Various & Sundry, New Year's edition

It's been a while since I did a V&S post--and I'm not promising to be faithful about it, mind you.  But I'm in a mood to post and I've seen some interesting things float by, so here you go.

Best Obituary Ever award goes to Jennifer Anne Church who died on New Years Day. Really, you must read it all to get the full impact, but if you don't want to, here's the heart of it:

Mrs. Church worked for nearly 30 years in Harrisonburg, Lynchburg and Roanoke as registered nurse specializing in gerontology. Her death was the result of a vicious attack by a renegade pack of Miniature Schnauzers. With her bulldog, Bella, at her side, she fought gallantly. Mrs. Church had a unique sense of humor and seldom followed a path of traditionalism.

Hmmm...you don't say.  A follow-up article in the Roanoke Times goes into detail. I also like the part about offering a bottle of wine in lieu of flowers.

Bravest Blog Post Ever award goes to The Bloggess for revealing her struggles with depression and self-harm in a forum where she could easily have been attacked by Miniature Schnauzers.  She writes,

I hope to one day I see a sea of people all wearing silver ribbons as a sign that they understand the secret battle and that they celebrate the victories made each day as we individually pull ourselves up out of our foxholes to see our scars heal, and to remember what the sun looks like.

I hope so too.

Best Life Ever goes to Rob who blogs at A Gardeners Calendar.  "I work as a gardener on an English country estate and this is a journal of my life here," he says in this profile, and I have been more jealous than I have ever been of anyone this week as he has recounted his daily schedule.  Let's take a look at what he did yesterday morning, shall we?

Calendar For Today.
07:05 - 07:20 Get up and dressed ( Personal record )

07:20 - 07:30 Prepare the dogs dinner ( Personal record )

07:30 - 07:50 Walking the dogs ( Personal record )
 Note: Took Tommy and Tess as far as the horse field.

08:00 - 08:30 Had breakfast ( Personal record )
 Note: Had a bowl of Cornflakes and a mug of tea.

08:30 - 08:50 See to the sheep ( Work Book )
 Note: Took across some hay. Checked and counted the sheep.

08:50 - 09:00 Check the fruit store ( Work Book )
 Note: Check the mouse trap set yesterday, there was nothing in it.

09:00 - 09:15 See to the greenhouses ( Work Book )
 Note: Checked round.

09:15 - 10:30 Potting up ( Work Book )
 Note: Dug up some Chrysanths and put them into pots ready to take some cuttings from.

10:30 - 10:50 Break for tea. ( Personal record )
 Note: Had a mug of tea and a couple of chocolate biscuits.

10:50 - 12:45 Pruning ( Work Book )
 Note: Made a start on pruning the raspberries.

***
 He'll make up for it in the spring, summer, and fall, though. Won't you, Rob? Or am I going to have to be eaten by jealousy all year round?

I was very touched by the blog The Adventures of Homeless Girl which I found when someone tweeted her most popular post, Should You Give a Homeless Person Money?  I appreciated her insight on this question as well as her follow-up post.

Finally, for you Anglican music lovers out there, today I found a list of the Best Anthems in the Anglican Choral Tradition.  If there's something you think is missing, you can add it on.  In the meantime, enjoy!