We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Bands with handles, and those without, are excellent general fitness tools. For people who just want to keep moving and to stay functional without powerlifting or high- intensity cardio, you can do almost anything with them: legs, arms, back, and abs.
I tend to think of bands as ways to intensify the calisthenics part of the fitness triad. Many people are not very disciplined with home exercise (including me), but anything stressful is good.
64:1 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence--
64:2 as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-- to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!
64:3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
64:4 From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.
64:5 You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed.
64:6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
64:7 There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
64:8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
64:9 Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Ben Franklin
I was thinking about that, reflecting in a superfical manner about the Supreme's injunction about churches being open if they decided to. Of course, with parishioners or congregants attending if they wished to, or not.
It's a good topic for a Thanksgiving weekend given that some of our ancestors came to the US only for religious freedom. Not that the early settlers permitted religious freedom except for the Congregationalists, because here in Connecticut you would be in big trouble if you missed church. They hung Quakers in Boston but, interestingly, made exceptions for the Jews.
2 days of cooking, 25-30 friends and family, all fireplaces blazing, pre-dinner silly games and a long after-dinner walk in the dark and, often, chilly drizzle. Mrs. BD did the flowers for each table. Usually 4 tables set up in the living room, dining room for buffet and kitchen table for desserts.
Maybe next year. Last night we took our team of 12 out for a pre-TG dinner. Good times, and Mrs. BD brought her own squash pies for dessert.
Didn't get any port this year. Happy Thanksgiving to all. There is so much to be thankful for and I do not mean material comforts although those do matter too. We're doing diner take-out for the three of us (us two, and F-in-law) to celebrate in front of the fireplace. Bought a bottle of Highland Park just for him. Maybe me too.
The name/word 
It is Advent 
