Several decades back, while I was living with my parents in Moorhead, Minnesota, a radio announcer read the day’s weather forecast.
Nothing unusual about that. The forecast was another matter. As I recall, the National Weather Service was telling us to expect severe thunderstorms, hail, torrential rains, mighty winds and an occasional tornado.
After finishing the official forecast, the announcer paused before rhetorically asking “what? No burning hail?” Or maybe it was “fiery hail.” Something like that.
Which raises an interesting, if hypothetical, question. If Egypt’s climate was like Minnesota’s, back when Moses couldn’t talk his way out of a diplomatic mission, what would it have taken to get Pharaoh’s attention?
Interesting to me, that is. Your experience may vary.
Same Old Same Old: Storms and Sunshine
Last night’s 24-hour weather forecast told me to expect a bright, sunny and thoroughly nice summer day today.
So far, we’ve had sincerely overcast skies, a severe thunderstorm warning southeast of Sauk Centre; and assurance that the excitement isn’t over.
And now, a few minutes later, the severe thunderstorm warning is south of us. Or maybe it’s a new warning.
Either way, I’m not surprised that yesterday’s forecast and today’s weather don’t match.
This is the Upper Midwest. I grew up in this part of the world, which may explain why I think weather in San Francisco is boring. Beautiful city, though, and that’s another topic.
Now the sun is shining on the corner of South Ash and 9th Street. And folks between Detroit Lakes and Moorhead had a tornado warning.
Minnesota’s weather is not boring. Occasionally lethal, but not boring.
- “One dead as tornadoes, severe weather hit central Minnesota”
Jeremiah Jacobsen, KARE 11 (July 8, 2020)
Which is why I’ve been paying more attention to local and regional weather updates.
COVID-19, Death, Face Masks and All That
(From Minnesota Department of Health, used w/o permission.)
(Deaths in Minnesota due to COVID-19: March 21 to July 11, 2020.)
Maybe it’s the sudden and temporary sunshine, but I’m even almost upbeat about the COVID-19 pandemic. Folks here in Minnesota aren’t dying of the disease nearly as fast as we were a month or two ago.
But, like all things in this world, that’ll probably change.
Like the sunshine. Which is now fading. Probably because there’s another thunderstorm heading our way. Judging from NWS radar, it’ll probably go north of Sauk Centre.
The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over yet.
Which is why I still wear a face mask when I’ll be near folks who aren’t in this household.
The idea isn’t protecting myself from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. And I’m not making a political statement.
I see wearing a face mask as an easy and negligibly inconvenient way to support the common good. And, maybe, help slow down the pandemic’s progress. (June 12, 2020; May 23, 2020)
Politics and Flying Factional Fewmets
Headlines in my news feeds deliver the usual mix of dreadful pronouncements.
Mainly about the COVID-19 pandemic, politics: and pandemic politics.
As far as I know, nobody’s actually said “and we’re all gonna die.” Which is, arguably, good news.
The politics thing is pretty much inevitable. There’s a presidential election on, so sound and fury is the order of the day.
Ignoring the flying factional fewmets might be possible. But ignoring the looming election entirely isn’t an option.
Participating in public life is part of being Catholic. In today’s America, that includes voting. And thinking. (Catechism of the Catholic Church (1997), 1915, 2240; “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” USCCB)
That’s why I’ve requested a mail-in voting form. On the whole, I’d enjoy going to the usual polling place. But, like I said before, there’s a pandemic in progress.
I’ve talked about this before:
- “Fourth of July and Virtual Fireworks”
(July 4, 2020) - “Back in the Chapel”
(June 20, 2020) - “The Masked Minnesotan”
(June 12, 2020) - “Another Pandemic Sunday”
(June 7, 2020) - “‘Raving Politics’”
(September 17, 2017)
Mankind Has A Free Will To Do Right Or Wrong: Use A Little Bit Of Integrity : God Has No Control Over Us On Mother Earth Because God Gave Everyone A Freewill. The World We, All Live On Would Be Of Are Own Making. Please Learn The Meaning Of The Word: INTEGRITY And To Have Integrity. It Shows Your Brotherhood To The World, And All Of Mankind. Because You Will Put Your Belief In To Action. Because You Show Your Wholeness Or Harmony In Your Nature Putting All Animal Passions Away, And Being Completely To The Will, Flesh To The Spirit , To The Body, To The Soul. Knowing What Would Be Right Or Wrong, And Doing What Would Be Right For Mankind. The People In The Folks Home Most Will Have Bad Recover From: COVID-19 A Lot Will Die. from It. Any One That In Bad Health Will Die From It.
Free will? Agreed. That, we’ve got.
God having no control over us?
I’ll agree that God gives us free will, and so in that sense doesn’t micro-manage our decisions. But I’m quite sure that God is large and in charge.
Maybe it’s a matter of semantics.
Doing what is right and avoiding what isn’t? Yeah, I’d say that makes sense. Actually doing it can be tricky.
“Burning hail?” Isn’t that just rain? XD
😀