The wonderful Fr. George Rutler, who is really a throwback to a past age when men were men, priests were priests, and black and white was noted as such, wrote an interesting article this past week titled "The Pity of Christ." In it Rutler brings to mind Malcolm Muggeridge's words regarding the deadly nature of liberalism. Essentially he (Muggeridge, and Rutler) argues that of all the ideologies we have come to know as evil, think Nazism, Fascism, Communism... liberalism is right near the top when it comes to destruction of human life. Now the clear example is, of course, abortion. The millions upon millions of slaughtered babies brought about by abortion, often called a sacrament for many liberals, is proof of the deadly "compassionate" nature of liberals.

Keeping in mind that liberalism is difficult to define. Once referring, according to its literal meaning, as being free, liberalism now insinuates a mandated freedom from God's eternal moral laws. Liberals love, well, love. But not love as properly defined. Love speaks to willing the good of another, the eternal good. Love is not doing whatever feels good. Often it is the exact opposite of that. But liberalism wishes people to do whatever is necessary for their own apparent happiness, even if it means the disregard of any eternal law. Again, abortion comes to mind.

Let's apply the deadly nature of liberalism to another arena: Catholicism. Now what would you think if someone identified themselves as a Nazi Catholic? Or a proud Communist Catholic? Would that not sound absurd? Yet many, far too many, Catholics identify themselves as liberals, or even liberal Catholics. Liberal "c"atholicism, like liberalism in general, is difficult to pinpoint. A grain of truth here. A vague statement there. Suddenly the Pope should be ordaining women, gay weddings should be happening, and, of course, abortion is still a necessary human right. All in the name of love. While there are varying degrees of liberalism among Catholics, the fundamentals of disobedience to God's laws, in the name of love, nevertheless are prevalent. "In the naaaaaame of love"?

It is time to take this seriously. I was recalling how in the news recently an old photograph of Queen Elizabeth II was released. In the picture Elizabeth and her family are seeing giving the Nazi salute. Serious stuff. At the time it probably wasn't seen as such a big deal. A little fun. Nothing more. Tens of millions of deaths later, including 6 million alone in the Jewish holocaust, and suddenly this picture is at the very least embarrassing, though probably more chilling and shocking. One does not play with evil. On a side note, I recall how some priests, and even our bishop in my diocese, have people raise their right arms to "bless" people during Mass. Take a picture of it, make it black and white, and you would swear the picture was taken 75 years ago. Anyway, my point is, historically speaking, it takes a long time for the human mind to finally click that something is evil. Slavery. Communism, etc. But in the end, those who supported such ideologies, or even playfully dabbled with them, will look like the fools they are.

Let me reiterate an earlier point: liberalism, due to the insistence of abortion, ranks as one of the deadliest ideologies known. The latest Planned Parenthood scandal, known only by those who dare to follow something other than liberal media, bears testimony to this. It must not be taken lightly. And the Catholic Church, I believe, has the right, duty, authority, and power to tell it's own members this. For example, a Catholic bishop should not turn a blind eye to a liberal priest who trumpets abortion. Would such a bishop do the same for a Nazi sympathizer? But too often in the Catholic Church we look the other way. Do you want to know why it took the U.S so long to legalize same sex marriage? Because they haven't been electing Catholics as president. Canada is way "ahead" of the U.S. on SSM and abortion .Think of Trudeau, Clark, Mulroney, Chretien, and Martin... all Catholic... It finally took an Obama administration with Biden and Pope Pelosi to get SSM in place. Liberal Catholics. All in good standing, unless you actually follow Canon Law, that is.

I say no more free passes for liberal Catholics. The time has come, or rather is long overdue, to call things as they are. It is evil, ranking with the likes of Hitler and Stalin. Let's have black and white to be black and white. For priests to be true priests. For men to be true men. After all, true love calls us to admonish when necessary. And if ever there were a necessary time it would be now. And yes, it must be done in the naaaaame of love. True love. How many babies must be killed, shredded, and sold, before we see the end? I, for one, will not extend my hand over such a travesty.

Storytime with Joseph

Tonight after I told Joseph a story about Billy the Horse and the Fixer Upper Barn he said to me: 

“Now I’m going to tell you a story!... what do you want your story to be about?”

“Um… animals,” I replied.

*Deep breath* “Oh boy, Ok. Hmm. I have to think...

“Once upon a time there were two bears. They lived in the forest. Then they went into town. There was a parade there. Yeah. There were combines. And Co-op trucks. And candy. And there was even a police horse, and policemen.

 “But then there was some boys and they stole some chairs. They stole the chairs from the people who had chairs. The bears saw them though. So they went up to the boys. Yeah. They snuck up to them. They scared the bad guys. The guys ran but the police caught them. They were put into jail. Everybody got their chairs back. It was the best parade… all thanks to the animals there. The end.”

Not bad....

for a three year old...

Points the Ponder: The Blog Days of Summer

1 - The Blog Days of Summer

I think this is our fourth blog all month, and just my second personally. The truth is I can't say I've missed blogging either. Maybe it's just because it's summer. Maybe not.

2 - What's in a Name?

Joseph and John Paul are (sort of) best buds. It's a strange setup how they play. Basically Joseph is bigger than John Paul, and takes advantage of it. John Paul, in turn, is getting a much more feisty personality which I'm sure will translate into trouble for Joseph someday. Until then, he has to take his lumps. Now frequently when they're playing we hear Joseph calling John Paul by different names. Sometimes he calls him Rumpletin. Other times it's Hamilton, or Rodger. Wedgie is perhaps the most frequent name used, while Dingle-Dog is right up there. There are others. John Paul just takes it in stride, for now. When we suggest that we call Joseph a nickname he just responds: "No! I'm Joseph!" Hypocrite.

3 - Itch'n for the Kitchen

With the bathroom now completed, Becca has been putting major pressure on me to get out kitchen renovated. However, this won't be happening anytime soon. I'm major reno-d out at the moment. To do a kitchen reno properly would be much more expensive (even with painting cabinets), and would spell the end of my "vacation." Instead, we'll use the time to tackle smaller projects, such as more painting, taking out tree stumps, and stocking up our freezer and cold room with summer food. Also, we're heading out for our first camping trip tomorrow. Just one night at Greenwater Lake. Hopefully there'll be more to come.

4 - A Few Quick Pics

Here I am starting the awesome process of digging out a stump. Meanwhile Dingle-Dog sits in a comfy chair with a beverage and watches.

 A nice refreshing time in the pool! Actually, the pool is empty because we can't afford water, so we just pretend. (just kidding)

Joseph and I set up the tent to make sure it's still in tip top shape. Then he played in it the rest of the day.

5 - Poll-ish Pope

Did you hear the latest in the polls? I'm not talking provincial or federal polls. Nope. Apparently Pope Francis' approval ratings have dropped dramatically in the United States since he released his somewhat strange encyclical Laudato Si. To which I wonder... why the heck are there approval ratings for popes? Who thinks this stuff up? Whatever. I always say that if we're not hated, we're not doing our jobs as Catholics. I'm actually glad to see Pope Francis' popularity drop. Too many people have been taking his words, which are at time unclear, and twisting them for their own advantage. Maybe this is starting to end now. One can hope. I laughed when I heard people speculate as to how the Pope is going to address these approval ratings leading up to his September visit to the U.S. What's he supposed to do? Change Church teaching? Hug a tree? Say a Tridentine Mass? Do all three? People just don't understand the role of the Vicar of Christ.

6 - Vulgate

Seeing as this is the first summer in a long time that I haven't been taking a course or studying for an exam, I've taken the opportunity to brush up on my Latin. I've begun reading the Gospel of Mark. I forgot just how rich the Latin is. We lose so much in English, especially once ICEL gets their paws on things.



7 - Saturday Night Fever

Our beloved Fr. Tuyen is moving in two weeks. It seems the majority of the priests in this diocese are. We are getting a favourite in Fr. Mariusz to take his place. He is a Polish priest who is very devoted to Our Lady and Divine Mercy. However, Becca and I are concerned this could spell the end of the Saturday night Mass (the one with no liberals running around ruining the place). I don't think we could handle the Sunday Mass here in Tisdale for very long. Not without losing our faith, anyway. So we pray and trust that all will work out.

Anyway, I must go make some supper. It's BS afterall (Burger Saturday).

Bath Crashers: Slow Edition

Have you ever seen the show Bath Crashers? In it a guy stops people at a lumber store and asks if they want a new bathroom. He then stops by their house with a large crew and they totally redo the bathroom in just three days. It is quite amazing. And all of this takes place over a thirty minute show.

Jerks.

Ahh our awesome bathroom. The peach. The tan. The peach-tan. The 50+ year old parts and pieces. It's time for a new bathroom. It's time to crash this bathroom! So here is my main summer project. It's Bath Crashers: Slow Edition

Day 1 - Worst idea I've had in a while, I did an intense leg/cardio workout before demo began. Then my legs were jelly and stiff the next three days. Nevertheless, here is Joseph and I ready to begin. "W" is for "Workerman".

We only end up working together for about 2 minutes. Then I discover mold. I quickly usher Becca and the kids out of the house while I deal with the removal. However, I did end up saving another wall for Joseph to help me on. Still though, I think it best to ship them out for the remainder of demo. We go to the Tisdale parade at 6pm and then head off to Nipawin to camp out there for few days.

Day 2 - I steal my dad's truck to drive to Tisdale for Mass and then more demo.

By noon I'm heading to the dump and then buying my drywall and underlay. I get to Nipawin around 7pm.

Day 3 - Back to Tisdale. More clean up and then some painting of the ceiling.

Day 4 and 5 - Took Sunday off. Now it's Monday, meaning it's plumbing day. We move back to our house. My dad is here to help me out. Plumbing sucks. Especially with an old house. We hit one problem after another (after another, after another...). For instance, there should be 2x6 walls on the plumbing side. Nope, we have 2x4 walls. My dad comes up with a solution. We go to a welding shop and pick up a metal plate to install the valve against the studs. Now... this means cutting a hole into Joseph's room. But what can you do?

Things get so bad that Joseph is walking around with his flashlight explaining "I have plumbing problems, there are problems here, come have a look at these problems..." I guess all he heard was us talking about problems. Nevertheless, by Tuesday night we have the tub installed and the rest of the water hook ups good to go. We only set the house on fire twice too!

Leveling a tub is important.

The next day I return half of the favour and help my dad install rafters on his new garage he's building.

Day 6, 7, and 8 - Drywall. Frustrating drywall. Install is finicky, but ok. However, working with walls that aren't straight is a pain. But sanding. Oh sanding. Five mudding/sanding sessions.

Thankfully I had a helper for some of it.

Day 9 - It's Sunday. I know, we shouldn't be working. But Becca and I figure that not having an upstairs bathroom is driving us nuts, and we need to continue. So we take to painting.

Day 10 - The most frustrating day yet. After spending the morning touching up paint, buying more supplies, and installing plywood underlay, I set to tackling the floor. It's Costco flooring. What could go wrong? What a joke. It doesn't work. I'm frustrated. It's stinking hot in there. Humid too. I'm sick of it. Joseph repeatedly comes in to check on things. I kick him out. Bad papa. By 4:30pm Becca grabs our A&W gift cards and we head out to the flooring store. They give us two different products to take home and see how they look. They also promise us a deal. Then we go for burgers. Things are looking up!

I keep working when we get home. I do the counter top, sink, tap and some caulking. It looks great! By 10:30pm I exhaustedly go downstairs to shower before going to bed. As I come out of the shower I see water coming down from the walls. I quickly dress and run upstairs! Where's the water coming from? I can't find anything! That means it must be within my newly drywalled and painted walls! I'm tired and frustrated. I shut the water off in the house and go to bed for a few hours of restless sleep. 

The hours pass by that night. It's difficult to think of anything else but the leak in my house just a few feet away from where I am sleeping. I pray to St. Joseph half the night It turns out I don't know what I'm doing at all. What am I doing? Why am I yelling at Joseph to get out? Why is flooring such a big deal? Why does a mysterious leak leave me on edge? St. Joseph can't help me figure out the plumbing until he first helps me figure out myself. It's gut check time. Or more accurately, soul searching time. Thankfully I have the best of the best helping me through it. St. Joseph, pray for us.

Day 11 - By 4:30am I've had enough. Up I go to say my morning prayers, make some coffee, and find the leak. After making another hole in Joseph's wall I find the drain pipe for the sink is jammed within a stud and is leaking. I figure it's leaked for a while, but I must've made it worse during demo. So I spend the rest of the morning fixing the problem. I'm touched to hear Becca and the boys praying to St. Joseph while I work at it.

And he is amazing. Had my flooring been installed the day before it potentially could've been damaged due the leaking. Thanks be to God. And so, I put in the floor in the afternoon. By nighttime I'm feeling much better. As a bonus, the flooring we buy is far superior in quality, for not much more of the price. Shop local.

Day 12 - Tub surround day. With crooked walls means major frustration. I get a little edgy with it (the bathroom is hot and humid again), but settle down and figure it out. Afternoon is toilet time (with several more complications). The new toilet looks so clean that it takes two days before someone even dares christen it. Even to the point of walking by it to "go" downstairs in the middle of the night.

The next day we are in Saskatoon to do some returns and pick up some supplies that cannot be purchased in Tisdale.

Day 13 - Trim. Touch ups. Curtains. Tiling. And, the star of the bathroom (the cheapest thing in there), an old wood towel rack.

Day 14 - More touch ups. Some grout and caulking. A touch of paint. A few tightenings of tub plumbing. Some flooring/vent stuff... and...DONE!

And now... the big reveal!

Before:

After:

Here's the countertop and backsplash. They can't make countertops to be the size we needed (and still be one piece). So we improvised with a sharp looking bonus glass tile backsplash.

 And our favourite piece: the wood towel rack. This is a piece of wood I swiped from the hockey rink at my parent's place (remind me to fix it, one of these days...). I'll be thinking about my many hours out on the rink whenever I look at it.

And bonus! As a reward Becca bought me the Makita work radio I wanted! Now I can do more work for her!... and have music!

All in all, Bath Crashers: Slow Edition is finished! I learned so much from this job! Here are my top ten things I learned with this project.

10. Plumbing sucks.

9. Going to the basement bathroom in the middle of the night can be dangerous. Thankfully I installed our hand rail beforehand.

8. Try to keep the work area clean. You can spend a lot of time looking for a tool or a supply within a mess of other tools and supplies.

7. The Dairy Queen in Tisdale makes the best burgers and ice cream around.

6. Joseph is obsessed with mold. He calls himself the mold guy and walks around our house looking for mold and other problems. At one point I had to tell him to stop because it was making me too on edge.

5. This was a team project. I had a lot of help in so many ways. And that's not a bad thing.

4. When you start to make mistakes, take a break or shut it down for the day. There's always tomorrow.

3. Shop local whenever possible. Saving a few bucks from the city is seldom worth it.

2. Plumbing sucks. Yes, I am repeating this part.

1. Always trust St. Joseph. He truly is our mighty patron.

Rodeo! Yee Haw!

Bathroom renovations continue over here. Just when you think you're almost there, plumbing issues come up (again). Or such is our good luck. Yesterday, we had both flooring and plumbing issues come up. But sooner or later we will have a fully working, beautiful new bathroom!

In the meantime, we were treated to a little rodeo show in our own living room. Joseph saw a total of 10 minutes of the Calgary Stampede, reportedly the "greatest outdoor show on earth," and instantly had to reenact it, with help from Daddy.

And so without further ado, I give you...

Steer Wrestling

Bareback Event

Bullriding

The pictures are a little tad repetitive, but there you have it -- we're kind of otherwise busy around here. 

Thankfully, John Paul stayed (mostly) out of the way. He was in the corner of a few of these pictures, but didn't make it into the cropped versions. Probably for the best, since Joseph's desire for a fourth event involved riding Daddy as a horse and wrestling "John Paul the Cow." 

The Whirlwind... And Other Happenings

We're living in a whirlwind, folks! But lest we let this time go by un-blogged, I must bombard you with pictures so we'll remember how great it was.

Summer holidays started with a good ol' jamming session, complete with shirtless boys:

July the One found us in Humboldt for our sweet little God-daughter Monica's first birthday. We took in the city Canada Day celebrations, complete with bouncy castles and crazy scientist magician. And then more celebrations back at the Millette household. 

In the days following, I heard Joseph quote repeatedly: "Do it again, Uncle Dave!" From what I can gather, "it" involved a wasp nest, bug spray, and a BBQ lighter. The dads seem to have had quite a blast and the kids were duly impressed from a distance! As an aside, David thinks I take too many pictures of our kids... obviously, he's wrong.

But, Monica really is as sweet as her smile:

As the whirlwind began, the boys and I did our best to stay out of the house.

Daily trips to the park, the grocery store, playing with chalk, whatever. We also took in the Tisdale parade, complete with all the things a boy loves most (police cars, fire trucks, huge tractors, and candy!). However, we were questioned repeatedly, "But where was the combine?" Clearly, a parade is missing something without a combine, but alas "They were all out working in the fields!"

We found ourselves in Nipawin later in the week, avoiding the whirlwind happening at home.

Joseph kept himself busy following his Aunty Rheanne around and talking her ear off. "But I like talking," he tells me when I suggest he should take a little break (for our sakes, of course). We played with the kittens (a lot) and took rides on the little old wagon. I'm sure the kittens slept a lot less than they usually do, but they still seem okay despite John Paul's excited handling. 

We also entertained ourselves, along with the Aunties, at the spray park:

Are you wondering yet what all this whirlwind business is???

Our long awaited bathroom reno, of course!

I'm sure there will be many, many before, during, and after photos coming your way, so I will just give you a sneak preview. May I present, Workerman Joseph and his incredible DIY headgear:

Plus, no bathtub + grimy kids = picture of the summer!