Ed Burke

I was part of the crew that meticulously counted these goldfish. I didn't even eat any.

The Lord works in mysterious ways. Also, parents are going to be so mad.

A large chocolate Easter bunny package sits on a table. Maud Borup Chocolate semi-solid Giant Bunny. 10 pounds.

Despite being a professional church worker, I tend to be skeptical of "signs from God."

But.

At our staff meeting, we discussed what the prize should be for our goldfish guessing contest. The answer we came up with was pretty blah. And then on my way back to my office, I saw this:

First weekend usually has the smallest crowds, so it's a great time to go.

A cleared sidewalk with the start of a path for the front walk. That path is *entirely* grass.

Masterful job finding the start of the front walk today.

Pancake Day wasn't really a thing in my Irish-American family, but as an adult I went to a Shrove Tuesday dinner at a colleague's church that practiced a sustainable pancake harvest, and while I applaud their responsible stewardship, it was honestly kinda sad.

I got to watch on the screen, and it wasn't even uncomfortable. Fascinating, would do it again.

I don't exactly recognize the concept of an ice cream season. My notes indicate that my last trip was on December 20, so a fairly short off-season in any case.

A double waffle cone from La Michoacana Purepecha with rum raisin on the bottom and coconut on the top in front of a bush. Because the cone has already been eaten, all that is visible is the bush.

Happy first day of ice cream season to all who celebrate.

I am aware that photos help drive engagement, but I did not think to take a picture of my ice cream cone before I ate it, so enjoy a picture of my finished ice cream cone.

The thing about this is...they had a fish dinner in December, decided that it worked, and then proceeded to hold fish dinners *all six Fridays* during their first year.

Anyway, come see me if you can. I'll primarily be working with our youth volunteers to make sure they have everything they need.

St. Albert the Great is hosting tomorrow night's vigil for human dignity, which is being organized by a coalition of Catholic churches around the metro area. I invite you to join us (especially if you're Catholic, but anyone who can tolerate a Hail Mary is welcome).

Huh, fascinating. It *did* work with that photo. But a different image just became pixelated. (That's the one I tested with. Presumably it was low-res and a bad choice for testing.) I do think it used to happen consistently, but possibly that's because I don't restart my phone as often as I should.

So...are you saying that you can zoom in on an image and see more detail? Because I've *never* been able to do that in Bluesky. And I have, occasionally, rebooted my phone. I just kinda figured they were automatically compressing images such that this wouldn't work.

And we have funds left over. We'll be able to do it again this week (possibly with different supplies. I have a call later today to discuss this week's needs).

Food on a table. A box and several grocery bags with potatoes and onions. Three boxes filled with bags of black beans.

The back of a car loaded with laundry detergent and toilet paper.

Thank you to everyone who supported Minneapolis school families last week. Your donations allowed us to buy toilet paper, laundry detergent, potatoes, black beans, and onions for 60 families. These went out along with produce, meat, dairy, and hygiene donations from other sources.

A pink "happy holidays" Hello Kitty 6-pack A-SHA hand pulled style noodle with friendly scallion sauce.

Someone donated this to the food shelf, and never have I been more tempted to walk off with something from the bin. (I did not! I only took it out to photograph)

Thank you all! This is an amazing response! We've hit our need for this week, but I'll save any extra for next week.

A place for everything, and everything... somewhere.

I would second Menards, at least for toilet paper. It's *so much cheaper* than the grocery stores.

Twin Cities, I think some of you have posted about groups that are doing food delivery for neighbors who can't leave their home due to ICE. Could you please re-share those? (Or share new ones). Some people at my church would like to support these efforts.

Hopefully it has no bearing on how my year goes.

I read this skeet before putting on any music, and I really thought about trying to come up with something to set the tone for the year.

But hours later and needing something to listen to while shoveling, I gotta admit that I'm in the mood for some Halsey, so screw it, we're starting with Gasoline.

Fireworks on a television. It says Rio De Janeiro in the corner.

Happy New Year

(Goodnight)

Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden or Alice In Chains.

If you're in Minneapolis and want to find a church for Christmas, you can join me at St. Albert the Great on Christmas Eve at 4:30. Hear the kids I work with sing in the choir and proclaim the Word. Come by 4:15 to hear preludes from our young violinists and harpists.

How I’m turning up to the Bluesky Christmas Party

The top of a lit Christmas tree stands in front of a bookcase. The only "ornament" is an 18 inch tall pink flamingo wearing a Santa hat.

It was always supposed to be temporary, but I'm starting to wonder

A menu. Mexican Traditional. Guisado Platter. One or two guisados served with two sides. $117.

I am a big fan of the guisados at El Burrito Mercado, and I know that costs are continuing to rise... but this price seems steep to me.