August 1, 2026 a thought for today, It is not the load but the overload that kills. Spanish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge for today is “my choice”. It is one of my “minimalist” images. This is a candle holder I have had for years. 

The second assignment is “something messy”. I am really happy about drawers
that in my opinion should be shelves in a cupboard. They are more difficult to keep in any form of neatness.

The last upload for yesterday was “path”. This is one of the many paths in the park near my house where I go for many of my photos. 

Life today. I don’t know how many people are like me when it comes to their pets. Mine are next to my  children as in concerns for health and welfare. Yesterday was the day for Bobbi’s first annual set of booster shots. Like it was when my kids were growing up, I was nervous for them and now her. Tami and Andy went with me, I told them I thought I needed a tranquilizer (smile, sort of). She was not happy from the beginning. She didn’t like the harness I had on her or the carrying crate we put her in (she cried all the way to the vets office). She did well as the vet examined her but was glad when he gave her back to us. When we got home and she was out of the crate and the harness was off she was a bee line to a hiding place. It was about three hours before I saw her again. And then she kept her distance from me for a while. 

Saturdays aren’t on the busy side as a rule and this one is in that line. The only thing on the agenda was to pick up my grocery order and put it all away. When I got home with the order, it was just beginning to rain. I unload the groceries from the car to the porch then from the porch to the house. I needed to step it up to get it done before the rain got stronger. 

After the store, I was going to stop at McDonalds but the drive through line was way long. I went on over to Taco Bell to see if I could get a chili cheese burrito for Sue. They were open, they had been closed for a couple of days. Then I headed on over to Wendy’s for my lunch. Next a stop at the Westgate Salon. I need a hair cut and had been calling there several time this week with no answer. The stylist was there today, she said she had been out all week. Anyway, I got my appointment for next week. That’s all the running for today. 

I got the photos I needed on the way to the store and have them processed and they are ready for uploading. This being the first day of the month means generating new photo-a-day calendars for daily upload for my portfolio. I had that done before going out. 

The word to ponder today is cannot. Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything, we ought to know a little about everything. Blaise Pascal. He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave. Sir William Drummond. Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we cannot resemble. Samuel Johnson. What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say. Ralph Waldo Emerson. There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey. John Ruskin. The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. Chinese Proverb. You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one. James A. Froude. We cannot control the evil tongues of others; but a good life enables us to disregard them. Cato the Elder. What you cannot enforce, do not command. Sophocles. Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. John Adams. You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. Abraham Lincoln. He that can heroically endure adversity will bear prosperity with equal greatness of the soul; for the mind that cannot be dejected by the former is not likely to be transported without the latter. Henry Fielding. People often grudge others what they cannot enjoy themselves. Aesop. You cannot conceive the many without the one. Plato. There is a measure in everything. There are fixed limits beyond which and short of which right cannot find a resting place. Horace. 

Article summary. I think this article touches on wisdom in making decisions while leading to a decision that can be helpful at the same time being humble and wise. The title is Making good choices when life gets messy – practical wisdom relies on human judgment, not rules. Tim Hulsey, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Tennessee. At theconversation.com. It begins with the author describing a problem she had with a student she had who started a “cheating ring”. When she caught him he admitted it and cried explaining problems at home and needing to get good grades. The professor was angry and questioned how to handle it. She finally decided to call the mother with the young many in her office as she placed the call. The mother wanted to speak to the son. The instructor watched the son as the conversation went on. He kept saying “yes mam”. The professor felt sorry for him. After the call and the young man was gone from the office the professor thought about her decision and recalled that it was an “example of phronesis, an ancient Greek word usually translated as “practical wisdom.” (A researched definition of phronesis on my part is: gained through lived experience and reflection over time, not through abstract book learning.) It is supposed to “guide” one in virtues toward what is good and what is bad about the circumstances. It leads how to choose the “right action at the right time for the right reasons”.  Phronesis is about handling a “messy” and “unpredictable” part of life. It is using knowledge for an action that is helpful. It centers on “character development and morality”. Some aspects of our thinking and solution making like “generosity, justice and temperance” help with the decisions but not how much or when or in what way to act. In the case of phronesis the decision is thought through to a “practical wisdom”. Features like courage is used with wisdom and the virtue of being fair and what is right to achieve the goal. This way of developing ways to help when there may be difficult situations “takes time and effort”. The article used an example of forcing a child to go to bed at a given time when there is something special going on. Bedtime may be “nonnegotiable” but the practical side is “the value of shared family experiences”. This kind of action is “practical wisdom” to “anticipate future needs” not just the immediate result. “Human judgment still matters”. The article ends by mentioning that life’s problems don’t always have simple solutions, good judgement needs “time, empathy and reflection”.

I think hamburgers and hash browns for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload for today is “red”. This is a cover for my filing cabinet, and one that Bobbi like to push around on the floor with her paw. I think she is looking for something hidden somewhere in all that draped cloth.

The next challenge is “not often seen”. I found the left behind cup of soda on a concrete piling in the parking lot of the shopping center. Besides that I liked all the color and shapes in the image. 

The last assignment is “edited/unedited”. This is a composite of an image I took as few days ago. It shows the original image as well as the same image with a filter added. 

Joy

yesterday being that last day of the month means an end to that set of challenges and assignments, here are my portfolio calendars for each group I belong to

 

 

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)

 July 30, 2026 a thought for today, He who knows little soon tells it. Spanish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “a red food”. Tomatoes work of this one, at least the ones I have on hand, not green tomatoes. 

The second upload was “my choice” and one of my minimalist images. It is
one of my house plants the famous spider plant. 

The last assignment was “j is for....”. This is my largest “jar” with a “lock” system on it.

Life today. Food pantry week is over and the printing for the week is done. I went in early and was finished in really good time. I stopped to drop off the mail and stopped at White Castle. 

Sue wanted to try out making an order at Kroger in her own name and having it delivered. So I spent some time helping her with that. 

I started the laundry. I also took some time to setup some of the photos I need for today. Now for some reason I am sleepy because I think I have had too many carbs and sweets. I wasn’t careful with the breaded and fried from Castle and other snacks here and there.

The air was really chilly this morning but is moving up to the high 80s. My plants have been needing watering every day. I am taking care of a couple for Lowell too, they are sucking up the water like crazy when I go to take care of them. I think they are pot bound and need transplanted. 

The word to ponder today is candle.  If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it. Margaret Fuller. All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle. Saint Francis of Assisi. How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. William Shakespeare. Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Chinese Proverb. Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle and fans the bonfire. La Rochefoucald. Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life. Buddha. There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled. Rumi. One idea lights a thousand candles. Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is better to light one small candle of gratitude than to curse the darkness. Confucius. The teacher is like the candle which lights others in consuming itself. Giovanni Ruffini. Man loves company - even if it is only that of a small burning candle. Georg C. Lichtenberg. Burn not thy fingers to snuff another man's candle. James Howell. A million candles have burned themselves out. Still I read on. (Montresor). Edgar Allan Poe. Reputation is only a candle, of wavering and uncertain flame, and easily blown out, but it is the light by which the world looks for and finds merit. James Russell Lowell. I want to shine like a little candle before His altar. Therese of Lisieux. He who lights his [candle] at mine receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson. If God lights the candle, none can blow it out. Charles Spurgeon. The wind which snuffs the candle fans the fire. Francois de La Rochefoucauld.

Article summary. I like to find and look into things that will make our lives happier and make us better people. This may be one, just one, of the areas that may be worth taking a look at for that purpose. There are different ways of looking at most things we think about in life. Examining different ones on the same subject may impart additional benefits to our over all understanding. The title is Being humble about what you know is just one part of what makes you a good thinker. Eranda Jayawickreme, Professor of Psychology & Senior Research Fellow, Program for Leadership and Character, Wake Forest University. At theconversation.com. I like two things in the first paragraph, “good person” and “develop the character”. The author and a peer talked about focusing on “intellectual humility” when teaching students in college. They decided that it means acknowledging that you are open to realizing that you could be wrong about any given subject so that you can go on learning.  Scientists feel that “possessing a high level of intellectual humility is associated with multiple positive outcomes”. It helps in developing empathy, better social relationships, less chance in accepting “misinformation” and more ways to work toward compromises. They have found in this kind of research that there are other aspects to the intellectual humility type of action. You also have to care about being “right”. That means adding to the intellectual humility a “love of knowledge, carefulness and open-mindedness.” So being humble means being a “good thinker” as well as being motivated about the finding the truth. 

 It will be Welsh Rarebit for dinner.

Photos in my life today 

The first upload for today is one of the blooms in my current store bought bouquet. 

The next assignment is “a cookbook”.  This is the oldest cookbook I have. It is a copy of one my mom used for many years. 

The last challenge is “liquid”. I use bottled water for my hydroponic plants. I didn’t mean to buy one this size. At least it will last twice as long at the size I usually buy. 

Joy

"yellow dahlia" Fine Art American uploaded in a contes at my Fine Art Site

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)

 July 28, 2026 a thought for today, As is the king, so are his people. Spanish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge yesterday was “favorite mug”. This was my husband’s mug when he was in the Navy. It used it every day, filling it several times a day.

The next assignment was “my choice”. It was another of my “minimalist”
images. It is a single yellow rose from the bouquet I got from the store this week. 

The last upload was “donuts”. I took this shot at our last donut fellowship hour at church. 

Live today. I am a TV fan. Most of the time it is on in the background of what I am doing. I have always been able to “listen” halfway while focused on whatever else I am doing. I have a knack for piking up a sound or a word that make me want to change my focus to listen/see. I have the TV on in my room before I go to sleep, I know, I know they say not to have the TV on before bed. Anyway, long story short (shorter) the cable box went out last night. The TV is not a “smart television” so I couldn’t get a picture until, this morning, I realized I have to have an antenna, so by chance I found one on another “old tv”.

The cleaning lady was here today and didn’t leave until a little before I had to get ready to go to help at food pantry at church I was able to get a good start on this letter. We had a heavy rain last night. 

I took a break for pantry.  I am back now. I got the photos I needed while I was out and just processed them. 

Pantry turned out to be about maximum. It wasn’t over powering, it was a steady pace. That’s the best kind of day. We could have taken two or three more families I think was we took care of all who showed up. One personal thing I want to pass on, one of the people I checked in was a recovering alcoholic now in a “sober house”. After I had him “clocked” in he said “do you mind if I ask how old you are?” I said “of course not.  I will be 87 in a couple of months”. He said “you made my day!!”. I said “why?” He said “at your age with a mind like yours that can still work like this here and with a memory for what you are doing. Like, gives me hope!” Made my day.

So it has been a pretty successful day. I got the TV “fixed”, pantry was good, the cleaning lady was here earlier, now I’m ready for the uploads then dinner. 

The word to ponder today call.  Perhaps in time the so-called Dark Ages will be thought of as including our own. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. As I know more of mankind I expect less of them, and am ready now to call a man a good man upon easier terms than I was formerly. Samuel Johnson. One is tempted to define man as a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason. Oscar Wilde.  A person is always startled when he hears himself seriously called an old man for the first time. Oliver Wendell Holmes. We do what we must, and call it by the best names. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business, is only to be sustained by perpetual neglect of many other things. Robert Louis Stevenson. Appetite, with an opinion of attaining, is called hope; the same, without such opinion, despair. Thomas Hobbes. We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words. Anna Sewell. Nature magically suits a man to his fortunes, by making them the fruit of his character. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Never fear the want of business. A man who qualifies himself well for his calling, never fails of employment. Thomas Jefferson. Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience. George Washington. It is best to do things systematically, since we are only human, and disorder is our worst enemy. Hesiod. The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run. Henry David Thoreau. We should every night call ourselves to an account: What infirmity have I mastered today? What passions opposed? What temptation resisted? What virtue acquired? Seneca. I tasted too what was called the sweet of revenge - but it was transient, it expired even with the object, that provoked it. Ann Radcliffe. That there should one Man die ignorant who had capacity for Knowledge, this I call a tragedy. Thomas Carlyle. 

Article summary. My belief is that reading is always a good pass time not to mention building health, and  knowledge and maybe even wisdom. Lets see what this author thinks. The title is How reading a little each week is a form of life support. Josie Billington, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director, Centre for Research into Reading, Literature and Society, University of Liverpool. At theconversation.com. It started with results of a survey of 4,164 adults, some read some didn’t. The results were that of the ones who read for at least 20 minutes a week 20 percent said they “feel satisfied with their lives”. During the survey they found that of those who had been regular readers in the past “lost the habit” due to a “significant life-event”, having children or an illness or other reasons of lack of time. As the article went on there were findings of how people were affected in “mood and relaxation” by reading. Non readers showed signs of depression while those who read regularly were “less lonely”. Reading helps connect “to wider life systems and more broadly shared meanings”. In some cases it helped “restore their sense of having a place and purpose in the world”. It has been found that reading brings a stronger kind of relaxation than from television, “engaging in social media” or in passively reading magazines. The article showed that “concentration which reading demands and the absorption” allows for “worries (to) recede”. Reading allows for seeing a “person” in the lines of text that may be a reminder of self and so has shared feelings. Readers seem more able to “cope” in difficult times. I was surprised to see and agree that the article suggests it is easier for readers to “make decisions, plan and prioritize” and experience more “self-esteem”. Readers are “connected” with others and have better communication with others also leading to respect and “tolerance of others’ views”. Readers may have a stronger awareness of social and cultural issues. In coming to a close it is mentioned that reading for at least 30 minutes a week shows you’re “52% more likely to feel socially included”.”

I am having biscuits and gravy for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first upload today is “utensils”. I took this one while I was at pantry today. It is one of the drawers in the church kitchen. 

The second challenge is another “my choice”. It is also another of my “minimalist”. This one is one of my resurrection lilies. This plant was given to me by my husband’s grandmother many, many years ago. I look for the bloom every year in July. As I was pulling out of the drive way to go to church I saw it had bloomed over night.

The last assignment is “art”. This is a small section of the “gallery wall” I have been working on (with Tami and Andy). This wall is complete now. There may be more later if it is worth while.

Joy

this bonus image is one of my macros of a golden colored peony bloom that I uploaded to a contest and my 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 (and take a look at flickr.com search for rectorjoyce)

 July 26, 2026 a thought for today, A good heart breaks bad fortune. Spanish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “on the bench”. The bench being one of the terms for “counter”. This is the load of groceries that I have to put away yet. 

The second assignment was “red, white, and ?”. This is my red, white and
blue. I have the flag in the corner of my dining room. I see it and honor it everyday even inside. 

The last upload was “father”. This is my dad. It is a photo I have made from a sketch that someone made of him and my mother many, many years ago. 

Life today. I don’t know how I did it but I had the base of this letter off to a good start and even had all four photos for the day cataloged and ready for upload. I had that all done before it was time to get ready for church. 

One of my sites was giving me trouble both yesterday and up to the last minute this morning. It was my Fine Art America site. It wouldn’t load and I got a message that said they were doing some service work and to try again later. I tried several times between other work then again about fifteen minutes before leaving for church, then it loaded. 

I had an invitation to go to lunch but ended up not going. The chosen place to go is to loud, people yelling, loud music and dishes clattering. It is a little unnerving and, for me, uncomfortable especially on Sunday.  Just doesn’t seem respectful. 

Since I was able to get so much accomplished before church there is even less on my agenda for this Sunday so I will be playing with a new place on line that I can get other backgrounds for some of my “photo art work” side of things. I think I will use it for my “textured over lays” and some of my “still life” some of the time. But it’s new to me and I want to see what more is on the site. 

While I was coming awake (hypnopompic state) this morning thinking about the results of having a love and dislike feeling at the same time and how to handle it in a Christian way. Just one of those quirky things that are some how triggered to pop into my head now and then.  

The word to ponder today is bring. Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories. John Wilmot. The undertaking of a new action brings new strength. Evenius. Never refuse any advance of friendship, for if nine out of ten bring you nothing, one alone may repay you. Madame de Tencin. Reveal not every secret you have to a friend, for how can you tell but that friend may hereafter become an enemy. And bring not all mischief you are able to upon an enemy, for he may one day become your friend. Saadi. First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. Thomas a Kempis. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Cease to ask what the morrow will bring forth. And set down as gain each day that Fortune grants. Horace. The measure of a master is his success in bringing all men around to his opinion twenty years later. Ralph Waldo Emerson. A generation of men is like a generation of leaves; the wind scatters some leaves upon the ground, while others the burgeoning wood brings forth - and the season of spring comes on. So of men one generation springs forth and another ceases. Homer. Nobody likes the man who brings bad news. Sophocles. Haste in every business brings failures. Herodotus. History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity. Cicero. It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity. Publilius Syrus. I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts. Abraham Lincoln. 

Article summary. I like looking at different opinions, some academic and some common sense, on things that affect our happiness, our growth to wisdom and our caring for each other. This is what I came up with for today. The word facts, opinions and particularly the word and meaning of truth interest me. The title is Facts are not always more important than opinions: here’s why. Peter Ellerton, Lecturer in Critical Thinking, The University of Queensland. At theconversation.com. It begins by saying that some see opinions as being more important than fact. It explains that not all facts are true but doesn’t “devalue” knowledge. In my reading this is was confusing to me so I have to wrestle with it. The thing behind this is “what we think are facts – that is, those things we think are true – can end up being wrong”. It explains that facts can change, that’s my hang up. So I moved on. Calling something a fact is “to represent the best knowledge we have at any given time”. The article moves on to a point and says “if we think of an opinion as one person’s view on a subject, then many opinions can be solid”. So to make that “clearer in our meaning if we separate things into matters of fact and matters of opinion”. Matters of fact are “verifiable by observation, direct experience, rather than theory”.  Matters of opinion “rely on logical reasoning (questioning), definitions, or subjective values” (personal preference). The article comes to a point of ethics. Facts cannot decide a course of actions. It goes further with saying that “opinions are not just pale shadows of facts; they are judgements and conclusions”. In the closing it is stated that facts and opinions “have complementary functions in our decision-making”, ending with the author saying “they are equally useful. But that’s just my opinion – it’s not a fact.”

I think maybe DoorDash tonight for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first assignment is “from the freezer”. This is one of the many things in the freezer and one of my  favorites, probably part of dinner tonight. 

The next challenge is “including a beach”. This is my son so many years ago when he was in the military. 

The last upload today is “shadow”. I like the deep shadow from the over hang
on the buildings. I also like the lines of the bent sign pole. 

Joy

this bonus image is one from my archives when my house plants were much more in abundance is uploaded to a Fine Art America contest

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)

 July 24, 2026 a thought for today, When one door shuts, a hundred open. Spanish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “a packet”. In this photo club we are doing photos related to food this month. So yesterday’s image was “a packet” of Cream of Wheat. 

The next assignment was “my choice”, “still life”. This one is a garden glove
and a pair of pruning shears. 

The last upload was “flip flops”. I don’t have any flip flops in the house and no one around who wears them so I used my sister’s backless shoes that she finds more comfortable than flip flops. 

Life today. I left early enough to get things set up for Carolyn and I to get the newsletters ready to send out. There was a truck in the parking lot when I got there. Whoever was there didn’t follow me in the door. If he had knocked I most likely still wouldn’t have let him in as long as I was alone in the building. As it worked out he didn’t come to the door until after Carolyn had joined me. So I let him in and called Jack, it was about some electricity work that needed to be done. 

Carolyn and I were able to do some bonding as Dorothy and I did when we worked together. We made good time in getting things done. Then I dropped the newsletters off at a mail box at Kroger. Last stop, I went to get Sue a chili cheese burrito a Taco Bell but they were closed due to a technical problem.

When I got home from the church my wifi was down, the internet, the TV and my house phone service. They were down until after one o’clock so all of my work on the letter and the photos are all quick picks for today. They all needed a computer.

Tami came by to help me with little things that I needed help with. It was so good to spend time with her. One of the things she did for me was up a stick-on art piece to the room separating blind that Lowell had put up for me a while back.

The word to ponder today is break. When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time. Saint Francis de Sale. Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Men keep agreements when it is to the advantage of neither to break them. Solon. An oppressed people are authorized whenever they can to rise and break their fetters. Henry Clay. Break the leg of a bad habit. Puerto Rican Proverb. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. Bible. Don't break your shin on a stool that is not in your way. Irish Proverb. The surface of American society is covered with a layer of democratic paint, but from time to time one can see the old aristocratic colors breaking through. Alexis De Tocqueville. Everything passes, everything breaks, everything wearies. French Proverb. What breaks in a moment may take years to mend. Swedish proverb. To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. Sun-Tzu. Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. Proverbs 25:15. It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom. Aristotle.

Article summary. I was hoping this article touched on the kind of love in friendships not so much on the “partners” side of “love”. Also I wasn’t looking so much on the “meditation” way, I was thinking more on  the emotional side. The title is This Valentine’s Day, try loving kindness meditation. Jeremy David Engels Liberal Arts Endowed Professor of Communication, Penn State. At theconversation.com. I did learn in the very first sentence something that I was not aware of, Valentine’s Day was “invented” in “the 1300s in medieval Europe”. I also paid attention to the statement “love is one of the richest and most diverse human emotions”. I wasn’t familiar with the term and full meaning of a term that is being used throughout the article,  “loving kindness”. So I researched the term and found this definition loving-kindness, friendliness, and goodwill. It is a core Buddhist virtue and a cultivated mental state aimed at wishing true happiness and welfare for all beings without any self-interest”. So it looks like what I was originally looking for may be only a part of this message. At least it may be in “wishing true happiness and welfare”, in my estimation to all humans whose lives we touch. The article goes on to touch on cultivating a friend who is “someone who without fail and without demanding” and someone who supports you in “pain” and “happiness” without the least sign of jealousy. The article goes on to talk about an act of “practicing loving kindness” in meditation. I don’t know much about the practice of meditation only that it is supposed to “train” your by being completely still and “calm the mind”. I might personally have a problem with this kind of “exercise” as a way to accomplish a point, I can’t sit still and “quiet” that long. According to the article, in some of this “meditation” there involves the use of certain phrases to “focus the mind”. These phrases are ultimately meant to spread loving-kindness to a “wider circle of friends and loved ones”. So this article isn’t how I was thinking of self promoting an increase in “loving thy neighbor”. That could simply mean making a conscious effort toward that goal with care and respect. 

It will be something from the freezer for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first assignment for today is “my choice”, “still life”. This image is one of my only tea cup and saucer housing a tiny bouquet of flowers just for this photo.

The second challenge is “a sauce”. I had a bottle of chili sauce on hand. I found it as I was searching for sauce of any kind that I may have ready and waiting for its ten seconds of fame. 

The last upload for today is “watermelon”. I don’t have a whole watermelon,
Sue and together wouldn’t be able to eat one of those in a week. I do have watermelon chunks, I have them in the frig all the time to help with my acid reflux. 

Joy

the bonus image is a macro or close up of yellow peony that was in one of my store bought bouquets and has been uploaded to a Fine Art America contest and my web page

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)

 July 22, 2026 a thought for today, He who doubts nothing knows nothing. Spanish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge was “something iconic”. When I chose the image I wanted to use I didn’t remember that this month in this group the images were supposed to be something related to food. I had already picked this image and it uploaded be for I remembered so I noted that this photo is a sketch of my mother who was an excellent cook in her prime. So it fit the assignment....sort of. 

The next assignment was one of the “my choice” and is another of my “still life” image, which as it turns out could also have been one of the ‘something iconic’ images. It is an ice pick which I don’t think are used as much today as they once were. 

The last upload is “letters”. This is some of my sister’s mail as she has been sorting through it. 

Life today. I have been able to get it all done. Meaning I was sure I would be up late tonight getting things done before printing time tomorrow. But it looks like I will be able to get done before dinner time. 

Pantry yesterday was a bit hectic. We were having new wifi receiver put in and set up so things were a little shaky for a while. Today it was perfect. Yesterday we had 32 families, today 30, great turn out. 

Sue had one of the nurses here early but I had to be gone before she was scheduled. Tami was coming over to take Sue to the store and pick up lunch. When I got home Lowell had stopped by too. So for a few fleeting seconds I got a glimpses of both my “kids”. They were on their way out as I was on my way in. 

I had to take a quick break at pantry to talk to another of Sues nurses to set up for tomorrow, again early. I am going to adjust my printing timing to take care of that.

The weather is almost perfect for summer now. Hope it holds for the next month and a half. 

I am going to do the photo uploads and other finishing touches for the day. 

The word to ponder today is brain.  A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains. Dutch Proverb. I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music. It seems to infuse strength into my limbs and ideas into my brain. Life seems to go on without effort, when I am filled with music. George Eliot. Do not think of knocking out another person's brains because he differs in opinion from you. It would be as rational to knock yourself on the head because you differ from yourself ten years ago. Horace Mann. The hare-brained chatter of irresponsible frivolity. Benjamin Disraeli. A man paints with his brains and not with his hands. Michelangelo Buonarroti. Ideas must work through the brains and arms of men, or they are no better than dreams. Ralph Waldo Emerson. ...for no man lives in the external truth among salts and acids, but in the warm, phantasmagoric chamber of his brain, with the painted windows and the storied wall. Robert Louis Stevenson. If thy words be too luxuriant, confine them, lest they confine thee. He that thinks he can never speak enough, may easily speak too much. A full tongue and an empty brain are seldom parted. Francis Quarles. Lulled in the countless chambers of the brain, our thoughts are linked by many a hidden chain; awake but one, and in, what myriads rise!  Alexander Pope. It is good to rub and polish our brain against that of others. Michel de Montaigne. The great events of the world take place in the brain. Oscar Wilde. Where the heart lies, let the brain lie also. Robert Browning. Books, the children of the brain. Jonathan Swift. It is in the brain that the poppy is red, that the apple is odorous, that the skylark sings. Oscar Wilde. What good is speed if the brain has oozed out on the way. St. Jerome.

Article summary. I am interested in American Indian culture along with the belief that art tells a story so this article seemed to “fit the bill”. The title is From the Great Plains, Native American masterpieces emerged. Henry Adams Ruth Coulter Heede Professor of Art History, Case Western Reserve University. At theconversation.com. The author attended a program titled “Artists of Earth and Sky” covering 2,000 years of “artistic achievement by Plains Indians”.  It went on to say the Plains Indians’ culture was influenced by European settlers, particularly when horses were part of the picture. Spanish “conquistadors landed horses in Mexico in 1519". It described how the Great Plains wasn’t great in population in the 16th century, a few “subsistence farmers”, mostly buffalo hunters. They hunted on foot or with dogs at that time. The use of horses for Native American Indians began around 1680. By the 18th century all the tribes on the Plains had horses. About that time their culture had gown to be focused on hunting and war. “Wealth was measured in horses”. Buffalos were important for food, hides for tepees and clothes as well a buffalo chips for fuel. The horses made it much easier to hunt. The art the article mentions in the title was naturally not found in buildings, the Native Americans of the time had to move around so belongings had to be “mobile and light”. Their “art work” was found on tobacco bags, headdresses, robes, war clubs, pipes, whistles, saddles, ‘horse masks’, gauntlets, vest and more. Womens art work was made by using porcupine quills. They also made glass beadwork. The men created art work depicting hunting and battles including on war shields, weapons, and painting on buffalo hides. Some of that “art work” was “passed down, traded or purchased without written documentation”, so has been hard to find and to keep track. Some of the old art work was found with a “Native American woman at Fort Pierre, South Dakota, on June 1 1833". Finding other pieces of art work that may still have “survived” are hard to find and pop up from time to time. There are people who would like to find and/or see this “visually arresting, exquisitely crafted works”. The article says that finding and seeing the art “captures our attention in an almost-magical way; it allows the viewer to transcend normal boundaries of time and place”as in the “world of another person, era and culture”. Some of the objects mentioned are, one, a war shield with a design of bullets and lighten bolts. Another with a horse “effigy”.  Yet another is a “Ghost Dance Drum” with lightening bolts, and thunder birds representing “the ominous power and terror of a line storm on the Great Plains”.  Other of the artifacts that have been found are war shirts and “dance regalia” as well as  reading glasses made with buffalo horn, metal, glass, and mother of pearl. In ending the article it states that this art work “ranks with any of the great artistic traditions”. It is a different “form and style” and “can just as easily possess the power and artistry of a painting by Rembrandt or Van Gogh.”

It will be something from the freezer for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first challenge for today is “comfort food”.  This is one of the foods that “comfort” me on the way home from most outings I have completed. 

The next assignment is “my choice” “still life”, an apple on a mirror. I like shadow and reflection images.

The last assignment is “macro”. This is an image of the only plant that is
producing flowers at this time from one of my four window/railing planter boxes. My two miniature rose boxes are starting to produce also but they are not long enough for vase flowers. 

Joy

this bonus image is one of “the looking glass” covering images from mirrors. windows. crystal balls. reflections. hidden perspectives. moments seen twice. In a contest at Fine Art America 

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