Moving the Butterfly Bush, Harvesting Asparagus from a Friend

Our Butterfly Bush - White Profusion if you forgot - has done so well near the bird feeders that I decided to move a tiny, struggling Butterfly Bush. It will help form a bird-perch, butterfly host, and natural screen around the windows.

Sassy wanted to go out with me until she detected a mist falling. She noped that and asked to go back in. So I pulled my hat down against the Sou-wester blowing in and fetched the distant Butterfly Bush. Last year, I hastily planted the bush on higher ground. The little bush probably had too little moisture. And the slugs ravaged the bush for a long time, giving me a chance to try out useless slug repellents and cures.

White Profusion Butterfly Bush.
A diversity of planting throughout the garden will
support the larvae of various butterflies.

White Profusion Butterfly Bush

I pruned another Butterfly Bush into extinction, so I decided to water the little tyke more, which began to grow a bit this year. The transfer was easy. The clay was soft but not waterlogged. Afterwards, I made a toad-friendly log fence around the new bush and watered it generously with rain-barrel water.

I also dumped a rain-barrel on the large White Profusion, which is now about 8 feet tall and not ready to start blooming. The little one, Bonnie, may get quite large in time.

Buddleia davidii 

'Bonnie' (Bonnie Butterfly Bush) This Mike Dirr selection was named after his wife, Bonnie, and if you know Mike, you know that it must be one fine Buddleia! This giant deer resistant butterfly bush reaches 10' tall and is covered in large grey-green leaves, then topped from June until frost with large 10" panicles (flowers)  of very fragrant, light blue-violet (RHS 94D) flowers. (Hardiness Zone 5-10) -

See more at: http://www.plantdelights.com/Article/Buddleia-Butterfly-Bush#sthash.iug1CBFw.dpuf
Rain was expected a 4 PM but should arrive later with some force.

The birds were anxious to feed, so I re-supplied them with sunflower seeds today and watched the lively feeding frenzy. When Junior Squirrel showed up again to keep the birds away, I opened and shut the window to watch his standing broad jump away. Very pleasing.

The male cardinal is feeding from the platform or the ground several times a day. I imagine the female is sitting on the eggs in the Crepe Myrtle bush.

Once the birds were feeding on the hanging feeder when the squirrels reach made it spin around. He took a swipe at them to shoo them away. They went to the platform and the Jackson EZ Bird Swing.
The creatures are fun to watch, constantly entertaining.

Lantana are grown to excess in Phoenix, because they are drought tolerant,
but they also bloom well and attract butterflies here.

Update from 2011 Story on Mason Beecroft - Who Poped and Became a Brewmaster. More Than Most Want To Know, But Someone Was Looking Up the Link

 Dead Armadillo Brewery

LinkedIn Profile for Mason Beecroft

MASON BEECROFT

Our brewmaster, Mason Beecroft, was a Lutheran pastor for eleven years (really, we’re not kidding). He learned how to brew beer while studying Historical Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary, which had a student conduct policy that did not allow drinking. To ensure he was not thrown out of the Seminary, he claimed he never imbibed his own creations (wink, wink) in obedience to the law and thus demonstrated his high moral character (yeah, right). And, incredulously, they bought his story. While a pastor in Houston and Tulsa, Mason spread the good news of brewing to hundreds of parishioners and friends, baptizing them in the malty goodness of real beer (hallelujah, pass the growler). During Vacation Bible School, he graciously offered sessions for the adults on the “Christian Art of Brewing Beer” and shared his own beer in a selfless act of charity. He will be considered for sainthood upon his death.

His full beard

The Loss of Rev. Mason Beecroft

Sep 15th, 2011

by Dan.

I’m saddened by the departure of Mason Beecroft from the LCMS roster of the ordained, as reported by The Lutheran Witness in its September issue.

I was privileged to meet him at the Model Theological Conference on Worship in January 2010. His presentation there, essentially saying that the key to revitalizing our synod was the restoration of the Mass, was excellent.


Rev. Beecroft had stepped down from his office at Grace Lutheran in Tulsa for health reasons. We prayed for his health, but now there are other concerns.


I’m told (and verified with a second source) that he has left for Roman Catholicism, and this disappoints me for several reasons. First, because all of the good things that he did will now simply be poo-pooed as “Romish.” Secondly, because he was a good scholar whose services will not be in the LCMS employ any more. Finally, because of where he’s going, how one can renounce justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone? The man-made law can only bring an appearance of comfort.


And he’s not, in Roman Catholicism, going to avoid theological liberals.

Please come home, Rev. Beecroft.

***

GJ - One Lutheran lady told me about the LCMS pastor who kept a rosary. Soon after he was a priest. Many Lutheran clergy are promiscuous in their use of these terms:

• Mass
• Father
• Mary
• Saints
• The Holy Father, aka The Antichrist

Not every Lutheran minister who glories in those terms will join Rome or Constantinople. Some will walk the tightrope instead. But many will lead their flocks into deception.

Someone told me that Robert Preus wrote Justification and Rome to deter his own seminary from poping, but that obviously did not work.

I am happy to say to all those Lutheran clergy who have left for Rome or Constantinople - "Stay there. You probably never grasped Biblical doctrine in the first place."

***

 GJ - Someone told me that that a WELS pastor in Alaska went Russian Orthodox. Now that's cold.

PS - I forgot about this post, because I kelmed it from another blogger. I missed the part in the bio where Mason went from Dallas Seminary to becoming an LCMS pastor. The Missouri Synod is notoriously lax in doctrinal disciple. Like the WELS and ELS, the officially approved candidates know as little about Lutheran doctrine as their professors, District Presidents, and Synod Presidents.

If one is trained in Enthusiasm outside of Missouri, WELS, or the Little Sect on the Prairie, he is welcomed into Synodical Conference Enthusiasm and easily passes on through the Roman Catholic Enthusiasm.

Ten Days of Rain Ahead in Sunny Springdale

Today I feel like the man in Twilight Zone who had all the time in the world, all the books in the world to himself to read, and then his glasses fell off and broke. My Moline classmates loved that episode for its irony, because we were readers. Today the equivalent would be forgetting the password for Facebook and not knowing how to recover it.

In my case, I have four full rain-barrels, a waste-basket full of rain, gardens with plenty of rain, and 10 days ahead of rain. Accuweather is usually too optimistic about rain, and Weather.com dismisses a lot of rain predicted. Weather.com has 10 days of rain.

I have an idea - brush up on beneficial insects. Here are some from Jessica Walliser's newsletter -

Lacewings
Lacewing larvae
Tachinid flies
Ladybugs
Ladybug larvae
Spiders
Soldier beetles
Syrphid flies
Praying mantids
Parasitic wasps
Spined soldier bugs
Assassin bugs 
Ground beetles 
Big eyed bugs
Rove beetles
Fireflies

The best part about beneficial insects is recruiting them through plants. If I want a certain type of beneficial insect, the most important part is having plants loved by that species.

For example, yesterday, when putting roses into two vases, numerous tiny ichneumon wasps hovered around the flowers. They were doing their work when I cut the stems and followed the roses. Were they saying goodbye to their kids - or looking for one last meal before the roses left? I do not have to figure that out. Their presence tells me I am using the right plants to support their work on the roses.

Or there is this little tip. The Tachinid flies look just like houseflies, and they are major enemies of pests. How do I know if I have Tachinids in the garden? Simple - the only insect in the garden that looks like a housefly is the Tachinid, and it has to be a Tachinid. Why? - Houseflies are never in the garden.

/Feverfew is especially attractive to beneficial insects
and spreads by seed. Fortunately it is a small plant.

What Are Some Plants for Recruiting Beneficial Insects?
Like most of you, I was new to beneficial insects a year or two ago. I was aware of them, thanks to my mother's fascination with insects, but not exactly well versed. Walliser's excellent and readable book on the topic got me especially interested.

So I study the plants more than the bugs. One vendor at the farmer's market said there was no cure for squash bugs. I had trouble believing that, so I began reading up on the subject and found this - Tachinid flies are potent enemies of the squash borer, so he can encourage them with Feverfew and some other easy to grow plants, like Sunflowers and Mountain Mint.

Another great part of getting plants to recruit these beneficial insects - many host plants are perennial. I got some Mountain Mint and Horse Mint, fun plants to watch in the garden. Mountain Mint has constantly buzzing insects around it  and Horse Mint (Bee Balm) attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as bees.

The squirrels have decided that I plant sunflower seeds to feed them, so I have given up on that weed - very exasperating, given the reputation and hardiness of the sunflower. I may look for its relatives as potted plants.

Mountain Mint caught my eye in Washington DC,
with insects flying around it in a constant buzz.

Almost Eden and Opie Give Us a Tour
Sassy and I were headed left for a walk when Almost Eden and his dog appeared on the right. That gave the dogs something to do while we talking gardening, mulching, and beneficial insect host plants.

I am hoping Honeysuckle will be
as aggressive in the Wild Garden as they say.

Luther Days Fake ELS-WELS Conference - Still Providing Porn Links. Here Is Natalie Pratt's LGBT ELCA Pastor Pal and Sample Tweets-Retweets

Luther Days continues to follow at least one X-rated Twitter account,
which also follows Luther Days.
But look at this LGBT Twitter account she is following,
not to mention some soft-core and obvious fraudulent stuff,
as before - according to my safe computer consultant from ELS-WELS.

Breaking News - Luther Days Is Following Emmy Kegler, ELCA Lesbian Activist - Do Scott Barefoot and Richard Starr Know, Approve, Follow?


LinkedIn Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmykegler

http://emmykegler.blogspot.com/

Why does SP Mark Schroeder support and promotethis conference?What qualifies Natalie Pratt to organize it?

https://eewc.com/wheresheis/2016-gcnconf-weconnect-emmy-kegler-interview/

Emmy Kegler

@emmykegler

Pastor of Grace Lutheran in NE Minneapolis. Carrying a deep sense of God's love & an eye for lost coins. She/her/hers. http://queergrace.com  …

 Emmy Kegler Retweeted

Tim Fisher ‏@TimRFisher  May 25

LGBTQ people are not CAUSING anyone discomfort. They are not to blame for other people's hang-ups. #ELCAwebcast

 Emmy Kegler Retweeted

Jenna Couch ‏@PastorJenna  May 25

"Lutherans need to stop saying "Here I stand," and start saying "Here we go." YES! Awesome stuff here tonight! #ELCAwebcast

 Emmy Kegler Retweeted

Jenna Couch ‏@PastorJenna  May 25

"Lutherans need to stop saying "Here I stand," and start saying "Here we go." YES! Awesome stuff here tonight! #ELCAwebcast

Luther Days speakers Scott Barefoot
and Richard Starr.

Luther Days speaker Jay Webber.
Is everyone on vacation at the
Mankato ELS Vatican?

---

https://eewc.com/wheresheis/2016-gcnconf-weconnect-featured-speaker-emmy-kegler/

Click here to return to the Where She Is archive page.

2016 #GCNConf – “weconnect” Featured Speaker Emmy Kegler

Posted on December 14, 2016, by Marg Herder

Emmy Kegler

Emmy Rettino Kegler will be the featured speaker at the 2016 Gay Christian Network weconnect women’s retreat, which will take place on the afternoon of January 7, opening the 2016 GCN conference, “What’s Next.”

Emmy was kind enough to agree to be interviewed here on Where She Is prior to her appearance at weconnect. Here on this page you’ll find an introduction to her life and work.  The next post is an interview with her.

Emmy Kegler is a web designer, church curriculum writer, and the curator of a new web encyclopedia of resources around LGBTQ life and Christian faith, Queer Grace. With a Master’s degree in Divinity from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, she is awaiting a call in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) as an ordained pastor.

Both of Kegler’s parents worked as English professors at the University of Minnesota, so her childhood was spent surrounded by books and words. Though baptized into the Roman Catholic Church, she was raised in an Episcopal congregation, giving her an abiding love for intentionally crafted worship, for tradition that invites participants into its beauty and richness, and for faith-inspired social justice.

Although her parents prohibited video games until she knew how to competently ride a bike and swim (a necessity growing up in the land of 10,000 lakes), she eventually was able to talk them into the purchase of an Apple II and, later, one of the first available dial-up modems. She’s been fascinated by technology ever since.

Emmy’s years in evangelical and non-denominational traditions left her with a keen recognition that all believers bring gifts to God’s table, and a passion for theologically rich contemporary music, unscripted preaching, and prayer. She learned the power of community and compassion while participating in Episcopal, youth-led retreats.

---

on #Proclaim200

Queer Grace - http://www.elm.org/2015/09/

Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

This week we have a guest post from Proclaim member, Emmy Kegler.  Read about some of the creative and exciting ministry Emmy is engaged in as she awaits first call.

By Emmy Kegler

When I came out as gay at 16, I knew my life was going to be complicated. When I accepted the long-fought call to ministry at 19, I knew my life was going to be more complicated.  And when I followed that call all the way through Clinical Pastoral Education, internship, three years of classes, divorce, graduation, and this period of time awaiting first call in the Twin Cities… I had a sneaking suspicion that my life was always going to have a strong degree of messiness.

Many of you know this mess, too.  We become translators of our experience, bridgers of the gap.  We explain to friends, family, loved ones, colleagues, seminarians, call committees, congregations, total strangers how it can be that we are gay-, bi-, trans-, queer-and-also-Christian.  I love those conversations (most of the time).  I love how the messiness of being LGBTQ and called to serve the church can transform people’s minds and hearts around sexual orientation, gender identity, Scripture, tradition, and the long arc of the hope of God.  But these conversations can be exhausting.  It is not always fun to have my personal life and ministerial calling as a theological exercise.  The layers on layers of theology, history, and interpretation are difficult to unwrap over a beer at a neighbor’s barbeque (sic).  

I wanted to create a space where people could learn, on their own time, at their own comfort level, about the myriad of concepts and beliefs around what it means to be LGBTQ and Christian. There are so many incredible resources scattered across the Internet, but tracking them down through a basic Google search can be like walking through a queerphobic minefield.  In addition, the interconnected questions are complex.  What does feminist theology have to do with the way we read the Bible as LGBTQ people?  How did the Lutheran church get to where it is? What is bisexuality and what does it have to do with faith?  How do we know when we’re in a spiritually abusive church and how do we leave?

For years I’ve wanted to create a space that could connect all those questions and the incredible resources already in existence.  So on the eve of my thirtieth birthday, with my girlfriend holding my shaking hand, I launched a fundraiser for a website tentatively called Queer Grace, “an encyclopedia for LGBTQ and Christian life.”

Four months later, fifteen thousand people have visited the site.  Donations just topped $2,500, meaning I can pay my growing group of writers for the incredible content they are generating. Eighteen articles are up, with eight more awaiting submission or final edits.  In the next phase, I’ll be updating the site with direct links to important sites like gaychurch.org (is your church on there? Double check!).

At first, Queer Grace was a way to fill my waiting time.  But each day I work, I feel a sneaking suspicion that this is as much my call as ordained ministry will be.  I live in a space where the word of God is preached, the law named, the gospel proclaimed.  I live in a space where the promise of welcome at the Lord’s table is offered.  

Queer Grace is found at www.queergrace.com.  When you have the time, read it.  Share it.  Let me know where there are resources lacking.  Donate to the cause.  The Spirit is up to something here, and we’re all welcomed along for the ride.

Emmy R. Kegler has a Master’s in Divinity from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minn.  She was raised in the Episcopal Church and spent some time in evangelical and non-denominational traditions before finding her home in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.  She is currently awaiting call in the ELCA.  While she waits, she works as a self-employed web designer and church curricula writer.  She lives in Minneapolis and enjoys biking, board games, books, beer, and babysitting her girlfriend’s dogs.

http://www.elm.org/current-proclaim-members/

http://gracenempls.org/2016/04/24/pastor-emmy-r-keglers-ordination/