Good Morning Digital Neighbors! Happy Saturday ADD Irregulars, Friends & Refugees, PHAM & Dawn Patrol, Early Birds, Later Dayers, Conversants, Lurkers and all you Visitors to Rubin Report, Phetasy and At Padre's. I failed to finished my Monday through Friday tour of Endangered Phrases and things my Momma used to say.
Around the block {also, around the track}: very experienced I heard this phrase often from my parents generation and grandparents. The phrase acknowledged experience and competency. It also seemed to have a more questionable side as well, when you referred to someone having been around the block a few times. If it was framed negatively for a woman it usually implied she was overly familiar with the boys. If it was framed negatively for man it often seemed to infer criminal or substance abuse. "You know the Miller Boys, they have been around the block a few times with the police."
The more you cry, the less you pee - My Grandmother used this a lot with all of us grandchildren when we cried because we didn't get our way or one of us hurt the other. She was a big fan of working it out yourself until things escalated too much, which often happened with the various grandsons. Grandma let the boys often resolve their problems physically but watched to see if there was constant harassment, bullying or overbearing behavior. Not a perfect system, but all of us cousins still got along and would often tell the stories of childhood games, arguments and resolution. I don't think you actually ever peed less, but you probably cried less longer and less frequently as a result of that little phrase. Happy Saturday Digital Neighbors!
West Michigan Barn by Randall Nyhof
Today marks the three hundred and thirtieth birthday of the Frenchman François-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire (1694-1778).
Born into a bourgeois family during the reign of Louis XIV, the “Sun King” (r. 1643-1715), Voltaire suffered tragedy at a young age when his mother died. Never close with his father or brother, Voltaire exhibited a rebellious attitude toward authority from his youth. His brilliant mind was fostered in the care of the Society of Jesus, who introduced him to the joys of literature and theater. Despite his later criticisms against the Church, Voltaire, throughout his life, fondly recalled his dedicated Jesuit teachers.
Although he spent time as a civil servant in the French embassy to the Hague, Voltaire’s main love was writing—an endeavor where he excelled in various genres, including poetry, which led to his appointment as the royal court poet for King Louis XV. Widely recognized as one of the greatest French writers, and even hyperbolically referred to by ...
Padre - Tom Miller invites you to a Coffee Talk, Speakeasies, Schmoozes, Tea Times, Afterhours and other gatherings.
https://teams.live.com/meet/93792382189049?p=DiBHsYfuECPgDrG7vO
2026 Coffee Talk with the ADD Irregulars
Thursday, January 1, 2026
6:00 AM - 8:00 AM (CST)
Occurs every day starting 1/1 until 12/31/2027
Coffee Talk - Daily beginning at 6:00 AM Central Time Zone - USA
White Pilled Wednesday - A break from the heaviness of news and current events to focus upon things more personal & positive for the first hour of Coffee Talk.
Afternoon Chats - Most Tuesday, Friday & Sundays 2:00 PM Central
Other chats as posted in the community.
Good Morning, Digital Neighbors, and Blessed Sunday to one and all!
Sundays are for gratitude, and few things impact our lives more than intentional gratitude. It is not enough to say you are blessed or that you are fortunate; the actual naming of our blessings plants them deep in the heart, transforming us as persons rather than leaving us with the bland “thankful for everything.”
Two years ago, I wrote this reflection on resentment and gratitude. In light of the celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary, I think it’s worth revisiting. We can choose to be among those who are thankful for America or among those who find nothing but fault with it.
You cannot build a future based on resentments of the past. You cannot grow if you are mired in the injuries of yesterday. God and life do not call us to ignore such experiences, but He constantly calls us forward—to be more, to receive more, to live more. Heal those wounds and work through those injuries, but do not be defined by them, and do not try to ...
