Reagan birth centennial stamp debuts

The Washington Times ^ | December 13, 2010 | Mark A. Kellner

[Tax-chick]

Lemon Chalet Cremes, and the new Raspberry Thingie. We have not had the Raspberry Thingie. Do you like Thin Mints or the peanut butter kinds?

[Monkey Face]

I do like the thin mints and have been known to eat the peanut butter kinds. One thing for sure...if I get tired of the flavors, I have plenty of neighbors who would help to make the cookies disappear. ;o]

[sionnsar]

LoM thinks it is in our hymnal but if so, it’s not listed under the original tune name “Bunessan.” It’s from an old Gaelic Christmas carol, says Wikipedia.

[Monkey Face]

It will take a while before it shows up in our Hymnals. The printing is in so many languages and goes to so many different countries that sometimes, only the most recognizable hymns are printed in some languages, to keep printing costs down.

I can only recall three new hymns that have been added in the last 30 years.

[Tax-chick]

The tune is “traditional,” so no telling how long it’s been around. The words, according to Wikipedia, were first published in 1931.

[sionnsar]

It was difficult to research in ours. 6 years or so ago our Rector (then), who has a doctorate in choral music, persuaded the parish to buy new hymnals to replace our now-ratty old ones, rescued from Episcopal churches that were replacing them with their new Hymnal (1982). The big surprise to me was that the Hymnal no longer ended with Hymn 600 -- there had been two supplements added since the early 60s, but I had never before seen a Hymnal with supplements!

But the problem was that after the Hymns come the Canticles, then several different settings of portions of the Holy Communion as chant or song (known as "First Communion Service" and so on). The come the various indices (first line, metrical, author, tune name, etc.) and hymn suggestions for each Sunday of the church calendar.

The supplements followed this pattern, but were simply appended to the Hymnal. So finding Hymn 745 can be a struggle -- is it 1st Supplement or 2nd Supplement? And we have "(first supplement) First Communion Service" and "(second supplement) First Communion Service."

Very unAnglican, but it was really small stuff compared to other things at the time.

[sionnsar]

The tune is “traditional,” so no telling how long it’s been around.

And Gaelic songs can be quite old; some of the "working" songs our group sings go back 500, 600 years or more and are effectively in modern Gaelic (Middle Gaelic was roughly 900 - 1200 AD -- Middle English ~1100 to ~1470, according to Wikipedia).

[Monkey Face]

I’m glad ours isn’t that complex. It’s separated into Primary (simple, for the little ones), regular meetings, Sacrament service, patriotic, Christmas, Easter, etc., so that everyone can sing them.

If I had a musical keyboard, I’d be able to sing better, but I have a hard time hearing the notes. The tenor isn’t played very strongly.

[Monkey Face]

Welp, kiddies, I’m off to beddy-bye. Tomorrow is another day!

[NicknamedBob]

I have returned from Pennsylvania.

It’s warmer here, but I think it’s still winter. We saw one groundhog along the way. He might have been taking a sighting with a sextant.

[sionnsar]

I’m glad ours isn’t that complex.

After getting to know it all the way though, I like ours! But that's just my Anglican orientation, and I won't go further here.

Good night, sleep well, and have a great day tomorrow. Please.

[sionnsar]

We saw one groundhog along the way. He might have been taking a sighting with a sextant.

He's just outside his hole and that lost already?

NnBob, I am so sorry....

Can NnSue ask for directions for him?

[NicknamedBob]

Not lost at all. He’s checking to confirm the date and know where he is in the coming season.

I mean, it’s not like he could just check his cell phone like the rest of us.

[sionnsar]

Not lost at all. He’s checking to confirm the date...

Well... I'm not the first and probably not the last to oversleep...

[NicknamedBob]

Punxsutawney Phil may be good at prognosticating the length of the remaining winter, but he has to be awakened from his burrow to do so.

I'm sure when that happens, he has no idea that it's Groundhog Day, again! Dagnabbit!

[Tax-chick]

Sure. They’re all done with that now.

[NicknamedBob]

I think February is the month of great men and groundhogs.

[Tax-chick]

Great men and groundhogs taking naps. I agree. Good night.

[Monkey Face]

When I was a youngster, I liked learning to sing Gregorian hymns in Latin.

Don’t know about a good day today, but I’ll try. Depends on what the Mail Bunneh brings me...

[Monkey Face]

I can’t recall when last I saw a groundhog. And it was most likely in the summer.

However, when I went to Utah for my high school reunion, I saw a red-tailed hawk swoop down for his breakfast of bunneh...awesome. I had forgotten the beauty of natural events in the animal world.