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

 July 20, 2026 a thought for today, Secret fire is discovered by its smoke. Spanish Proverb

Photo is my life yesterday

The first challenge was “bowl”. I bought this black bowl a while back to use as a prop and have used it as such several times.

The next assignment was “black and white”. This is my favorite model, Bobbi
when she was trying to hide in the bed clothes. 

The last upload is “sunset”. I set my clock to late me know when it was close to sun set time. We had a pretty hard rain just minutes before the stated time for sunset so I wasn’t sure what I would get. 

Life today. I am offering my own humble opinion as I think there are other things to be considered. In church yesterday we learned that pastors are all called the same way, and they are all called to do the same thing in the pastoral field. All this is true. The kind of pastor they are then enters the picture resulting in how many souls they can bring to and keep in the church and in Christianity. How they live their lives is an example to all in the congregation and those who may join. Then there is how and the way they present the message, the sermon, as in a heart and soul kind of way or something read from a page. Also, full time and part time are a consideration.

On to Monday. I have both the bulletin and the newsletter started. This is the busy week, pantry, newsletter, bulletin and family. I got as far as I could go on the bulletin until I can hear from the pastor for this week. I hope to have some extra time this afternoon to get a little more done on the newsletter. 

We seem to be having a nice break from the high temperatures. It’s still not quite as comfortable as it could be but better than last week. 

It is mid afternoon now and my energy is running low so I think I am going to start shutting down for the day. 

The word to ponder today born.  Men are born to succeed, not fail. Henry David Thoreau. Men are born with two eyes, but only one tongue, in order that they should see twice as much as they say. Charles Caleb Colton. I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there. Confucius. Consider your origin; you were not born to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge. Dante Alighieri. Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains. Jean Jacques Rousseau. The sufferings that fate inflicts on us should be borne with patience, what enemies inflict with manly courage. Thucydides. O human race born to fly upward, wherefore at a little wind dost thou fall. Dante Alighieri. Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature. Cicero. No man who know aught can be so stupid to deny that all men naturally were born free. John Milton. Our deeds are like children that are born to us; they live and act apart from our own will. Nay, children may be strangled, but deeds never: they have an indestructible life both in and out of our consciousness. George Eliot. Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time. Hebrew Proverb. Genius is born--not paid. Oscar Wilde. It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire. Robert Louis Stevenson. To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. Cicero. All who would win joy, must share it; happiness was born a twin. Lord Byron. Let others praise ancient times; I am glad I was born in these. Ovid. Time ripens all things; no man is born wise. Miguel De Cervantes. Man is not born to solve the problem of the universe, but to find out what he has to do; and to restrain himself within the limits of his comprehension. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. We are born believing. A man bears beliefs, as a tree bears apples. Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Article summary. I like cheese, witchcraft and cheese, interesting, where can this go. The title is The spellbinding history of cheese and witchcraft. Tabitha Stanmore, Honorary Research Fellow, Early Modern Studies, Department of History, University of Bristol. At theconversation.com. The author mentions that as she was doing some research (as I find myself doing regularly) she came across an article that infers that giving a lady a piece of cheese has magic to it. She found it in reference to a book of magic. The author deducted that it may mean cheese may have magical qualitites due to being made with milk that gives “life and strength” or due to the way cheese is processed as possibly “magical”. There was a 12th century “mystic” who compared “making cheese the miracle of life” as it formed curds. As the article moved on it mentions that between 1450 and 1750 cheesemaking was likened to “all was chaos, that is, earth, air, water, and fire were mixed together”. Quoting here, a “2nd-century diviner, Artemidorus, mentions “tyromancy (fortune-tellers read the future by observing the way cheese ages)”. This “fortune telling” practice  continued, as a practice of “interpreting cheese dreams”. The sort of interpreting with cheese was used in medieval and early modern times to identify thieves and murderers. In this practice it would begin with a “prayer” to bless the cheese and say “his mouth be cursed and full of bitterness” then as it happens  “in the name of the devil” he will eat, if not guilty he will eat in the name of the Lord”.  Then the cheese was fed to the person, the “culprit” would be unable to eat the cheese. At a point in history witches would “meddle with milk and cheese”. In early modern Europe spoiling milk was associated with witches. There was an incident in around 1650 when a dairymaid was sure her milk was cursed because it turned into cheese, then there was a practice of a “counter curse” on the milk. To do that a stick of “rowan wood” would be on hand at milking time to “ protect the milk from ‘evil eyes’”. At another time in the story it was believed that “witches were also thought to magically steal milk directly from cows ‘udders”. More on the mysteriousness of cheese in history is a connection to grilled cheese sandwiches and adultery. To further that point, cheese is toasted, placed in a trap, a rat smells it, grabs the cheese and is caught this leads to the story of a woman catching a “rat”. If a woman in a dress and “adorned...entices a foolish ‘rat’, hence possible adultery. There is even more myths about cheese and its supposed “magic” qualities.  A piece of cheese thrown over the shoulder means fertility. Another is , for a man of impotence the wife would put a hole in a piece of cheese and feed the husband. Wow, I am amazed with these stories of cheese. 

 I think deli chicken and vegetable soup for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload is “a round food”. I used my black bowl as to give the grapes a resting spot. 

The next assignment is “my choice”. One of my series of “still life”. I had saved one of the roses for one of my recent bouquets. It looks pretty good in the still life. 

The last challenge is “door”. This shot is from my archives. It was taken in a
small town in Ohio many years ago. 

Joy

this bonus image is a sepia of a house down the street from where I live, it is uploaded to 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 18, 2026 a thought for today, Even a thread of hair has its shadow. Romanian Proverb

Photo in my life yesterday

My first challenge for yesterday was “my country”. I used a shot I had taken a few weeks ago of a series of our flag along the highway. 

The next assignment was “my choice” and one of my series of
“weeds”. It is one tallish weed along the back fence. 

The last upload was “a food you’ve never tried”. I have never tried to eat a dandelion. I have heard that all parts of them are edible.

Life yesterday. The last couple of days we have been experiencing some smoke moving down our way from Canada. There was a major air hazard waning about being outside yesterday. Late in the day a pretty heavy rain storm moved in. The thunder was so loud that Bobbi found a place to hide. The thunder calmed down but she stayed “hidden” until the middle of the night. 

It’s a fairly typical Saturday. I have picked up the groceries but not quite put them away. I am about to do that. I wanted to get the photos I shot on the way home into Photoshop before I started on the put away part of the day. 

Today the smoke seems to have dissipated to some extent. I thought I was hearing on the news yesterday that the rain was supposed to be today. I must have heard wrong. We had the rain late yesterday, none yet today. We still seem to be in the heat wave though. I think we will get a break in that part beginning tomorrow. 

The word to ponder today is blow. He that blows the coals in quarrels that he has nothing to do with, has no right to complain if the sparks fly in his face. Benjamin Franklin. I will have nought to do with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same breath. Aesop. Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind. Robert Ingersoll. He who strikes the first blow admits he's lost the argument. Chinese Proverb. The wind bloweth where it listeth. Bible, John3. 8. Blow, blow, thou winter wind! Thou art not so unkind as Man's ingratitude. William Shakespeare. The human heart is like a ship on a stormy sea driven about by winds blowing from all four corners of heaven. Martin Luther. Absence extinguishes small passions and increases great ones, as the wind blows out a candle, and blows in a fire. De La Rochefoucauld. Do not speak harshly to any one; those who are spoken to will answer thee in the same way. Angry speech is painful: blows for blows will touch thee. Buddha. I pass my life in preventing the storm from blowing down the tent, and I drive in the pegs as fast as they are pulled up. Abraham Lincoln. A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache. Catherine the Great. 

Article summary. This isn’t exactly what I was looking for in my search but it is close. I was looking for staycation on a different slant I think. We’ll see how this one explains it. The title is How the Victorians invented the ‘staycation’. Joan Passey, Lecturer in Victorian literature and culture, University of Bristol. At theconversartion. These articles are written by authors all over the world this one is written by a person in England. The gist of must of these articles touches us all. In the 19th century “tourism” began to enter the picture involving more folks. The article mentions that happened due to more railways and work policies offering better choices for leisure in England. But traveling out of the country wasn’t readily available. So people planned their available “vacation” time closer to home. As work “holidays” rolled around more regularly and transportation was more readily available working class people used their free days to explore closer to home. It looks like in Europe the railway was important in the travel expediencies for the “less wealthy” folks. I found that this article covered more about the leisure time and staycations in England and very much about the railway considerations. It mentioned seaside resorts, promenade and pavilions with “deckchairs, ice-cream, donkey rides, Punch and Judy shows”. It also mentioned that in the 19th century ice cream came  along with “ice houses “ to keep them cold became popular. The article didn’t mention the staycation in the US so I did some more research. It became “widely popular in the US in 2008" due to high gas prices and inflation and “economic uncertainty”. Local “attractions were” considered and planned. In the research I found that during WWII people were “encouraged to stay home” to save “rationed resources”. Then it “resurfaced” in 2008 as gasoline went up and budgets were “tighter”. According to more of what I read they have become more like “local outings mixed with catching up on projects around the house”. Some families are turning their own backyard into a personal getaway.

Meat loaf and baked potatoes sounds good for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload is “a colorful dish”. It is one of my BLTs. Which reminds me I haven’t had one for a while and it looks good. 

The next assignment is “yellow”. This is a yellow, for some reason, I see very often.

The last challenge is “minimalist”. This is one of the yellow daisy’s that has
begun to sag. The arrangement is about to be replaced. 

Joy

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

Bobbi resting on my leg image uploaded to Fine Art America 

 July 16, 2026 a thought for today, For a sackful of learning a cartful of wisdom is needed. Romanian Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge for yesterday was “jewelry”. This is a “flat lay” image of some of my very old collection of jewelry which never wear anymore. 

The next assignment was “a pantry staple”. This is one small section of my
“pantry”, I just call them cupboard shelves. 

The last upload was “my choice” and one of my “weeds” series. This one as you can see was a weed growing up between bricks. 

Life today. I had a welcome and fun visit with Tami and Andy and my new furry grand daughter. She is a jewel, so loving and gentle. She had a bad year but doesn’t seem damaged by it or isn’t going to let it ruin the rest of her life. She was adopted once and then returned to the humane society. I can’t see a reason for that in the temperament I observed. She is precious and wants to be loved. She truly has a forever home now. 

We all have dreams some or them don’t go anywhere others do. Part of the fun and relief is going for it. That is the way with mine and my photo project at my church. Tami and Andy have helped me with that dream. I can’t thank them enough. I have been afraid it wouldn’t get finished or I would run out of steam. Andy helped me put that to rest today. It is finished. I may want to expand on it depending on how this one goes and when the weather is better. But the beginning and the effort to try has been done. It’s a big boost to the psyche, especially when a well along senior citizen is beginning to feel twilight twinges of feelings of becoming a bother, an interruption, an afterthought. 

I got to church early so that I could have the printing done and distributed. Andy got there earlier than we had planned so I folded the bulletins while watching him finish the hanging. Once he was done and had left the church I distributed the bulletins and finished up. 

I had to stop at Kroger for meds and a couple of other things. That is where I drop off the mail every week with a good timing pick up too. There is a postal pick up box right outside their door. 

Now I have the laundry in and just finished the photos in Photoshop so I am ready for the uploads. 

The word to ponder for today is better.  'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. Abraham Lincoln. Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better. Silence is deep as Eternity; speech is shallow as Time. Thomas Carlyle. One must know oneself, if this does not serve to discover truth, it at least serves as a rule of life and there is nothing better. Blaise Pascal. Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one. George Washington. Do thou restrain the haughty spirit in thy breast, for better far is gentle courtesy. Homer. Better fare hard with good men than feast it with bad. Thomas Paine. You better live your best and act your best and think your best today, for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other tomorrows that follow. Harriet Martineau. Worries go down better with soup than without. Jewish Proverb. Better shun the bait, than struggle in the snare. John Dryden. Sometimes a scream is better than a thesis. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Better by far you should forget and smile than you should remember and be sad. Christina Rossett. Well done is better than well said. Benjamin Franklin. To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive. Robert Louis Stevenson. A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety. Aesop. There are occasions when it is undoubtedly better to incur loss than to make gain. Titus Maccius Plautus. What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better. Wendell Phillips. Better the foot slip than the tongue. French Proverb. Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all. Hypatia of Alexandria. There is no better deliverance from the world than through art; and a man can form no surer bond with it than through art. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Article summary. As a photographer I am interested in this article however since it is talking about smartphone photography it may be of interest to everyone since smartphones are a fixture in this age in history, the digital age is another of those times of historical growth. The title is How to take better photos with your smartphone, thanks to computational photography. Rob Layton, Senior Teaching Fellow (Journalism), Bond University. At theconversation.com. It starts by telling what computational photography is it means “that image capture is via a series of digital processes rather than purely optical ones”. Different models of the smartphone family can apply different operations such as auto focus and exposure, or can “stack” multiple frames to smooth out brightness and darkness and can “artificially blur the background”. Some of the complicated set ups of standard cameras are now done automatically in real time inside the “camera” like capture, editing and delivery. It looks like AI is here, maybe one of the good parts of it. The author mentioned much like my own experiences of starting in photography all those many years ago with a “bag full of cameras and lens”, and a darkroom (mine, a gift from my dad). He says he now used his iPhone exclusively. It is cheaper and “always with me” (the author and me too). He says the “phone producers” are “pulling the rug from beneath traditional camera manufacturers”. He goes on to compare it to “hard copy” newspapers becoming obsolete to a digital form that is better and faster. On smartphones there is a low light and long exposure quality. There is a portrait mode naturally allowing for objects in the background to be blurred, some of the cameras allow for “fine tuning” the captures. There are adjustments on smartphones to offer controls to meet choices of outcomes. Even with smartphones there can be times when a tripod is necessary to get the perfect shot. In coming to an end the article mentions to be successful even with smartphone photography you should understand there are limitations to be aware of, they are a tool “and computational photography the technology that powers the tool”. To be remembered “it is the photographer who takes the picture, not the camera”. The article ends with “Happy snapping”.

Photos in my life today

My first upload for today is “a jar”. It looked a little lonesome when I took the first shot so I added a filter to give it some character. 

The next challenge was “broken”. I made tuna salad with a hard boiled (air fried actually) for lunch. I decided to use the broken egg shell for this image.

The last assignment is another “my choice and another of the “weed” series. I
found this in the alley behind one of my neighbors houses.

I haven’t had the Welsh Rarebit I have been hankering for so I think I will have it tonight. 

Joy

this was a petunia shot I had taken a while back I separated it from it’s original background to replace it with another shade of red for 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

 July 14, 2026 a thought for today, An hour of play discovers more than a year of conversation. Portuguese Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge yesterday was “breakfast”. I cooked myself and plate of sunny side up egg and toast just for this shot, well not just for...I was hungry too and eggs sounded good. My eggs don’t always, as a matter of fact rarely, come out this good looking.

The second upload was “my choice” and is one of a series of “weeds”. This one is along my chain link fence, I is difficult to cut down with some of it included in the chain links.  

The last assignment was “stripes”. I was out on the porch looking for a flag one of the neighbors may have left up. I didn’t see any but thought about the awning on the house across the street and decided to use it. 

Life today. I am enjoying these quiet days. I have been “playing” around using searches to find answers to things that seem to pop into my mind as I am writing or “fact” checking some of the quotes I make in parts of the writing. One other area of “searching” is looking up images in my archives that I want to use in my annual calendar. Using the archives also for the photos I want put on the gallery wall at church. In most lot looks that may be “work” but the ones I am playing with are interesting, educational and even relaxing for me. 

With these “quieter” days I have been making a little head way into “spring cleaning”for a few minutes each day, getting rid of some things that should have been “gone” a long time ago. One of the big things has been cleaning out the chest freezer, another has been drawers that are where I have collected storage container lids that seem to have no bottoms and old utensils that I have three or four of the same type. I think I am making a dent but a dent seems to be the extent of it so far. There are some things I don’t need or use any longer. Some are in good condition but I don’t need to keep them any more. I just don’t know quite what I want to do with them. I surely don’t want to throw most of them out. I don’t know how to get them together to take somewhere to donate. There are some that have sentimental value, maybe the next time I come across them I will make a decision and stick to it. 

The weather seems to be a touch less hot but that is just a touch and not for very long. It is supposed to be in the 90 to 100 degrees for the next few days. 

There is noting on my agenda for the next few days. I guess it is a sort of staycation. It certainly isn’t a vacation, it has been so long since I had one of those that I can’t remember what they feel like. They were far and few between. But there are the memories, not quite the same thing but it is what it is.

The word to ponder today is begin. If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties. Sir Francis Bacon. Who begins too much accomplishes little. German Proverb. 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; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly. Thomas H. Huxley. Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning. John Henry Cardinal Newman. Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew. Saint Francis de Sales. Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. Demosthenes. The beginning is always today. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Charity begins at home. Terence. From the end spring new beginnings. Pliny the Elder. When we are born we die, our end is but the pendant of our beginning. Manilius. Repentance may begin instantly, but reformation often requires a sphere of years. Henry Ward Beecher. Education begins a gentleman, conversation completes him. Dr. Thomas Fuller. Beginning is easy - Continuing is hard. Japanese Proverb. Where the telescope ends the microscope begins, and who can say which has the wider vision? Victor Hugo. The instant formal government is abolished, society begins to act. A general association takes place, and common interest produces common security. Thomas Paine. 

Article summary. I think most of us know that pets help humans with stress and other moods. This article brings up the point that plants can too. I think we can have a look at this view on the subject. The title is How plants can change your state of mind. Sven Batke, Lecturer in Biology, Edge Hill University. At theconversation.com. It opens by mentioning how people see “pretty flowers and trees” but other than that there is apparently little if any thought to any other kind of connection. The article says that there is “scientific evidence” that show there is a role in how they affect our mental state including depression and other mood changes even touching of how it may decrease physical illnesses. Some studies have shown therapy with plants in PTS symptoms and creativity capabilities. There may be a sense of “well being” with a potted plant on a desk, a houseplant in a workplace that “seems to allow you to think more clearly”. This statistic from one study of plants interested me, it showed a 20 percent increase in recall. They say that can happen due to a reduction in carbon dioxide that improves air quality. As the article moves on it mentions that the “connection with plants” has changed over the last 11,000 years. First the reliance was on food and in many cases medicine. Another interesting point in the article is that by 2050 “seven out of ten people “will be living in cities and access to plants in their natural environment will become more challenging....disconnected from nature”. The article is coming to the point of saying humans have “biophilia” which means an “innate human tendency to seek connections with nature and other living things”, thank goodness to “other living things” in my opinion. So in reality plants increase endorphin a hormone called a happiness hormone. The feel of flowers, the scent and the tastes of edible plants have tantalized “our senses throughout human history”. Toward the end of the article it is mentioned that in recent years there has been an increase in plant sales. Two things in the ending sentence is something to share “plants aren’t a luxury” and in many languages the word “plants” translates to “those who take care of us”.

Photos in my life today 

The first challenge today is “slice”. This is from the archives since I don’t have and cake or pies around to take a slice from right now. 

The next upload is another of the “my choice” and another of my series of “weeds”. This one has taken up residence near my garage doors. 

My last assignment for today is “keys”. My son, Bob, had a “thing” about
keys and for Ohio State so I used a set of his keys for this one. I have kept a lot more keys from his collections as keep sakes.

I think soup and sandwiches for dinner. 

Joy

there is a technique in Photoshop that allows the background in a photo to be changed, I used the technique in this photo. It has been uploaded to a Fine Art America contest and my Fine Art “shop”

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 12, 2026 a thought for today, Don't leave the high road for a short cut. Portuguese Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge was “a baked good”. This one of my biscuits with grape jelly on it along with, low sugar of course. 

The next assignment was “blue or golden hour”. The night before I made
myself a note to check the sky as soon as I got up. I just made it. Sunrise was 6:30 and I was up at 6:35. 

The last assignment was “cute”. The cutest thing in my house is Bobbi so she was once again my model. 

Life today. The sermon today was scripturally intellectual as always with Mike. Biblical names have always caused me to tend to skip over since for me they are difficult to pronounce and to understand relationships in many cases. Such was the case today. However, the subject matter and it’s biblical references were intriguing. Basically it was a lead into how the stars “symbolize God's power, his covenant promises, and divine guidance”. The stars mentioned with it’s biblical meaning were Virgo (virgin birth), Scorpio (Messiah and the serpent (Satan)), Pisces (multitude of believers joined to Christ), and Leo (Christ as the Lion). I was taught astrology or horoscopes are strongly to be condemned and not trusted, this sermon followed that thought.  It was basically to show that in the beginning all the stars were named and to show some of their biblical meanings. 

I stopped for gas on the way home before there is another possible price increase. Then on for my usual McDonalds fish. 

The rest of the day other than the photos is reset, refresh, restore. 

Today the weather is near comfortable. We are in for another stretch of a few days for 95 and above. I am hoping it is “cool” enough to finish the west wall gallery at church.  We have seven more photos to hang. Other than that it should be one more relatively quiet week. 

The word to ponder today is before. A timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterward. Jean Paul Richter. I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light. Isaac Newton. All things are difficult before they are easy. Dr. Thomas Fuller. Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air. John Quincy Adams. Make your bargain before beginning to plow. Arab Proverb. He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses. Horace. Don't fall before you're pushed. English Proverb. Be charitable before wealth makes thee covetous. Sir Thomas Browne. Flowers never emit so sweet and strong a fragrance as before a storm. When a storm approaches thee, be as fragrant as a sweet-smelling flower. Jean Paul Richter. Roam abroad in the world, and take thy fill of its enjoyments before the day shall come when thou must quit it for good. Saadi. Know most of the rooms of thy native country before thou goest over the threshold thereof. Thomas Fuller. There is surely a piece of divinity in us, something that was before the elements, and owes no homage unto the sun. Sir Thomas Browne. The world is not yet exhaused; let me see something tomorrow which I never saw before. Samuel Johnson. Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. George Washington. How beggarly appear arguments before a defiant deed! Walt Whitman. Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion... or you shall learn nothing. Thomas H. Huxley. Young men's minds are always changeable, but when an old man is concerned in a matter, he looks both before and after. Homer. The end always passes judgement on what has gone before. Publilius Syrus. Be not too hasty either with praise or blame; speak always as though you were giving evidence before the judgement-seat of the Gods. Seneca. The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law. Aristotle.

Article summary. I had two dogs that I trained with as therapy dogs. I never thought of cats as being in that tend. So I thought I would have a look at this article. I feel miy cat has a therapy presence for me. The tile is Do cats make good therapy animals? The new trend showing felines may be more complicated than we realize. Grace Carroll, Lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast. At theconversation.com. It opened by saying how dogs have been in the therapy animal for a while, now the thought of cats seems to be “emerging” into the that field. It is said that it is handled in “media and inconsistently within the scientific community” with some period of thought. As an explanation to those theories there is this sentence... “animal-assisted therapy is a structured activity delivered by health professionals with clinical goals”. I feel they are saying they are being considered for the area of relieving loneliness and stress. They are used in prisons, hospitals, care homes and hospices. They are used in cases were there is a fear of dogs and larger animals. Problems do arise in this effort due to the known fact cats are “unpredictable” with unfamiliar people and places. In many ways they are like their “wild ancestors”, they are prone a feeling of  “priorities territorial security.” They heavily rely on scent to “navigate” and feel secure. They tend to mark what they feel as safe spaces with their face as they rub against places and people, they have scent glands on their cheeks “creating a kind of olfactory map of their home range”. Some cats develop a way of tolerating in environments that animal experts “assumed were too stressful for them”. After some scientific testing it was found that a trusted human was needed in “unfamiliar or potentially stressful environments”. In the testing when “reunited with their owner” they felt a reduction of stress and were encouraged to explore. The cats that would be used in the field of therapy would be the household variety that would be those looking for being more sociable and  attention seeking as well as less “ resistant to being restrained”. They are planning on more testing to find the traits of sociability and tolerance. There would have to be handlers who could work with the cats as they develop the socialization needed ofa therapy cat. In some early testing it was noticed that the cat seemed to need to develop a relationship with the handler. In choosing which therapy animal would be best for a situation their “social needs”, temperament and tolerance have to be considered. One thing to be considered in an individual situation might be if the person in question were a “cat person”. Dogs may be better where physical interaction is considered and cats where the sound of a cats purr offer therapeutic benefits. In a 2001 study it was shown that a certain decimal in a purr can promote calming and healing in humans. In ending the article it is said ‘dogs might be the traditional therapy animal, but cats have shown they too have what it takes....cats can offer something different to those in need of comfort.”

I think I need Welsh Rarebit for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first upload is “I made this”. I had a photo ready to upload when I realized it was supposed to be food related. I had this one uploaded in yesterdays file so I used it here, my beef and homemade noodles. 

The next assignment is “a summer time thing”. This is one of the fane we used keep cool at church. 

The last assignment is “skyscraper”. I haven’t been downtown so I took this
one from my archives. 

Joy

the bonus was is a white rose in a golden vase uploaded to Fine Art American for a contest and my on line shop 

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