Protection from the Storms- A Little Something Extra

I used to say you know you're a St. Louisian if you run outside and try to spot the tornado as soon as the sirens sound. Now, I find myself watching the sky as I drive home with dark clouds approaching, now I think I'll head for the basement instead. I don't know what is happening, but it's not normal, even in an El Nina/Nino (whichever). It couldn't hurt to have a little extra protection on your side.

Print this and keep it handy when storms are approaching.

Jesus Christ a King of Glory has come in Peace. +
God became man, + and the Word was made flesh. +
Christ was born of a Virgin.+
Christ suffered.+
Christ was crucified.+
Christ died.+
Christ rose from the dead.+
Christ ascended into Heaven. +
Christ conquers. +
Christ reigns. +
Christ orders. +

May Christ protect us from all storms and lightning.+
Christ went through their midst in Peace, +
and the Word was made flesh. +
Christ is with us with Mary. +
Flee you enemy spirits because the Lion of the
Generation of Juda, the Root of David, has won. +

Holy God! + Holy Powerful God! + Holy Immortal God! +
Have mercy on us.

For additional protection:

"4 Corners Home Protection Kit - Protect your home and family Today!. In these troubled times in the U.S. and all over the world. Our priests ask us to pray, pray and then pray some more. Through a mystic several years ago, we were told we could protect ourselves and homes/property by doing what is prescribe in the home protection kit. With the blessing of a good and holy priest we were told that this kit is much needed now and in the very near times ahead and recommended it for all Catholic Homes. We put this packet together with instructions on how to apply this kit to your home.

Kit Contains:
1 Rosary, 1 Scapular, 1 Benedictine Medal, 1 Miraculous Medal, Deliverance Prayer and Instructions."

Your Catholic Store Home Kit If you don't have these items and don't know where to purchase them, I can vouch for the people that own this store.

The mystic was Sondra Abrahams who has visited our church a couple of times and I've had the opportunity to chat with her. Her near death story is amazing and gives you something to think about - Google her.

Gifts from Israel

My mother decided to vacation in Israel this year. It isn't the location I would have chosen, in fact I mentioned that Montana is quite nice this time of year; however, she was determined to visit Israel. She had also intended to extend the trip to Egypt until the travel company canceled that leg of the trip for her. Of course the first day she was there a bus blew up on a public street. Not too comforting but the probability of Mom being in that exact spot at that particular time were slim so I wasn't too worried. There is no option for international calling on the type of phone service she subscribes to so I logged onto CNN at work until they had more information.

As it turned out she had a lovely time, arriving home safe and sound. Soon a package arrived, a little somthing for Taylor's Easter, plus a few gifts from her trip for both our household and my daughter, Becky's. Our son, Sean, lives in Seattle and received his gift separately; however, it was his name in Hebrew, crafted from silver, on a necklace.

For our home: A Home Blessing kit which contains a Jerusalem Stone, candles, holy water from the Jordan River, holy soil from Jerusalem, olive oil from Bethlehem, holy incense from Jerusalem, a copy of an ancient icon and a cross of olive wood.

For me: a silver cross and an aromatic rosary, For Tom: a rosary and keychain, For Taylor: a olive wood cross necklace, For Becky: a home blessing kit, saints necklace with earrings and a cross.

She also sent a cd with 165 photos which show a beautiful landscape, breathtaking churches, floating in the dead sea, and lovely seascapes. It is a beautiful area.

I'll have to make an appointment to get our gifts blessed. Hopefully someone will be able to tell me what scent my rosary is. The wooden beads are very red and the scent is strong. If you have any ideas, let me know.

Click once or twice on the photo to enlarge.

Christ Arose

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,

He arose a Victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!



Sending Easter wishes to all.

lyric credit

postcard credit

vintage postcard link

757 vs 193

It was a night of tornados that cut a path of destruction from central Missouri to Illinois, leveling homes from New Melle to Maryland Heights, Bridgeton to Granite City, IL and damaging hotels, businesses and Lambert International Airport to the point of suspending operations. It was an F4, the same type and almost the same path as traveled though the area back in 1967 that took out our old subdivision. These weren't mobile homes. These were brick and mortar buildings or fairly new frame constructions. Homes with atrium windows and pools in the backyards. The worst hit subdivision was only 10 years old as the tornado, reportedly 1,000 - 1,200 ft wide, roared up the street.

The amazing thing is that there were no life threatening injuries which can be attributed to the the fact that we have basements in this area and the wall to wall television coverage of the storm path. People had time to prepare. I get irritated when I hear people complain that the weather reports interrupt their shows. How selfish can you be to think your show is more important than the safety of a community?

Many had been attending Good Friday services as the church came down around them, some dying Easter Eggs and jumping into the basement with only minutes to spare. Some knew their neighborhoods had been destroyed but were unable to reach their homes due to downed power lines and giant trees across roadways.

This isn't over for us, we're expecting more severe weather possibilities Monday and waves of thunderstorms between now and Wednesday. All this is leaving us with the possibility of 4 inches or better of rain added to everything we have already had. The flash flood warnings have already been given, important to us since we may be high and dry but surrounded by creeks and rivers.

The newscaster noted that we have had 757 tornados so far this year, compared to 193 during the same time last year. Add to this the fires in Texas, the earthquakes and the floods. One of my Facebook friends said " I didn't know it was Armageddon season . . ."

**************
ST. LOUIS • The National Weather Service reports that the storm that ripped through the region Friday was the worst its seen in more than 40 years.

The last time the area saw such severe and widespread damage was on Jan. 24., 1967, when a tornado traveled 21 miles across St. Louis County following an eerily similar path as Friday's twister.

"People are going to remember this for a long time," said Jim Sieveking, the lead forecaster at the National Weather Service in St. Louis.

St Louis Post Dispatch Link

airport photo credit

damage credit

Bye Bye, Goat

Goat's gone!

I called our neighbor, the Fire Marshal, who lives across the valley from us to ask if he knew anyone that was missing a pigmy goat wearing a dog collar. He wasn't in and the voicemail didn't seem to be working well so I pressed O for the phone attendant. He, also a fireman, asked me to leave the message with him. I'm not certain but I think I left him rolling on the floor in fits of belly laughter.

Pretty soon I got the return call and no luck, he didn't know anyone missing a collared goat but did say he would like to have a goat one day. Well, I said, this is your lucky day. Sure enough, later on this evening along comes his truck (not the fire truck) and three guys get out to pick up the goat. They didn't realize this goat is leash trained, likes to be held and will probably have enjoyed taking the couple mile ride.

It sounds like little "Billy" will have a nice home. There are children to play with him, chickens to keep him company and he'll get to do his absolutely favorite thing - eat. He will be responsible for keeping down the brush and from what I've seen, that won't be a problem.

If Billy's rightful owners ever show up we'll direct them to the fire marshal's place but I sure hope he stays at his new home where he'll be warm, safe and locked up tight.

By the way, the photo link below is to a coloring page if anyone wants to print it off for the kids (children, I mean). It looks like there are lots of pages to choose from.

goat coloring picture link

A Goat Followed Me Home

A goat followed me home today and it won't leave. It's a little pigmy goat, white with little horns that he likes to butt you with. He is also wearing a collar, but no tags. We don't know where he came from and nobody claims him. The police and sheriff's department did not receive any missing goat reports and animal control doesn't handle goats.

I tried to make him go home, wherever home is, but he cried and cried, very, very loudly. He ran to the garage and tried to get in the house but I can't let a goat in. I picked him up and carried him out to the yard where he met THE CATS! Oooooh, scary!!!

The best I can do is put him in the chicken pen with a dog igloo until morning. Then if no one claims him we will have to take him to the shelter. If they won't take him, well, I just don't know what I can do, but he can't come home with me and eat hundreds of dollars of landscaping, our siding, the camper, etc. I don't want to abandon him either. He has a collar, someone must be missing him!

I want a barn. I'd keep him.

Seders Long Ago

As a child I would join my friend's family for the Passover seder. We would sit at a long table full of family and friends, each holding the Hebrew/English translations of the Passover story, eating our bitter herbs and drinking Mogan Daivd wine at the appropriate time. My friend's grandfather presided over the table, the Godfather as I referred to him, as we each had our turn to read. The house would be "cleaned" keeping a kosher kitchen with special dishes, pots and pans as the regular kitchenware was pack away. There would be special treats and Matzah and chicken pipiks to eat. A pipik is a belly button/navel, which chickens don't have, so I am not exactly sure what we were eating, but it was required.

I grew up Protestant in a neighborhood primarily Jewish or Catholic. I could say the Baruch over candles on Friday night and Hail Mary on Sunday but knew little about being Methodist other than I didn't really fit there. I loved both Catholic and Jewish faiths with their rich traditions. I was honored to be asked to join the seders.

Exodus 12
The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. . . .The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. . . “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance. passage lookup link

Baruch attah Adonai, eloheynu melech ha-olam, boray p'ri ha-gafen.

Blessed are You, our God, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.

Buy These Chips ( Uncle Ray's)

If your local store sells Uncle Ray's potato chips take a few minutes to read the back of the bag. I hope this company is all it says it is because it's refreshing.

Each bag has a portion of Uncle Ray's history from Tennessee to the Detroit housing projects. This bag in particular tells the story of his lack of self control when he was a child, his realization that some things are just wrong,a pledge to be a better person and what you can do to be one too.

Ray has over 30 chapters of "The Life and Times of Uncle Ray". He felt compelled to send a message to those eating his product. "If someone was ever contemplating suicide, drugs, stealing, or what ever life's troubles bring you, I want you to know that you are not alone". "Everyone has bad days and I want to be there with a message"

Chapter 30 ends with Self-Control, "rejecting wrong desires and doing what is right" The website looks to be undergoing some changes so I can't read all the chapters on line but here is his check list on chapter 30:

I will:
Not act impulsively
Not equate desires with rights
Set my own limits
See my anger as a sign that something is wrong with me
Walk away from things that aren't right

Maybe the lessons will sink in, you have to read something while munching on all those chips, may as well be good stuff!

photo credit of chips


Uncle Ray's Potato Chips

History Repeats Itself- Sending Prayers for Storm Victims

Palm Sunday 1920 - Palm Sunday 2011- Praying for Victims
(now up to 43)

By daybreak they could see the complete devastation that ravaged the South.

From Fox News: A devastating storm that spawned tornadoes, flash floods and hail as big as softballs has claimed at least 35 lives across the U.S. while roaring through the South and gaining steam in North Carolina and Virginia. Emergency crews searched for victims in hard-hit swaths of North Carolina, where 62 tornadoes were reported from the worst spring storm in two decades to hit the state . . .Authorities said at least 10 people were killed in North Carolina and at least three more in neighboring Virginia during the storm's passage Saturday before the sprawling, potent storm bands moved eastward over the Atlantic.

The storms claimed its first lives Thursday night in Oklahoma, then roared through Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Seven people each were killed in Arkansas and Alabama, two people in Oklahoma and one person in Mississippi, authorities have said. Fox News

This is not the first time-
The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1920 was an outbreak of at least 38 significant tornadoes across the Midwest and Deep South states on March 28, 1920. The tornadoes left over 380+ dead, and at least 1,215 injured. Many communities and farmers alike, were caught off-guard, as the storms moved to the northeast at speeds that reached over 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Most of the fatalities occurred in Georgia (201+), Indiana (56), and Ohio (55), while the other states had lesser amounts.
1920 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak

Pray for the victims, family, friends and pets.

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Shhh . . .It's a Secret Gift (Mug Rug)

Reposting September 2011 - These can be great gifts, quick and easy to make. Not only is it a mug rug but it can be substituted for a mouse pad in a pinch!

I just completed my first mug rug, as a secret gift for a blogger who was kind enough to send me some homemade shortbread cookies, both plain and peanut butter flavored, star shaped and decorated all cute with little faces. It is similar to a quilted place mat but perfect dimensions for a coffee mug and muffin, or for this demo, a toaster pastry. I don't know if she enjoys coffee or perhaps some tea but even a glass of milk with cookies would do just fine. She has a bake shop blog so there will be plenty of opportunity to use it. Again, it is my first attempt so I hope she doesn't look too closely at the workmanship!

I took a Charm pack, which is a pack of coordinated 5x5 precuts, and halved several of them. I started out with 4 across and three down but it didn't seem large enough so I added some accent colors to the edges.

Then you just sew rows together and join all the rows making certain the joints all match.

I selected the backing and binding so she can use both sides. Sandwiching batting between them I then quilted the piece by sewing about 1/4 inch on both sides of each seam. The piece is pinned here as I attached the binding so it looks puckered. Once completed it flattened out quite nicely.

I measured and cut the binding pressing it in half and machine sewing the initial side to the front of the mug rug. I turned it and attached the other side by hand.

I guess it won't be much of a secret now! She doesn't live here so I have to get a little box and package it up next week. I hope she likes it!