Sunday Salon -- A brief weekly update

Jenny Anydots quilt by Fiber Kitty

 

Weather: Rain. As I sat in church this morning and watched the rain out the window a thought ran through my head that all teachers must be rejoicing. I remember always being delighted when it rained the last weeks of school, causing students to be calmer. Ha!

Retired: Don is officially retired as of June 1st. So far things are pretty much the same, since he has been working from home for the past two years. We did get the ball rolling toward replacing our old carpet upstairs. We figured that if we started toward the replacement we could begin the arduous task of de-junking rooms in preparation. 

Books:

• Completed:
• The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief by Jan Richardson. Powerful and helpful on so many levels. Print.
• The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne. Recommended by several bloggers I started reading this basically blind. The main character is gay in Ireland when it was not okay to be gay. It also has some very heartbreaking parts. Other bits are funny. Print.
• The Book of Sharks: Poems by Rob Carney. I've wanted to read this collection of poems by the son of one of my friends and a past colleagues for a few years now. I finally gave up and bought it after not finding it at the local library or at any bookstores. Print. 50%.
   
• Currently reading:
• The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen. The 2022 Pulitzer Prize winner. Interesting?! Is that a good description? Not sure if that helps you. It is somewhat about Jewish history and also about how we record and study history. Audio. 76% complete.
• The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. The sixth book in the Chronicles of Narnia. A reread. Print. 75%.
   
• 100 Books Every Child Should Hear Before Kindergarten (progress report): Ian and I read another ten books on the list this week bringing the total read to over 40. I just picked up another batch from the library yesterday so we'll have plenty to read on our trip to the Washington coast for our grandparents/grandsons trip.
   

Politics:

• Jan. 6th Congressional Committee will be holding hearings during prime time, starting this Thursday at 8 PM E.T.  (MSN) (CNN)
  

  It’s now clear that the committee investigating the Capitol Hill insurrection – which said the first of its series of hearings this month will take place next Thursday night – plans to showcase the horror of the crazed day when supporters of then-President Donald Trump tried to stage a coup after the 2020 election and to prevent the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. New glimpses of the mountain of evidence piled up by the committee suggest the panel will take viewers deep into Trump’s inner circle before and during the insurrection. 

  The hearings will have “tens of thousands of exhibits” and a cast of “hundreds of witnesses,” says Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee chairman.

  “The story of the worst presidential political offense against the Union in American history,” declares US Rep. Jamie Raskin, a member of the January 6 committee. 

• Remarks by President Biden on Gun Violence in America (White House)
• "For God’s sake, how much more carnage are we willing to accept?  How many more innocent American lives must be taken before we say “enough”?  Enough.

  I know that we can’t prevent every tragedy.  But here’s what I believe we have to do.  Here’s what the overwhelming majority of the American people believe we must do.  Here’s what the families in Buffalo and Uvalde, in Texas, told us we must do.

  We need to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.  And if we can’t ban assault weapons, then we should raise the age to purchase them from 18 to 21.  Strengthen background checks.  Enact safe storage laws and red-flag laws.  Repeal the immunity that protects gun manufacturers from liability.  Address the mental health crisis deepening the trauma of gun violence and as a consequence of that violence."

• Mr. Rogers to the rescue, again.
   

Fifty three years ago, Mr. Rogers testified before the US Senate about how the media could help prevent gun violence.

He was right.

It's the most powerful sixty seconds you'll see today. pic.twitter.com/N9PuryZ8zP

— Goodable (@Goodable) May 29, 2022

Prayers for:

• J. with breast cancer, her first chemo was this week and knocked her for a loop. May she regain her health and vitality.
  
• J. received his first infusion for his auto-immune disease, praying that this new med knocks down his symptoms.
• B. had surgery on her heart this week, for a full recovery.
• C. as she faces her cancer without her husband by her side after his unexpected death. For comfort and health.
• T. for his neck pain; that he finds solutions and relief. 
• For the four graduating seniors who attend our church -- that they find fulfillment in their future choices.
  

 On the lighter side:

-Anne