Twinky

Happy Christmas, people! Yes, we are allowed to say that! (Season's greetings, if you prefer.) Have a joyful Christmas, careful New Year (especially if driving), and a very much better 2021.

Thanks for the chuckles, T-Bone. Your cat seems not unlike my all-black one, Crypto. Has a good line in stares. Happy Christmas to you and Tonto, too.

And here was me thinking something fun might be happening. Zoom's really good. Much, much better than Skype. I do a church "online" service for all the four churches in the benefice, usually 80-90 logged on (which will include couples), followed by a Zoom chat room with those in my church who want to attend that (usually 8-20 of us, inc some couples) depends on who's physically present in the church and who's only online. The Host posts a link to the meeting and each participant has to be allowed to enter by the Host, who can mute anybody at any time. After my Zoom meeting, I sometimes join a friend in a 3-way conversation with his sister. The image (video) isn't a patch on Zoom, and the images are dizzying, as the person speaking is always to the left of the screen, so if one speaks then another, the images keep switching around. Gives me a headache. Facetime can be okay too, but have only tried with one other person at a time and it's limited to Friends.

Ego. A sort of "FU" at his denomination. ("You can't control what I do!") A sort of "FU" at his denomination. ("See what a great tour/successful mission I've carried out/how many famous preachers I've worked with!") We also know that he'd been in trouble with his denomination at some time for inappropriate relationships with females. Perhaps there was some sort of trouble brewing at church? That he was, in effect, running away from? May as well incur their wrath for everything at once ("Oh poor me! They're victimizing me!!"), and perhaps he hoped that some of his misbehavior at his church would be overlooked? And taking any possible "witnesses" away with him?

It's how we were taught to diss everything our parents taught us - good or bad. My parents were good, church-going folk, and I know they did their best to live by the standards of the Bible. They helped anyone who needed help. They supported my great grandparents - almost more than their own family - and later had my great-granddad to live with us in our small house. They gave what they could to others (and they didn't have much to give, at one point not even enough food in the pantry). They supported vulnerable people, trying to give a fresh start in life. They sent or took us to church and Sunday school and did their best to raise us kids in decent, societally-acceptable ways: in which they succeeded. Did their best to protect us from the naughtiness that teenagers get up to, and from wickedness of the world. Why diss all that? Why not be thankful for the good foundation that was instilled? And build on that? (Well, the answer is obvious: who wants a Godly foundation when you intend to lead people into an ungodly life of debauchery and manipulation?) I'm thankful for my parents. They were far from perfect, but they did their **honest** best.

Looks like they've set themselves up as some separate ministry, but it's associated with that splinter, Revival & Restoration. Teacher Profile: Rev. Gene Slavit | Montana Christian Festival Looking at the Resources page (links to various "ministries") from the Montana Christian Festival makes me think that the participants are mostly of ex-Wayfer stripe. "Gene Slavit is a Minister from Rancho Palos Verdes, California and has applied his classical studies degree from the University of Missouri to support Biblical research for more than forty years. He and his wife, Sherry, host freedomlifelight.com from their California home." Note, he seems to have a degree in classical studies from U/Missouri that he's using as a basis for his scriptural knowledge. You know without being told what else his "education" (esp in Biblical matters) is based on. Freedom LifeLight – Freedom in Christ for Your Life in the Light of God's Word

Welcome, AC04! Good for you, getting out of that organization and moving on so well with your life. A master's degree, great job, and own home, all sound absolutely great. Talking like a normal person in society is very good and perhaps you've lost the "trigger" words that set your mind back to TWI days (hard to overcome those trigger words). Still a good idea to give away a reasonable amount of your money - to places of your own choosing - a church or charity that you like, or a neighbor who is in need. And it is a very good idea to stay out of debt. Having said that, after worrying for a long time, I bought a house myself and worked hard at paying off the mortgage, making overpayments as permitted without penalties. I couldn't afford to rent my own home even when I first bought the house, and now that the mortgage is so tiny ... well, let's say, no regrets. I have the money to redeem in full in my bank account, could have paid it off a few years ago, but my interest rate is very low and the penalty for early repayment exceeds that. So. Draw up a chair, tell us what news you know. Have a cuppa and a slice of cake. Somebody might offer you stronger stuff than tea or coffee.

Oh, and immediately before the abovenamed books, I read "Tsotsi" by internationally renowned playwright Athol Fugard. "Tsotsi" is Fugard's only novel, written, abandoned, and re-written carefully over a period of years. It explores the life of a young African - thug, basically - how he got to be like he is, what his life was, why and how it changed, and how at the very end he remembers who he is and what he really is like (ie, not a thug, but a kind and compassionate young man). The book explores the huge injustices under apartheid South Africa in Soweto, how the very young boy's life was shattered by the unjust rules and regulations and routine round-ups; how he survived; the fear of and hatred towards such tsotsis (thugs) from others in the township; and so much more. (A movie was made of the book in 2005 or thereabouts; there are significant differences from the book upon which it is based; in fact, it's another story altogether.) All in all, the book is a sympathetic and unjudgmental tour de force from a renowed white author, who strongly opposed the apartheid regime.

I do like reading good novels. Sometimes they can set the scene for something better than anything else. For example, Ken Follett's classic Pillars of the Earth series, set in the middle ages, explains a lot about cathedral building and medieval life generally. What I'm reading at the moment is a book by Meera Syal, a British Asian comedienne. She's very funny to listen to. This novel (Life isn't all Ha Ha Hee Hee) is about three 30-something young Punjabi women, one just married, one married with a couple of kids, and the other married to a white British male. Syal is quietly looking at the lives of the women, how they differ from males' lives, the normality of their younger years and the reality of their lives now. She presents her book very "straight" but happily points out cultural norms, the ridiculousness of some aspects of this culture, double standards, etc. Her book has this very distinct overlay of what is permitted (or not) for these modern women in a restrictive British Punjabi setting. So I can learn a bit about how others live and the pressures on their lives that perhaps (if I knew anyone from this culture) no-one would discuss openly, or they take for granted, or where my own experiences might be quite different. Before that, I read a Kathy Reichs book. KR is herself a forensic anthropologist and she sets out a lot of how causes of death can be ascertained from fresh or badly decomposed corpses. The stories she writes are page-turners (but ultimately pulp fiction, not great literature) and I find her descriptions of what can be discovered from bones and fragments of body quite fascinating. Perhaps that's my legal mind at work. It passes the time.

Okay, I'm bored again. Spent a fortnight self-isolating with my Mum, who is now living with me (temporary, I think). I have been severely overworked this year (despite lockdown!!) and am tired and needed a rest and there are soooo many things to do things in the house. What did I do? Injure myself painfully and badly, then lounged about reading novels about things that really don't matter. Self-isolating now over. Went and did a bit of work today (oh, how I enjoyed that!). Now I am at home with a box of red wine, a sick mother in bed (thinks she is dying; perhaps she is, though I hope not), I'm stressed to the max with looking after her, so am tuning out as much as I can (thanks, box of shiraz) (tough, they were out of cab sav when I went shopping) and am feeling bored. Cheer me up, guys, or it's back to thriller novels and other such junk.

That's just plain weird, T-Bone.

Welcome back, Onion Eater. Things here are a little slower than they were at one time, but occasionally something flares up and we all get a bit excited. Do throw in your 2 cents-worth

That was always the accusation, or some variation thereof. God made us individuals, not clones. Be the authentic, Godly, you. Love as fully as you can, be kind, be compassionate, and engage your God-given faculties.

That has so bothered me about what I see in the US, and I wonder about some people that I know from TWI who are so adamantly loyal to a certain person. I wonder if mind-healing will take as long for the USA and for the individuals concerned, as it's taken for some of us TWI escapees. Well done all those who've escaped TWI. May the lord give you a sound mind and sharpen your thinking abilities. Keep calm and carry on; the next few weeks may be turbulent.

Interesting link about the homemade catfood, T-Bone. Thanks, I'll come back to your links at a better time for me. I often wonder if Tuxedo has developed an intolerance to something in the dried catfood that she prefers They won't eat wet catfood, just lick up the jelly or gravy with enthusiasm, but won't eat the chunks of (pseudo) meat. I checked out the Pets Web MD and found some interesting info.

Since I've been feeding them Purina One, the girlies have gone completely off Go-Cat, which they used to enjoy. Well, it's half the price; perhaps it's half the flavour. Older cats can lose their sense of smell and so go off their food. Perhaps that applies to dogs, as well. I remember my dad boiling up "lights" (which I think is lungs) for a long time, and our animals (dog and several cats) used to go bonkers for it. Smelled vile, but they loved it, and the broth in which it was cooked. You could see if your local butcher (is there such a thing in mid-west USA?) has it, or other types of offal; you might not find it in a supermarket. But I could be wrong!!

Not bad at all for a congregation of 40-50 adults, many of whom are working, so a lot falls on the younger-retired group. Other adults help out a lot at weekend and evening events. I feel awed to be a part of this group of people. They are all very humble, not one of them is self-seeking or self-promoting, they just get on with whatever's necessary. But what they've done in the past... missionaries overseas, doctors overseas, great outreach works in various parts of the UK; or they selflessly help underprivileged or vulnerable people as a paid job. Some are in "ordinary" jobs, but their cheerful demeanour and open kindness gets them noticed and people ask why or deliberately come to their workplaces just to be greeted by them (and so that often opens the door to give a little gospel at the same time). Two people support to a small extent a slum community in Kibera, where a little money goes a very long way to schooling the kids, and they get us all involved in fundraising to send over to a Christian support group over there. We have doctors, teachers, an architect, a judge at the High Court, a nurse or two or three, lots of other highly educated and professional people, as well as people working in shops, carehomes, or (like me) self-employed doing anything (mostly caring for people!). (To be honest, I don't know what most people do to earn a living; it's just not something that seems relevant.) But all of us choose to work in this underprivileged neighbourhood, where there is a great need to see the gospel lived out and practised as fully as possible. As well as which, church meetings are laid back and a whole lot of fun :)

Oh, and one more thing about these silly souls. My mum and her little cat Dinah came to stay with me for a couple of months during lockdown, in the summer, end May to end July. My two don't like anybody else being there so avoid Mum. But her cat as well!! Horror! Dinah is at least 20 years old, less than 2kg in weight, has no teeth, and is as playful and lively as a kitten. She's a highly social cat. My two: Tuxedo was a 4.6kg cat, anxious and Crypto is about 3-3.5kg, at a guess, never been weighed. A couple of years ago, Dinah came to stay for Christmas and Tuxy went for her in the house, growling and being intimidatory - Dinah had this surprised "what did I do?" look on her face. But this summer, Mum and Dinah moved in, and my cats moved out. They went to live on the lawn, in the flowerbeds, under the shrubs, or on or under the wheelbarrow, which was filled with homemade compost that needed digging in. They came in to eat, at night and morning, when Dinah was safely in Mum's bedroom. A truce seemed to take place between Crypto (Miss Wary) and Dinah, but Tuxy had always got an anxious eye on the little creature half her size. Dinah didn't care at all, she just loved sitting out on the bench or table and being with people. If nobody was outside, she'd wander off into the backstreet behind my house and waylay the few passers-by. Mum and Dinah have been gone a while, but it's only now that the weather is getting colder and quite wet that my two have started to spend the nights and sometimes, the days, inside again. And then I found that my 4.6kg cat was bony and skinny and getting worse. I can understand that neither cat wanted much to eat over the very hot summer, but this was something else. Vet's visits showed Tuxedo got down to 3.2 kg but since put on just a little, to 3.4kg. Her bones feel prominent beneath her skin. She does actually look better than she did when she was so large (she looked like she'd eaten a football, sometimes, very fat round belly). I call her a puffer fish. Sometimes she'd be skinny, and other times very bloated. But her behaviour is the same, she's a little more affectionate, coat is lustrous, eyes bright, she seems otherwise well ,and nowhere appears to cause her pain or discomfort. I now feed them on Purina One Sensitive (not that it makes any difference, she's still sick daily). Next step is some variety of over-priced hypoallergenic food. Any cat-carers got any ideas?

It makes me think of how many people reject God's blessings. God provides for all of us, and just wants a close loving relationship with him. Yet time after time, we reject that love or are fearful of it. We don't have to do anything, just accept it. Some of us do accept: hesitantly. Some manage to accept wholeheartedly. And some remain mired in fear and cannot understand or accept that which is freely given. Whatever our start in life, whether good or bad, we can leave that behind for something better that will see us through to the end of our lives. (And no threats of swimming lessons in water butts, either )

Long time since I posted on this thread. An update. My cats are now, what, 15 years old, and coming up to their Halloween birthday. In that time, the black and white one, Tuxedo, has become a real cuddle bunny. She loves to be picked up and petted, sits happily unrestrained on my lap, and enjoys lying with me on the sofa. She purrs loudly and happily at this. But, the silly creature, she knows what she wants, so comes up to me and miaows. However, when I stoop to pick her up - she turns around and runs away! Sometimes I can catch her by the tail, sometimes I have to chase her round the house, but once caught, she loves to snuggle. She won't ever get herself onto my lap, but she will jump up onto the couch beside me, sometimes. On a frequent basis, I threaten her with swimming lessons in the water butt with a rock tied round her neck. She is sick almost every day, sometimes just the kibble, sometimes it's more digested. It's an endless round of: I clean the carpet, go to bed or out for the day, get up or come home, find the sick, clean the carpet... I have had her to the vet several times as this problem has got worse in the last couple of years, she's had various blood tests, everything is in order. The vet says a scan or X-rays might show a problem, but if there is something, operating on an older cat has its own risks. Even though she is a very healthy-looking cat, she's still at increased risk under anaesthesia. Vet thinks it might be IBS. Tuxedo is a notoriously anxious cat and perhaps she makes herself sick with worry when she's not with me, but I can't take her up to bed with me or give her the run of the house, I'd be finding piles of sick everywhere. Crypto, her littermate, is in some ways a more social cat. She is "Miss Wary" to the other's "Miss Anxious." Crypto will now come to me and want a stroking session. This is achieved by me sitting on a chair and she passes herself under my dangling hand. She likes a scratch on the neck and along her body to the tail - but don't touch her flanks!! I can comb her like this, and she appears to enjoy it, if she's allowed to inspect the comb or brush beforehand. I have picked her up maybe half a dozen times, and only with great caution. It's a good job she's a healthy cat. I suppose I will know to take her to the vet when I can catch her without difficulty or danger. At present, it's been raining lightly. Despite having fresh water (tap or rain) in the house, and another bowl of rainwater outside, and there being rainwater on certain other easily accessed surfaces, she prefers to jump onto my wooden patio table and lick the rainwater from that. This has been - what - 14? 15? years careful effort. And I still don't have the cuddlesome critters I wanted or am used to with every other cat I've known. I don't suppose there's going to be more improvement but live hopefully that one day they'll realise that I just want to be nice to them.

@ T-Bone in particular: At present, the churches (HTCD and StACC) are providing holiday support for kids in half-term holiday. Obviously Holiday Club will be a little different this year but there'll be plenty of activities for kids. Also, they're preparing for "Glitz'n'Glow" for younger children, as an alternative to dressing up as ghosts and ghoulies and going out trick or treating (the latter isn't really a very Brit thing or tradition, it's something that's crept in in recent years). So the little kids have a party with glow sticks and wearing their sparkly dresses (girls, presumably) or what-have-you, and they sing and dance and eat a few cakes or sweets. Since the spring, our church partners with others in the locality, and with some supermarkets and the local Foodbank, to produce a Food Club. Impoverished people can join for a nominal amount and can then choose various fresh and tinned foods, which they can then buy at significantly reduced cost. I think toys etc are also available. (This is in addition to what is available from the local Foodbank, which has restricted access.) A lot is being done to support those who are isolated for whatever reason: they're old and shielding; they're single-parent families with kids who have been sent home; families that are in self-isolation (so need meals or food sending in for them) (the city council also has schemes to help such people). Right now, the council is proposing to refurbish two blocks of flats less than a mile from the church. They will do this by moving the tenants into another block of flats that's already been refurbished. This is going to be very disruptive for some of the tenants, who may not have very stable networks, or have other things in their lives that make them particularly vulnerable. So my church is reaching out to those who'll be moved (perhaps against their wishes) and saying, "We're here for you, how can we help/support you? What do you need?" Few if any of these go to any church and probably don't have much time for what (they think) we do. They may be surprised when they find out what a warm, friendly, welcoming and helpful bunch we are. There are also plans afoot for another "StAction" day (St Andrews Community Church : StACC + Action = get it?), when my church hires a huge skip or two, and people from the local housing estate can bring their junk and toss in. Some of the estate inhabitants don't have cars or can't take their junk to the tip. Idea is to keep the estate clean and tidy, no junk in yards, abandoned mattresses in alleyways, etc, and thus raise the "wellbeing" feeling on the estate. Members of our church will also go to people's homes to collect junk if the occupants are unable to deliver. Originally, the skips were paid for entirely from our own church funds; however, the local social housing provider has realised what a good thing this is, and how much it helps the community, so now they give us some money towards the skip hire. The hiring of the skips is often done in conjunction with a jumble sale in the church, and tea, coffee and cakes are also on offer to make a nice social occasion. That's not going to happen this year because of the requirement for social distancing.

Church yesterday was really nice. I was astonished at how much I'd missed all these awesome people that make up our small congregation. It was harvest festival and people had brought generous amounts of fresh, tinned and dried food, for the more needy people in our parish. There were also bunches of flowers, one of which was given to me. I have a big orange pumpkin which I am supposed to carve with some Christian symbol - a cross, a heart, something else - to put outside the church next weekend as our alternative to the "spooky" halloween type of carvings. And I have a butternut squash, which I can turn into something delicious to roast or to make into soup. Yum.

You're right, not cheerful. Loneliness among the elderly is very common but in no small measure self-imposed - some older people lose confidence at going out. On the other hand, some older people are so interested in everything that you lose sight of the fact that they're housebound! I wasn't feeling lonely, just bored. Today I think I will actually go to church, in person - not to the very good online service that I've attended since lockdown in March. We have to be masked up and we are not allowed to sing, and we have to keep 2m apart, but (if I go) it'll be nice to see real people. And then I will come home and play in my garden, as despite the rainy forecast, it looks as though a sunny day is going to happen. Strange, ennit. I earn my living by tending other people's gardens. And then, to relax, I come home and tend my own.

T-Bone, you have a wacky sense of humor!

I'm just saying hello cos I'm bored witless. It's raining outside so there's nothing to do but my much-needed housework. Ugh. Somebody say Hi and tell me something to cheer this gloomy day. Please?