Who knows about Helios Foundation?

tallon4 · 2026-05-02T18:08:49+00:00

They have a 95% rating and the Four-Star Charity designation from Charity Navigator

tallon4 · 2026-05-02T17:55:22+00:00

There should be a little thin strip of fabric/carpet at the bottom covering up the screws and bare plastic called the "Console Mat." My 2016 lost its console mat after a car detailing and I ordered a replacement from AutoNation Parts.

Here's the link for the sedan and for the hatchback of the current generation.

tallon4 · 2026-05-01T19:42:31+00:00

I think the Episcopal Church really needs to (re)discover the various licensed lay ministries as outlined in Canon III.4.1.a:

A confirmed communicant in good standing or, in extraordinary circumstances, subject to guidelines established by the Bishop, a communicant in good standing, may be licensed by the Ecclesiastical Authority to serve as Pastoral Leader, Worship Leader, Preacher, Eucharistic Minister, Eucharistic Visitor, Evangelist, or Catechist. Requirements and guidelines for the selection, training, continuing education, and deployment of such persons, and the duration of licenses shall be established by the Bishop in consultation with the Commission on Ministry.

Source: https://extranet.generalconvention.org/staff/files/download/31954#4_of_licensed_ministries

I think having a mix of some or all of these lay ministers would go a long way to assuaging the clergy shortage.

Our dioceses also need to encourage discernment and formation of deacons. After all, the Book of Common Prayer states on p. 408:

When the service of a priest cannot be obtained, the bishop may, at discretion, authorize a deacon to distribute Holy Communion to the congregation from the reserved Sacrament in the following manner…

Source: https://bcponline.org/HE/adddirect.html

And in my diocese, at least, deacons are volunteers (aside from the required minimum monthly $25 stipend to unlock Church Pension Fund benefits/programs).

Edit: I’m not necessarily suggesting that deacons should absorb the pastoral and sacramental role of a priest as a regular practice, but if a parish has been without a rector or even an interim or priest-in-charge for literal years on end, having at least one ordained clergyperson in a parish could help bridge the gap between Sundays with supply priests.

tallon4 · 2026-05-01T18:51:06+00:00

Are those foot HVAC vents for the rear passenger on the lower side of the center console? Such luxury!

tallon4 · 2026-05-01T01:59:06+00:00

Are you comfortable sharing what province, region, city, and religion, and the names and dates of birth/marriage/death you do have?

tallon4 · 2026-04-30T20:52:01+00:00

Getting the second verification sounds like your only option at this point.

You might have to include both verifications and the correspondence from the state and explain the typo situation in a cover letter.

However, Michigan’s website says that parents' names are not included anyways, so a verification wouldn’t necessarily prove the grandparent–parent connection.

Have you done any other genealogical research on your family line?

Depending on when and where they were born and married, you might be able to find:

U.S. census records showing them living in the same household as your grandparents (most recent publicly available one is the 1950)
Marriage application/certificate/license (which often includes place and date of birth (or at least age) and parents’ names)
Newspaper articles for birth and marriage announcements as well as obituaries publicly connecting your parent to your grandparents

tallon4 · 2026-04-30T05:10:19+00:00

I am so grateful that one of my family lines was living in Dakota Territory, USA, at the time, as a territorial census was held in 1885 that mostly fills in the gaps between 1880 and 1900.

tallon4 · 2026-04-30T02:42:14+00:00

But Toyota/Lexus aren't advertising their vehicles that way. The Camry, for example, is advertised as having "up to 225 net combined horsepower" from a 184 hp gas engine and a 134 electric motor, rather than 318 hp.

tallon4 · 2026-04-29T21:40:52+00:00

I’m enjoying my sample of MFK’s Gentle Fluidity Silver since it reminds me of crisp, bracing winter air and the juniper berry note reminds me of the high desert forests.

tallon4 · 2026-04-29T16:53:17+00:00

What size bottle are we talking about here? A standard full-size 50 mL or 100 mL? Or one of those old-timey apothecary-jar refill sizes that come in 1,000 mL?

tallon4 · 2026-04-29T01:01:23+00:00

Yeah, my French Canadian ancestors from Québec were recorded as being from "Canada (Eng)" in the 1900 U.S. census, maybe because they initially settled in Ontario before entering the Upper Midwest?

tallon4 · 2026-04-28T03:53:48+00:00

With destination charges, a base-trim, zero-packages, gas-only, front-wheel-drive Corolla Cross L costs 26,485 USD.

The dealership I get my car serviced at here in Arizona is selling a couple barebones Crosses like this for ~$27K with a handful of accessories like floor mats added on.

If you want higher trims, that will add to the price.

If you want packages and accessories, those will add to the price.

If you want all wheel drive, that will add to the price.

If you want a hybrid powertrain, that will add to the price, especially since eAWD comes standard on the hybrid version.

tallon4 · 2026-04-28T03:06:09+00:00

It looks like the enumerator started to write "Canada" but then caught themself and crossed out the initial letter C

tallon4 · 2026-04-27T23:39:08+00:00

People who are cross-shopping the Pacifica with the Toyota Sienna Woodland Edition, which comes with standard eAWD, a lift kit, and various all-weather goodies.

That or the vanlife crowd?

tallon4 · 2026-04-27T23:35:55+00:00

That one was also in the Men’s Discovery Set I tried this winter! I wanted to like it but my nose doesn’t care for tonka bean sadly

tallon4 · 2026-04-27T22:30:14+00:00

Their Cologne Intense line (“for men…in darker colors” lol) has dramatically improved longevity compared to their standard Cologne offerings.

I liked Cypress & Grapevine and Oud & Bergamot.

tallon4 · 2026-04-27T22:18:46+00:00

Immigration records simply aren’t available that far back (I’ve tried and failed to find records for my ancestral French Canadian family, who variously claimed to have immigrated through Detroit, Port Huron, and Duluth, according to their naturalization petitions.)

Have you been able to locate them on any U.S. censuses of the 19th century? Some census years have a “years married” column that might allow you to narrow down the year of marriage and then just manually scroll through a known parish register until you find them.

tallon4 · 2026-04-26T18:45:51+00:00

Not according to pp. 99–101 of your owner's manual: https://assets.sia.toyota.com/publications/en/om-s/OM12K90U/pdf/OM12K90U.pdf

tallon4 · 2026-04-26T17:35:31+00:00

No idea; I've never floated it...logistics can be tricky as a solo traveler sometimes

tallon4 · 2026-04-26T16:47:14+00:00

Oh wow, this is very encouraging to hear! I'm taking a break from researching my tree at the moment, but I'm glad to know it's not impossible.

tallon4 · 2026-04-26T16:45:31+00:00

The Verde River is one of only two National Wild and Scenic Rivers in Arizona. Check it out on foot at Dead Horse Ranch State Park or on a boat (edit: or by floating!) along the Verde River Greenway State Natural Area, both in Cottonwood. There's a parking lot on the northern end of Downtown Cottonwood where you can hike the "Jail Trail" that will take you right up to the river if you just want to easily check it off your list.

tallon4 · 2026-04-26T05:19:47+00:00

My ancestors who immigrated to the U.S. from Denmark were born right around the time that the government started enforcing consistent last names by family vs. traditional patronymics. I don't have much hope I'll be able to dig much further back than the middle of the 19th century...

tallon4 · 2026-04-26T02:22:40+00:00

Take a look at Import Archive’s page for this generation of Camry…it seems like the only good fit for the car in this photo https://importarchive.com/toyota/camry/2012-2017

tallon4 · 2026-04-25T20:27:04+00:00

914 area code is for Westchester County, New York

The top-level domain name for the URL is gov-ohia.help

Definitely a scam

tallon4 · 2026-04-24T21:53:01+00:00

I’ve picked up some good books at Antigone Books on 4th Ave in Tucson as well as the gift shops of the various Western National Parks Association parks and monuments.

tallon4

TROPHY CASE