Tag: Indianapolis

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6 THINGS BRING HOPE FOR 2021

Everyone agrees that 2020 is a year we would rather forget. The social isolation of the pandemic, and subsequent economic and mental anguish has brought the entire world to a standstill. And yet,  6 things bring hope for 2021.

6 things bring hope for 2021
6 things bring hope for 2021. Indy has just landed the entire NCAA tournament.

1. Indy just landed the entire NCAA Men’s Basketball tourney. Who says Indianapolis is a hick town? This tournament is usually played throughout  the country in March. We’re talking 67 men’s college basketball games, all to be played right here in the  State of Indiana. Love it that Indy Governor Holcomb met with NCAA President Mark Emmert and planned the whole thing back in November. Proud to be a Hoosier, and hoping more exciting things will happen for our State in the future

    2. Seeing a friend fight cancer. Some forms of cancer have a worse prognosis than others, and this was a bad one. The median survival is only 8 months. And yet he’s still here after 2 years. . We’ve watched him go through chemo, and bravely battle the disease. He walks and prays daily, keeps an upbeat attitude, and can still drive, travel and enjoy life.

3.  Indoor gardening. I love seeing greenery inside the house on dreary winter days. Lots of hanging planters in the windows. I have enough amaryllis bulbs to last through Spring. Watching the buds and leaves slowly emerge , inch by inch, gives me something to look forward to each day. And when the gorgeous flowers finally bloom, I feel a surge of joy.

4. Mastering a mean omelet. I’ve always loved omelets, but never could get one to turn out smoothly. Mine always fell apart somewhere, and ended as a jumbled up mess on the plate. Finally, I found an omelet lesson on you tube that actually worked. My cheese omelet last night was smooth, perfectly done, and slid right onto a plate. I’m not too old to improve my cooking skills.!

5. Vaccine.  2020 has been a lost year for everyone. Too many people have died from Covid-19. My grandchildren missed out on a whole year of in-person schooling.. Folks have lost jobs, are going hungry, and losing their homes. The vaccines for Covid-19 give us hope for a return to normalcy by the end of this year.

6. 2020 election is over. The spam phone calls from politicians at all hours of the day and night have finally stopped. I’m still getting emails from The Trump folks, but I believe those will end after Biden’s inauguration. Whether or not you like the outcome of the election, you won’t have to endure all those invasions of privacy by activists who call, knock on your door, post on your Facebook, and clog up your email account

Better things are coming in 2021!

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CATHOLIC CHURCH’S DOUBLE STANDARD

Most Hoosiers know about  the lawsuits against a Catholic high school in Indianapolis. The plaintiffs are  a couple of lesbian  faculty members  who were fired for being in same sex marriages. On the other hand,  Notre Dame has recently hired openly gay Pete Buttigieg as a teacher and researcher.   Does that make sense? What do you make of the Catholic Church’s incomprehensible double standard?

Even though it’s been decades since I’ve been a practicing Catholic, I know  where they are coming from.  While  attending parochial schools for the first twelve years of my life,  we were admonished to avoid “sins of the flesh.”    As an example,  entertaining even  one ” impure thought” was considered a mortal sin.  Which would send you straight to hell.  Is there a single teenager in this world who has never thought about sex?  I could critique at length their stance on sexuality, but it would take up far more space than is possible in a simple blog.  Nevertheless, if you choose Catholicism as your religion, you have a right to practice as you see fit.  And that includes sending your kid to a high school where lay teachers provide the desired example:  straight, married sex.  Nothing else.

Catholic Church"s double standard is incomprehensible.
Catholic Church’s Double Standard. They’ve hired a gay man at one school, while firing two lesbians at another.

Do I agree with their dogma?  Of course not.  Just as I don’t agree with the Amish who refuse to accept modern lifestyles and choose to live in the past.  But I respect their  right to raise their children according to their religious beliefs.  Why, would a gay person want to work in one of their schools?  It boggles the mind.  Pete Buttigieg could probably have landed a job at any Ivy League College.  Why did he choose to work at Notre Dame?  Maybe he’s making a statement.  Or he’s still paying off a mortgage in South Bend.   I dunno.

The argument is that since parochial schools receive some taxpayer money, they can’t discriminate on the basis of their religious beliefs.  But the fact is, they aren’t totally supported by tax dollars.  And if all the parochial schools were to close, the public school system would be overwhelmed by the cost of educating these new students.

Back to double standards. Here’s what it looks like from my admittedly biased viewpoint. If you are a  lesbian woman, you can’t work in a Catholic high school.  If you are a prominent gay male politician, you can get  a job  at a prestigious Catholic college.  Period.  That’s all there is to the Catholic Church’s incomprehensible Double Standard.

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Help! Squirrels Are Eating Our House

Who doesn’t love squirrels?  For years, we’ve put out ears of corn to keep them fat and happy.  And then, a few weeks ago, we opened our side door and two squirrels scampered away. We were amused by these frisky little fellows playing  on our porch.  But when we returned from a Thanksgiving holiday in Indianapolis  and began to unpack, we saw a gaping hole at the square  base of a porch pillar.  Looking closer, we saw another hole on the side.  It was puzzling.  Years ago, wasps had eaten away that same base, causing the pillar to collapse.   But wasps in the snow?  It didn’t make sense.   And then it dawned on us. Help! Squirrels are eating our house.

We found squirrels eating our porch
SQUIRRELS CAN DAMAGE YOUR HOUSE

We turned to the internet to confirm our suspicions.  And sure enough, there were pages of horror stories about squirrels eating you out of house and home.  One person had to spend $10,000 replacing a squirrel damaged roof.  Apparently, squirrels will eat wires, man made wood, asphalt shingles and lots of other things in your house.

One squirrel lover sternly admonished that it was our own fault for not providing enough squirrel food.  The critters were eating wood because they were hungry. Guiltily, we realized we hadn’t provided the ears of corn this year.  But wait a minute, thanks to our neighbors’  trees, our yard is full of black walnuts and acorns.  You’d think that would satisfy their hunger pangs.  Other experts stated that the squirrels eat wood to sharpen their teeth. That doesn’t make much sense, with numerous surrounding tree branches to chew on.

I hopped in the car and headed for Rural King.  As I was getting a bag of  free popcorn, I asked a salesperson if they had a product to help someone who had squirrels eating their house. Nearby customers looked at me with astonishment.  They had never heard of such a thing.  But sure enough, there is a  pepper spray squirrel repellent.   No, you don’t spray it on the animal, but on the wood, so that it doesn’t taste very good.  Trouble is, rain and snow washes it away, so we will be going through lots of the squirrel repellent  this winter.  For good measure, we covered the holes with duct tape.

Do you suppose that will solve the problem?  Or will the squirrels keep munching away? Only time will tell.