A Vacation, Rain, Comic Books, and a Waterlogged Dad 5 (1)

Posted on June 28, 2025 by Brian H. Gill

I’ll have my oldest daughter tell most of this ‘family story’. That’s partly because this is shaping up to be a distracted week.

The family was on one of our rare vacations. Our third-oldest daughter was old enough to remember the trip, and our son hadn’t been born yet. That puts it some time back. Decades.

We’d planned the vacation pretty well, so we had a place to stay for each night. But we ran into one of those stock comedy situations: a big-deal family vacation where it rains. A lot.

I’ll have our oldest daughter pick up the narrative at this point.

[oldest daughter] “…We went to Itasca, I think, once when I was little. I remember some things, mostly that it rained a lot.

“I just remember lots of pine trees, a cabin with a bathroom that didn’t have a light switch (the light turned on if the door was closed), and sitting at a picnic table under a glass dome in the rain.
…
[oldest daughter] “And you coming into the dome, hunched over, looking less-than-pleased at the weather, and carefully pulling out three copies of the same comic book. One for each of us.

“And then being very annoyed at yourself when you took a closer look and realized it was a part 1.

“I was just happy to have a comic book.

“I wasn’t expecting to get any of the other parts, especially with the noises Mom was making. Then several months later, you came home with the other parts.”
(Discord chat (June 23, 2025))

Memories and Filling in Gaps

It’s funny, how memory works.

My wife tells me we were coming back from Duluth, stopped off for the night somewhere around Itasca. She doesn’t remember how I found the place.

I remember that bathroom with the trick lighting: probably energy-efficient, but took getting used to. The picnic table under a glass dome — that, I don’t remember at all. Which is odd, since it’s the sort of architectural/design detail I’d expect to get etched into my memory.

Going out in the rain: that, I do remember. My goal hadn’t been getting comics. I don’t remember what the reason was. I think it might have been getting some routine toiletry that we’d forgotten: and a wind-up alarm clock. We’d planned ahead, but not perfectly.

I hadn’t found what we needed at the first place I checked, and maybe not the second. It’s been a long time, and how many places I tried is one of many details I don’t remember.

From my viewpoint, finding those comics was a bonus. Getting them wasn’t entirely altruistic, since I figured they’d help lift the mood. And besides, these were Darkwing Duck comics: so I’d be enjoying the story, too. The Darkwing Duck series started in 1991, and I’m drifting off-topic.

Not a Collector: Just a Guy Looking For Those Comics

Getting three copies was, I grant, a bit much. But the expense was well within budget. Finding the rest of that series became something of a quest.

Comics like that weren’t on the shelf in Sauk Centre. I ended up having a conversation with either a distributor or the publisher.

A remarkable fraction of our talk involved me convincing the man at the other end that I really didn’t care about whether the copies were printed for mailing or retail, or whatever. That’s when I realized he probably assumed I was a collector. And that’s another topic.

I’ll have my oldest daughter pick up the narrative at this point.

“The Coolest Dad Ever”

[oldest daughter] “Have I ever mentioned that you’re the coolest dad ever?”

[me] “You may have –

“Funny, I don’t remember trying to be a ‘cool dad’ ”

[oldest daughter] “Don’t know about [second oldest daughter] and [third oldest daughter], but I definitely would’ve liked to see the comics. I didn’t expect to, but seeing them was awesome.”

[me] “I wasn’t so sure I could do it, myself – – but worth a try ”

[oldest daughter] “That makes you cool.

“And talking to me like a person.”

[me] “Well, of Course – – – you ARE a person!!! – but I know what you mean ”
(Discord chat (June 23, 2025))

A couple things going on here worth mentioning:

  • “Cool dad”
  • Being a person

I did a very quick check this week, and found ‘cool parent’ used fairly often.

Usually, whoever was writing defined ‘cool parent’ as someone who treats the kids with respect and listens to what they say.

A very few wrote about ‘cool parents’ who let the kids run wild, gave them whatever they asked for, and acted surprised when something went horribly wrong.

That surprised me, since I’d expected the ratio to go the other way.

As for talking to our oldest daughter as if she’s a person: that’s no great virtue on my part.

For one thing, I remember being young.

I realized some adults talking down to kids probably meant well, and thought — if they thought about it at all — that it was either necessary, or ‘what one does’ when speaking to youngsters. But I didn’t enjoy the experience. At all. So, as an adult, I avoided that behavior.

For another, I think human beings are people. All human beings. And I think giving people a measure of respect makes sense.

That’s just my experience and opinion.

Showing Respect, Being a Parent

More to the point, I’m a Catholic: so respecting humanity’s transcendent dignity and acting as if people matter — well, it matters. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1928-1942)

It’s like I said last week: human beings are people. Individual details, including age, health, or social status, don’t matter. Each of us is a person, made “in the image of God”. And, being a gift from God, human life is precious, sacred. (Genesis 1:26–27, 2:7; Catechism, 355-357, 361, 369-370, 1700, 1730, 1929, 2258-2317)

Wrapping this thing up:

Being told I was “the coolest dad ever” — in the ‘cool parents show respect’ sense — felt good, very good indeed. It’s nice, decades later, getting feedback like that.

I’ve talked about being part of a family, acting as if people matter, and vaguely-related topics, before. If I’ve got time and focus before Saturday, I’ll add the usual links.

I hope you enjoyed parts of this account of a waterlogged dad and comic books: and may God bless.

I had time, so here are those ‘family and acting as if people matter’ links:

Posted in Being Catholic, Family Stories, Series | Tagged , | 3 Comments

What a Weekend! 0 (0)

Posted on June 22, 2025 by Brian H. Gill
Weather.gov national map, Sunday, June 22, 2025.
This afternoon’s weather. (June 22, 2025)

First it was storms, now (I’m writing this Sunday evening) sincerely noticeable heat.

And I see there’s a tornado watch on, northwest of us.

Something I learned from that KSTP article — the “Eagle’s Healing Nest” is a metaphoric name, it’s a facility for veterans, service members, and their families on the north side, no actual eagles involved — folks at that north side facility — nobody hurt, happily — asked neighbors for help, and volunteers showed up.

It sounds like a mess. A few broken windows, hail damage, and 25 trees down.

Here on the south side, where I live, no damage that we’ve noticed: and I’ve been sincerely glad the power came back on. Air conditioning is nice to have in weather like this.

Our number-two daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, and number-one daughter live on a homestead up in the Red River Valley. They’re all okay. Son-in-law noticed weather happening and got everyone into the basement. Their house is okay, too. Some cottonwood trees and the old ash tree are down, along with assorted branches.

They operate a wood mill, west of the house. I gather that it’s mostly okay, but winds peeled off a substantial part of the roof. Still, it could have been worse. This could have happened as winter was setting in.

I really hope they don’t get more ‘interesting’ weather this evening.

I’m not sure how much I’ll get done this week. Effects from Friday night’s disrupted sleep — number-one daughter suggested that having an inactive CPAP might be a factor — are mostly gone, but there’s some medical stuff coming up.

‘Nothing serious’, I trust. But last Thursday I experienced my first biopsy. Fascinating process. Maybe I’ll talk about that. Then again, maybe not.

Meanwhile — I do pay attention to my news feed, and am aware of what’s been going on. That’s not something I plan on writing about right now. Partly because I talked about that sort of thing about a year ago.

Now, since I want to get this wrapped up and start relaxing, the usual links:

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Attack on Lawmakers: Politics, Life, and Making Sense Anyway 0 (0)

Posted on June 21, 2025 by Brian H. Gill
Joseph Ferdinand Keppler's cartoon in Puck magazine: 'A Hard Pull', showing politician James G. Blaine riding to Ohio, surrounded by emblems of scandals. (October 1, 1884) via Library of Congress, see http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.28237
Politics in the Gilded Age: “A Hard Pull”: Puck’s view of James Blaine. (October 1, 1884)

Although there’s the occasional glint of good news in my news feed — like “Firefighters Free Sauk Centre Man from Submerged Tanker” (KNSI (June 17, 2025)) — most of what I see is no reason for celebration.

That said, attacks on politicians in Minnesota — bad as they were — could have ended with many more dead bodies and hurting families. Even so, there’s precious little to celebrate.

This week I’ll be looking at what happened, what’s being said about it, and both how I feel and what I think of the situation.

Murders, Motives, and Responses

SavagePanda845 (Elliot F)'s photo: downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota: a shelter in place warning on an interactive screen, responding to the shootings of Minnesota legislators. (June 14, 2025)
Shelter in place warning, downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota (June 14, 2025) Elliot F’s photo via Wikipedia

The words “assassin” and “assassination” started popping up in headlines about the two killings and multiple attacks over the weekend, down in the Twin Cities. Given what we’re learning about the incidents, that makes sense.

So does the early focus on the person who apparently killed those folks:

“Food worker with ‘fantasy’ of security career sought in Minnesota political shootings”
Brian Mann, NPR (9:40 p.m. June 15, 2025)

“…In social media posts and websites, Boelter said he had extensive experience as a security professional with ‘training by both private security firms and by people in the U.S. Military.’

“NPR found little evidence to support Boelter’s account. He appears to have worked most of his career in the food service industry and one long-time friend described parts of Boelter’s narrative about his life as ‘fantasy.’…”
[details given later in article)

“…Evans said investigators aren’t yet certain Boelter acted alone. ‘We still don’t know if other people may be involved,’ Evans said. ‘This individual is the person of interest right now, but there may be other people with him.’…”

There’s still a great deal we don’t know about the killer: or that I haven’t seen in the news, at any rate. What is certain is that he was found, alive; was arrested; and is looking at serious legal trouble.

Local and regional news started focusing on the deceased’s children, and those of the couple who survived. I see this as a good thing, since it’s a reminder that politicos are people, too.

Bad as it was, what happened over the weekend could have been a lot worse if a police sergeant hadn’t thought a welfare check was a good idea:

“…Brooklyn Park Police officials confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday that the sergeant’s name is Rielly Nordan….

“…Sgt. Nordan had just finished his shift and was walking out of the police station when he heard of the shooting at Hoffman’s house.

“‘Being alert, seeing two officers in the police department, he [Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Burley] said, “Hey, drive by Melissa Hortman’s house and just check on the house, would you?”’….”
(“Catching Minnesota assassination suspect: How a hunch and a mistake led to his arrest” , Bill Hutchinson, ABC News (June 17, 2025)) [emphasis mine]

That decision almost certainly saved lives: which I see as very good news.

A “Deeply Religious” Assassin

screenshot from Google News (June 16, 2025)National news, when it mentions the weekend killings, has been focusing more on the political and public safety angles.

That makes sense, but I’m not happy about what may be an emerging theme:

“Friends say Minnesota shooting suspect was deeply religious and conservative”
Im Mustian, Michael Bieseker; AP News (June 16, 2025)

“The man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House held deeply religious and politically conservative views, telling a congregation in Africa two years ago that the U.S. was in a ‘bad place’ where most churches didn’t oppose abortion….”

“…The church Boelter attended outside Minneapolis issued a statement Sunday condemning the shootings as ‘the opposite of what Jesus taught his followers to do.’

“‘This incident has devastated our church family and does not reflect our values or beliefs,’ the Jordan Family Church said on its website, adding it was cooperating with law enforcement….”
[emphasis mine]

Between frothing radio preachers of my youth denouncing ‘un-American’ ideas like peace, love, and brotherhood, and a lifetime spent in a culture recovering from that lunacy — I’m just glad that AP article quoted the killer’s church leaders, and that they seem to have read the Bible.

So far, I haven’t seen headlines suggesting that ‘beware the religious assassins’ is getting traction in op-eds.

That, for me, is also very good news.

What Two Bishops and an Executive Director Said

March 15, 1915: Billy Sunday giving another rip-roaring performance.
Billy Sunday, preaching up a storm, as shown in Metropolitan Magazine. (1915)

I had to dig a little to find a ‘Catholic’ response to the weekend’s killings. Possibly because priests and bishops aren’t, for the most part, nearly as colorful as some of my country’s old-school preachers.

“Minn. Catholic leaders mourn shooting death of Melissa Hortman, state lawmaker”
Joe Ruff/The Catholic Spirit, National Catholic Reporter (June 14, 2025)

“…Jason Adkins, executive director and general counsel of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, said in a June 14 statement that he was ‘deeply saddened and angered by the cold-blooded assassination’ of Hortman and her husband and the attempted murder of Hoffman and his wife.

“‘Serving in a position of leadership requires making difficult choices and sticking to one’s word, while not abandoning one’s principles. I can personally attest from working with Representative Hortman that she was such a leader,’ he said. ‘We disagreed on key issues but still found opportunities to collaborate and solve difficult problems that mattered to Minnesotans generally and Catholics, specifically. We will be praying for the repose of her soul.’

“‘Senator Hoffman is a champion of vulnerable people in our communities and is a person of deep conviction. He is also a friend. Minnesota cannot afford to lose his presence in state government and our staff is praying fervently for him and for his family,’ Adkins continued….”
[emphasis mine]

***

“Bishop Neary statement on tragic shooting”
Around the Diocese , The Central Minnesota Catholic (June 14, 2025)

“My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

“It is with a heavy heart that I address you following the tragic shootings in our state. We mourn the loss of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and pray for the recovery of Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.

“I had the opportunity to meet with Speaker Emerita Hortman in March during our annual advocacy day. I recall her dedication, compassion and goodwill for the people of Minnesota.

“In these difficult times, l ask everyone to join me in prayer for the victims and their families and for an end to violence in our society.

“May we all do our part to promote peace, understanding and respect for all life.”
[emphasis mine]

***

Bishop Robert Barron, X/Twitter (June 14, 2025)

“A terrible tragedy occurred in my home state of Minnesota early this morning. A gunman, disguised as a police officer, shot and wounded State Senator John Hoffman and his wife and subsequently shot and killed State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband.

“A few months ago, the bishops of Minnesota visited the State Capitol in order to speak to some of the political leadership of our state. Both Sen. Hoffman and Rep. Hortman were among those we visited with. I was deeply impressed by both. Rep. Hortman listened to us with sharp intelligence and acute attention. And I had a wonderful conversation with Sen. Hoffman, who was a graduate of St. Mary’s University in my diocese. He shared his passion for Catholic Social Teaching.

“God knows we are divided society, but our political differences must never, ever give rise to violence. Please pray for the swift recovery of Sen. Hoffman and his wife and for the repose of the souls of Rep. Hortman and her husband.”
[emphasis mine]

Saying something nice about recently-deceased public figures is quite conventional and, in my opinion, a good idea. Praying for the victims and their families is certainly a good idea.

I think looking at why these folks were targeted is also a good idea.

“Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman killed, state Sen. John Hoffman injured in targeted shootings. Here’s what we know.”
Kerry Breen, CBS News (June 17, 2025)

“…Sources said there was an extensive list of possible targets among writings found in the vehicle — more than 50 individuals, some of them officials beyond Minnesota, including abortion rights advocates and abortion facilities….”

Granted, it’s speculation: but the existence of that list, and its contents, very strongly suggests a particular sort of motive.

Gladness, Regret, Life, and Beliefs

Stephen Maturen's photo: boarded-up windows and doors on the Hortman home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. (June 15, 2025) Getty Images via CNN News, used w/o permission
Hortman home, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. (June 15, 2025)

How I feel about that nipped-in-the-bud killing spree is, so far, mostly ‘numb’. Anger and disgust is in the mix, too.

The Hortman family dog, Gilbert, was injured during the attack and is now dead. Then someone broke into the Hortman home. That family is not having a good time.

Injuries leading to the dog’s death are by far not the most serious charges that “deeply religious” Minnesotan will be facing.

As it is, I’m glad he was found, was arrested, and will very likely be tried on several very serious charges.

I’m also, oddly enough, glad that he’s alive. I’d better say why: and why I regret that Melissa and Mark Hortman are dead.

Taking My Faith Seriously

Brian H. Gill. (March 17, 2021)
That’s me: Brian H. Gill. (2021)

Basically, it’s because I’m arguably a “deeply religious” person: but not in what I suspect is my culture’s conventional way.

I’ve followed Jesus ever since I can remember, and became a Catholic when I finally realized who currently holds the authority our Lord gave Peter. I take my faith very seriously. “Seriously but not grimly”, as this blog’s tagline says.

That’s why I get to Mass every Sunday, health permitting, have part of each day blocked out for prayer, and have other routines that aren’t typically “American”.

It’s also why I try to act as if what I believe matters.

Among other things, that means I can’t go off on a rant, expressing hopes that the murderer be tortured or at least killed. Praising him as a patriotic Christian American who waged righteous war on those who didn’t agree with him — that’s not an option, either.

Well, I could do either. I have free will. But I won’t.

Each Human Life Matters

Photo from GoFundMe campaign set up by Jason Bubb, via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Corey Comperatore. (July 14, 2024)
Corey Comperatore, who was killed while protecting his family.

I’m glad that the person who apparently committed murders is still alive — and regret that his victims are dead — because I think they’re all human beings.

Since I’m a Catholic, I think that human life is sacred, a gift from God. I think every human life matters: each human life. It doesn’t matter who someone is. A corollary is that suicide is a really bad idea. (Catechism, 2258-2317)

That’s why I am sorry that the Hortmans are dead: and am glad the accused didn’t kill himself, or commit ‘suicide by cop’.

Although I think attacking those folks was wrong, I don’t I think every policy pushed by the victims’ political party is right. Again, it involves how I see human life.

I think human beings are people. ALL human beings. Who we are, what we’ve done, or who our ancestors are, doesn’t matter. Every human being is a person, made “in the image of God”: no matter how young or old, health or sick, that person is. Again, since human life is a gift from God, it’s precious, sacred. (Genesis 1:26–27, 2:7; Catechism, 355-357, 361, 369-370, 1700, 1730, 1929, 2258-2317)

Taking what the Church says seriously means I can’t support capital punishment: because a person who commits what a law code says is a capital crime is still a person. And I can’t support abortion rights because human beings are people, even if we haven’t learn to walk and talk yet.

Euthanasia is another non-starter. I’ve talked about this sort of thing before, and will close with the usual links:

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Power Outage June 20, 2025 0 (0)

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Brian H. Gill

Well, that was interesting. I woke up this morning, either because my CPAP stopped working or because I heard stuff hitting the side of the house. Didn’t know what time that was, since the clock I could see is electric.

My son came in a few minutes later to look out the window. We passed a few words, and I went back to sleep. In situations like that, there’s not much I can do: and my body insisted that sleep was important.

When I woke up again — always a good thing — the sun was coming up and the power was still down. I noticed that there were pieces of leaves plastered on the still-wet window. That confirmed what I’d assumed from the sound of stuff hitting the sides of the house. We’d been experiencing above-average wind.

The house, and that part of Sauk Centre I can see out the window — which reminds me, I need to reboot the webcam. I’ll do that before posting this — was very, very quiet. Earlier, when my son had looked out into a dark town, he’d mentioned that power was out. Don’t recall his exact words.

Anyway, there was almost no traffic on the street, the road work in the next block hadn’t started, and the house was very, very quiet. That reminded me of how much electrical equipment we use.

Time passed. I did my morning routines that didn’t need power, remembered that there’s an extreme heat warning on for this area over the weekend, and hoped that we’d get power back in time for the air conditioning to help.

Then, about 10:20 a.m., the power came back on. Number-three daughter came in to adjust the air conditioning controls to over-correct for the morning’s outage, let me know what was happening, and I started catching up on the ‘needs power’ parts of my routines.

Good news: seems that nobody in town got hurt last night. Trees down, blocking streets, on the north side, and some houses got damaged. Still, this could have been a lot worse.

“Severe Thunderstorm Hits Central Minnesota With Heavy Winds”
Paul Habstritt, WJON (June 20, 2025)

“Central Minnesota had another bout of severe weather early Friday morning. At about 2:30 a.m., the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northeastern Stearns County and southwestern Todd County that was in effect until 3:15 a.m.

“The system was moving southeast through Sauk Centre and the Melrose area with strong straight-line winds and quarter-inch-sized hail. At just after 3:00 a.m., a second warning was issued for eastern Stearns County until 4:00 a.m. when weather spotters reported winds of 66 mph at the Sauk Centre Airport. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says the northern part of Sauk Centre saw significant damage, including about a dozen streets closed due to downed trees, downed power lines, and flooding….”

That’s it for me now. Next comes rebooting the webcam, finding out why the household’s Internet connection’s been intermittent — aside from the obvious, what I mean is I’ll ask my son if he’s doing some maintenance — and then I’ll see what happens next.

NAH! The connection’s been stable for a few minutes. I’ll just do that reboot, and ask questions later.

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The Cosmos, the Pope, and a Sense of Wonder 0 (0)

Posted on June 19, 2025 by Brian H. Gill

Now and then there’s something nice in my news feed. Like this:

“Exploring the cosmos fills us with wonder, Pope tells scientists”
“Pope Leo XIV receives participants in the Vatican Observatory’s Summer School program, inviting them to share the joy they experience in exploring the cosmos and to contribute to a more peaceful and just world through the pursuit of knowledge.”
Christopher Wells, Vatican News (June 16, 2025)

“Long after the human authors of Sacred Scripture pondered the moment of creation with ‘their poetic and religious imagination,’ Pope Leo XIV said on Monday, modern scientists continue to explore the universe with new tools, including the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), whose images ‘fill us with wonder, and indeed a mysterious joy,’ as we contemplate the ‘sublime beauty’ of the stars.

“The Holy Father addressed his remarks to participants in the Vatican Observatory’s Summer School, which this year is dedicated to the theme ‘Exploring the Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope.’…”

Being Catholic and having a lively interest in this universe works out pretty well. I’ve talked about that, sort of, in Science AND Religion — that and a drop-down menu of links is in the Navigation Bar.

Now I’m getting a cup of coffee, putting my feet up: and later on finishing this week’s post.

Posted in Being Catholic, Journal | Tagged , , | 2 Comments