New Years Party...

...is over at the Cap Blog.  If you are too lazy to click the link just off to your right side, then click here to see the terrifying results.

Sunday message +

This week, in my looking at the propechies of Christ's coming, I am at Psalms 2. Specifically, vv 4-9:

⁴ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
⁵ Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
⁶ “Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

⁷ “I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
⁹ You shall break^[a] them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’” 
        
Okay, the big thing I want to look at here is the term "Begotten".  When I was a wee lad in Catholic school (for which I forever praise God for putting me there), The explanation of begotten was a little bit difficult, because we could recite in the Apostle's Creed, "begotten, not made, one in being with the Father".  Hence it became tied up in a concept of being BEYOND born or created.  A magical, mystical genesis, if you will.  So then we read Psalm 2 and became all confused.  If begotten meant this magical, mystical, always been sort of thing, then what did Psalm 2:7 mean?

So look up the concordance version of "begotten".  It simply means born, creating an offspring.  Nothing magical or mystical.  So just what is going on?  Well let's backtrack by going forward.  The first chapter of John's Gospel explains that Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God.  Always in existance, always part and parcel of who and what God is.  But then, an evolution was made- "and the Word became flesh."  How is this so? Look to Luke 1:35, where the angel describes to Mary that flesh and God are going to combine in her womb; "Therefore, also, that the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God".

Confusing?  Then cast off human perception and follow me.  Who we know as Jesus Christ is and was an always-existant facet of God.  But at a point in time, this essence took on flesh, becoming both God and man.  Thus, God tells Him, "(Now) You are my Son- this day, I have begotten You."  So now, not only is Christ a part of and wholly God, but also has become as flesh the Son of God.

So the way we were taught begotten wasn't exactly on-beam; but it was probably about as close as you could get it to first-through-eighth-graders. Come to think of it, it's not much easier now.  But guess what? We're dealing with a being that is beyond our concepts of time and space, who wove both atoms and galaxies out of the same cloth.  Scientists reject God for this very reason, saying they need "proof" of His existance, and yet to have that proof  would remove God from the very concept of "God".  IOW, some things aren't meant to be understood in this life.  But God gives us enough understanding with which to have faith.  Not to mention , He gave us that understanding in a form that could serve both as a propechy when He gave it 3,000 years ago, and as in instruction 2,000 years after He accomplished it!

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Now for the "+" in our story.  First off, be sure to click on that "Chris' Cap Collection " link to see the prizes I got at the 37th annual "Turkey Trot" beer collectables show yesterday.  I assure you, the posts on CCC aren't just dry figures and pictures, but I fill in actual interesting stories, both about the caps and the people who made the beer, as well as how I got them.  (And if that still seems boring, then just humor me!)

Next, a look at the FCS playoffs.  I didn't get a "thromp" of JMU over Eastern KY, but I did get a win.  I said ODU shouldn't (actually, I said "shopuldn't", but since Blogger's spell-check likes to excise whole paragraphs for no apparent reason, that's the way it goes) have any problem with Norfolk St., and they didn't.  I said Central Ark. should beat TennTech, and they did; and I thought I was going to mess up giving Stony Brook the edge over Albany.  But the Seawolves stormed back from 28-10 down to win 31-28 to make me a perfect 4-0 in round one.  So let me try round 2.

Stony Brook gets #1 seed Sam Houston State.  Now, I'm not convinced how much that 11-0 record means in SHS's conference, but I'm pretty sure it means more than what it would in SB's Big South, so Sam I am.  Montana State meets UNH, and I would've had no problem going with State- until they lost their rivalry game to Montana so badly.  I, with severe reservations, will take... UNH.  Next up is Northern Iowa vs Wofford, and neither of these teams were just lighting the world on fire at season's end.  But since I went with them all year, I'll take Wofford for the upset in Iowa.  Montana will be hosting Central Ark., and I will take the home team here.  Then it's Georgia Southern against ODU.  Actually, you have Southern Conf. vs CAA the next two stops, because the next bracket is Appalachian State vs Maine.  I'm pretty confident that the two conferences will split thes games; not so confident on which wins which.  Let's say GaSo and Maine advance.  That brings us to Towson and Lehigh.  Cautiously, he looks around the room and says, "Lehigh".  Which brings us to next week's final game, JMU and North Dakota State.  I've said all along that JMU had no business getting this spot, and NDST was the #1 team for a while, and they're playing in the great plains.  Give me JMU.

Three Rivers Festival Time...

Today we made our once-every-three-or-four-year trek to Ft. Wayne's world-famous Three Rivers Festival.  Now we are not big on Junk Food Alley or the midway, but one thing we do like is the flea market.  Being of low disposable income, I can't just latch onto every neat thing that catches my eye- and there are many.  I told Laurie, "I'm looking for the one thing that will stand out-  a lot of things have dealt me glancing blows, but nothing has made me cross the line"- and then, I found this.

This is an original Centlivre Old Crown Bock Bottle from the thirties or forties.  What's left of the label says "Internal Revenue  tax/ Contents 12 fluid oz./ Centlivre Brewing/Fort Wayne" and has the remains of a daemonic-looking goat there between "bock" and the "b" of "beer".  The cap is the same as the two I labelled "generic" over on "Boards 5,6,7" on the cap blog, but blue, and cork lined.  Crown Cap collectors international says the cap was used by "countless beer manufacturers" and Tavern Trove dates it at 1935.  The others I have on Board 6, like the Renner Old Oxford also on board 6, are reproductions of this original.  Unlike the others, this member of the collection is staying on the bottle and being put in a yet-unknown hallowed place.  Cost?  I asked the man, he said, " Umm... three bucks?" I said, "SOLD! Pay the man!"

After maybe an hour there, we crossed the footbridge over Spy Run to... the Old Fort.

This, however neat, was just a pass through point for us, as we crossed the footbridge over the St. Mary's...

...and enterred Headwaters Park, where - for us- the neatest things were the F15 Laurie spotted...

... the little kids playing in the fountains (as well as us, briefly)...

...and the ongoing sidewalk art contest, which featured some really good artists.

Boy, Mynx, I think I got you a new art style to try out!

Anyway, that was TRF '11 for us.  Other than a couple pepsis each (which mine were consumed in about three minutes total) and a 25-cent "honey stick" that has left me with a very annoying scratchy spot in the wayback of my throat.  Now, off to find that Hallowed Spot..

Once upon a time in the forest...

...the animals gathered together in the clearing, just as they did most every night, to tell stories.  Buck Deer told his usual tales of braving the yard at the old folks home for the choicest grazing; Rocky Raccoon told his normal tales of the things he found in the dumpster, during which O. Possum grumbled about not having enough hand-holds to get in a dumpster himself.  Adam West, the bat from the Towne House, told soaring stories of his circular loops around the twilight yards and all the tasty bugs he caught.

Slowly, the young marmot Chuck made his way to the center of the circle.  "Oh, boy," O. Possum grumbled.  "Here comes a delightful story about grubs, like his dad Woody always tells."

Tawny Fox looked him over and said, "Can someone so young have an interesting story?"  Her husband, Red, nodded in agreement.  But Tom Cat spoke up, "like our stories are all that riveting.  Let him speak."

Every one looked to Buck Deer, who nodded his head in ascent.  "Thank you," Chuck began.  "My story is about that Scrappy Beagle..."

Tom Cat laughed.  "Him?" he chortled.  "The dog they say that walks past animals , sniffing for them, without ever looking up?"

Mrs. Deer said, "We're not that sure about those stories.  He is a hound, and they can be ever so treacherous."
"Has he ever spotted you?" Tom asked.
"Only from his bedroom window," one of the deer fawns giggled.

"...Anyway," Chuck continued.  "I was out last night before twilight, along the canal after the soccer games wound down.  I came bounding out of the tall grass when I saw him.  He and his human, the one he drags along with him on that string, were only about ten feet away when I saw him.  I held my breath for a second, and then he saw me."

"He actually looked up and saw you?" Rocky gasped.

"Yes!"  Chuck exclaimed.

"W-w-what happened?" a trembling fawn asked.

"We looked at each other," Chuck replied.  "It seemed like we stood there forever, though it was just a few seconds.  And then..."  The animals gathered closer.  "And then...?" they echoed.

"And then, his human said, 'Get him!!' " Chuck told them.  "I only had one chance, I thought.  there were three den openings on the bank between us, and I had to get to one.  So, I charged full out towards the closest one."

"And then?"

"Scrappy charged right towards me, as if he understood what his human said."

"And then??"

"I could almost feel his breath on me," Chuck said in a wavering voice.  "I didn't think I stood a chance..."

"AND THEN?? AND THEN??"

"And then... he turned and stuck his head in the hole closest to him, sniffed around.  By the time he looked up to search for me, I was gone."

The forest erupted with laughter.  "No, no, say it ain't so, " Red Fox roared.

"The... the stories are true!!" Buck Deer said in gasps as he struggled to breathe.  "He's an idiot!!"

Mrs. Deer leaned in close to him and whispered, "I told you, dear."

"Hmph," O. Possum snorted.  "All that noise he makes, and no smarter than that."

"Well, I'm glad of it," Chuck said.  "Otherwise, I'd have been a goner."

Herman Owl sat on a branch high above, awaiting the time for him to hoot down with his wisdom.  "We should all be glad of it, " he said, turning his horned head.  "The forest is much safer with Scrappy beagle in it."

This story is based on an actual incident.  Some names have been changed to protect the innocent because I didn't know them.

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In addition to telling you about Scrappy's adventure yesterday, I wanted to brag about how we added 4 new caps to my beer cap collection in a simple walk around the neighborhood this morning.  I found a Miller High Life with the "Miller " smaller than the "High Life"- I had recently found a tall aluminum twist like that, but this was a regular size cap.  Nearby I found a Bud Light Lime.  After that, I found a Miller lite with the legend "Made gold-World Beer Cup" around the rim.  And finally, I managed to pry a George Killian lite from the tar in front of a dumpster.  For those who haven't been down this particular road, four caps in such a short distance in one day is impressive even in the old days.  Thus, I am very excited.  This gets me to 449 different caps of 204 brand variations.  Just for fun, here's what I have the most of:

19. (tie): Colt 45; Coors; Labatt's Blue; Lowenbrau; Olympia- 5 each.
17. (tie): Drewrys; Old Milwaukee; - 6 each.
14. (tie): Coors Light; Hamms; Michelob- 7 each.
11. (tie): Little Kings; Michelob Light; Rolling Rock- 8 each.
8.(tie): Black Label; Busch; Schlitz- 9 each.
7. Falstaff- 10.
5. (tie): Miller Lite; Bud Light- 11 each.
3. (tie): Pabst Blue Ribbon; Strohs- 13 each.
2. Miller High Life- 15.
1. Budweiser- 27.

Okay that's it from the proud poppa of 449 beer caps and one goofy Doofus.

More May magic

Bob G. reminded me that the FWPD finally announced the arrest of our little armed robber yesterday.  Here is our little worm, Kentron B. Ganaway .

Our 19-y-o punk apparently rolled over during questioning, not surprising from someone who was brave enough to attack women in the dark but not enough (thankfully) to fire any of the bullets in the gun-cum-hammer he used.  May God give you forgiveness and man give you justice.  A nice long stretch on a chain gang to teach the snot the meaning of work might be appropriate.

Anyway, what I really wanted to chat about tonight was the briefly mentioned and blossoming Beer Cap Collection.  Among the many things I've learned in the last few weeks are: a) there are collectors out there with collections in excess of 30 THOUSAND; I'm closing in on 400, but each one gets a lot of love and attention; b) these other collectors often bring in other alcohols, sodas, even odd caps like brake fluid.  The farthest away I wander from straight beer is Sparkling Champale; c) You can get a lot of neat caps on e-bay; d) it is not necessarily advisable to let me find out that such caps can be had on e-bay; and e) that cap I found years ago, whose only words were "Twistop- or use opener", and had a GA state seal for tax paid on it, was in fact a Pfeiffer Beer.

I thought I would show you tonight a handful of my newest caps, so you can be thrilled by the twinkle in my eyes and bored with the story.

On the top row, we find first our newest member, a somewhat faded Michelob Ultra Scrappy and I found tonight.  If you click to enlarge, you'll see a little blue Michelob ribbon left of the Michelob cursive.  Out of 4 MUs I have, that feature is unique.  Next to him you'll see one of my many e-bay prizes, and one of my three favorites- a Pabst pre-Blue Ribbon cap.  Like most of the caps on this page, it has a cork seal and the center you're looking at has a hops branch with PB superimposed on it.  Next to him is an MGD that was part of the 100 caps for $9 lot I got with my first ebay foray.  This is a newer cap, like the Ultra. Finishing out the top row is a gorgeous Miller High Life before the familiar red bow.  It simply says, "Miller/ High life Co./ Milwaukee, white text on forest green.

The first and third in row 2 and the first in row 3 are all Schiltz, all cork- and amazingly, all different shades!!  When I won these all in separate bids, I was sure I was going to end up with two of the same thing.  That all three were different was like Christmas.  In between is another cork Pabst, with the familiar ribbon- but without the word "beer" written under "blue ribbon".  I love this cap!- but the first Pabst and the Miller edge it out, along with another one still to come.

The middle of row three is a Hamms cork; next to him is a Meister Brau, also cork.  Meister Brau, back when we were all first starting can collecting, was about the first can you'd get that wasn't commonly found along the road, and this is my first MB cap, so it has a certain  je ne sais qua for me.

Row four leads off with the only other non-cork on the page (I've gotten more particular in my bidding, you see), a Rolling Rock which is a carbon copy of another I have except the foreground is white instead of gold.  Now I found the first Rolling Rock can in our little group way back then, one of the two prizes I found as a subsidiary of my nephew's much larger collection.  I believe I found it on that magical weekend at Fawn Forest back when Magic by Pilot was the top playing song on the radio and a mulberry gorged bird managed a bullseye on my niece's shoulder.  Beside that is my next favorite- a Drewry's cork with the mountie inside the shield.  One of these days I'll show you the cap that really got me started - a Drewry's "Big D" beer that I found in the upholstery of my dad's 1937 Chevy.  Finally, my first Budweiser cork- pretty amazing considering -not counting Bud Lights, Bud Drys, Bud Ices, et al- I currently have 24 different Buds.

I hope that in this post, and any following others on the subject, I can convey to you the excitement that I rarely feel anymore, that I feel on gaining these new "babies".  Thanks for putting up with.