September 24, 2026 a thought for today, Where sin drives, shame sits in the back seat. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “open door”. This is one of the doors to our food pantry. I had to catch ir when there were no people coming and going since I don’t use people in most of my photos. 

The second assignment was “my choice” and is one of my “in camera filters”.
The original image was a store that has been closed and abandoned. I used one of the six new filers in the camera for this one. 

The last upload was “autumn”. This has become a typical arrangement at McDonalds for the last few years. It is perfect for the season. 

Life today. Wow what a day. I got up early to get uploads from yesterday done before I left for printing. Printing went very well considering I had four separate data sheets to print, cut, fold, post and distribute. It was all done in about two hours. While I was there, I “fixed” one of the picture hanging hooks, it was a bit loose. I also managed to get another placard attached to one of the photos. 

When I left the church I stopped at Kroger, dropped off the mail then picked up some meds and a couple of other items. Naturally that led to a stop for a bit refreshments, Wendy’s was too busy so McDonalds was the choice. 

Back to the computer when I got home along with starting the laundry. I also snuck in a couple of things from the check list including my book, the placards, and a touch on the “down sizing” on-going project.

The weather is more and more fall like with cooler temps and other small almost imperceptible (at this point) changes in nature. 

The word to ponder today is display. Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it. Niccolo Machiavelli. To be thrown upon one's own resources, is to be cast into the very lap of fortune; for our faculties then undergo a development and display an energy of which they were previously unsusceptible. Benjamin Franklin. If He had not known with certainty that He would be Master over sin and that out of evil would evolve the noblest display of His own glory, He would not have permitted it to enter the world. Charles Spurgeon. To all my friends without distinction I am ready to display my opulence: come one, come all; and whosoever likes to take a share is welcome to the wealth that lies within my soul. Antisthenes. If the giving of the Law, while it was yet unbroken, was attended with such a display of awe-inspiring power, what will that day be when the Lord shall, with flaming fire, take vengeance on those who have willfully broken that Law? Charles Spurgeon. God welcomes genuine service, and that is the service of a soul that offers the bare and simple sacrifice of truth; but from false service, the mere display of material wealth, He turns away. Philo. The northern wind his wings did broad display. Edmund Spense. Whoever interrupts the conversation of others to make a display of his fund of knowledge, makes notorious his own stock of ignorance. Saadi. The universe displays no proof of an all-directing mind. Auguste Comte. Display is as false as it is costly. Benjamin Franklin. There is no arena in which vanity displays itself under such a variety of forms as in conversation. Blaise Pascal.

Article summary. I think it “neat” to see pretty flowers and other nature’s beauties in cracks and crevices. It is encouraging that a tiny little bit of nature will find a way to exist. The title is The amazing flowers growing in pavement cracks and why you shouldn’t pass them by, Nienke Beets, PhD Candidate, Botany and Science Communication, Leiden University. At theconversation.com. In the spring we see flowers and maybe something we call weeds start to grow in lawns, playgrounds, fields and even cracks in the pavement. We may feel “frustrated” where some are growing. We may wonder why they are growing where we don’t necessarily want them.  The “simple answer is that they are wild”. The article reminds us that for millions of years seed have been blown or carried to varieties of places ro germinate as long as natural conditions as in weather are right. Plants have evolved and “learned” to adapt to wherever they came to be. There are the plants that even have adapted to growing on walls. Once it is pollinated and is in on wall it finds a crevice, a perfect place to grow. Though the wall may not sound like a fertile place “over time the wind and rain cause dirt and nutrients to get trapped in the pores” for some plants that’s all it takes. In established lawns clovers that are drought resistant can maintain soil moisture and fertilize the soil. Their roots are” home to a bacteria that give the plant nitrogen that spreads to other plants. Wallflowers are food for insects and benefit the soil. Plants in these kinds of conditions can aerated the soil and “boost water regulation” providing “unseen services to your own ecosystem”. Many of the wallflowers have other beneficial services like medicines and are offered as gifts to bring the pleasure of feelings and beauty. So the ending sentence was “the next time you see flowers growing through the pavement, why don’t you stop to take a look instead of just passing by these resilient and beautiful wild flowers.”

Photos in my life today

My first challenge is “favorite tool”. This is the “tool” I use every day, several times every day. I is the back side of my Samsung phone and camera. 

My next assignment is another of “my choice” and another of my series of “in camera filters”. This one is an image I took earlier of one of my bouquets with lilies. I used the in camera oil paint filter on this one. 

My last upload today is “craving”. I remember taking this image when this
great grandson is an infant and eager for his “smash cake”.

Dinner will be from the freezer or left overs again tonight, it’s been a long day. 

Joy

this is one of my Fine Art America contest entries. Is a half wall of as brick fireplace and mantel with a vase of iris flowers at one of my grandson’s home a few years ago.

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 22, 2026 a thought for today, A pen often reaches further than a sword. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge was “a view from my couch”. This is the one most viewed since the tv sits in that line of sight. 

The next upload was “my choice” and is one of my series of “touch of color” . This is pretty clear that it is one of the infamous orange cones protecting us from something “dangerous”. 

The last assignment was “dirt”. This is more weeds in the dirt with some on the large rock in the image. 

Life today. This is another busy day in the books. I was expecting my cleaning ladies but the time they usually come came and went, I figured I had the wrong day marked on the calendar. They showed up about a half hour later than is usual. So they were finishing about the time that I had to get ready to leave for food pantry. One unusual happened while they were here, Bobbi came out of hiding. She even stayed out until the sweeper seemed to becoming a little closer. She has never come out when someone comes in the house.

I had a good start on this letter before the cleaning ladies got here. While they were working, I got the photos for today started and all the “extras” for printing on Thursday done. 

Food pantry was at the tops in number today. We had quite a crowd waiting for the first hour or so. The computers were running smoothly so checking them in was pretty quick. 

I touched on my “check list”, that was about all I had time for today. 

The word to ponder today is disposition.  He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden. Plato. Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice. Baruch Spinoza. Such seems to be the disposition of man, that whatever makes a distinction produces rivalry. Samuel Johnson. Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites. Edmund Burke. In words are seen the state of mind and character and disposition of the speaker. Plutarch. Temperance is simply a disposition of the mind which binds the passion. Thomas Aquinas. That good disposition which boasts of being most tender is often stifled by the least urging of self-interest. Francois de La Rochefoucauld. A good disposition is a virtue in itself, and it is lasting; the burden of the years cannot depress it, and love that is founded on it endures to the end. Ovid. [F]alsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions. Thomas Jefferson. Truth is one forever absolute, but opinion is truth filtered through the moods, the blood, the disposition of the spectator. Wendell Phillips. A patronizing disposition always has its meaner side. George Eliot. A disposition to dwell on the bright side...is like gold to its possessor. Lydia Sigourney. People of superior refinement and of active disposition identify happiness with honour; for this is roughly speaking, the end of political life. Aristotle.

Article summary. I am interested in anything that can calm the nerves and bring time for reflection while being useful at the same time. I think the gardening idea may pertain to house plant care also. The article title is The impulse to garden in hard times has deep roots. Jennifer Atkinson, Senior Lecturer, Environmental Studies, University of Washington. At theconversation.com. The article was written a while back and mentioned the stress of the pandemic to a time when “hard times” needed calming. They compared it to the time of World War II when the victory gardens were used for food and I would think helped as gardening can do to control stress. In the matter of calming and peaceful moments they mention how the way farmers live to produce food to them is most likely not a “leisure activity”. It continued in that line of saying then when cities grew and people came home from work in factories and offices they found it comforting to “putter around in one’s potato beds”. The author went on to mention some of the events of gardens and gardening in history. Some people looked at it as a “tiny” farm, black folks were not able to steer away from “subsistence” work in the Jim Crow-era (gardening was a vital tool for Black Americans to secure physical survival, economic independence, and community sanctuary), Alice Walker wrote about her mother flower gardening at night. The article said that Ms. Walker “understood that gardening wasn’t just another form of labor; it was an act of artistic expression”. In the “millennial-era” green space was limited so “marginalized” groups who then looked for space to grow fresh produce. I smiled to see that that was called “guerrilla gardening in vacant lots to revitalize their communities.” In 2011 there was a group of persons called “gangsta gardener”, the name was due to growing vegetables along sidewalks. When one was asked why he did that he said he wasn’t worried that they would steal his food “that’s why it’s on the street”. There was an upswing in gardening during the coronavirus pandemic, it gave the feel of “contact with something real” and the work at it “appealed to the whole body” and all of the human senses. The article related that “gardens are a reminder that there are limits to what can be done without physical presence”. The article ended by saying “No matter what we do, or how the conference call goes, the garden will carry on, with or without us.”

Photos in my life today

My first challenge today is “everyday beauty”. This is one of the hibiscus flower in one of the church’s small gardens. 

The next assignment is another “my choice”. This is one of my series of “in camera filters”. The software on the camera phone has been updated with several more and different filters to “play” with. The photos is the original with no additions or removals simply “adorned” with a more pronounced look. 

The upload is “leaves”. Fall has just begun so the leaves haven’t started change color yet.  I think these are just early in their “falling”. 

I think dinner will be something from the freezer.  It has been a busy day. 

Joy

I have this image hung on the gallery wall the placard will be attached later. Fully Opened White Carnation-white carnation on a textured background a profound visual metaphor for Christian faith, reflecting  divine love, purity, and the rugged journey of the believer, in Christian tradition, the carnation carries deep historical symbolism linked to the incarnation of Jesus Christ - white petals signify the sinless nature of Jesus, rough, layered, weathered texture background provides a powerful spiritual contrast as the rugged realities of earthly life—trials, suffering, brokenness, and the human experience

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 20, 2026 a thought for today, When money speaks the world keeps silent. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

There first challenge was “on my bed”. This is her bed too, actually, she is relaxing herself while she has the whole bed to herself. 

The next assignment was “beneath”. I thought the way the staircase was in the
fore ground with door behind it showed clearly that it was under the stairs. 

The last upload was “transportation”. As I was driving home I was looking for a city bus but I didn’t see any going in any direction. So as I passed this Enterprise I decided it would be a good fit. 

Life today. The day stated out a bit rocky with some of the old age ailments raising their ugly heads. The usual sciatica type symptoms, now an additional possibility, kidney stone. That is enough complaining for today. 

The sermon was a message to think about with an added type of Baptist-like bump on the pulpit to make a point. I prefer a bit quieter point but it works for some I guess. The congregation was about the normal number of members present. We are still hoping for the youngsters to come back so we can do Sunday School again. They have been unable to attend for the last month or so. 

I had promised a friend who doesn’t get to church every week that I would call when there was a bit of information she would like to know. She doesn’t get our informative texts and emails. So I called her when I got home. I guess another member had already called. 

When I got home I got back to my daily check list, no heavy stuff since it is Sunday. I wanted to add something on my mind to the start of a book I am doing. I am calling the book “Observations of an Octogenarian”, it seemed a perfect title when a friend of mine suggested it. Then I got back to finishing this letter and setting up and filing the photos for the day. Now I have some uploads to do then a virtual visit with two great grandsons before dinner time. 

That will make it a full and pleasant day. 

The word to ponder today is discussion. I know of no country in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion as in America. Alexis de Tocqueville. The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress. Joseph Joubert. For we both alike know that into the discussion of human affairs the question of justice enters only where the pressure of necessity is equal, and that the powerful exact when they can, and the weak grant what they must. Thucydides. Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory. Leonardo da Vinci. Avoid any specific discussion of public policy at public meetings. Quintus Tullius Cicero. We live in this world in order always to learn industriously and to enlighten each other by means of discussion and to strive vigorously to promote the progress of science and the fine arts.  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I think that in the discussion of natural problems we ought to begin not with the Scriptures, but with experiments, and demonstrations. Galileo Galilei. Let us hold our discussion together in our own persons, making trial of the truth and of ourselves. Protagoras. Bigotry is the disease of ignorance, of morbid minds; enthusiasm of the free and buoyant. Education and free discussion are the antidotes of both. Thomas Jefferson. On the face of it, it must be a bad cause which will not bear discussion. Truth seeks light instead of shunning it. Horace Mann. Philosophical discussions habitually make men happy and joyful not frowning and sad. Michel de Montaigne. 

Article summary. I make, capture and generate images but I don’t like to “manipulate”. I like the truth and to show what is not what could be. I may “clean up images”, take out wires and trash on the ground. So I wanted to see what the article was saying. The title is I create manipulated images and videos – but quality may not matter much. Christye Sisson, Professor of Photographic Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology. At theconversation.com. It started by saying how some groups are “worried” because of what can happen with “fake”videos that may distort the truth which manipulating an original can do. What she is talking about here is how in some current cases things like that are done to “twist public opinion”. She and her group have tested image manipulations to see just how that really affects things. She hopes it will help people “track” the truth. They have found that is has to do with how people can “confirm their belief” and  the technology that is used. As the article moved on and more study was done, the author said she was surprised that many people seemed to believe what they were looking at when she, the author, could “easily identify as altered”. As she studied it a little further if the “fake” image “supports” what the people already believe they will accept it, fake or not. She asked her son if he thought people believed what they see on online. She said he said “You can’t trust anything on the internet”. She contemplated that “he has grown up digesting imagery at a pace unmatched in human history”. I felt bad that as she pointed out that as we grew up and saw the transition of film to digital the trust in what we are seeing tends to be questioned or “broken”. I’d like to mention here that I don’t believe it was “from film to digital” exclusively, film could be “manipulated” in the darkroom. In her son’s generation and beyond it seems the “trust” was never there in the firs place. Which goes to my opening point “I like the truth and to show what is not what could be”. It use to be “seeing is believing”. It doesn’t seem to be true anymore. She hopes that the future generations will believe it when there is “proof that it is real”. She suggest  learn “where an image came from and in what context”. In my case I am “physically” describing my images.

I think I will have fried rice for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first challenge today is “in my pocket”. The only was I could think how to get it quickly was to take it using the mirror. 

The next assignment is “apple”. This is from the archives I don’t have apples on hand today. There is one in the frig but it is half eaten. 

The last upload is “apple”. Of the four photo clubs I belong to for daily assignments, each of they usually have something different from each other. Today there were two with the same assignment. 

Joy

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 18, 2026 a thought for today, The old man shows what the young man was. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge was “I use this daily”. This is where the biggest part of the day, every day, is spent, at my computer. Just think when computers came along, in my life time by the way, I didn’t want to have anything to do with them. Look at me now. Times really do change. 

The second upload was “my choice” and is one of my series of “sepia”. This one is of the sky line of my
home town. 

The last assignment yesterday was “memory”. I went through my archives of photos from my earlier life. This is my father with my first two children. 

Life today. Another of those topsy-turvy days. I normally look forward to Fridays as it is generally the end of a full week. There was an added problem for me to examine and solve for today. I had set up the church web page several years ago. There hasn’t been much to add to it in the past few years so I have not put in much time on it. There seemed to be more current things to manage. Anyway there was a request to take some old and out dated information out it. When I made an attempt to do that I found that there had been a number of changes to it, it was unfamiliar. I am not a professional web designer. We had also been late on payment so we had to re-instate ourselves. This morning I spent about two hours trying to get to the root of the problem. Finally there was light at the end of the tunnel. After several “chat” sessions with the techs on the other end the problem was solved. It looks like we are good to go for a while now at least. 

Before I attempted that I got the first steps on the church newsletter done. That makes two rather lengthy projects assigned to me under control. So a successful day and with a great deal of stress relief. 

I managed to get a start on the letter and photos, as well a touch of time on my book, my placards and the Christmas calendar. I think its time to put the brakes on and slow down a little before I get on line to make my grocery pick up order. 

The word to ponder today is discover. I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man's being unable to sit still in a room. Blaise Pascal. All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. Galileo Galilei. Perhaps, after all, America never has been discovered. I myself would say that it had merely been detected. Oscar Wilde. We are generally the better persuaded by the reasons we discover ourselves than by those given to us by others. Blaise Pascal. One must know oneself, if this does not serve to discover truth, it at least serves as a rule of life and there is nothing better. Blaise Pascal. You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. Plato. 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. I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. Henry David Thoreau. Certainly virtue is like precious odors, most fragrant when they are incensed, or crushed: for prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue. Sir Francis Bacon. I see men ordinarily more eager to discover a reason for things than to find out whether the things are so. Michel de Montaigne. The more intelligent a man is, the more originality he discovers in men. Ordinary people see no difference between men. Pascal. I was like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. Isaac Newton. The greatest and noblest pleasure which men can have in this world is to discover new truths; and the next is to shake off old prejudices. Frederick The Great. Life has its own hidden forces which you can only discover by living. Soren Kierkegaard. What is grace? It is the inspiration from on high: it is love; it is liberty. Grace is the spirit of law. This discovery of the spirit of law belongs to Saint Paul; and what he calls "grace" from a heavenly point of view, we, from an earthly point, call "rigtheousness." Victor Hugo.

Article summary. Here is an article about two of my fondest subjects in life, art and animals. So I thought it would be nice to add to my intellectual base and to share with others. It may give insight into the working of many artists methods of looking at life and forming their art. The title is Leonardo da Vinci saw in animals the ‘image of the world’. Arielle Saiber, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, Bowdoin College. At theconversation.com. The author opened by mentioning how while she was teaching a class at UCLA they “investigated” how in history “Italian Renaissance writers conveyed their concepts about the human through writing about the nonhumans”. When saying nonhuman she was referring to “plants, animals, objects, angels, demons, gods and God”. She said that after a short time of the “investigation” in the class she became more “attuned to nonhuman entities” and how she is more aware and careful of their “vibrant lives”. One of the writers (artists) they studied was Leonardo da Vinci. The class observed much of the thousands of pages of his writings that in unbound manuscripts are called his “Notebooks” they found descriptions of the “natural world and its inhabitants”. In one of his passages called the “Treatise on Water” they found distinct descriptions of how he saw a human is composed and called him a “world in miniature”. He is made of “earth, water, air and fire” and then more is written about the human “framework” and the works of the body’s blood stream so “the body of the earth has its ocean tide which likewise rises and falls … ”. As the missive moved on it is said the unlike others of his time da Vinci he thought and wrote  “animals, he wrote, are “the image of the world ” apparently meaning they “reflect the Earth, just as we do”. The article said that da Vinci never questioned that humans were not superior to the other animals kingdoms only that they were not necessarily “less beautiful, soulless, or lacked intelligence”. The article brought forward that further in some of his writings he compared animals as sometimes “looking better” than humans. In his writings he said man can be “fain and false, animals have but little, but it is useful and true, and a small truth is better than a great lie.” In his writings he said animals are “faster and stronger and able to fly, and they are not “bestial” to one another”, by “bestial” I believe he meant not as destructive to one another on purpose as humans can be. In the article it pointed out that in da Vinci’s writings as well as others of that time in nature it is shown that animals “ate each other” but only because “life is compelled to reproduce and endure” and a way to “keep numbers down” although he never specifically wrote about eating meat. Leonardo studied and wrote about the animal kingdom and “depicted” them in his art in all sorts of areas of life and its happenings. Some of his art work “contrasted” them as humans to reveal their strength and wisdom. Much of his writings and paintings used animals to depict how humans can be unkind, violent and inflict “terrible fates”. The article proclaims that in da Vinci’s paintings animals are “alive with motion and, seemingly, emotion”. In the article the author point out many of his famous paintings as she writes of these descriptions. Some of those paintings are St. Jerome in the Wilderness, Lady with an Ermine, The Virgin and the Child with Saint Anne. I like this author’s descriptions taken from what she gathered in her research about Leonardo da Vinci’s work that his body of work offers “forces that teach us about ourselves and challenge our sense of human primacy”. She points out that his work attempts to break down the “wall” between “us” and “them”. She ends by saying “we’re all in this together.”

I think it is DoorDash pizza for dinner tonight. 

Photos in my life today

The first challenge today is “errands”. This was taken on one of my visits to pick up my groceries at curb side.

The next assignment is another of the “my choice” and another of my “sepia”
series. This was also taken on my trip for pick up groceries. 

The last upload is “unexpected”. This is my feeble attempt to get a shot of an eclipse. It’s not the best artistically or scientifically but interesting nonetheless. 

Joy

this is another of my images on my photo gallery wall at church. Here is the word on the placard Lone Row Boat -lone rowboat resting on calm water leaving a feel of peaceful presence and a sanctuary, offering sense of human humility and labor, the smooth surface on the water mirrors a still soul, there is a quiet hidden message that you never row through life completely by yourself, the drifting or resting boat speaks of quiet prayer and holy solitude. 

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 16, 2026 a thought for today Better to suffer for the truth than be rewarded for a lie. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “in the laundry”. This the beginning of my weeks worth of laundry. I have gotten away from a laundry “basket”. I use this net bag instead. I can hide it in my closet. 

The next assignment was “my choice” and it is one of my series of “sepia”. This is another of my series that was taken of one of my neighbor’s homes. 

The last upload was “shadow”. As I was making the bed, I happened to see this shadow from the early morning sun on my bedside table. Every now and then I see something unexpected and grab my camera. 

Life today. Yesterday Rebecca took me to see Jefferson’s art exhibit  in the Short North art district. He has a great display. I got several photos of his work so that I can print some and share with the friends at church. 

This is one of those days where I have lost control of my timing. The bulletin has been done so that was no problem but I had some of the side things I do when I am getting ready for the printing. I have the envelopes to print and stamp. I also put together activity sheets for all of my great grandchildren. I get those together to mail at the same time at the bulletins, it saves me a separate trip to the post office. In getting ready for the visit to the church for the printing I also get some of the placards for the gallery wall photos ready to attach while I am at the church. I do them a few at a time until I get all thirty-five photos done.  

I did a little work on the Christmas calendars. I also took time to get the dishes done. I have been doing some bits of down sizing each day. At my age a little a day is about all I can handle. 

Lowell stopped to fix the side mirror on my car. It looks as good as new. He also took a look at the humidifier. It needed some further adjustments. 

The weather is great today, another early autumn day, maybe a bit more on the warm side than usual for September but comfortable.  

I just took a break to get the meatloaf made and a potato in to bake. 

The word to ponder today is direct. The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving. Oliver Wendell Holmes. Reason should direct and appetite obey. Cicero. The wisest men follow their own direction. Euripides. The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life. Plato. Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate. Sun-tzu. Desultory reading is delightful, but to be beneficial, our reading must be carefully directed. Seneca. The number of books will grow continually, and one can predict that a time will come when it will be almost as difficult to learn anything from books as from the direct study of the whole universe. It will be almost as convenient to search for some bit of truth concealed in nature as it will be to find it hidden away in an immense multitude of bound volumes. Denis Diderot. Go Confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined. Henry David Thoreau. If we don't change our direction we're likely to end up where we're headed. Chinese Proverb. As the flectcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts. Buddha. The highest manifestation of life consists in this: that a being governs its own actions. A thing which is always subject to the direction of another is somewhat of a dead thing. Thomas Aquinas. 

Article summary. I have often wondered about why a persons’ mood is what is when waking from a night’s sleep. I think it may relate to this “day dreaming, mind wandering and rumination” in some form or manner. The chemistry and other physical happening as including night dreams must have an affect on a mood also. The title is Daydreams, mind wandering and rumination: What you think about can affect your feelings and mood. Julia Kam, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary. Caitlin Mills,  Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota. Jessica Andrews-Hanna. Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona. At theconversation.com. It opened by pointing out that we all have thoughts “pass through our mind” on and off all day long. We may have a mindful glimpse of a vacation, a memorable conversation, some news item any and all of these “have wide-ranging impacts on how we function”. These authors and others have done research and found that many of these thoughts are tied to “emotional well-being”. They feel that in searching the subject they want to gather an understanding of how these memory patterns “arise” feeling that that will help find a way to handle or prevent any negative situations that develop from the remembering. They feel this will, in the long run, manage stress and mental health. This group of scientists and authors studied students during a week with some surveys about everyday types of thoughts they had and how they felt. One thing they found was that some said they had a worse mood when they had “off-task” thoughts, they called this “mind-wandering”. They also found that if the students said they felt a better mood when they had been about to control their thoughts, and when the thoughts “flowed freely” from one to another. To further their studies they wanted to discover is the “content of people’s thoughts matter for their mood”. They found that “off-task” thoughts made the mood worse seemingly because the person was unable to control them and they were on negative things. Better moods were found to come when thoughts were more positive and moved easily from one thing to another. In trying to find ways to control this pattern they suggest to try finding a “mindful state of awareness” where you are not “judging yourself” along with “acknowledging that negative thoughts come and go”. Next, try to build thoughts that are positive. It should also be noted that “how you feel may also impact what you think about”. 

I didn’t do the meat loaf and baked potato the other day when I had planned to.  I got to busy just before dinner. I think I will retry today.

Photos in my life today

My first upload today is another “my choice”. This is another in my series of series of “sepia”. I tried something a little different here. I change an image I had with a black background and a colored subject matte to sepia. I like the affect.   

My second challenge today was “outside today”. I heard the neighbor outside mowing his lawn and grabbed the camera for this shot. 

My last assignment is “bathtub”. There’s not much you can do to make the
image standout when it is a bathtub....so here it is, plain and simple.

Joy 

this bonus image is one that is hung on the photo gallery wall at church. This is on the attached placard: Abstract Shapes and Colors-visual meditation on the convergence of humanity, divinity, and the unfolding promises, using an image to translate spiritual realities into meaningful textures, blues, living water; green, new beginning and hope; tan/beige, humanity; splashes of red, sacrifice and redemption, hues of tan and beige establish a foundation of divine peace, providing a quiet, anchoring balance.

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 14, 2026, a thought for today, The eyes believe their own evidence, the ears that of others. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge for yesterday was “a plant I haven’t killed”. This is in one of my four window gardens. It is one of my miniature roses. 

The next challenge is “parallel lines”. I shot several of these kinds of images
in church. The architecture in this church is beautiful and outstanding. 

The last upload for yesterday was “food”. I picked part of a shelf in my frig for this image. 

Life today. This is another one of those days that I “over booked myself” time wise that is, trying to get too many things done in a specified amount of time. It seems when I have done this to myself I have picked one of the things that were only supposed to take about ten minutes to finish, then I get so interested that it ends up closer to an hour before I make myself stop and move onto the list.

One big thing on my list for Mondays is the church bulletin. That was done in about an hour and sent out for review. 

I have started another daily project where I take a beak from one thing before I start another. Between the two, I brush  Bobbi. She has been developing fur balls. She is quite picky about her “coat”. She seems to groom herself quite often. I bought a special rubber brush.  She loves it. I also put a bit of pumpkin in her food to help with her digestion. 

So at this point I have most of the check boxes checked. I will finish those and get to the photo uploads and emails. 

The weather today started out on the cool side. Now it is a very nice ‘almost’ autumn day. 

The word to ponder today is despair.  Every composer knows the anguish and despair occasioned by forgetting ideas which one had no time to write down. Hector Berlioz. Never despair; but if you do, work on in despair. Edmund Burke. Appetite, with an opinion of attaining, is called hope; the same, without such opinion, despair. Thomas Hobbes. Discouragement is simply the despair of wounded self-love. Francois de Fenelon. He who labors diligently need never despair; for all things are accomplished by diligence and labor. Menander. Love seeketh not itself to please, Nor for itself hath any care, But for another gives its ease, And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair. William Blake. It is necessary to work, if not from inclination, at least from despair. Everything considered, work is less boring than amusing oneself. Charles Baudelaire. What we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope. George Eliot. Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace! Where there is hatred let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy. Saint Francis of Assisi. To be thoroughly conversant with a man's heart, is to take our final lesson in the iron-clasped volume of despair. Edgar Allan Poe. He who learns must suffer, and, even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. Aeschylus. In idleness there is a perpetual despair. Thomas Carlyle. Despair ruins some, presumption many. Benjamin Franklin. The depth of our despair measures what capability and height of claim we have to hope. Thomas Carlyle.

Article summary. When I came across the title, I was thinking that though it is pertaining to school there may be ideas and information helpful to all of us in the age of technology. The title is Do mobile devices in the classroom really improve learning outcomes? Matthew Lynch Dean, Syphax School of Education, Psychology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Virginia Union University. At the conversation.com. As it opened it mentioned something that most of us have observed by now that “mobile devices as teaching tools” have become a common part of education. It mentioned that 58 percent of teachers own smart phones. I learned from that that is 10 percent points higher that the “national average of for adults”. It further noted that those teachers are including in some of their lesson plans  encouraging students to”bring-your-own-device policies” as in iPads. As it moves on into the descriptions of these plans it asks “is it a trend for attention” or a technology boost or “a flashy way to accomplish the same things as analog instruction”. Then it goes on to point out some research results. There were teachers asked about mobile technology, 73 percent reported using technology in the classroom. English teachers used it more than math teachers. Many of the teachers said they believed “digital literacy courses to be successful academically and beyond”. In one incident they found in some ages three to seven when they played a popular child’s game on a mobile app their vocabulary was improved  by 32 percent. Another test with students on a math project those who used “iOSapp Statisticcs1" improvement was found in their final grade. Teachers feel the kids get “more engaged” in the class room when using digital devices. The article mentions, as we know, that there can be a back side to this question of teaching as there are in many benefits in life. In this case teachers’ authority may be “undermined”. In the case of “bring your own device” there may be the idea that some students are “more privileged” than others. There are “privacy” issues with devices offered by the school, in respect to the devices being allowed to be used at home, those issues come in to play. There are types of mobile tech equipment that works better in classrooms. E-readers allow for immediate updates in information that traditional textbooks can’t. It mentions that there are “individual mobile modules” that allow students to work at their own pace. Then there are the “text-response programs”, on line schooling allowing “real-time” feedback including texting from the teacher to and from students. Another feature of mobile learning is he “cloud”. Information can be sent to the cloud and picked up at a phone, tablet or computer somewhere else and shared with others as necessary or as chosen. In coming to an end the article read “when used the right way, mobile technology has the potential to help students learn more and comprehend that knowledge” better. In my own opinion I agree that to keep up with sociality the use of digital means needs to be learned and used but so does the “old-fashioned way” in the event digital hits a black out or something else unforseen. 

Photos in my life today

My first challenge is “almost bedtime”. I forgot to get the capture last night before bed so I had to unmake the bed for this shot. 

My next assignment is “my choice” and is one of my series of “sepia”. This is one of my neighborhood. I like sepia. It is much like black and white that seems to make a difference in how the image feels. 

The last upload is “s is for....”. I chose Bobbi as she was sleeping on top of a
pile of my old news papers. 

I think I will make meat loaf and baked potatoes for dinner. 

Joy

this is the words for this photo hanging in the gallery-Wine Glass full of Cherries- wine glass of red cherries remind as a symbol of the communion cup, clear stem and bowl show purity to hold precious remembrance,  clustered fruit represents the gathered community of believers, brimming glass illustrates the Psalm that says, "My cup overflows”, the cherries speaks of the joy and peace found in walking with the Spirit

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 12, 2026 a thought for today, Soft words hurt not the mouth. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first upload yesterday was “behind the scene”. It is a view I see from my desk almost every day all day. The weather changes looking out the window and the photo display change on my Frameo on a regular basis. 

The next challenge was “my choice” and “black and white” from series. This
on is one of my four window boxes.

The last upload for yesterday was “grandparents”. This is a photo of a sketch my sister did from a very old photo. 

Life today. It has been a busy Saturday. Lowell has made some calls to take care of three items that needed looked in to here at the house. So he called to let me know about the times of those. 

There was a special upload for church that has run into a bump that Patti and I have to figure out. In the mean time I used a sort of  “stop gap” to fill in until we get the web page problem settled. I uploaded some important information to our facebook and instagram pages to help out. 

I had already made a start on this letter so I it was about time to leave for the Saturday curbside grocery pick up. It was pouring down rain. When I talked to the girl who would bring the groceries out I told her to put on some rain gear. When she came out there was no rain gear. She said she didn’t have any. I was under the assumption that Kroger would supply that kind of thing for their employees when they had to be in and out of the weather. 

I got the photos done a little while ago, well up to the point of upload at least. 

Here is some family info, Tami and Andy have a new puppy to house break, Rebecca is arranging for us to go see Jefferson’s art at the Short North exhibit, Matt and family are in California seeing some aweson sites. Natalie helped with Bobbi’s nails, and I am still trying to get my gear setup and woking for irutal visits to Kim , Mick, William and Ben. William and Ben have become Boy Scouts.....good to see that. 

The rain has let up temporatirly maybe long enough for the OSU foot ball game. 

The word for today is desire.  It is foolish to wish for beauty. Sensible people never either desire it for themselves or care about it in others. If the mind be but well cultivated, and the heart well disposed, no one ever cares for the exterior. Anne Bronte. Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire. Arab Proverb. I hope that I may always desire more than I can accomplish. Michelangelo Buonarroti. The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise. Marcus Claudius Tacitus. Desires are only the lack of something: and those who have the greatest desires are in a worse condition than those who have none, or very slight ones. Plato. Everyone believes very easily whatever they fear or desire. Jean de La Fontaine. The stoical scheme of supplying our wants by lopping off our desires, is like cutting off our feet when we want shoes. Jonathan Swift. Stranger, if you passing meet me and desire to speak to me, why should you not speak to me? And why should I not speak to you? Walt Whitman. He who does not desire power is fit to hold it. Plato. Experience, as a desire for experience, does not come off. We must not study ourselves while having an experience. Friedrich Nietzsche. There is nothing capricious in nature and the implanting of a desire indicates that its gratification is in the constitution of the creature that feel it. Ralph Waldo Emerson. There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires. Gautama Buddha. The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. Proverbs 13:4. Boredom: the desire for desires. Leo Tolstoy. The thing we long for, that we are For one transcendent moment. James Russell Lowell.

Article summary. I have always felt that dogs one breed or another aren’t born to attack or to be vicious. Somehow that trait is learned or encouraged just as it is in a human. So when I saw his article title I decided to have a look to learn from another view and to share”. The title is Dog aggression has little to do with breed, so test the owners. Rachel Casey, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare, University of Bristol. At theconversation.com. It begins by mentioning the stories we have all heard about how a child has been injured by a dog. It goes on to say again what we have heard, that it must be the breed and that was why the dog was apt to be vicious. The author mentions that in some research she was involved in a survey conducted by asking owners of dogs questions about any “aggressive behavior in their dogs, such as growling, lunging, barking and biting”. The survey went on to ask questions about three situations about any aggressive behavior toward family members, unfamiliar people coming in the house and unfamiliar people outside the house. They asked if there was any aggression if it happened in more than one situation and if there was some sign that a particular age of the dog as well as breed and of  person may have been an influence. They found that “those that are aggressive towards family members rarely do so towards unfamiliar people, and vice versa”.The found that if there was a tendency toward aggression there was a “back story”. The article wanted to let people know that any dog can “potentially” be aggressive if in certain circumstances. People approaching a dog without asking the owner first may be adding to a “dangerous” outcome. And owners should realize that their “best friend”, being the dog, may feel anxious or threatened. Owners should keep in mind those facts as well as recognizing any early signs. They should also realize a puppy will learn in his/her early life will lean from how humans behave toward them and  affect their personality. The breed of the dog may be of some thoughtfulness due to how that breed may be used as in a hunting life style or a herding life style. Another place where breed may enter the picture is to consider the size that the dog will be when fully grown. Then here is how dogs are treated can make them aggressive, in my opinion that is common sense. There are training classes all around that people can attend with the pet to assure control and methods of care that can be helpful to both the animal and the trainer/owner. When I was much younger the “dangerous” dog was the German Shepard. In more current years it has been the Pit Bull. In both cases I have known wonderful, loving pets in both breeds. I did a little other research on the subject and came up with these suggestions: socialization is important in many cases. Exposing  a puppy to new people and animals can be fearful for them if not handled carefully. Also “Failing to train large dogs” can increase aggressive habits.

It’s going to be goulash or chicken strips for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first challenge is “favorite spot”. This my lounge chair. I head to this chair after dinner and clean up. I do my readings, spiritual and readings for relaxation, as well as memories games. 

My second assignment for today is “abandoned house or barn”. I used an abandoned business. I am not close to old barns and there don’t seem to be any abandoned house nearby. 

My last upload today is “bottles”. These are bottle that make it a pleasure to
relax and drink some water, they are decorative. 

Joy

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)