RIBS

Based on this heading, you may have assumed that this was an entry extolling my brother-in-law Matt's world famous smoked ribs, but you would be wrong. Or you might have assumed I would be extolling my favorite places to order ribs, such as Famous Dave's or Whiskey Creek. Wrong again.

[Warning! Solicitation for pity ahead!] On Sunday, as I was walking into church, I stepped awkwardly off the edge of the sidewalk & sprawled onto the pavement, landing on my ribs. By MON morning I was in enough pain that I decided to see my P.A. She checked me out & agreed that I might have fractured a rib or two, so she sent me for x-rays. She also explained that, regardless of the outcome, about the only thing I could do was to take Tylenol; that I should take deep breaths to avoid getting pneumonia; & to expect a 4-6 week recovery.

I got the results of my x-rays yesterday. No fractures! Just serious bruising. So, it hurts to breathe deeply, reach, push, pull, lift, pivot, sit up, sit down, get into & out of the car, get into & out of bed, & more things that I'm finding out as I go along, but at least no fractures. But enough about me.

TRENDING

"Biden sells Alaska back go Russia so we can start drilling for oil there again." Babylon Bee

SINFUL STATES *

* Source:  Fox News Online, 3/8

"WalletHub released a report last month on the most sinful U.S. states in 2022, based on 7 categories:  anger & hatred, jealousy, excesses & vices, greed, lust, vanity,  laziness.

Most sinful U.S. states in 2022

* Nevada

* California

* Texas

* Florida

* Louisiana

Least sinful U.S. states in 2022

* Iowa

* South Dakota

* Vermont

* Wyoming

* Idaho

Comment:  Good news for Mark & Christy. Not so good news for John & Wanda, David & Carmen, Jerry & Anita, & Kathy.

COVID

"Covid can shrink brain as much as decade of aging, study finds." Drudge Report, 3/8

"FL first to recommend AGAINST vaccinating children." Drudge

ESSENTIAL COLLEGE COURSES *

* Compliments of Babylon Bee

Essential college courses that will better prepare you to fight in WW III

> Siberian Gender Studies:  Know your enemy! They will not do you the courtesy of announcing their pronouns!

> Atheism 101:  They say there are no atheists in foxholes. Pshaw! Let's fix that.

> Model UN:  Learn to construct strongly worded notes that evil regimes will laugh at & throw in the trash!

> Dismantling Heteronormative Christian Patriarchy in Russia & Beyond:  No point in defending Ukraine if we can't take the opportunity to Build Back Better.

BALANCING LIFE & WORK *

* Courtesy of Reader's Digest, Oct. 2021

"In FEB, an AZ man was found on the side of the road with his hands bound. The victim, who worked for a tire retailer, told a harrowing tale of masked kidnappers who were after his father's money. The story unraveled, though, when surveillance footage showed that the man had 'kidnapped' himself because he didn't want to go to work that day."

TELLING STORIES

"Stories have always been, & will always be, the way we understand ourselves & each other. They tell us who we are, separately as individuals & collectively as people. They point out our differences, but at the same time, they show us how we're all alike, what we have in common & how very much we need each other . . . Good, bad or horrid, our stories can tell it all, including things that make us more human (& might not be mentioned at our funeral) . . . As much as we need to tell our own stories, we also need to listen to the stories others tell. Even if we've heard them before. An old familiar tale can have a different meaning depending on why it's being told. Maybe the teller just needs to tell it again. If we don't share our stories with each other--with people who mean the world to us, or strangers we meet in the check-out line--we might never truly know ourselves or one another or why on Earth we are here." Column by Sharon Randall in Norfolk Daily News, 3/8