2016 Xmas Cards

My deceased grandmother used to hang up the Christmas cards she received. So I used to enjoy admiring them when I visited. Later, when I had my own apartment, I taped the cards I received on a door in the shape of a Christmas tree. Even when I visit others, especially family members, I enjoy browsing through their cards admiring the beautiful and clever ones.

In this day and age, so many no longer exchange cards nor visit during Christmas. So in an effort to somewhat continue the tradition of displaying Christmas cards, this post contains scans of the cards I received prior to Christmas.

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Written Friday 30 December 2016

Go Sound Tigers!

Once again, I drive (alone) to Bridgeport to attend the home opener of the Sound Tigers. One motivating factor is that this is only opportunity to obtain the seasonal magnetic schedule.

As usual, I park on the street a block or two from the arena and purchase a ticket in my favorite cheap seat section at the net near the glass in Section 100. Actually, there are a few rows of expensive seats in front of me.

Much to my chagrin (to put it mildly) there has been a snafu and no schedule magnets are distributed tonight. Instead, they give out paper vouchers that enable you to pick up the magnet at a future game. What a racket! Twisting management incompetence into a marketing opportunity and fan ripoff. Ooooh, professional sports....

And so I settle in to watch warmups before the start of the game. This is how I started sitting in this section: sitting directly behind the net and watching the Tigers pound the puck at the net.

Watching warmups from my seat.

Zamboni machines clean the ice before the game (and between periods).

One of the advantages of sitting this close to the ice is the closeup view when the action is at this end of the ice.

The guy at bottom left (w/glasses) is the official scorer for this side of the ice.

The downside of sitting at the end of the ice is that it is hard to see the action when the play is at the other side of the ice.

At the start of the 3rd period, I moved up to mid-ice at the top of the rink. These seats are considerably more expensive even though they are far from the ice. However, the view is more uniform (almost like watching on TV).

My seat at the start of the game would be to the right edge of this picture.

Although early in the 3rd period, the Tigers were ahead 2-0, it turned out to be a tense game. The Bruins scored with less than 2 minutes to go which made for a very exciting last minute. Fortunately, the Tigers prevailed and won 2-1.

Sound Tigers win 2016-17 Home Opener vs Providence Bruins: 2-1.

So, it turned out to be a happy game. I like this arena so much better than the one in Hartford. It just seems brighter. However, I don't know anyone here and I have to drive a while to get home while most of the fans here live a few minutes away. Still, I have many fond memories here...which is one reason why I keep returning periodically.

Postscript: I called the Sound Tigers later as per the voucher (see above) to request my schedule. A few days later, an envelope arrived in the mail with two (2!) magnet schedules-so I sent one to my son. Perhaps he'll put it on the fridge with the others and remember the good times.

2016--2016 Magnetic Schedule for Sound Tigers.

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Links:

http://www.soundtigers.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_resurfacer

https://lscluster.hockeytech.com/game_reports/official-game-report.php?client_code=ahl&game_id=1015917

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Written Sunday 1 January 2017

Thank You-New Instructions

I received a short "Thank You" note from Fr. Hattie from Nairobi, Kenya (Africa). It also includes a new mailing address for gifts to support "his orphans" in Uganda.

Letter  July 5, 2016 - Received M08-08-2016.

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As usual, I will include my transcription of the text of the letter below (however, this one is short and fairly readable as it is).

My Fr. Hattie Page contains a list of Father's letters I have received and transcribed.It also contains contact information for Fr. Hattie, as well as details on how to donate to support "his orphans" in Nsumba Uganda (but also see above and text below).

-------------------------------------------

My dear Rick:         Peace of Christ!

     Many thanks for your latest lovely & generous Gift of $*, appreciated more than you know.

     Since Sr. Christine is being transferred, from now on send your 'Orphan Gifts' to: Detroit/Chicago Province, 2050 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 2064, specifying that it is for 'Fr. Hattie's orphans' & I shall thank you as soon as I am notified by the Province Office.

Tons of love & gratitude,

Fr. Gene, SJ

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Links:

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html

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Written Easter 21 April 2019.

A Weird Week

Last week was a weird week for me.

Perhaps it was due to the heat wave or the Democratic Party convention in Philadelphia.

Thursday morning at 2 A.M. (i.e,, the middle of the night), my phone rang. My son, whom I have only talked with once in 10 months was calling. A bat had gotten in their apartment and he had shut himself off in a room to keep the bat out but he didn't want to stay (guess he was afraid the bat would get in his room). So he arrive at my place at 2:30 A.M. (i.e., the middle of the night), in tears, accompanied by a policeman who had spotted him walking. It was the first time in 10 months I have seen him (my son).

On Friday evening, I retrieved a voice message from my sister Carol in Clevo. She had a bat in her house Thursday night. Wow! Talk about coincidence. What are the odds?

Then there was a batty neighbor. Friday night/Saturday morning (at 1:30 A.M. (i.e., the middle of the night) I heard light knocking on my door and my neighbor from down the hall softly call. I ignored it and she went away but I was unable to get back to sleep because I was wondering if something was wrong-like the building on fire or something.

I ran into her again Saturday afternoon at the grocery store and she wouldn't leave me alone. I told her husband wouldn't approve. I took a different way home to avoid her. Now if you saw her, it would be obvious that she is not altogether. But today, she was way more out of it. Between 10 and 11 pm (i.e., nighttime), she was banging on my door calling for me like a dog in heat. Except I don't like her except as a neighbor (and barely at that). Even when I told her that if she didn't stop I would have to call the cops, she returned a couple more times. I was scared. What a weirdo.

I usually do my laundry Sunday afternoon and Peggy makes an appearance because she has to do a load of laundry every day or else..... And she is not content with one wash cycle-it has to be two in order to rinse out the soap. If only she was that particular about her facial hair. So, I was anxious today for fear of another possible encounter. So I kept out of the laundry room as much as possible. Didn't see her at all. Perhaps her husband realized her meds weren't working or all the booze was missing or both.

Monday, a long time internet acquaintance, the mother of six children under the age of 10, announced she divorced her husband. Thank God she lives in another state. Very sad. I could see it coming when she abandoned Catholicism and took up activist atheism.

I also visited the cemetery twice this week. Look for posts coming on my Cedar Hill Cemetery tours/walks.

Despite the lack of sleep, Wednesday night, Thursday proved to be an interesting day. I got to visit the unfinished minor league baseball stadium in town. The most astonishing thing on Thursday was passing a quiz to get continuing education credits for a webinar that I pretty much slept through. In order to get credit, a score of 8 correct answers of 10 questions  (i.e., 80%) was required. Somehow I did that, first try. I was astonished.

On Tuesday, I received a note from another sister (KAT) who responded to an article about pain management at hospice that I had sent her. She announced that "pro-life is a hot button topic that I have simply agree to disagree, as it is, to me, too charged." She does not want to narrow choices for others. Well, how nice. On the other hand, I live to keep things narrowly focused, like I want to LIVE. Please don't pull the plug on me or pull the feeding tube and let me starve to death over a week or two. I'm not that broad minded. Oh, and stay away from Mom, I kinda want her around a bit longer.

Strange days are these. Most peculiar,

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Written Sunday 31 July 2016.

Fahrenheit 451-Supplement

Cover of 60th Anniversary Edition of
the book, Fahrenheit 451.

As you know (from my recent post), when I recently finished reading the book, Fahrenheit 451, I was so impressed that I signed out the 60th Anniversary Edition from the library.

After having the book about two months, I reluctantly returned it to the library yesterday. I probably should be a copy for myself (but do I really NEED another book I've already read?). Originally, I intended to read it a second time and noting key ideas and phrases. However, since it is a rather "dark" story, I shied away from returning to it. I was not in the mood for more "deep" reading.

One reason I was interested in the 60th Anniversary Edition was the supplemental material (nearly 100 pages) that was not in the edition I read. The key difference between the 50th and 60th Anniversary Editions is the supplemental material:

• New "Introduction" by author Neil Gaiman;
• "History, Context, and Criticism" by Jonathan R. Eller (The Center for Ray Bradbury Studies) consisting of:

1. The Story of Fahrenheit 451
2. Other Voices

"The Story of F451" consists of:

• A 1953 essay by Bradbury: "The Day After Tomorrow: Why Science Fiction"
• The 1976 Listening Library Audio Introduction (by Ray Bradbury)
• The Ray Bradbury Introduction to the 1982 & 1989 editions: "Investing Dimes: Fahrenheit 451";
• "Coda" (1979) by Ray Bradbury.

"Other Voices" consists of short essays from other writers along with an essay and extracts from the journal of director Francois Truffaut about his thoughts during the production of the movie version.

+     +     +     +     +     +     +     +     +

Orville Prescott, in his 1953 New York Times Book Review, said:

"We fear the unholy powers unleashed by science. We fear the absolute power of states more tyrannical than the tyrannies of the past because they strive to rule men's minds as well as their bodies."

"[His] basic message is a plea for direct, personal experience rather than perpetual synthetic entertainment: for individual thought, action, and responsibility."

Historian, critic, and writer Gilbert Highet wrote in his 1954 review:

"...we may reach the stage of hating literature because it is an effort to assimilate, despising books because they are beyond us, changing schools into 'activity centers,' and abandoning the search for happiness because we prefer soothing or exciting pleasures"

Author Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale) said:

"The very act of reading is considered detrimental to social order because it causes people to think, and then to distrust the authorities. Instead of books, the public offered conformity via four-wall TV with the sound piped directly into their head...."

Poet Sir John Betjeman wrote:

"[Ray Bradbury] foresees an America living in cities and at war with the rest of the world."

"Interior walls are huge televisions screens. Conversation is just mutual back-slapping...No opinions, no philosophy or sociology are allowed." 

Writer Sir Kingsley Amis observed:

The lesson to be drawn from the more imaginative science fiction hells, such as Bradbury's, is not only that a society could be devised that would frustrate the active virtues, nor even that these could eventually be suppressed, but that there is in all sorts of people something that longs for that to happen."

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Links:
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2016/05/fahrenheit-451.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman
http://bradbury.iupui.edu/staff/jonathan-r-eller
http://bradbury.iupui.edu/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Truffaut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orville_Prescott
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Highet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Betjeman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsley_Amis
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Written: Sunday 17 July 2016.

Fully Alive & Kicking

Letter dated June 18, 2016
Received via mail on Thursday July 7, 2016

This is an interesting letter because it is almost virtually identical to Fr. Hattie's letter to me dated June 11, 2016. In addition, another letter was on the reverse side from "John" to Fr. Hattie reporting on a donation from a family in East Amherst, NY. It references a card that reads (in part): "Our love and prayers will be with you as you continue your wonderful work in Uganda. I'm sue you are anxious to get back and I'm sure that all there are anxiously waiting your arrival. Safe travel and good health so you can continue the work that you love."

As usual, when I scanned the letter, I added a little aqua tint to recall the days of old when his letters arrived via Aerogram. Below is my transcription of the letter for those who have a difficult time reading the type written page. I have corrected some apparent errors (original spelling in [brackets]) but if you disagree with my interpretation, please let me know. Feedback is welcome.

If you want to brave reading the actual typed copy, click on the image of the letter above. Then right click on that image, select <Open image in a new tab>. When you go to the new tab, click on the image and it will open into a larger view that facilitates easy reading.

My Fr. Hattie page contains a list of Father's letters that I have received and transcribed. It also contains contact information for Fr. Hattie plus how to donate to help support "his orphans" in Nsumba, Uganda.

---------------------------------

June 18, 2016        

My dear Rick:      Peace of Christ!

      Please, be believing, not unbelieving. Neither am I lying supine on the bottom of some sea or other; nor am I pierced on some mountain [moun-ting] jagged tops; nor [now] am I buried under bucketfuls of African mud, for I am fully alive & kicking and [a] deliriously happy to be BACK [BACH] HOME once again & for good.  I arrive late on the night of March 25 & have resettled [resettling]. BUT, it is COLD here throughout [thruout] the year and there is no way to keep warm since there is NO heat in the house. I was welcomed by 3 carloads of SJs and that was great.

     Since I am not allowed to travel alone (I'm edging 94), 1 of the nurses accompanied me from Detroit-Boston & handed me over to the young African SJ priest who was to convey me to Nairobi. And, a prince he was, treating me like a little Mother Hen. We arrived here about 10 PM & was welcomed by 3 carloads of SJs and that made me feel quite welcome. And, then to bed under 3 blankets.

     Many years ago, an Englishwoman & her daughter wanted to relocate to England so they gave us their extensive acres and 2 furnished homes. Since then many other buildings have gone up and now we have a huge Retreat. Just now 6 Retreats are ongoing, 1 of 30 days for men and women.

     Our Community is a real League of Nations; 2 Yanks & a Canadian as retirees; Indians, Africans, 2 more Yanks, an SJ Bishop from Ecuador & an SJ from Bolivia.  And, I cannot forget the sweetheart of an elderly Bavarian who spoils us rotten, so I call her Mother. Come on over & join the crowd...but with a coat.

     Since my 1000 orphans live in Uganda, our adjoining country, I haven't seen them yet. But, as soon as an SJ car goes there, I'll hitch a ride, visit them, and make a report. I also want to find my 'son' whom I adopted some years ago when he was just 5 and without a single living relative. I put him thru 4 yrs of college & built a small house for him. He was fired as Manager of a bank for causing financial loss, but a lawyer friend of mine got him free. But, 2 officials of the bank keep harassing & trying to force him to accuse a man in court whom he doesn't even know. Twice they kidnapped/tortured him & showed him guns. He knows nothing about me. I shall confront them to turn them over to the police.

     Be sure that all of you have a special niche in my daily Mass & in those of the Sisters and kids...When I get a computer, letters shouldn't take 2 weeks to arrive...Please excuse this miserable typing, for both of my hands are half-numb (& the cold doesn't help) & I have to type with only 2 fingers & 1 eye shut...In the meantime, Keep smiling & spreading His & Her love, peace and joy in every nook & corner of W. Hartford. And my love to your dear Mom.

Tons¹⁰⁰ of love & gratitude,     

Fr. Gene, SJ               

---------------------------------
Links:
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2016/07/now-back-home-in-africa.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerogram
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nations
SJ=Society of Jesus (Jesuits) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_Jesus
---------------------------------
Written: Saturday 10 August 2019.

Now Back Home (In Africa)

Letter from Fr Hattie dated June 11, 2016 received Friday July 1, 2016.

As can be seen from the letter above, Fr. Hattie made it safely back to Africa. Some of the logistics of the trip are described in an earlier post.

As usual, I have transcribed the letter below for those who find it difficult to decipher Father's typewriting. If you think I guessed incorrectly in any place, please let me know.

My Fr. Hattie page contains a list of Father's letters that I have received and transcribed. It also contains contact information for Fr. Hattie plus how to donate to support "his orphans" in Nsumba, Uganda.

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June 11, 2016                        

My dear Rick:      Peace of Christ!

     Please believe me... I am not lying supine on the bottom of any sea, nor pierced on any mountains, neither am I buried under a Bucketful of African dirt... but I now [am] safely back HOME. We arrived late on the night of May 25 & were welcomed by 3 cars of Jesuits. I WAS NOW BACK HOME.  I was accompanied to Boston by 1 of our Nurses & handed over to the young African priest who was to convey me to Kenya. He is also a Jesuit whom I had known since he was a High School boy. And, he treated me like a little mother hen all the way. Africans are very caring people.

     Some years ago, an Englishwoman & her daughter decided to relocate to England & gave the Jesuits her huge property and two magnificent homes. Now many buildings have been added & it is a huge Retreat Center. {Just now 6}  Right now there are 6 Retreats going on, 1 of 30 days for both men & women.

     Our Community is a real League of Nations..Retirees are 2 Yanks & a Canadian, Indians, 2 Americans, Africans, 1 from Bolivia, a Jesuit Bishop from Ecuador & a sweetheart of an elderly Sister/Nurse from Brazil who spoils us rotten. The ONLY difficulty is that [it] is COLD year around & we have no heat in the house. We just have to keep bundled up. I was so looking forward to the warm months of June-Aug.  only to learn, to my dismay, that they are the coldest of the year. But, I asked for it. At least, we have hot water for showering, but it is like showering in a Fridge, if you know what I mean.

     As soon as I can hitch a ride, I'll grab it & go to Uganda to see the orphans. Then I can tell you more about them. While in Uganda, too, I want to search for my 'adopted son' from [whom] I have not heard for 8 months. I suspect foul play because we used to Skype twice a week, but I haven't heard a word from him for 8 months. He was fired from a Bank for having caused a loss of $500,000, but a good lawyer friend of mine got him free. Then for 2 years, 2 Bank officials have been hounding him to accuse a man (he doesn't even know) of the theft & he refused. Twice he was kidnapped, tortured & shown guns. We used Skype 2 times a week, but no word from him for 8 months. I suspect foul play & shall take the matter to the police.

     You'll be pleased to know that I just received an anonymous gift of $78,000 thru Chicago for the orphans. God is GREAT.

     Please give my regards & love to your dear Mom when you talk to her. All of your Clan has a special remembrance in my daily Mass & prayers & in those of the Sisters & orphans. In the meantime, keep smiling & spreading His & Her love, peace & joy in every corner of W. Hartford.

Tons^100 of love & gratitude,                                        

Fr. Gene, SJ                                                

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Links:

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2016/04/leaving-for-africa-soon.html

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html

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Written Easter Sunday 21 April 2019

Civil War Ancestors Walking Tour

My picture of talk at grave of General Stedman.

Went (again) to Cedar Hill Cemetery on Thursday June 9, 2016 at 6:30 pm for the evening walking tour, Researching Your Civil War Ancestor.

Mary Falvey shared resources and tips about researching Civil War veterans while also highlighting some of the illustrious veterans buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Mary, Assistant Director of Hartford Preservation Alliance, has conducted extensive research about Hartford residents who served in the Civil War. She shares much of her research on her website, Hartford in the Civil War, and through the walking tours she has created for Cedar Hill.

I arrived a bit late (had to go home after work to change clothes and then drive to the cemetery) so I missed the introduction and a grave or two (?).

Some of the graves we visited were:

Frederick W. Hoadley - a Confederate major killed June 8, 1863 at the Battle of Vicksburg. He was raised in Hartford and the Hoadley family has ties back to the original settlers of Hartford.

Henry Ward Camp

General Griffin Stedman

See picture above. This is one of the most frequent stops on many of the walking tours of Cedar Hill Cemetery. It is a striking monument that people seem to be naturally attracted to, probably due to its realistic appearance and many details.

Although not many people attended this tour, several of those who did were Civil War and/or genealogical buffs. So there was a lot of fascinating tid bits revealed regarding history and the hunt for information about Civil War era relatives.

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Links:

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2016/06/tree-tour-at-cedar-hill.html
http://www.cedarhillcemetery.org
http://www.hartfordpreservation.org
http://hartfordinthecivilwar.com/wordpress1/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_H,_1st_Tennessee_Heavy_Artillery
http://cedarhillfoundation.org/notable-residents/henry-ward-camp/
http://cedarhillfoundation.org/notable-residents/general-griffin-stedman/
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Written Labor Day 2016 (Monday September 5th).

Done With Latin Mass

I'm done with attending the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Martha Church. The last Mass I attended was on Sunday May 1st. The purpose of this post is to attempt to summarize my reasons for leaving. In a way, this is less than a definitive description (although I think it captures the gist) since I am writing this extemporaneously (and after the fact).

I'm now attending a protestant service on Sunday. Grace Church meets at a local university. It reminds me of my experience at St. Matthias Church (no link because their web site no longer has a history page) when I was in my early 20s (we met in the gym at Green Valley Elementary School).

My Traditional Latin Mass experiment began with Christmas Eve Midnight Mass at St. Mary's Church. Due to the long distance, I turned to St. Martha Church at the beginning of 2016 since it was closer and they lacked singers for their "choir" (thus it was an opportunity for me to resume choir singing).

• Anarchy in the choir. No leadership, no rehearsal, no advance planning, no commitment by members, no recruitment or desire to grow. I learned that no one was in charge although the church's choir director acted as the organist and director. However, she later denied responsibility and essentially declared that the choir for the Traditional Latin Mass was an informal group (since she wasn't being paid for this Mass). "Rehearsal" time was limited to about a half hour before mass; that included deciding what pieces to sing (which depended on who showed up). Some of the singers were in the "official" church choir which sang at an earlier mass. The Latin Mass seemed like it more a hobby for some, because they didn't have something else better to do.

• Anarchy in the clergy. The priest who had long been involved with the Latin Mass at St. Martha's left to help out a start up contemplative order in the mid-West. The Bishop assigned a priest who was not trained in the Latin Mass to be the chaplain and say the mass. He only said Low Masses and never talked with us. He was supposed to celebrate his first High Mass on Easter but he didn't show up and we had a (lame) substitute.

The Latin Mass was separate from the regular Novus Ordo parish. There was virtually no interaction or coordination between the two groups. The parish bulletin merely printed the internet URL for the Latin Mass group. The parish web site also only had a link to the Latin Mass website rather than include it as part of the parish information.

The last Sunday I attended (May 1st), there was only three of us for the "choir." One of the substitute priests, Fr. D. Kolinski, offered Mass but switched from the regular Sunday theme to an obscure Feast Day (St. Joseph the worker) without any advance notice. This changed all the readings, prayers (and hymns).

• Pope Francis's destruction of the family. I cannot overemphasize how significant Pope Francis's attack on the institution of marriage and the contributed to my recent departure from the Roman Catholic Church. This man is destroying the RC Church and selling out traditional values and the pro-life movement. When I started in January, I sensed that this was going to be a problem but the release of his document "Amoris Laetitia" on April 8th 2016 was essentially the coup de grace for me. However, I stuck it out a couple more weeks hoping things might get better.

• Apathy in the pews. It seemed like most people in the St Martha Latin Mass group were apathetic about what was happening in the overall RC Church. There did not seem to be any visible sign of improving the quality of the worship or the spiritual growth of the body. There was little community outside of the usual cliques. No one was aware of the marriage of our "cantor" (in part because she was another weekend singer and got married in another church anyway-and that is another tragic story in itself). Also see above regarding the separation between the Novus Ordo and Latin Mass sides of the parish.

• Alternatives. In April, I started listening to the daily broadcast of Renewing Your Mind by R.C. Sproul's Ligonier Ministries. I found the half hour broadcast to be a stimulating way to start my day. In addition, Ligonier promotes a lot of informational resources as a thank you for a gift of any amount. There was so much of interest to me. I wondered if perhaps my Sundays could be spent more productively by studying at home. Ironically, as this thought was presenting itself, RYM was promoting the importance of attending local Sunday church services.

And so, that is the summary of why I stopped going to the Latin Mass. Let me be clear that I enjoyed singing and the challenge to attempt to learn Latin. There were also a number of fine people that I enjoyed and will miss. However, the cumulative effect of the above overwhelmingly caused me to look outside. Unfortunately, the traditional Latin Mass is not offered anywhere near me.

Ironically, just recently the Bishop replaced the pastor of  St. Martha Church with a priest who also says the Latin Mass. That can only help but as you can see from above, that is only one piece of this puzzle.

I have been away from the RC Church for many years and expected that I would never return. This recent experiment/experience has convinced me that the RC Church that I was brought up in no longer exists (except for perhaps some isolated pockets). That is sad and disappointing but that is why I am no longer a Roman Catholic.

I did NOT leave the church, it left me. The realization that the RC Church essentially no longer existed, resulted me in trying other ways to experience religion and search for God. I was brought up with the concept that I exist to know God, love God, and serve God. I am still trying to do that.

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Links:
http://www.stmarthachurch-ct.org/
http://www.gracechurchministry.org/
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2015/12/midnight-mass-in-latin.html
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2016/01/another-latin-mass.html
http://catholicism.about.com/od/worship/g/Novus_Ordo.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoris_laetitia
http://renewingyourmind.org/
http://www.ligonier.org/
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Written Saturday August 6, 2016.

Butler-McCook Homestead "Walk"

This was supposed to be Part 2 of my National Trails Day walks. It was billed as an "educational walk" and described as "a walking tour of historic Main Street in Hartford as the Butler-McCook family experienced it. Tour ends in the 150 year old Victorian garden."

I was interested in the Butler-McCook House because I walk past it about once a week (on our way to lunch at Ashley's Restaurant). I think I had visited it when I first moved to Hartford (from Clevo) ages ago.

I parked at work and walked the few blocks and arrived on-time (!) for the 2 p.m. tour. Unfortunately, there was no tour of the Main Street neighborhood. The tour leader had bugged out at the last minute and her replacement was away on vacation.

But wait, all was not lost. Instead of a walking tour, we got a FREE tour (normally $10) of the historic Butler-McCook House (& Main Street History Center). I think there were 3 or 4 of us that had showed up for the event. So what the heck, I stayed for the inside tour. Besides, the inside was comfortably air conditioned, especially compared to the natural heat and humidity outside.

Butler-McCook House.

For 189 years the Butler-McCook House & Garden was home to four generations of a family who participated in, witnessed, and recorded the evolution of Main Street between the American Revolution and the mid-twentieth century (1971). The house's exterior looks much as it did when it was built in 1782 by Daniel Butler. The McCook connection came by marriage and is related to the (Ohio) "Fighting McCooks" of Civil War fame.

Inside are the original furnishings ranging from Connecticut-crafted colonial furniture to Victorian-era toys and paintings to samurai armor acquired during a trip to Japan. The objects were accumulated over the course of almost two centuries by members of this extraordinary clan, which included physicians, industrialists, missionaries, artists, globe trotters and pioneering educators and social reformers.

Entering the Garden.

Behind the property is a restored Victorian ornamental garden, originally laid out in 1865. The McCook family’s garden oasis was designed by famed landscape architect Jacob Weidenmann, the designer of Bushnell Park and Cedar Hill Cemetery, and lovingly cared for by the McCooks over one hundred years. It is the only surviving domestic commission by Weidenmann. It features beds filled with peonies, roses and iris.

The Gardens (looking south).

Although I didn't get the walking tour I expected, I did experience a nice tour of the house and gardens. Ironically, both of today's "walks" were connected to Jacob Weidenmann and the Butler-McCook house also had the Ohio connection.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Links:

http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2016/06/trails-day.html
http://www.ctlandmarks.org/content/butler-mccook-house-garden

http://cedarhillfoundation.org/notable-residents/jacob-weidenmann
http://www.bushnellpark.org
http://www.cedarhillcemetery.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_McCooks
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Written Saturday September 10, 2016