April 3, 2026, a thought for today, The sun dial counts only the bright hours. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first upload yesterday was “a flower.” I didn’t want to pick these tulips so the image has more than one tulip. The more the merrier. 

The second challenge was “table.” This table sits right behind my desk chair so it was very handy for my image. 

The last upload yesterday was “how do I.....” Get the multitude of twigs/small branches raked up. The answer was call. She was here with a smile and my great grandson along to help. I got the lawn cleared and a visit with my family. 

 Life today. This is a quiet Friday. It offers moments to remember the significance of this day. I am having moments of reflection and spiritual growth which I feel are gifts to honor today’s spaces of time. I am not planning on outside religious activities today but I believe those are not always necessary to connect with the Trinity even or maybe especially this day.

I have been taking it easy today. Just live in the minute. I have loaded the dish washer and I think that will be the extent of “work.” I have enjoyed some researching that has fed my mind.   

I have allowed myself to remember yesterday too. My daughter and great grandson came to help me with some yard work that has needed attention for a couple of months. I felt good to have them here. Some times now in my golden years it feels good to remember. Yesterday’s memories lead me back to when that daughter that I was watching out my window raking the yard with her grandson for some reason pulled me back to when she was a young girl out there in that same yard. It adventured into visions of the treasures that have happened in the passage of time. 

I have to move on to other things now. It’s time to get myself back to the present and chores of today.

Sue and I will be meeting with Lowell for lunch in little while. We will be enjoying a moment with him in his new position of retirement as a Lt. Col. in one of his community service and a Commander from the second career in community service.

The word today is spring. With most men, unbelief in one thing springs from blind belief in another. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg.  We had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. Anne Bradstreet. Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart. Victor Hugo. The passions are the seeds of vices as well as of virtues, from which either may spring, accordingly as they are nurtured. Unhappy they who have never been taught the art to govern them! Ann Radcliffe. A generation of men is like a generation of leaves; the wind scatters some leaves upon the ground, while others the burgeoning wood brings forth - and the season of spring comes on. So of men one generation springs forth and another ceases. Homer. The very spring and root of honesty and virtue lie in good education. Plutarch. From lightest words sometimes the direst quarrel springs. Cato the Elder. For peace is not mere absence of war, but is a virtue that springs from the force of character. Baruch Spinoza. Truth springs from argument amongst friends. David Hume. Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! Sitting Bull. A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring (knowledge). Alexander Pope. If those who are the enemies of innocent amusements had the direction of the world, they would take away the spring, and youth, the former from the year, the latter from human life. Honore de Balzac. Falsehood is a perennial spring. Edmund Burke. From the end spring new beginnings. Pliny the Elder. Spring is the time of year when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade. Charles Dickens. This outward spring and garden are a reflection of the inward garden. Rumi. 

Article summary. Being interested in photography I have had an avid interest in Ansle Adams through the years I have learned bits and pieces about him and have found tiny bits of connection other than the feel of photographs. He suffered hyperactivity and dyslexia both of which.  I have personal and family experiences within my life. His hyperactivity caused him the pain of problems in school along with the ridicule of peers.  I know that part of it.  His father saw and understood his problems, so he home schooled him, yet another thing I am familiar within my family. That is why the title of this article grabbed my attention. I also share his love of our natural world. Those contributed to his “signature style.” The title is The surprising source of Ansel Adams’ signature style. Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. At theconversation.com. Ansel didn’t learn his amazing feel for his subjects and his outstanding techniques from a university or authorized classes. His craft was entirely self taught. As the article points out his photographs are easily identified as his because of the “drama and emotion” they stir.  When he was 14 years old he spent a vacation with his parents at Yosemite Valley. His father had given him a camera, a Kodak No. 1 Box Brownie camera. The gift was a effort of his father to help him "native hyperactivity" and the struggles with traditional schooling. On that vacation he began practicing the use light and composition that became the birth of his perfect story telling of nature as he saw it. I learned in the article that early on in his life he dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. That dream changed over the next ten years as he continued his visits to Yosemite camping, hiking and photographing. Gradually photography took the place of the piano. In those years there wasn’t much call for professional photographers. His efforts were used in portraits and architecture and interior design along with some work for businesses for promotional photos. In 1929 a new door opened for him. TheYosemite Park and Curry Company hired him to make “bold, captivating photographs to lure more tourists to Yosemite”. The company had asked him to shoot trees and houses with fresh now on and around them along with ice skaters on the park’s ice rink. As I gather from the article along with the photo they asked for he also made photos of his own choice, sledding, horseback riders, fishing and so on. This job gave him the opportunity to photograph “distinctive vistas”. Much of his work began appearing in brochures, newspapers, postcards and even menus. His photos were distinctive  in simple composition and focus “with few distractions.” In 1937 he left his job with Yosemite Park and Curry Company to “focus on his fine art photography.” He had a natural passion as a “environmentalist” and hoped that “viewers”of his work would be “impressed by the magnificence of nature” and would want to help preserve it.” I look at one of his quotes as hope for my own hopeful attempts, “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.”

It will be a mild dinner since we went to lunch with Lowell. 

Photos in my life today

My first entry in this section is “a flower.” My lawn is very colorful this year. We have green, yellow with dandelions and violets with tiny little purple violets. 

The second challenge for today is “favorite time of day.” Any time of day that I can eat, even a snack, is my favorite. I was with Lowell and Sue for a lunch date. 

The last upload is “the sky above.” Today wasn’t sunny, was more on the cloudy. In my experience that is more or less typical for a Good Friday. 

Joy

                               coming soon

 April 1, 2026, a thought for today, The sun will bring to light what lay under the snow. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

This assignment challenge was called “love.” She is a personification of that in this house right now. 

The next challenge was titled “psychedelic.” This is one of the images I created using Photoshop filers on an original photo image. 

The last upload in yesterdays photos was “a square.” I was searching around the house for something square. We have lots of rectangles, now so many squares. This one is the bottom of a serving tray. Some of these assignments give way to observation. 

Life today. I am having another beautiful day, I think I might be spring fever. I have the items that had a deadline done, that is always a relief. I am ready for the “print day” tomorrow. 

We lined up a new lawn care to do the mowing in my yard. They were here yesterday. The lawn looks good. The grass in the back always grows faster. I think it still looks a little long to me but the whole lawn front, back and sides all look refreshed. Hopefully this one will work out on all fronts. 

Another thing I got done today was order all of my plants for this season. I have decided two of the window boxes will be “miniature rose gardens.” 

I did a trial run on printing one of the photos I want to hang on a wall at the church. I wanted to check on how the printer would handle the ink on the glossy surface of the photo paper. On this test pieces it worked fine. 

I am going to rejoin a photo group I joined several years ago. I slacked off on it a couple of years back. I see it as sort of an “Etsy store” in that some of my photos are placed on clothing, pillows as well as printed to be framed and hung. It is called Fine Art America. I may want to readjust some things there as well as be uploading new photos. 

The word today is speech.  Discretion in speech is more than eloquence. Sir Francis Bacon. Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood. William Penn. Be a craftsman in speech that thou mayest be strong, for the strength of one is the tongue, and speech is mightier than all fighting. Maxims of Ptahhotep. Much talking is the cause of danger. Silence is the means of avoiding misfortune. The talkative parrot is shut up in a cage. Other birds, without speech, fly freely about. Saskya Pandita. The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions. Confucius. Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Great speech is impassioned, small speech cantankerous. Chuang-tzu. Speech is a mirror of the soul: as a man speaks, so is he. Publilius Syrus. In a free state there should be freedom of speech and thought. Tiberius. Tears at times have all the weight of speech. Ovid. In anger we should refrain both from speech and action. Pythagoras. Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting with the gift of speech. Simonides. Speech is human, silence is divine, yet also brutish and dead: therefore we must learn both arts. Thomas Carlyle. Bore: one who has the power of speech but not the capacity for conversation. Benjamin Disraeli. If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. George Washington. Extemporaneous speaking should be practiced and cultivated. It is the lawyer's avenue to the public. However able and faithful he may be in other respects, people are slow to bring him business if he cannot make a speech. Abraham Lincoln. No speech can stain what is noble by nature. Sophocles. Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. It is to bring another out of his bad sense into your good sense. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Let eloquence be flung to the dogs rather than souls be lost. What we want is to win souls. They are not won by flowery speeches. Charles Spurgeon.

Article summary. My church is awesome on the inside. We have had couples come there just to be married in its elegance. I have also marveled in the ornate and grandeur in the architecture of many European churches and cathedrals. I was interested in what this article may describe some of the thought on this subject. The title is What are the origins of cathedrals and chapels? Samuel L. Boyd, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder. At theconversation. The article begins by pointing that they are not only places of worship they are also placed to display “religious iconography and art.” Early on before the fourth century the art work and worship itself took place in the catacombs. The article mentioned that people felt this was the safest place “due to persecutions by the Roman government.” There was talk by some historians that there were also other reasons for using the catacombs for this purpose. I learned that the cross was not widely “displayed” until “the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the fourth century A.D.”After that other places of worship began being built. That early architecture was “borrowed” from “ancient temples and places of Roman administration.” As far as the ancient temple style was used because they were thought of as spaced where gods or goddess lived.” The article went on to say that cathedrals display art “depicting” Jesus as being “present” in communion, explaining why it is “widely held” in religious history that He is present in the holy places. Here is something I learned from the article many ancient Christian temples were oriented “from the east to the west” and may still be used with that in mind. In describing a second form of “early Christian churches” the Roman administrative buildings were used as model for their construction. I learned that cathedral means “seat” and Roman society thought of these as a place where life was governed. On a smaller scale than temples and cathedrals is a building called a chapel for religious worship.  There is a story about the term chapel. There was a bishop in a church in France who wore a cloak as he walked by a poor man. As the bishop passed the poor man he thought of words in the Gospel of Matthew about helping the poor was helping God. The bishop gave his clock to the poor man. The story said that the poor man was Jesus himself. So pieces of that cloak having touched Jesus caused some to build a house to hold those pieces of that cloth. These small building were chapels “from Latin capella for “little cloak.” 

I have some frozen homemade spaghetti and meat balls in the freezer. I will have that for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first challenge upload for today is “green.” What better than the needles of an evergreen tree. 

The next upload was titled “bokeh.” I am a little rusty on creating the bokeh type photos. Christmas trees seem to be the only one in my experience right now. 

The last upload for today is “April Fools day.” This only thing I could come up with that was close to that idea was this joker card. The hat seem to be much the same as an icon on clip art photos that captures an “April fool.” 

Joy

                 family day

 March 30, 2026, Thoughts are toll free, but not hell free. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

This first challenge and upload is “my choice”, one of my series of “still life”. 

The next upload is “food”. I wanted to add some thing to this so it wouldn’t be just a little ol’ apple. 

The last upload is “a plate”. This is one of the most decorative plates I have in the house. It was a gift from one of my neighbors.

Life today. One part of yesterday’s sermon was so powerful that it touched my soul. Those parts began with leads in the sermon to some things about a  human or group of humans who violated good Christianity choices and ways of living. Following the lead were the words “and they crucified Him again”. For me those words were so powerful that as soon as I got home and to a computer, I had to use them for a Google search for more wisdom and lessons on the subject. To be up front, I used AI on those searches as well as searches without AI.  

Today has been a pleasing Monday. I have the bulletin done up to the pastor’s information. I received one more family’s information on for the Easter Lily dedication sheets. They have been coming in about one on a second or third day. I now have five out of the whole congregation, all due by printing time on Thursday.  This is a bit like the speed with which I receive all “secretarial” information through for over fifteen years my part has always been done by the deadline.   

I have had some time to get a little more planning done on my window garden plants. I have located an online nursery that is to my surprise located right here in Ohio that carries all of the plants I have in mind. I can’t plant anything for a month but I think I should order them now so I don’t get an “out of stock” message if I make the order later. I also have to order a harness for Bobbi, that will be the way of choice for taking her for her “doctor”visits and checkups. She absolutely HATES the carrying case. With that order I will have to order the attachment to the seat belt connector in the car.

We are having a spring time temperature reading today. I walked outside to find one of my photos for the upload and challenge today.....it felt good to be outside. Even the grass as high as my mid calf felt good. 

The word today is soul. What is an epigram? A dwarfish whole, its body brevity, and wit its soul. Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. Henry Ward Beecher. Exercise ferments the humors, casts them into their proper channels, throws off redundancies, and helps nature in those secret distributions, without which the body cannot subsist in its vigor, nor the soul act with cheerfulness. Joseph Addison. He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate. Henry David Thoreau. Give not over thy soul to sorrow; and afflict not thyself in thy own counsel. Gladness of heart is the life of man and the joyfulness of man is length of days. Ecclesiastes. Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what the water bath is to the body. Oliver Wendell Holmes. If any man wish to write in a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts; and if any would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing. William Shakespeare. Man is his own star and the soul that can render an honest and perfect man commands all light, all influence, all fate. John Fletcher. To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive. Robert Louis Stevenson. To be always fortunate, and to pass through life with a soul that has never known sorrow, is to be ignorant of one half of nature. Seneca. Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul. Saint Teresa of Avila. Waste no more time talking about great souls and how they should be. Become one yourself! Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. By learning to discover and value our ordinariness, we nurture a friendliness toward ourselves and the world that is the essence of a healthy soul. Thomas Moore. To the soul, there is hardly anything more healing than friendship. Thomas Moore. Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself. Plato. Words, like nature, half reveal and half conceal the soul within. Alfred Lord Tennyson. 

Article summary. As I have said many times animals fascinate me. I want to learn and share as much as I can about as many as I can, about these other creatures and critters that were created to share our space. The title is 50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology. Associate Professor of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, University of Florida. At theconversation.com. At theconversation.com. The story starts by talking about the movie in 1975 called “Jaws” and how it affected thousands of people while bringing a scary creature into the fray. It led to people being afraid to go into the water. It allowed a “myth” to take shape that sharks are “a murderous eating machine” and “bloodthirsty, mindless killers.” The article relates that the movie “inspired” researchers to become involved in more research into “sharks, their evolution and development” ultimately how we can “benefit” from the study of these “enigmatic animals”. The author of this story was one of the researchers of sharks. He says their jaws and teeth are “the most terrifying aspect” of the shark”. I learned here that they “continue to make an unlimited supply of tooth replacements throughout life”, a whole row of the growth of teeth can occur between 70 to 250 days. The author says it could possibly teach researchers how to help in the “process of tooth renewal”. I read that sharks have lived in earths oceans for over 400 million years, long  before human being and dinosaurs. The article goes on to mention some of the other amazing biology of sharks. They have “amazing sensory capabilities”.  They can sense “electrical fields” in the bodies of their prey. Some parts of the species can “emit light” and absorb blue light. They can “migrate across” across huge distances. Sharks in Greenland can live for hundreds of years, one was estimated to be 392 years old. They are not in danger of being on the commercial fishing list but “over fishing” of other fish effects their food supply. The article says that due to that and other modern effects on the ocean including their own life cycles may affect their populations. The fact that they are not so popular in commercial fishing it is not the only way their populations are reduced. They are hunted as trophies and for their body parts. I learned here that there are “protections at the international level” for sharks. The article relates that most sharks are “timid”. There are 500 species in the world. I found that each of these species is unique and is a vital part of to “a particular ecosystem”. The article ended by saying sharks “don’t care about people” and we need to  “protect these important ocean guardians.”

I think sloppy joe again tonight for dinner. 

Photos in my life today 

The first upload for today is “macro Monday”. It is one of the lilies in a bouquet I bought a couple of
weeks ago. It has lived as long as it could. 

The next upload is “maps”. I don’t have any current maps so I have used on in the back of one of my bibles.

The last challenge is “a doormat”. This one my sister bought for Bobbi to use as a scratch pad. 

Joy                                                         

                                                                           art time

 March 28, 2026, a thought for today, To change and to better are two different things. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first upload for yesterday was “a street.” This is one of the views from my front porch.  

The next challenge was “look dangerous.” I think climbing in a bucket and leaning out would be dangerous. 

The last challenge for yesterday was “street.” I belong to four on-line photo a day photo clubs. It so happened on this day, yesterday, two of the clubs had this kind of image assigned. I’ll have to admin it was a particularly busy day so I decided to upload the same image to both clubs, my bad. 

Life today. I have always loved Saturdays and that hasn’t changed in all these years. At first it was related to not being in school for a couple of days then it was because I didn’t have to work on Saturdays and Sundays. Now, it’s just because. 

The hot spot on the daily calendar for most Saturdays now is grocery curbside pickup. It is done for this Saturday. Groceries just needs put away now. I let it go except for cold food so I could work on setting up a couple of photos. 

The sun is deceiving today. It is bright and cheery but the air is on the cold side and not so cherry. Ohio weather counterbalance is interesting adding a bit of flavor to life and limb. 

I got just a tiny bit done on the Easter lily dedication sheet this morning before I left for the errands. 

It was one of those days when my thinking system activated by light bulb moments brought on by Facebook or TV led me to researching. I am also taking moments when the mood strikes to research and plan for my four window box designs for this season. I have three of the four planned on paper next will be planting when the weather is more stable.

The word today is soon. Some people will never learn anything because they understand everything too soon. Alexander Pope. A torn jacket is soon mended; but hard words bruise the heart of a child. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 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. Anger as soon as fed is dead-'Tis starving makes it fat. Emily Dickinson. If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair. Samuel Johnson. As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Never exceed your rights, and they will soon become unlimited. Jean Jacques Rousseau. As soon as any man says of the affairs of the State "What does it matter to me?" the State may be given up for lost. Jean Jacques Rousseau. As soon as there is life there is danger. Ralph Waldo Emerson. A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over. Benjamin Franklin. Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely... Ralph Waldo Emerson. The weather-cock on the church spire, though made of iron, would soon be broken by the storm-wind if it... did not understand the noble art of turning to every wind. Heinrich Heine. Sooner of later that which is now life shall be poetry, and every fair and manly trait shall add a richer strain to the song. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! Sitting Bull. Better three hours too soon than a minute too late. William Shakespeare. The little reed, bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over. Aesop. Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity. Saint Augustine. 

Article summary. I saw the title and just wanted to see how the pope related animals with the earth’s end. The article title is Endorsing the salvation of animals, Pope warns of Earth’s end. Philip C. Almond, Professorial Research Fellow in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland. At theconversation.com. In Pope Francis’ second encyclical published on June 18, 2015 he “endorses the idea” of salvation not just for humans but for ALL creatures. Apparently that is contrary to the thinking of Aristotle, St Thomas Aquinas and St Augustine. The article then  hinted that though feelings that animals were created only for our stewardship some feel there is still the strengthening idea of the 17th century that animals were “nothing more than machines” and did not have “a mortal body and an immortal soul.” The article goes on to say during that same century people began “keeping pets” which made people feel that there are different outlooks from established “connections of people and animals.” There was further thinking in the 19th century on this subject which according to the article included the subject of immortality of all living entities. A naturalist and popular science writer of the time argued that both the “bible and reason pointed to their continued existence,” human and animal. This all came back to the writing of Pope Francis. One of the subheadings of the article is “Eden restored at end of history” as the Pope says “Each creature reflects something of God.”  He was in principally saying that it is not so much that our deceased pets are now in Heaven but it is a belief that there is an “ultimate restoration of all creatures at the end of history.” 

I’m not sure what I will pull out of the freezer for dinner. I want to make a peach cobbler in the air fryer for dessert. 

Photos in my life today

The first challenge upload for today was “my choice” and is one from my series do still life. This is from a bouquet I bought more than two weeks ago. This is one of the roses as it enters it last days.

The next upload is “a happy place.” This is one of my happy places. It is Bobbi. My delight and love for her is not only for her alone but as a representative of all whom I adore. 

The last upload is “pillows.” These were Christmas gift from my great grand daughter. She made them herself.

Joy

                                                                   golden find....lunch

 March 26, 2026, a thought for the day, Time is the best counsellor. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

This first challenge upload was “macro.” I picked the first batch of daffodils in the yard the other day and want to get as many shots of them as I can before they are gone.

The next upload assignment was called  “neighborhood.” This is one of the
streets in my neighborhood. 

The last upload for yesterday was “stick.” With all of the wind we have been having in the last few days there have been several samples of sticks to use. 

Life today. It has been one of those on the cusp “busy” days. I had some conversations about an oversight in my last news letter. There was an error that I should have caught before printing but I didn’t know about it until after the fact. One of the members asked about a particular date in the calendar portion and it’s content. The person who was mentioned in that part of the calendar apparently missed it also after the printing and seemed concerned. That is evidently a message of how certain parts of the newsletter are read completely. There wasn’t anything I could do at this point. The good part of it is I can make the correction in a corresponding position on the upcoming bulletins. I was in contact with a friend who was helping me with it today. The bulletin correction seems to be the way to go. 

I got to the church for the printing. The printing and put in appropriate places was done in good time. I mailed them on the way home. 

Once at home there were chores to be done so I got those out of the way. One of the chores on the list was the laundry which is done in stages so I will be completed later. As I ran the sweeper in the bed room, the cat nearly climbed the wall getting out of the way. 

It seems spring is here at last. I am expecting a drop in temperatures off and on for the next week or so but other than that it is creeping up slowly. The sun feels good today. 

The weather has put me in the mood for tending to my four window boxes. I think they are going to have to be pretty much replanted this season. So I have been checking out nurseries on line. 

The word today is song. I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs. Joseph Addison. A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. Chinese Proverb. I'll publish right or wrong. Fools are my theme, let satire be my song. Lord Byron. Sooner of later that which is now life shall be poetry, and every fair and manly trait shall add a richer strain to the song. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Next to theology I give to music the highest place and honor. And we see how David and all the saints have wrought their godly thoughts into verse, rhyme, and song. Martin Luther. One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Among all men on the earth bards have a share of honor and reverence, because the muse has taught them songs and loves the race of bard. Homer. If a man knows the law, find out, though he live in a pine shanty, and resort to him. And if a man can pipe or sing, so as to wrap the imprisoned soul in an elysium; or can paint a landscape, and convey into souls and ochres all the enchantments of Spring or Autumn; or can liberate and intoxicate all people who hear him with delicious songs and verses; it is certain that the secret cannot be kept; the first witness tells it to a second, and men go by fives and tens and fifties to his doors. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Men, even when alone, lighten their labors by song, however rude it may be. Quintilian. Walt Whitman defended the sacredness of love, the purity of passion - the passion that builds every home and fills the world with art and song. Robert Green Ingersoll. Because the road is rough and long, Should we despise the skylark's song? Anne Bronte. Would you have your songs endure? Build on the human heart. Robert Browning. 

Article summary. Most of us think of ants as pests but beyond the fact of being a creature of Creation there is something to learn from them. My interest in animals, more to the point all critters, leads me to this article as well as the reference to Solomon’s reported thinking about ants.  I did more research when I saw the reference to Solomon. Here is what I found:  “Solomon’s wisdom, his ability to understand animals, and his humility are facts of history. There is one story that says “while traveling with his vast army, Solomon hears an ant warn its colony to hide to avoid being unintentionally crushed. Solomon stops his army, smiles, and orders the army to change course, showing humility and care for the creatures despite his immense power.” Also mentioned  in Proverbs 6:6-8 and 30:25, where Solomon uses them as an example of hard work and wisdom. The title to the article is Ants – with their wise farming practices and efficient navigation techniques – could inspire solutions for some human problems. Scott Solomon, Associate Teaching Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University. At theconversation.com. Much of what is in the first sentences quantifies what I found on my individual research mentioned above. The author goes on to mention the obvious that he shares Solomon’s name. Also mentions that he shares the idea of the wisdom of ants. He says that humans may learn from the habits of ants while sharing the fact that in recent history “scientists have learned about their biology.” The author has spent time in studying ants. One thing he says he was “intrigued” by was how they went about growing their main source of food, fungi. They use cut leaves that they carry to their nests where it is processed into the fungus food. The ants are particular to type of “crops they cultivate”, a crop they have been growing over 55 million years ago. They have to “fight off” pests to their crop as human farmers do. They must use a form of pesticide just as farmers do. The story goes on to say that the ants answer to pesticides is to allow the bacteria to grow and “live” which allows them to “serve as pharmaceutical factories that can keep up with ever-changing pests”. They allow the bacteria to grow in their nests. The procedure of keeping the bacteria alive as they did 55 million years ago allows the “microorganisms to make useful product.” The article says that our “researchers are currently experimenting with applying live bacteria to crop plants”. Next the article studied transportation of ants. Ants have their own system of finding the shortest distance from one place to another. They leave an inner body “chemical” trail as they move from one place to anther. The trail with the most “chemical” shows that it is the most used, a signal to others for which path to take. I was surprised to learn that in the 1990s “computer scientists formed an algorithm that much like the ant allowed them to find the shortest way between two or more locations”. This approach has helped engineers in telecommunication and in mapping delivery routes. Another thing that was a light bulb moment for me was that scientists are using cameras to track ant by ant to see how they each respond to obstacles. They may be able to use the answers they find with that to help in self driving cars. There are some ants have their “bad” side as in our human society in “indiscriminate killing, and others for enslaving babies”.  On the other hand, they cooperate to raise the young and “accomplish remarkable engineering feats”. Along with the other things we have discovered they can and do build structures “with air funnels that can house millions”. The article points out that the colonies are run “entirely by females”. Certain of the females “can live 20 years and lay millions of eggs” others and workers may live less than a year while keeping the colony going. The article ends by saying by “considering ants and their many fascinating ways, there’s plenty of wisdom to be gained.”

I think salmon patties and rice for dinner. 

Photos in my life today 

My first upload for today is “inspiration” . This was taken as I passed through the Sanctuary at church. The low light, the total silence and the feel of a higher presence is inspirational for me. 

The second upload for today is “fire”. I made several shots while I was out today. One was of the sign in front of a firehouse, another was of one of the fire truck. One of the shots was of a fire extinguisher at the church. After checking them all on Photoshop I decided to use this one of actual flames instead of one of the others. 

The last upload for today is “mailbox”. Here again while I was out and about I took several photos. They were of all kinds of different types of mail boxes. I ended up using one of image of my own mailbox. 

Joy

                                    I seem to pay more attention to birds in the spring time. 

 March 24, 2026 thought for today, Virtue subdues power. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge upload for yesterday was “macro Monday.” This is one of the first flowers to bloom in my yard this spring. 

This next upload is “healthy.” Here I used a package of apple treats. This is
supposed to be healthy and it tastes good. 

The last upload for yesterday was “sunglasses.” I need a “fancy” background for these lonely sunglass, it is one of my crochet doilies. 

Life today. The early morning was not one with deadlines on mind so it was a “free thinking” kind of start. I worked on this letter , paid some bills, loaded the dish washer and tended to kitty things. I called about a refill on some meds for Bobbi’s eyes then realized I have a tube of the meds that I had put away. I called to cancel the order. 

I lost track of time tending to the chores I wanted to get out of the way. Getting ready to leave for food pantry was a little late. 

We had another slow day at pantry this Tuesday. There is a good side to that and a bad side. The good side is we get to chat and bond with each other in the slow times. On the other side is we are “inactive” for a time. We could help in other areas which some do if able to. But usually other things that need to be done are already tended to by other volunteers. All in all helping at pantry is worth it no matter the circumstances, busy or not so much. 

The rest of the afternoon is pretty much clear giving time to finish this letter and the photos. The photos need cataloged, keyworded and uploaded.

The word today is something.  I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him. Galileo Galilei. Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche. Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example. Francois de La Rochefoucauld. Try to learn something about everything and everything about something. Thomas H. Huxley. There is no moral precept that does not have something inconvenient about it. Denis Diderot. When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he hasn't the slightest intention of putting it into practice. Otto von Bismarck. Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. Plato. A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures. Daniel Webster. A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions--as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all. Friedrich Nietzsche. All things must change to something new, to something strange. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Never be entirely idle; but either be reading, or writing, or praying or meditating or endeavoring something for the public good. Thomas a Kempis. Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something. Henry David Thoreau. Riches may enable us to confer favours, but to confer them with propriety and grace requires a something that riches cannot give. Charles Caleb Colton. The world is not yet exhaused; let me see something tomorrow which I never saw before. Samuel Johnson. All men profess honesty as long as they can. To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so is something worse. John Quincy Adams. In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. Aristotle. 

Article summary. The copycat word has had a negative meaning for me but by trying to be open minded maybe I want to read the article. After all one of its meanings is “counterfeit.”  It may show me how it is a way to  experience new ideas and adventurers in life. Still, being stubborn, I need to check out the idea further. I can’t easily shake the idea that we are each meant to be unique like no other. Maybe we can have both by just adding to what we already are without losing our own given gifts? I am trying to see how it is interpreted here. The title is Being copycats might be key to being human. By Connor Wood, Visiting Researcher in Theology, Boston University. At theconversation.com. It started by saying that we share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. It went on to relate that compared to “other mammals” in the world we humans “dwarf” their combined number. Then the story goes on to mention how our “evolutionary successes,” is of course “our brain” and “raw intelligence.” Here’s a point I need to examine, “cognitive scientists and anthropologists are rejecting that explanation.” It explains that by saying we don’t think for ourselves, we “cope” with challenges by copying others. It related that chimpanzees are more “rational” than human children or adults because they “follow” without question. The article  said that an anthropologist pointed out that people have to learn to use many complex technologies by following the “wisdom” of experience others. (My question: is that being a copycat?). Also the best way to learn to make and use an object is to “copy” another human being who know how. The article moves on to talk about ritual and religion in the process of “copying” and how it bonds people to each other. It uses the example of students and the Pledge of Allegiance. It shows how when one refuses to stand it “telegraphs her rejection of authority” and the right to tell her how to behave along with all the others. Then it says that isn’t being committed to the group. As it progresses the article says humans “perform and imitate apparently impractical actions” so that they learn skills and “create and sustain the cultural identities” and “social rapport.” The article ends by saying  “mimicking another’s body language can induce them to like and trust you more. We’re not chimpanzees, after all.” This whole article gives me pause for thought. 

I think it will be beef and noodles for dinner. Since I no longer have the energy and gumption to make homemade noodles any more as I did for years and years I have been looking for packaged ones with close to the same taste and texture. 

Photos in my life today

My first photo challenge today is “patriotic.”  It is standing in a corner behind me and my desk waiting for the times it will hang on the front porch. 

The next upload is “a corner.” This is a corner of my living room. One of the outstanding parts of that corner is one of my sister’s paintings. 

The last upload for today is “a button.” For this image and assignment I used the buttons on the front of my microwave. 

Joy 

     

                                                               one of summer’s gifts

 March 22, 2026 a thought for today, Truth may be suppressed, but not strangled. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

This first challenge as “my choice” and one in my series of “sepia.” This is my son-in-law with one of my grand puppies.

The next upload was “green.” This cabbage if one from my archives. It surely fits the bill for green. 

The last one for this group is “a tree.” It is only one of a few where I was able to separate one free from more than on in a group. The streets in my neighborhood are plentiful. 

Life today. We had a person who was here one other time give the message at church today. It seemed much on the order of a witnessing. He was quite sincere. I chose the hymns to fit the title to his message and scripture reading for the bulletin. Some of his friends and family attended too so the church was a bit more full. 

I had an unpleasant night with my acid reflux so I wasn’t sure I would be able to make the service.  I think it helped to get out in the air and get it off my mind. 

I got a couple of the photos I need for today at church or on the way home. Once at home I worked on getting the photos ready for upload and finishing this letter. 

I think I mentioned in an earlier letter that I had problems with the check tire pressure light coming on in my car. A friend found a tire that needed pressure and put some air in for me. It held for a couple of days giving me some time to get all four checked. It didn’t happen quite that way. I was able to get to places I needed to go until Friday. That is the day I was going to take it to a tire repair place. When I was on the phone with them, they wanted a number off the tire. When I went out to the car I found the tire was nearly flat and didn’t think I should drive it. I called AAA. They came out and put the spare on. Now I needed to take the tire to be repaired. Lowell said he will take care of that for me. 

The rest of the day is unscheduled it is for refresh and restore of the spirt and soul. 

The word today is small. He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas of any man I ever met. Abraham Lincoln. When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package. John Ruskin. The smaller the mind the greater the conceit. Aesop. In great affairs men show themselves as they wish to be seen; in small things they show themselves as they are. Nicholas Chamfort. Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great ambitions. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake. Victor Hugo. Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. Demosthenes. What seems to be generosity is often no more than disguised ambition, which overlooks a small interest in order to secure a great one. Francois De La Rochefoucauld. Popularity? It is glory's small change. Victor Hugo. A small rock holds back a great wave. Homer. The superior man cannot be known in little matters, but he may be entrusted with great concerns. The small man may not be entrusted with great concerns, but he may be known in little matters. Confucius. Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Great speech is impassioned, small speech cantankerous. Chuang-tzu. Small communities grow great through harmony, great ones fall to pieces through discord. Sallust. 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. Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones. Phillips Brooks. Make it your habit not to be critical about small things. Edward Everett. Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through. Jonathan Swift. Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. Demosthenes. The great acts of love are done by those who are habitually performing small acts of kindness. Victor Hugo.

Article summary. When I saw the title to this article I thought maybe I could learn a little more about the ancient history of my new house mate. The title is  Cats first finagled their way into human hearts and homes thousands of years ago – here’s how. Jonathan Losos, William H. Danforth Distinguished University Professor, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. At theconversation.com. As the article began the author described how he had gone on an African safari a few years ago. He said in adventures after dark he was excited to see creatures “on the prowl”. He would describe some as “tawny feline” as lights would capture just a moment of them. Some that he saw were close in size to a pet. But as he was able to examine it more closely he noticed longer legs than most “domestic cats.”  In his profession he studies how species adapt to environment. His says he is “fascinated by felines” specifically African wildcats. He says they are our household cat’s ancestors. As I read on I see that they have changed very little by making the right kinds of “evolutionary changes.” He says the vast majority of 41 species of wild ‘felines” are about the size of our house cats. Apparently “recent DNA studies demonstrate unequivocally that todays house cats arose from the African wildcat – specifically, the North African subspecies, Felis silvestris lybica.” In parts of the world over 10,000 years ago when people settled into villages they grew and stored food. Some of the friendlier and smaller of the wild cats wondered into these villages. The article says that African wildcats are “among the friendliest of feline species” and if “raised gently” they make “affectionate companions”. The European wildcat on the other hand is “hellaciously mean”.The cats who wandered into the villages and “hung around” began having babies. Some of the people gave them food and shelter as well as petting them. As the article says “the domestic cat was born”. It is unclear exactly where in the world this happened. In tombs having been discovered in time that have been found “paintings and sculptures show(ing) that by 3,500 years ago, domestic cats lived in Egypt”. The article related that Vikings probably helped in the spread of the cats across the globe. As these ancestors of our house cats progressed “only 13 genes have been changed by natural selection during the domestication process”. Another thing that interested me in the article was that though most people think domestic cats are “aloof loners” that can’t be “further from the truth”. They are generally friendly and social, to my own and my own observation that is on their own terms and by their own rules as they seem to consider the possible outcomes. I was also interested in seeing the comment about how when a cat approaches someone and  raises its tail straight up it is showing “a trait shared with lions and no other feline species”.The article goes as far as talking about the meow of cats both wild and domestic saying that it has its meaning. The article says the domestic cat has learned to “ manipulate people with their purrs”. Scientist says there are two types of purrs. One is called a contentment purr. The other is called solicitation purrs The insistent or solicitation purr is compared to that of a baby crying. I particularly liked the ending sentence, “Dogs have owners, cats have staff.”

It’s going to be soup and sandwich for dinner.

Photos in my life today

My first challenge upload of today is “my choice” and another from my series of “sepia”. It is part of the front of the sanctuary of my church. 

My next challenge is “world day of water". I waned to use the water fountain at church but couldn’t find one of the kids to hold the water knob on while I focused and shot. So I used my sink water faucet.

The last challenge is “a letter”. There is set of alphabet statutes at our local
park. This is two of the set of three.

Joy        

                                                      one of the newer bridges in my city