Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Blogging will resume one of these days....

I actually have three comments on one of my posts!

Just checking in here, had to change the Password etc.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Samaritan House Lunch

Yesterday, December 20, 2016;

(Apologies, no picture, it looked so tasty I forgot)

Nothing special, comfort food, a hot dog, cole slaw and baked beans.

But well presented, seemed to hit the spot.

One of the volunteers present was a 16 year old BHS (Bentonville High School) student, who seemed to know my table companions.  This is part of my ongoing personal struggle here, yes, I would not have been (not) introduced to the young lady if I had not sat with them;  But the two gentlemen I sat with did never gave me an opportunity to contribute to the discussion.  OK, everyone is special and needs an opportunity to tell their story,  I have some really compelling current news (My Mother died last Wednesday, December 14, 2016, among other things) and I could have made a material contribution to the discussion of work in the 1970s. 

Nope, not an opportunity to say a word.

Oh well.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Turkey Again (Sunday Dinner, 11/27/2016)

Thanksgiving Dinner, November 24, 2016

One of the big events in the non-liturgical year at my Church is a community Thanksgiving Dinner.

On Thanksgiving Day. Hooray!  Somewhere to go for Thanksgiving Dinner. 

It's WONDERFUL.  And needed.  

Central Methodist Church on New Hope road does Christmas dinner on the same basis.  It has not been an issue for me the last three years, I have been spending Christmas with my Mother.

It's a massive undertaking, they deliver to all the unserved meals on wheels and the county sheriff, plus the sit down and take outs.  My main concern is the washing up from the sit down portion, this year I counted 155 plates through the dish washer.  Plus all the silverware, desert plates, etc. 

A LOT of church people eating dinner, when I took a quick peak out the kitchen door.

Just wanted to record the number somewhere for next year, 155.  Will try and add a number for carry outs (by RSVP, starting at 1:00) later in the week.  Carry outs sort of got out of control a couple of years ago, thus the requirement for reservations.  The Kitchen still had to fend off requests from the dining room for "to go" boxes, it turns out we had just about the right quantity of food.  A couple of unclaimed carry outs left in the refrigerator.

For some reason we ran out of Gravy, it's either too much or too little.  This year someone accidently bumped the stove and burned the second pot. 

Monday, November 14, 2016

Volunteering

(Originally written in September 2015, Draft never published?)

Once again somebody suggested that I volunteer somewhere.

Where exactly?  Most of the local organizations actively soliciting volunteers either want people to do customer service (Not something I sparkle at), pure grunt labor (If I was better at that, my yard would not be a major project for some other volunteer agency....) OR are dominated by true believing FOX news watchers.  Or all of the above.

Oh, and the religious organizations with a pro-life agenda.

Especially the part about FOX news.

Sure, I could drive down to the VA a couple of times a week (Still too many FOX news watchers)

Right now, this evening (9/1/2015) there is a "Handicapped Veteran" truck in the parking lot at the library liberally bedecked with Tom Cotton and anti-Obama stickers.  The only thing missing is the streaming Confederate battle flag. Someone else who missed some of the essential lessons of "The Great Society in Camouflage" (Thomas E. Ricks, The Atlantic Monthly, December 1996).  Nineteen years.  Two Wars, one and a half military intellectual generations.  Something for one of my other blogs.

Also the issue of the Gas and wear and tear on my vehicle.

Useful suggestions would be appreciated in the comments.

Sunday Dinner (Resuming)

Ate at the "Community Meal" Sunday, Spaghetti. It was "OK", two Stars?

Maybe I will resume regular reporting.

They made a good professional effort, and had plenty.

The one other person I sat with also remembered the Homemade Lasagna six months ago.

Not every meal can be great like that.

I already had a surfeit of leftovers from the veteran luncheon (see previous post).

I enjoyed talking to some of this group volunteers from Oakley Chapel.  I was fashionably late at around 5:10, the meal site is officially open from 4:00-6:00 PM, carry out available from 5:30.  They  reported a capacity crowd from 4:00 to 4:30.

Veterans Day Church Luncheon

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Nothing spectacular, comfort food, Chili Dogs and Macaroni and Cheese.  Very high quality items (Nathan's Hot Dogs, Donated), Homemade Chili and Mac & Cheese.

And everyone had a nice bit of social time,

Posting here to document the number served for next year, 68 plus 9 Staff and Early plates (I washed them), approximately twelve take outs, total served 89 (?); 

Interesting, the 77 total is the same number of plates from last Wednesdays Fellowship Dinner,  which was boosted from the normal sixty odd by some kind of meeting,