Saturday, March 5, 2016

Publishing News - Moving Lulu Titles to Create Space - Kindle - Amazon.
Reclaim Luther and Justification by Faith

"Reclaiming Walther?
Why not reclaim Martin Luther,
who started the Reformation instead
of Walther covering up for a syphilitic bishop.
Why not reclaim justification by faith?"

A gift made it possible to order a lot of my Lulu books, at the author's discount and another discount, to send free to various pastors and laity -

The ordering also made it clear that Create Space has much better author prices (without those cute little Lulu codes) for such titles. 

Another gift--today--allows me to start moving Lulu books to Create Space. That means some additional proofing and editing. Fortunately I have a great closer, Janie Sullivan, who is very efficient and gifted in handling the transfer and all aspects of digital publishing. She also fixes typos on her own, bless her heart.

Janie has begun work on The Story of Jesus in Pictures, illustrated by Norma Boeckler.

Future conversions will include the three books listed above, and some others as well.

Yes, the free PDFs will continue. I plan to create a very simple website just to link all the free PDFs in one place, a little more orderly than a blog.

The advantage will be having all the titles in one place and being able to send multiple copies for a low price. The Faith of Jesus and Making Disciples are $3 and $2 in black and white. In contrast, Liberalism is $10 at the author's discount from Lulu.

Kindle is a great way to have a library on a digital device. I resisted it for a long time, but I now use it for a lot of theology books and also for all gardening books. I like the ability to quote and have the citation built into the copy and paste. That cannot be called kelming, because Paul Calvin Kelm never gave anyone credit for all the Fuller stuff he stole from them.

I use quotation marks and citations, which is why Kelm lives in a mansion and I live in a van down by the river.



Appleton Call Gets As Many Views in a Few Days as McCain Channeling His Inner Lucifer

"Stop channeling me!"




Butler's Pantry in the Great Room

Zoning or facing the shelves will make them
far more useful.

When we move I hoped to make use of the old library shelves, which lined the library of our home in Phoenix.

We made the winter a time of giving away anything useful and hauling away the rest. The last of the books were just mailed a short time ago. The Michigander said, "Throw away anything still in a box after one year." We gave away items, even a large table, all greatly appreciated.

The back wall of the Great Room (formerly - garage) was already lined with matching shelves. We just had to fix a few and clean them up.

These shelves are are now the Butler's Pantry. Tools and miscellany are banned from this area. Those items belong in the last third of the Great Room, near the Festival Door (garage door).

When we enter the Great Room, the Butler's Pantry is on the left, well lit from a new LED light donated by our gracious landlord.

The laundry area is on the right. Part of our renovation included adding framed photos where we had space.

The idea of the pantry holds food and supplies ahead so we do not run out of frequently used items.
In a small kitchen, extra supplies clog the cupboards so much that the space becomes useless.

We got used to drinking Sam's Club water, so I have four cases ahead. Thanks to the relative cool of the Great Room floor, they are always cool. If we have a big storm, fresh water is handy. Besides that, anyone working here gets water, and everyone loves free access to it. When our helper's children worked in the yard (for wages) they happily took home their water bottles.

We promote the idea of pure water being the best and most refreshing drink. Colas and juices create their own habits, so we end up buying more and drinking more - and paying more. When I worked at Walmart I was always stunned by the families hauling away cases of Gatorade. The plastic casing for Gatorade is made to sling the bottles on the shopping cart. I told my co-workers the mere thought of it gave me acid reflux. The labels of all the flavors made me laugh. And we had variations on the same, such as flavored carbonated water with fakey sucralose, in another area. Or - flavored and carbonated with no sweetener in a third area, fairly good but way overpriced.

When I buy things we need--since I am the main buyer--I put extras in the Butler's Pantry each time. Also, we now know how much we have ahead in some areas. For a time I was getting paper towels each time, thinking maybe we needed more. We had 3 cases at one point. Now the paper area is in one place and easily audited before the next trip.

When we shop together, we use separate carts. The cashiers are often confused. "Are you together?" 46 years - Mrs. Ichabod says. "Please don't complain in public," I respond. Sometimes we double up on the same thing, so that goes in the pantry.

I have a post in mind about cleaning tips. I was the store's self-appointing cleaning expert. That was as much fun as working in baking supplies and condiments.


Mutatis Mutandis - WELS, LCMS ELS, CLC (sic) -
Just the Same as Holy Mother Church of Rome.
Excerpts from a Long Interview

Cardinal Dolan - "We're cool."
Mutatis mutandi, below are excerpts that could easily be about the LCMS, WELS, ELS, and CLC (sic). The homosexual and incest scandals in Lutherdom are covered up so adroitly that few have a clue that could happen in their own Holy Mother Lutheran Synod.

EXCLUSIVE TELL-ALL INTERVIEW—NYC GAY PRIEST EMBEZZLEMENT SCANDAL


http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/exclusive-tell-all-interviewnyc-gay-priest-
embezzlement-scandal

Bob: Well, it's not secret among the clergy in the archdiocese of New York that Msgr. Mustaciuolo is in fact the protector of Peter Miqueli. That's a very well-known fact that has been established. The problem comes in that the clergy is afraid to come forward and speak about this truth out of fear of retaliation from the very people who are supposed to be protecting the clergy and protecting the Church, that is, the infrastructure of the Church itself.
---


As long someone avoids teaching justification by faith,
he is right just fine with the SP.

Guilty of gay child porn swapping,
Hochmuth worked at the Love Shack until the FBI raid.
SP Schroeder immediately absolved him and
denied any knowledge of this going on in the same building.



Bob: Yes, absolutely so. It would be unfair to say that it's something that's recent or something that is part of the recent culture. This is something that goes back decades in the archdiocese of New York, and in fact is something that begins in formation, if you will, way back into the seminary. You know, it's safe to say that the next biggest scandal, if not probably the biggest scandal that our Church will face, is not the scandal of the sexual abuse of minors, but it is in fact the cover-ups that have taken place afterwards. The sexual abuse and the scandal itself had to be dealt with, and we have a new zero tolerance as a Church to deal with that and the involvement of the proper law enforcement officials, but I think that the financial scandals that are going to come forward in the future, the cover-ups of those financial scandals — so many people have gotten rich off of stealing money from Mother Church that it's really a shame. And these people rank all the way up to be members of the Magisterium.

---

Bob: ... I'm sure there are some people who are still naïve, who don't want to face the reality of what's happening in the archdiocese, but the truth of the matter is, I would say the majority of the clergy of the archdiocese of New York and even probably the majority of the laity who work within the infrastructure of the archdiocese of New York, including myself, would agree to that fact, that there is an acceptance and that it is okay for priests to be living double lives as long as it is a secret. And that double life, regardless of whether it is heterosexual or homosexual relationships, it doesn't make a difference.

---

Michael: In reference to the case of Fr. Miqueli, he has — the story is, I'm asking your opinion here or what you know, the story is he has a protector in not only Greg Mustaciuolo but a former rector of the seminary who is now Cdl. Edwin O'Brien. There have been many instances, public instances, of Cardinal. O'Brien coming back from Rome to have confirmation Masses at whatever parish Fr. Miqueli was at, and many people inside the archdiocese tell us, yes, there is some sort of unique relationship there that is troubling.
Bob: Yes, that would be true also. I would have to say that this all began back in the seminary days. Cardinal O'Brien is someone who is not unknown in the archdiocese of New York.
Michael: He was rector of the seminary.
Bob: He was the rector of the seminary, and in fact these relationships of the people we've been talking about here, which would be Peter Miqueli, Sorgie, Mustaciuolo, Weber, and in fact Cdl. O'Brien, these were all relationships that were forged back in the 1980s at Dunwoodie in St. Joseph Seminary. In fact, it might be shocking to hear, but these men regularly had conversations that I was privy to where they jokingly and openly recollected masochistic activity and parties and things that they did back in the seminary.
---
Michael: ... Okay, it's been well testified to, it's proven, no doubt about it, Cardinal Dolan knew from the parishioners at [St. Frances] de Chantal almost two years before all this broke out, before they filed the lawsuit, a year, eight months, 10 months, whatever it was. He knew this was going on. He wrote letters to them, blowing them off or saying, “Yeah, we'll look into it.” They knew about this. The cardinal himself knew about this, and he continued to blow it off. It was only when those headlines hit the local New York papers, The Post, Daily News, of Fr. Miqueli and the whole sadomasochistic prostitute thing that all of a sudden, bam, he's gone. Does that disturb you that it took something in the secular press to get the archdiocese to respond?
Bob: Yes, it does disturb me, but it doesn't surprise me. I think that unfortunately it is a human reality that we don't do what needs to be done until we are forced oftentimes to do what needs to be done. And in that case, the archdiocese of New York, including its leaders, is guilty of that. And there must be accountability. What that accountability is, I don't know. Certainly there must be accountability. And I think that in due time, the Holy Father will know what to do. I go back to my opinion, and that is unless there is massive internal change in Mother Church where there is some sort of internal vigilance for holding people accountable regardless of your rank within the clergy —


Church and Change transvestite congregational picnic.

---
Bob: I think that that goes hand in hand with justice. That's accountability. Certainly the chancellor, Gregory Mustaciuolo, needs to be removed. Without a doubt. That's something that shocks me why it hasn't happened yet. I just can't understand how the cardinal can continue to have this man as his vicar general, knowing that before anything gets to the cardinal, it has to get through this man. And this man had to act in the best interest of Mother Church and the best interest of the cardinal, if you will. And he failed to do that. He had his reasons for failing to do that. He had his motives for failing to do that. But he failed to do that nonetheless. Motives aside, he failed to do the primary job that he was appointed to do.
Michael: Let me ask you: The cardinal hasn't gotten rid of him. There is no indication that the cardinal is going to get rid of Monsignor Mustaciuolo?
Bob: Not as of yet.
Michael: As of yet, none. Not a whisper, not a word, nothing. Not even chatting. Nothing. So if the cardinal doesn't get rid of him, does the cardinal need to be gotten rid of?
Bob: It's a good question, fair question. And I would have to answer truthfully and say yes. If the cardinal fails to act again, then what is the reason behind that?
Michael: What is the reason behind that?
Bob: You know, what is the reason behind that is a very, very good question. His failure to act will only make him more culpable.


Roses Indoors and Out - They Love To Be Watered and Pruned.
Outdoors - Mulch Them Too

John Paul II -
he got an honorary degree at Notre Dame,
so we are alumni.


I picked up some groceries at Walmart and saw cut roses for $5. Daisies for $5 or roses? - Not a tough decision. I looked over the various roses and pulled out some that looked fairly good. Retail roses do not last long in the vase, so I wanted the ones that looked fresh. I had a plan.

Roses are considered a thorn bush, but I think of them as sponges. Cutting roses after a long rainstorm is difficult, if the shears are not sharp and scissor-like, (The anvil cutting shears tend to crush rather than cut. They are better for small branches and tough plastic packages.)

I brought the roses home, got out the shears, and cut inches of stem away. The stems draw up air rather than water when going through the trauma of retail, from packaging to bringing them home. Cutting a few inches off is a good start.

I also cleaned the vase, which reeked of rot and mildew. I hear various tips about cut flowers. Changing the water daily makes them last longer, but even then, the forces of decomposition fire up and slimy mildew forms inside the vase. Scrub, scrub, scrub, detergent, rinse, scrub, scrub, rinse, rinse.

I paid $5 each for two Paradise roses.
Roses around a maple trees are far more attractive
than weeds and maple tree suckers.


Key Step
I use the sink sprayer and sprayed the roses all over, stems, blossoms, leaves, I would toss a bunch in a tub of cold water if they looked like they needed it. They looked completely refreshed when I put them in fresh water in a clean vase. Mrs. Ichabod loved them. I will repeat the fresh water and the cold shower today and Sunday morning.

Outdoor Roses
Our helper and I transplanted 8 roses from the front and backyard. The next step after planing a group,  is to water them thoroughly and prune them. Watering washes the soil down among the roots to remove air spaces. It gives the roots a start, because the new root growth will stabilize the plant and feed it. Pruning makes the roots grow even faster, even when the established plant seems unharmed by digging and replanting.

By watering I mean spraying all the upper parts of the roses so they get a real shower for their branches, not just water for their roots. I will repeat that on the second and third days too. Our helper did the first watering while I did another chore. I said, "Do not spare the horses."

A FB friend and I were discussing  bare root roses versus potted ones. I like to order bare root ones because I can choose exactly which ones I want. But potted ones are just as good, in spite of what rose snobs say. The three steps to have great roses are:

  1. Prune
  2. Water
  3. Mulch.
Our 8 KnockOut roses became a neighborhood  wonder last year. They were all potted, dug into holes in the lawn, then mulched, watered, and pruned. Every time they reached 6 feet tall, they were pruned to 3 feet tall. We had dry spells so I gave them cold showers with the hose on the waterboarding setting. That dislodges dirt and loose flowers that need pruning anyway.

Veteran's Honor simply glows red
in the garden. The cut roses are splendid
and fragrant in the vase.


Bare Root Rain Soaker
We have added a memorial row for the main rose garden, with three more bushes planned, perhaps two more in the maple tree rose garden.

When the bare root roses come, I will soak them first in rainwater. I used to be skeptical about the soak, but I saw the value when I planted 20 at once last year. I had the rain barrels full of water and needed to open packages while planting and digging. I felt like the sorcerer's apprentice the rest of the afternoon, with dreams of every rose I wanted planted turning into a nightmare of digging, soaking, pruning, sorting, watering, measuring. 

The roses took off beautifully, better than I ever saw with previous efforts. 

If rainwater is not available, the other solution is gray-water (recycled in some homes from the wassh water) or tapwater left in the barrel at least one day. Chlorine evaporates out of city water, and chlorine is hard on plants. For the best results, use rainwater first, gray-water second, and soaker hose when there is no other way.

Mr. Lincoln has long, long legs,
magic beanstalk growth, fragrance,
and low cost.