June 20, 2026 a thought for the day, Gratitude has gone to heaven and has taken the ladder. Polish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge for yesterday was “glimmer”. This image is a flower that was shot in color and turned to a monochrome with painterly affect by a filter I chose to use. 

The next assignment was “my choice” and is another of my series of “texture
overlay”. I snapped this image on one of my photo excursions along the downtown river front. I like the lone evergreen along the gravel border. 

The last upload was “kitchen”. It is a small corner of my kitchen with m toaster, air fryer and mixer taking center stage. 

Life today. Saturdays still go by too fast. For me they have whizzed by in a heart beat since I was in elementary school (we didn’t have preschool way back then). It just seems ingrained to be a day to float along enjoying the quiet and no deadlines or “obligations” except to love life and day dream off and on. There is a graduation party today. I was invited. It seems age slows our ability to comfortably be part of the activities of young lives. The health issues of the past couple of weeks have added a bit of a sting to being outside for too long. 

Of course I had the grocery pick up .... it is no problem, it is all picked out for me according to my order choices. Before I went there today I stopped at CVS. I am out of my diabetes test strips. I saw on the CVS web site that they carried them with a price of $21.99. Once there I found it, took it to the register. It rang up a $95. I said whoa, no way. The clerk took it to the manager, again it rang a $95. I said I’ll try elsewhere. So I went across the street to Walgreen who had listed it as unavailable for pick up at that store, but I gave it a try anyway. It was there in the twice as many strips as the one a CVS for the price of $35.  

I leisurely, with spans of resting my legs, put the groceries away between periods at the computer for attention to letter and photos, and some searches for word meaning and other bits of minutia to add to my knowledge list as I rolled along in the day. There were a few moments to grab a hug from, not so much from as to, Bobbi, she yawns and puts up with it with no struggling in an attempt to get loose from my snuggle. 

The TV is on softly in the background with shows of remodeling along with some cooking, now and then catching my attention. 

The word today is acquire.  The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half. Fyodor Dostoevsky. Mediocre men often have the most acquired knowledge. Claude Bernard. Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way... you become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions. Aristotle. The knowledge of the world is only to be acquired in the world, and not in a closet. Lord Chesterfield. Work and acquire, and thou hast chained the wheel of Chance. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness. George Sand. We should every night call ourselves to an account; What infirmity have I mastered today? What passions opposed? What temptation resisted? What virtue acquired? Our vices will abort of themselves if they be brought every day to the shrift. Seneca. With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow - I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a floating cloud. Confucius. To reach something good it is very useful to have gone astray, and thus acquire experience. Saint Teresa Of Avila. Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind. Plato. Not by age but by capacity is wisdom acquired. Titus Maccius Plautus. One can acquire everything in solitude - except character. Marie Henri Beyle.  Blood is inherited and virtue is acquired. Venezuelan Proverb. Learning is acquired by reading books, but the much more necessary learning, the knowledge of the world, is only to be acquired by reading men, and studying all the various facets of them. Lord Chesterfield. A good decision is based on knowledge, and not on numbers. Plato. Acquire new knowledge whilst thinking over the old, and you may become a teacher of others. Confucius.

Article summary. Here I am with cats again, no surprise. I wanted to see a version of what life with them may have been in the middle ages. The title is Cats in the middle ages: what medieval manuscripts teach us about our ancestors’ pets. Madeleine S. Killacky, PhD Candidate, Medieval Literature, Bangor University. At theconversation.com/us. Some in that time in history believed cats were connected to the “supernatural” but further study showed that they were “surprisingly playful”. It was mentioned that in that time people “identified by the animals they kept”. Some of the pets were pet monkeys. Further it said that not to mention the attention and affection pets experienced in that time they also “signified high status” to the point of having portraits made including their pets. As the article went on is told of how history has shown that in the middle ages cats were seen in the presence of feasts or sitting by a fire place with a dog friend. Some pictures depict in one case cheese was specifically bought for the “manor” cat while even more amounts of money were spent on “accessories”. In 1387 there was a case where a collar was embroidered with pearls and a gold buckle for a preferred pet. In poems of the times cats were written about in a way that showed “strong emotional attachments” of the writer toward their cat companion. There is evidence that cats appeared in the cloisters as there are symbols of such in medieval manuscripts. There are nuns shown with cats and cat like doodles in the margins of Books of Hours. Along with those comfortable proofs in history there are also signs of some folks not considering cats as companions and helpful presences as the others folks did. Those thoughts led to cats being killed in large numbers. Still there is evidence of “playful images we see of them in monasteries”. As the article ended “artwork makes clear, our medieval ancestors’ relationships with these animals were not too different from our own.”

It’s going to be fish and biscuits for dinner. 

Photo in my life today

My first upload for today is another “glimmer”. One of my day lilies was on show today showing bright orange and yellow colors. 

The next challenge is “making a splash”. I drove by the park after I picked up the groceries to get this shot. 

The last assignment for today is “made from wood”. I took this shot a couple of days ago on my way to church. I noticed that new wood had been added to replace some that had seen their best day.

Joy

this bonus image was my upload of the abstract of torn paper strip to a Fine Art America contest today also showing a couple of the things the design in show on at my page, there are also sleeveless shirt for ladies and men

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)

 June 18, 2026 a thought for today, A liar can go round the world but cannot come back. Polish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge for yesterday was “glimmer” series. As I was coming out of the kitchen into the dining room I saw these forms and lines. I grabbed my camera to capture the magic moment of sun and shadow. 

The next assignment was a “my choice” one of my series of “texture overlays”. This one is of one of my images at church with a texture overlay.

The last upload was “traffic lights”. I had this one in my archives. I wasn’t out and about today so I used this one. 

Life today. The visit last night was fun. My great grandsons are growing so fast, their time at this age is only a moment in time. The next time I see them the things that gave them pleasure last night, playing with bouncing balloons, will be just a passing memory, many other pleasures of the moment will have taken their place. I will miss some of those quickly moving moments of laughter and early beginnings of life.

Today started out like any other Thursday, the first wifi checks, facebook, news headlines, email, then off to church for the printing and placing. While I was there, I did one thing to further gain ground on a constant concern of mine, my gallery wall, and my hopes for it’s meaning and final outcome. I got one more picture hung all by my lonesome. I don’t have the knack and patience for precise measuring and spacing that should be a major application in this process. At least I feel I am making progress in getting it completed one step at a time.  I took a quick measure today and found that I am about half way to filling that wall. After that I don’t know if I will be up to doing another wall and/or just replacing images at intervals so they don’t get boring. I am hoping for at least another smaller wall space.

I have learned that my “health” concerns, dehydration, is not the only contributing factor to my symptoms, a high measure of stress is adding to it. There doesn’t seem to be too much I can do about the stress part accept to try to ignore it and move on which is hard for a worry wart like me. Maybe I could just hide somewhere, just kidding (maybe). 

The temperatures are pleasant for a few days. This is the kind of spring/summer I like. It is the kind that is nice to sit on the porch swing enjoying the soft breeze and the sound of birds and wind chimes.

The word for today is accomplish. He who labors diligently need never despair; for all things are accomplished by diligence and labor. Menander. Who begins too much accomplishes little. German Proverb. 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. I myself do nothing. The Holy Spirit accomplishes all through me. William Blake. None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone. Ralph Waldo Emerson. The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its way. Henry David Thoreau. A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles. William Hazlitt. Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well. Vincent Van Gogh. A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men. Plato. That which neither weapon nor flame could accomplish will be achieved by a sweet speaking tongue in council. Nostradamus. Yet habit - strange thing! what cannot habit accomplish? Herman Melville. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished. Confucius. 

Article summary. When I am in search of something of interest to read, learn from and share I look for and try to think of some of the people I hope are or will be reading this missive. I think a lot of people are interested in s’mores. They have been in most peoples lives at happy time, camping, sleep overs, maybe just pick-me-ups. The title is A brief history of the s'more, America’s favorite campfire snack. Jeffrey Miller Associate Professor of Hospitality Management, Colorado State University. At theconversation.com/us. I like the way the opening explained that the ingredients in a s’more are of three parts seemingly “primeval  tradition” coming from “products of the Industrial Revolution”. The first ingredient they describe is the marshmallow. It’s named after a plant by the name “marsh mallow” found in Northern Africa. For thousands of years it was cooked and used to cure sore throats. Making the marshmallow from the sap of the plant was “time consuming”. Much later the marshmallows we are familiar with are made using machines. They are used in recipes and as sweet treats on their own like “penny candy”. They are no longer made with the sap of the plant they are made with “corn syrup, cornstarch and gelatin”. The next ingredient in the s’more is chocolate. This is another “ancient food” coming from at least 3,000 years ago. In the 1500s it was used to treat “ailments” in Mexico. Like the marshmallow’s relationship to the Industrial Revolution so chocolate had a touch with the time. At that time it was made to be “cheap enough and palatable” for more people to enjoy it. Those from the time of 3,000 years ago found the chocolate to be “dark, grainy and tended to be somewhat bitter”. In 1875 it was a candlemaker who invented a process to make the chocolate more palatable.  He mixed it with milk and sugar  . . .  the chocolate bean comes from a Theobroma cacao tree. Now a bit about the last ingredient of the s’more, the graham cracker. I was interested in reading that a Presbyterian minister with the last name Graham invented the graham cracker. Early on it was made with whole wheat flour. Mr. Graham was interested in the health food “movement” in the 19th century. At about the time of the invention of the graham cracker it was used in Kellogg’s “famous flaked cereal line”.  The article mentions that it is uncertain how it became to be used in the familiar s’more as we know it. It goes on to say that the “first mention of this treat is in a 1927 edition of the Girl Scout manual”. There it was “dubbed ‘Some More’”. In 1938 the term s’more was mentioned in a “guide called “Recreational Programs for Summer Camp”. The article goes on to say that some people think the s’more we know today came from a version of a moon pie from the 1910s. Now we can find versions of the s’more in other ways like candy. 

I haven’t had Welsh Rarebit for a while I think I will make it tonight. 

Photos in my life today 

My first challenge today is another of this months “glimmer” assignments. Bobbi knocked over the lamp in chasing a fly. She and the fly both landed on the lamp. The lamp was ok but not the shade. I had to purchase a new shade. I found I had ordered one that wasn’t the same length as the old one. I like the look of this one better so I am using it as my glimmer today. 

The next upload is “my choice” and yet another of my “texture overlay” images. This one I took a while back when I was on a photo excursion along the downtown river bank. This is a lonely little evergreen I found there between the gravel and the gentle movement of the river water. 

The last upload is “closed”. This is a set of doors on my mother-in-laws church. 

Joy

the bonus image is my upload to a contest at Fine Art America .... Bobbi watching me around the corner of the refrigerator

want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector

 June 16, 2026 a thought for today, Only the shoe knows of the hole in the stocking. Polish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday 

My first challenge was “my choice”. It is one of my series of “texture overlay” images. This is a carnation from one of my grocery store bouquets. I added an image of one of my collection of textures over the original image, reduced to opacity and reduced it more in the center of the flower. 

The next assignment was “glimmer”. I saw Bobbi longingly looking out the
open door and wanted to capture that moment. She would like to explore the out-of-doors but she can’t know the danger that lurks for her there.  

The last upload was titled “mail”. This is some of the mail that has collected by Sue’s “desk” area. 

Life today. The last two days have been just as I like. I got the bulletin done and sent out to readers for a final copy. As well as all of my “personal” daily computer/photo agenda. I also managed get two new photos printed and two mounted, matted and framed. Then I baked a “birthday cake” for Sue. My cooking and baking have come along way down from as good as they use to be. 

Today I finished some minor updates on the bulletin. I got all of the photos done early and the letter mostly finished before getting ready to leave for church and food pantry.

There is a PT person coming today for Sue so I left pantry as soon as we were finished to be here to let her in. I added a visit on my schedule to see two of my great grandchildren that I see very rarely since they live out of state. I was counting on just their mother, Sue and myself to spend quality time with them. They are moving even further away and at my age and that distance this may be my last “one on one” type time with us together. But that plan got changed before I knew it and rearranged. Apparently  tomorrow there will be a group of us instead. 

Today pantry was busy. We had more than twenty-five families in the hour and a half we are open. It wasn’t so hot today so I wasn’t too worried about my “hypothermia” events recurring. The temperature is a pleasant 75 degrees and is supposed to stay at that for the next couple of days.

Sue’s visitor just arrived so I got home in plenty of time. I am getting ready to do my daily uploads, tidying things up and getting a dinner ready for myself. 

The word is ability. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor. Henry David Thoreau. That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved. Ralph Waldo Emerson. I cannot expect to perform the task with equal ability and success. Martin Van Buren. Every quotation contributes something to the stability or enlargement of the language. Samuel Johnson. Readiness of speech is often inability to hold the tongue. Jean Baptiste Rousseau. The more I study the world, the more I am convinced of the inability of brute force to create anything durable. Napoleon Bonaparte. Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them. Charles de Montesquieu. My son, observe the postage stamp! Its usefulness depends upon its ability to stick to one thing until it gets there. Josh Billings. Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. Thomas Henry Huxley. Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment. Baltasar Gracian. Change is the only constant in life. Ones ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life. Benjamin Franklin. Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live. Marcus Aurelius. Those who can’t change their minds can’t change anything. George Bernard Shaw. It is not genius so much as ability that carries one through the battles of life. William Edmondstoune Aytoun. Ability without honor is useless. Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Article summary. I like words and writing and Journaling so I thought this would be a neat article to read, learn from and share. The title is  Writing for well being: How it could be a new way to teach the essay and resist AI. Lindsey McMaster. Instructor, English Studies and Academic Writing, Nipissing University. At theconversation.com/us. The opening paragraph further grabbed my interest in saying that in this author’s opinion and possible studies, writing can get rid of stress and further show that it can “boost your mental and physical health if you focus on expressing your emotions and digging for insight”. It went on to say looking at the positive in our lives and writing them down can help in short and long term well being. Journaling is a way to start, it allows for venting and to “reshape your thinking and boost positivity”. The author started with a way to begin your adventure into Journaling. First write down three good things about your day, things you had a role in “bringing about”, it helps in feeling happy and less likely to be depressed. As you move more into the Journaling write “about your best possible self”. Next, be “creative”, make something about your day a comical happening. Writing can help a person “reflect”and “speculate” on the “positive effects” of an experience. Poetry came into the discussion of this article saying that poems can help in self knowledge. Some students mentioned in the article that they taped poems to their mirrors and then expand on the poem by writing an essay explaining the meaning of the poem. Using AI for essay purposes allows students to get away from the “tedious recital” of writing but personal writing is “light” to a “personalized path to growth” and “speak directly to your own humanity”. 

I think creamed chicken on biscuits for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first assignment today is one of this month’s “glimmer” series. It is a mirror that Sue mounted several years ago on the front porch. It reflects some of the things we see in peace as we enjoy a time on the porch swing. 

The next challenge is another of “my choice” and another of my series of “texture overlay”. This one is a view of my street through the “shadow” texture that surrounds it in the created image. 

The last upload today is “butterfly”. I had the same assignment in one of my
other photo groups this week. I used one of the origami butterflies I made that day. This is a different color and has a filter added to give it a bit of a different look.

Joy

the bonus image for today is another that I uploaded to Fine Art America, a close up of one of my day lilies for it to be added to the items available on my page Fine Art American page 

Want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector

 June 14, 2026, a thought for the day, There is no corn without weeds. Polish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “dark”. I took this one before bed time. It is from my room in the dark. 

The next assignment was “insect”. This one was caught on my back
porch. 

The last upload was “glimmer”. It is over the fence as I enjoy the sign of solitude under the seasonal umbrella. 

Life today. I had a good start on this letter before I left for church. I think I am still dealing with my BP going a little lower than it should and the heat of the day being a bit of a problem. But we had fans in the church which helped. I needed the church family visit and the sermon was awesome. I’m glad I decided to go instead of not trying as I had been thinking I would do. 

Mike gave the message today. As usual it was beyond “run of the mill”. I heard two of our younger followers, a member and her sister, compliment him on his description of our final home...heaven. They each said they had never heard heaven described like that before. They seemed impressed.  I told them his messages are all that outstanding. 

I also got a welcome complement on the beginnings of my gallery wall of photos.

Sue had forgotten to tell me she was out of Zero Pepsi when I ordered the groceries so I stopped on the way home to get her some. I made the stop at the Certified station so I wouldn’t have to be out of the car (AC) that long making more than one stop. I needed gas too. 

I got some of the photos I needed at church and some for the newsletter that I will need for this months issue. Before I left this morning, I made an origami butterfly. One of the assignments was “butterfly or bee”. I didn’t have an image of either of those. The one I made is the simplest origami butter fly I could find since origami is sadly not part of my forte. 

The rest of the day is for rest, refresh, and restore.

The word today is absorb. A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor. Victor Hugo. One should absorb the color of life, but one should never remember its details. Details are always vulgar. Oscar Wilde. When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind. Michel de Montage. You despise books; you whose lives are absorbed in the vanities of ambition, the pursuit of pleasure or indolence; but remember that all the known world, excepting only savage nations, is governed by books. Voltaire. A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is visible labor and there is invisible labor. Victor Hugo. How small a portion of our life it is that we really enjoy! In youth we are looking forward to things that are to come; in old age we are looking backward to things that are gone past; in manhood, although we appear indeed to be more occupied in things that are present, yet even that is too often absorbed in vague determinations to be vastly happy on some future day when we have time. C. C. Colon. For every seeing soul, there are two absorbing facts - I, and the abyss. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Beg of God the removal of envy, that God may deliver you from externals, and bestow upon you an inward occupation, which will absorb you so that your attention is not drawn away. Rumi. One should absorb the color of life, but one should never remember its details. Details are always vulgar. Oscar Wilde. I easily sink into mere absorption of what other minds have done, and should like a whole life for that alone. George Eliot. Be vast enough to absorb everything without losing your purity. Friedrich Nietzsche. 

Article summary. When I pick these articles to read and review I pick them by the title alone. I haven’t read them clear through so sometimes I may get a surprise, but then isn’t that what learning is all about? I play what I call “brain games” as a daily exercise hoping it will slow down any old age brain problems as I go in that direction. This article caught my attention for both the reason I just mentioned but how it may relate to the games young people seem engaged with. The title is Brain training games remain unproven, but research shows what sorts of activities do benefit cognitive functioning. Ian McDonough, Associate Professor of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York. Michael Dulls, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York. At theconversation.com/us. The article started out explaining that more than 4% of US adults over 65 show signs of dementia. It also says that some cognitive decline is normal as we age. I was surprised to see that they use the same term as I in mentioning “brain training”games. The authors say they are neuroscientists and focus on “brain health across the adult lifespan”. I noted the “across the adult life span” statement, to me would include older teens also. They have studied and noted that as brains normally change using forms of new learning show “a window into how people can sustain their brain health” and how it can include how brain games are part of it. The article goes on to tell how the games used for this purpose are “designed to help participants master one or more specific skills”. Some of the games show a letter and number that the user has to “identify” as odd or even/consonant or vowel. They increase in difficulty and time limit leading to attention and processing speed. There still seems to be some debate in the areas of brain growth that these actions may involve. To make this a little clearer they wonder if people may experience in certain of these games there is a better performance at work or school and how it may delay “cognitive decline”. There have been different studies on games and their results. People were tested in areas they were not familiar with like photography or quilting. Another group were tested on “active learning” as cooking, crossword puzzles, listening to music and movies. They each showed gains in memory and reasoning “relative to” the assigned less challenging activities as in showing an increased skill in remember a list of words or “solving abstract problems”.  Those brain scans showed the participants in the challenging activities “increased their neural efficiency” where their brains didn’t work as hard to solve a problem. The testing has shown that a specific task is not the answer. Some challenges showed that the answer was that something was new and there was a sense of effort. So, according to the article you may be “training your brain” with new and challenging activities as well as the brain games in the activities that are new to you and require an effort to complete. If you are using digital brain games choosing the kinds of games is the challenge. In ending the article “once you start feeling a sense of ease and familiarity, that’s a sign that it’s time to switch” to something more challenging, something that “feels just beyond your reach.” In my opinion and limited experience the “games” I have chosen and experience the efforts can increase as you progress and move to the higher level.

I haven’t made plain old hamburger for dinner for while, maybe that will be a way to do for tonight. 

Photography in my life today

The first upload is “glimmer”. It is a small part of the altar area of my church. 

The next challenge is “bee or butterfly” I made this origami butterfly before before I left for church. I am not good at origami but I didn’t have any images of either a bee or a butterfly. 

The last upload for today is “food”. I took this one at our donut fellowship hour. This is a friend’s chosen flavor.

Joy

this bonus image is of my fig tree with a filter added, it has been uploaded to Fine Art America to be added to household items, tee shirts and others

Want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector

June 12, 2026 a thought for today, It is not clever to play but to stop playing. Polish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “glimmer,” the month long daily challenge. This one is my church conference room at a time when it was unoccupied. 

The next assignment was “my choice” and is one of my series of “mirror images.” This is one I took when I was volunteering at Columbus Humane. I was drawn to this frightened looking kitten. I created the mirror image by coping the original, then doing a reversal and combining the two. 

The last upload was titled “vehicle” and the icon with the title was a bicycle. This bicycle wheel was my choice to share. 

Life today. I was feeling a little “rocky” yesterday. My BP was a little lower than it should have been and I was experiencing the effects that go with that. My blood sugar count on a finger sick wasn’t as “normal” as it should have been either. I did some research and diagnosed myself with dehydration. Along with those “tests” there is the high temperatures we are experiencing, my lack of taking in enough water and having more perspiration adding to that “diagnosis.” So I started drinking two full bottles of water. I am feeling much better today, had I not been I would be visiting a doctor today. 

I like quietly progressive days. With the weekly bulletin done and placed, I have a day “off.” I am playing catch up on some other things as they come to mind. Sue wanted to take care of some banking things. She still isn’t up to driving, so we took a ride to the bank in my car. 

Before we went to the bank I had done some research on things that entered my mind as I was coming awake this morning along with my routine email, text, facebook and news checkups as well as two texts to answer. I got a basic start on the letter with a beginning start on some photo work for the day. 

Along with all of that, before our outing, I finished putting together my tiny, new “desk.” It’s a perfect fit for the place I had in mind. Now it is all dressed with my laptop, now.  I have an “auxiliary office” for if and when needed. Bobbi had to give it all a good sniffling since it came close to infringing a bit on one of her more comfortable spots, besides it was something new and had a different and interesting  “scent” to it.

We actually had a bit of a downpour during the night and I believe I heard some sleet among the rain drops. I was a little concerned for my six new miniature rose bushes in my “rose garden” (actually two window boxes on the back porch railing). There wasn’t much I could do for them in the middle of the night and rain and in my night gown. I checked this morning, they seem to have survived and appear none the worse for ware. 

The word today is affect/tion.  Let grace and goodness be the principal loadstone of thy affections. For love which hath ends, will have an end; whereas that which is founded on true virtue, will always continue. John Dryden. Virtue and taste are nearly the same, for virtue is little more than active taste, and the most delicate affections of each combine in real love. Ann Radcliffe. I saw that all things I feared, and which feared me, had nothing good or bad in them save insofar as the mind was affected by them. Baruch Spinoza. No profit grows where is no pleasure ta'en; In brief, sir, study what you most affect. William Shakespeare. I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections and the truth of imagination. What the imagination seizes as beauty must be truth - whether it existed before or not. John Keats. With affection beaming out of one eye, and calculation shining out of the other. Charles Dickens. Deceivers are the most dangerous members of society. They trifle with the best affections of our nature, and violate the most sacred obligations. George Crabbe. Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood. William Shakespeare. Poverty cannot deprive us of many consolations. It cannot rob us of the affection we have for each other, or degrade us in our own opinion, of in that of any person, whose opinion we ought to value. Ann Radcliffe. Talk not of wasted affection; affection never was wasted. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The affections are like lightning; You cannot tell where they will strike till they have fallen. Jean Baptiste Lacoraire. In the education of children there is nothing like alluring the interest and affection, otherwise you only make so many asses laden with books. Michel de Montaigne. 

Article summary. I know next to nothing about the El Niňo so when I saw this title I thought I would educate myself and pass on a bit of what I learn. The title is: El Niño is back, and ocean temperatures are already near record highs – that can spell disaster for fish and corals. Dillon Amaya, Climate Research Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At theconversation.com/us. It begins by saying that in the fall of 2026 there is “a 2-in-3 chance of a strong-to-very strong El Niño.” An Ed. Nino affects weather, climate and ocean temperatures across the planet.” It goes on to say that during this phenomenon a“stretch” of 6,000 miles ocean waters warm for “months on end”. The article says this reorganizes “wind, rainfall and temperature patterns all over the planet”. This event “impacts” land and sea. It affects air currents making things wetter or drier than things would be normally, causing more storms and hurricanes. In the sea it affects the “ecosystems” as in fishing, the coral reefs and sea grasses. There is a “heat wave” included in the process making “local bays and coves” hotter than what is usual for from a few days to weeks. Marine organisms that are use to a certain temperature are greatly disturbed. The article relates that “billions” of dollars are lost during these “marine heat waves”. The article says in these events “the entire planet takes notice”. The affects of the whether conditions are different depending on where you live anywhere on the planet. This year appears to be bringing a very strong El Niňo. The article says on the good side of things forecast can predict the “marine heat waves” three to six months in advance which can at least allow for being prepared.    

I would like to have a pizzarea pizza tonight but my acid reflux bummer is giving me second thoughts.....maybe I will make a homemade one on a tortilla shell. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload for today is the 12th “glimmer”. It is an image of my new auxiliary computer station. I have a new tiny “desk” dressed with my laptop. Now I have a quiet corner to work on my computer activity if and when I need a change.

The next assignment is another of “my choice” and another of my series of “mirror images”. This one is a miniature village I set up with three garden gnomes and their house. I made two copies of the same image, reversed one and put the two together.  

The last challenge for the day is “transport”. I had several images I could choose from and picked this one of a school bus that “transports” students to and from school. 

Joy 

the bonus image is my upload to Fine Art America today. This red rose is on tee shirts and household goods on my web page at Fine Art America

Want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector 

 June 10, 2026, a thought for the day, Proverbs are not vain words. Polish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “glimmer.” Yesterday I used the image of Bobbi taking a nap in a new apparently favorite spot. 

The next assignment was “my choice.” I used one of my series of “mirror image” for this one. It is a view from my front porch. I took the original view and copied it then flipped it horizontally. I blended the two together to get this “artful” image. 

The last upload was titled “stop.” Instead of using one of the several stop sign images I have I used one of the stop lights in its red position. 

Life today. It has been a beautiful day albeit busy in this Rector household. There was a PT person here for Sue as well as a “shower” person. To top off the day of visits the air conditioner technician was here for the annual maintenance. Lowell was here to be on hand for any problems that may come up with the AC. So I put him to work while he was here. I had a pull down doorway/room divider blind I wanted put up and two pushup Venetian blinds rehung. Done and done.  

While all of the activity was going on, I got a picture mounted and framed to a 16x20. On this one I did as my first landscape of that size. It is one of the more “artful” images I have done recently. It is a “mirror image” style. 

I was also able to get the letter started and some of the photo work done. Ohhh, and a small update on the bulletin. 

I think Tami and Andy and I may be able to make it to church on Friday to hang some more photos. 

Well, spring is here in full now. I turned the AC on two days ago. The outside temps are going up and may reach 90 degrees by the end of the week. But then it is supposed to stay in the high 70s for a few days. Seeing the “summer” sun feels pretty good too. 

The word for today is advice.  Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example. Francois de La Rochefoucauld. When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice. Marquis de la Grange. It is always a silly thing to give advice, but to give good advice is fatal. Oscar Wilde. Write down the advice of him who loves you, though you like it not at present. English Proverb. In giving advice, seek to help, not please, your friend. Solon. Never trust the advice of a man in difficulties. Aesop, There is one piece of advice, in a life of study, which I think no one will object to; and that is, every now and then to be completely idle - to do nothing at all. Sydney Smith. "Careful with fire" is good advice we know. "Careful with words is ten times doubly so. William Carleton. I give myself, sometimes, admirable advice, but I am incapable of taking it. Mary Montagu. Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advice. Proverbs 12:15. Whatever advice you give, be brief. Horace. Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind. Samuel Taylor Coleridge. We give advice, but we cannot give the wisdom to profit by it. Francois de La Rochefoucauld. No enemy is worse than bad advice. Sophocles. The one thing people are the most liberal with, is their advice. Francois de La Rochefoucauld. One can advise comfortably from a safe port. Soren Kierkegaard. Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable. Francis Bacon. To accept good advice is but to increase one's own ability. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Advice is judged by results, not by intentions. Marcus Tullius Cicero. We may give advice, but we cannot give conduct. Benjamin Franklin.

Article summary. The reverse of the action in this article title, learning to bully, in the title is also true. This should be common sense to most people. I was interested in seeing what the article said. It can be helpful in our actions around young people now. It can also help us to see why some young people as well as some adults act towards others. Could it be they don’t know any better from whatever they have experienced in their own lives? We can understand better and maybe help them overcome it in their connection to others in someway. Perhaps in our own subtle actions and speech in the here and now will help. The article title is Kids learn to bully from adults’ threats, manipulation and criticism – a child psychologist explains how parents can model better tactics. Angela J. Narayan, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Denver. At theconversation.com. It starts by mentioning how kids sometime talk to each other like you aren’t invited, if you won’t do this I won’t do that. It goes on the say some adults think this kind of talk is a norm in their early lives and is harmless. As the article moves on, it mentions that kids may be hearing the grown-ups in disagreements and begin to mimic their attitudes. The parents may say do this or the parent will do that. The author mentions as we may have seen kids imitate. It is also stated that the person being bullied is hurt but so it the one doing the bullying. Both the bullied and the bully themselves may suffer “depression when they are teens.” Another fact that was pointed out is that a bully is “more likely to engage in aggressive and rule breaking behavior.” The article makes these statements and follows by saying parents can change the direction in the chance of these behaviors in the “ways they handle their own conflicts to demonstrate for children.” It suggests children like hugs and affection, they want to “play” and enjoy family. They don’t want stressful and “scary” or boring activities like chores and “tedious” schoolwork. Parents can be “polite” in speaking to the children rather than “nagging or pleading.” The actions of the parents towards each other may not by “physical force,” it may be manipulation and threats. It can be one parent telling the child something the other parent does “wrong.” The article suggests that parents should be resentful with each other especially where and when the children may over hear and see. 

I think it will be something from the freezer for dinner tonight. 

Photos in my life today

The first assignment for today is “glimmer” (it is the monthly theme for June). This one is my son hanging the blind/room divider I wanted.

The next challenge is another “my choice” and another of my series of “mirror images.” This is my sister Sue. 

The last upload for today is “macro.” I used one of the roses from on
of the last bouquets I have had. It has dried up and, I think, shows there is beauty in the ages too. 

Joy

I have used this image in another group and decided to use it at Find Art America after I had added a strong sepia filter

Want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector

 June 8, 2026, a thought for today, Silence goes better with shrewdness than with a kind heart. Polish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge was “glimmer.” It is the peace and gratitude of Holy Communion. 

The next assignment was “from the ground up.” I laid the phone with the camera on on the ground under one of my evergreen trees. I had the timer set to 10 seconds. I took the same shot three times for this one.

The last upload was “half empty/half full.” My iced tea was sitting beside me. It was half empty, perfect and convenient for the shot.

Life today. It has been an interesting day. I started the bulletin and then found out that the visiting pastor is ill and won’t be able to be here. Now I am waiting to see if we have someone to fill in. I have the back section done but need the whole order of worship to finish. I can get most of it but need the scriptures and sermon title. So I am moving on with other things on my agenda while I wait to see where I go from here with the bulletin. 

I have the photos for today lined up, cataloged, and keywords attached, just the uploads to do. 

My tiny “desk” was delivered this morning, it needs put together. I may attempt that either later today or tomorrow. It’s a pretty little thing, now I have to see how functional it is.

We are supposed to have a tech here on Thursday for the air conditioner. I was hesitant to turn it on until then but the temperature is going up pretty quickly so I gave in an hour or so ago and turned it on. I think I had a minor case of dehydration on Sunday from the heat. I didn’t want to feel that way again if I could help it. 

Sue seems to be improving. I was beyond concerned about her for several weeks. I think I can relax a little on that score for now. I hope she continues to be able to be more mobile and conversational. 

The word for today is advance.  Fortune can, for her pleasure, fools advance, And toss them on the wheels of Chance. Juvenal. All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance. Edward Gibbon. Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority. Thomas H. Huxley. To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence. Friedrich Nietzsche. 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.  If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. Henry David Thoreau. Knowledge is a comfortable and necessary retreat and shelter for us in advanced age, and if we do not plant it while young, it will give us no shade when we grow old. Lord Chesterfield. Be not the slave of your own past. Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep and swim far, so you will come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience that will explain and overlook the old. Ralph Waldo Emerson. 'Tis hard if all is false that I advance A fools must now and then be right, by chance. William Cowper. He that embarks on the voyage of life will always wish to advance rather by the impulse of the wind than the strokes of the oar; and many folder in their passage; while they lie waiting for the gale. Samuel Johnson. As we advance in life it becomes more and more difficult, but in fighting the difficulties the inmost strength of the heart is developed. Vincent Van Gogh. Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority. Thomas Huxley. He who could foresee affairs three days in advance would be rich for thousands of years. Thomas Carlyle. 

Article summary. I really like the subject material I can find on this “academic/journalistic” news website called The Conversation it is “widely considered a highly credible and trustworthy source for news and analysis. It operates on a unique academic-journalistic model rather than traditional reporting”. As I begin my search for something interesting, educational and trusworhty to share I go to this site to find something that is touching to many lives. Anyway, this is the one I chose for today. I think most of us are concerned about time along with time changes each year. The title is Why we will probably never have a perfect clock. Daniel Brown, Lecturer in Astronomy, Nottingham Trent University. At theconveration.com. It opens by mentioning something most of us have an opinion about, the time change that happens twice a year. There are pros and cons for and against. I like the sentence that says “historically.  The sun has helped us tell time.” It says we always have had to make corrections in our measurements of time on a clock. It starts with how time on a measuring device was counted has changed throughout history. One of the observations of the movement of the sun allowed humans to create the first sundials which tracked the movement by shadows. This kind of measurement made the “time” different around the world since the sun was at its peak at the “geographical locations.” As time went on time was important and upper most in “navigation” systems in particular railroad. It had to be established and recorded so that people and goods could travel and arrive according to time measurement. Time zones had to be established. There was the “unifying of time” for “common trading and political regions” and reasons.  So the movement of the sun related to how clocks were set. To start that system the “only a single instance in time was needed to be marked: the middle of the day”. As measurement of time passed the different systems each came to need adjustments. In time clocks were set by “visual cues, signals via telegraph and later broadcasting of time signals via radio.” The article went on the relate that in realizing the “complexity” of getting the “correct time from the sun’s position, the definition of time based on atomic clocks (International Atomic Time - IAT) seemed perfect”. It was based on the science of electronic atoms as they allow the “avoidance” of “relying on the sun’s variable position.” There is a but, since 1972 there was what is known as “the leap second,” it accounts for “irregularities” in the slowing of Earth’s rotation. This “leap second” affect happens in June and December and needs time adjustments then. So in short the “leap second” and its meaning finally show “relying purely on atomic clocks isn’t sustainable.” We still “rely on the sky.” The ending paragraph mentions a few things we will always have to consider, one is our need to consider our daily living in respect to day and night as it relates to the sun. Second, think of “time as relative.” If someday we live on Mars we will have to “create a time that accounts for the days and years being different.”

Creamed chicken on toast sounds good for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first upload for today is “my choice.” It is on of my “mirror images.” This is one of the peach colored roses from my last bouquet generated to a mirror image.

The next challenge was “glimmer.” This one is the latest bouquet from the grocery store. I like the red, white and blue. 

The last assignment is “world ocean day.” It was taken one of the last times I
was near the ocean, seems like a hundred years ago. But my vet tech granddaughter was a toddler here.

Joy

the bonus image today is Sugar one of my best furry friends for 15 years, looking out the window as shoppers walked by. It is uploaded to my Fine Art America site and is a design on several items

Want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector