJJU%2FtCkNu193GyutYViU%2BXjBWRlJAioI61EGs1QRywEwh5KgYtfBVKjC4s4oco%2FiGs4fGs%2BBtC8FgN5%2FVf9PNn1hYRZW%2B2FOq3egoBO%2B%2BCQYo9PWrVbhY4%2BFvkimQK1yTY%2BP38stG1zjVDTau%2BZl1u7b30tnm4xApeKVXSY%2BpMgxmQuD4O%2BM0pRyeCTRNQNgALBrWD7DkySXrXrE5RpxnNi9NRfv92Nw8mlDy10Bfrymz4yUvGxXAAAMB8RY%2FAFkgznMdeA9xH3hfIbJ8GeyIVglxQHUtYCtTwuaGKuQPsjJGbXulig2E3M8XZecJuAd%2BKQYLJ0gMik6dDkz%2B%2FXIYoOEdMiwjK2V3NpIETK%2BpsBPkVDfKnrQW%2BRo%2FLtMjH4RWb%2Be2YZyEWrGQwb5FM%2FIxQlwQtEYT3J6mdBgBst2Uol%2FkffWJ2fR7heNr7cgnyb7XE6%2FB4fz9tyYFf3uNOhlFyciBeqrHbU6H7ri7AlPVD4uWzuXpQ7%2BmvTVb7e0yvkpnZ%2Fk3mMQkx93NO%2FaBpuMTN0TluVMdj82StadL4c3VGg8qYzbUkIHIkq0c%3D&fbclid=IwAR1rGVUZNjJ5k-pwKhJulWZ8Zp0jxvYJs6H2dR7gnAtpLcVcTpfhQ2EuweQ">COVID lockdowns were counterproductive and should be rejected out of hand</a> - this quickly earned a spanking from Facebook for "missing context" which could mislead people. Honestly, if Facebook gave more attention to stopping garden-variety catfishers and identity thieves, I wouldn't be so contemptuous of their ham-handed attempt to control information.</p><p>* Recently a Republican candidate for governor in Oregon, his family, and his campaign staff were assaulted by Antifa radicals in Portland. <a href="https://www.kptv.com/2022/04/30/2-injured-assault-oregon-gubernatorial-candidate-campaign-event/">https://www.kptv.com/2022/04/30/2-injured-assault-oregon-gubernatorial-candidate-campaign-event/</a> During my search on Twitter to find more information, I also came across an account of an Antifa thug who was mocking the man for taking cover during the assault, which did include throwing explosive devices at people and endangered his family. I reported the tweet for celebrating violence. Twitter promptly denied there was any problem to see there, but pretended to be polite while doing so. Elon Musk may do some good there, I don't know. But as long as radicals </p><p>I'm going to leave this post as is, rough and not highly edited at all. Maybe I'll add other egregious violations of free speech as I come across them in future posts. But, and I'm going to sound like an old curmudgeon here, it was only about 3 or 4 years ago that our high-tech overlords decided to enforce Wokeness wherever they could get away with it. It is not right. It is not an American value. It is demonic gaslighting when one party controls a Ministry of Truth that is the arbiter of what is acceptable thought and speech, and segregates all dissenters into virtual internment camps.</p>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-88284747388043065852022-05-04T07:46:00.005-07:002022-05-04T07:46:48.429-07:00Political Tuesdays: Roe is Falling<p>Human beings are made in the image of the holy, almighty God. The demons also believe this, and tremble. Perhaps they are trembling a little more today.</p><p>For nearly fifty years, Roe v. Wade has broken the children of America. More than 63 million lives lost. Twice that many parents left with invisible scars. Trafficking in baby human body parts has naturally led to grooming the children that are born to be abused and trafficked themselves. Entire satanic industries are built on the foundation of Roe. It is a house built on sand. May it fall, and great be the fall of it.</p><p>Please, God, make it end. Deliver us from this evil.</p>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-87767079534616221502022-04-08T14:07:00.002-07:002022-04-08T14:07:28.666-07:00The Right to Our Own Feelings, Part 2: The Bright Line<p><i>I promised to return to the social and emotional analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic and all its ramifications over a year ago (ed... now almost two) at the end of this post: <a href="https://carpelanam.blogspot.com/2020/" target="_blank">The Right to Our Own Feelings Part 1: Things Fall Apart</a>. I started writing this sequel almost immediately but it has been lost in multiple reboots, both literal and metaphorical, since then. I've re-read part one and feel I was at the top of my game. I didn't have the heart to add to it for the longest time, because of the complex cocktail of emotions that constitute my new normal. And this post itself was started and stopped, repeatedly, so long ago that the writing of it has itself become a mental block, which I need to address in some way before returning to normal blogging at all. So here is my (5th?) attempt to finish part 2. The first 4 1/2 paragraphs were written mostly in 2020 but edited many times. (CarpeLanam, April 8 2022).</i></p><p>"Solvitur scribendo" is the Latin phrase that came to mind recently as I was doing my Life Update post after the blog suffered long neglect. It means "it is solved by writing," and I thought I was being very clever and original in my riff on "solvitur ambulando," the sage advice of St. Jerome (or was it St. Augustine, or Diogenes?) to go take a walk. (THAT advice helped me amazingly during bouts of writer's block in my college years, as I would walk about campus with that faraway look in my eyes, lips moving as I mentally constructed outlines, and phrases, even entire paragraphs, fell into place). Turns out, I'm not the first to have coined the scribendo variant, but in hindsight I'm amazed it isn't more commonly seen. It essentially is an acknowledgment of the fact that journaling is therapeutic. We get clarity from the writing process. Truth may bubble up to the top, or at least we get a better perspective on a messy situation. It takes time to form words and the passage of time, or the writing process itself, may change us.</p><p>Well, there is also the fact that the whole world has drastically altered, for the very much worse, since Friday, March 13, 2020. And I'm not talking about the death tolls. I was so naive to think the high casualty numbers would be the worst to come from the pandemic! I now think the virus is the least of our problems as a country. We have a government that is actively opposing the constitutional freedoms it was sworn to protect. There is an uneasy, undeclared societal civil war in the air, and neighbors are turning against neighbors. Churches and schools were closed so long, our culture has experienced religious regression and educational collapse. Teachers, doctors, and journalists don't seem so trustworthy anymore. Crime is exploding and police are disrespected. Drug use and mental illness pose an increasing threat to social order. Social media, which used to be an outlet for the homebound and a link to distant friends, now actively censor viewpoints and people that tech overlords think are inappropriate. Christian memes are covered because of potentially offensive content; outspoken conservatives are banned outright or bullied until they give up.</p><p>And the people who are supposed to have our best interests at heart keep moving the bar in what has to be a deliberate attempt at control: <i>Just fifteen days to slow the spread. China is our ally and if you suggest they released the virus intentionally you're racist. Once the high-risk and older populations are vaccinated, we can open up again. Sorry, you can't have a funeral service for your elderly relative, but George Floyd gets multiple. Kids are resilient, they'll be fine doing their learning in front of a computer screen. And when they come back to school, they have to wear masks all the time. Your kids are going to have to get tested twice a week if they want to play sports. But it's going to be fine, Congress just passed a multi-trillion dollar infrastructure bill. And socialism is the new infrastructure. Don't plan on traveling outside the country right now. But it's totally ok if the migrant trains come in, they aren't a threat. You're obviously racist if you think they are. And now everyone has to get vaccinated. You're the irresponsible one if you have reservations. You don't Trust The Science. Besides, it's mandatory. You don't want to be the ones we blame for the (check the list) omicron variant, do you? Well, even vaccinated people have to wear masks because they can catch it. If you have a small business, you have to enforce mask and vaccine mandates. If you don't, you'll be fined until you go out of business. This is just how it has to be. We know best. Just another few months to control the virus. Vax up everyone! Get your boosters and always remember, proof of vaccine is required if you want to keep your job. Be a responsible citizen: share you've been vaccinated on your social media accounts! </i> </p><p>This is gaslighting. And it's being done by the leaders in our society, with the full cooperation of those who profit from it (the entrenched federal bureaucracy, big tech, big pharma, cultural Marxists and corrupt institutions like Planned Parenthood). It is evil. It is wrong. And the most perverse thing about it is that it's designed to make its victims think they are the ones with the problem.</p><p>If you have ever seen someone using this form of manipulation, you never forget it. Thirty-some years ago, I was with a group of young women who accompanied a friend to retrieve her dog from her ex's house. She had left in a hurry, afraid the verbal abuse would become physical, and she wanted moral support. I was really young. I knew about alcoholism in theory, but not Narcissistic Personality Disorder or gaslighting. She had timed it right - he had already had a few drinks that evening and was just off-balance enough that she could get the dog, put his leash on and lead him away, tight-lipped and focused. But it was truly chilling to see how he worked: verbally assaulting her, dishing out heaping servings of shame to her, but then turning on the charm toward us. That was my introduction to the fact that some people have a dangerously faulty wiring that compels them to belittle, manipulate and control others. And not just people. Morally bankrupt institutions and governments as well.</p><p>The experience also acted as, I guess, a kind of immunization against future gaslighting. Or maybe a booster shot. I grew up in the 70's as a preacher's kid, and there were plenty of Sunday School classes that warned you about all the creepy cults, and plenty of people I heard about who fell into their traps. Mr. Barrett, my Christian schoolteacher in 6th grade, read us a rather shockingly lurid true-crime book about the Jim Jones mass suicide cult in Guyana. I was naturally quite suspicious of strangers after being strongly warned about stranger danger as a young child trick-or-treating, and would never take candy from strangers, let alone get into a car with them. As an adolescent, I wondered, who would I ever follow into the unknown? I decided it would either have to be Jesus or someone sent by Jesus... but how could you be sure? Well, it's true there are many false teachers and many people who claim to have God's approval and do not. There are wicked people who use their power to abuse the trust of good people and do terrible harm. That is why the complicity of our government and big-tech overlords in shutting society down for their own profit is so hard to bear, and the censorship of dissent by media and social media is so disturbing. </p><p>But the preponderance of the evidence and the corroboration of multiple witnesses is always going to tend toward a confidence in the truth of the message. The arc of history is long, but it will tend toward overthrow of the revisionist historians and cult leaders. The fascist social influencers of the day may have America goose-stepping towards Gomorrah, but ordinary people using ordinary skills, who are skeptical about one-sided messaging and do even a little digging to clarify the narrative, will be the enlightened ones in the end.</p><p><br /></p>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-49258750325972062392021-11-01T17:54:00.003-07:002021-11-01T17:54:49.957-07:00Housekeeping - Overcoming the Photo Block<p> In my effort to revive the blog, I have to be honest. One of the reasons I tend to fall into long stretches of non-blogging is my utter lack of technical skills. Specifically, my lack of technical skills and confidence in the management of photos.</p><p>When I started blogging... ten years ago... I managed somehow to upload the photos I wanted to use, and then there came a time when the format of the photos had to change. The photo-hosting service I used to use I can't even remember the name of. And there was limited storage, and I had to learn how to transfer the photos from the camera to the computer, and then I had to crunch them down using photoscape. I'm not sure if I still have to do that, but I've been dutifully crunching my photos down in size using that program for years. But then I got an iPhone, and taking photos did become a lot easier. But getting them from the iCloud to my photo files on my computer is a pain, and by the time I download the ones I want I'm out of mental energy to process them and archive them properly. Surely, it is easier for some people, but I end up with zip files that I don't know how to deal with... am I sounding pathetic yet? </p><p>As the technology for photo sharing has improved, I noticed I was sharing things on Facebook and Instagram because it was just plain easy. But of course, there are increasingly negative tradeoffs when that's the only format you use. </p><p>Anyway, long story short, managing photos is a headache for me. I need to break the mental block and blog about the things I like. So here are some that I just snagged as representative of the year so far, and maybe I can skip the downsizing this time. In the interest of keeping blogging, with the occasional photo.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtHTtyOa5aCg64tu1p3_-37fQLmii1BdBQDRTv3v7IRta_1y2j-Ff9Td6r1Uhe6EA7vKv9w_acLU4AuNoMAJsrnexR1VrEm3cM8vFUk8HsNVsEkHFlmqlvUXhRJ86aaMY3wbVCGEglFo/s2048/IMG_0327.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtHTtyOa5aCg64tu1p3_-37fQLmii1BdBQDRTv3v7IRta_1y2j-Ff9Td6r1Uhe6EA7vKv9w_acLU4AuNoMAJsrnexR1VrEm3cM8vFUk8HsNVsEkHFlmqlvUXhRJ86aaMY3wbVCGEglFo/s320/IMG_0327.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>This is the Frolic quilt that was the 2019 Mystery quilt from Bonnie K. Hunter. I blogged about it a little while I was working on it. It became a wedding gift for my firstborn last May! Now, of course, I am still working on the Grassy Creek quilt and the Unity Quilt that Bonnie shared. They aren't finished yet. And the 2021 mystery will be starting up really soon. So, looking on the bright side, I will have plenty of pictures to share as I work through those.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAMJFfaNdCTdcRtiwyJXJRbrW_a4dePvTjsdzxwjZNxnc54XjFS1hHFoIG-W0K_GLxNMNmhd18_Aaz_VBvH5uqmhz5rUKG5on47-p8uAgFsL0wj2ULmMlreL811eZQfsWQpUZ_vbUMc4/s2048/6227DF16-53C5-43BC-B8DF-16254B9B9349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2043" data-original-width="2048" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAMJFfaNdCTdcRtiwyJXJRbrW_a4dePvTjsdzxwjZNxnc54XjFS1hHFoIG-W0K_GLxNMNmhd18_Aaz_VBvH5uqmhz5rUKG5on47-p8uAgFsL0wj2ULmMlreL811eZQfsWQpUZ_vbUMc4/s320/6227DF16-53C5-43BC-B8DF-16254B9B9349.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is the Frugal Patch quilt variation I've been envisioning for many years and working on sporadically. It's the kind of thing I have to pack away between sessions because it's too big to leave on the design wall. But I'm excited about the possibility.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZX5yrWo0LX1YUby_IeQ170if3wDbTzCzIzXlT6MVu0sPAU998BVevtJlJYERiQ0fzETiyJDghr8CfpsaZLlacx2bBT06Gghy-uzfNMkf816gH-b4Mvv-eM1B4NV76-0jU7hLzhkUGSc/s2048/IMG_0128.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZX5yrWo0LX1YUby_IeQ170if3wDbTzCzIzXlT6MVu0sPAU998BVevtJlJYERiQ0fzETiyJDghr8CfpsaZLlacx2bBT06Gghy-uzfNMkf816gH-b4Mvv-eM1B4NV76-0jU7hLzhkUGSc/s320/IMG_0128.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg424M_KVP0ePd0vPeVnH5EaBMe2w6KPHNU6cZZvVOfKNQ1rRY-gZoHWuh3PKkszwUXKh3Kkbup-Ct6hKRBeD5FKXuY9d-qmSLZI8IjpVB0DsHqc0C2kNwOr4IiILEEbPTdaFPnXr8xf1w/s2048/IMG_0129.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg424M_KVP0ePd0vPeVnH5EaBMe2w6KPHNU6cZZvVOfKNQ1rRY-gZoHWuh3PKkszwUXKh3Kkbup-Ct6hKRBeD5FKXuY9d-qmSLZI8IjpVB0DsHqc0C2kNwOr4IiILEEbPTdaFPnXr8xf1w/s320/IMG_0129.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div>A couple of the baby quilts I've been making during the pandemic. Basic 4" or 5" squares, no batting, backed with flannel that can be folded to the front and topstitched for a binding. All the babies of my acquaintance (or at least the firstborns) are starting to get them, and I can turn one out in a day or two.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSthNY10-qFpAvLjkO_QR_89o6P3NfWNRjmGuQZC1bxPuVJYbYj7oECEEIUH2wA5wgyzmcTDR-lQTZvVKhd8O3cJKhtOuTB5mwDNnZcekUzkXq2crzdlrLCqvA-G_HT2e5rcOgs20nQm4/s1440/4DA2CF41-B44F-466B-A9A4-07E62439EE77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSthNY10-qFpAvLjkO_QR_89o6P3NfWNRjmGuQZC1bxPuVJYbYj7oECEEIUH2wA5wgyzmcTDR-lQTZvVKhd8O3cJKhtOuTB5mwDNnZcekUzkXq2crzdlrLCqvA-G_HT2e5rcOgs20nQm4/s320/4DA2CF41-B44F-466B-A9A4-07E62439EE77.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbHJgO8lSI6oHi5Ks_CUMu-AZrKEp0jLgrJ-UOMoFdYROCL-mIIZu1aOOHZol-yeIxthghdiy11qul-UDB5dcPWJHLAvvBvmqYnuOM5gV7MwAwTSEnZdTJkU8j2aShGgcyROf5oh70O0/s2048/IMG_0159.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbHJgO8lSI6oHi5Ks_CUMu-AZrKEp0jLgrJ-UOMoFdYROCL-mIIZu1aOOHZol-yeIxthghdiy11qul-UDB5dcPWJHLAvvBvmqYnuOM5gV7MwAwTSEnZdTJkU8j2aShGgcyROf5oh70O0/s320/IMG_0159.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Three or four years ago I bought a bunch of mini orchids at Grocery Outlet. I managed to keep most of them alive, and they even rebloom occasionally. This makes me quite happy, and I take pictures of them.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_Bu5-UynSVO6UFwpvnebqdXKPUZT_IgccPUoEBn-WzB_KvIgmx8zRi4X4lhO7NMFC3PFuBwhCQGEk8IxBbaqbIOOGzGKNbtUN-Sh0H4HvDHInr45EFRN7UgsRopefquqhNvgFUHYtpo/s2048/IMG_0121.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_Bu5-UynSVO6UFwpvnebqdXKPUZT_IgccPUoEBn-WzB_KvIgmx8zRi4X4lhO7NMFC3PFuBwhCQGEk8IxBbaqbIOOGzGKNbtUN-Sh0H4HvDHInr45EFRN7UgsRopefquqhNvgFUHYtpo/s320/IMG_0121.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NgtDKrqGVBeMh_VQTKGjq0tKJmP66aBdtGT0cEX3f5b36ZutdNx1aI4voD231fxuJKt80uAL5SqtCOagG53gYIPWS8hPOqNh3dAzhb5lysIMzFB4I68DQMchLAdSoBslHIrqYpBDjUE/s2048/IMG_0122.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NgtDKrqGVBeMh_VQTKGjq0tKJmP66aBdtGT0cEX3f5b36ZutdNx1aI4voD231fxuJKt80uAL5SqtCOagG53gYIPWS8hPOqNh3dAzhb5lysIMzFB4I68DQMchLAdSoBslHIrqYpBDjUE/s320/IMG_0122.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>Cleverly Practical, the "Hermione" socks from the Harry Potter collection by Lisa Ross. I really like them.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, it does seem I can share photos again, even though my blogging interface looks a bit different than it did over a year ago. And you can have a taste of what my social media circle has already seen that I've been doing lately, but I can write about it in my preferred conversational blog format.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll settle for that as progress.<br /><p><br /></p></div></div>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-62652822134943978052021-10-31T08:42:00.002-07:002021-10-31T08:42:29.140-07:00Reformation Day 2021 - 95 Theses, Simplified and Re-blogged<p><i>Note: This is a re-blog of a post I did back in 2018, which itself was inspired by an informal project of translation of Martin Luther's 95 Theses I worked on over the 500th anniversary of the event. I recently had a favorable comment on the post and revisited it. I think it's worth sharing again. The more I think about history, the more grateful I am for Martin Luther's courage all those centuries ago. He changed the world.</i></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p> A year ago I did a little project, very spur-of-the-moment. To celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, I took the 95 Theses of Martin Luther and translated them from the original Latin. I published them on Facebook, and a little later cleaned up the formatting and put them on this blog: <a href="https://carpelanam.blogspot.com/2017/11/reformation-500-95-points-to-consider.html" target="_blank">Reformation 500</a> </p><br />You never know quite what to expect when you translate something from an old text that you've never worked with before. I came out of that project with a renewed appreciation for Martin Luther's courage and scholarship, and a feeling that he was several centuries ahead of his time. Also, I was impressed by Luther's common sense and yes, humility and restraint. His theses were largely about abuses of clerical authority that, under a system that respected what today we would call "best practices," would have been investigated and dealt with promptly. Very few of them touch on the great doctrines of Grace that shaped the Reformation. All that came later. If Pope Leo X hadn't doubled down on medievalism and papal authority at all costs, there might never have been a Reformation and Luther's bigger ideas might never have been developed or heard.<br /><br />Reformation Day is a huge matter for Protestants, whether they know it or not. I see my task as an heir to the Reformation and someone who is reasonably literate in history and culture, to re-introduce Protestants to their own heritage. In America, for example, we owe our freedom of thought and expression, and our representative government, in no small part to Martin Luther. So when my Catholic friends, and I have several, start with little passive-aggressive comments on Reformation Day about strife, war and divisiveness, and try to make it all about the candy, it makes me wonder if they really do know their history as well as they think they do. Reformation Day is our Independence Day. Getting pushback from Catholics is a little bit like the "You'll be back" song that King George sings to the Americans in Hamilton. No, that ship has sailed, and I would love to be a fly on the wall as modern Catholics try to figure out how to, well, reform, their church's leadership without giving some credit to the groundwork done by Luther and the other Reformers.<br /><br />So here's this year's Reformation Day project, and a challenge to my fair-minded Catholic friends: I've taken the 95 Theses and put them in conversational English, going for the simplest boiled-down point in each thesis. My rather free interpretation, but you're welcome to compare to the original Latin and come up with your own. That is the beauty of a free society, and we owe that much to Luther. Pope Leo condemned 41 of the theses and demanded Luther recant them; which of them are so objectionable given the light of history? Are any of them so heretical that they deserved excommunication and the death penalty? Which ones? What would be your response, if you were pope at that time? And going forward, is it acceptable to challenge the papacy with objections that we all have about, for example, covering up abuse and protecting abusive clergy members? Or do we all share those objections? Luther's 95 points still stand, worth revisiting every year, calling Christians to be clear-minded and devoted to Christ, not to inventions of men.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">*********************************</div><br />Introduction: Martin Luther here, speaking from Wittenberg where I teach theology. Some points have come up, I'm concerned about getting to the truth of the matter, and I'd like to discuss and debate them. If you can't be here with me to debate over a pint of good beer, contact me via any of the usual social media and let me know what you think.<br /><br />1. Our Lord Jesus said we are supposed to repent, and that means all Christians, and it should characterize our whole life.<br />2. This doesn't mean the sacrament known as penance. It's deeper than that.<br />3. Inner penitence is fine, but it doesn't stop there; it would be meaningless if you don't back it up with actions.<br />4. We will struggle with sin and need to repent of it until we die and go to heaven.<br />5. The Pope can't forgive sins, or remove penalties except for those within his official and limited capacity in the Church.<br />6. The Pope may declare sins forgiven, but that is only accurate if God himself has already forgiven them.<br />7. When God forgives sin, he grants humility to the sinner, who is then able to respect the priest.<br />8. Only the living are able to repent. Penance doesn't happen when you're dead.<br />9. The Holy Spirit, through the Pope, grants merciful exceptions for death and necessity.<br />10. The priests who say the dead must still do penance in Purgatory are wrong and cruel to say this.<br />11. The bishops must not have been paying attention to let the priests get away with saying this.<br />12. It used to be that you had to do penance before you were absolved, to make sure you really were sorry for your sin.<br />13. Dying people, though, are considered already dead, and are absolved from their burden of sin, as is their right.<br />14. The dying have a great burden of fear because of their sins.<br />15. This fear itself is equivalent to the torment of Purgatory for those on their deathbeds.<br />16. Hell is characterized by despair; Purgatory by fear; Heaven by assurance.<br />17. It's important to grant release of fear and assurance of love to those who are facing death and Purgatory.<br />18. There is no reason or Scripture that would make us tell dying people they should fear more and have less assurance of love.<br />19. But we can't prove that those in Purgatory have absolute assurance of salvation. There may be something we don't know.<br />20. So when the Pope says "full remission of all penalties," he can really only vouch for the penalties that he himself has imposed in his official capacity.<br />21. This means that the indulgence preachers are mistaken when they say that buying a papal indulgence grants you freedom from all punishment.<br />22. Actually, the Pope can't forgive a person in Purgatory, unless that absolution was granted in this life.<br />23. Absolute forgiveness of all penalties could only be granted to a very few, nearly perfect persons.<br />24. The promises of absolute forgiveness are deceptive, and the majority of people buying indulgences are falling prey to this deception.<br />25. The Pope's power concerning Purgatory is like any priest or bishop's power over his own church or domain.<br />26. What power the Pope has over the souls in Purgatory must come from his intercessory prayer for them; his power is not absolute.<br />27. It is fallible human teaching when the indulgence sellers say "when the coin in the box rings, the soul from Purgatory springs."<br />28. The one certain thing is that the coin in the box will increase greed and corruption; God alone determines the fate of the soul.<br />29. Who knows if all souls in Purgatory even wish to be redeemed? There are some legendary exceptions.<br />30. No man can even be sure he is truly contrite, let alone whether he has received full remission.<br />31. It is rare for a man to be truly penitent, as well as to truly buy an indulgence.<br />32. Those who believe they are truly saved because they bought an indulgence will be damned, along with those who taught them this.<br />33. We must be very careful about the claims that the Pope's pardons are the same as God's work of reconciliation.<br />34. Those indulgences are only in regards to penalties established by man, not by God.<br />35. It is anti-Christian to teach that you can buy forgiveness, and bypass true contrition or confession of sins.<br />36. A truly penitent Christian has a right to forgiveness even if he doesn't buy an indulgence.<br />37. A true Christian partakes in all the blessings of Christ and the Church as a gift from God, even if he doesn't buy an indulgence.<br />38. The papal pardon is still not to be scorned, because it is a declaration of divine forgiveness.<br />39. Very well-educated theologians have a hard time balancing the need for true repentance and the benefits of indulgences.<br />40. A truly penitent Christian is eager to do penance; but if he can easily buy an indulgence, he can easily come to hate penance.<br />41. Indulgences should be promoted very carefully, or people will think they are preferable to other acts of Christian charity.<br />42. Christians need to know that buying an indulgence is not the same as a work of mercy.<br />43. Christians need to know that it is better to give charity to the poor than to buy an indulgence.<br />44. This is because giving charity makes the soul grow better, but indulgences do not.<br />45. Christians need to know that if they neglect the needy to buy indulgences, they bring down the wrath of God on themselves.<br />46. Christians need to know that they should provide for their own household and only buy indulgences if they have the money to spare.<br />47. Christians need to know that buying indulgences is a matter of free will, not a command.<br />48. Christians need to know that the Pope values their prayer more than their money.<br />49. Christians need to know that they should not trust in indulgences and so lose their fear of God.<br />50. Christians need to know that the Pope would be angry on their behalf at the scurrilous methods of the indulgence sellers, and would prefer his basilica to be burned down rather than be built with the flesh, blood and bones of his sheep.<br />51. Christians need to know that the Pope would rather give money to some of them who are needy rather than having them buy indulgences, even if he had to sell St. Peter's to do it.<br />52. Assurance through indulgences is empty, even if the indulgence sellers or the Pope himself pledges it.<br />53. It is the enemies of Christ and the Pope who forbid preaching the Word in some churches, so that they can preach indulgences in other churches.<br />54. It's an injustice to God's word to spend more time in a sermon about indulgences than about the Scripture.<br />55. If indulgences are promoted extravagantly, surely the Gospel, which is much more important, must be preached even more extravagantly - and surely the Pope knows this.<br />56. The true treasures of the church are not known to God's people as they should be.<br />57. They are not temporal in nature, because indulgence sellers often do not distribute them freely but only gather them.<br />58. They are not the merits of Christ and the saints.<br />59. Saint Lawrence spoke of the poor as being the treasures of the Church, in the language of his time.<br />60. With some confidence we can say that the keys of the Church, through Christ's merit, are that treasure.<br />61. For the Pope's power alone is sufficient for remission of ecclesiastical penalties.<br />62. But the true treasure of the Church is the most holy Gospel.<br />63. But this treasure is the most hateful, for it makes the first to become last.<br />64. However the treasure of indulgences is most appealing, for it makes the last to become first.<br />65. The treasury of the Gospel is the net with which they used to fish for men of wealth.<br />66. The treasury of indulgences is the net with which they now fish for the wealth of men.<br />67. Sellers of indulgences promote them as having much grace, because they bring in much wealth.<br />68. But they are small indeed compared to the grace of God and the Cross.<br />69. Bishops and curates are required to give indulgence sellers full access.<br />70. But all the more should they carefully screen what the indulgence sellers say to their flock, to make sure it does not depart from the Pope's message.<br />71. Let him be cursed who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons.<br />72. But let him be blessed who is on guard against the greed of those who sell indulgences.<br />73. Just as the Pope, who strongly condemns those who turn the work of granting pardon into a fraud.<br />74. Much more strongly does he condemn those who convert holy love and truth into a fraud.<br />75. To pick an outrageous example, the man who said indulgences could absolve the man who raped the mother of God - impossible, and insane!<br />76. On the contrary, papal indulgences cannot absolve the least of the venial sins.<br />77. To say that St. Peter, if he lived now, could not grant greater indulgences, is blasphemy, both against St. Peter and the Pope.<br />78. On the contrary, the Pope has far greater powers, such as the Gospel, spiritual graces, and gifts of healing.<br />79. It is blasphemous to raise up the Papal cross for selling indulgences as equal to the Cross of Christ.<br />80. The Church officials who spread these messages must be held to account.<br />81. As an educated man I wish to defend the Pope from pointed questions by the laity, but this careless preaching of indulgences makes it difficult.<br />82. For example, "Why doesn't the Pope empty out Purgatory because the souls there are suffering, not because he needs the money for his church?"<br />83. And, "Why does he allow payments set up for funeral masses to continue, since it is wrong to keep praying for the redeemed?"<br />84. And, "Why do they let a bad guy pay money to rescue a good guy's soul, why not rather free the soul because it's the right thing to do for love of the good guy?"<br />85. And, "Why did they suddenly dust off these penitential canons that everyone had forgotten about and were no longer in use, when they can make money from them?"<br />86. And, "Why doesn't the Pope, who has plenty of ready cash, use his own money to build the Basilica of St. Peter instead of using the money of poor believers?"<br />87. And, "What can the Pope forgive for those who are already entitled to forgiveness because of their perfect humility and contrition?"<br />88. And, "Why doesn't the Pope give out these blessings a hundred times a day, instead of just once?"<br />89. "If the Pope wants souls to be pardoned rather than money, why does he suspend previously granted indulgences, if they still work?"<br />90. All these objections by the laity are well-thought-out, and deserve a fair answer, not forceful repression, or it will damage the reputation of the Church and the Pope, and make Christians unhappy.<br />91. So indulgences ought to be carefully taught according to the Pope's instruction, and there would be no problem.<br />92. Away with the prophets who say, "Peace, peace," yet there is no peace.<br />93. Blessing on those who say to Christ's people, "Cross, Cross," and there is no cross.<br />94. Christians should be exhorted to follow Christ, their head, through punishments, death, and hell.<br />95. So they may have confidence to enter the heavenly kingdom through many tribulations, rather than with the false security of peace.<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-27016394579826318422021-10-30T15:40:00.000-07:002021-10-30T15:40:09.941-07:00Life Update<p> Well.</p><p>I have let life pass too long without posting, and not for lack of things to say. I'm a writer, and I'm constantly writing, but when it stays in my head without getting into printed form one way or another, it's not good for me. When I verbally express myself to those closest to me, it helps me but may not necessarily help them to know my head is filled with such a whirl. And when it gets into printed form but it's only by private text or email, I tend not to bother with the more abstract thoughts because they aren't beneficial for the recipients. And when I post it on social media, it's like skipping rocks into a sea of mostly inane, revenue-generating (but not for me) videos. So, I am attempting to dust off my long-neglected little blog. Whoever wants to read, can read, and if not, I still get the same mental benefit. <i>Solvitur scribendo</i>.</p><p>But first, a life update.</p><p>Steve works from home since the very beginning of the pandemic. They keep talking about moving back to the office, but it won't happen for awhile. He bought a standing desk and stool from IKEA and added a reading chair; the former guest room is now his office, with bookshelves and a single bed so it can (and has been!) used as an extra guest room. He can teach design school from there when called upon to do so, and has phenomenal discipline to get up early and start work every morning about 6:00. We enjoy taking walks together over his lunchbreak. Our neighborhood is good for walking and is pretty safe. Our church's neighborhood in Portland, sadly, is another story, but that rant is for another time.</p><p>I am so grateful I got out of teaching when I did. I have a fear and loathing of Zoom teleconferencing which surpasses my fear and loathing of using the telephone. I would not have lasted a week of virtual teaching. I have thought a few times of offering to help start one of those homeschool "pods" that I hear about, but kick myself immediately after. I have subbed a few times at CT, and I love the energy and enthusiasm of the young folks. And slept the sleep of the utterly exhausted and too-old-to-keep-up-with-the-young-folks afterward. As the pandemic has wound on, I have come to realize that my life has changed and I am both an empty-nester and one whose nest is never quite empty. So I mentally exist in this sort of limbo where I can't really plan things, or get rid of things that need to be gotten rid of, and it's hard to do any deep cleaning (which is actually fine by me, but not so great for the overall quality of life of anyone who lives here). I fill my days nicely, but there is always something missing. I think it is the peace of mind that comes from knowing that we live in a free country. But that would be a "political Tuesdays" post. I quilt, knit a little, and have become quite fond of genealogy. I'll have to talk about WikiTree sometime, it's fabulous and I spend a lot of time there.</p><p>Our firstborn son is married, as of May, and lives with his beautiful bride in Virginia. He's able to work from home with the occasional travel week, and she is entering the clinical rotation phase of her Physician Assistant training. Their wedding was a beautiful event, and her family are lovely people. </p><p>Our second son is serving his country abroad. He unfortunately had to miss being the best man at his brother's wedding, but at least he is in a safe enough place that I don't worry about him constantly. We are of course proud of the young man he has become and miss him a lot.</p><p>Our daughter is a "supersenior" at her transition education program. She had the graduation ceremony last year but is finally getting some on-site work experience training. She has learned to schedule her own paratransit rides. She works 3 days a week doing baking and general kitchen help at a retirement home, and one day at a comic shop.</p><p>Our youngest daughter is a sophomore at UW, where she is studying astronomy, physics and math. She received a scholarship, which is an incredible blessing for all of us, and is active in the Reformed University Fellowship group. She's learning to live quite independently and enjoys the city.</p><p>Steve and I have aging parents, which presents a new set of challenges that didn't really exist when I started this blog, and our children are adults starting to live their own lives, which is only appropriate, and so I'll focus less on the kids and more on... other things, yet to be determined, as I move forward. I did write, long ago, that the blog would be eclectic. I at least stand by that.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-40883779277410775482020-06-25T10:55:00.001-07:002020-06-25T10:55:17.001-07:00The Right to Our own Feelings Part 1: Things Fall Apart<i>Note: Well, it has been six months since my last, relatively carefree blog post. Maybe you should follow me on Instagram if you want happy pictures; I've been putting them there. In this post, I'm working out something that needs to be analyzed, and it's taken over a week so far with not much progress. So here's to Socrates and avoiding the unexamined life which is not worth living. Part 1 of who knows.</i><br />
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I feel like I should have been carefully chronicling the events of 2020 thus far. The vague uneasiness about the strange new flu coming from China, the first rumors of it spreading to this country. Trying to go on, choosing not to live in fear and to continue life as usual for the sake of the children, and then having fear and isolation imposed on us in the blink of an eye by the very political leaders who, five minutes previously, were celebrating absolutely open borders and no restrictions whatsoever. Being lectured on how selfish and irresponsible it would be to go out and buy masks; only to be shamed what seems like a few days later for not having them on at all times. Looking forward to major events for my children: prom, concerts and school plays, a Spring Break trip to Arizona, two graduations... only to have them yanked away on March 12. Wednesday, planning for the trip to Arizona, the tasks that needed to be finished before then. Friday, everything was canceled. Abruptly. Teachers scrambled to craft something resembling school lessons for the rest of the year. Everyone worked from home, or lost their work altogether. The streets and skies were as silent as the days following 9/11, but without the comforting feeling of coming together in unity after a terrible attack. The Saturday before, getting together with the Mom's Breakfast Club at the Kitchen Table Cafe... the Saturday after, everything quiet and anxious.<br />
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Don't get me wrong -- I'm an introvert and of course, we introverts know how to thrive without a crowd of people around, at home, pursuing our own hobbies and interests. But these, as virtually every ad reminds us lately, are "uncertain times," and the things you need to stay sane in uncertain times -- work, church, school, community -- were all taken away as well. Some of us practice activities like music, knitting, quilting, reading, etc. to help us cope with a tendency to anxiety or depression that is only going to get worse when we are deprived of the activities of normal life and the social interactions that used to keep us centered.<br />
<br />
In the first few weeks of lockdown, I was optimistic that I could distract myself with knitting and quilting beautiful things. I queued a bunch of free patterns on Ravelry (although they are still suppressing my profile pictures and bio, so the ownership is still as bigoted as ever) and started Bonnie Hunter's Unity quilt... all of these are very exciting and beautiful and I'd like to work on them, but as the days of deprivation wore on, I have struggled on Sleeve Island of one sweater that I started last fall, and forced myself to finish three extremely basic baby quilts... because babies continue to be born despite the quarantine rules, and babies need blankies. The same with all my grand intentions of cleaning and organizing my house... a nice thought, and of course absolute cleanliness is mandatory now, but there is just no mental/emotional bandwidth to complete them.<br />
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And then, just when we were celebrating graduations and births and friends as best we could in our drastically reduced circumstances, adapting to the new world order that had been imposed on us, peering into screens or putting out posts on social media or pretending to celebrate from six feet away through a mask -- the riots and civil unrest started.<br />
<br />
I suppose it was inevitable: Jeremy Boreing, of the Daily Wire, had a very apt tweet analyzing the causes on May 30:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Instill fear</li>
<li>Lock people in their houses </li>
<li>Drive tens of millions out of work </li>
<li>Remove the pressure valves: Sports, Concerts, Bars, Theaters, Lunch with Friends... </li>
<li>Close the churches </li>
<li>Dehumanize through masking the healthy </li>
<li>Wait </li>
<li>Strike match...</li>
</ol>
<br />
It must have felt like this when the Iron Curtain fell over the old Soviet bloc. Suddenly neighbors were viewed with suspicion and the usual social channels became filled with political recriminations. People hunkered down in their increasingly inadequate homes while gangs of Communist thugs roamed the streets, determining who needed to go to the Gulag next and doing their level best to erase history and remove every trace of the old order. Ordinary citizens lived in fear over things they had written, said, or even thought in the old days, and dreaded the midnight knock at the door.<br />
<br />
Except now, the police are the enemy. The military are tools of oppression. Every mention of the current President must be one of condemnation... or you will be cancelled. If you have a business, well, if it's located in the downtown of a major city, you better show prominent support for the BLM and Antifa terrorists, and even then expect to lose your entire inventory and have your store smashed up. Maybe, if you're fortunate, you will say the right things to appease them and be allowed to continue doing business on social media. But you better not have any police officers or military members in your family. You better say the words they want you to say, read the books they promote. Better kneel in front of the occupiers, just to be safe.<br />
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Well, I refuse to go along with this madness. Yes, there is a political component to what I'm writing, but I think it goes deeper, and a fair-minded human being with very different political views than mine would agree with my fundamental right to feel what I feel, think what I think, and with very limited restrictions, say what I want to say, even if it goes against the woke groupthink currently in power in our country.<br />
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In the next part, I want to go back to basics, which helps many people struggling with overwhelming adversity. And the first step to psychological survival, as I see it, is owning your feelings and thoughts, and accepting that you have a right to do so. Indeed, it is what proves your existence.<br />
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Cogito, ergo sum.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-28788878007459954482019-12-02T08:42:00.000-08:002019-12-02T08:42:06.409-08:00Knitting UpdatesIn the time I have not been blogging I finished a pair of socks:<br />
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These are "Rough Waters" from Lisa K. Ross (Paper Daisy Creations). They are part of the "Socks of Narnia" collection of patterns, and I knit one sock during the Lots of Socks KAL back in February-March. I was able to whip out the second sock fairly quickly once I started on it. The yarn is, I think, Mountain Colors Bearfoot Sock yarn. And I have been working on a second pair of "Non-Euclidian" socks in Patons Kroy, which are for a Christmas present and not finished yet, but I'm liking them so far.<br />
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Every so often I go on Ravelry and queue a bunch of patterns. A few weeks ago I impulsively started this yoked cardigan by <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/designers/lea-petj" target="_blank">Lea Petaja</a>: <a href="https://www.novitaknits.com/en/en/patterns/womens-cardigan-novita-nordic-wool/instructions" target="_blank">Women's Lace Cardigan</a> using some years-old lambswool/nylon from an unraveled thrift store sweater. I have loved knitting something other than socks for a change, on size 4 needles, and I've already divided for the sleeves and am working on the stockinette body of the cardigan, so the tough part is done. Actually, the tough part for me is <i>finishing </i>the cardigan, but details details... Most of this designer's patterns are free, and they are all quite pretty. I'm enjoying the knitting of this one.<br />
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Steve and I finished watching the latest season of The Crown. And with the girls we are working our way through Star Trek: the Next Generation (we finished the original series, but watching them with a modern teenager was quite the experience... even TNG has plenty of cringey moments.) And Monk, and the Great British Baking Show. So these are some of the TV memories associated with these knitting projects. And if I need to stay up late to finish the Christmas socks sometime, I can watch a few episodes of NCIS.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-22833587184540685372019-12-01T08:19:00.000-08:002019-12-01T08:19:49.714-08:00Wake Up, Sleepy Blog!Yes, I've been neglecting the blog for the past two months. No post November, I guess.<br />
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There was a quilt finish during the time I've been away:<br />
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"Tone it Down" was from an APQ quiltalong several years back based on the low-volume Burgoyne Surrounded quilt in the Feb. 2014 issue. Designed by Lissa Alexander, I believe.<br />
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I just loved all the pastels and bright colors against the low-volume backgrounds, and I used many of my vintage sheets and some of my reclaimed shirtings. It was a fiddly quilt, where I laid out each block with dozens of different fabrics before piecing it, but it was a completely happy quilt to piece.<br />
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It's 75x93", seems to fit a full size bed pretty well.<br />
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I used Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User's System idea of 10.5" blocks pieced together for the backing. I had cut a big stack of fabrics up into these sizes and used them all up for this backing and the one I pieced to go with my Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt, which will maybe be the next one to go on the quilting machine.<br />
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I now have three finished quilts that I plan to give to my sisters and step-mother this month. En Provence above...<br />
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And Grand Illusion. That's three quilts quilted this fall and I'm pretty happy about that. Of course, it's just in time for the start of the next Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt-along, "<a href="https://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/frolic-mystery.html" target="_blank">Frolic</a>", which you can find at the link. I've been hooked on these since 2011 and Orca Bay. It and Allietare are still on my bed, I gave away Easy Street, Celtic Solstice and soon the two above, and On Ringo Lake and Good Fortune are waiting to be quilted.<br />
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Frolic is supposed to evoke the happy feeling of a field of Texas wildflowers under a clear aqua sky. I have a lot of scraps in the blue colorways, which I think of as "China blue." They are blues, light and dark, with just a hint of heading to the purple end of the spectrum.<br />
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"Framboise" is the rasberry color that makes this quilt pop. I don't have a lot of fuchsia pinks in my stash and since the three quilts just finished all had pink in them, I wanted to make a less obviously girly quilt... so I am probably going for closer to "cranberry" or "cherry" or "watermelon" with a bit of "burgundy wine" mixed in, but I'm not opposed to a bit of pink. All of my reds have to not be leaning toward orange, but maybe a bit toward purple.<br />
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I have plenty of greens in that yellow-leaning, grass-green shade. I am a little short of aquas. I love the little skull and crossbones on that one but I'm not sure how appropriate it would be. I do want to use what I have, but that is the one color in the mix I am tempted to supplement. I thought about changing the colors, but decided to go with Bonnie's.<br />
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Here is so far on Clue #1. Lots of cute little 4-patches. They are so fun to make! I do love a variety of scraps in every quilt I make. I am trying to cut an extra strip or two for my Scrap User's System every time I have to cut a piece of fabric. That way I can use up some of the smaller and older pieces in my stash and replenish the variety in my strips. And if I impulsively decide to start a new quilt, I go to those strip boxes first. Of course, that does mean the quilting process is messy and there are scraps ALL OVER my sewing area!<br />
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That's the news on the quilting front! I'll be linking up to Bonnie's show-and-tell post on Monday when it goes live. You can check out what other quilters are doing with this pattern, and join the Frolic festivities!Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-91857349417844013782019-10-01T22:26:00.001-07:002019-10-01T22:26:56.211-07:00En Provence Quilt - A Finish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I took the final stitches in the binding and label for En Provence yesterday evening. Today was a crisp and clear Fall day, so I put it on the clothesline to get some photos.<br />
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Maybe I take too many pictures, but it seemed like it was only fair. You work on these quilts for multiple years and then all of a sudden, they are done. Ready to be packed up and given to someone who will hopefully enjoy them. It's only fair to have a photo session. Speaking of which, Quarta needs to get her Senior photos taken before we ship her off to college. Hmm.<br />
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Anyway, En Provence was the mystery quilt starting in the Fall of 2016. It was the quilt top that I used as a background picture for my first smart phone, and it's still on there. It really is a gorgeous pattern, with the motion of the purple accented with the sparkling magenta stars. I seriously depleted my purples and neutrals when piecing it.<br />
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The quilting pattern I chose was squiggle-loop-flower, with a couple different types of flowers I repeated more or less randomly. I depleted my cone of Robison-Anton eggshell thread when I was quilting it. I used to buy it at Joann's, at the dealership inside the store, but they don't carry it anymore. I will have to look for another source for better-quality machine quilting thread. I picked up a spool of Aurifil at Craft Warehouse, but I've never tried it before and really, I'm on a roll (sort of) with machine quilting. I want to encourage myself to get a bunch more done, and that means buying a big cone of thread. And probably a few more extra-wide backings, since piecing backings is kind of a drag.<br />
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I really like the light check fabric I used for the backing of Grand Illusion and the label on this quilt. I also like the kind of grunge-looking extra-wide backing (and binding) I used for this one. Maybe another trip to Joann's and another coupon to buy another backing for when I'm ready to quilt On Ringo Lake. I have been piecing a backing for the Tone It Down quilt, which I want to do next. And I finished piecing the Scrappy Trip Around the World top, which I'll share next time.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-31167692167985577082019-09-24T21:01:00.000-07:002019-09-25T07:37:03.809-07:00Political Tuesdays: Child Activists and the Adult in the RoomYou've all seen it. A Swedish teenager, whom I won't name because I believe excessive media attention does terrible things to children, impassioned and outraged about climate change, scolding the adults she thinks have failed her and stolen her childhood: "How dare you?!"<br />
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The adults in her life have failed her, but perhaps not in the way she thinks. Her parents and other activists who have promoted her as the face of climate change have ignored her underlying needs for something much more basic: unconditional love in a safe environment. Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe all humans, including the disabled, have the right to think, believe, and say what they wish. And she is sincere in her beliefs, and she has a right to express them. It doesn't have to be pretty. It also shouldn't be so public.<br />
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This girl has many serious diagnoses: Autism/Asberger's, OCD, anxiety, depression, selective mutism. Any one of these would seem to indicate caution in use of social media and exposure to large crowds and intense pressure. Together in the persona of a teenage girl who, in her own words, is not mature yet, they create the perfect storm. Her speech yesterday, in a foreign country and foreign language, was terribly painful to watch for anyone who loves someone with these conditions. She has been suddenly catapulted to fame and prominence by activists who set her schedule and control her public persona, and are happy for their cause to profit from her angst. Her face was contorted, she was gasping between phrases. Her psychic pain was obvious, and for adults to use it for political advantage is unconscionable. That wasn't the impassioned wisdom of a child grieving for the future of the world; that was a panic attack, a highly publicized meltdown which will, unfortunately, typecast her forever. How will she be able to bear watching video footage of herself? How could anyone with intense social anxiety? Her parents and handlers seem to want to create a patron saint for the environmentalist movement, but I fear they have created a martyr. "How dare you?! indeed.<br />
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Her treatment has been rightly characterized as child abuse, in my opinion. It's exploitative, designed to manipulate public opinion. And when the climate justice warriors have moved on to another short-term celebrity, she has to continue to grow up and find her place in a world she has been taught she can't trust. Michael Knowles was criticized for calling her "mentally ill," but aren't we supposed to be removing the stigma around mental health issues these days? Still, focusing more negative attention on her is not healthy. Somebody, somewhere, needs to get her a glass of lemonade, some cookies and a quiet, cool, dim room where she can listen to Mozart or whatever makes her happy. That's the question. Does anything make her happy? Maybe a positive affirmation or two that is not predicated on the end of the world. She did get one, from perhaps an unexpected source:<br />
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"She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!" (Donald Trump's tweet)<br />
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This also caused outrage in the media. They assumed he was speaking ironically and intended this as a mockery. But remembering that irony is not always understood by those with autism, or by young children, I'm not so sure. Sometimes, if you tell someone she seems happy and has a wonderful future, she will be that way. It has the virtue of not having been tried yet. I hope it works.<br />
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-21602141146407084052019-09-17T14:18:00.000-07:002019-09-17T14:18:56.298-07:00Political Tuesdays: Ravelry Gag Rule and the Knitting Witch HuntFor my previous blog post about the Ravelry Gag Rule, see <a href="https://carpelanam.blogspot.com/2019/06/political-tuesdays-in-detention-no-yarn.html" target="_blank">No Yarn for You!</a><br />
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Funny thing about Ravelry, as the crackdown on Republicans who knit is almost 3 months old now. I don't like it as much as I used to when I added to my queue far beyond my life expectancy and spent hours browsing patterns and projects. I still love the genius of the pattern database and the ability to track projects, but I have serious qualms about whether my personal data is safe there now. I know for a fact that my kind is not welcome there, and they have no proof that I have ever violated their terms of service. So they have not been truthful in their suspension and continuing punitive actions against me. But I'm also concerned about their handling of personal and financial data. A week or two after the purge, Casey, the site owner, responded to a woman who wasn't banned but didn't want to financially support a site that is biased against her by buying patterns on that interface. He responded in the GOP group, the only conservative group left on Ravelry after Conservative Knitters was forced to close. It is an open group; anybody with an account can read or comment on anything, and trolling, open or anonymous, is a way of life. Contrasted with "Stitching Liberally", "Atheist and Agnostic Knitters," "Lazy, Stupid and Godless," "Rubberneckers", "Wingnut Watch" (started as "Sarah Palin Must be Stopped!" back in 2008) ... it's a pretty small and quiet group. And they aren't really allowed to talk about anything. Anyway, Casey responded to this woman, who was, in my opinion, legitimately upset about funding a knitting site that engages in political blacklisting and censorship, with the comeback, something to the effect that "I looked it up and we've only made about $5 of profit from you." Now supposedly this was to underscore that boycotting the site would only punish the designers who sell their patterns on the site. But if site owners have access to your shopping record and private financial records, don't they have the legal obligation to keep that information confidential? Can we trust them when they say they are not punishing Republicans, when, in fact, they are punishing Republicans? The woman he interacted with is no longer on the site. Apolitical groups like "Christian Knitters" are now having their members harassed by the trolls.<br />
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I was getting pretty depressed about the fact that despite purging my profile of any political content, and asking nicely... twice...they still have not restored it. So all you see when you go there is a gray outline person, no pictures or personal information about me at all. Kind of defeats the purpose of "social" networking. I've posted a few times in chat threads but the fun is gone. However, a few weeks ago, after my second request, I looked up Casey Forbes, just to see if he had made any further statements or was acting less like a fascist. I found a tweet that is both terribly depressing and yet explains everything, and I realize that the ownership of Ravelry have bigger problems than the fact that they aren't inclusive or honest at all.<br />
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"Friends, I'm trans. My pronouns are she/her/hers. My name is Cassidy. Cassidy is actually my birth name, aren't I lucky?"<br />
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I was sure at first it was a weird joke, like many that Casey has made in the past. But no, apparently not. And it does explain a lot. Let me say (I can say this, can't I?) that Casey has been married to Jessica for over 12 years and is the father of a school-age daughter.<br />
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This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0cyit-LARE&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">YouTube interview</a> with Kathrine Jebsen Moore, a Scottish writer for Quillette, is worth the listen. In it she describes - back in February - the witch hunt that began on Instagram, against knitters who were not sufficiently "woke" for the social justice warriors. I now understand some of the background behind the spillover onto Ravelry. Kathrine is a good account to follow on Twitter if you are intrigued by the phenomenon which is being called "cancel culture" of bringing social and economic pressure to bear on people you disagree with, to disenfranchise them and force them to assent to your viewpoint.<br />
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You can find the first of Kathrine's articles here: <a href="https://quillette.com/2019/02/17/a-witch-hunt-on-instagram/" target="_blank">A Witch Hunt on Instagram</a><br />
She wrote a second in early June, even before Ravelry dropped the boot: <a href="https://quillette.com/2019/06/07/instagrams-diversity-wars-revisited/" target="_blank">Instagram's Diversity Wars Revisited</a><br />
And at the end of July: <a href="https://quillette.com/2019/07/28/knittings-infinity-war-part-iii-showdown-at-yarningham/" target="_blank">Knitting's Infinity War, Part 3</a><br />
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The witch hunt may have started a long time ago, but it is still ongoing if you do not pay lip service to BIPOC knitters and their concerns. (Black, Indigenous, People of Color. The fact that I had to look up the acronym is proof positive for these people of my White Fragility. But I won't be reading that book, so there.) Caitlin Hunter, the talented designer behind <a href="http://boylandknitworks.com/" target="_blank">Boyland Knitworks</a>, seems to be the latest object, because she didn't speak out strongly or penitentially enough when challenged to be more inclusive. She had the audacity to publish a new knitting pattern instead, and hence, in these people's demented mentality, she was fair game for gaslighting and abuse. So she has hired a consultant to increase her diversity awareness and promised to try to do better. SHE DID NOTHING WRONG! Somebody needs to say it. It is the social justice warriors who need to apologize, but won't.<br />
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From back at the end of July, a long and depressing "Daily Covfefe" video on the phenomenon of intolerance and abuse in the knitting community, using the Quillette articles as a starting point. Caution... quite a bit of language.<br />
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The language aside, this is a disturbing trend. People are being financially, socially, physically and psychologically abused, and these are not just isolated incidents. Nor are the victims universally white, conservative, Christian, or otherwise "privileged."<br />
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Yeah, I used to think Twitter was a scary social media platform, and Ravelry and Instagram were the friendly places. I'm not at all so sure anymore.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-37126778523104400082019-09-16T21:43:00.000-07:002019-09-16T21:43:11.374-07:00Machine Quilting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I finished machine quilting "En Provence" in mostly one day. I think I may have had a breakthrough of sorts. The lack of stitch regulator means I have to pace myself, and it is more difficult to stop and start, so I just keep going until the quilt needs to be rolled or the bobbin runs out. I used my all-over squiggle-loop-something pattern. This time the "something was flowers. Little double daisies as above...<br />
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and little chicory flowers. My breakthrough is finally figuring out that machine quilting is just doodling with thread. And no one cares if doodles are a little uneven or lopsided. My original mistake may have been buying Harriet Hargrave's <i>Heirloom Machine Quilting</i> 22 years ago. It was excellent as a treatise in perfectionism, but I have come to the point where I'm happier getting the quilt done and thinking of the quilting as doodling.<br />
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I even cut and stitched the binding on the same day. Now the hand stitching will take longer, but I'm really happy with the overall effect.<br />
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-76335163354560250662019-09-10T18:23:00.003-07:002019-09-10T18:23:50.132-07:00Quilt Finish: Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Grand Illusion, the mystery quilt from 2014, is now finished! I gave it a little airing after the last of the binding was stitched on. The piecing on this started after Thanksgiving of 2014 and finished sometime in 2016, and then the top waited around for three years to be quilted. I am trying to kick out some of my quilt backlog.<br />
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I love how vintage the colors make this look. It reminds me of the tile-work in the MAP South bathroom at college, built in the 1930's and more elegant than your typical college dormitory.<br />
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My quilts have been getting steadily more scrappy every year.<br />
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It's 88" square, queen sized, backed with a wide backing I bought at Joann's, and has a label and everything. Binding took me a long while with all the going to camps the last month, but it is all done now. Maybe I can find a family member who needs a queen-sized quilt. I have a few too many.<br />
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<span id="goog_1308429953"></span><span id="goog_1308429954"></span>I enjoy hanging out quilts for photography, but the clothesline isn't quite tall enough. Also, glad I did this before the weather abruptly changed over the weekend and it has gotten rather cool and wet.<br />
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Yay! for finishing things. The 2015 mystery, En Provence, is now on the frame.<br />
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I didn't get far today, but I used up the remainder of the thread in the bobbin that was left from the previous quilt. My pattern will be squiggle-loop-flower, which I did on the Easy Street way back when.<br />
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So far I have two different kinds of flowers. But I didn't really have the energy to get into it very far today.<br />
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4171027859289150488.post-26641897424908082332019-09-09T17:00:00.000-07:002019-09-09T17:00:24.697-07:00Back-Blogging: Machine Quilting Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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More back-blogging today. Last time I talked about my machine quilting situation, I was upset with the cat...<br />
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who did this to the stitch regulator while the machine was dis-assembled for other maintenance. The "Quilter's Cruise Control" that came with the machine set-up 11 years ago would cost $500 to replace. That is not going to happen, at least not for some time.<br />
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This speed switch also came with the set-up. It would only cost $70 to replace, because it doesn't regulate stitch length. Basically, it is a replacement for the foot pedal, with a dial to adjust the sewing speed once you click the switch. So I set it up and loaded "Grand Illusions" onto the frame.<br />
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Grand Illusions was the 2014-15 Quiltville mystery, and one of my backlog of quilts needing to be quilted.<br />
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I determined to push through and learn how to use the new (to me) switch setup, despite the lack of a computer brain to regulate the length of the stitches. At least it was easier to set up. And really, once I figured a good setting for the speed for me, the quilting went smoothly. There is only me regulating how long or short the stitches are, but I've had years of practice and it's not that bad. I decided to stick with squiggle-loop-star, easy on the stars, for this first quilt.<br />
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About a quarter of the way in, the cheap plastic cover of the on-off switch (center) cracked and popped off. I had to disassemble the switch to find the plastic bits that had fallen inside. It's roughly the size and shape of a push-button on a ball-point pen. Now you know why this is so much cheaper! Still overpriced at $70. I went to the hardware store to see if this was a standardized part I could easily replace. It wasn't. The employee I spoke to advised a pencil eraser cut to fit and glued on with a dab of superglue.<br />
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What I used instead was a wooden dowel with an old rubber thingy that snugs onto it. I'm still thinking about the dab of superglue to attach it, but at least now when it jostles and bounces out, it doesn't break and fall through. Analog solutions for the win!<br />
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I finished quilting Grand Illusion in one day, even with the trip to the hardware store and fixing up the dummy switch. It requires more concentration, but it's so cumbersome to stop and start that you push through and it gets done quicker. I'll give the final quilt show-and-tell in the next post, but I was pleased that quilting is still possible. Maybe in my next quilt I will try a few more fancy figures.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00469168269218187575noreply@blogger.com0