18 January 2018

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 18 January 2018

Planning to be heading out soon.  The monthly "get groceries for the month"  usual day was Tuesday.  Didn't happen, so yesterday was the planned reschedule.  Which also didn't happen. So, the plan is to try for today.  .................... 


And we left almost immediately after I put that down (and some stuff below, so things are out of order.  Sorry.).
So, off we went.  Pharmacy first, pick up refills for two of her meds, three of mine.  A 3-month supply of both, so that's covered.  Then pick up things like bread, milk, burger buns, etc.  Nothing fancy, but the necessities are pretty well covered for the next month.  Plan is to hit the local grocery tomorrow (or Saturday, we shall see) and pick up a couple items that they have on a pretty good sale.  That should cover most of our requirements for the next month.  Probably get some gas the early part of the week.
Now, we are a bit skittish.  First of all, we still have no water.  None, nary a drop.  Just got the water bill, and it seems likely that we had a leak going before we knew it: the bill is for nearly TWICE our normal.  So we're trying to be very careful about expenditures because we HAVE to get that fixed.  I went next door this afternoon while Wife was "watching" the great-niece and great-nephew.  Got three loads of wash clean, and one dried.  So I'll probably run to the laundromat tomorrow morning and get stuff dried.  But this is lousy way to have to do stuff.  I hauled as much water over in buckets and pitchers as I could, so we have cooking and washing and flushing water for another day.  Again,not a great way to have to live.  (but we've both been through much worse).
The second reason we're a bit skittish right now has to do with events far from here.  A good bit of our monthly income is the couple hundred dollars of SS Disability she receives based upon her serious and worsening medical conditions, legal blindness being just one.  But the political wrangling in D.C. may mean that the pittance we would normally receive next week may not be coming after all.  So we're admittedly concerned.  But, we shall survive.

Yesterday was "interesting".
Wife had an appointment with one of her specialist doctors.  Way down near the southern edge of the county south of here, so a longer drive than I like, over roads with awful potholes, areas with way too much snow remaining, and sections that are smooth only because they're sheets of  black ice.  But we made it, and on time at that.  Spent an hour there.
Then spent the better part of an hour heading back towards the house, heading past it toward the pharmacy and the big box store.  Until we got a call from next-door Niece.  Gas company was back.  Her gas lines were frozen up.  So were ours.  So no heat.  Again!  They worked on things for a while (remember, they'd been out there working up and down the street just last week, then were here again Monday) and got us flowing again.  By the time they were done, sundown was approaching, and I just didn't feel like driving on black ice in the dark.  I've done it, put in more than a few years of doing in 8 hours a night, but I was 35 or more years younger then.  And stupid.
So we've going to try this excursion again today.  She and I both have medicine refills waiting for us at that pharmacy, and we need them, so we intend to try once more.
Gas company guy told us that they're planning to come by again on Tuesday, in a predicted thaw spell, and attempt to burrow under the road and connect the lines on our side, the low pressure side, to the high  pressure line across the road, in the belief (hope) that the pressure will be adequate to prevent intrusion of the water that is troubling all of us.  It would certainly be nice.
Meanwhile, we still have no water.  Hauling buckets and pitchers from next door to have what's needed for washing and cooking and flushing is getting to be just a bit  old.  How much of our problem was a result of the heat problems caused by the issues with the gas lines is not known to me.  But it all seemed to happen at around the same time.


And I am still waiting for better weather.  We're not even a full month into the official Winter season, that period between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, so we have slightly over two months yet to go.  And decent weather will not arrive that day, could be another six weeks or more thereafter.  But it should mean the end to sub-zero weather.
On the other hand, I had messages from friends, former neighbors, former co-workers, etc. in places like Texas, north Florida, South Carolina, several parts of Tennessee, and central Alabama, even the area near Mobile, Alabama, showing snow, ice, cold, and whole towns and counties that declared their roads, ALL their roads, to be impassable.  Numerous companies told their people to stay home, including my former employer and their main customers.
Hate that "global warming".

But we pick up another 1 minute 40 seconds of "day"  today, and are picking up speed as we head towards the 12 hour mark of the Equinox.  So today was 9 hours 36 minutes, and tomorrow we pick up another minute and 43 seconds.  So a 10-hour "day" is not that terribly far off.

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The Old Testament reading today is chapters 35 and 36 of the Genesis.

Genesis 35

35:1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:


35:3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

35:4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

35:5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

35:6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

35:7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

35:8 But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.

35:9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.

35:10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

35:11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

35:12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

35:13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

35:14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

35:15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

35:16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor.

35:17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

35:18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

35:19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

35:20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.

35:21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

35:22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

35:23 The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:

35:24 The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:

35:25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:

35:26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.

35:27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arba, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

35:28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.

35:29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.





Genesis 36

36:1 Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

36:2 Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

36:3 And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth.

36:4 And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel;

36:5 And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.

36:6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob.

36:7 For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle.

36:8 Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.

36:9 And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir:

36:10 These are the names of Esau's sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau.

36:11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.

36:12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife.

36:13 And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.

36:14 And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.

36:15 These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,

36:16 Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah.

36:17 And these are the sons of Reuel Esau's son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.

36:18 And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esau's wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.

36:19 These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.

36:20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,

36:21 And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.

36:22 And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan's sister was Timna.

36:23 And the children of Shobal were these; Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

36:24 And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.

36:25 And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.

36:26 And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

36:27 The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan.

36:28 The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran.

36:29 These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah,

36:30 Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir.

36:31 And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

36:32 And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

36:33 And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.

36:34 And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead.

36:35 And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.

36:36 And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.

36:37 And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.


36:38 And Saul died, and Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.

36:39 And Baalhanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

36:40 And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth,

36:41 Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,

36:42 Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,

36:43 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.






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Our reading in the Poetry heading today is Psalm 14

Psalm 14

14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

14:2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

14:4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

14:5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

14:6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

14:7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.






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And our day's New Testament passage is chapter 14 in the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 14

14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,

14:2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

14:3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.

14:4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

14:5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

14:6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.

14:7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

14:8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.

14:9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.

14:10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

14:11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.

14:12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

14:13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

14:15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

14:16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

14:17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

14:18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

14:19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

14:20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

14:21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

14:22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

14:24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

14:26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

14:27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

14:29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

14:32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

14:34 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.

14:35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;

14:36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.


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