Cybersalt News

Oh look, Chicken Thursday!

Thank you, everyone, for your patience and kind words after last Thursday's mailing was skipped due to the pain in my right foot. I'll be honest, "Arthur" really delivered on his latest visit. My foot is still not completely right - though it still is completely right!

Speaking of things that aren't right, as you can see from the picture on the right I changed my beard style to the "Monkey Tail" yesterday. Last year, weeks into the pandemic, I let my beard grow in with the plan being to shave it when I was vaccinated and the pandemic was over. Of course, we know now that pandemics don't stop on a dime like that, so I changed my beard-shaving-timing to 3 weeks after I got my first shot; when my body's immune response had started to kick in. Yesterday was the day, but a few months ago I had seen pictures of the monkey tail beard online and thought I'd make that stop along the way.

The truth is, from time to time I change my facial hair for a bit of mental health fun and maintenance. A change in beardom can be a great way to break up boredom, or to even help with a mental burden. It's like putting a new layer of icing on a tier of cake before moving on to the next level. It is no different than how some people dye their, switch up the furniture placement in a commonly used room, or change their name and move to a country where they don't speech the language. Pro-tip: don't try the monkey tail beard and moving to a different country at the same time!

Now, back to where we should have been last week!

Two weeks ago I commented on how Lynne T. was so pained, but delightfully polite, in correcting my misuse of the word "vile" instead of "vial." Quite intentionally, and just for fun, I concluded with this grammatically horrific apology to Lynne:

I mostly apologize for making that mistake that drove you up the wall, down under. I'm not like those people who make mistakes and then say it wasn't there fault. Its something I am aware of and will definitely keep working on. ;-)

To my delight, many of you were quick to notice that I used "there" instead of "their" along the way. I assure you that this was entirely intentional, with my tongue deeply in cheek. It gave me great joy when some of you actually thought it was another mistake I had not noticed. 

However, I was filled with both joy and glee at the fact that everybody was so shocked by my misuse of "there" that nobody even noticed that two words later I intentionally used the wrong "its!"

Thank you, thankyou, thank-you for all the happiness you bring by interacting with with this middle-aged, monkey-tail faced grandfather!

Enjoy the rest of today's mailing.

~ Pastor Tim

Sunday greetings everyone!

Sorry for there being no mailing last Chicken Thursday. Every now and then I have a touch of arthritis in my right foot and a really bad flare up had me stuck on the couch for the day; across the room, but very far away, from the computer.  Things seem to be on the mend, much slower this time, so hopefully I'll be back in the full swing of things soon!

Congratulations to my good friend, Dr. Harold McNabb, on the publishing of his book, "Spirit Code."  Harold is my "coffee every Friday afternoon" friend - a routine I am hoping returns once COVID settles down.  He has been working on his book for a number of years and there is a character in the book with my name. Apparently the character is a heretic, so he's not an exact match to me, lol. Here is a description of his novel:

Most of the time, mistakes cost you, but now and then lead to a lucky break.

A spur of the moment detour into a small town, for example, could lead to nothing but a wasted half-hour, or it could be the hinge that changes your life. Josh Parker, alone with only his Basset hound, Max, and a small inheritance in his pocket, ventures in Glenview, a town he hadn't planned to visit. His life soon takes a decisive detour. He encounters the beautiful Elizabeth Guthrie and buys an old church with a secret past leading to an encounter with Arnon, a warrior angel. A small but determined group of opponents will stop at nothing in their quest to thwart Arnon's mission in the lives of Josh and Elizabeth.

This novel is set up as the first in a series of at least three books featuring Josh and Elizabeth Parker, their dog Max, and from time to time, the angel Arnon.

You can order a digital version of the book through this link:
https://books2read.com/u/38QVn6

Today's video share is an interesting, nighttime interaction between a racoon and an owl: 

Click here to watch the video.

Enjoy the rest of today's mailing!

~ Pastor Tim

Sunday greetings everyone!

The news today is that I can hardly wait until Wednesday to follow up on some of your replies to the news on Wednesday. Some of you are a real hoot!

Today's video share is from a YouTube channel that Grandma Cybersalt and I enjoy watching. Mark Rober is crazy smart: there is even tech on Mars that he has help build! But his latest video is about someone here on earth at the center of his world.

Our collective world would be so much better if more would take his message to heart!

Click here to watch the video.

Enjoy the rest of today's mailing!

~ Pastor Tim

Oh look, Chicken Thursday!

There is lots of news to catch up on this week.

First of all, last week I asked if anyone could tell me what it said on my t-shirt in my vaccination picture. Congratulations to Tony T., Mike K., and William R. who got it right: “In my defense, I was left unsupervised.” I must also give honorable mention to Walter M., who made a valiant guess.

Secondly, last week I tried to make a pun using the words "vile" and "vial" but accidentally used "vile" twice. I think that John P. caught my mistake, but for sure Lynne T. definitely did. When Lynne reached out to me I could tell that her irritation at grammatical errors is only superseded by her kindness and gentleness. I was so moved and entertained by what she wrote I just have to share it with you:

"Hello. Many thanks for “PearlyGates”. To my ongoing frustration I’m an incurable pedant and find myself so irritated by errors in language that I am driven to point out the error. I hope this isn’t too aggravating for you. I just want to point out that you got a “vial” from the pharmacist. Not a “vile”. At least that’s how we spell it in Australia. (Did you notice the reference to frustration, irritation and aggravation and the above?) Blessings to you Lynne T."

Lynne, as I am sure you know, I wasn't trying to be vile when I made my vial mistake. I mostly apologize for making that mistake that drove you up the wall, down under. I'm not like those people who make mistakes and then say it wasn't there fault. Its something I am aware of and will definitely keep working on. ;-)

Enjoy the rest of today's mailing.

~ Pastor Tim