Author Archives: Don Watkins

About Don Watkins

I'm a FOSS advocate, writer, educator, Python coder, Linux user, US Navy Veteran, Secular Franciscan, husband,father and grandfather. I blog about my life and experiences that give it meaning.

Are you looking for a password manager?

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Don Watkins

Are you looking for a password manager? Password managers abound and many are open source. Which one will you choose? I was letting a browser store my passwords until an upgrade to my system left my browser based solution wanting. … Continue reading →

Posted in Linux, open source | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Vote to confirm Xavier

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Don Watkins

Yesterday I received an email from a sibling urging me to pray that Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services be defeated because he’s pro-choice. My correspondent wrote of course that he’s pro-abortion which is not true. … Continue reading →

Posted in Civic, Spiritual | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Sweetgrass wisdom and meditations for the planet

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Don Watkins

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is an exceptional book. It reads more like a meditation or series of meditations on the Indigenous wisdom, … Continue reading →

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We have hope

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Don Watkins

Yesterday I drove one hundred forty miles east of my home to receive the first of two doses of the Moderna vaccine. I was so anxious that the night prior to that I slept very little. Last night I slept … Continue reading →

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Moving to Mint

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Don Watkins

I’ve been a Linux user for more than twenty years. I started with Red Hat 6.1 in the late 1990’s. Since then I’ve used a number of distributions and have loved the experience and freedom of open source software. My … Continue reading →

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President Biden: ‘Build Back Better’ for everyone, everywhere!

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Don Watkins

Originally posted on Acting Franciscan:
by Tony Magliano Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist whose writings are published in print and/or posted online in various U.S. diocesan papers. His views do not necessarily reflect…

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Preserve, protect and defend

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Don Watkins

June 1972 I took the oath of enlistment when I volunteered for service in the United States Naval Reserve. The words if you’re unfamiliar are, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of … Continue reading →

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The wisdom to know the difference

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Don Watkins

Earlier today I saw a post that rang true. In 2008 we elected a black man to be president of the United States. The specter of a black man as the leader of the free world was so terrible to … Continue reading →

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I am not a free agent

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Don Watkins

God among His other functions must be a tireless activity working towards an end. Everything He calls into being works toward that end, I myself with the rest. I am not a purposeless bit of jetsam flung out on the … Continue reading →

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Original Blessing

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Don Watkins

“I saw that God never began to love us. … We have always been in God’s foreknowledge, known and loved from without beginning. … We were made for love.—Julian of Norwich TO SAY WE HAVE BEEN “loved from without beginning” … Continue reading →

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