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flamingswordkatesthoughts I managed to clean most of my small bathroom. Most of the living room, and my bedroom. I need to finish making the bed and folding the remaining clothes. I am slowly decluttering the office. I managed to get rid of some old catalogs and last Year’s Milford Living Magazine. I have more work to complete, and I will continue it tomorrow.
I've been texting with Mama Roberta this week. She sent me some beautiful baby pictures of her granddaughter. Mama just had her 4th round of Chemo Friday. It is unclear if it exhausted her as much as the previous week, but she was able to attend a dinner meetup. I'm hesitant to call her because I don't know if she's undergoing chemo or recuperating.
It's almost 11, and I haven't done much. I spent the evening watching TV and surfing the net. I discovered that a woman I know from the Ladies Guild lost her husband last week and his services are next week. I emailed President Martha the information.
I'm sleeping on the couch tonight. I was too lazy to make the bed. Sky is on the cat tree. He did his nightly roaming about an hour ago.
I will clean the kitchen tomorrow. I nearly slid on something spilling water and luckily didn’t fall or break anything
katesthoughtsFlag Day is observed on June 14th in the United States to honor the adoption of the national flag by resolution of the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. The Flag Resolution declared that the flag of the thirteen United States would have thirteen alternating red and white stripes, and thirteen white stars in a blue field, symbolizing a new constellation.
The holiday was proposed in 1861 to garner support for the Union during the American Civil War. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day. National Flag Day was officially established by an Act of Congress on August 3, 1949. Pennsylvania was the first state to celebrate Flag Day as a holiday on June 14, 1937.
Flag Day isn't a federal holiday, but the president can proclaim its observance through federal law. The United States Army also commemorates its founding on this date.
The flag of the United States symbolizes courage, unity, and the nation's commitment to its homeland, heritage, history, and values. This week, as we respectfully acknowledge our flag, we commemorate nearly 250 years of bravery, sacrifice, and patriotism that it has inspired.
A large parade is scheduled to take place today in Washington, D.C. It is also ‘supposedly’ to celebrate the current President’s Birthday. Forgive me but I will have to pass on that one. A Hard Pass.
Unfortunately, I have not displayed my flag because I lack an appropriate flag holder. I am not attaching it to my railing.
It is raining today, which is not surprising. It appears to be the usual way. I remember years ago that it rained every weekend for several weeks.
As most Saturday’s today is House Cleaning. I have done the laundry. I need to finish folding and storing it. I am almost done vacuuming the bathroom and the kitchen are next.
I plan to go through old papers and files to declutter the office, then focus on the budgets. I have some big challenges (car insurance) coming up.
Then I plan on taking it easy.
I saw some carpenter ants in the bathroom today, I will have to let Next Door Don know. I told him about the earlier ones in the week.
katesthoughtsLast week was the University’s Spirit Week and Employee Appreciation Day. What is Spirit Week?
Yale's Staff Spirit Week is a week-long celebration recognizing and thanking the university's staff for their dedication and contributions. It features various events, including Staff Appreciation Day, campus games, and activities aimed at boosting morale and community spirit. The week typically includes a main event, like Staff Appreciation Day on Old Campus, with food, music, and other fun activities.
Some of us went around Noon time. Some of us are walking (not me) and others are taking the shuttle over.
This year’s Spirit Week was no exception, with an impressive turnout and a lively atmosphere that made it a memorable event for everyone involved. The blend of camaraderie and celebration was palpable as colleagues gathered to enjoy the festivities and reconnect in person.
The menu was excellent. It's catered by Bear's Smokehouse Barbeque. Pulled chicken over corn bread and macaroni.
The energy was infectious, with laughter echoing across the campus as staff engaged in games, shared stories, and sampled delicious treats. Booths were set up showcasing various initiatives and programs, adding an enriching layer to the festivities. Live performances added a melodic backdrop, rounding out the experience with rhythm and joy.
I was able to have a picture taken with some of my colleagues and it can be found on my Facebook page.
At least the weather held out that day because that weekend and into the beginning of this week we had rain. The Forecast calls for rain tonight and tomorrow. The Temperatures ranged from the 60’s to the 80s
The rest of the work week was aggravating. Several of us had printing issues. Some new code had to be inputted and then it would let us print. Mine was finished by Tuesday. Now the scanning computer screen isn’t turning on. Everything else is working but apparently the Lavoro updated. It's beeping constantly, just loudly enough to be annoying. I I have been using AC’s while she is out. I will email ITS on Monday.
Late last week, I received a text message from Elia V, my union leader, requesting that I perform a favor for her. That was to pick up JT the next morning from a Shelter and bring her to work. JT had problems with current Asshole. Thus, I consented. She explained what happened, and it made me angry. JT has been working very hard to get her work life together and get her personal life together. I didn’t see why I couldn’t help. It went well for two days but JT did say she was getting an Uber for now. Elia expressed her appreciation for the help.
Only time will tell. I hope JT can leave the guy for good.
ecosophia
As mentioned in my earlier post on the England trip, one of the things I did in Glastonbury was the consecration of a new bishop in the Universal Gnostic Church: as far as I know, the first bishop in the tradition in Europe. Regine Becher -- that's her on the left -- lives in Karlsbad, Germany; regular readers here will know her by her Dreamwidth handle, Milkyway1. Many of you may know that she's been extremely active in the Modern Order of Essenes, teaching an online class in the Essene work and doing a great deal of healing practice as well. Thus I was delighted to have the chance to ordain and consecrate her while I was in England. 
ravena_kademarthawellsecosophia
Welcome back to Frugal Friday! This is a weekly forum post to encourage people to share tips on saving money, especially but not only by doing stuff yourself. A new post will be going up every Friday, and will remain active until the next one goes up. Contributions will be moderated, of course, and I have some simple rules to offer, which may change further as we proceed.
ecosophia
Yes, I'm back home in East Providence, RI, now. As promised earlier, here are a few of the details. 
Glastonbury is weird. This will doubtless explain why I like it so much. It hasn't changed appreciably since my two earlier visits; the used book stores are still packed with obscure occult tomes, and eccentrics parade down the streets, so I fit right in. The various ancient sites haven't gotten any younger, and of course neither have I -- I climbed the Tor in decent time, but had to stop and rest twice on the way up, which I hadn't needed the last two times.
I had two book signings in London, one at Watkins Books on the 3rd and the other at Atlantis Bookshop on the 4th. Both were well attended. The second was enlivened by two people fainting -- they're both fine now. Then it was off to Glastonbury, carpooling through London traffic and then through green countryside and dubious roads into the west. Readers and friends started turning up almost immediately on my arrival. So did pints of Mena Dhu, a Cornish stout that makes Guinness seem just a little thin and pale. (You can literally eat the foam by the spoonful.) Friday we wandered through the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, visited the White Spring, and then climbed the Tor; Saturday and Sunday we met, around fifty of us, at the Glastonbury Assembly Rooms for a variety of talks, and then went to the George and Pilgrims, a fifteenth-century pub, to talk until closing time. I also did Essene Apprentice attunements for eight people, ordained two Gnostic priests, and consecrated a Gnostic bishop. (I'll give her a proper announcement sometime soon.) 
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communityactionusa seems to be somewhere to keep up with protests and join letter writing campaigns.scripsiAs usual, almost half a month until I get to my monthly reading post… Oh well. I read more again, which is nice, but I seem to have developed a habit of picking up books, reading half of it, and then forgetting about them. I always read more than one book at any given time, but this is ridiculous! Anyway, in April I finished these books, all new to me:
Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny. This is the 14th book of The Inspector Gamache series, which I have been slowly reading through the past 2 years. I read the first four books years ago one after another, and grew tired of them, so when I went back to them I I decided to pace myself. I re-read the first books and then continued, and have enjoyed them. In case you haven’t read Penny, she is a Canadian author, and most of the books centers around a village, Three Pines, close to the border to the USA. It’s pretty much an ideal place, with a bistro serving yummy food (don’t read if you're hungry), friendship and art. And of course murder. In this book Inspector Gamache finds himself the executor of a very strange will of a woman he never met. There is a very new murder, but also a very old mystery, which was intriguing, but I still had a hard time getting through the book. Partly because the mystery didn’t pick up steam until after ⅔ of the book, but also because of a sub-plot about fentanyl smuggling which has lasted several books, and that I don’t care for at all.
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. Someone recommended this book to me and it’s been in my to-read pile since forever. When I finally picked it up I finished it in two days, reading until 3 in the night. It has been a long time since I did that. Easily the best book I have read this year.
Opal is a young woman working a dead end job in a dead end town in Kentucky. Her main focus is to get enough money to get her young brother to a good school and eventually a better life. But she also has a fascination for Starling House, a mysterious manor house built by the equally mysterious Eleanor Starling who in the late 19th century wrote a very strange children’s book, before she disappeared. Needless to say Opal finds herself entangled with Starling House in a very Gothic story. I loved everything about this story, from the plot, the language and the characters. I also found the ending satisfying, which I often think is the weakest spot in Gothic novels.
The Ten thousand Doors of January also by Alix E. Harrow. As I already had this book by Harrow, I went straight to it after Starling House. It’s set in the early 20th century and follows January as she grows up in her wealthy guardian house while her father, who works for him, travels the world to bring back artefacts. Though January is well treated, she chafes agaínst the restraints put on her. She also, once, found a door to another world, though that door is immediately destroyed. One day she finds a book about a girl who also finds doors to other worlds, and as January’s world is turned on its head, she slowly realises she has a very real connection to the book.
I didn’t like The Ten thousand Doors of January quite as much as Starling House, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I did, a lot, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Build A Flower by Lucia Bakrazarand Pappersblommor (Paper flowers) by Sofia Vusir Jansson. Both are non-fiction books about how to make paper flowers from crepe paper. There’s this amazingly talented woman in Sweden that makes paper flowers that are so lifelike, I felt inspired to try to make themselves. So far I have produced a poppy, which I’m pleased with for being the first try ever. Not that I need a new hobby, but at least it’s a fairly inexpensive one, and for a sewist it’s quite the thrill to finish a project in an hour… I plan to do a couple of rehearsal flowers, trying different ones, and eventually create a flower arrangement for a decorative pot we have that is cracked so you can’t have live flowers in it. Both these books were informative and easy to read.
ravena_kadeflamingswordprofiterole_readslycomingstravena_kadeflamingswordflamingsword - Headaches again and 5wants/5needskatesthoughts - I am done for the daykatesthoughts - Flag Day 2025archaeologist_d - cataract surgery updatekatesthoughts - Spirit week at the Universityecosophia - Universal Gnostic Church: A Fourth Bishopravena_kade - (no subject)archaeologist_d - April 12 - Gloucestermarthawells - Murderbot Dayecosophia - Frugal Fridayecosophia - Back from Englandsabethea - (no subject)scripsi - What I have been reading, May editionravena_kade - (no subject)flamingsword - US Politics: Vaccine Advisory Committee decimation.liriaen - Streaming rec: Le otto montagneprofiterole_reads - The Dark Touch by Beth Rosslycomingst - (no subject)ravena_kade - (no subject)flamingsword - Unfollowing. Feel free to do the same.timeasmymeasure
