tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.comments2024-03-14T15:03:56.066-07:00SnowbrushSnowbrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comBlogger14239125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-80494927354697909592024-03-14T14:07:17.263-07:002024-03-14T14:07:17.263-07:00It’s never cut and dry the reasons men go to war. ...It’s never cut and dry the reasons men go to war. And each side always believes they’re the ones in the right <br />Unfortunately it always means death, suffering and unspeakable horrors. <br />We cannot judge those in the past with the eyes of the present. The white washing, and cancelling of history just means it will be repeated. You cannot learn from past mistakes if you don’t acknowledge them. angelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06367100990792829157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-65050760106903209502024-03-14T13:34:02.406-07:002024-03-14T13:34:02.406-07:00You gave a succinct report of the Civil War. I hav...You gave a succinct report of the Civil War. I have long admired Robert E Lee. You did make me reconsider some of my thoughts. I knew that Lincoln had asked Lee to lead the Union troops and he replied that he would IF Virginia didn't secede. Up until today I didn't think of him as betraying the government. I learn new things every day. Thank you.Emma Springfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10543689047463574012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-33173104709339406092024-03-12T12:44:15.038-07:002024-03-12T12:44:15.038-07:00Snow, this is kj. Is everything okay? It’s been a ...Snow, this is kj. Is everything okay? It’s been a while since you’ve appeared here. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-65766273493761323552024-01-08T13:20:14.227-08:002024-01-08T13:20:14.227-08:00"What a lovely tribute to your life together...."What a lovely tribute to your life together."<br /><br />Thank you.<br /><br />"I suspect that few people are willing to tell all in this way. I know that I am not. Bravo!"<br /><br />I have always been this way, so I have long known that openness can expose me to hurtful criticism. I have reacted by becoming largely impervious to it. <br /><br />"This is Sue from Michigan who hasn’t blogged in awhile and I am not sure how to sign my name except as anonymous>"<br /><br />I know the problem must be annoying to you, and I'm very sorry for it. I would like to start including your blog address (either in your comment or in my response) so readers will at least have a link by which to visit your blog. https://suzannekesten2.blogspot.com/, .<br /><br />"I turned 70 this year and I find that depressing despite my good health and feeling much younger."<br /><br />I'll be 75 on March 1, and strangely enough, the older I get, the less I fear death per se (I still fear the pain, loss, and disability that often precede death). What with the world situation becoming sadder and scarier by the day, I've begun to think of death as being like an exit door in a burning building.<br /><br />"'she also marks my arms with the red pen with which she keeps score, and on one occasion, rapped me on the head with her clipboard,' is cracking me up."<br /><br />Until we were in our sixties, we regularly chased one another through the house and roughhoused, but we were never mad when we started, and we were never mad when we stopped, even if one of us had been hurt a little. Her use of the clipboard and the marker pen are different in that she's angry when she attacks me, so there is no feeling of play in it for me, and I can't tell that there is any feeling of play in it for her. These things said, neither of us is a particularly good loser. When I lose, I get down on myself; when she loses, she gets down on me. As to skill, we are nearly equal, but the element of luck is such that one of us will sometimes lose more games than s/he wins for weeks at a time. When this happens to me, I feel REALLY down on myself, and when it happens to her, she feels REALLY down on me.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-87623225102148792082024-01-07T08:01:15.513-08:002024-01-07T08:01:15.513-08:00Another wonderful post dear, I think you are more ...Another wonderful post dear, I think you are more well suited, and live a more contented life together, than most people I know. Nothing is perfect, and I that's a good thing I reckon. This... "she also marks my arms with the red pen with which she keeps score, and on one occasion, rapped me on the head with her clipboard" is cracking me up. I'm back in bed with some longer term Covid after-effects, terrible chest, very weak. Lots of those I know are in the same boat. Pa included (I gave him your best and he sends his love to you both. X <br />Ruby Endnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-75517576939870291312024-01-05T08:29:29.087-08:002024-01-05T08:29:29.087-08:00I thoroughly enjoyed the love story of you and Peg...I thoroughly enjoyed the love story of you and Peggy. This is Sue from Michigan who hasn’t blogged in awhile and I am not sure how to sign my name except as anonymous <br />I also enjoyed the photos of you both at different stages of your life. I’m just 2 years younger than Peggy. I turned 70 this year and I find that depressing despite my good health and feeling much younger Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-29454038060581219222023-12-30T15:33:56.850-08:002023-12-30T15:33:56.850-08:00It’s a really interesting post, and I feel that I ...It’s a really interesting post, and I feel that I got to know both of you - and that I would like you. I suspect that few people are willing to tell all in this way. I know that I am not. Bravo!David M. Gascoigne,https://www.blogger.com/profile/17229638811027153569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-78190008340078389972023-12-30T14:34:08.760-08:002023-12-30T14:34:08.760-08:00What a lovely tribute to your life together.What a lovely tribute to your life together.Liz A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16531953467834426316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-75546673477063793482023-12-30T11:03:44.592-08:002023-12-30T11:03:44.592-08:00"would Peggy's version of your lives, pol..."would Peggy's version of your lives, politics and phobias be slightly different from yours?!?"<br /><br />Peggy offers editing suggestions to all my posts. In this particular post, she found a minor factual error, several word repetitions, and some punctuation errors. The only substantive change she requested was that I not say that we both support euthanasia because, as it turns out, she worries that it might lead to killing people involuntarily. If Peggy were to object to something I wrote about her, I wouldn't put it online. She has yet to do that, although she did strenuously object to a post in which I criticized Islam, her fear being that some idiot would kill us. I would have taken the risk (slight though I thought it was) because I consider it wrong to surrender freedom of speech to religious fanatics. However, I couldn't in good conscience expose her to such a risk so I deleted the post.<br /><br />I have often wondered why so few people write about their spouses--other than to validate their existence--because I know I couldn't do it. As for those who feel otherwise, I know that in some cases, their blogs simply are not of a personal nature, but what is the reasoning of those whose blogs are of a personal nature? Is it because their spouses insist upon being left out; or because their blogs represent an escape from their spouses; or because they're worried about how other people in their lives might react; or because they're simply not as open as I? Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-15873046692653042162023-12-29T18:51:28.504-08:002023-12-29T18:51:28.504-08:00Interesting and honest portrait of the two of you....Interesting and honest portrait of the two of you. I can't help but wonder, though . . . would Peggy's version of your lives, politics and phobias be slightly different from yours?!? Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08611148987085476580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-58029337977241644642023-12-29T12:42:05.602-08:002023-12-29T12:42:05.602-08:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-29372330025476487252023-12-29T12:26:02.160-08:002023-12-29T12:26:02.160-08:00"I will say that I am opposed to the death pe..."I will say that I am opposed to the death penalty because it is too final and there are too many mistakes made."<br /><br />For a person to be found criminally guilty here, his or her guilt has to be established "beyond a reasonable doubt." What if for capital cases, the standard was "guilty beyond all doubt," which is surely something that could be done in cases involving camera footage and DNA evidence combined with a confession, multiple witnesses, catching the perpetrator in the act, a history of substantiated threats, etc.?<br /><br />"Do you remember the australians executed in Indonesia for drug offences?"<br /><br />I do. I wouldn't dream of traveling to such places.<br /><br />"I don't think it's right or in any way helpful to impose this pain on people who were probably distracted parents or maybe too strict or something like that but not maliciously criminal."<br /><br />There was a time when children as young as seven were given the death penalty in England, and even today, "blasphemers" are put to death in Muslim lands.<br /><br />"As for humanity being uglier than animals and our lack of value on the animal world, I agree. We are the ugliest of all species."<br /><br />I don't think hairless dogs and cats are any too pretty either, but then they are creatures of our own creation. Like other great apes, our species would be god-awful-ugly even if we had hair (this from a guy who, starting around age four, thought that human women were right up there with battleships, Colt "peacemakers," and B-17 bombers for being the most beautiful things in the universe.)<br /><br />"I pretty much assumed that because you live in a progressive part of the US, you would be liberal in all your views..."<br /><br />I think that both progressives (here, the word means someone on the Far Left) and Trumpians excel in bigotry, cruelty, illogic, hypocrisy, and narrow-mindedness. Some examples... Progressives demonstrate enormous concern for those human beings whom they view as victims of an unjust society, but show little to no concern for anyone else, including the victims of crime and the small business owners who are being driven from downtown urban areas by addicts, criminals, homeless people, and the violently insane. They are also notable for their lack of interest in environmental issues and the welfare of animals--domestic or wild. Some progressive DAs no longer prosecute shoplifters because they view them as "victims of poverty." Many progressives oppose the punishment of criminals and favor abolishing the police. Oregon lacks even the most minimal pollution standards for older cars due to concerns about the poor. I spend an hour or so each week, year in and year out, trying to get illegal tent and vehicle campers moved from in front of my house (on most days for the last several weeks, I've had a 25-foot camper in front of my house), yet my desire for a safe and attractive neighborhood causes progressives to accuse people like myself of being selfish and callous.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-68107118394957993512023-12-29T12:25:39.620-08:002023-12-29T12:25:39.620-08:00Kylie, dear, you give me so much to respond to tha...Kylie, dear, you give me so much to respond to that I'm sure I will need more than one frame.<br /><br />"Last week I was hit hard by a round of covid..."<br /><br />I'm very sorry to hear this.<br /><br />"The Salvation Army has policies and statements on all kinds of issues, I have never thought to reference them except to see if I approve of them :)"<br /><br />I respect your independence of thought. One reason that I don't go to the one church I know of that enthusiastically accepts atheists (the Unitarian) is that I wouldn't want to donate money because I morally oppose some of the church's positions. This leaves me to ask where you are in regard to giving money to the SA in view of the fact that you appear to think that some of their moral positions are wrong?<br /><br />"Hopefully divine justice is better than anything any court could come up with."<br /><br />It seems to me that true justice wouldn't consist of attempting to right wrongs after they occur, but in preventing wrongs from occurring in the first place. Human beings can't do this, but the Biblical deity could, and the fact that s/he doesn't suggests to me that (1) s/he either doesn't exist, or (2) s/he doesn't value justice. For instance, God allowed his servant Job to suffer terrible injustice merely to win a wager with Satan. When the wager was won, God attempted to do justice to Job by healing Job's body and replacing his wife, children, and livestock. I don't see that this constituted justice for Job, and I certainly don't think it constituted justice for the people and animals that God allowed Satan to kill. All those many years ago when I first started having serious doubts about religion, the story of Job struck me as proof that, even if God exists, he is too callous and self-centered to concern himself with justice. I went from that to the story of Christ in which God's view of justice moved from killing innocent animals to killing an innocent person for the sins of the guilty.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-47486866932630182642023-12-27T22:33:58.946-08:002023-12-27T22:33:58.946-08:00Hi Snow,
Last week I was hit hard by a round of co...Hi Snow,<br />Last week I was hit hard by a round of covid and I've been waiting to have the capacity to respond to you. I'm still not sure I have it!<br />Let me first say that while I am aware The Salvation Army has policies and statements on all kinds of issues, I have never thought to reference them except to see if I approve of them :)<br /><br />I see your point about the Putins, Trumps and Kim Jong Uns of this world and would find it difficult to value them, especially with the extravagant wording you have quoted. And I do very much hope that my belief in a God of justice is accurate. Hopefully divine justice is better than anything any court could come up with.<br />I will say that I am opposed to the death penalty because it is too final and there are too many mistakes made. <br />Do you remember the australians executed in Indonesia for drug offences? I guess there is no reason you would but one of them was well known to my ministers at the time. Those people will never be the same after attending the execution and the parents and siblings of the executed will also suffer for the rest of their lives. I don't think it's right or in any way helpful to impose this pain on people who were probably distracted parents or maybe too strict or something like that but not maliciously criminal.<br /><br />As for humanity being uglier than animals and our lack of value on the animal world, I agree. We are the ugliest of all species.<br /><br />I am not horrified by your stand although I'd probably feel more strongly if I had generally less respect for you. I pretty much assumed that because you live in a progressive part of the US, you would be liberal in all your views but even as I say that, I know that is not in line with the things you have said in the past.<br /><br /> kyliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08964475783207438103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-4360154178889920802023-12-26T12:34:19.677-08:002023-12-26T12:34:19.677-08:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619199535376925989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-26779334773356692002023-12-26T09:43:24.634-08:002023-12-26T09:43:24.634-08:00I didn't realize there were button conventions...I didn't realize there were button conventions! I have about a dozen jars of buttons but would not consider myself to be a button collector. I use them here and there for embroidery projects and donate as many as I buy. I would love to see what a proper button collection looks like. hannah janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761916469652723385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-83575505934141652172023-12-25T12:40:19.069-08:002023-12-25T12:40:19.069-08:00"There's so much information here, I coul..."There's so much information here, I couldn't possibly comment on all the surprising bits."<br /><br />I would be grateful to you for sharing even a little of what comes to mind to you to say.<br /><br />"Do I understand that you both support the death penalty?"<br /><br />In preparation for answering your question, I went to your church's website so that I might hopefully understand the thinking that prompted it: "The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of all human life. It considers each person to be of infinite value, and each life a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured and preserved."<br /><br />Having read this, I have some things I would like to say--and to which I hope you will respond--but I will first answer your question. Yes, we support the death penalty for numerous crimes, for example, rape, pedophilia, mass murder, animal torture, and repeated violent felonies. However, we are aware that the death penalty comes with many problems: it's divisive; witnesses are sometimes less willing to testify if they know someone might be put to death as a result; repeated executions are often devastating to those who carry out the sentence; innocent people are sometimes executed; in this country, the appeal process is so lengthy and expensive that it costs moreto kill criminals than to lock them up for life. Now, for my thoughts and questions about what I assume to be your position.<br /><br />I regard as monstrous the belief that every Putin, Trump, and Kim Jong Un who ever lived is, "of infinite value... each life a gift from God to be cherished, nurtured and preserved," whereas all other creatures added together are worth less than the life of even one of these because, unlike him, they lack "infinite value." When I look into the face of a cat, a dog, or a farm animal, I see looking back at me a creature of intelligence and emotion similar to my own. Furthermore, when I look into the face of a tiger, jaguar, or snow leopard, I am moved to tears by the wonder before me and by the horrible knowledge that my own species is needlessly destroying species that exist as far above us in dignity and presence as the sky exists above the earth. By comparison, when I look into the eyes of my fellow humans, I see greed, narcissism, dullness, and callousness, and although individuals among us are capable of impressive genius and enormous kindness, such virtues cannot atone for the actions of a species so depraved that we are driving other species into extinction and endangering our own survival. In regard to the opposite appraisals that you and I place on human life, I am as appalled by yours as I suspect that you are by mine. However, you have existed in my life for many years as a friend whom I cherish, and our present differences do not diminish that.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-63794874618989697512023-12-24T02:42:52.510-08:002023-12-24T02:42:52.510-08:00There's so much information here, I couldn'...There's so much information here, I couldn't possibly comment on all the surprising bits. Do I understand that you both support the death penalty?<br /><br />I am impressed by your ability to love and respect each other after so long. <br />kyliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17733888108530605722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-27642832599541296042023-12-23T12:11:32.759-08:002023-12-23T12:11:32.759-08:00Most collectors are women, but men are well-accept...Most collectors are women, but men are well-accepted--and often active--when they join. This wasn't always the case, there having been a time before Peggy joined her local club that a man and his young daughter were refused membership simply because he was a man. Since that time, men have served as president on the national level, and one prominent male member on the national level is an American who lives in France and is so knowledgeable that he does well-attended educational presentations on Zoom.<br /><br />"there are many similarities between your and Peggy's relationship and mine and my husband."<br /><br />I thought of you while writing this and imagined that there might be.<br /><br />"I am in awe of people who live together so long"<br /><br />I, in turn, am in awe of people who have the strength and courage to do well living alone, which is something I have never done, going as I did from my parents' home to a college dorm, and then to marriage at age 22. Especially as I become old, I wonder how I would manage alone, for example after this recent shoulder replacement. I had it five weeks ago yet I'm still not allowed to lift my right arm, which is especially burdensome because I'm right-handed.<br /><br />"you're both interesting and independent."<br /><br />Thank you.<br /><br />"From the pictures I can see that Peggy is a beautiful woman.<br /><br />I'm surely prejudiced, and I certainly mean no offense, but Peggy is the only woman on earth whose beauty I hold superior to the beauty of my cats. However, upon looking at the photos I posted, I suspect that most people would rate her in the neighborhood of a six or a seven (out of ten) on the attractiveness scale, which is probably where they would rate me. I also think that she and I look like a good fit in terms of height, weight, complexion, and hair color. I remember a time when aged ladies would go gah-gah over the way we looked together, and I can now see why.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-88231462340153967962023-12-23T11:23:23.911-08:002023-12-23T11:23:23.911-08:00"Snow, hate only hurts the one who is hating...."Snow, hate only hurts the one who is hating.<br /><br />Anon, as is evident in the Middle East--and also in Czechoslovakia this week--hatred can also hurt--and even destroy--the hated. When you tell me that I shouldn't hate but offer no route by which I can achieve your superior approach to the problem, you ignore the very sentence you quoted.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-8469516795200356422023-12-23T10:37:33.878-08:002023-12-23T10:37:33.878-08:00From the pictures I can see that Peggy is a beauti...From the pictures I can see that Peggy is a beautiful woman. From your description of her I can tell is a more beautiful woman. You are a fortunate man.Emma Springfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10543689047463574012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-47876519697152740572023-12-23T07:21:31.159-08:002023-12-23T07:21:31.159-08:00You two are unbelievable, enigmas in our throw awa...You two are unbelievable, enigmas in our throw away culture. I am in awe of people who live together so long. The role reversal, with you doing the home work while she worked outside the house---you're both interesting and independent.Strayerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08124298302997708537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-22565877875870298012023-12-23T06:30:55.784-08:002023-12-23T06:30:55.784-08:00we had a friend who was also a button collector, s...we had a friend who was also a button collector, same thing...cabinets and filing cabinets full of cards of buttons. we lost track of him though we he retired and we moved out to where we live now.<br /><br />there are many similarities between your and Peggy's relationship and mine and my husband. ellen abbotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00535475792150335186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-7102250947400129382023-12-19T04:09:55.043-08:002023-12-19T04:09:55.043-08:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11788740115264422305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23830899.post-79277309016188857152023-12-11T11:24:56.211-08:002023-12-11T11:24:56.211-08:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Snowbrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436087215476479042noreply@blogger.com