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

Photos in my life yesterday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I think salmon patties and rice for dinner. 

Photos in my life today 

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

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

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

Joy

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

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

Photos in my life yesterday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos in my life today

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

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

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

Joy 

     

                                                               one of summer’s gifts

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

Photos in my life yesterday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos in my life today

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

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

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

Joy        

                                                      one of the newer bridges in my city

 March 20, 2026, a thought for today, Time is anger's medicine. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge assignment was titled “your favorite.” I have lots of favorites, but this is one from my current load. It is a gorgeous day lily as it was opening. 

The next one is titled “a pattern.” This is an image of a part of a patch work
quilt my daughter made for me many, many years ago. 

The last upload for yesterday was “sweet.” I can’t have too many sweets in the house, my sister and I both have diabetes. I can’t resist now and then. This is one of the McDonald hand size apple pies which is as sweet as I could go yesterday. 

Life today. I went to the church to finish the newsletter around eight o’clock. Dorothy was unable to make it today so I finished and dropped them at the post office. 

Life today. I was still having the “check tire pressure” message. So I had decided to take it to a tire repair place. As I was talking on the phone with them I realized the tire had gone down even further, almost clear flats so I decided instead of driving on a near flat tire I would call AAA. They came and changed the tire and put the spare on. They suggested having the tire fixed soon. I noticed when I went back out for an errand the check pressure message was still on.  I think it may need to be reset.

I as able to get this letter started before I left. I had thought I would be tied up with the car longer today. However having the AAA out only took a few minutes. 

I spent some time on getting the photos ready for upload. Now I have time to finish the letter and do the uploads before I get to work on  the grocery order. Then I can spend some time in the kitchen making a casserole and maybe a dessert. 

The word for today is single. Great services are not canceled by one act or by one single error. Benjamin Disraeli.  Resolve to edge in a little reading every day, if it is but a single sentence. If you gain fifteen minutes a day, it will make itself felt at the end of the year. Horace Mann. The first precept was never to accept a thing as true until I knew it as such without a single doubt. Rene Descartes. One single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer. G. E. Lessing. If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way. Buddha. All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action. James Russell Lowell.   All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle. Saint Francis of Assisi. When several villages are united in a single complete community, large enough to nearly or quite self-sufficing, the state comes into existence, originating in the bare needs of life, and continuing in existence for the sake of a good life. Aristotle.  How many a dispute could have been deflated into a single paragraph if the disputants had dared to define their terms. Aristotle. A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong. Tecumseh. A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows. Francis of Assisi. The superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In moments of haste, he cleaves to it. In seasons of danger, he cleaves to it. Confucius. Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope. Epictetus. The whole theory of the universe is directed unerringly to one single individual. Walt Whitman. A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town. Henry David Thoreau. All the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly. Thomas Aquinas. I thought of the soul as resembling a castle, formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal, and containing many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions. Saint Teresa of Avila. Time alone reveals the just man; but you might discern a bad man in a single day. Sophocles. 

Article summary. I saw the title, it made me think of all the times my kids watched his televison show and me along with them. I always felt there was a caring and gentle way of living life in that show. I thought it would be interesting to see what more there was to know about this man. Later in my life I learned he was a Presbyterian minister and in fact was in theology school with one of our most popular and loving  ministers in my own church. The article title is Why Mister Rogers’ message of love and kindness is good for your health. Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University. At theconveration.com. He felt a part of what his faith’s leaders referred to as a term called  “unconditional love.” He believed in and practiced that feel and showed it in touching others lives. He felt it was not only a way of life it “was also promoting their health.” He lived and used this in his way of approaching his avenue of visiting his audiences. His belief was “you are an important person just the way you are” and “you can make healthy decisions.” He was an essence of his belief  “people who are generous and volunteer their time for the benefit of others seem to be happier.” I was interested in the part of an interview with him that quoted “I went into television because I hated it so” and then went on to convey that there had to be a way of using television “to nurture those who would watch and listen.” The article goes on to say kindness is good for health in that it allows endorphins to be released which relieve pain and lower stress and anxiety. The article also said it appears to “be good for mood.” One study that the article mentions found that people in the study who “rated their happiness highest were 35  percent” of the group and would most likely live longer that those who didn’t. Mr. Rogers as a minister didn’t use blood tests or CT scans, of course, he paid more attention to the “spirt” than the body.  He said “life is more than you touch or see” which  allows you to feel and experience things that you cannot “survive” without. His show encouraged children to “be kinder and more loving.” In a speech he gave at Middlebury College he said that he believed that “appreciation is a holy thing” and in that “we’re doing what God does.” He was not less concerned about bodily health as a matter of fact he “encouraged” healthy habits. He himself was an regular swimmer and ate in a healthy manner. The article related that he believed that health alone did not make a full life. So I’ll end my summary with his show motto (and mine) “Won't You Be My Neighbor, It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

I didn’t make tuna casserole as I had planned the other day I think I will tonight. 

Photos in my life today

Today’s first upload assignment “selective color.” The last bouquet I got had some gorgeous lilies and beautiful carnations. The touch was one of the carnations adding some color to its neighbors with their colors in black and white. 

Moving on to the next upload that is titled “laugh.” I took this shot many years ago. It is my granddaughter when something in life gave her a time of happy laughter. She still seems as happy much of the time.

The last assignment for now is “ball.” I made this shot awhile back. I am not sure exactly when or where. I do remember one of my local photo clubs made a trip to a near by golf course for a photo “safari.”

Joy 

                             in the good old summer time

March 18, 2026, a thought for today, The last shuts the door. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

This first challenge was “heart.” A good friend of mine at my church helped me out with this image. She formed the heart for me. 

The next image assignment was titled “game.” This is a design in the tiles at church. When I got the
image in Photoshop, I wasn’t satisfied with the focus. It was too late to reshoot so I added a filter

which is a little in a form of a sketch. 

The last upload for yesterday was “green.” This is another of my friends who had on a green shirt and was happy to help me out. 

Life today. It has been a very busy and eventful day. I finished the newsletter and uploaded the Sunday School data to Instagram and Facebook. What amazed me is I still had time to get research for this letter done along with finding a thought for the day that I wanted to use and an article I like. I was able to get all of that done and still got to food pantry at church by eleven fifteen. 

Pantry yesterday was slow. Today is picked up a good deal. It was a slow and steady movement. I was able to get one of the photos at church. I got the other two when I got home. Then I got to work on working on the photos in Photoshop. 

The computer is still in need of some clean up on the hard drive and any other TLC it needs. But it is working for me with some nips and tucks until I have time to have it checked. 

I want to finish getting things I need for printing tomorrow then I may be ready to close down for the day. 

The word today is simplicity.  Most modern calendars mar the sweet simplicity of our lives by reminding us that each day that passes is the anniversary of some perfectly uninteresting event. Oscar Wilde. The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. Thomas Moore. The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity. Walt Whitman. Manifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires. Lao-tzu. It is simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences. Aristotle. There is a certain majesty in simplicity which is far above all the quaintness of wit. Alexander Pope. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler. Henry David Thoreau. The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue. Confucius. Business? It's quite simple. It's other people's money. Alexandre Dumas. The most difficult character in comedy is that of a fool, and he must be no simpleton who plays the part. Miguel de Cervantes. There is no vice so simple but assumes some mark of virtue on his outward parts. William Shakespeare. The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple. Oscar Wilde. A prayer in its simplest definition is merely a wish turned Godward. Phillips Brooks. A simple and independent mind does not toil at the bidding of any prince. Henry David Thoreau. No simplicity of mind, no obscurity of station, can escape the universal duty of questioning all that we believe. William Kingdon Clifford. A taste for simplicity cannot endure for long. Eugene Delacroix. 

Article summary. I picked this article because it is about animals and a bit about ancient history. It is a story about how animals faired way back in time. The title is Birds, worms, rabbits: Francis of Assisi was said to have loved them all – but today’s pet blessings on his feast day might have seemed strange to the 13th century saint. Mary Dzon, Associate Professor of English, University of Tennessee. At theconverstaion.com. The first sentence began by telling about an event in New York in one October. You may have seen “a whole menagerie of animals being welcomed into the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, from spaniels and parrots to even the occasional camel or cow.” The article explained that from the end of the 20the century animals “and their human companions have been blessed by come churches “on or around the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.” I read that Francis didn’t want friars to keep pets. I read elsewhere that the reason for that, was that he saw that as “distraction, a potential source of frivolous affection, and a risk to the total poverty the order vowed to live by.” However he “believed all creatures were children of God, equal in their creator's eyes.” The author went on to mention several other notable humans in history who had memorable and miraculous contacts with animals. One man centuries ago lived in a cave where birds brought him food as others gathered around him. St. Francis’s character in paintings and statues show him in the company of animals in symbols associated Jesus as with lambs even a worm that reminded him of Christ’s humility. He once was depicted as having preached to a flock of birds. The article mentions there was to Francis’s beliefs “a familial relationship with everything in nature.” Further on in the article it is mentioned that Francis may not have been “as opposed to pets as it may seem.” To explain the last sentence,  they mentioned the “tale of the wolf of Gubbio.”  Francis had made “a pact of peace” with the wolf in a story was named “Bother Wolf.”  The wolf had been a source of fear to many of the townspeople in Gubbio. After Francis and the pact the wolf remained in the town for two years going in and out of people’s homes being “kindly” fed by the people. As the article was ending, it was stated in the blessings of the animals now days tha  “perhaps they sense the sacred” and are “attracted to” the ideas of St. Francis as it relates to “harmony .... joyfully coming together to praise God.” In another article I was researching gathering more facts, I found that “Francis believed in stewardship over nature, viewing it as his responsibility to protect all creatures.” In my opinion stewardship is freely and with hopeful expatiations offered to each of us. 

Salmon patties sound good for dinner with salad and fruit. 

Photos in my life today

The first challenge today is “fuzzy”. This is my blanket with sleeves. It is very warm and fuzzy. I used it everyday that we were having the below freezing temperature this winter. 

This second upload is “a door”. This is one of the set of doors at church. I find many of my photo opportunities when I am at church. We have a church with wonderful architecture. There are also a variety of good places, times and people to get some of my best images. 

The last image upload is “dreamy”. I get some of my best shots of Bobbi. She
is always a good subject when sleeping or playing. She is my friend, my joy and my comfort. 

Joy

                                         shapes, lines, curves

 March 14, 2026 a thought for today, When the measure is full, it runs over. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

This upload was titled “a pet” (or one you saw). She’s mine. Her name is Bobbi. She will be one year old in five days. She is full of energy and without effort brings laughter and smile. 

The next challenge is “fresh as a daisy.” I’m not sure that this is a daisy (I know that it had to be the daisy flower in person or the metaphor instead).

The last upload for yesterday were “lips.” My sister is always helpful in allowing me to use her for one of my assignments and she doesn’t seem to mind what pose I need. 

Life today. This has been a busy and interesting day. I got up early. I wanted a little time for checking on news headlines, Face book, and emails. I also found I had a short time to get the research parts for this letter done before I had to get ready to go to the meeting that was mandated for members of  our Session committee  at church. Another member and friend picked me up. The meeting was scheduled for a longer time than I had thought. 

The meeting was interesting. It was nice meeting other people from my church’s denomination. They came from several different congregations in the area. There were four of us there from Hogs. 

I managed to get my photos for the day right after I got home. I decided on them quickly so they may not be quite what I would have chosen had I had a little more time. I also needed to get a couple of house hold chores out of the way before turning off the computer, having dinner and heading for the lunge chair for the day. 

The word today is sign. When a true genius appears in this world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him. Jonathan Swift. Drink nothing without seeing it; sign nothing without reading it. Spanish Proverb. Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth. Blaise Pascal. Words learned by rote a parrot may rehearse; but talking is not always to converse, not more distinct from harmony divine, the constant creaking of a country sign. William Cowper. There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt. Niccolo Machiavelli, The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power of teaching. Aristotle. The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness. Michel de Montaigne. Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. Aesop. To accuse others for one's own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's education is complete. Epictetus.. Grant me the treasure of sublime poverty: permit the distinctive sign of our order to be that it does not possess anything of its own beneath the sun, for the glory of your name, and that it have no other patrimony than begging. Francis of Assisi. Without a sign, his sword the brave man draws, and asks no omen, but his country's cause. Homer. It is the sign of a great mind to dislike greatness, and to prefer things in measure to things in excess. Lucius Annaeus Seneca. A flow of words is a sure sign of duplicity. Honore de Balzac. Love, hope, fear, faith - these make humanity; These are its sign and note and character. Robert Browning. Remember, a chip on the shoulder is a sure sign of wood higher up. Brigham Young. A dark cloud is no sign that the sun has lost his light; and dark black convictions are no arguments that God has laid aside His mercy. Charles Spurgeon. The desire to annoy no one, to harm no one, can equally well be the sign of a just as of an anxious disposition. Friedrich Nietzsche. 

Article summary. The title interested me. Being that these are days of technology, I like reading about things I most likely don’t already know about. I use both text and email extensively. I was wondering about this story’s view of both. The title is Should you send a text or email? Here’s some advice from Aristotle. Alexis Elder, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Minnesota Duluth. At theconveration.com. It began with mentioning the many ways we can reach out and touch friends. It also mentions how we use to do the same not all that long ago. In these days there are email, text, Snapchat, Twitter, Messenger and more.  The “old” ways and may be less used today were/are letters and the telephone. We have to be careful in a way we choose to  communicate. We need to keep in mind that in some of the “newer” ways as in Fascebook and Instagram they can be seen by the public. In those areas of communication we should be aware of “virtue ethics” considering the way our character can be seen in the writing. We have to remember that some of the ones we use may be the kind of “communication that leave permanent records”. I realized something else that the article brought to mind, as we communicate in the “new” ways our old “skills” become weaker. One of those ways that was mentioned is capability to “listen patiently and empathetically”.  It also mentioned something I hadn’t thought about, if we tend to show negative emotion in conversation consider that in writing an email we “slow us down” and are more likely to consider what we are saying. If we take time to recognize are feeling we can choose to use a written message or the use a phone or video.  I think, as this article mentions, “many technologies have both good and bad effects on us”. There has been research on the effects of ways to communicate. The way the article ended was interesting, “we can use technology to help us become the people we want to be.” I tend to see that statement as in considering the method of our communication we are also exercising our way of thinking about the how and affect of that communication.

I am having a hamburger and soup for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

This challenge upload is “my choice” and is one in my series of “in camera filers”. I don’t know if this series of filters is unique to the Samsung or not. I’m sure the other smart phone have techniques like it. I like this one.

The next upload is “a pair of shoes”. My sister and I wear about the same size shoe. She didn’t like this after she got them. She wanted to know if I would like to have them. I’ll give them a try.

The last upload is “frozen”. I needed to come up with a quick one so I used a carton of ice cream in the
ice tray.  

Joy

                                      fresh

 March 16, 2026, a thought for today, Everyone has his master. German Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first upload was “my choice.” It is one in my series of “in camera filer.” 

The next challenge was “text.” I had checked all kinds of text image. I used the 10 commandments and the 23rd Psalm. Then I saw this booklet laying on the table and used it since there is a little extra in the photo.

The third image is “a window.” Though this has several windows there is one that is open. 

The last challenge is “from the back”. This is one of the last images I have as Sweet Pea. 

Life today. This has been a mildly tense Monday, but not overly stressful. I managed to get the bulletin done.  As I was waking up I started a to-do list. I needed to make a couple of phone calls, one with the person who will be giving the message this week. Then I was thinking I had to pay some attention to my car. Yesterday as we were coming out of church someone noticed I had a low tire. They put air in it for me. I need to decide to have it changed or just see what happens. I checked on it this morning. It still seems to be at the correct pressure. I turned on the engine to see if the “tire pressure” message would come on, it didn’t. 

Another of the “waking thoughts” was about the photo challenges I do every day. I had taken on a new one and I have one that hasn’t been enough of a “challenge” so I have decided to let those two go. I belong a group called FineArtrAmerica where our work can be purchased in the form of prints, pillows, shirts and more. I have not paid attention for a long while. I have decided to get back to it. I need to do some “clean up” and re-align some things as well as make more uploads. I have become more aware of how thing work there. I need to spend some time on it.

Then to top to day off the computer is becoming very slow in all processes. It most likely needs a “clean up” that I would prefer a technician would do. I will limp along on it until I have a few straight days of free time.  

The word today is silent. 'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. Abraham Lincoln. I think the first virtue is to restrain the tongue; he approaches nearest to gods who knows how to be silent, even though he is in the right. Cato the Elder. It is better wither to be silent, or to say things of more value than silence. Sooner throw a pearl at hazard than an idle or useless word; and do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few. Pythagoras. Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling. Walt Whitman. Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you, and be silent. Epictetus. I live in company with a body, a silent companion, exacting and eternal. Eugene Delacroix. What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined... to strengthen each other... to be one with each other in silent unspeakable memories. George Eliot. Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than this incessant business. Henry David Thoreau. A fair exterior is a silent recommendation. Publilius Syrus. There is a wide difference between speaking to deceive, and being silent to be impenetrable. Voltaire. I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. James Madison. Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting with the gift of speech. Simonides. A silent mouth is sweet to hear. Irish Proverb. Laws are silent in times of war. Cicero. An event had happened, upon which it is difficult to speak, and impossible to be silent. Edmund Burke. The Inspiration You Seek Is Already Within You. Be Silent And Listen. Rumi. If I speak, I am condemned. If I stay silent, I am damned! Victor Hugo. When they remain silent, they cry out. Marcus Tullius Cicero. Let us be silent — so we may hear the whisper of the gods. Ralph Waldo Emerson. The mouth keeps silent to hear the heart speak. Alfred de Musset. Now be silent. Let the One who creates the words speak. He made the door. He made the lock. He also made the key. Rumi. Silence is a true friend who never betrays. Confucius. True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment. William Penn. 

Article summary. I am a life long lover of animals, all kinds of animals which leads to my interest in any articles I see referring to them. As their champion I tend to want to share what I learn about them. This is one of those stories. The article title is A pet friendly homeless shelter pilot reduced the rate of homelessness among the people it helped in California. Benjamin F. Henwood, Professor of Social Policy and Health, University of Southern California. At theconversation.com. The story started by telling of how a research program in  California in 2019 did a study of how to make homeless shelters more “accommodating” to more unhoused folks. The study ultimately showed that allowing pets in the shelters was a success. After the study there was funding to provide “pet-friendly” spaces along with food, supplies and vet care. This program allows homeless folks with pets to be able to stay together under shelter instead of out in the weather. It was found that the program helped 4,407 people. In the study they found that before this program was put in place more than half of homeless people with pets were turned away from shelters. They found that the number of homeless with pets have increased in recent years. The reasons for that growth in number has been undetermined but one estimate is that pets help unhoused people “to deal with their social isolation and loneliness.” These kinds of programs seem to want to bring more people off the streets. After the California program there were others in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio and others. 

I am having a tuna patty and rice for dinner tonight with salad and fruit. 

Photos in my life today 

This first upload for today is “my choice” and is one of “macro Monday.” It is one of the gorgeous carnations in my most current bouquet. 

The next challenge upload is “favorite pie.” I didn’t have any pies on hand so it is from the archives. However, it is not early my favorite pie either. That pie would be a pecan pie. I can’t have those due to the diabetes. So this took its place, a cherry pie from my archive. 

The last one is “a mess.” This is one of my several “junk drawers.” Actually it is not junk but it is a huge mess. 

Joy

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