February 2009
Activities of Interest to Freethinkers
Sat., Feb. 7, 7:00pm
Movie Night at the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th St. Movie selection: TBA
Sun., Feb. 8, 1:00 pm
Humanist Study Group at Randy’s, 6705 E. 54th
Tues., Feb. 10, 7:00 pm
Liberal Action Network at Zarrow Library.ª
Sat., Feb. 14, 2:00 pm
Secular Singers at Gail’s house, 4630 S. Victor. I now have the music for “Life Every Voice and Sing.” Join us as we sing this and many other songs.
Sun., Feb. 15, 1:00 pm
Humanist Meeting at Hardesty Library. See note below.*
Wed., Feb. 18, 7:00 pm
Atheists Meetup Mid-Month Social Gathering. Venue: Rib Crib, 5025 S. Sheridan. For menu go to www.ribcrib.com.
Sun., Feb. 22, 1:00 pm
Tulsa Atheists Meetup at Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center.
Sat., Feb. 28, 11:30 am
Food & Fellowship at The Rice Bowl, 4307B S. Sheridan. Menu with prices can be found at www.thericebowlcafe.com.
ªFor the first time in Oklahoma history both houses of the state legislature are controlled by the Republicans. Those of us with liberal values must write to our legislators and let them know where we stand on the issues. If the laws which the legislature enact have any importance to you, please show up and add your voice to ours.
*Program by Brian Hill: A half hour DVD lecture on the immediate fallout of Darwin's theory on British and American scientific communities in the 19th century.
Questions? Call Randy at 622-6975 or Dan at 798-3629.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Surgery goes well
My father had his gall baldder removed today. We were at the hospital at 5:30 am for the scheduled surgery. The surgery did not start until 7:30 and lasted for only about 45 miniutes. We were concerned primarily by his age: 86. The surgery went well, and we were back at his apartment before noon. He has slept most of the day. We hope he is more like his old self tomorrow.
Since we all got up so early, we all took a nap in the afternoon. Complicating things is the fact that we have four inches of snow on the ground which fell overnight.
Since we all got up so early, we all took a nap in the afternoon. Complicating things is the fact that we have four inches of snow on the ground which fell overnight.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Walking on the third level
Yesterday I walked inside a large building up on the third level. The advantage of doing a walk on the third level of the building is that the floor was smooth -- no ups and downs. The disadvantage is that there are few windows to look through. The apartment complex has a front side and a back side. To walk a complete loop takes me about seven minutes. I walked for a hour, which is more or less three miles.
Tomorrow my Dad is going to have surgery to remove his gall bladder. Unfortunately the weather is bad. It was extremely slick yesterday walking from the car to our room. It snowed a little during the night which provided a bit of traction this morning.
Tomorrow my Dad is going to have surgery to remove his gall bladder. Unfortunately the weather is bad. It was extremely slick yesterday walking from the car to our room. It snowed a little during the night which provided a bit of traction this morning.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Today's events
There were three things on my calendar for today.
First was the service at Church of the Restoration, still troubled by its members inability to get along with one another. The sermon this morning was delivered by a lady who is a public school teacher nearing retirement. The subject of her talk was Martin Luther King. She had a rare videotape of Dr. King speaking to a group of students. Attendance was low again this Sunday.
The second event I attended was the monthly meeting of the Humanist Association of Tulsa. There were 15 present for this meeting. Being the treasurer of HAT, I collected dues for 2009. Previously, 15 had paid. Today I collected dues from ten more, bringing our total for this year up to 25 now.
Finally, this evening I had dinner at Bodean’s Seafood Restaurant. The dinner was in honor of Howard Kelley. Howard is a former member of HAT who died at the age of 90 last year. Bodean’s is a pricey restaurant with entrees going from $20 to $45 apiece. I ate a bowl of clam chowder and kept my check below $10.
First was the service at Church of the Restoration, still troubled by its members inability to get along with one another. The sermon this morning was delivered by a lady who is a public school teacher nearing retirement. The subject of her talk was Martin Luther King. She had a rare videotape of Dr. King speaking to a group of students. Attendance was low again this Sunday.
The second event I attended was the monthly meeting of the Humanist Association of Tulsa. There were 15 present for this meeting. Being the treasurer of HAT, I collected dues for 2009. Previously, 15 had paid. Today I collected dues from ten more, bringing our total for this year up to 25 now.
Finally, this evening I had dinner at Bodean’s Seafood Restaurant. The dinner was in honor of Howard Kelley. Howard is a former member of HAT who died at the age of 90 last year. Bodean’s is a pricey restaurant with entrees going from $20 to $45 apiece. I ate a bowl of clam chowder and kept my check below $10.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Illness forces me to miss meetings
I had to cancel my planned activities last Sunday as I awoke with a miserable cold. Only today was I getting back to normal. I had planned to go to church on Sunday morning, and in the afternoon I had hoped to attend a training session sponsored by the local Democratic Party headquarters on speaking with your Congressional representative. Instead I stayed home and nursed a cold.
I called Gail and told her I had a cold, and we delayed this week’s practice until Thursday.
On Tuesday I had a meeting of the Liberal Action Network in the evening at a nearby public library. Only Marilyn C. showed up for the meeting. I wrote a letter to my new state senator, who happens to be a mortgage loan officer. What gave me pause is the fact that he graduated from ORU and attends Victory Christian Center Church. I need to do more promoting of the LAN so that instead of two letters being written, maybe ten or twenty are written.
Tonight was the night for our mid-month social for the Tulsa Atheists Meetup. We had a dozen people attending. The event was held at La Hacienda, a Mexican restaurant on Peoria.
Tomorrow I hope to be well enough to walk three miles at TCC West. But first, Gail will be coming over to play duets with me. She has some new music which we are anxious to try out.
I called Gail and told her I had a cold, and we delayed this week’s practice until Thursday.
On Tuesday I had a meeting of the Liberal Action Network in the evening at a nearby public library. Only Marilyn C. showed up for the meeting. I wrote a letter to my new state senator, who happens to be a mortgage loan officer. What gave me pause is the fact that he graduated from ORU and attends Victory Christian Center Church. I need to do more promoting of the LAN so that instead of two letters being written, maybe ten or twenty are written.
Tonight was the night for our mid-month social for the Tulsa Atheists Meetup. We had a dozen people attending. The event was held at La Hacienda, a Mexican restaurant on Peoria.
Tomorrow I hope to be well enough to walk three miles at TCC West. But first, Gail will be coming over to play duets with me. She has some new music which we are anxious to try out.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Walking in a new venue
Ordinarily, the Fitness Center at TCC West would be open today, but since today is one of those days between semesters, it was closed. As an alternative, there is the Case Community Center out by Rivers Park. The CCC is a new facility located about a mile west of WalMart. The walking/running track is elevated and goes around the basketball court. Whereas at TCC lane markings are used, there are no lanes marked at Case. There were plenty of people using the facility when we arrived. The track had so many people on it, that you had to weave you way around some of the walkers. Some people were actually sitting on the track.
Down below on the court, elementary aged children were engaged in a supervised game of basketball. Adult referees in uniform were controlling the game. This meant there was also plenty of noise. I had my MP3 player with me, but at times the noise of the crowd overrode the music (Ian Hobson playing Rachmaninoff) I was listening to. The Spring semester at CC begins next Monday.
This afternoon I went to Gail’s house for Secular Singers. As I was parking, Bob H. drove up behind me. We went inside and soon Bea arrived. We were wondering about Randy who usually attends. I called Randy and he was involved in another activity. I think he had forgotten about Secular Singers. This was Bob’s first time at Secular Singers. We began with “Wildwood Flower” written by Mabel Carter and continued on for two hours. As they say, time flies when you are having fun.
Bob reserved a meeting room for us at the Muskogee Library. We will be having a meetup there at the request of a lady from Muskogee who was a plaintiff in a Ten Commandments marker case. The lady lives in Stigler, which is about 40 miles south of Muskogee.
Down below on the court, elementary aged children were engaged in a supervised game of basketball. Adult referees in uniform were controlling the game. This meant there was also plenty of noise. I had my MP3 player with me, but at times the noise of the crowd overrode the music (Ian Hobson playing Rachmaninoff) I was listening to. The Spring semester at CC begins next Monday.
This afternoon I went to Gail’s house for Secular Singers. As I was parking, Bob H. drove up behind me. We went inside and soon Bea arrived. We were wondering about Randy who usually attends. I called Randy and he was involved in another activity. I think he had forgotten about Secular Singers. This was Bob’s first time at Secular Singers. We began with “Wildwood Flower” written by Mabel Carter and continued on for two hours. As they say, time flies when you are having fun.
Bob reserved a meeting room for us at the Muskogee Library. We will be having a meetup there at the request of a lady from Muskogee who was a plaintiff in a Ten Commandments marker case. The lady lives in Stigler, which is about 40 miles south of Muskogee.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Making funeral plans
Last Friday, a woman from the local funeral home came over, at Jan’s invitation, to help me plan my funeral. She arrived at 10 am and left shortly after 1 pm. I have decided upon cremation of my remains, referred to in the business as cremains. At this time I do not plan to have a funeral service, although that may change at a later date.
Jan told the lady about my being hospitalized in January 2007 with a brain tumor. It turns out the lady from the funeral home had herself a very serious medical problem (MRSA) last year. The brain tumor I had did not disqualify me from the cremation plans offered by the funeral home. They have four questions you have to answer, one of which concerns AIDS. I don’t recall the other three. In any case, I passed the health questions with flying colors, you could say. I signed up for the five-year plan, which will cost about $2800. If I were to pay it all right now, it would cost $2200. That is what I would prefer, but if I were to die before the five years are up, the funeral home would pay the reminder of what I owe. I have thirty days to make any changes to the plan.
I remember watching a Penn & Teller program about funerals; I think it was called Death. According the Penn & Teller, a body in a casket eventually liquefies. In other words, it turns to, for lack of a better word, ooze or goo. I find that really gross. Once you are placed in the crematorium, your flesh is burned away immediately. The reason you stay in the crematory for a few hours is to disintegrate the bones.
Once the lady from the funeral home left, Jan and I went to Kim’s house to get the books from the HAT/TAM library. There were four boxes of books. We loaded up the books and came home. Now I’ve got to figure out what to do with the books. I will probably go through them and weed some of them out. Perhaps I can find someone willing to store them at their house. I already have more books than I have shelf space for. Some shelves are now double stacked.
That afternoon, we walked two miles at TCC West. I used my MP3 player for the first time. It works really well.
The next morning we drove out to Keystone State Park and did the 5 K volkswalk. I was a warm day (warm for January, that is). The walk was my 221st volkswalk. I also picked up the receipts for this year. On the first of the month a group of walkers from the Tulsa Walking Club went out there and walked.
I came home and took a nap and then got ready for Movie Night at the Bradleys. The movie we watched was Transsiberian. It was a mystery kind of movie. Gail had another commitment, so there was no piano duet playing that night. Barbara later said she had nightmares all night. She was still talking about the movie this morning when I picked her up to go to church.
Since the Music CareRing is no longer meeting prior to the Sunday service, I do not have to leave the house as soon as I did before the collapse of the CareRing (the term is supposed to be a play on the word “caring,” I am guessing). Today I gave a ride to Barbara who phoned me before I left. Today’s service was lay led. The air was much colder this morning than yesterday. The speaker talked about the small island of Goree off the coast of Senegal in Africa.
Jan told the lady about my being hospitalized in January 2007 with a brain tumor. It turns out the lady from the funeral home had herself a very serious medical problem (MRSA) last year. The brain tumor I had did not disqualify me from the cremation plans offered by the funeral home. They have four questions you have to answer, one of which concerns AIDS. I don’t recall the other three. In any case, I passed the health questions with flying colors, you could say. I signed up for the five-year plan, which will cost about $2800. If I were to pay it all right now, it would cost $2200. That is what I would prefer, but if I were to die before the five years are up, the funeral home would pay the reminder of what I owe. I have thirty days to make any changes to the plan.
I remember watching a Penn & Teller program about funerals; I think it was called Death. According the Penn & Teller, a body in a casket eventually liquefies. In other words, it turns to, for lack of a better word, ooze or goo. I find that really gross. Once you are placed in the crematorium, your flesh is burned away immediately. The reason you stay in the crematory for a few hours is to disintegrate the bones.
Once the lady from the funeral home left, Jan and I went to Kim’s house to get the books from the HAT/TAM library. There were four boxes of books. We loaded up the books and came home. Now I’ve got to figure out what to do with the books. I will probably go through them and weed some of them out. Perhaps I can find someone willing to store them at their house. I already have more books than I have shelf space for. Some shelves are now double stacked.
That afternoon, we walked two miles at TCC West. I used my MP3 player for the first time. It works really well.
The next morning we drove out to Keystone State Park and did the 5 K volkswalk. I was a warm day (warm for January, that is). The walk was my 221st volkswalk. I also picked up the receipts for this year. On the first of the month a group of walkers from the Tulsa Walking Club went out there and walked.
I came home and took a nap and then got ready for Movie Night at the Bradleys. The movie we watched was Transsiberian. It was a mystery kind of movie. Gail had another commitment, so there was no piano duet playing that night. Barbara later said she had nightmares all night. She was still talking about the movie this morning when I picked her up to go to church.
Since the Music CareRing is no longer meeting prior to the Sunday service, I do not have to leave the house as soon as I did before the collapse of the CareRing (the term is supposed to be a play on the word “caring,” I am guessing). Today I gave a ride to Barbara who phoned me before I left. Today’s service was lay led. The air was much colder this morning than yesterday. The speaker talked about the small island of Goree off the coast of Senegal in Africa.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
To Springfield and back
There was a small attendance at church on Sunday morning. The minister spoke on Kwanzaa. He also played the saxophone which the congregation bought for him. Following the church service, I went to the Agora Coffee House for the December Tulsa Atheist Meetup. The attendance there was about twice what it was at Restoration.
I believe we had 18 in attendance. We talked for about two hours on topics related to atheism. After the meeting ended I went to Monterrey's for a burrito.
Monday was a day of much piano playing. First, Gail came over to practice duets with me. Then in the evening Nick came over and he and I played piano duets for about an hour.
On Tuesday, we went to Springfield. On the way there, we stopped at Sandstone Gardens, just over the state line in Missouri. The place is essentially one huge room with interior decor items for sale: paintings, candles, furniture, etc. Once we got to Springfield,we checked in to the motel where we usually stay. For dinner we went to Ryan's.
The next morning we got up and headed back toward Sand Springs. We went straight to Keystone State Park, where I am the volunteer coordinator for the year-round walk. I got the book set up for the new year.
I believe we had 18 in attendance. We talked for about two hours on topics related to atheism. After the meeting ended I went to Monterrey's for a burrito.
Monday was a day of much piano playing. First, Gail came over to practice duets with me. Then in the evening Nick came over and he and I played piano duets for about an hour.
On Tuesday, we went to Springfield. On the way there, we stopped at Sandstone Gardens, just over the state line in Missouri. The place is essentially one huge room with interior decor items for sale: paintings, candles, furniture, etc. Once we got to Springfield,we checked in to the motel where we usually stay. For dinner we went to Ryan's.
The next morning we got up and headed back toward Sand Springs. We went straight to Keystone State Park, where I am the volunteer coordinator for the year-round walk. I got the book set up for the new year.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Humanist Food & Fellowship
Yesterday, Jan and I went to see a movie, Jim Carrey’s, Yes Man. It was good for a few chuckles. This morning I got up early: 6:30. That’s early for someone who is retired. I read for about an hour and a half and then went back to bed. I went back to sleep and then we stirred around 11:00 am. We rushed to get ready for the Food & Fellowship being held in Tulsa. When we walked in everyone else was already seated. We were about 5 or 10 minutes late.
There were nine of us there. I figure that is a pretty good turnout for the weekend after Christmas.
This afternoon I went by the library, returned some materials and picked up other materials. I will never get all these books read, but I can look them over and decide which books I do want to read and which I will just skim.
We went by Sonic and picked up some food and brought it home to eat.
There were nine of us there. I figure that is a pretty good turnout for the weekend after Christmas.
This afternoon I went by the library, returned some materials and picked up other materials. I will never get all these books read, but I can look them over and decide which books I do want to read and which I will just skim.
We went by Sonic and picked up some food and brought it home to eat.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
New music
Tonight I attended the Christmas Eve service at Sand Springs United Methodist Church. It was filled with music, a short talk by the minister, and a communion service. I might have been the only person to sit out the communion. I don’t know; I didn’t want to rubberneck to see what the others in attendance were doing (or not doing).
After the service was over, we went to Nick’s house and opened presents. Nick gave me several piano duet sheet music selections:
I am getting so much duet music that it is starting to get hard locating a particular piece when needed. I will probably set up a database with numbers to help me find music that I need. I already have a six-foot high shelf into which I have placed my sheet music by category.
After the service was over, we went to Nick’s house and opened presents. Nick gave me several piano duet sheet music selections:
(1) Weekley & Arganbright’s Primo Progresses, which includes pieces by Kohler, Diabelli, Reinecke, Gurlitt, and Fuchs.
(2) Themes from Carmen by Georges Bizet
(3) Spotlight on Duets arranged by Bober, Brown, And Olson
(4) Three Sonatinas by Johann Baptist Vanhal
(5) Erik Satie: Pieces a quatre mains
(6) Tchaikovsky: 50 Russian Folk Songs
I am getting so much duet music that it is starting to get hard locating a particular piece when needed. I will probably set up a database with numbers to help me find music that I need. I already have a six-foot high shelf into which I have placed my sheet music by category.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Joplin waltzs and drumming
Today I went to my dentist, Dr. Fooshee. The hygienist cleaned my teeth. All was okay. I don’t go back again for six months.
Luke and Ayla spent most of the day here at our house today. I returned some books to the library. One book I renewed is The World in Six Songs.
In the evening, I went to Joe’s house for drumming. I took my keyboard with me and played a few songs for the group. Attending tonight were Joe and Lou, Marva, Joel, and myself.
Gail and I have a gig coming up on January 6 at Green Tree Assisted Living Center. We plan on playing a book of four Scott Joplin waltzs plus a few other pieces. I have ordered two books of ragtime music for duet piano which should be arriving soon.
Luke and Ayla spent most of the day here at our house today. I returned some books to the library. One book I renewed is The World in Six Songs.
In the evening, I went to Joe’s house for drumming. I took my keyboard with me and played a few songs for the group. Attending tonight were Joe and Lou, Marva, Joel, and myself.
Gail and I have a gig coming up on January 6 at Green Tree Assisted Living Center. We plan on playing a book of four Scott Joplin waltzs plus a few other pieces. I have ordered two books of ragtime music for duet piano which should be arriving soon.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Holiday Party Draws Record Crowd
Last Wednesday, I canceled the Tulsa Atheist Meetup originally scheduled at the Rib Crib on Sheridan for 7 pm. Several churches were canceling services for the evening, and hearing reports of snow in Broken Arrow, I thought the best course of action was to cancel and try again on another night.
On Friday I went to my optometrist whose offices are in north Sand Springs to pick up my glasses. My annual eye exam had been on Tuesday, Dec. 16. I had experienced flashes of light in my left peripheral vision. Checking the Internet, I read that could be a sign of a detached retina. I told my optometrist about the sensation of light. She dilated my pupils and a few minutes later looked into my eyes. She said my retinas looked fine, but if I noticed any change to come back for another exam. My prescription had changed very little from the last time I had my eyes checked.
I the past I had always got the no-line bifocals. This time I decided to go with the lined bifocals, just to see what they are like. I also asked for a copy of my prescription so that if I were away from home and needed a pair of glasses, I would have the prescription to have another pair made.
After leaving the eye doctor, we went to Saied’s Music Co. where a book of piano duets I had ordered had come in.
Late Wednesday evening, Jan was sick. I think she had a 24-hour virus. She spent most of Wednesday in bed. Friday night I came down with the same thing. I spent most of Saturday in bed.
Gail and I had missed our practice on Monday due to the icy conditions and had rescheduled for Wednesday. I called Gail Wednesday morning and told her Jan was sick and that we would have to cancel practice for that week. We had a performance coming up on Sunday. Then I came down with the same symptoms on Saturday. I spent all day Saturday either in bed or throwing up into a trash can. I did not know if I would be able to make it to the holiday party at the Bradleys on Sunday. But by the next day, I was feeling much better, although I felt tired.
Attendance was very good at the holiday party. At total of 24 showed up. There were a couple of people there I had not seen before. First we had the meal: turkey tetrazzini. Next Gail and I played three duets at the piano. Then The Secular Singers performed a half dozen selections, finishing with “To Celebrate HumanLight,” a piece based upon the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” In this song, instead of material objects being recited, the names of various heroes of humanists are substituted: Charles Darwin, Pablo Picasso, Watson and Crick, and so on.
On Friday I went to my optometrist whose offices are in north Sand Springs to pick up my glasses. My annual eye exam had been on Tuesday, Dec. 16. I had experienced flashes of light in my left peripheral vision. Checking the Internet, I read that could be a sign of a detached retina. I told my optometrist about the sensation of light. She dilated my pupils and a few minutes later looked into my eyes. She said my retinas looked fine, but if I noticed any change to come back for another exam. My prescription had changed very little from the last time I had my eyes checked.
I the past I had always got the no-line bifocals. This time I decided to go with the lined bifocals, just to see what they are like. I also asked for a copy of my prescription so that if I were away from home and needed a pair of glasses, I would have the prescription to have another pair made.
After leaving the eye doctor, we went to Saied’s Music Co. where a book of piano duets I had ordered had come in.
Late Wednesday evening, Jan was sick. I think she had a 24-hour virus. She spent most of Wednesday in bed. Friday night I came down with the same thing. I spent most of Saturday in bed.
Gail and I had missed our practice on Monday due to the icy conditions and had rescheduled for Wednesday. I called Gail Wednesday morning and told her Jan was sick and that we would have to cancel practice for that week. We had a performance coming up on Sunday. Then I came down with the same symptoms on Saturday. I spent all day Saturday either in bed or throwing up into a trash can. I did not know if I would be able to make it to the holiday party at the Bradleys on Sunday. But by the next day, I was feeling much better, although I felt tired.
Attendance was very good at the holiday party. At total of 24 showed up. There were a couple of people there I had not seen before. First we had the meal: turkey tetrazzini. Next Gail and I played three duets at the piano. Then The Secular Singers performed a half dozen selections, finishing with “To Celebrate HumanLight,” a piece based upon the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” In this song, instead of material objects being recited, the names of various heroes of humanists are substituted: Charles Darwin, Pablo Picasso, Watson and Crick, and so on.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Today's adventures
It was another cold day today -- another day to be thankful to be retired. We ventured out just once today. First we went to Bank First and paid our property taxes for 2008. Then we went by the library and turned in two books, one of which was Bart Ehrman's God's Problem. There were two book waiting there for me to pick up: Letter to my Daughter by Maya Angelou and Time Traveler by Daren Simkin. The Simkin book was very short. I read it in one sitting. The Angelou book is actually a book on CDs.
Next we went to the bank where I cashed a few checks. From there we went by the bread store where we bought a loaf of bread. From there we went back home.
Next we went to the bank where I cashed a few checks. From there we went by the bread store where we bought a loaf of bread. From there we went back home.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Cold weather moves in
Today we had our first real blast of cold weather. Both Tulsa and Sand Springs closed public schools. Many other small communities in the area did likewise. I had an appointment with my optometrist today, but the receptionist phoned me this morning and said Dr. Riggins would not be in. Gail and I canceled our piano duet practice for today. I was glad I was retired and did not have to get out into the cold.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Church services
Today I attended the service at Church of the Restoration. The minister, Gerald Davis, spoke. Attendance was around 16, I would guess. I didn’t actually count heads. The minister, his wife, and two children made up a quarter of the attendance.
The disaffected members who are still holding out were still holding out. Soon I expect we will find out what is to happen to the church. I would guess it might change to “fellowship” status. A fellowship is a UU church without a minister. The disaffected members account for the bulk of the income for the church.
This evening I went with Jan to the service held at the Methodist Church. It was an all music service. The Dobbs (Jennifer’s family) played in a brass quartet. They were the best act to perform. The bell choir was quite good, also. We noticed as we drove home that it was starting to sleet. I’m glad I am retired and do not have to get out and drive in such weather.
The disaffected members who are still holding out were still holding out. Soon I expect we will find out what is to happen to the church. I would guess it might change to “fellowship” status. A fellowship is a UU church without a minister. The disaffected members account for the bulk of the income for the church.
This evening I went with Jan to the service held at the Methodist Church. It was an all music service. The Dobbs (Jennifer’s family) played in a brass quartet. They were the best act to perform. The bell choir was quite good, also. We noticed as we drove home that it was starting to sleet. I’m glad I am retired and do not have to get out and drive in such weather.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Herb's Funeral
Friday afternoon, we went to Herb’s funeral. It was held at Allen Freewill Baptist Church between here (Prattville) and Sapulpa. Herb was a deacon there and was quite active in the church. His pastor preached for about thirty minutes. A three-woman vocal ensemble sang two songs. We expect Mrs. Foust will sell the house and move into a retirement community. The pastor at the church was very upbeat in his message.
The next day, Saturday, I got a haircut at Rorie’s. I had left early to go by Wal-Mart and buy a fill valve for the hall bathroom toilet. Since I had only one item, I got in line for those purchasing ten items or less. Being around Christmas, there were plenty of shoppers there. I got in line. There were three people ahead of me. The man in front of me had his quota of ten items. Unfortunately, one item, a set of wrenches, would not scan. The clerk, obviously a new employee, called for a price check. After a wait of two minutes, I realized I would be late to get my haircut if I stayed around any longer. I placed the fill valve on top of a cooler filled with soft drinks by the checkout stand and made a beeline for my car. I made it to Rorie’s right at 4:00 pm.
After I got my haircut, I went back to Wal-Mart and the item I was going to purchase was still on top of the cooler. I picked it up and went to the back of the line. The store was so crowded that I had to park in the front parking lot near Warehouse Market.
I am presently reading God’s Problem by Bart Ehrman. In his discussion of the book of Ecclesiastes, Ehrman quotes two passages from the book and then comments on the advice:
The next day, Saturday, I got a haircut at Rorie’s. I had left early to go by Wal-Mart and buy a fill valve for the hall bathroom toilet. Since I had only one item, I got in line for those purchasing ten items or less. Being around Christmas, there were plenty of shoppers there. I got in line. There were three people ahead of me. The man in front of me had his quota of ten items. Unfortunately, one item, a set of wrenches, would not scan. The clerk, obviously a new employee, called for a price check. After a wait of two minutes, I realized I would be late to get my haircut if I stayed around any longer. I placed the fill valve on top of a cooler filled with soft drinks by the checkout stand and made a beeline for my car. I made it to Rorie’s right at 4:00 pm.
After I got my haircut, I went back to Wal-Mart and the item I was going to purchase was still on top of the cooler. I picked it up and went to the back of the line. The store was so crowded that I had to park in the front parking lot near Warehouse Market.
I am presently reading God’s Problem by Bart Ehrman. In his discussion of the book of Ecclesiastes, Ehrman quotes two passages from the book and then comments on the advice:
This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of life God gives us; for this is our lot. (Eccles. 5:18-19)
So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun. (Eccles. 8:15)
This strikes me as some of the best advice to be found in any ancient writing. Even though there are people (lots of people!) who claim to know what happens to us when we die, the truth is that none of us knows, and none of us will “know” until it’s too late for our knowledge to do us any good. My own suspicion is that the Teacher was right, that there is no afterlife, that this life is all there is. That should not drive us to despair of life, however. It should drive us to enjoy life to the uppermost for as long as we can and in every way we can, cherishing especially the precious parts of life that can give us innocent pleasure: intimate relationships, loving families, good friendships, good food and drink, throwing ourselves into our work and our play, doing what we enjoy.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
goodreads.com
I forgot to mention the fortune in my fortune cookie from our visit to China Star last night. It reads, “An interesting musical opportunity is in your near future.” I certainly hope the fortune is right.
Tonight I want to say a few words about a web site I discovered recently when Larry Hochhaus contacted me through the site. The name of the site is GoodReads.com. Do you ever wonder what books your friends are currently reading? What books do your friends plan to read in the future? You can sign up at www.goodreads.com and record your reading experiences. You can also rate the books you read. There are many aspects to the site, which you can discover on your own. One interesting thing is you can record how much of the book you have read and see a bar graph showing you your progress in the book.
I want to encourage all my friends to take a look at Good Reads.
Tonight I want to say a few words about a web site I discovered recently when Larry Hochhaus contacted me through the site. The name of the site is GoodReads.com. Do you ever wonder what books your friends are currently reading? What books do your friends plan to read in the future? You can sign up at www.goodreads.com and record your reading experiences. You can also rate the books you read. There are many aspects to the site, which you can discover on your own. One interesting thing is you can record how much of the book you have read and see a bar graph showing you your progress in the book.
I want to encourage all my friends to take a look at Good Reads.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Herb passes
Today we had Luke for most of the day. Luke is the kind of child that requires a lot of attention.
In the afternoon, soon after Luke went down for a nap, the doorbell rang. It was Darlene from across the street. She informed us that Herb Foust, our next door neighbor, had died on Monday. He was 89 years old. He has been our next door neighbor ever since we moved here in 1986. He was a retired housing contractor. In fact, he built our house as well as the one he lived in.
His first wife, Louise, died in 2000. A while later he married Ruth. We went by the funeral home following my walk to view the body. Then we went to China Star for dinner.
In the afternoon, soon after Luke went down for a nap, the doorbell rang. It was Darlene from across the street. She informed us that Herb Foust, our next door neighbor, had died on Monday. He was 89 years old. He has been our next door neighbor ever since we moved here in 1986. He was a retired housing contractor. In fact, he built our house as well as the one he lived in.
His first wife, Louise, died in 2000. A while later he married Ruth. We went by the funeral home following my walk to view the body. Then we went to China Star for dinner.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Greentree and Walgreen's
This morning I went to Greentree Assisted Living Center and spoke with Kathy about Gail and myself playing duets there for the residents. I was thinking we might play a Christmas program for the folks living there, but Kathy said their activities calendar was filled up for the reminder of the year. She suggested we make it sometime in January. So we settled on Tuesday, January 6 at noon. If the experience proves beneficial, we might make our visits there a regular occasion.
I was hoping they had a grand piano as they do at a similar facility (The Parkmoor) in Springfield, Missouri. Instead they have a Roland digital piano. The advantage of the Roland is that it never needs tuning, which can save a lot of money over the years.
I assume we will be playing while the residents dine. This should provide a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere for our performance. The focus of the diners will not be on us but on dining and conversation with their neighbors. Gail and I will provide the background ambience, you could say.
This afternoon we went shopping. First we ate lunch at a new place in Sand Springs called Crusin’ Burger. The building used to be a Captain D’s. I liked the place better as a Captain D’s than what it is now. Then we went to Walgreen’s and shopped for Christmas. We bought a “guitar” for Luke. It is a toy shaped like a guitar with buttons you push to get various sounds (produced electronically). For Ayla we bought a toy cash register.
I was hoping they had a grand piano as they do at a similar facility (The Parkmoor) in Springfield, Missouri. Instead they have a Roland digital piano. The advantage of the Roland is that it never needs tuning, which can save a lot of money over the years.
I assume we will be playing while the residents dine. This should provide a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere for our performance. The focus of the diners will not be on us but on dining and conversation with their neighbors. Gail and I will provide the background ambience, you could say.
This afternoon we went shopping. First we ate lunch at a new place in Sand Springs called Crusin’ Burger. The building used to be a Captain D’s. I liked the place better as a Captain D’s than what it is now. Then we went to Walgreen’s and shopped for Christmas. We bought a “guitar” for Luke. It is a toy shaped like a guitar with buttons you push to get various sounds (produced electronically). For Ayla we bought a toy cash register.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Duets performed
Last evening I did a 5K volkswalk in Jenks. The walk went east on Main Street and then through and around the recently built shopping center on the river. The path crossed under the bridge and went past the aquarium. Then it followed the Creek Turnpike until we reached the railroad tracks. From here we went north until we reached Main Street. I stopped here and took some pictures. (See yesterday’s entry.) In the background you can see the sign for Tedford Insurance Agency. Jan worked here for a few years. As I reached into my jacket pocket to get my camera, I noticed that one of my gloves was missing. I knew I had two gloves when I started. Somehow one came out on the walk. I figured I would never see it again.
After taking a few pictures, we continued on back to the building where the start point was. Inside were all kinds of treats. Meats and crackers and fruit and cakes and cookies, etc. Furthermore, there was a table laden with gifts. Dorothy Brown had purchased several items from the dollar store to give away. Dorothy has a heart of gold.
I was enjoying my plate of food when another walker entered the building. He held in his hand my missing glove. He said the police officer along the route had found it and figured it must belong to one of the walkers. What a stroke of luck!
This morning Jan went with me to Church of the Restoration on North Greenwood Ave. The service was led by Rosemary Powell. Her topic was “’The Spirituals Project’ – History, Value, and Purpose.” I learned that the NAACP has an official anthem which is “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” I don’t recall having heard it before. I think I will introduce it to The Secular Singers next time we meet. Gail and I played two duets, “Sedona Sun” and “Majestic Grand Canyon.” We did well, I thought.
After taking a few pictures, we continued on back to the building where the start point was. Inside were all kinds of treats. Meats and crackers and fruit and cakes and cookies, etc. Furthermore, there was a table laden with gifts. Dorothy Brown had purchased several items from the dollar store to give away. Dorothy has a heart of gold.
I was enjoying my plate of food when another walker entered the building. He held in his hand my missing glove. He said the police officer along the route had found it and figured it must belong to one of the walkers. What a stroke of luck!
This morning Jan went with me to Church of the Restoration on North Greenwood Ave. The service was led by Rosemary Powell. Her topic was “’The Spirituals Project’ – History, Value, and Purpose.” I learned that the NAACP has an official anthem which is “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” I don’t recall having heard it before. I think I will introduce it to The Secular Singers next time we meet. Gail and I played two duets, “Sedona Sun” and “Majestic Grand Canyon.” We did well, I thought.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
