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.
I worked late last night, so Mrs. BD and her Dad brought me a take-out Osso Bucco from one of our favorite Italian trattorias where they had had dinner.
I've made it several times, and have eaten it out for dinner several times too. This was the best. Done right, the veal shank meat falls off the bone and can be cut with a fork. The jus has to be thick, flavor-packed, with no darn tomato in it. Porcinis - ok. They added a handful of small apple cubes towards the end of the long cook which added a bit of sweetness to the jus - perfect touch.
It was on a very small bed of papparedelle - my favorite. Just enough to grab some jus. Since it's a northern Italian specialty, it's sometimes served on a bed of polenta or rice. Or just plain.
That's real Italian cuisine. My advice: Have a great one in an excellent restaurant, and then try to copy it at home. No tomato.
An old aphorism states, “Life is a series of lessons. Each lesson will be repeated until you learn it. At that point you will be given a new lesson.” There’s humor in that both dark and deep. I’ve had my share of lessons that are very hard to learn, lessons that I find I have failed at again and again. There have been lessons I learned wrongly, lives and people I have let go too lightly, and lives and people I have hung onto too long. I’ve been complicit in ending lives at the beginning and at the very end. Was I right to do so? I believed I was at the time I was called upon to make these decisions. Would I agree to these decisions now? I believe I would not.
"If I am unlucky enough to get Alzheimer's, and lucky enough to have my wife take care of me, feed me, clothe me, and clean me, I'm going to go ahead right now and..."
A parlor is something like the room in which you welcome smaller groups of guests, without TV, clutter, or junk like that in it. Same idea as a "sitting room" or a "drawing room" (to go back in time). Or to go into the 1950s, what's a "den"?
There's another old-fashioned room: the Library. Pretentious rich people still build them, and let their decorators fill them with books. But any room can contain your most precious books...
What's a "living room," and what's a "family room"? The uses of home spaces has changed over time. In past, when the priest or pastor came to call for tea or a Scotch, you would meet in the parlor. Today, he or she would probably prefer to meet in the kitchen or the "family room". Life, even for the very wealthy, has become more relaxed and informal. Small "d" democratic.
What has changed? Middle class living and relative prosperity, TV (the electronic hearth), and the decline of formality with the decline of aristocracy and the rise of meritocracy.
Anyway, I suppose the question is whether you have a relatively formal (tidy, no TV etc) living space, and, if so, how often is it used?
And maybe, of more general interest, how do you use your home's public spaces?
I did a double-take when I passed one of these guys perched on a tree beside the highway. In winter, hawks along a highway are generally always Red-Tails, so this smaller guy's rusty chest in the sunlight surprised me.
Red-Shoulders tend to be birds of the lowlands, but in migration times you can see anything anywhere.
I've tended to think of this passage as a sort of description of a congregation, but on re-reading it, I see it is more than that.
Photo is the Lyme, CT Congregational Church
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
12:13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
12:14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.
12:15 If the foot would say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
12:16 And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.
12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
12:18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
12:19 If all were a single member, where would the body be?
12:20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body.
12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
12:22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
12:23 and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect;
12:24 whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member,
12:25 that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.
12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
12:28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.
12:29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
12:30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
Have any readers done this? Sure seems like a cool idea for native or foreign visitors, to see the real USA. Long list of stops along the way. Truckee, etc.
Asolo and Merrill hiking boots on sale at Sierra Trading. Almost half-price. Good products. Gotta pick the right weight. You don't need mountaineering boots for day hikes.
The Asolos are good for 40-50 years of moderate (weekend) use - and can be re-soled. (I like my medium-weight Meindls for any purpose I might encounter, but for no specific reason except that mine are well-broken in and will last my lifetime or more. They feel kinda heavy, though, being mostly leather.)
A goal in life could be to wear out a pair of good quality hiking/hunting boots before death or disability.
"It just beggars belief that the same liberals who fret about 'micro-aggressions' for 20-somethings were able to see 16-year-olds absorbing the worst racist garbage from religious bigots..."
The irresponsible media did no due diligence or fact-checking. That is standard operating procedure for them. More disappointing was that some conservative writers and media elites ran after this shiny object seeing it as an opportunity to morally cleanse themselves of implicit bias by running to the well to drink of the water of moral purity and bathe in the fountain of virtue signaling. As a conservative, this phony self-righteousness should be seen not as an act of what is good. In my view, it is a display of a white guilt complex for an injustice (slavery) that occurred before they were born and that they or their ancestors had nothing to do with. It’s self-flagellation of the worst kind.
Time is always on the side of the persuader. If you give me enough time, and I repeat the same message often enough, I can sway 5 percent of any crowd to believe anything.
" The best argument in favor of Trump’s presidency is what Trump’s presidency has taught us about the character of the people who oppose him, and who would be wielding power if he weren’t."
Well, obviously. It almost worked. Boob-bait, "Russia Russia Russia". But wasn't she the one with the goofy and embarrassing Russia "Reset" button? The US should be cautious friends with Russia. Many common interests. Why look for enemies (except for political reasons)?
Currently my Sat. morning weights day (my 3rd weights day/week until April 1, but without trainer) includes the following (each with 1 light warm-up and just 3 working sets, because of time). I will not do barbell bench or barbell squat without a spotter or trainer. We tend not to do much isolated muscle-group exercises, but some of it is ok and it can help with the large complex movements:
Leg press - max wt for 12-15 reps Pullups - damn difficult. Use assistance if needed Dumbbell or barbell row - max weight for 8-10 Inclined dumbbell bench press - high reps, not high wt. Dips Curls, if time - max wt for 10-12 curls/set Sometimes inclined pulls with the TRX things, if time
Each with a 50-100 set of mixed jump rope fun between each set as a semi-recovery thing, plus to fit in a bit of HIIT into the roughly 75 minutes.
Are dips worth doing at all? I think maybe so as accessory exercises, if you do Tricep Dips and not Chest Dips. Between bench press and inclined bench, chest gets plenty of stress. Triceps dip is holding your body vertical while dipping. The Triceps are the most important arm muscle, but it gets plenty of stress from other more basic things like Bench Press. But why not? Big biceps are for the beach, but strong Tris are for life. Some men and women are too weak to do any dips. They are a strong movement, but not as strong as pullups. Pullups are tough for most of us.
What limit do you put on the number of your social events per week?
What I mean includes guys' or gals' nites out, dinners out with friends, lunches with groups or friends, meeting friends for drinks, parties, etc. Does not include Bible study or church but does include after-church brunch with church friends.
My limit and preference is three/week. I have no idea what "normal" is, but I would guess 2-3 non-family social outings per week might be average. I always enjoy these things and love seeing my pals and our friends, but I need my own quiet time and wife time too. Life is too short, time is too little for everything.
"Osso bucco" means marrow bone. 
Oral Vit D:
A parlor is something like the room in which you welcome smaller groups of guests, without TV, clutter, or junk like that in it. Same idea as a "sitting room" or a "drawing room" (to go back in time). Or to go into the 1950s, what's a "den"?
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a