Three Kings Day 2017

Epiphany Sunday

The Adoration of the Magi, by Luca Giordano

As I noted on Friday, the traditional date for observance of the Feast of the Epiphany has been January 6, but beginning in 1970 the American Catholic Church has considered it
a moveable feast, held on the first Sunday following the January 1 feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.




That means the latest the Epiphany can fall is January 8, which is how things worked out this year. Technically, Christmastide doesn't end until the Baptism of the Lord,
a feast day which since 1970 in the Catholic Church has been celebrated on the first Sunday following the Epiphany unless that feast falls on January 7 or 8. In such cases, the Baptism is celebrated the following day.

"You bead-fumbling bipeds and your crazy rules crack me up!"

Noah never should have let your kind on board the Ark...

Wild Kingdom Bed & Breakfast Update

"Thanks for the refill!"

When the weather started getting colder last fall, I replaced the seed cakes in the holders I hang on my patio with suet cakes (which I can't put out in warmer weather because they melt and make a smelly mess). The latter are much more popular, especially now that the really cold weather has arrived.

Every once in awhile I catch a glimpse of the woodpeckers and nuthatches that like the suet cakes, but they usually fly off whenever I try
to photograph them. This morning when I got home from Mass, a downy woodpecker was hungry enough to keep eating while I took his picture with my Moto X Pure.

Score!

"You're awfully sweet, but then again so are we!"

Back when I first moved to Atlantic, one of my favorite things to do on Sunday after Mass was stop by the local Hy-Vee for a couple of glazed croissants, which are just what they sound like: regular, flaky croissants covered with donut glaze.

It broke my heart when the store stopped offering the treat. The folks in the bakery told me that they didn't bake their own croissants, and their supplier could no longer meet their requirements.



This morning I stopped by the Family Fare grocery store on my way home from Mass, and as I walked past their bakery department I spotted these beauties!

They tasted just as good with a cold glass of milk this morning as they did years ago. Lucky find, but I'm glad I can resume enjoying this Sunday tradition...

"Ordinarily I would make oinking noises, but you've been a bit down lately..."

I appreciate your forbearance...

Housekeeping

The New Year has been under way for a week, so it seems like a reasonable time to offer the year's first reminder to click at least some of the live links you see in these posts (like this one). A decent amount of the content I'm trying to share depends on your clicking
those links at least once in awhile.

And while I'm at it, I'll remind you that comments are always welcome. Agree, disagree, or just want to say "Hi," I'd love to hear from you!

"Me, too!"

Do NOT Resuscitate

From the insightful pen of Michael Ramirez, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

On January 8, 1935 Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. After receiving
a guitar as a present on his 11th birthday, he began a career that would eventually make him an icon in American popular music and a phenomenally popular entertainer known and loved all over the world.

It is worth recalling on this important Christian feast day how important Elvis's faith was to him. His early experiences singing in church had a lot to do with his overcoming his innate shyness, and he never lost his love for gospel music. It was an important facet of his repertoire his entire recording and performing career.

In November 1960 Elvis released His Hand in Mine, the first of three gospel music albums he released in his lifetime. The album peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart (highly unusual for an album of non-Christmas religious music), and eventually received a platinum certification from RIAA.

In addition to his crack band
of Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and
D.J. Fontana he was joined on this recording by gospel vocal ensemble The Jordanaires and top session superstars Boots Randolph,
Hank Garland, and Floyd Cramer.

Today's send-off is the 2008 remastered version of the original album's cover of the Albert E. Brumley favorite "If We Never Meet Again," from Elvis's YouTube channel. Enjoy...