Ah, thank you for clarifying. I do think services can be done safely, but I think we'll have to agree to disagree on that point. Whether churches decide to do it is another thing all together. That's up to their leadership.

THen maybe I should have said *most* sacramental churches. It certainly not what could happen in an EO, LCMS, or Catholic church.

that is not true. If the purpose of the service is the Eucharist then you need to gather together around the altar with a priest/pastor and receive communion. No DIY at home in sacramental churches. If the purpose for gathering together is to hear a good sermon, then yes, you are correct. We have services on a limited basis at church, we make it available to those who cannot come on YT. We have fellowship on Zoom.

I would definitely get rid of FB on your phone. At least try it for a week. Is there really any need to have any new apps on? I installed a new app 2 days ago and I'm already sick of the notifications and reminders... go away! I'm' taking it off my phone. But, I don't use my phone as my computer...so I can walk away. FB has never been on my phone. KISS --- Keep is simple sister I'm sick of the information overload too.

My daughter used to work at Mercy. She posted it this morning. It's incredibly sad. May he rest in peace.

exactly. Why did she move close to you? Is it so you can take care of her? That' needs to stop right now. I would be as far away from her as possible. I would not want her influencing my children or manipulating my friends, etc. You need to set strong boundaries.. and be strong! I'm so sorry. deleted portion - just saw your update

I know. His TV shows are cute and funny but the movies were awful.

I know, right? Last week I was able to donate the stuff I've had in my own staging area for months. It felt so good!

Does he have asthma? My daughter says it *feels* like an asthma attack. She's very pro-mask so it's not that at all.. but she has trouble wearing it for any length of time. The last time I was with her it made her cough I think because she was trying to catch a deep breath. They make me yawn. Whatever. I never wear them for very long so it's NBD. Oh and having a hot flash on a hot day with a mask on... fun times. 🙂

Also HCQ has been around for a very long time and is cheap (and maybe no longer under a patent?). New medical protocols would bring more money to big pharma. At least that's one of the reasons I've heard.

I think it does help to have conversations on FB and YT (well...FB more than YT). Will everyone listen? of course not. There's several good conversations I saw that came out of the Plamdemic video. One was Dr. Mike on YT and another was a ER doctor privately rebutting people on FB with a point by point explanation with footnotes as to why is was so out there. There was also a good conversation here IIRC. Yes, there are actual methods for doing studies.. .and that is something we *have* to bring up. Peer reviews blind studies, etc. etc. Anecdotal is good for only so much. It can perhaps point us in a new direction but it isn't good enough as proof. But, this is how we can educate the people. We shouldn't call them a bunch of yahoos with tinfoil hats and walk away.

These are the kind of discussions we need to have about this information. Not just making it disappear. It makes it look like the elites are telling people what to believe and as someone said up-thread - it leads to conspiracy theories. We really don't need more of that.

Seriously!! What about all the fad diets on YT or crazy stuff about politics... Why isnt that being taken down?

please tell us what you know. My SIL posted it on FB too and has been dismayed that it was removed from FB and YT... she's (SIL) also been flagged by FB. She's smart and does deep dives on these types of issues...but rarely posts anything on FB. Needless to say she's upset and confused.

I love my electric kettle. Have used them for years.

first off, voting is complicated for many people. I know people who voted for one candidate who became president. They became completely disillusioned with him as president and voted against that party the next time. Another way it has been explained to me is that, no, they do not like the person as a person... but they are not voting them in as a religious leader... but as a politician. They vote for the candidate that represents their views best. Do they like the method the politician uses? Nope. but they morally feel obligated to vote for the person who aligns with their political/social views the most. Basically, they hold their nose and vote. Other people most definitely are voting against the other candidate. And I do know people who believe their candidate is the best candidate from a moral/religious standpoint. They believe their candidate will do the best with the job they have/had. Part of the problem is that social media has made candidates and their supporters into monsters. I have definitely seen people I know say things like, "If you vote for XYZ candidate you are an evil person perpetuating evil." There is no room to agree to disagree or see a different solution to a problem... nope - you are evil if you don't see it *their* way (whichever way it is). It just moves people into their own ghetto where they only hear the echo chamber. No discussion or dissent is allowed. And then we only get more entrenched in our own confirmation that the "other" is not just wrong but evil. I think the whole mentality that "polite people don't discuss religion and politics" has made us into people who *can't* discuss religion and politics politely (whispers- and now science/medical stuff/).

This is exactly it. Bad new sells... grousing gets attention. Even my negative book reviews on Goodreads are the most "liked".

Great story! Our parish has done well too. We've been meeting in person for about 6 weeks. Our county has different restrictions for places of worship. I think it's helped with those who are much more cautious to feel comfortable being in church. The rules are that you can have one person/family group per 200 sq ft of *worship* space, which are parish calls "pods". Ours is big enough to have about 15 or 16 pods. The pods are huge! We also have a choir loft and a separated vestibule which gives people with children the chance to have a space where their littles can't get out of the pod. Of course, if we had a small church it would be a different problem. I know some parishes/churches are struggling because their worship space is tiny. We started out with 2 services a week but there's not been a lot of people interested in Saturday liturgy so those have been discontinued. My daughter's parish is very small and has similar restrictions. If it's inside they can probably only hold about 3 person/family groups besides the priest When the weather is decent and not too hot/humid they have services outside so more people can attend. We have a weekly sign up that our priest oversees so that the same people don't fill up the roster every week. The choir has it's own rotation made up of those willing to come. We sing about every 3rd week. Today was our 3rd Sunday there, so I think that means its been around 6 weeks.

Me too. I kept wondering who this Bagel Mc.... is LOL. Thanks for keeping us on our toes. As to your OP... I wish there was an easy answer. We raised our kids in the burbs. You're right that it's great to be close to everything, especially when things like youth-group and team sports become a thing in your family. My dh has always had the policy to be less than 30min from work (ideally - less than 20) so we never moved out much further because of that. It was great when the kids were little because he'd come home for lunch several days a week. Yes, I wanted to move - but far, far away. I have never lived outside of this county. So there is regret for me. Now that my kids are mostly grown it isn't the same to think about moving away because it isn't part of the "family" adventure - if that makes sense. Living in a neighborhood is hit-or-miss. Some of my kids got along great with neighborhood kids, others did not - especially the girls (girls can be so mean). For a long time my kids were the only homeschooled kids and they were lonely. The other kids knew this and could manipulate the relationship (again, especially the girls). I think 10-15 is a very hard age to move kids from what I've seen of other friends. Their friendships are super important to them and no amount of promises to stay in touch will help (and rarely did it happen). If you live in the country and you want to keep your kids involved in outside stuff you'll have to be willing to spend a lot of time in the car. Only you can decide if that is an okay compromise. Is it possible to re-create the country in small ways? Could you move to a place in town that allows chickens? In my metro-DC area there are a lot of incorporated cities/towns that allow chickens. I'm not in an HOA and several of my neighbors have chickens. You'd probably give up the community pool for that, but maybe it would be a possible compromise. We have church friends who have done this. They live in a tiny post-WWII house here in the suburbs - but without an HOA. They grow many fruit trees and bushes, have a garden, and chickens. I think their lot is very small (probably close to a quarter acre). But they are both close to work (not that it matters now), church, and other activities.

I know a Karen... she's sweet and in her 30s. I feel sorry for her too. I agree about the Memes (except the funny ones)... It is another way to shut down any conversation or debate.

What she said. It's usually a woman of a certain age as well... 😄 I will say I'm getting a little tired of *everyone* who is awful being call "Karen". That's not what it means, IMHO. There was an example in the news yesterday of a woman who refused to wear a mask when asked, and then she threatened to pull a gun on the store employee.. 😲 The title had something like "local Karen....." It seems like both Nazi and Karen are being way overused to describe someone we don't like.

Keeping you and this situation in my prayers.