September 10, 2026 a thought for today, A wise man has his tongue in his heart. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “ my commute”. It is my reliable Ford Focus. It is nearly fourteen years old but is still good lookin’ and gets me where I want to go. 

The next assignment is “my choice” and one of my series of “black and
white”. This is a full ivy of Morning Glories on my chain link fence. 

The last upload for yesterday was “swing”. This is my porch swing. I have lived in this house for over fifty years and have had a porch swing in very sport for all of those years. 

Life today. This has been another productive day. Thursday, printing day, is done. I had taken a bag of yarn with me this morning to drop off in our “fall sale” room for our upcoming annual sale. So that I wouldn’t have to travel one of the sets of stairs twice, I took a different route through the halls and Sanctuary to place the bulletins. I had left the bag inside the entry door at the top of the stairs. Since I was changing my direction I ended up at the top of that stairway, where the bag was, without having posted the bulletin in the lower level as I usually do. I picked up the bag, went down the stairs. I put the bag in place and posted the bulletin.

When I got back upstairs, I was able to get three more of my “placards” placed on photos on the gallery wall. Andy and Tami had helped with hanging some of the photos so some are a little higher than I can comfortably reach. I had a bit of a problem replacing two of the images but it got done. 

When I had stopped at the mail box, I realized I should probably get some gas. So I made that stop. 

Once at home it was back to my “check list”, started some sun tea and put the laundry in the washer. Before I could put the laundry in, I noticed that the “message” light on the new humidifier was indicating that the container needed emptied. So I tended to that, getting my slippers and socks wet in the process. 

 put on dry socks and other slippers I worked on the photos. Now every thing is about ready for uploads. Then I will be heading into the end of the day. 

I heard on the news today that this is actually the hottest season ever recorded. It has been an odd summer. First monumental rains then heat passed any experienced in my eighty plus years and then another more than usual rain visits. 

The word to ponder today is desire. Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in. Leonardo da Vinci. Man is the only animal whose desires increase as they are fed; the only animal that is never satisfied. Henry George. Seize the moment of excited curiosity on any subject to solve your doubts; for if you let it pass, the desire may never return, and you may remain in ignorance. William Wirt. The habit of giving only enhances the desire to give. Walt Whitman. He who reigns within himself and rules his passions, desires, and fears is more than a king. John Milton. He who desires, but acts not, breeds pestilence. William Blake. If thou desire the love of God and man, be humble, for the proud heart, as it loves none but itself, is beloved of none but itself. Humility enforces where neither virtue, nor strength, nor reason can prevail. Francis Quarles. Those who cannot tell what they desire or expect, still sigh and struggle with indefinite thoughts and vast wishes. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Manifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires. Lao-tzu. All men by nature desire knowledge. Aristotle. Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do. Saint Thomas Aquinas. Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinions in good men is but knowledge in the making. John Milton. Few men desire liberty: The majority are satisfied with a just master. Sallust. Let your desires be ruled by reason.(Appetitus Rationi Pareat) Cicero. 

Article summay. This article title caught my eye when I was thinking of something about “a stitch in time”. It looked interesting so I pulled it open. The title is Your body has an internal clock that dictates when you eat, sleep and might have a heart attack – all based on time of day.  Shogo Sato, Assistant Professor of Biology, Texas A&M University. At theconversation.com. It begins by mentioning how jet lag and daylight savings has brought attention to what some researchers call “biological clock” also called in the article, “master pacemaker”.  These terms mean how the brain “coordinates” our breathing, blood pressure, sleep, digestion, and more, all unconsciously. Humans aren’t the only beings affected by the biological clock. Others sharing this order of things to name a few are birds, fish, mammals, even plants and flowers. This “clock” is “essential to health and well-being” of all. The article brought a point I had not remembered in a long time, more heart attacks and strokes happen early in the day, biology at work on a sort of time schedule. It further pointed out something else, mental disorders, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases are affect by the fabric of night and day. Apparently our behaviors can be “modified” to “take advantage” of these happening by “syncing your endocrine system to environmental light-dark cycles”. Some of the things that can be “controlled” would be the time of day we eat to control obesity and other “diseases”. Depression is affected by light and dark. The time of day medication is taken has affects. Personalities are considered in the time of day of our lives. There are morning people and night people where “personality might be shaped”. There have been tests on how the time of day exercise can affect the body. On this point, time of day for exercise, I did some other research and found: exercise in the morning is more useful for weight control, afternoon, strength, evening (not close to bed time) to relieve stress. In the article it states that morning exercise reduces blood glucose best and that we should learn to time our daily exercise to “meet your personal health goals”. In coming to an end the article mentions that there are more studies going on in the effects of night and day, light and dark, mood and health in the area of the “biological clock” and its purposes. In the mean time we should “synchronize our internal clocks for better health”. Suggestions like how light “triggers” the endocrine system to product vitamin D. Be active during the day so sleep comes a little easier, avoid caffeine and “reducing your exposure to artificial light before bedtime.”

I am making a quick chicken cacciatore for my dinner (trying to make up my mind, have it over pasta or rice).  

Photos in my life today

My first upload for today is “something new”. I don’t shop often so I don’t have anything “new”. Idecided to take this photo and share it as a new tank of gasoline. 

The next challenge is another of “my choice” and another of my “black and white” series. My dining room table with a of my spiritual reading on the table along a view beyond the table. 

That last assignment is “purple”. This is the hooded blanket that I received for
Christmas and wore almost all winter when I was home. 

Joy 

the bonus image is one I have on the church gallery wall with this note on the attached placard: Red Caboose - metaphor for God's protecting grace, Symbol of Protection-The Rear Guard, Isaiah 52:12 -  the “Lord goes before them the God of Israel is their rear guard” God often chooses the lowly to accomplish mighty rescues, red- symbolizing the redemption and protection

want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector (and take a look at flickr.com search for rectorjoyce)

 September 8, 2026 a thought for today, Experience is a long road. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “in motion”. I have a quiet neighborhood. There seems to be little in motion except for maybe someone walking their dog or someone watering the lawn especially early on Labor Day so I chose my flag as it was moving in the breeze. 

The second assignment was “1st person I saw”. Naturally it was me, myself, so I took a mirror shot of part of myself. Sue wasn’t up until after I had this one done and there was no one walking a dog when I needed it. 

The last upload was “my choice” and on of my series of “black and white”. His is a peaceful corner of my front porch. 

Life today. It has been one of those beautiful days, all list items are being checked off successfully (sounds like a business office.....not). It was time for Bobbi’s monthly pedicure by a professional Veterinary Nurse (my patient and loving granddaughter). I had to keep an eye on Bobbi until Natalie could get here because once Bobbi knows or even senses someone is in dangerous proximity to the house she hides in places (somewhere in my house) unbeknownst to any human and beyond the pain of pulling a tooth to find her. 

After Natalie got the beautification procedure over, we were able to chat for a while. There was one point in the conversation that I felt vindicated. It was a point that in other conversations with other parties I have been the “outsider” on a topic, this time I found that I have an advocate. That’s always a relief and rewarding. 

When Natalie left Sue left for an errand and I left for another errand. I needed to stop at the bank then I needed to buy Bobbi a hair brush. She has been “grooming” herself too much. I think I need to give her a hand. 

I think I have finally figured out how to get to the list of my favorite TV show on this all consuming list of shows on the “smart” tv. It has taken about a week to ten days of trial and error to get to this point. 

I am about to finish up my list for the day and fix some supper. 

The word to ponder today is depend.  What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us. The greatest university of all is a collection of books. Thomas Carlyle.  To be poor and dependent is very nearly an impossibility. William Cobbett. Cheerfulness, it would appear, is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within, as on the state of things without and around us. Charlotte Bronte. Remember that what you believe will depend very much on what you are. Noah Porter. Depend not on fortune, but on conduct. Publilius Syrus. The secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget that which has made a deep impression on our minds. Tryon Edwards. If your morals make you dreary, depend on it , they are wrong. Robert Louis Stevenson. The man least dependent upon the morrow goes to meet the morrow most cheerfully. Epicurus. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. Ralph Waldo Emerson. I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts. Abraham Lincoln. America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. John Quincy Adams . . . the goodness of the will depends on the intention of the end. Saint Thomas Aquinas. Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others. Buddha. A simple and independent mind does not toil at the bidding of any prince. Henry David Thoreau. 

Article summary. I have a “dry sense of humor” so I don’t laugh easily. It has to be something like a person walking into a closed door and falling on their behind. I am reading an author who has accomplished something most don’t for me. In his writings there is a character who is very tall and very heavy. Some of his explanations of her outfits and/or actions bring an instant and spontanious belly laugh on my part. That feels good. I have grown to like that person and love the author. The title is  Laughter can communicate a lot more than good humor – people use it to smooth social interactions. Adrienne Wood, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia. At theconversation.com. In the first paragraph it noted some of the physical responses to laughter, throws the head back, double over, and it helps us connect with others. As a side point and next was something I had not considered, animals other than humans also laugh. I researched a little further and found that there are over 60 species of animals that laugh. Now back to laugher itself, it can be called a “play signal” that can lead to social interactions. It did however say we can laugh due to “embarrassment, politeness, nervousness and derision”. One suggestion is that it can make an “awkward exchange” or a misunderstanding be smoothed over. Another point I found interesting in this article is that some people who “laugh more enjoyed the conversations less”. On the other hand if you enjoy talking and feel good in the conversation there is no need to laugh. Some tones of laughter can be controlled depending on what you want to “communicate”. The article points out three kinds of laughter. One kind is reward laughter, a kind that is playful and enjoyable. There is one called “affiliation laughter”, to “reassure, appease and soothe”. The affiliation laughter is apparently the most common in everyday communication. The last type listed is “dominance laughter”, this one follows a “nonserious message” and the joke or event is not taken seriously. In ending the article it is said that there is no such thing as a fake laugh. Laughter has a “genuine social function” to travel through “complex social interactions” a way to “ensure no one takes themselves too seriously.”

I didn’t have the bean soup I planned for a couple of nights ago, guess I will have it tonight. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload for today is “something old”. This is a menu from a neighborhood restaurant that closed
many, many years ago. 

The second challenge was “my choice” and another of my series of “black and white”. This image is an abandoned restaurant that was demolished to make room for a new building and business. 

The last challenge is “night”. I was on a front porch when I captured this
image of the house across the street as darkness was subsiding. 

Joy

My bonus image today was one I took just as I was starting the morning. Bobbi is enjoying a short nap under the pink carnations

Want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector (and take a look at flickr.com search for rectorjoyce

September 6, 2026 a thought for today, The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “out the window”. This is Bobbi again as my model. She is often looking out this window. She will be seen in several photos of this nature. 

The next assignment was “fence or gate”. I was looking for a fence or gate that would be a bit different from the good old chain link or a wooden privacy fence. I found this one in my neighborhood. 

The last upload for yesterday was “a pair”. I used my eye glasses as the “pair”. To give it a bit more substance I used the Message Bible as its background. 

Life today. Church was refreshing today. Everyone who was away last week were back along with a couple of visitors. The message was enlightening. The hymns had for me their usual mini sermon message, though one was a little too long. Also, it was the time for renewal in communion. 

The weather is typical for September, signs of changes beginning in the air. Upcoming time for nature to rest.

I accomplished some “easy going” tasks (not too much, this being Sunday) before leaving for church. I needed some glue for a project I am starting, things, little tokens, I want to make for friends at Christmas. It takes me a while, my hands are not getting younger, they don’t hold things the way they use to. The glue I was using a year ago is dried up. I needed to make a stop for a new bottle of glue. 

The smart tv is still giving my sister and me a time of learning in the trial and error kind of way. When we were kids, eons ago, you just pushed a button or turned a knob on the box with moving picture and stories, now not so much wayyyy not so much! I thought technology was supposed to make things easier??? Now there are passwords and pin numbers to get what you are looking for. 

The rest of the day is reflect, renew and refresh. I may take some time to “study” on ideas I want to expand on in my writings and photos.

The word to ponder today is delight. He had occasional flashes of silence, that made his conversation perfectly delightful. Sydney Smith. In the highest civilization, the book is still the highest delight. He who has once known its satisfactions is provided with a resource against calamity. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Energy is eternal delight. William Blake. You teach your daughters the diameters of the planets and wonder when you are done that they do not delight in your company. Samuel Johnson. Never find your delight in another's misfortune. Publilius Syrus. Desultory reading is delightful, but to be beneficial, our reading must be carefully directed. Seneca. The pleasures which we most rarely experience give us the greatest delight. Desiderius Erasmus. Cowards are cruel, but the brave Love mercy, and delight to save. John Gay. Danger and delight grow on one stalk. English Proverb. By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote. In fact, it is as difficult to appropriate the thoughts of others as it is to invent. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Perhaps the most delightful friendships are those in which there is much agreement, much disputation, and yet more personal liking. George Eliot. Books should to one of these fours ends conduce, for wisdom, piety, delight, or use. Sir John Denham. The Word of God is a lamp by night, a light by day, and a delight at all times. Charles Spurgeon. Man is a poetical animal, and delights in fiction. William Hazlitt. For imitation is natural to man from his infancy. Man differs from other animals particularly in this, that he is imitative, and acquires his rudiments of knowledge in this way; besides, the delight in it is universal. Aristotle. In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows. Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Article summary. The part of the article title that caught my attention was “caring for creation” and as related to a farmer poet. The title is Farmer poet Wendell Berry’s environmental ethics were deeply rooted in his Christian faith and belief in caring for creation. Kristy Nabhan-Warren, Elizabeth Kahl Figge Chair in Catholic Studies, University of Iowa. At theconversation.com. It opened by introducing the “poet-farmer”. He was 92 years old. As he began his farming career, he started with draft horses and all along preferred them to diesel-powered tractors, using methods that “embraced the land” and environmental stewardship. He loved to write about “rural American life” which included taking care for the land as he lived “practicing what he preached”. The article stated that he was a “firm” Christian Baptist. It was said about him that he believed in “creation care” or the “God given right to exploit the Earth’s resources”.The author as a teacher taught students from Mr. Berry’s book called “Jayber Crow”. It was used in a liberal arts course to teach “about small-town living, religion and community”. Later on he used some of Mr. Berry’s thoughts in researching for a book “modern-day agriculture”. In that research he learned more about the how Berry critiqued “agripower,” as showing little regard for the fertility of the soil or the “health, wisdom, thrift, or stewardship of the farming community.” Moving on in the article it mentioned Mr. Berry’s poems. They are in the nature of fiction and nonfiction concerning “consuming less and living more communally”. His works seem to help “popularize family-run farms, organic farming and farm-to-table eating establishments”. In 1977 Mr. Berry wrote a piece called  “The Unsettling of America” in which he mentioned his admiration for the Amish life style who “forgoes” modern conveniences and focuses on family and the Christian notion of stewardship for the land we share. As the article went on it mentioned that Mr. Berry “encouraged” people “whether or not they identified as Christian or as religious” to consider technology and the “impact on the environment” as the Amish do. The poems and other writings led toward focus to be on need nor want. The author ends by saying it is his hope that “Wendell Berry’s legacy will have a long and fruitful afterlife”.

I think I will try a new recipe for bean soup for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload today is "withered". It is my last store bought bouquet. It has about had its run and is beginning to give up. 

The next challenge is “something I’ll eat”. I am always up for a fish sandwich. McDonald has a pretty good tasting one and convenient too. 

The last assignment is “hot”. I put a lot of thought into how to display a word like hot into an image. I had used some strong sunlight forming great shadows. I also heated up water and tested a meat thermometer and a candy thermometer for this shot. I chose a portion of the candy thermometer. 

Joy

the bonus image is one on the gallery wall at my church. On the attached placard I have written: Sketched Mixed Bouquet of Flowers, God's creative, boundless grace, fleeting beauty of earthly life, colors, shapes, and fragrances, beautiful display of God’s love, each petal with deliberate care, light and shadow, joyful seasons and quiet, shadowed valley, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Each blossom a life offered like sweet incense before the throne of grace 

want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector (and take a look at flickr.com search for rectorjoyce) 

 September 4, 2026, a thought for today, The butterfly often forgets it was a caterpiller. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday 

The first challenge was “my choice”. It is one of my series of “still life”. This is an old menu from a long ago local restaurant in my area.

The next assignment was “on the floor”. I used a photo of the wood grain
floor with part of a throw rung on a portion of it. 

The last upload was “back to school”.  This one is from my archives.  I wasn’t out and about yesterday and the school buses are back on the road since school just started after the summer break.

Life today. This has been a kind of “put together day”. I mean there has been no “direction”. Every time I got started on one thing another popped for immediate attention. But surprisingly it all seems to be getting done, even my “check list” is being filled in. One more major thing to be done is order the curb side grocery pickup.

Sue had a flat time and called AA our to fix it. As he was beginning to work on it the rain stared and got heavier with each second. 

We lost touch with our Spectrum television service yesterday. So I did some research and found that all we need with these smart tvs is an antenna. We have four tvs of different sizes in the house. Two of them have antenna. Sue’s is one that doesn’t. I tried to attach a small one that I have for an old portable tv to Sue’s but it didn’t work. So we have to get two more antenna. The two that have them are working great.

The word to ponder today is deep.  Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better. Silence is deep as Eternity; speech is shallow as Time. Thomas Carlyle. If you would be pungent, be brief; for it is with words as with sunbeams - the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn.  Robert Southey. The secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget that which has made a deep impression on our minds. Tryon Edwards. Storms make oaks take deeper root. George Herbert. To regret deeply is to live afresh. Henry David Thoreau. The books that help you most are those which make you think that most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading; but a great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty. Theodore Parker. The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence. Tomas H. Huxley. In all the affairs of life, social as well as political, courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest to the grateful and appreciating heart. Henry Clay. Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into, the mind. Samuel Taylor Coleridge. True humor springs not more from the head than from the heart. It is not contempt; its essence is love. It issues not in laughter, but in still smiles, which lie far deeper. Tomas Carlyle. Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink, I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains. I would drink deeper; fish fill the sky, whose bottom is pebbly with stars. I cannot count one. I know not the first letter of the alphabet. I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born.  Henry David Thoreau.

Article summary. It seems like this one may cover two areas of interest, dogs and socialization. I thought it would something that may be worthy of attention intellectually and socially. The title is Dog parks are an antidote to the isolation and divisions that social media can fuel. Kevin B. Johnson. Professor of Pediatrics, Biomedical Informatics and Science Communication, University of Pennsylvania. At theconversation.com. The author opened the article mentioning that he sees social media as having added to the possibility of persons becoming lonely. The author goes on to say he began to get a glimpse into what we might be losing when we are invested into much “social media”. He was in a dog park when this “light bulb” moment came to him. He called the experience “a corner bar without the alcohol”, meaning talking with other people about all kinds of things other than something on a cell phone or online conversations. All the while he was vising with people while walking his dog in a dog park. He was watching where and how he was walking the dog. All he while he observed conversations going on with people around him, another part of a life opens into something fuller. Regular walkers may share a taste in dog breeds or beer, but they are not colleagues, political soul mates or relatives. Major parts of their lives were difference and varied. I noted that he was saying that places like general stores and soda fountains where people use to gather aren’t around anymore. It is related that the off-leash parks are a fast growing “amenity”. It is allowing for more “neighborhood cohesion”, a “corner bar without booze”. It has been found that it is reducing anxiety, allowing for more empathy and “more perspective”. There is a shift in emotions and conversation topics, no differences in what one feels and what the other feels about politics and other “heavy” topics. It is just more about his dog’s habits and more as the two humans sharing in a sense of humor. According to the article it is more a shift from opinions to a person, room for “tolerance and trust” to develop and grow. The article mentioned that the social platforms seem to “sort people “by interests, identities, tastes and grievances, then make it easy to stay among people who feel familiar”. This seems to be a contrast to in-person contact and interactions with “regulars” at, say the dog park, and leaving room for “tolerance and trust”. After reading this article and “digesting” it I agree with the biggest part of it. I feel the dog park is an example of that type of “meeting place” and/or habit of gathering. But I feel that social media has its place too, an important place, it should be handled in moderation as should many aspects of life.

Friday seems to have become pizza night again so maybe it will be pizza for dinner. 

Photos in my life today 

The first assignment today is “on my feet”. When I am home all day I always have house slippers on. 

The next challenge is another of “my choice” and another of my series of “still life” . For this one I used a set up of a skillet with three unopened eggs ready to be prepared for a choice of cooking time and recipe. 

The last upload for today is “baby”. This is another choice from my archives since I don’t have a baby hanging around the house right now. 

Joy

the bonus image is one of my Christmas cactus blooms and has been uploaded to Fine Art America and my shop there

want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector (and take a look at flickr.com search for rectorjoyce)

 September 2, 2026, a thought for the day, Wisdom without use is fire without warmth. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge was “in the mirror”. This one really worked for me. Maybe a better phrase would be it was work for me. I had to shoot several times to get one where she was sitting still and just right in the position. 

The next assignment was “my choice”, one of my series of “still life”. I like the plainness of the tin against the freshness of the flowers. The flowers in the background some how pull the two together for me. 

The last upload was “whoops”. I had to mess up my kitchen floor to get this one. I had a little bit of chocolate in the box so I deliberately (I felt guilty) spilling it on the floor. 

Life today. I got my new check list mostly done. I made a typed one so that I could get my “back burner” things checked  off even if I could only spend a little time on each day that I don’t have days with deadlines on other things. 

Tami and Andy stopped by with my furry grand dog. He examined the house for Bobbi although she had run to hide when she heard the car door shut in the driveway. He checked out all the places there was her scent which is everywhere but didn’t find her. After he left, she checked out everywhere he had been. I have a sort of fear of driving off the west side of Columbus so I don’t get to visit them much. When my kids come to see me, it is a special treat. I “need” to be in touch with them every day. From my end it is by text, email, and phone every day. I am happy that they all still want to be in touch with dear old mom too.

I got everything done on the to-do list so far today so now I need to do the uploads before I try out my new recipe,

The word to ponder today is deed.  He who boasts of his ancestry is praising the deeds of another. Seneca. Deeds, not words shall speak me. John Fletcher. Deeds, not stones, are the true monuments of the great. John L. Motley. Be wise with speed . A fool at forty is a fool indeed. Edward Young. How beggarly appear arguments before a defiant deed! Walt Whitman. Truth indeed rather alleviates than hurts, and will always bear up against falsehood, as oil does above water. Miguel de Cervantes. Evil deeds do not prosper; the slow man catches up with the swift. Homer. He with whom neither slander that gradually soaks into the mind, nor statements that startle like a wound in the flesh, are successful may be called intelligent indeed. Confucius. Words have a longer life than deeds. Pindar. Rash indeed is he who reckons on the morrow, or haply on days beyond it; for tomorrow is not, until today is past. Sophocles. Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks. Herodotus. Word is a shadow of a deed. Democritus. Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand. Hippocrates. To like and dislike the same things, that is indeed true friendship. Sallust. Do not let your deeds belie your words, lest when you speak in church someone may say to himself, 'Why do you not practice what you preach?' Saint Jerome. A fair request should be followed by the deed in silence. Dante Alighieri. The result justifies the deed. (Exitus acta probat) Ovid. Refrain from doing ill; for one all powerful reason, lest our children should copy our misdeeds; we are all too prone to imitate whatever is base and depraved. Juvenal. Do not be wise in words - be wise in deeds. Jewish Proverb. Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. George Eliot. We would frequently be ashamed of our good deeds if people saw all of the motives that produced them. Francois De La Rochefoucauld. 

Article summary. The title made me think what could make the difference and does it extend to adulthood. We’ll have a look and share. The article title is Girls and boys solve math problems differently – with similar short term results but different long term outcomes. Sarah Lubienski, Professor of Mathematics Education, Indiana University. Colleen Ganley, Professor of Developmental Psychology, Florida State University. Martha Makowski, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, University of Alabama. It started by comparing how girls and women solve math problems  by lining up numbers to add. Boys and men take short cuts like rounding the number and adding the rounded number then “adjusting to remove the rounding”. Then it says both of these ways “are less likely to solve more complex math problems correctly”. A study done in 2025 showed that girls do better in math in school where boys do better in “high-stake”math testing and “are more likely to pursue math-intensive careers”. Their studies were used to show not so much on getting the right numbers but more on the differences in the ways they arrived at the numbers and how it “persisted into adulthood”. Boys seem to score higher on SAT and AP math tests. Girls are more “diligent” and get “better grades in math class throughout their schooling”. There was another consideration for study involving gender differences and math. Older adults remember memorizing times tables or long division problems. This can “pay off” on math tests but there are limits and only help in “low-achieving (rather) than high-achieving students in classrooms.” As young children boys used more “inventive strategies” and girls used “standard algorithms or counting”. In some of the studies it was felt that the tendency of girls favoring the “algorithms” kind of solving stemmed from “greater social pressure toward compliance, including complying with traditional teacher expectations” to please the teachers. The study did show that the “algorithm users did worse on the more complex math problems”. Toward the end of the article they mentioned an advanced problem solving test focused on “probability-related reasoning”, something like, how “rolling a seven-sided die would result in an even number”. The women using standard algorithms on computation problem solving verses reasoning type of solving  scored worse on the reasoning test. There was further testing looking at the “invectiveness” idea and identified that spatial-thinking skills may help “develop alternate calculation approaches”. Anxiety and perfectionism can be a factor in taking tests. 

I am trying a recipe I found for tuna veggie casserole for seniors for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first upload today is another of Bobbi when I caught her not paying attention to me and the camera. The title is “at the table”. This is one of her favorite spots as she watches the birds and squirrels. 

The next assignment is another “my choice” and another of my series of “still life”. My mom use to collect knickknacks, this is one of them. I have held onto it all these years. It is a clock and a music box at the same time. 

The last challenge for the day is “macro”. Bobbi has been a super model today. Here she is again. I guess I have just been in the right place and the right time to get these captures. 

Joy

bonus image I think it is called a bluebell flower it bloomed from a plant that I planted last year and it came up this year. I entered the photo in a contest at Fine Art America

want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector (and take a look at flickr.com search for rectorjoyce)

 August 31, 2026a thought for today, Chips don't fall without being hacked from the tree. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “one color”. This is one of the pews in my church. It is really two colors with the bit of the side is showing. I had difficulty separating anything I was seeing to get one color unless I did a complete macro/close up. I decided to use this one. 

The next assignment was “swamp or pond”. This a view of the pond in the part close to my house. 

The last upload for yesterday was “off the beaten tack”. This is one of the alley ways in my community. It is very little used. It use to be where the trash collections took place. But when the trucks were updated they were too big to go through so we had to take it to the curb in front of the house. 

Life today. Yesterday’s church service was unique. We had a visiting lay pastor. The congregation was particularly small. A few key people were out of town. Some of us have had little experience turning on lights in the sanctuary, opening some windows and turning on some fans. We found just as we were about to start there was no one there to “man” the sound system. Our choir director did her best to tackle the situation to no avail. The reader and visiting lay pastor could barely be heard. So the few sitting further back in the church moved forward. It felt to me like a small country church may have felt back in history. 

This Monday is going along as it should, actually more smoothly than usual. This is one of the weeks that I can sometimes get the whole bulletin done in one day. It is done and on its way for some proof reading. 

I have a good start on the letter and all of the photos shot, keyworded, added to the files and ready for upload. 

I plan on clearing the frig and loading the dish washer. Then I have a few other house hold chores to get done. I should be able to spend some quality time on my “back burner” items today and maybe the rest of the week.

Summer seems to still be around in full force. There was a bit of a break for a few days. It is supposed to get into the high eighties today. 

The word to ponder today is deal. Everyone is as God has made him, and oftentimes a great deal worse. Miguel de Cervantes. It is better wither to be silent, or to say things of more value than silence. Sooner throw a pearl at hazard than an idle or useless word; and do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few. Pythagoras. Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Man is born a predestined idealist, for he is born to act. To act is to affirm the worth of an end, and to persist in affirming the worth of an end is to make an ideal. Oliver Wendell Holme. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. Charles Haddon Spurgeon. The ideal condition Would be, I admit, that men should be right by instinct; But since we are all likely to go astray, The reasonable thing is to learn from those who can teach. Sophocles. Errors to be dangerous must have a great deal of truth mingled with them. It is only from this alliance that they can ever obtain an extensive circulation. Sydney Smith. Deep-seated are the wounds dealt in civil brawls. Lucan. There is a great deal of wishful thinking in such cases; it is the easiest thing of all to deceive one’s self. Demosthenes. All virtue is summed up in dealing justly. Aristotle. A very little thief of occasion will rob you of a great deal of patience. William Shakespeare. Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them. Charles de Montesquieu. A little and a little, collected together, become a great deal; the heap in the barn consists of single grains, and drop and drop makes an inundation. Saadi. 

Article summary. I believe all creatures were put here as a gift and for a purpose, usually the purpose unknown to us, but a purpose mostly beyond our understanding. So I thought I would take a look at this view on one of those chosen creatures. The title is Should I kill spiders in my home? An entomologist explains why not to. Matt  Bertone  Extension Associate in Entomology, North Carolina State University. At theconvesation.com. I like in the opening statements the explaining that spiders are important in nature and to the ecosystem “as well as being fellow organisms in their own right”. The author goes on to say that most all that we may “meet” are not “aggressive nor dangerous”. Some prefer to live indoors others outdoors.  One of their benefits and it seems “purposes” is  “eating pests” as well as other spiders. There was a survey made in fifty North Carolina homes to see which kind live inside as “house guests”. The author said there was a spider in every one of those homes. The author cataloged them as “cobweb spiders and cellar spiders”. They “build” their webs to catch “prey”. The “cellar spiders” may leave their webs to go in hunt of other spiders that are “on their turf”. Spiders are “generalist predators” in that the eat anything they catch some of which are “nuisance pests” and some are disease carrying insects, some are mosquitoes. The article pointed out nicely that killing the spider may remove an important asset to you home environment. Still further, the article went on to mention one feature most people would disapprove of and that is most of them are “venomous” though too weak to cause harm to humans even if their tiny “fangs” could pierce the skin at all. Here is another point that interested me, entomologists can “fall prey to ‘arachnophobia’” and many have been known to have actually overcome that phobia by simply “observing and working with these fascinating creatures”. Spiders would like to avoid humans as much as humans would like to avoid them. We can (and do) hurt them more than they can hurt us. In coming to a close the article suggest that if you find one in your home “try to capture it and release it outside”. It ends by saying that its OK to have them in your home, even if you don’t see them they are most likely still there. So “consider a live-and-let-live approach to the next spider you encounter.”

I am thinking some kind of pasta for dinner tonight. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload today is “neutral color”. I like the shade of color along with the lines in this photo of my leather sofa. 

The second challenge is “my choice”. It is one of my series of “still life”, a pad and pen with a candle for light presented on a serving board. 

The last assignment is “a is for...”. I used on one and only apple for this one. I
only had one apple on hand so I did a close up view. 

Joy

these are composites of each of the photo a day and fine art clubs I belong to and upload daily for the month of August

want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector (and take a look at flickr.com search for rectorjoyce)