Getting all hunkered down in the house for what is promised to be a big winter storm coming through this afternoon. We brought in firewood and have the fireplace all ready to light. I've been working on the outside animals homes to make sure they are cozy. I had one of those heating pads for animals that has pooped out, so replaced it with an inexpensive heating pad from Family Dollar. That and one of those incontinence pads that is waterproof on one side and fleecy on the other is the bed on top of the heating pad. I'd do the same thing with the dog beds, but one of them always wants to drag out the bedding and wrestle with it. May make some cocoa next .

I absolutely adore Thanksgiving as a holiday. It's not commercial, it's not about buying stuff except for food, and all about gratitude.

I've thought lately that Christmas has become a multi-god festival, with worship of both Jesus and Santa (Santa being the god that is supplicated on Christmas Eve with food offerings). But more than that, because advertisers are trying earlier and earlier to rake in the bucks, it's become impossible to enjoy one holiday at a time, at least not as long as you watch teevee.

I LOVE this Turkish ice cream video

Federal judge in Wisconsin strikes down clergy tax-free housing money

Under the law, passed by Congress in 1954, ministers don’t pay income taxes on compensation that is designated part of a housing allowance. The Freedom From Religion Foundation says that a clergy member to use the untaxed income to purchase a home, and then, in a practice known as ‘‘double dipping,’’ deduct interest paid on the mortgage and property taxes.

‘‘It’s a really big deal,’’ said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the foundation. ‘‘A church currently could pay a minister $50,000 but designate $20,000 of it a housing allowance so that only $30,000 would be taxed as salary.’’

In her ruling, Crabb referenced a 2002 statement by then-U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad of Minnesota that said the exemption would save clergy members $2.3 billion in taxes from 2002-2007. Crabb said the magnitude of the benefit only underscores what’s wrong with the law.

Crabb said the defendants did not identify a reason that a requirement on ministers to pay taxes on a housing allowance is more burdensome for them than for the many millions of others who must pay taxes on income used for housing expenses.

The group that was doing that awful "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Game" also endorsed Sid Miller for Ag commish.

John Coryn's position on the filibuster-well, which way is the wind blowing today?
 

Relics on display