Recent posts

#1

The Coffee Pot / Re: interesting purchase you m...

Last post by Michael Wilson - Today at 10:28:28 AM

I saw this device at Walmart last week in their hardware department; its for de-clogging drains; it looks like a real narrow wound piece of steel that attaches to a power drill and is inserted into the drain; when the drill is turned on, it turns the wire and it removes all of the hair in the drain.


Except my de clogger doesn't have a handle; also, I'm not really dying to try it out.   

#2

The Bookstore / Re: Normandt' Catholic Meditat...

Last post by Normandt - Today at 05:39:14 AM

2. Jesus or darkness


Even if it's easy to understand, the way doesn't seem that easy to reach and to find God. Maybe it's too easy? It's simple to want to follow the light, but there are shadows that draw us to the side of the road. As Augustine mentions, we have trouble focusing on light:
"The lovely things kept me far from you." A quote from Confessions

We have fear of the objects that are found in darkness and to think about them too much, to seek too much, we attach ourselves to them. We are attracted by objects, sometimes by people more than God and they distract us away from Light: "The lovely things kept me far from you," says Augustine.

Instead of seeing the person and the objects under God's reality, there's the danger of observing them according to the shadows they offer us.

Jesus invites us to return to the Light to better understand and grasp the world around us, in its reality. He stops and he talks to the blind beggar man:
"'Call him.' So they called the blind man, saying to him, 'Take courage; get up, he is calling you.'" Mark, chapter 10, verse 49

Trust, go to the Light, Jesus is here and he is waiting on you.

We may have this question: What do we want Jesus to do for us here and now? What do we want to see? We want to see the true Light. And Jesus will tell us:
"Go your way; your faith has saved you." Mark, chapter 10, verse 52

Being blind in this context is not comparable to physical blindness. To be blind is above all to let our soul slip into darkness, alienation contrary to the Light, the unpleasant and disappointing side of the cloudy and dark, of which keeps us away from God.

In reality, all that is realized in the world for God brings graces to all. We will see each other and we will see the world as it is in Truth and in the Light of God. Only then can we be transformed by Truth.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: The Shepherd's Mission, Normand Thomas

#3

General News and Discussion / Re: Went to Bucharest, Romania...

Last post by benedicite - Today at 04:07:25 AM

Did you try to go to church on a Sunday?

#4

Traditional Catholic Discussion / Re: The Amish were Right

Last post by Akavit - December 09, 2023, 08:14:09 PM

Potassium and Phosporous can't increase over time unless you add them.  In nature I suspect this is done by volcanic plumes fertilizing the rain.  Another possibility are trees with deep roots accessing these minerals.  When they die, the wood rots and releases the minerals.  Annual flooding in riverine areas also brings in minerals that might have washed down from mountains.

If you are in the plains, you'll deplete the soil eventually.  A stop gap measure would be to collect wood ash and use that for fertilizer.  That would get you through until civilization is reestablished.

I've done some reading on the topic of how minerals are distributed naturally.  There are microbes that can break down rock and clay and release the minerals.  Trees and other deep-rooted plants can pull up nutrients and over time, deposit those on the surface.  Lightning creates nitrogen oxide which is carried to earth by rain.  Legumes form a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia to pull nitrogen out of the air and store it in the roots.  I'm sure there's a lot more than that going on but scientists have barely scratched the surface on this topic.  Apparently mushrooms and other fungus also connect trees together and enable the flow of nutrients and water between trees and thus increase the reach of an individual tree.

The JADAM approach is based upon the theory that these microbes are super important which is why practitioners make their forest microbe solution and spray that onto their fields.

Since natural processes do renew the land, it's only necessary to slow the depletion enough to allow those processes to keep up and/or add whatever inputs are locally available (manure, humanure, wood chips/sawdust, leaves, rock dust, etc.).  This may not be useful to commercial farms but it is sufficient for people that need to produce food for internal consumption and it can be done indefinitely.

All the people I've seen who managed intensive food production use animals of some sort.  I suspect this is why wannabe world dictators have a vendetta against the use of livestock.  They need control over both fertilizer and livestock before everyone can be forced to obtain rationed food from centralized factories.

#5

The Bookstore / Re: RULE/MARTYROLOGY THREAD

Last post by OmniaInstaurareInChristo - December 09, 2023, 07:04:53 PM

The reading appointed from the Rule of St. Benedict for December 10:

CHAPTER LVII
Of the Artificers of the Monastery

Should there be artificers in the Monastery, let them work at their crafts in all humility, if the Abbot give permission. But if any of them be puffed up by reason of his knowledge of his craft, in that he seemeth to confer some benefit on the Monastery, let such a one be taken from it, and not exercise it again, unless, perchance, when he hath humbled himself, the Abbot bid him work at it anew. And if any of the work of the artificers is to be sold, let those by whom the business is done see that they defraud not the Monastery. Let them ever be mindful of Ananias and Saphira, lest perchance, they, and all who deal fraudulently with the goods of the Monastery, should suffer in their souls the death which these incurred in the body. But with regard to the prices of such things, let not the vice of avarice creep in, but let them always be sold a little cheaper than by men in the world, that God may be glorified in all things.


Martyrology-December 11th
Roman Martyrology-December 11th-on this date in various years-

At Rome, St. Damasus, pope and confessor, who condemned the heresiarch Apollinaris, and restored to his See Peter, bishop of Alexandria, who had been driven from it. He also discovered the bodies of many holy martyrs and composed verses in their honour.

Also at Rome, St. Thrason. He was arrested by order of Maximian for supporting with his goods the Christians who laboured in the baths and at other public works, and those confined in jail. He was crowned with martyrdom with two others, Pontian and prætextatus.

At Amiens in France, the holy martyrs Victoricus and Fuscian, under the same emperor. By order of Governor Rictiovarus, they had iron pins driven into their ears and nostrils, heated nails into their temples, and arrows into their bodies and their eyes torn out. They were beheaded with St. Gentian, their guest, and they passed to the Lord.

In Persia, St. Barbabas, martyr.

In Spain, St. Eutychius, martyr.

At Piacenza, St. Sabinus, bishop, renowned for miracles.

At Constantinople, St. Daniel Stylites.

And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
R. Thanks be to God.

#6

The Coffee Pot / Re: Catholic Memes

Last post by clau clau - December 09, 2023, 05:15:29 PM

#7

The Coffee Pot / Re: interesting purchase you m...

Last post by Melkor - December 09, 2023, 03:36:07 PM

A Partagas Habaneros and 2oz of Lagavulin

MMM Partagas.

#8

Arts and Leisure / Re: What are you currently rea...

Last post by maryslittlegarden - December 09, 2023, 12:36:13 PM

I ran right through "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" by John LeCarre.  It was pretty good.  I had seen his novels recommended online.  Chewed through it in under two days.  Pretty engaging story.  Kept me going from page to page, chapter to chapter.   

Also, gosh I am so happy about the Overdrive app or whatever you wanna call it.  In my state, at least, it coordinates the lending of ebooks via Amazon and my local public library.  Has saved me so much money and time (from buying fiction books or running to the library). 

If you like overdrive.... check to see if they have Libby.  I like that one a lot for audio books. My library also has a roku app called Kanopy for streaming movies.

#9

The Coffee Pot / Re: interesting purchase you m...

Last post by maryslittlegarden - December 09, 2023, 12:31:33 PM

4 Fiesta ware dinner plates at the thrift shop

I've always wanted some of those. But I don't think they're microwave safe.

The fiestaware I have is new enough to be microwave safe.  https://fiestafactorydirect.com/pages/faq-use-care#:~:text=Is%20my%20Fiesta%C2%AE%20Dinnerware,a%20broad%20range%20of%20functionality.

#10

The Coffee Pot / Re: interesting purchase you m...

Last post by maryslittlegarden - December 09, 2023, 12:30:24 PM

4 Fiesta ware dinner plates at the thrift shop

Old ones ?

I googled fiesta ware and the old pieces are radioactive. Supposed to be safe unless chipped.

They are newer ones I think.  They have the fiesta ware stamp on the bottom and "lead free" so hopefully are good.