The naval base shooting and the UPS driver abducted by jewelry store thieves made national headlines in the past couple of days. I’m not ignoring these stories; they are all over the news and if you are interested in following them you probably already are. I may someday comment on the impeachment proceedings but for the time being what I like to do is draw attention to things you might otherwise miss or to those bright spots that are worth dwelling on even if you’ve already seen them. I want to set the tone for all of us to enjoy the weekend. I grew up watching cartoons on Saturday morning and believe that Saturdays are something special, a break from daily routine even if there is work to be done. If you enjoy a little light reading, and maybe cracking a smile, join us right here each week. Invite a friend, we’ll all go.
Limited Time Only – No paid product endorsement, I tried this and liked it. Coca-cola calls it a “hint of cinnamon” but, well, some people can’t take a hint. I think it hits the cinnamon pretty hard but again, I like it. And if you happen to have vanilla ice cream and wonder what a Cinnamon Coke float would taste like, I highly recommend going for that as well. We enjoyed this flavor better than Winter Spiced Cranberry Sprite or even cranberry ginger ale from Canada Dry. Hopefully this comes back next year. Hey, it’s no dumber than pumpkin spice. Continue reading
Watch too much Alton Brown and you too may find yourself taking selfies with vegetables. What really happened is that I cut up several different raw vegetables and put together a veggie platter. True story: a few years ago I was cutting up bell peppers, broccoli, cucumbers and baby carrots to make a similar tray for an event. My mother asked if people really ate raw bell peppers like that. I pointed out the round section in the middle of the empty plastic tray and told her that space was for a cup of ranch dressing. “People will eat rubber car tires if they can dip them in ranch dressing.” She said I was probably right.
Anson Hugh Laytner is a retired Jewish rabbi. One’s initial reaction might be “This is not Christian theology.” Firstly, Laytner anticipates a Jewish and Christian audience. He describes himself as a skeptical but spiritual person thus the intended audience may go beyond Christian or Jewish to include anyone struggling with questions and looking for answers. More to the point in this context, Christian theology grew out of Hebrew history, ritual, literature and Jewish theology in the first century. Laytner is aware of the relationship. As he begins a section describing Radical Monotheism he mentions the Tanakh and then inserts in parenthesis “the Jewish Bible, similar to the Christian Old Testament.” The search for meaning and understanding is practically universal among people everywhere and Laytner’s process may benefit any reader wrestling with the same issues. 
The Hallmark Channels are showing nothing but Christmas movies, decorations have started appearing… I don’t even fight that battle anymore. I tried and lost. Sirius XM has started their Holly station on channel 65. Holly plays mostly modern Christmas pop but they throw in well known tunes by Elvis, Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams as well. As we get closer to Christmas more seasonal channels will be added, such as traditional, religious and even a Hallmark Christmas radio channel.
