+Gene's in the audience!

One of the camera operators on today's Ellen DeGeneres Show was definitely on the ball and knows his or her bishops! Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire was in the audience of Ellen's show today, in his bishop's magenta shirt and white collar, having a hysterically good moment with the rest of the audience. Good thing my Episcopal mind is programmed to notice clergy when we see them, in or out of the collar--and in a Los Angeles flashbulb moment! Good thing too that I didn't blink or I would have missed him altogether. I think it would be a hoot if more clergy showed up at Ellen's show, maybe to plug the MDG's or ONE Episcopalian Campaign. I know in my heart that Ellen
would go for it since she has the true heart of a humanitarian given all her fund-raising for various but worthwhile causes. I think that is why people, gay or otherwise, appreciate Ellen so much: she simply loves everyone and accepts them as they are.

And she puts her wallet where the needs are in this country or around the world. Thank you Ellen for showing us how we should be in our giving and our compassion. And thank you +Gene for showing
up on a great talk show.

To you both, hat tip.

Pictures of the little rabbits as promised...

Well, here they are. My 4 week old charges that God has seen fit to give me for the time being. They are lovely furry wonders, so full of themselves and their individual personalities as to make the softest of hearts weep motherhood! Today we know the gender of each and it was sort of what I had guessed. Chappy [white with various spots and brown mustache] is a boy, as
is Whitey, the albino. Shamus [the brindle] will need a name alteration as the previous "he" is really a "she", so I think I shall amend her name to Chamois [pronounced "shammy"] for the sake of propriety. And why they are both hiding in the bathroom is beyond me. They are very gentle and healthy, which is all a mom could ask for, right? Right.

Return of the Native and then some...

Writing droughts are a bit inconvenient don't you think? But then it doesn't help at all when you cannot think of blessed thing to put to paper either. It is definitely fall as the Japanese maples are already shedding leaves and the birds are hanging about waiting for the free handout, after all the sign does say "National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat" and we all know that the fauna can read as well as SEE the statue of St Francis of Assisi and all he means to creatures, great and small. They can read the "Beware of Dog" sign too but know that a Shih Tzu can truly constitute no real threat to anyone either.

Despite the cooler weather the flora continues to flourish...

Apparently some of the more domestically feral wildlife is also flourishing as can be proven by three new infant bunny charges now in my care. Rescued from my neighbor's huge orange feline [known to me as the Big Orange Menace to small creature everywhere...] by said neighbor, I now have the blessing of fostering Chappy [a white with charcoal markings and a brown mustache],Shamus [a brindle of black, charcoal and brown, great for camo subterfuge],both of which fit into my hand, and Whitey [a rare albino the size of a business card wallet]. Two of my dear friends in town decided that since I could not locate a rabbit rehabilitation person or group in southern Oregon, decided I needed a habitat for these wee furry feedbags and bestowed upon my domicile a lovely and large accommodation for said residents. Plenty of room for scrambling and doing binkies, stretching and sleeping as well as the consumption of various meals and the elimination thereof. A virtual spa for the result of God's sense of whimsy during creation. Pictures will be forthcoming at some point, so stay tuned.

I missed the blessing of the animals at Trinity, my parish church this last Sunday on the labyrinth but I know they are blessings anyway. It is an event in Ashland that truly draws the community together regardless of one's belief system. And the weather was reportedly perfect. Can't ask for more of a blessing than that when you have furry and feathered and scaly friends to bring for their yearly hands-on blessing by Rev Anne.







Life is looking better these days for me, and I am thankful. I am a bit
tired of same sadness and disappointment but life is beginning to look good and full of promise again. I thank God for that with all my heart.

So, until the next missive, be of good cheer and keep out of the All Hallow's Eve goodies...it's not here yet.

Catherine +

This is a test

Of the ability to blog instantly by email. Neat. Let's see if it really
works!

Catherine+

"Live in such a way that if anyone should speak badly of you, no one would
believe it."

~Anonymous~

Mist of Sorrow: a poem

Thick mist
I can’t escape
I feel as if I drown
In the air.

A burden
So heavy
It hurts
I find no comfort.

So many people
All around
Not understanding
Not reaching out.

I have not words
To tell them
All I feel is pain
Mind-numbing pain.

Sadness so heavy
Grief so sharp
It cuts my heart
There is no healing.

I am not understood
Never have been
Never will be
To go away again

And again, and
Again
Until they get
The meaning

Of loneliness
Confinement
Of the mind
And soul.

No cup of water
No bread to eat
If I ask You
My soul now to keep.


Catherine+ 09/19/2006

On Hiatus Once Again...

Here I thought I would be "back in the saddle" with blogging again but now I am called away once again from my writing.

I wish everyone a lovely Fall and fun at football and soccer games. May you all enjoy the changing hues and tones of the season. I will be back writing hopefully soon...again. In the meantime, be kind to one another, and to the stranger in your midst as you may indeed be entertaining angels of God.

Blessings,

Catherine+

9/11: Our work is not done

Here it is. September 11, 2005, five years to the day of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the foiled attempt that ended in Shanksville, PA.

So much has been said, analyzed and commented on over the years that one is truly left with trying to come up with something original. I guess my whereabouts were not as dramatic or fortuitous as others but that just points to the ordinariness of a day in the life of a healthcare worker. I was out and about earlier than usual that day. I had to drop my dog off at a new groomer I wanted to try across town. And that was fine...the dog lived to tell his tale. As I was returning to south Medford, coming down the main north-south arterial, I was sort of listening to the morning DJ's on the soft rock station I listen to and thought that they had crossed the line of good taste by giving us this "story" about a terrorist attack on our own soil. Now, I knew it wasn't impossible because of the Oklahoma City bombing years before, but c'mon, the World Trade Center? Give me a break already. As I came through town I had to stop by the local BMW dealership to pick up a part for my car but when I got inside the building, everyone was crowded around the large TV's in the waiting area of the showroom. And there it was. No sick joke by any DJ. This was for real.

As I pulled up in my driveway, my mom opened the front door, weeping. We stood there , after I had gotten inside, and at that moment we watched the first tower collapse in disbelief. It was going to be a very long day...

Practically on that very day, people began thinking of a memorial to those who died innocently that fateful hour, in the various buildings and on the planes. There is now a concerted effort underway to fund and build this much needed memorial. Please go to http://www.buildthememorial.org/site and see what is being planned, how you can help and also hear the stories, and see the names...so that those who died that day will not be forgotten in the rebuilding of that area of Lower Manhattan.

In the comment section of this article, please feel free to share where you were on that day five years ago, and your thoughts then and now...as our own way of remembering those 3000 plus individuals--business men and women, service workers, police, fire, and rescue workers, children, clergy, and the many others who were simply on the ground walking to work or taking the subway. And let's do it for us, the living, and for America, and all the nations that were adversely affected by these acts of hate and unconscionable slaughter. As for the American spirit, long may she wave...