Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[PikaScrewChu]

6 hours ago, Ijustwantsomechips said:

I’m taking my cello lessons on Zoom and I hate it.   There is no substitute for in person instruction and I miss my instructor and the good acoustics at the music school.

Although I guess in hindsight we should be thankful this pandemic didn’t happen 15 or 20 years ago. Imagine what our work and family situations would be like without the option for Zoom. 

The fine arts classes have an exemption to the online only policy in the fall because you can't adequately assess those skills over Zoom. Especially when the average Joe doesn't have studio space to practice.

It really hit me how much thought goes into a proper dance studio when my ankles started giving out after practicing for an hour. Carpet is not a friend.

[latetotheparty]

I just clicked into something on here and started reading. And though: Wow, I feel exactly the same way. And then: Oh. I wrote this. 
 

My brain is broken. (No, predictive text. Not Birkenstock’s.) Technology has issues too, I guess. It probably has reasons. 

[Zella]

8 minutes ago, latetotheparty said:

I just clicked into something on here and started reading. And though: Wow, I feel exactly the same way. And then: Oh. I wrote this. 
 

My brain is broken. (No, predictive text. Not Birkenstock’s.) Technology has issues too, I guess. It probably has reasons. 

I was actually browsing around on filmboards the other day, which saved the IMDB discussion boards content after they were shut down. Was reading several posts thinking, "You are my spirit animal, random internet user!" Then I realized it was all stuff I'd written 4 years ago. 😆

Edited May 29, 2020 by Zella

[SunnyBeBe]

35 minutes ago, Zella said:

I was actually browsing around on filmboards the other day, which saved the IMDB discussion boards content after they were shut down. Was reading several posts thinking, "You are my spirit animal, random internet user!" Then I realized it was all stuff I'd written 4 years ago. 😆

I’ve done something similar! It’s a little disappointing, but then I just laugh.

[Zella]

3 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I’ve done something similar! It’s a little disappointing, but then I just laugh.

Was definitely a little embarrassing to realize that I had no memory whatsoever of writing any of it. D'oh! 

[fonfereksglen]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

Was definitely a little embarrassing to realize that I had no memory whatsoever of writing any of it. D'oh! 

Randomly, I receive notification that someone liked something I said during a Live Chat on the  My 600 lb Life forum from many years ago.  In an episode I don't remember!  At no point do Live Chat and reality intersect.... ever. 

.

[BetyBee]

6 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

I miss my grands SO much.

I have found it too chaotic to try and talk to a big group of my grands by zoom, messenger, or hangout (the ones they are all allowed to use..the parents monitor them.)

 So I have been calling each of them one  at a time...I talk to them a bit, and it seems so much better for me and them.

They know I'll always keep it very short (because I told them this all upfront when I started these calls. )

  So far, they're always willing to answer my calls. Then I say " OK, I just wanted to say hello and "see" you...so I'll say goodbye now..unless you have something you want to talk about..."

 I'm really happy about how much most of them do want to talk longer.💖

 Sometimes after we talk a bit, I'll say, "is/are there any cousin(s) you want me to invite to this chat?" (they usually do!)

For some reason, they don't initate the chats themselves, but love it when I do.

 

I love this idea, ChiCricket! You have come up with a perfect solution! I find the Zoom meetings with all the grands to be too chaotic. I'm going to try this and let you know how it works out!

[jcbrown]

19 hours ago, latetotheparty said:

We could get T-shirts! Mine would say: “Allergies. Asthma. Pay no attention to the cough. Really.” I’m only half kidding.

The thing I keep reading about that scares me is that many patients have come to the hospital with oxygen saturations so low they should be unconscious but they’re sitting up, conversing and swiping through their phones. Me allergies haven been so nasty this year (Curse you, mild winter) that I broke down and bought an inexpensive pulse ox meter. It reassures me when I’m having a bad coughing day that nothing more serious is going on. 
 

 

I would buy that T-shirt. My SIL works in a hospital in NOLA and she sent us a pulse oximeter when this all started.

12 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

Well that's encouraging from the therapist.

I don't like zoom.  We did it with the grands and it made me sad and miss them even more.

We have been having a weekly Zoom call with college friends and it is actually something I look forward to. A reason to put in earrings, once per week.

[BitterApple]

Have you guys been following the Myka Stauffer controversy? For those not familiar, she's a well known Mommy vlogger who recently dumped her adopted special needs child. Crystal Ball Katie did a YouTube video about it:

https://youtu.be/LNWeX7Ydb_A

The woman is narcissism on steroids. She makes JRod look like a lightweight. I try not to judge, but she gives off vibes like the kid was an inconvenience to her perfect aesthetic and needed to go. 

Edited May 30, 2020 by BitterApple

[Sew Sumi]

She duct-taped the poor boy's hand so he wouldn't suck his thumb. This woman is disgusting. I'm actually glad Huxley is away from her abuse, but it's sick that she exploited him for clicks and cash.

[latetotheparty]

Let me tell all you grandmas that phone calls are the best. Mine’s been gone since 1984 and I still want to pick up the phone and call her all the time. 
We are a family of night owls and as she aged she needed much less sleep. I could be depressed at 2 am and call her and she’d still be up working on the church newsletter. And she’d set it aside and talk as much as i needed.  Miss her so much. 

[lilwhitelion]

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

Have you guys been following the Myka Stauffer controversy? For those not familiar, she's a well known Mommy vlogger who recently dumped her adopted special needs child. Crystal Ball Katie did a YouTube video about it:

https://youtu.be/LNWeX7Ydb_A

The woman is narcissism on steroids. She makes JRod look like a lightweight. I try not to judge, but she gives off vibes like the kid was an inconvenience to her perfect aesthetic and needed to go. 

I am so disgusted by this woman's actions.  There is an instagrammer that has documented this abuse of Husley with Myka's own history of posts and with testimonies from other people.  Her instagram is mykastaufferfan.  I don't know if she started out as a fan of Myka's, but believe me, she is not a fan of hers now.  

[GeeGolly]

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

Have you guys been following the Myka Stauffer controversy? For those not familiar, she's a well known Mommy vlogger who recently dumped her adopted special needs child. Crystal Ball Katie did a YouTube video about it:

https://youtu.be/LNWeX7Ydb_A

The woman is narcissism on steroids. She makes JRod look like a lightweight. I try not to judge, but she gives off vibes like the kid was an inconvenience to her perfect aesthetic and needed to go. 

I haven't watched this YouTube video yet, but I just read about this a couple of days ago. I'm happy for Huxley that he's not with these parents anymore, but what fucked up humans those parents are. And the older three kids are at just the wrong ages for this to happen. (not that it should ever happen) They are old enough to know their parents gave their brother away, but not old enough to understand it has nothing to do with them. 

Hopefully Huxley is now in a home where he can grow up feeling loved and secure.

Their oldest three may lay in bed at night hoping that whatever they did wrong that day isn't bad enough to make mom and dad give them away. 

[Nysha]

We're no longer in lockdown, so I have 2 of my grandchildren for the weekend. They lived with me for the last 7 months of 2019. My daughter got married and moved out of state to avoid having to comply with CPS. Her new state did one welfare check, didn't see anything alarming, and closed the case. It is obvious my grandson's anger issued have multiplied, but he's lived with me off & on since he was a year old, so his behavior is within normal limits for him. My granddaughter's behavior has not only regressed, but it is now worse than it was when they first moved in last year. Major tantrums, will look right at you and do what you just asked her not to do, deliberately hurts her brother, and ignores everything you say or asks "what" over and over until you realize she heard you she just wants to irritate you. Everything is a power struggle and she's deliberately destructive. I walked into the bathroom b/c she had been in there for a long time and she was trying to jam the toilet plunger stick into the one of the top flush buttons. Not to mention, it's currently 12:20 AM  and both kids are wide awake. I am probably going to have to take them home tomorrow b/c I start back to work on Monday and I need to get some sleep this weekend. 
I know that none of this is their fault, their home life is not the best when things are normal. No school, no respite care, and no relief for parents or kids has made things so much worse. 

[latetotheparty]

1 hour ago, Nysha said:

We're no longer in lockdown, so I have 2 of my grandchildren for the weekend. They lived with me for the last 7 months of 2019. My daughter got married and moved out of state to avoid having to comply with CPS. Her new state did one welfare check, didn't see anything alarming, and closed the case. It is obvious my grandson's anger issued have multiplied, but he's lived with me off & on since he was a year old, so his behavior is within normal limits for him. My granddaughter's behavior has not only regressed, but it is now worse than it was when they first moved in last year. Major tantrums, will look right at you and do what you just asked her not to do, deliberately hurts her brother, and ignores everything you say or asks "what" over and over until you realize she heard you she just wants to irritate you. Everything is a power struggle and she's deliberately destructive. I walked into the bathroom b/c she had been in there for a long time and she was trying to jam the toilet plunger stick into the one of the top flush buttons. Not to mention, it's currently 12:20 AM  and both kids are wide awake. I am probably going to have to take them home tomorrow b/c I start back to work on Monday and I need to get some sleep this weekend. 
I know that none of this is their fault, their home life is not the best when things are normal. No school, no respite care, and no relief for parents or kids has made things so much worse. 

I don’t know why everything is always so hard for you. You have been through a lot. But you keep going. I really admire you. 

[fonfereksglen]

So ... I'm sitting on the couch looking out the window ..... when a small parade of about 30 beautifully restored classic cars drive past our house in our boring neighborhood!  Our street is not a through street and is only 5 blocks long, so someone must have had a reason to choose our street.  Turns out is was organized for an elderly man down the street who is not well.

First the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile and now this!

 

Edited May 30, 2020 by fonfereksglen
Husband took a walk and asked

[Nysha]

9 hours ago, latetotheparty said:

I don’t know why everything is always so hard for you. You have been through a lot. But you keep going. I really admire you. 

Thank you.

A lot of my issues come from adopting two sibling groups (5 children) from Foster Care who had been horridly abused and neglected by their parents. The first sibling group of 3 have their mother's slight cognitive delays with one having additional issues due to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The other two both inherited their mother's schizophrenia, with the older one also having BiPolar Disorder like his father and the younger one having PTSD due to the chaos growing up with 4 older emotionally disturbed siblings. It didn't help that my husband died of a heart attack when the kids were 8-15. 

I love my kids and tried to do everything that was recommended to resolve their issues, but you can't love away mental illness. And now these damaged children are raising children in pretty much the same manner as their birth parents raised them. It breaks my heart.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Nysha
Hit post before I was done.

[Oldernowiser]

Damn, Nysha. You are Superwoman. I’m just so sorry you have to be.

Applause and a big socially distanced hug.

[Love2dance]

@Nysha, sending hugs and deep empathy for everything you and your family are dealing with all the time. Heart wrenching.

[Temperance]

I was just coming here to post about Myka Stauffer controversy. I have been reading a lot about this. I'm putting it in a spoiler, because some people may think it's too upsetting. Here are some of the main points I grasped:

Spoiler

1) Myka and her husband Jim are both youtubers who grifted money to make this adoption happen. She raised money. She already had three children.  

2) Myka knew the child had some special needs. She knew he had a brain tumor. She later said China underepresented his issues. I would consider a brain tumor a significant issue and would expect collateral issues. 

3) A doctor evaluated the child in China. He raised concerns. Myka was already wanted to adopt him and she admitted on youtube that everything the doctor said "went in one ear, and out the other." She admitted this as the adoption took place, not in the rehoming video. 

4) Myka and her husband seemed surprised that he didn't immediately fit in. They seem surprised he didn't listen to them. It turned out he had developmental delays and austism. Also they made no attempt to learn Chinese or anything about his culture. 

5) Myka started posting videos of her kids, minus him (their adoptive child.) Fans were suspicious and this is what led to her making the rehoming. In the video she cries and begs for privacy after years of filming herself. 

6) James "Jim" Stauffer has been a party to everything involved. He deserves as much blame as his wife. He also has a youtube channel about car detailing, Stauffer Garage. 

I put things concerning the kid in the spoiler. The Stauffers apparently had endorsement deals that Jeremy Vuolo drools at. They have lost most of those sponsors thanks to people writing in about how angry they are. As mentioned so far it's mainly the mother's endorsements lost. 

People are saying this raises questions youtube and child filming and yes some people are making comparisons to reality television.

One book I saw recommended about the adoption side is called The Child Catchers by Kathryn Joyce. It's about international adoption especially by religious people. Here on this forum people might also enjoy Kathryn Joyce's first book: Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement. I have heard these books are a little connected. Full disclosure: I haven't read either book. 

Edited May 31, 2020 by Temperance

[Sew Sumi]

I have a hard copy of Quiverfull. It's a great book, even if you're a seasoned fundie watcher. 

[BitterApple]

To add to that list, Myka and her husband also went on a vacation to Bali less than two weeks after dumping Huxley in foster care. 

Aside from the damage they've inflicted on this poor boy, it's heartbreaking to read comments from adults with autism/delays who are deeply hurt that someone like them is seen as disposable. The Stauffers are mind-blowingly shitty people and I hope they lose every grifted dime they've got.

Edited May 31, 2020 by BitterApple

[Sew Sumi]

The Stauffers have made mainstream media. I'm sure this was instrumental in them losing all those sponsorships. 

They can't lose them all fast enough.

#justiceforHuxley

[Jynnan tonnix]

Getting back to @Nysha, You are such a role model and/or touchstone for how traumatic life can be for those of us who think that annoying relatives are causing us anything like truly life-affecting issues. Hats off, and huge hugs to you. 

[GeeGolly]

Sadly, I think these mommy influencers have more children than they would have otherwise, because cute kids make them more successful. That in and of itself is a crime. 

This Myka woman sounds like she was a piece of work from the get go. Her description of leaving her then fiance (the father of her oldest) emphasized that he was a MD and she left right before a spectacular vacation.

Another thing I found curious was she says the "new mommy" has a medical background, yet I thought I read Myka was a nurse.

[BitterApple]

Myka was a nurse very briefly. Rumor has it she was fired for assaulting a pregnant woman. 

 

[doodlebug]

10 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

The Stauffers have made mainstream media. I'm sure this was instrumental in them losing all those sponsorships. 

They can't lose them all fast enough.

#justiceforHuxley

I'd never heard of them even though they live in a suburb of Columbus.  Full disclosure: she gave birth to her last child at the hospital where I was a resident 30+ years ago.  Didn't see anyone I knew in her video, not surprisingly.

Katie without a Crystal Ball, who has an autistic child, delved into this woman's online history in terms of her adoption of this special needs child and gives a lot of insight into the treatment this child received at her hands.  

First, this lady, who apparently was an RN but only worked for a brief period and, during that time, managed to get named in a lawsuit filed by one of her coworkers for pushing and shoving her at work while this coworker was pregnant.  Others who claim to have worked with her say she was incompetent and constantly spoke of her and her husband's desire to become internet stars and get rich.  She repeatedly refers to her extensive experience as a nurse as making her uniquely qualified to adopt a special needs child.  She was employed as a nurse for less than a year and there is suspicion she was fired.

Her vlog had about 40,000 viewers prior to her decision to adopt a child; it grew to well over a million in the course of the adoption.  It appears to me that this lady and her husband, who already had 3 young children, made a calculated decision to adopt as a means to gain viewers and increase income.  She initially claimed they wanted to foster to adopt but that her husband didn't want to bring an older child into their home since most foster kids are older.  However, if you know anything about foster parenting, you know that it is absolutely forbidden for foster parents to put the kids online in any way.  So, a foster kid couldn't appear on the blog and even discussing him or her online would be against the rules.  

Because they couldn't foster and adoption agencies in the US aren't placing a baby with a couple who already has 3 kids and no fertility problems, they decided to try overseas where there are only a couple of options including China.  At this point, Myka actually polled her viewers as to whether they should take a special needs child since that would be quicker.  She also claimed that they were given a list of 100 possible problems a Chinese adoptee might have and that she and her husband were absolutely fine with 99 of them.

She got medical records including a CT scan on this little boy before they decided to take him.  A pediatric neurologist advised being extremely cautious because this child had serious malformations of his brain and would likely have serious intellectual issues amongst other things.  She decided she could handle it.  They set up a Go Fund Me (while neglecting to tell their viewers that her husband's employer gives $10,000 towards adoption expenses to all employees).  They raised a bundle of money and moved from a modest $250,000 home into a $700,000 one and proceeded to make extensive renovations.

Prior to this, her vlog had been all about her fitness routine, her vegan diet and homeschooling her kids.  As soon as she latched onto the adoption idea, her viewership skyrocketed and everything else went by the wayside.  She made around a dozen videos about the adoption before they went to China and many more afterwards.

The little boy was around year old when they got him.  He, of course, spoke no English and, despite his developmental issues, he does walk and is shown playing with toys appropriately.  He is nonverbal, but has learned a lot of signs despite her obvious frustration with him when he doesn't respond immediately.  She monetized every moment though, posing for darling mother-son photos in front of laundry detergents and plopping him into ads for yogurt.

The kid does have wonky baby teeth and she took him to a dentist who told her that thumb sucking can make it worse and she decided then and there that he had to stop.  He is shown wearing a brace and later with his thumb duct taped to prevent him from sucking it.  Meanwhile, her older daughter is sucking her thumb in multiple videos with no mention of it.  Remember this kid has just been dragged from China, where he had a close bond with the foster family, taken to the US, doesn't speak the language, has significant neurological issues and is autistic; but it is more important to her that he not need orthodontic surgery at some point in the future than that he be able to comfort himself.

She repeatedly claims that none of the testing for autism is covered by insurance which is false.  The Americans with Disabilities Act as well as the Affordable Care Act require it to be covered..  She also complains that he is seeing a speech therapist once a month and it costs $500 and they are going to switch to a therapist that costs $70 because it is too expensive.  She makes this complaint while wearing a $6300 Cartier watch that she bragged about buying in another video.

In the midst of all of the upheaval of this adoption of a special needs child, she deliberately gets pregnant and has another child, filming all aspects of the pregnancy and birth for her channel.

Finally, there are a bunch of  videos in which she is clearly exasperated that he is not performing for the cameras as she wants. She is visibly frustrated, at one point pushing him away as he tries to hug her.  Rumor has it that his lack of cooperation with her filming schedule and inability to perform on cue was the final straw that broke the adoption's back.  She claims that medical experts told her he would be better off with another family, implying that his needs were more than they had expected.  I think that she was told to stop filming him and to stop expecting him to perform on camera and that was not acceptable to her; so she dumped the kid and not the vlog.

The video in which they announce that they had 'rehomed' him like he was a stray dog, is quite interesting in that they are sitting on their all-white bed in their luxury bedroom, both wearing matching white shirts and dark pants; clearly having staged and planned and produced the whole thing.  It's quite a performance complete with crying on cue.  For her parting lie, she claims her son was carefully placed with just the right adoptive parents.  In fact, they surrendered custody to the county children's services who placed him with a foster family.  It does seem that the placement has been successful and his foster parents do plan to adopt him, but that was not known at the time they gave him away.

Edited May 31, 2020 by doodlebug

[Chicklet]

Some days the invention of the Internet seems to have been a very bad idea.

[BitterApple]

If anything, I hope this opens people's eyes to the shady side of YouTube families. These parents are pimping out their children for profit, all while insisting they just film themselves going about their daily lives. It's sad there's no protections in place for these kids.

 

[Zella]

I'd never heard of these people before, but I read an article about them a few days ago. What horrible human beings. Reminds me of the Hart family case in a way. Hopefully with a much better ending. Glad that the foster family wants to adopt him.

I had some coworkers. I mention these people all the time because they were fundies. They adopted a little boy from the Caribbean who had a lot of medical issues, including FAS. The way they talked about him disgusted me. To me, the whole thing came across as "Look at what gloriously holy Christians we are for letting this disabled little black boy in our house." Every discussion about him revolved around how martyred they felt because he had special needs. Well, no fucking shit, he had severe complications from FAS! I never remember them once talking about how difficult life must be for him. They weren't quite as bad with their other children, but I always got the distinct impression the mother got off on her children having health problems. It was disturbing. 

[BitterApple]

11 minutes ago, Zella said:

 They weren't quite as bad with their other children, but I always got the distinct impression the mother got off on her children having health problems. It was disturbing. 

This doesn't surprise me at all. Hell, look at the Fundies we discuss here. They're never more in their glory when they're posing with their sick children, raking in the adulation and compliments from fans. It's one thing to have a private social media page and share updates with family and friends, but there's no way in hell I'd blast my child's medical information all over the internet as fodder for millions of strangers. Why this is seen as acceptable is beyond me. 

Edited May 31, 2020 by BitterApple

[Zella]

2 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

This doesn't surprise me at all. Hell, look at the Fundies we discuss here. They're never more in their glory when they're posing with their sick children, raking in the adulation and compliments from fans. It's one thing to have a private social media page and share updates with family and friends, but there's no way in hell I'd blast my child's medical information all over the internet as fodder for millions of strangers. Why this is seen as acceptable is beyond me. 

Agreed! She always wanted to have a pissing contest over who had worse allergies, her or me. And I was just like, "Um, this is a contest I don't want to win. Why do you?" 

[Temperance]

Withoutacrystalball has said some inaccurrate things about the Duggars, so she's not the best source.  However most of this jives with what we already know. 

[Temperance]

The father who has his own channel Stauffer Garage needs to be talked about more. Myka has been thrown under the bus more for being the family vlogger, but he's just as responsible as she is. I'm not sure he ever warmed to this kid, and didn't seem to be too involved with him. 

[GeeGolly]

Myka and her husband aren't much different than the JRods. Just a prettier package and apparently more successful grifters. Janessa was going to be JillR's Huxley, but now she's her poster baby for "Pro-Life".

[crazy8s]

a laugh for you all today.

granddaughter, age 8, called last week wanting Evie/disney descendants gloves to "cast spells" on her family. I sent her an Evie costume.

her brothers, age 6 and 4, wanted Harry Hook and Jay/Carlos costumes when they heard she asked.

hard to find what the boys want in their size - today 4 yr old says "I am calling the police about this"

i said please call and talk to me first.

he calls and says "I am jealous"

I validate his feelings

thinking how great it is he had words to express his feelings and it was allowed.

now he feels better.

and oh the 6 yr old needing Harry Hook costume was like, I want it, but if you can get me a Falcon's Matt Ryan Away white Jersey, I want that more

they are entertaining every day

 

 

 

[galaxychaser]

Due to protests Target got boarded up! I presume to not get looted. So many people and cops so far loud but peaceful. I wonder how many will die from COVID due to being in a big crowd for hours. Jeez.

[Sew Sumi]

Targets are being targeted (sorry) all over the country. The looters say they have insurance, so...

Dumbasses. This whole riot mess has spiraled out of control since the neo Nazis moved in.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Sew Sumi

[galaxychaser]

Well now all the local news trucks are here. If I see David Muir I will be SEVERELY dead from EXCITEMENT 

 

And local gay radio DJ outed him years ago on a live broadcast . Later it got edited out! I don’t care but wonder why he is the closet.

[Sew Sumi]

Targets are being targeted because their HQ are in Minneapolis.

https://www.adweek.com/retail/why-demonstrators-protesting-the-death-of-george-floyd-in-minneapolis-keyed-in-on-target/

[ChiCricket]

My daughter just posted this:

"Cops chasing people all over and my stupid neighbors are standing on the sidewalk holding their baby in their arms watching it all go down. Wth is wrong with people?"

She lives right near the Brickyard Mall in Chicago, her husband works in the Home Depot there. They closed down that Home Depot at 3pm and sent everyone home. We don't know anything else (if it was damaged later or  not.)

They closed the one in my suburb too.

But don't forget...

(found on Facebook...not mine)

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by ChiCricket

[realityfan26]

I didn't know how to get the post over here, so I hope this is ok. @Jynnan tonnix - I'm not much of a baker, but I started following a cake decorator on Instagram (@neuroticmom) and she posted a recipe for cinnamon rolls that I decided to try. They turned out very tasty and I'm thinking of trying a soft pretzel recipe next. Why King Arthur flour? I don't know if I'd even be able to tell the difference, but I need all the help I can get! I don't even have a stand mixer and have borrowed my DIL's to see if it's something I'd like. 

[Zella]

4 minutes ago, realityfan26 said:

I didn't know how to get the post over here, so I hope this is ok. @Jynnan tonnix - I'm not much of a baker, but I started following a cake decorator on Instagram (@neuroticmom) and she posted a recipe for cinnamon rolls that I decided to try. They turned out very tasty and I'm thinking of trying a soft pretzel recipe next. Why King Arthur flour? I don't know if I'd even be able to tell the difference, but I need all the help I can get! I don't even have a stand mixer and have borrowed my DIL's to see if it's something I'd like. 

I've never used it, but I've always heard King Arthur flour is highly prized by bakers because it is such good quality. 

My grandmother refuses to make biscuits without White Lily flour. Like, she buys it in bulk on trips to North Carolina since it's not sold where we are in Arkansas. She really likes King Arthur flour, too. Just not for her biscuits! 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Zella

[doodlebug]

16 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

My daughter just posted this:

"Cops chasing people all over and my stupid neighbors are standing on the sidewalk holding their baby in their arms watching it all go down. Wth is wrong with people?"

She lives right near the Brickyard Mall in Chicago, her husband works in the Home Depot there. They closed down that Home Depot at 3pm and sent everyone home. We don't know anything else (if it was damaged later or  not.)

They closed the one in my suburb too.

But don't forget...

(found on Facebook...not mine)

 

The city of Cleveland is under curfew until Tuesday night after rioting and looting followed a a protest march on Saturday.  As in other places, it seems like outisde groups came into town not to participate in the demonstration, but to cause disruption and loot.  No one allowed to drive or walk anywhere in the downtown area.  I don't know what people who work downtown are supposed to do for the next 2 days considering most of them are just getting back to work after the Covid stay-at-home.  Folks who were scheduled to go to work downtown today were advised to contact their employer and stay home.

I grew up in the inner city, in a white neighborhood and remember the rioting in the '60's very well.  During the Glenville riots in 1967, the National Guard actually set up a post on our street and we kids were excited to see the military vehicles and the guys in the guard bought us candy at the corner store.  There was a curfew, then, too, and the freeway exit nearest our house was shut down at 6 PM.  My dad came home from work early because of the road blocks and also because my mom didn't have a car and I think he was afraid that things would move our way and we'd need to leave.  I remember sitting on our front porch and seeing the sky glow from the fires and hearing the sirens all night long.

I pray for our country.  For anyone who thinks that institutionalized racism is not a thing: black women are 4-5 times more likely to die in childbirth than white women in this country.  That is exclusive of their socioeconomic status, age, drug or tobacco use, chronic medical issues.  This disparity does not exist in other countries.  We need to realize that we are all responsible for changing things for the better for all of us.

Edited June 1, 2020 by doodlebug

[ChiCricket]

10 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

No one allowed to drive or walk anywhere in the downtown area.  I don't know what people who work downtown are supposed to do for the next 2 days considering most of them are just getting back to work after the Covid stay-at-home.  Folks who were scheduled to go to work downtown today were advised to contact their employer and stay home.

Speaking of downtowns..this is what Chicago did.

They raised all the bridges except one, to control access in and out.

My granddaughter's best friend got stuck downtown for many hours with no way to get home, because they shut the L's down too (this happened yesterday.)

Ps L's are elevated trains 🙂

Edited June 1, 2020 by ChiCricket

[crazycatlady58]

I am so pleased with Conroe TX. They had a protest , not a riot, a peaceful protest. The group met at one end of town walked to the court house, knelt in prayer/ silence for nine minutes. No damages, no one hurt, just a protest about the death of a man.

[doodlebug]

Boy, I sure have posted a lot today!  Went back to Mass for the first time this morning.

The Cleveland Diocese has issued strict guidelines and all of the churches have been advised to go above and beyond.  First, there were only 3 Masses all weekend instead of 5 to give time to clean between services.  One Mass on Saturday evening, two this morning.

Everyone was required to wear a mask, the doors of the church were propped open so no one had to touch them.  No holy water, just hand sanitizer dispensers installed at the doors.  No passing collection baskets, donation boxes at the entrance instead.  Ushers lead everyone to their seats based on the number of people in their party.  Groups of more than four were split.  The pews were marked with tape to show where to sit.  Left side of one pew, right side on the next to keep everyone at last 6 feet apart.  The kneelers were taped up and couldn't be used.

The priests didn't process down the aisle as usual, they just walked from the sacristy to the altar, wearing masks, although they took them off to do readings but were always more than 6 feet away from others.  No altar servers.  The deacon did those jobs.  All missals and hymnals were removed, there were screens at the front with the lyrics and prayers.  

At communion, there were pieces of tape on the aisle to keep everyone spaced.  They had wood frames with plexiglass in them.  There was an opening at waist level where we were to place our hand to receive the host.  Then, we were to step away to another marked area, take down the mask, take communion and replace the mask before returning to our seats.

When the Mass was over, we exited the church, row by row, through the nearest door to our seat.  No passing others, no congregating to talk.  We were asked by the pastor not to hang out chatting in the parking lot either as he wanted our parish to set the example for our neighbors, some of whom were concerned about the numbers coming to the property for services.

All in all, I think it went really well, they put a lot of thought and effort into it and followed the guidelines to the letter.  

The church also was planning to limit attendance to 250 people per service.  The pastor estimated about 125 came to the Mass I attended.  Currently, the Catholic diocese here has said that no one is required to attend Mass (Catholics are supposed to go on Sundays usually or it is a sin) and my church has become quite adept at livestreaming services and is continuing to do that, too.  Usually, there would be upwards of 500 people at each service.

[doodlebug]

18 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

I am so pleased with Conroe TX. They had a protest , not a riot, a peaceful protest. The group met at one end of town walked to the court house, knelt in prayer/ silence for nine minutes. No damages, no one hurt, just a protest about the death of a man.

Just heard Cleveland mayor's press conference.  He's not my favorite guy, but, like many other cities have said; they noted two distinct groups present at the events yesterday.  One group, which included a lot of local organizers well known to authorities peacefully led a march from a park to the Justice Center and then to public square.  That gathering was completely peaceful and had no problems.  However, when that group got to the Justice Center (police HQ and courts), they noticed a distinct group broke away from the main crowd as they moved on.  As he put it, there were people who had clearly targeted the Justice Center and that these people were NOT the locals they usually see at these things.  It was at the point where the organized march was ending and those people dispersing that the crowd that had stayed at the Justice Center went to work breaking windows and vandalizing.  His feeling is that this was an organized effort and was obviously meant to exploit the peaceful protests and use them to incite violence and looting.  He also said that he had spoken to multiple other mayors who noted the same thing in their towns.  I saw the mayors of Washington DC and Chicago on Meet the Press this morning and they said the exact same thing.

Edited June 1, 2020 by doodlebug

[EVS]

23 minutes ago, ChiCricket said:

Speaking of downtowns..this is what Chicago did.

They raised all the bridges except one, to control access in and out.

My granddaughter's best friend got stuck downtown for many hours with no way to get home, because they shut the L's down too (this happened yesterday.)

Ps L's are elevated trains 🙂

A friend of mine was just diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer. She is getting daily chemotherapy in downtown Chicago but lives in the suburbs. The hospital is just 2 streets down from where much of the looting occurred. I hope she will be able to get to her treatment tomorrow. 

[ChiCricket]

11 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

  Went back to Mass for the first time this morning.

Thanks for posting all the details on how your church handled everything.

My husband is chomping at the bit to go to a real Mass again.

I hope his is just as cautious when they open up again. I have to admit I don't want him to go yet, because he will be hard pressed to follow social distancing rules...

(I love him, but he's kind of clueless.)🙄

7 minutes ago, EVS said:

A friend of mine was just diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer. She is getting daily chemotherapy in downtown Chicago but lives in the suburbs. The hospital is just 2 streets down from where much of the looting occurred. I hope she will be able to get to her treatment tomorrow. 

She'd better call ahead to be sure.😯