ELCA Bishop Megan Rohrer Resigns in San Francisco. Today's Icha-peek at Midnight

 Megan Rohrer, who seems to smirk in every photo, attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls.

Megan's books on Amazon.com

Washington Post on Rohrer Resignation

Religious News Service on Rohrer Resignation

Council of the Local Synod Backs Rohrer

Slate article - Link only

San Fran Article below:

SAN FRANCISCO

S.F. transgender Lutheran bishop resigns amid controversy over removal of pastor

Rev. Megan Rohrer of San Francisco, who made history last year as the first openly transgender person to be elevated as bishop in the country’s largest Lutheran denomination, resigns amid a controversy involving allegations of racism in the removal of a pastor. 

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From Facebook

 Bishop Guy Erwin was propelled into a pastoral role so he could quickly be named a bishop. From there he was elevated to president of the United -but fractured - Lutheran Seminary.

Cross-dressing is a feature in WELS prep schools, college(s), and seminary. Ask the DP who once was the GA Pope at Mequon.

Sassy Sue Is about 14 Years Old

 

Sassy: Still Waiting - 

Foster Owner's Story

 This rescue photo of Sassy captivated us.
I wanted another Cattle Dog after we lost Sackett to cancer. Sassy Sue is now about 14 years old.

From Sassy's Foster Mother
I stood on the curb at my house and watched my current foster dog, Moxie, drive away with her new family. Moxie watched me from the window of the car, looking confused. At that moment I felt waves of emotions wash over me. First, happiness, after all she had found her forever home. Next came the sadness, tears began to well up in my eyes. I was about to lose a part of my family. And finally, relief. I sighed deeply as I began to think about how me, my husband, and our dogs would spend a much appreciated break from the demanding work of fostering dogs.

I smiled as I headed back to the animal shelter where I work. But as I walked through the door at the shelter my smile faded. There she was: my new foster. I knew it from the moment I saw at her. She was on the floor, curled up in a fetal position, tail tucked completely under her, her eyes wide with fear. She was shaking and every now and again she would let out a little yelp. The man on the other end of the leash continued talking to my co-worker but his voice was just noise to me. I was completely focused on this scared, wonderful, little girl that needed my help. I began to wonder what her life had been like. Did she like children? Did she like other dogs? Did she like to camp or hike or swim? I knew that the answers to these questions would come soon enough, as I had already decided that she would come to stay with us. I quickly snap out of my daze when I noticed something wrong with her back right leg.

I manage to ask, “What’s wrong with her leg?”

“Oh she got kicked by a horse in April,” he replied.

“April? But this is August,” I muttered.

“I know, but we just couldn’t afford the medical care,” he replied.
Such a common answer in my field of work but for me heart wrenching to hear. I began to fear for this little dog’s well being and worry about what the future might hold for her. I scooped her up and took her to the shelter vet right away. The x-rays revealed a compound fracture that had been healing improperly for several months and the doctor informed me that the leg couldn’t be saved. I buried my face in this beautiful little dog’s fur and began to cry. Tears of joy? Tears of sadness? I’m not sure which it was but I suspect it was a little of both.

Sassy, at the very young age of a year old, had her leg amputated later that week and came home with us a couple of days later for a long road of recovery. She was amazing! She put all her trust in us and ran that long road to recovery in a very short amount of time. She quickly learned to walk using three legs, and then how to jump onto the couch using three legs, and then how to jump into the bed using three legs. She continued to amaze us when she chased the other dogs around the park, went on long walks with her foster doggie siblings, and went swimming at a local lake. But we knew that she would be just fine when she went hiking with us and literally had a tantrum when Mark tried to carry her up a very steep hill. She was going to do it by herself. That has pretty much been her attitude during the whole ordeal, it Sassy’s way or the highway.

Mark and I consider ourselves very lucky to have met Sassy and to be able to care for her. For all the things that we may have taught her during her stay with us, she has taught us just as many. Among her lessons: perseverance, trust, confidence, the ability to overcome, and the ability to smile when things aren’t so great. All lessons that each and every one of us should practice. I know that those waves of emotions will wash over me once again when Sassy finds her forever home, but that’s why I do it. Fostering can be the best and the worst feeling. But every time she looks up at me with those big brown eyes I know she is grateful for what I was able to do for her and I look forward to the day I stand on the curb, tears welling up in my eyes, watching her drive away with her new family, with that incredibly silly grin on her face.

 Early on I asked Sassy to guard the car while I ran into a store or the post office. She always took the driver's seat and loved the attention. When driving, she sat behind in the Town Car. Her window worked best, so she got special attention at drive-throughs and part of my cone. She signaled her need for the rest of the cone by tapping me on the shoulder. Her Sassy Sue and Friends blog has almost 50,000 views.

 Sassy tolerates her Voyager. She likes rides, especially ones that stop at a McDonalds. We sing together as we go. She barks the chorus.

Mr. and Mrs. Robin in the Bird Bath

 Robin, by Norma A. Boeckler

I cleaned off - with Dawn - the garbage barrels and rinsed out the two bird baths on the ground - former kiddie pools. I always put the shallow one on a slant so the birds can land on the dry side and go to the bathing side. They are suspicious of something completely full.

I looked out the kitchen window and saw two robins facing each other. One (Mrs. Robin) was motionless and facing the other (Mr. Robin) who was having a great time bathing in the shallows.

Birds have to have baths and preen their feathers for flight. They need something above ground to finish, when they preen.

Mrs. Robin was silent and not moving while Mr. Robin dipped his head in the water, shook some over his body, and then splashed his tail feathers. Then he shook himself and started over. Each time Mrs. Robin remained fixed in that spot and not moving at all.

Mrs. Robin - "Are you done yet?"

Mr. Robin - "Just one more time. The Ichabode has a new spa for us." Splash splash.

Mrs. Robin - "Same one. Are you done yet?"

Mr. Robin - "One more time. I am getting all the grit and dust out." Splash. Splash.

Mrs. Robin - "I could use a bath too. Are you done yet?"

Mr. Robin - "OK. One more splash and I can do my preening. Oh, wow, feel so good. I will look 10x more handsome now."

Mrs. Robin - "Jump on the low branch and give me some room. The kids will be chirping for lunch."

Mr. Robin found his low branch and began preening. Mrs. Robin took his spot and enjoyed her own shower.

Food as Medicine

I remember the day when a customer asked for various diet sodas (none stocked) and settled for six chocolate cream-filled berliners. I was an active participant in this vocation.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, treating food as medicine. Of course, all food has medicinal value, but some is bad medicine, the rest are good medicine.

This morning I had a can of garbanzo (chickpeas) mixed with various frozen vegetables, cooked on a natural gas stove. Garbanzo provided the complete protein and fiber, plus other nutritional ingredients. The frozen vegetables this morning were:

• Chopped frozen collard greens,
• Green and red peppers, plus onions,
• Peas,
• Mushrooms, and
• Canned tomato paste for flavor and low calorie nutrition.

There are lots of choices in these categories, such as adding milled flax seed, walnuts or almonds, and side dishes of oranges, apples, prunes, and blue berries.

Everything listed so far has lots of nutritional across a broad spectrum of low-cost food. One should price a quarter-pounder versus the same money spent on frozen vegetables. No one can eat a quarter-pounder worth of frozen chopped collards. That is also equal to four (4) cans of garbanzo beans. The quarter-pounder is mostly fat and salt, with sugar added - because we all love the sugar-fat-grease  foods.

Panera is a fun place for breads and desserts. They go stale quickly so they must be eaten quickly (my excuse). Bread products are close to dessert. A breakfast of toast, butter, and black coffee has very little nutrition but lots of calories from flour and butter, even without jelly. Cinnamon invites sugar, which may already be in the bread and coffee

Several people have been changing more habits than nuns before a Day of Obligation. They feel much better from eating good food, and they lose 15 to 30 pounds without much trouble. These are some habits which are natural for me now:

1. No ice cream or desserts, with very few exceptions. I did not have any ice cream from December until the trip to DC. Someone enticed me to eat ice cream and dessert twice.
2. I weigh myself almost every day. That is encouraging and sometimes a warning. From 224 pounds to 195 is fun, and I enjoyed the cooking practice,
3. Usually, I have much smaller portions of whatever I eat, which comes from eating slowly.
4. I am getting more exercise all the time, which burns the fat. Anyone taking away fat, sugar and white foods (white flour, white rice, white whipped cream) will benefit.
5. I am much more careful about the foods I eat and favor the low cost frozen items over the salty, greasy, and sugared ones.
6. No more take-home colas, yes some McDonalds with Sassy Sue. Infrequent fast-food stops. No hard candy. No donuts. Very little chocolate.