Ashes

We went to Ash Wednesday service yesterday and it was tranquil and beautiful.  The image is not me, but it is a nice image of a fellow having received ashes.  My ashes appeared similarly on my forehead and the fellows beard and mustache are similarly robust like I am currently sporting (mine may be a bit larger and more round than the fellow, but similar).  

Every year, on Ash Wednesday, I remember a humorous comic that was in the weekly Catholic newspaper that used to be published.  This comic was probably from 30-35 years ago now, and SOMEWHERE, I think I have a copy of it that I cut out of the newspaper.  But, it being a Catholic focused newspaper (of general Catholic oriented news and also with a specific focus as well on our local Diocesan news), the comics were also Catholic inspired.  Not always, but often this particular comic featured young kids play-practicing something of Mass.  This one tickled me, as it featured little kids play-practicing Ash Wednesday.  For the vestments (the stole, sometimes called an epitepitrachelion), the little kid serving as the priest used one of his Dad's neckties with each end draped over his shoulders.  Then for distributing the ashes which are normally housed in a ash pyx, the young fellow had one of his father's pipes, and was using the bowl of the pipe as a facsimile pyx. He was shown dipping his thumb into the pipe tobacco ashes in the bowl of the pipe to then draw the cross in ashes on the foreheads of his play-congregation. 

This morning, I got up early to do my loops (11 miles (~18km)) and as I was driving home to get ready for the U, it started to rain and icy rain.  I pulled into the garage and by the time I went upstairs, I could see out the window that it now transitioned into snow....  VERY HEAVY, PROLIFIC snow.  I had been looking at the weather reports last night and it is/was predicted we would get ~6 inches (~15cm) of snow in just a few hours this morning.  So, I checked various sources, and every public school in our region had closed for the day, and even the two close-by community colleges did as well.  For whatever damnable reason that I cannot fathom, the U decided to STAY OPEN.  By the time I had changed, and taken care of pottying the dog and a few other sundry items, the storm had turned into a whiteout.  It was very rough going on the roads by that time, as there was not only the building levels of snow and the whiteout conditions, but the period of freezing rain that had occurred created a layer of ice under the building snow.  Much of my drive is on roads that normally have a speed limit of ~55mph (~88kph), but I ended up needing to carefully trudge along at a TOP speed of  ~20mph (~32kph) using my four wheel drive to assure I could maintain stability.  By the time I arrived at the U, I only had ~15 minutes before my first class would start.  Normally, I would arrive and have a bit more than an hour before the start.  

During my journey to the U, I saw upwards of 8 or 9 cars/trucks who were not careful and had slid off the roads into a field or ditch.  None of my three classes was was even close to half full.  This was not normal for me, as rarely do students "skip" my lectures because they know to do so would be detrimental to their exam performance.  

I think the U was NOT thinking prudently today.  

I have a headache, and I am going to try to do the last few mandatory odds and ends I need to do, and then ship out back home early.  

PipeTobacco