My family depended on SNAP benefits for ten years, to keep from starving to death. We also lived for about six years on the Home Energy Assistance Program, getting a discount on our gas and electricity to keep from freezing to death. We now make just a hair too much income to qualify for those anymore, and I’m relieved. We badly needed those government programs, but they’re a pain to be on, not just because the paperwork required can... Read more
Rose’s birthday came and went. We finally gave her the new bike we managed to get with a deep discount and a very big tip, to replace the one that was stolen in May. We’ll regret such a luxury. But today I went for a walk with Rosie biking beside me on a blue bicycle, her favorite color, weaving around me because she bikes much faster than I can walk. We stopped to banter with the Baker Street Irregulars on... Read more
I apologize for the long gap between posts lately. The “a” key on my keyboard is dying of old age. Sometimes, when I press that key, it types an “a” with no problem. Sometimes, nothing happens, and I have to hit the “a” several times before it wakes up with a long line of aaaaaa’s for me to delete. Sometimes it works if I tilt the keyboard sideways, though I don’t know if that’s just a coincidence. Sometimes, it doesn’t... Read more
It was a bright day today. It was marvelously sunny, for the first time since before the wildfire smoke came to Ohio. Once in awhile, in September and October in Steubenville, we get a perfectly clear day with a sky that’s too blue to be believed and no clouds at all. It was dry, sunny, just cool enough to go walking without a worry that heat would aggravate my fibromyalgia but just warm enough that we wouldn’t need sweaters.... Read more
Just for the record, I will not teach my daughter to love America “with all her heart and all of her soul.” I will teach my daughter to love the Lord her God with all her heart, all her soul, all her strength, and all her mind, and to demonstrate that by loving her neighbor where God dwells in hiding as herself. I will teach her that the Commandments order us to honor legitimate authority, which means she should... Read more
I need to speak again, as briefly as I can, about Father Frank Pavone. For those of you just joining us, Frank Pavone is a priest not in good standing, incardinated in the diocese of Amarillo. Yes, he is. This has been a matter of controversy because Pavone has released a series of conflicting statements claiming he’s not in the diocese of Amarillo, that he transferred out of Amarillo to a “new, supportive bishop,” and that he’s a priest... Read more
I saw a photo on Twitter today, of migrant workers picking cucumbers with N-95 masks and flashlights in the middle of the day under a bright orange sky. Someone said it was in the Williamette Valley, Oregon. I’ve never been to that valley. I only know its name, because it was the destination when we played The Oregon Trail in grade school. It was the place with blue skies and bright green grass, where the land was wonderfully fertile and... Read more
I know that there’s a lot to think about right now. There has been plenty of horror on everyone’s minds this year, and there’s so much tragedy and trauma on the news that we’re all losing track. But I’ve come across a news story that must not be allowed to fly below the radar. Everyone needs to be aware that this is happening, and we all have to speak out against it. I want to draw your attention to a... Read more
Hi everyone, This is not a real post, just your approximately-once-monthly reminder that Steel Magnificat runs almost entirely on tips. I get a very small paycheck from Patheos for clicks in the United States, and the rest of my income is gratuities from my readers. I don’t pretend to have an “apostolate” or a charity you’re supporting; they’re just tips from people who like my writing so I can keep the bills paid and keep writing blog posts. And they’re... Read more
Over the weekend, it’s been revealed that our nation has expelled 8,800 unaccompanied minors back into Mexico without a hearing. This is due to President Trump’s coronavirus restrictions, that have effectively ended asylum. We have always been despicable to people who come to us for help. We’ve committed a humanitarian nightmare, on purpose, in order to traumatize children as an example to anybody who wants to come to us for help. The pandemic has given us the opportunity to... Read more
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