Today's optional memorial is St. Apollinaris. Here's what I put about him in my saints document:
Saint Apollinaris (OM), Bishop, Martyr
Dates: July 20 d.c.79; added to calendar 2002
Place: born Antioch, Turkey; died Ravenna, Italy
Importance: mentioned in Acts of the Apostles; disciple of St. Peter; first bishop of Ravenna
Food/Symbol: sword
Picture from https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/july-20-saint-apollinaris-bishop-and-martyr/
I had a small group of students to take care of at the zoo. We made sure we stopped for pictures, and I made sure I got them a ride on the carousel.
*Looking ahead, on Friday we're having black bean and corn tacos. I got the recipe from the July 2020 edition of Southern Living; unfortunately, it looks like their online recipe archive is woefully incomplete.
*Last night we made Mexican Beef Burgers which are easy but also fall apart. I served them with just cheddar cheese and warmed tortillas. We did a side of roasted green beans; the Son over salted them but they were fine.
*Monday the Son made his dish of the week, Curried Chicken and Pasta from Betty Crocker (again, inadequate online recipe archive). While the dish was tasty, we decided the sauce was more hot and bland than anything; adding some leftover peanut sauce from the weekend helped. (Bottom picture)
(Sunday we made the middle picture, Thai Pork Tenderloin with Cucumber Salad. The salad had maybe a little too much onion for my taste; I might want to pickle or soak it in water next time to tame it a little.)
(Friday the boy made Fettuccine Alfredo from Betty Crocker and did a great job. We had it with bucatini. Top picture.)
*Since I'm unemployed there's a lot less music in my life. I do play every day, but I generally play the same songs for a year or so at a time to work on them, or on a particular book for a year or so.
THUS I need a new theme for Wednesdays or I need to take Wednesdays off.
For now, Wednesdays can be what needs to be done for the moving process to continue settling.
This week I turned in a credit card application so we can change credit cards to our new bank. That means I need to start monitoring and making a list of what needs to change when we have the new credit card so we can close the old card with as little muss as possible. Same with the bank accounts. Direct Withdrawal is great except when changing accounts.
I need to buy two new frames, but that's more from taking a trip and buying a print of the Arch along with finding an old game the Husband created when he was young that I want to frame for his office.
We got a phone wallet for the Son so he can stop forgetting to take his cards places with him.
What else will the week bring?
The same week as my retreat we took a choir trip to St. Louis to sing for a festival, tour the basilica, and visit Six Flags. The students (and the adults) were awed by the mosaics in the Cathedral; this is just a very small sampling from the main dome.
*Today's optional memorial is for St. Henry II was duke of Bavaria, then King of Germany, and then Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from the 900s to the 1000s. While he was married, he maintained virginity while married to St. Cunegunda which makes him a patron for the childless. He is also a patron of the Benedictine Oblates; his feast follows closely after the July 11 date for St. Benedict in today's calendar.
Prayer from Mass for St. Henry: Lord, you filled St. Henry with your love and raised him from the cares of an earthly kingdom to eternal happiness in heaven. In the midst of the changes of this world, may his prayers keep us free from sin and help us on our way to you. Grant this…Amen.”
(Picture from Pinterest traced to https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3719)
I missed the last two weeks because I was here but holding down the fort for our 11th Voboril Family Vacation.
Here's a list of where we've gone in the past:
2001: I chose to do a trip to NE that included the Great Platte River Road Archway (Kearney, NE)
2004: We all went to Iowa: Amana Colonies, Grotto of the Redemption, Pella, and LeMars
2007: Elk Falls, KS (Sherman House Bed and Breakfast) with day trip to Independence
2008: Cabooses at Two Rivers State Recreational Area outside of Omaha, NE
2009: None--Kidney transplant and 3 graduations took care of that
2010: Colorado for niece's baptism
2011: Wahoo, NE with trips to Lincoln and Omaha
2012: Cedar Bluffs, KS (cabins)
2013: Yankton, SD
2014: Fort Robinson, NE with day trip to Mount Rushmore
2015: Just a day trip to Omaha to save up money for...
2016: Door County and Wisconsin Dells with shorter trips to Chicago and South Bend, IN
2017: Kansas City with day trips to Jamesport, Weston, and Hermann, MO
2018: Burwell, NE (tubing, Ashfall, Gracie Creek Cabin)
2019: Door County
2020: St. Louis, MO (perhaps) (felled by coronavirus)
2021: None, Covid. Took Mom and Dad on Nebraska trip and moved brother from Arizona to South Carolina.
2022: None, Covid. Took family trip to Mammoth Cave and moved brother from South Carolina to Virginia.
2023: Family trip with Mom to Shenandoah National Forest, also saw VA brother. River trip on Niobrara for mom's 75th Birthday.
2024: Drove to CA and saw Redwoods National Park (along with associated state parks).
2025: Son is graduating college, so he picked Chicago and Indiana Dunes National Park.
2026: St. Louis (Arch) maybe? this is also a moving year so we'll see what we have time for. We also saw Cahokia Mounds, Our Lady of the Snows Shrine, Guggisberg Cheese, and Fallingwater.
Who knows where next year will take us? We have not yet had a vacation with all of us on it, except for the two early trips for college graduations.
Our favorite food this year included:
Beethoven #9 in Paola, KS for schnitzel, sausage, and potato pancakes
Q39 for all things barbecue
The Wurst Haus in Hermann, MO for sausage
Gingerich Dutch Pantry in Jamesport, MO wasn't fancy but it was very tasty
Spin Pizza in Crown Center
Bolognese Sauce from my sister
Bob Evans (always a favorite for my dad)
Not so favorites included:
Green Dirt Farm in Weston, MO (they just weren't prepared for the number of people they had)
Frozen Lemonade at Worlds of Fun (it was really frozen, not just icy)
