Shopping In The Plague Year

“And here I must observe again, that this necessity of going out of our houses to buy provisions was in a great measure the ruin of the whole city; for the people catched the distemper, on these occasions, one of another.” 

Daniel Defoe, History of the Plague in London.

Mindful of Mr. Defoe's admonition, I traveled to Walmart, not so much to shop as reconnoiter. The shelves were mostly full of necessities such as milk, bags of frozen fish, even a small amount of flour, though there was little meat. But there were few enough people to take advantage of the newly provisioned shelves. 

Stuck between the menace of Scylla and Charybdis, of the pest looming North to Dallas and South to Waco, they had stayed at home, such that you could fire a canon down dairy to beyond and not hit a soul. Still, some few had ventured out. 

Several, like myself, on reconnaissance. They stared silently at newly restocked pizzas and looked in vain for dry goods. Others, actual shoppers, pushed carts full of supplies. Some wore face bandannas as impromptu masks and  plastic gloves as protection from the plague. Both, doubtless, made in China.

I left the store with a Four Cheese pizza and a bottle of red wine and the words of Luke's Gospel echoing:

"...as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man: People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all..." (Lk 17: 26-27)

What a moment. Pope Francis in pouring rain, praying alone from the steps of an empty St Peter’s square.

“We are all in the same ship. We cannot make it alone. Only together.”
pic.twitter.com/aa2o3nrNRl

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) March 27, 2020

Lest it do, pray with Pope Francis that this pestilence will pass over us and take note of his prayers before the miraculous crucifix of St. Marcellus and the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani. A friend commented, "Ancient and spectacular and terrifying."

Ave,

LSP

The Truth?

With the rider that the current crisis will doubtless see a remarkable rise in awful novels, I like this infovideo.

Feel free to disagree,

LSP

A Beautiful Spring Evening But Don't Forget Detroit

Here we are on a beautiful Spring evening in North Central Texas. Peacocks shriek, roosters crow, fierce robins face-off against marauding squirrels and Mexican music fills the air as Eduardo tends to the neighboring chicken operation. 

All good, nature obviously rejoices at the Kennedy Center's $25 million gift, which you can read about on Virtual Mirage, LL's gentle and tolerant news portal. But of course things aren't so good, Kennedy Center pork notwithstanding, as the Chinese Virus starts to lay hold of the DFW metrosprawl. Then there's Detroit.

A Typical Detroit Street Scene

Detroit, America's onetime thriving Motor City has the highest rate of contagion outside of New York and New Orleans. Who would've thought it? Spare a prayer for the hapless city and its declining population.

Pre-Virus Detroit. Now It's Shut

But enough doom and gloom, it should be dry enough to get out to the range tomorrow for some plinking, or maybe fishing. We must thank God for his many mercies.

This Old Gentleman is Resting

Train hard, think positive, fight easy,

LSP

Powerful Prayers From Moscow

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has approved the following prayers for inclusion in the Litany of Fervent Supplication. Via Anglican Ink:

Again we pray unto Thee, O Lord our God, for the mercy and salvation from the disastrous epidemic coming onto us, for the deliverance of Thy faithful people from spiritual and bodily death, for the healing and health of the diseased and for Thy divine protection and help, we pray unto Thee, O merciful Lord, hearken soon and have mercy.

Again we pray for the pacification of confusion and every fear among people, for the protection of Thy faithful by firm faith, for filling our hearts with peace and quietness, we pray unto Thee, O Lord, hearken and have mercy.

O Lord our God, enter not into judgment with Thy servants and save us from the disastrous epidemic coming onto us. Have mercy on us, Thy lowly and unworthy servants who in repentance, with fervent faith and broken heart, prostrate ourselves before Thee, O God, merciful and ordaining every good change, and trust in Thy mercy.

For Thy property it is to show mercy and to save us, O our God, and unto Thee do we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thank you, Patriarch, for these powerful supplications.

God bless,

LSP

The Annunciation

We celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation today, and with it Mary's fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum, let it be done unto me according to thy word. With that righteous yes salvation came into the world, may we echo it. But I won't bang on, here's the Angelus:

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.R. And she conceived of the Holy Ghost.

Hail Mary, full of grace,The Lord is with Thee;Blessed art thou among women,And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.Holy Mary, Mother of God,Pray for us sinners,Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary, etc.

V. And the Word was made Flesh. (genuflect you heathen)R. And dwelt among us.

 Hail Mary, etc.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts; that as we have known the Incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his (cross yourselves, pagans) cross and passion we may be brought unto the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the Blessed Ever Virgin Mary intercede for you, the hosts of Angels watch over you and may God bless you all, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

LSP

A Holy Priest

Priests have had a lot of bad press, to put it mildly, and much it self-inflicted and deserved. But don't forget the many holy men who lay down their lives for the flock, true shepherds. 72 year old Father Giuseppe Berardelli who gave his ventilator to a younger patient, was one of them.

Via Breitbart:

"Father Giuseppe Berardelli died as a priest,” said one of the healthcare workers in the Saint Joseph retirement home where the priest lived. “I am profoundly moved by the fact that he, as archpriest of Casnigo, freely renounced his respirator to give it to someone younger than him.”

The priest died during the night of March 15 in the hospital of Lovere, in Bergamo, but his story only began to circulate on Italian media on Monday. Like many others who have succumbed to the disease, Father Berardelli already suffered from severe health complications.

According to Breitbart, some 50 priests have died in Italy and while you may be baffled, confused and shocked that I make no claims to sanctity, I'm inspired and humbled by the example of Fr. Berardelli. Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friends.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory,

LSP

Behold The Face Of Evil

Have you witnessed a more despicable, venal, traitorous, corrupt, lying, malfeasant spectacle than the Democrats derailing stimulus for America in a time of crisis? And it is a crisis, people can't make rent,  payroll, are losing their jobs and don't know, day to day, if they'll be in an ICU tomorrow.

Pelosi and Schumer don't care. Why would they? They're Millionaire Socialists so the affairs of working people, of the underclass who can't afford private jets, adrenachrome and private islands don't concern them. Who cares if flyover country dies while we wax fat off the proceeds in our gated mansions?

Here's Ted Cruz:

"What in the hell does a windmill have to do with this crisis?" @SenTedCruz @realDonaldTrump @parscale pic.twitter.com/u49CZnvEdZ

— 🇺🇸🇺🇸 Miguelifornia 🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@michaelbeatty3) March 23, 2020

Well said, Ted, who may be a fool but /ourfool. In the meanwhile, I know more than a few of the small handful who read this simple mind blog have served. Question. Is there not a unit ready, willing and able to take out the traitors sabotaging our country and the lives of its citizens?

You know, like the way Charles I attempted to take out Parliament but failed, or Cromwell who succeeded.

Thanks in advance for advice.

DFTR,

LSP

Bumpy Night!

Via RR.

DFTR,

LSP

Private Mass

While not able to worship publicly at this time, I did offer the Mass this morning on all our behalf. This service is known as a Missa sine populo (Mass without the people) or a Private Mass. 

However, the grace in this worship is very far from private and ripples or reverberates throughout the whole Church, not least our part of it.

This is because all of us are joined to Christ and one another in a mystical, spiritual communion. As the Apostle Paul teaches us, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." (1 Cor. 12:13) And so the blessing of even one faithful Communion at the Eucharist extends to us all.

Please know that you were all offered up at the Altar of Our Lord this morning and rest assured of my daily prayers. May God bless, preserve and keep you. 

Be strong in Him and take courage, for Christ has "overcome the world,"(Jhn. 16:33) and neither death nor Hell itself have any power over us.

With much love and every blessing,

LSP

Silver Linings

It's dark, wet, and cold in the bucolic haven that is this small Texan farming community meets industrial theme park. That, and the Chinese Plague or "Red Death" is a looming threat from the nearby DFW metrosprawl.

Still, behind every dark cloud there's a silver lining. To name several: Drag Queen Story Hour's been cancelled and no one seems to care very much about preferred pronouns. It's almost as though the "greatest civil rights issue of our time" (Joe Biden) wasn't so very important after all. But of course the Mass is.

Question. Should the Parsons be livestreaming Private Masses or not? I'm inclined to say it cheapens the Sacrament of the Altar. Here's Adrienne:

At first (in a rather paganish way) I thought, "Cool - don't have to put on makeup, fix my hair, dress up. I can sit in front of my computer and think holy thoughts."

Reality. Prayers at the foot of the altar = Erica kitteh demanding breakfast. The Introit = Frankie doggie having to go out and pee. The epistle and gospel = I have to pee. And on, and on.

Good points. Whatever the case, I'll be posting links to the Mass tomorrow.

Be safe and as always...

DFTR,

LSP

Trooping The Colour

You might think this stupid and irrelevant. Maybe you should think again.

Your Pal,

LSP

Majestic Melania Addresses The Nation

pic.twitter.com/3KXrAP0A35

— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) March 19, 2020

America's First Lady offers the nation timeless words of advice and consolation at this time of crisis, as the storm is upon us. Melania's love of children, life, and country are as self-evident as her majestic, elegant simplicity.

Elegant Simplicity

Here at the Compound we join with loyal Americans everywhere in giving thanks to God that patriots are in control. You can imagine, perhaps, what the outcome would have been otherwise.

Behold Satan

We will, as America's popular and glamorous First Lady reminds us, survive this ordeal and emerge stronger, more unified and better able to face the threats that beset our constitutional democracy. 

A Beautiful White Hat

And they're manifold, not least a transnational cabal of sociopath, corrupt, venal, alien, consumed by greed, nihilist traitors who care nothing for God, country and people.

Stay strong, keep the faith and thank you, First Lady for doing your not inconsiderable best to keep America and by extension the West, great. 

God bless,

LSP

Don't Fear The Reaper

Helpful, right?

LSP

Snowflake & Safespace

You may have noticed we're experiencing some turbulence lately, thanks to the ChiCom Bat Bug or "Red Death." So let's thank the higher power for Marvel's new line of Superheroes, Snowflake and Safespace.

Snowflake and Safespace spring from the mind of Emmy nominated Daniel Kibblesmith. Here's Marvel:

"Safespace is a big, burly, sort of stereotypical jock. He can create forcefields, but he can only trigger them if he's protecting somebody else. Snowflake is non-binary and goes by they/them, and has the power to generate individual crystalized snowflake-shaped shurikens. The connotations of the word 'snowflake' in our culture right now are something fragile, and this is a character who is turning it into something sharp.

Faggy Mountebanks

"Snowflake is the person who has the more offensive power, and Safespace is the person who has the more defensive power. The idea is that they would mirror each other and complement each other."

But that's not all, there's the morbidly obese, rubbish sidekick Trailblazer, who has a quantum backpack as well as a whole lotta weight. Ghetto stereotype, clever irony, fried chicken or something else again. But here's my call, for what it's worth. 

Hmmm. Fried Chicken

It's as though we're sitting on a bomb right now and we don't know if it'll go off; it might, it might not, it has in Italy. Whatever the case, we're being forced to reflect on our mortality, remember O man that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return. A Lenten theme and with it, be not afraid.

So bad call, Marvel, you're exposed as a purveyor of degenerate irrelevancy. Take stock, not that you read this tiny kebab stand on the *net superhighway, and provide us with real heroes. We need them.

God bless,

LSP

Spiritual Communion

Just got the call from the diocese instructing all clergy to cancel public worship, so that's what's happening in the missions.

I'll say a Private Mass sine populo, because it's important, but people can and should make frequent Spiritual Communion. Here's a short form:

My Jesus, 

I believe that You

are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. 

I love You above all things, 

and I desire to receive You into my soul. 

Since I cannot at this moment

receive You sacramentally, 

come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

God bless,

LSP

High On A Mountain

Uplifting, what? Wager the monkey on Ms. Lynn; Devil take the hindmost and twice as fast.

Stand Steady,

LSP

St. Patrick's Prayer

I was going to post this yesterday but The Band got in the way and Adrienne beat me to it. Still, here's some power from St. Patrick's Breastplate:

I summon today

All these powers between me and those evils,

Against every cruel and merciless power

that may oppose my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom,

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;

Christ to shield me today

Against poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against wounding,

So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the Threeness,

Through confession of the Oneness

of the Creator of creation.

What a mighty prayer and you can read the whole thing at Adrienne's Corner.

God bless and be safe,

LSP

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Stand firm,

LSP

The Canadians Arrive

Word has it that Justine Trudeau's "self-isolating" to "flatten the curve." We can but hope. In the meanwhile, we hope you find this infovideo as uplifting as we do and Fort Gordon, take note.

Your Pal,

LSP

Walmart Wipeout

Reports were coming in of raiders out of Austin moving north in search of food, so I launched a recce patrol at the local Walmart. What a wipeout, as if a horde of locusts had swept through devouring all in their path.

Meat? Beef, pork? No.

Bye-bye rice and pasta.

Alas poor bacon, we knew you well.

You want milk? Forget about it, and the same goes for eggs, bread, flour, tuna, spam, beans, water, dried noodle snacks, luncheon meat, orange juice and cheese. And don't even think of buying chicken nuggets, fish sticks, potatoes, loo roll (TP) and cleaning products.

Now picture handfuls of dazed, shell-shocked shoppers slowly pushing their carts through the deserted aisles, their carts as empty as their stunned eyes and the very shelves. Yes, like a scene from one of the virus series we're binge watching at the Compound.

Still, there was plenty of wine, tomato paste and Vienna sausages. I bought all three and left, mission accomplished. Moral of the story?

First, never forget things can turn on a dime and before you know it there's no more food, so be smart and stock up. That way you won't have to fight over the last pack of chicken nuggets with some chancer hippy out of Austin. Second, don't buy all the bacon, it's rude and stupid.

Be safe, 

LSP

CONFEDERATE TIME TRAVELER?!?

Brainiac boffins believe time travel may be possible thanks to "quantum entanglement," and shocking new evidence seems to prove them right. 

Nineteenth century pictures of a Confederate firing line show a bearded soldier calmly reloading his musket in the face of a Yankee charge. 

Amazingly, a photo has emerged of the same soldier in central Texas in the 21st century, a leap of over 100 years.

Is time travel now a possibility or are objects in the mirror more right wing than at first appears? As always, you, the reader, be the judge.

Deo Vind.

LSP

Deo Vindice

Perhaps you wonder where the Compound stands on states rights and freedom. Flatten the curve.

Deo Vindice,

LSP

Buckle Up

Hope you're all prepped up and ready to "bug-in" or go "innawoods" because it's staring to get nasty, in a small way. 

People are getting robbed of their TP in parking lots in Washington state and the UK, so WA shoppers are going armed to the supermarket. UK people aren't because they're not allowed to defend themselves. Find the cost of freedom, eh?

Here in Hill County Texas, a big fight broke out at Walmart as pastoral people set to scrapping over frozen pizzas, bottled water and Ramen noodles. I missed the fight, annoyingly, but you could see the tension building before Noon.

Over in Aberystwyth the shelves were bare of pasta, "Andrex," and assorted everything else. Calgary, as of today, had run out of milk.

Message to market? Bring the supply chain home. Have a month's supply of food so you don't have to get into a fight at Walmart. Don't hoard loo-roll, the Bat Bug isn't dysentery. Don't hoard water, the Kung Flu isn't Cholera. And on. 

Above all, STAND STEADY. You're no use to man nor beast if you don't. Go armed to Walmart if you aren't already. And on a spiritual note, pray for our country tomorrow, it's a National Day of Prayer. Do not ever downplay the efficacy of that.

God bless,

LSP

Stand Steady

Note .45, and right on,

LSP

The Red Death

"The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty there was wine (yes!). All these and security was within." (EA Poe Masque of the Red Death)

Until it wasn't.

LSP

Witch Finder General

Some people have been shorting the market, smart, others have been getting to the root of the problem. Yes, witch finding.

Episcopal dioceses (large geographic worship gatherings, LGWG) are cancelling "in-person worship," and offering presumably out-of-body alternatives. Check it out here.

The dominoes continue to fall.

LSP

Garryowen

All for the Cause, eh? 

Stay calm, please don't buy up all the Andrex, and Cav is King. Apart from artillery and the Black Watch, obvs.

DEFEND THE GREEK BORDER,

LSP

Episcopal Church Bat Bug Wipeout

***DEVELOPING***

Already hit by declining numbers and graying congregations, dioceses in the Episcopal Church (TEC) are starting to close their doors for worship in the face of the Chinese Bat Bug pandemic.

Goff

On March 11, Suffragan Bishop figure Susan Goff told churches in the Diocese of Virginia to cancel "public worship" for a least two weeks. Goff is hoping to "slow the spread" of the Wuhan Virus through "social distancing."

"Mathematical models show that the virus is spreading exponentially. We can't stop the spread, but we can slow it, thereby saving lives and helping ensure that our health care system remains effective. Social distancing is our best means of slowing the spread," stated Goff in a pastoral letter to the diocese.

Budde

The Episcopal Diocese of Washington (EDOW), encompassing the nation's capital, also suspended worship services. Marianne Budde, EDOW's leaderene, told area churches to cancel public worship ceremonies until the end of March and possibly beyond. All 88 of Budde's congregations will close today, March 12.

Following Budde and Goff's example, the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina ordered it's churches to close for "in-person worship" for the next two Sundays beginning March 15. "All non-worship gatherings are also to be cancelled," write diocesan bishop figures Sam Rodman and Anne Hodges-Copple.

Rodman and Copple

Several Episcopal clergypersons who attended the CEEP (Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes) conference in Kentucky this month have been diagnosed with the Wuhan Virus. Their wealthy churches are closed.

No Mass for them. No change there, then.

Here at the Compound we have to ask, how many more dominoes are about to fall?

Cheers,

LSP

Everybody Was Kung Flu Fighting

Sources in Calgary on the front line of the fight against the Chinese Bat Bug say this song's being played on a continuous loop in healthcare clinics across Canada's cow town.

Here at the Compound we hope you find it as inspirational as we do.

Mind how you go,

LSP