I watched on live TV the pomp and circumstance from London, England of the funeral of Prince Philip (age 99). It was truly a great funeral honoring a man of faith with a military background being married to the queen of England for 73 years.
Because of the Covid Pandemic, the attendance was limited to 30 people all wearing masks. The Lord’s Prayer was sung along with a choir of three men and one lady singing other songs. (I would guess the choir members were between 30 and 50 in age.)
One bagpiper, male, performed in proper attire while in step as he played. The ceremony ended with “God Save the Queen” (the national anthem of Great Britain). Queen Elizabeth, who turned 95 the week after the funeral, followed the procession in her royal Bentley car.
At 3 p.m. the specially designed Land Rover vehicle by Prince Philip to carry his body to the chapel for temporary burial arrived at the chapel with the boom of cannons and peal of bells, followed by a minute of national silence.
“There is no fool like an old food” is most certainly true. I know because I put away my second pair of long john’s after the 15th of April. (I had put away the first pair the warm spell towards the end of March.) Guess what I dug out for wearing the week of Earth Day later in April?
During the cold spell of Earth Week, I watched a confused woodpecker. He was used to the warm weather and drinking water out of our bird bath waterer. The first morning of the hard frost he came to get his usual drink of water.
As he bent to get the drink of water, his beak hit the ice. He shook his head and tried again, same result. After about five beak drillings into the ice he broke through and got his much deserved drink.
The hard frost nipped our tulips and Easter lilies. I think they will survive. What is so unusual is a pair of mallard ducks are looking at the blackened leaves. Could they be looking for a nesting site?
(Readers, because of metal detectors, I decided not to tell you part of the Jesse James Gang robbing the Northfield bank. I have recently changed my mind.)
After robbing the banker on his way back to the bank in Ellendale, the gang camped on the east side of Fountain Lake in Albert Lea. The gang was a mess as some were injured, and there weren’t enough horses to carry the men and the bags of gold. Something had to be done if they wanted to make it back to Missouri.
The decision was to give each person in the gang five twenty-dollar gold coins, then twenty-dollar gold coins to Jesse to pay for doctoring, food, and costs related to the horses on the way home to Missouri. The rest was buried in the bank bags placed in a hole dug by a small tree about three feet down next to Fountain lake with the initials “JJ” notched in the trunk of the tree.”
(The gang never came back and the gold has not been found as it never showed up in a collection or in circulation.)
In the words of the well-known radio newsperson, Paul Harvey, “And now you know the rest of the story.”
Words of wisdom: If you don’t get the virus vaccination, the virus will get you.
P.S. Have you noticed an heir of confidence on knowing “the buck stops here” as Eli goes about his way around the newspaper world?
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in New York. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.