CS Lewis & President John Kennedy

pc: wikipedia

Author, Clive Staples Lewis, was born on November 29, 1898.  His day of death was largely overshadowed by the assassination of President John F Kennedy on the same day (November 22, 1963), approximately 55 minutes after Mr Lewis collapsed. 

Based on  the authority of holy scripture, I can say that one man was eternally saved in Christ, while the other perished into an awful Christ-less eternity.  Good works, fame, family wealth and earthly power had no bearing whatsoever. "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus]: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. -- Mere Christianity

C S Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia





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MacKenzie-Childs: Parchment Check Collection, Part 1

While on a tour of the MacKenzie-Childs Farmhouse, I saw their beautiful Parchment Check  items here and there.  I wish I owned more pieces from this prettiest of patterns by MacKenzie-Childs. 

The Parchment Check  coffee mugs below are particularly cute IMO, but they are no longer available on the MacKenzie-Childs web site. 

as displayed at the MC farmhouse

I'd like these coffee mugs as a match to my courtly check mug

Had to find them elsewhere, and thank God they popped up online recently. Rumor has it that the entire pattern is on its way out permanently.  Thus, I paid a little on the high side. Items not quite as perfect as I'd expected.  Made my complaint known to the Seller who gave me pretty much a suck-it-up-buttercup response. Sigh. 

I found a little blurb online that gave me a peek at his background.  This guy has had difficulty in the past couple of years, including getting arrested. I now feel sorry for him. If the Judge, Lawyers, and Police are as bad as this article  implies, they'll get their own day in court someday.  God will be the ultimate Judge.

Excuse the nasty tone/words of the writer: 

A Day in the Life of a Dad in Connecticut Family Court

"For there is no respect of persons with God."

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TBT: Cologne, Germany & Me

First, to properly pronounce the town of Cologne's name, click H E R E.  
It is not how we Westerners would usually do it. My DIL, who is German, says it perfectly.

Second, the Fox News post below prompted a memory of Sis' father-in-law's warning during our visit to Germany approximately 1 year ago. Americans are generally disliked by the people of Cologne  and for good reason.  The town was devastatingly destroyed and flattened, and many thousands were killed or homeless during World War 2 because of the Allies.

The Allies dropped 44,923.2 tons of bombs on the city during World War II, destroying 61% of its built up area. During the Bombing of Cologne in World War II, Cologne endured 262 air raids by the Western Allies, which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and almost completely wiped out the central part of the city. During the night of 31 May 1942, Cologne was the target of "Operation Millennium", the first 1,000 bomber raid by the Royal Air Force in World War II. 1,046 heavy bombers attacked their target with 1,455 tons of explosives, approximately two-thirds of which were incendiary. This raid lasted about 75 minutes, destroyed 600 acres of built-up area (61%), killed 486 civilians and made 59,000 people homeless. - wikipedia

World War II veteran Clarence Smoyer, 95, received the Bronze Star Medal on Wednesday for his heroic actions that helped destroy a German tank and take the crucial city of Cologne.

Smoyer was a tank gunner with the famous "Eagle 7" M26 Pershing tank crew, which blew up a Nazi Panther tank that had killed several American soldiers on March 6, 1945. 

His lieutenant told them, "'Gentlemen, I give you Cologne. Let's knock the hell out of it,' and we obliged," Smoyer told the Defense Department following the event at the National World War II Memorial in Washington.

I am thankful that historic Cologne Cathedral remains standing though it sustained 14 aerial bomb hits during WW2. No, I am not a Catholic; I admire it for its historical significance and as a great example of gothic architecture. 

From the air during the War, it was an easily distinguished landmark. (pc: wikipedia)

And I will restore to you

 the years that the locust hath eaten...

Joel 2

Cologne, Germany

Cologne Cathedral

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LIST: Top 20 Travel Destinations per AIRBNB

Surprisingly, Paris, France did not make it on this list for either Yr 2019 nor Yr 2020.  Surely people are missing-out on a fabulous city; one that remains the travel destination for many from around the globe.  But then, the Parisian visitors may not be using AIRBNB??

I am also very surprised at who got the #1 spot; but further reading gave the explanation.  BTW, years ago, I worked with a gal whose parents went to this town on their honeymoon.  She was so embarrassed on their behalf 'coz  in her estimation it was low on the totem-pole of exciting cities to visit, LoL. 
Personally, #5, #8, #17 and #18 are on my bucket list. May the Lord God make it possible!

20 for 2020: Airbnb Reveals the 20 Destinations to Visit Next Year (w/ links) :

1. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

2. Bilbao, Spain

3. Buriram, Thailand

4. Sunbury, Victoria, Australia

5. Romania

pc: wikipedia

6. Xi'an, China

7. Eugene, Oregon, USA

8. Luxembourg

9.  Guadalajara, Mexico

10.  Vanuatu

11.  Cali, Colombia

12.  Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

13.  Aberdeen, Scotland

14.  Courtenay, BC, Canada

15.  Ubatuba, Brazil

16.  Les Contamines-Montjoie, France

17.  Tokyo, Japan

18. Kerala, India

19.  Malindi, Kenya

20.  Maastricht, Netherlands

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

James 4:14-15

Airbnb's Trend Predictions are In for 2020

Millennial Travel Destination 2019

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The Best US Cities for Thrifting

Protea flowers with Asian vase

As many of us shop-till-we-drop during the holiday season, one idea to lessen the expense of purchasing Christmas gifts for many is to peruse and purchase from re-sale shops. Thrift is always in! 

Do you live near any these cities?

According to our data, the top five cities for thrifting in the U.S. are Riverside, CA, Atlanta, GA, Columbus, OH, Orlando, FL, and Tampa, FL. While we’re proud to see a California city represent the top spot, it was interesting to note that some smaller cities made the cut, such as Columbus and Orlando, while New York City wasn’t even in the top 25. 

With a high score of 37 out of 50, Riverside came out on top as the best city for thrift shopping in the United States. It has a decent number of thrift stores per 100,000 people, strong Yelp ratings, lower prices than many other cities, including Los Angeles, and the most home organization services in the country per 100,000 people by a landslide. - Joybird

a few of my own thrift-store finds in my area

Read the entire Joybird article H E R E

Every wise woman buildeth her house: 

but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

Proverbs 14:1

Joybird: Best Cities for Thrifting

List: Best Cities for Thrift Shopping

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Care of Echeveria Plants

pc: COSTCO

My trio of succulents from COSTCO  became a duo, waaah!! 

Bye, Bye, beautiful Echeveria Orion.  My ignorance and overwatering probably did it in. So, I had to try again with another Echeveria plant. 

This time, I bought an  Echeveria Agavoides from Mariano's. 

pc: Britannica

Here is a short article on the care and propagation of ECHEVERIA. 

Bottom line: 

- do not overwater; 

- watch out for MEALYBUGS 

How to Grow and Care for Echeveria Plants

Ways to Keep Your Succulents Alive and Thriving

How to Get Rid of Mealybugs

4.01.19.2020

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Maltichon Dog's Haircut

I am similar to another family member in that there comes a point when enough is enough -- long locks be gone! Out with the hair clippers, in with a better-looking, groomed Pup.

BEFORE

our pretty Miel (honey, in Spanish)

Maltichon: characteristics

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LIST: Best Holiday Décor Store In Each State

Public Service post: 

A.  Early Holiday decorating does your soul and body good. Read about it H E R E. 

 B.  Where you live in the USA has that one store that tops the list as the best store for Holiday Decor shopping. 

'Tis always the season to be jolly if you ask me and a lot of year-round Christmas and holiday shops would certainly say the same. Because it's never too early to feel the magic of the season, especially if that means picking up the hottest home decor to deck your halls.

Of course, no matter where you live there's a different store that brings all the merriness and brightness, so compiling a list of the 50 best, one from each state, was a necessity. Yelp helped us do so by looking at the star rating and number of reviews for businesses mentioning "holiday decorating." The results are nothing short of magical and will certainly get you into the holiday spirit.  -- House Beautiful

1Alabama: Dixie Wreaths by Marypat

@DIXIEWREATHSBYMARYPATFACEBOOK

"I love my wreath made by Marypat...They are all handmade and shipped to me with care. They are very detailed and many of my friends loved the ones I had on my door. I will definitely order more in the future." - Judy S.

VISIT
107 Eden Lane
Huntsville, AL 35811
2 Alaska: Santa Claus House

YELP/ED L.

"It's your childhood dreams coming true! It's always Christmas in here. Lots of decor items and you can get a picture clicked with Santa all year round. Make sure to check out the reindeer!" - Anisha R.

VISIT

101 Saint Nicholas Drive

North Pole, AK 99705

3 Arizona: Feliz Navidad Sedona

@FELIZNAVIDADSEDONAINSTAGRAM

"Love me a year-round Christmas store. The store was so cute! I wandered around and saw ornaments, decorations, large Santas, and tons of unique Arizona style decor. Some things are pricey but they have items for any budget." - Phylicia K.

VISIT
336 State Rte 179, Suite A116
Sedona, AZ 86336

4 Arkansas: Handmade Holiday Shop

YELP/KATRINA H.

"This is a must find shop for all of your holiday shopping. There is something here for that person that is impossible to shop for. Locally made art and craft at its best! Jewelry, pottery, soap, leather, so much goodness!" - Adam M.

VISIT
239 Central Avenue
Hot Springs, AR 71901

5 California: Roger's Gardens

YELP/TAMI D.

"This was a wonderful way to start the holiday. With the most brilliant Christmas lights and decorations I'd ever seen in one place, Roger's Gardens was a delight for the senses." - Tami D.

VISIT

2301 San Joaquin Hills Road

Corona Del Mar, CA 92625

See entire list for all 50 US states H E R E

YELP/AJA M.

Best Holiday Décor Store In Every State

Decorating Early for Christmas is Good for You

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