August 25, 2026 a thought for today, Youth has a beautiful face and old age a beautiful soul. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday 

My first challenge was “two colors”. I had a container of my “sun tea” “brewing in the window by my computer desk and decided to use it. 

The next assignment was “my choice”. It is one of my series of “double exposure” techniques. This one is one of my photos of a duck by the pond in the park with a lightened floral image on top of the first.

The last upload was “polka dots” I was looking for a black blouse with white polka dots that I have but couldn’t find it. I must have put in “storage” for winter time. So I used a pair of dress shows with a sort of polka dot affect. 

Life today. I have a few things on the agenda right now. I have food pantry today. I will also be meeting a repair person for the copier today. Patti is out of town and we needed some maintenance right now so I told her I would be there for pantry and could meet with him. 

Lowell was going to come by to set up a new humidifier in the basement. He is also going to help me find someone to repair a side mirror on my car. The glass shattered and needs replaced. 

I am having a time getting use to the smart tv. There are so many choices on it, I had no idea. We did away with cable and have found that for us it is much more efficient and cost saving.  

I have a feeling that the weather is slowly shifting toward preparing for autumn. We are having cooler temperatures creeping in here and there. This past summer has been one for the books weather wise, lots of high temps and rain like I have never seen it before.

I am back from food pantry. It was slow today, that worked well with me having to spend time with a copier repair person. He did what appeared to be a very thorough job of cleaning and checking and replacing rollers. I’ll give it a good work out Thursday. 

Now it’s time to catch up on my letter and photos for the day.

The word to ponder today is country. A country can be judged by the quality of its proverbs. German Proverb. The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion. Thomas Paine. The family is the country of the heart. Giuseppe Mazzini. Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives. John Adams. In a progressive country change is constant; ...change... is inevitable. Benjamin Disraeli. From the beginning of our history the country has been afflicted with compromise. It is by compromise that human rights have been abandoned. I insist that this shall cease. The country needs repose after all its trials; it deserves repose. And repose can only be found in everlasting principles. Charles Sumner. The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities. Lord Acton. And for the season it was winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent, and subject to cruel and fierce storms. William Bradford. A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats. Benjamin Franklin. When my country, into which I had just set my foot, was set on fire about my ears, it was time to stir. It was time for every man to stir. Thomas Paine. A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house. Bible, Matthew 13. 57. We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free, and to make room upon the earth for honest men to live in. Thomas Paine. The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country. Abraham Lincoln. God grant that not only the love of liberty but a thorough knowledge of the rights of man may pervade all the nations of the earth, so that a philosopher may set his foot anywhere on its surface and say: "This is my country." Benjamin Franklin. 

Article summary. I think I have done another summary on the homeless situation. In some of the volunteer work I do with the church I see just a little into their lives. It may help to understand the plight better by learning more about it. Just talking or writing about it won’t solve the problem but it puts a light on the sadness or maybe a light bulb moment to a solution or compromise of some sort to pass on to where it might help. The title is Being homeless means not being free − as Americans are supposed to be. Paul Schofield, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Bates College. At theconversation.com. It starts by mentioning the many simple things that most people need and take for granted that homeless people do not have. These things are not just for comfort like toilets, and showers, they are things that affect health and quality of life. In this particular article it talks about how this also “compromises” those persons’ freedoms, freedoms we Americans are proud of and sometimes take for granted. The article talks about how some part of the US government or authoritative peoples should consider how to  “implement anti-homelessness policy as a way of liberating people who lack housing”. As the article goes on it points out that freedom relates a lot to having a place to live where ones can take care of needs and choices to do as they please without interference. A person without a home has no place to do any of that. All they have are public places, out in the open where anyone/everyone can see as they take care of their needs and/or their emotions in sickness, death, and birth in the open. Then there are the laws and ordinances they have “live by” or try to. Freedom? The author points out that “anti-homelessness” is not about “benevolence and generosity” it is about “protecting liberty”. Homeless people do have the “freedom” to sleep and relieve themselves but must have permission of some sort to do so by a property owner or the “grace of another” putting them in a position of mercy. The article points out that if “someone else always has the power to determine your choices, then you aren’t free”. The article ends by saying “allowing homelessness to persist contradicts values that are, at heart, fundamentally (the) American (ideal).

This has been a long day so it will be something from the freezer for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

One of the challenges for today is “rainbow”. This is the best “rainbow” type image I have on hand so I chose to use it due to lace of time to search my archives. 

The second assignment was “my choice”. This one is from my series of “double exposures”. It is an image of my sister’s hands with the top image of a lightened photo of a cloth. 

The last upload is “cherries”. The only cherries I could use for this one was in
my freezer. I had to “thaw” them before I made the shot.

Joy 

This bonus image is one of my digital creations from a photo of a downtown 100 + year old church next door to a modern office building. I used filters and  algorithms to create the image then uploaded to a contest and my “shop”  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)

 August 23, 2026, a thought for today, When it rains soup the poor man has no spoons. Swedish Proverb

Photo in my life yesterday

My first challenge was “favorite color”. I have several “favorite colors”. This image shows some of them. 

The next assignment was “circles”. This is a part of a graffiti on a wall near a Wendy’s that I frequent. 

The last upload “hard work”. I decided to use this image of a heavy duty truck that must be needed for some kind of heavy labor, I’m not sure what is the purpose is but it looks like something very sturdy.

Life today. What a beautiful Sunday morning. The powerful sermon was given in a tone of softness yet holding a message of unseen strength. There was a feeling in the words of our human weaknesses on a journey to complete holiness. The reasons He placed us here and the path to follow was gently touched upon. I’m even more proud to be one of His creations with the gifts He embedded in me to share. 

Today offered another more personal gift to me....a part of my family back in the church I chose (with my Scottish father and Irish mother many many years ago)  and the place some of them have experienced in the past. 

Some of us had lunch at York, another of my temptations, meals out with good food and no prep and clean up on my part. 

The weather is cooperative too. The sun is bright but the temps are comfortable and no rain in sight for the present. 

The rest of the day, being Sunday, it rest and recharge for the coming week. 

It looks like I will be putting off printing this month’s newsletter for at least another week. I will finish it tomorrow. I will send it by email to Hoge members but hard copy will have to wait until the copier has been checked out. 

The word to ponder today is could. I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him. Galileo Galilei. What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes! Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. For aught that I could ever read, could ever hear by tale or history, the course of true love never did run smooth. William Shakespeare. 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. The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum. Frances Willard. We should conduct ourselves not as if we ought to live for the body, but as if we could not live without it. Seneca. I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn. Henry David Thoreau. The worst thing you can possibly do is worrying and thinking about what you could have done. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. Henry David Thoreau. If we weren't all so interested in ourselves, life would be so uninteresting we couldn't endure it. Arthur Schopenhauer. Thinking to get at once all the gold the goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find - nothing. Aesop. You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you. Heraclitus.

Article summary. When I was in nurses training the word empathy came up a lot along with humility. Two words and feelings to consider through our daily lives journey. The title is Empathy can take a toll – but 2 philosophers explain why we should see it as a strength. Emad H. Atiq, Professor of Law and Philosophy, Cornell University. Colin Marshall, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Washington. At theconversation.com. It started by mentioning an answer to question of what motivates certain group of people to support immigration. This question was asked of some very prominent people. The answer, “the culprit was empathy” further saying it is “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization.” The article went on to say that empathy can “make people weaker” like in a burnout of counselors, nurses and surgeons. It says these people “devote” their lives to helping others in their feelings to show empathy to the point it “wears them down, making it harder to do their jobs”. Then it takes a bit of a turn. They say “at the core” empathy is a form of “mental strength” which helps them to understand the result of their actions. It says that the word empathy became a form of speech in the 1890s and was related to words like “pity,” “sympathy” and “compassion.”. The word pity gave off negative feelings. It lead to keeping people from “living the good life.” It seems the word empathy has much the same feel to pity.  It explained that it a loved one is pain you “feel” it too, it is different that empathizing with it. That seems to by why explaining empathy is “difficult to bear precisely because being in pain is difficult to bear”. So understanding empathy with a knowledge base can give credit to “appreciating empathy”. One philosopher and person of study says that “experience delivers a special kind of knowledge of things that can’t be reduced to knowledge of facts. To further explain that statement some of our come senses like seeing and heard leads something called “knowledge by acquaintance.”Boiling thing down the article made a statement that “through experiential simulation of another’s feelings, empathy affords us a rich grasp of the distress that others feel.”  It allows us to understand another’s “experiences and emotions”. In coming to a close it is mentioned that it take courage to see other problems. On the other hand not empathizing may come from “a fear of knowledge. As it ends it more or less goes back to the begining of the article mentioning immigration and understanding what is at stake“we need to ask ourselves “what policies we would favor if we were empathically acquainted with, and so fully informed of, the plight of others.”

Since there was a family dinner at York there will be “snacks” for supper. 

Photos in my life today

The first challenge today is “square”. Sue has a square that we have not decided what would be best mounted in the frames. So I am using it as my prop along with one of the roses in the current bouquet store bought bouquet. 

The second upload is a “colorful pattern”. Ths is one of the four weather related crochets lap blankets I made a few years ago. 

The last assignment “soft or peaceful”. This is Bobbi, my most precious furry
friend right now one of her favorite poses. She is both soft and at the moment peaceful. I think I have gotten more positive comments on this photo than I have any other. 

Joy 

the bonus is one of my floral uploads the a Fine Art America contest

ant 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)

 August 21, 2026, a thought for today, A proverb says what man thinks. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “bright”. The lights in the powder room are bright.  The brightness is reflected in an art design in front of  them.

The next upload was one of the “my choice” that we get frequently. I used one of my series of “mirror image”. It is one vase of daffodils that I have “mirrored” in an attached image. 

The last assignment was “pattern”. My sister has a chair and matching foot stool with the patterned design.

Life today. What an unusual day this has been. Yesterday when I got home from printing the bulletin. I started the laundry. It was the first I have been in the basement since the rain off and on in the past seven days. The floor was totally wet with puddles here and there. The water had gotten so high it had knocked over the xtra large trash container I use for all of activities in the basement. After picking up the water logged trash and up turning the trash container, I was able to start the waster. When I came up my slippers and socks were soaked. That it the wettest the basement has ever been in the more than 50 years I have been here. When I went back down to move the laundry to the dryer it wouldn’t start. I left the clothes in a basket. I was way too tired to go to the laundromat then so I waited until today.  

I went to the laundromat that Sue use to go to, they wouldn’t open until an hour after they usually do so an hour after I had gotten there. So I turned around and went to the one closer to my house. I am not use to using the laundromat. I put the money in the slot and the clothes in, pushed the button to start the dryer. I found that I had put the money in the dryer above the one I put the clothes in. A lady next to me helped me move the clothes. That was a learning experience that I should have acknowledged in the first place, pay attention to arrows. There were large arrows putting to which machine was up and which down. 

When I was getting out of the car with the laundry Lowell pulled up behind me. I had forgotten that he was coming for the purpose he was here today. I had told him I wanted to switch it wifi television getting away from cable. He had come to take the cable boxes and hookups down. He also set up my smaller Roku tv in my bedroom. While he was here, I gave him a couple of other things on my list that I needed help with. He also checked out the dryer and said it is “fried”. So I will be going to the laundromat to use the dryer until we decide to pay to have checked/fixed or need to get new one. At least I will be more attuned to the up and down arrows next time. 

With all that we got done on those  projects I am way behind on the letter and the photos. The letter will go up today, the photos probably not until tomorrow. I still have a few things to put away from all of the changes we made as well as my laundry. Then I want to get my grocery order made for tomorrow. 

The word today is cost. Experience teaches slowly and at the cost of mistakes. James A. Froude. The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run. Henry David Thoreau. That laughter costs too much which is purchased by the sacrifice of decency. Quintilian. Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises; for never intending to go beyond promises; it costs nothing. Edmund Burke. A good word is an easy obligation; but not to speak ill, requires only our silence, which costs nothing. John Tillotson. Old houses mended, Cost little less than new before they ’re ended. Colley Cibber. Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills. Voltaire. Civility costs nothing and buys everything. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Peace is costly, but it is worth the expense. Kenyan Proverb. Nothing costs less nor is cheaper than compliments of civility. Miguel de Cervantes. The cost of obedience is small compared with the cost of disobedience. Saint Augustine. When a man has cast his longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct. Thomas Jefferson. 

Article summary. I don’t think this article applies just to this action on line. It happens and shouldn’t when person to person also. The title is “Think twice before shouting your virtues online – moral grandstanding is toxic. Joshua B. Grubbs. Assistant Professor, Bowling Green State University. At theconversation.com. It starts out talking about how things in society have grown toward leaning on a thing called moral grandstanding. It is at such a state that psychologists are making it into a study. In one sentence the author called it as a “widespread nastiness (that) is both a social problem and a research opportunity.” An example of the moral grandstanding may be when a friend, makes extreme “proclamations” on social media about untrue and ideological claims about popular subjects of the day. They “promote” themselves to “seek status”. People who use this kind of exchange in carrying on a “conversation is a means to an end – not a free exchange of ideas”. As the article moves on, it says that it is common for normal humans to want “safety, love and belonging”. The grandstanding is a “special kind of status seeking” by using “topics solely to get attention or impress others”.  Through some studies it was found that the grandstanders showed signs of “more experiences arguing with loved ones and severing ties with friends or family”. It seems the people with the moral grandstanding trait also used “toxic” behavior on social media and “picked” fights over political or moral issues. These types of people also, according to the article “ behave less moral” than other people. In trying to minimize boosting beyond respectful limits people should when they enter into a conversation where there are differences of opinions then consider would it be “connecting” with each other or trying to “score points”. The article ended by saying a way of to handle a moral grandstander situation would be by “depriving them of the attention they seek”.

Tuna Casserole for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first challenge was “muted”. I saw this wooden privacy fence that had aged and become “rustic” in color and character so I used it as my chosen image.

The second assignment is another of “my choice” and anoter of my series of “mirror images”. It is one of my great grandsons many years ago when he was young. 

The last upload is “picnic”. This is the open shelter house at the part down the street from my home. 

Joy

a bonus image today is huge bouquet of bright colored and assorted poesies this was uploaded to a Fine Art America contest 

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

 August 19, 2026 a thought for today, An hour lost is often a year lost. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge yesterday was “cool colors”. I used the black board against a tan back ground at church. 

The next assignment was “my choice”“mirror image”. I used one of Bobbi as she was watching my working away on the computer rather than playing with her. 

The last upload was “on the floor”.  I decided to use a foot and sandal to fill this assignment. 

Life today. My bimonthly meeting was last night. It is an early meeting which are the kind I like but because it is at 5:00 there is a bit of a situation with dinner. I have it worked out so that it all fits on my kind of agenda. It went smoothly and was only just over an hour long, just the right kind. 

It’s been one of those days. I got side tracked with looking up things to get started on some of the newer things on my agenda, more on those at another time. “I am late, I am late for a very important date” right now. The bulletin and accompanying things are ready for the Thursday morning things.

I did get this letter started before I left for food pantry. I did not have any of the photos ready for upload. I think the photo uploads will have to wait until tomorrow after the scheduled printing. The newsletter has defiantly been put on hold until next week. That makes it earlier to get this week done. 

Sue surprised me today. She seemed strong enough to go out on her own to run a couple of errands. She was out for a couple of hours. She says she didn’t have any problems. I am hoping this is a sign she can be feeling some of the independence she wants and needs. 

The word to ponder today is content. Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody. Benjamin Franklin. Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it. Samuel Johnson. 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. Quarrel not at all. No man resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention. Abraham Lincoln. Content thyself to be obscurely good. When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway, the post of honor is a private station. Joseph Addison. Who is wise? He that learns from every One. Who is powerful? He that governs his Passions. Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody. Benjamin Franklin. Be content with your lot; one cannot be first in everything. Aesop. Wealth is the parent of luxury and indolence, and poverty of meanness and viciousness, and both of discontent. Plato. Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Great speech is impassioned, small speech cantankerous. Chuang-tzu. A contented mind is the best source for trouble. Titus Maccius Plautus. A contented mind is a continual feast. American Proverb. I have learned, in whatever state I am ,therewith to be content. Epistle of Paul. This is the last of earth! I am content. John Quincy Adams. A harvest of peace is produced from a seed of contentment. American Proverb. To be deceived by our enemies or betrayed by our friends in insupportable; yet by ourselves we are often content to be so treated. Francois De La Rochefoucauld. He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have. Socrates.

Article summary. I was stuck in my thinking with the word respect when I discovered this message. I decided to take a look to see how it fit my definition of respect. I thought maybe there would be some “Easter eggs” for more thought and consideration of other feeling and results of such. The title is “ ‘Hello, just circling back!’ Not responding to emails is common across higher education but bad for morale”. Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College. At thcconversation.com. The article began by mentioning that the author had sent out two set of emails to his college students and to peers. Out o the twenty-two emails he sent out he got two responses. Email is a “default mode of communication  in colleges, workplaces and many other areas of life.” Email is now the default mode of communication in colleges and universities, as well as across most workplaces and other areas of life. Unanswered emails have become as regular a feature of academic life. As mentioned there may be good reasons not to reply it may have gone to spam or was not seen for several hours. It was further related that no response in some cases may lead to “negative consequences” and possibly disrespect. One thing that may enter the picture is that there is also texting that is somewhat easier than email. I learned from this article was that in some colleges and universities there are websites to help people “navigate” email.  One of the colleges mentioned the Miami University of Ohio. This article noted that some college students expect their professors to respond quickly and can be judged for their timing in their responses. One survey on the subject of email responses found that “two-thirds” of people responding to the survey said they tend to ignore many emails together. The author said that when he was an administrator for a period of time he could not leave the office until all email was answered. There is a term mentioned in the article called “digital snubbery”. It goes on to say that you most likely wouldn’t just pass someone in the hallway without some kind of recognition, and if you did somehow not wave or say hello you would later offer an apology. Usually when seeing someone along your way you stop to have a conservation. In ignoring a personal email you have not responded to contact as it would in not stopping for a meet up, that is digital snubbery. Toward the end of the article it is mentioned in the area of college emails they should limit “unnecessary emails” and “make answering emails part of their culture”. Something simple will work like “thanks” or “I’ll get back to you”, something simple but none the less a response

Now it is time to consider dinner time....something from the freezer or a box or DoorDash or cook.

Photos in my life today

My first upload is “a pop of color”. I was looking all around as I was our and about today. I finally ended up using this fallen over safety sign over. The orange stands out so much. 

The next challenge was another of “my choice” and another of my  “mirror image” series. I used an image of some of the morning glories on our chain link fence. 

The last challenge is “a world a day” for my offering a pink carnation among some white daisies. 

Joy

the bonus image white dasies 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)

 August 17, 2026, a thought for today, He who talks much, errs much. Spanish Prover

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge was “ombre”, the color. I wasn’t sure what that was so I had to look it up. It is a subtle changing of colors in single object like this sky at dawn.

The next assignment was “blue”. I chose to go by the park and recapture the
image of the letter A which is painted a blue color. 

The last upload was “in motion”. I chose a photo from my archives that I shot when some of my friends and I took part of our lunch hour for a walk down the city streets. This flag in motion always brings pride.  

Life today. I am getting ready for another of the “busy” weeks. Monday is the only day I have “off”. With that is mind I am trying to get a lot of niggly little things out of the way so I don’t have to put them on a back burner. 

I have the bulletin done and out for checking. I have a tiny little start on the newsletter. Now I am working on my daily upload projects. Lowell has brought back my “cleaned” up PC. He will be back in a while to reinstall it. They had to clear the hard drive so that means there will be some resetting some of the key strokes that had become memory and re-highlight procedures I use everyday. I may leave the laptop set up for the week so I can get things done before updating. With food pantry and finishing the newsletter it will be a little easier. 

Every time I think the rain has stopped there comes more and it’s not just rain. It is loud and rumbling thunder and lighten in the sky. The rain comes down literally in buckets full at a time. I do believe Bobbi may be getting use to it. She can take the first thump or two of thunder but no more than two or she is off like a flash. 

The word to ponder today is constant. If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair. Samuel Johnson. The greatest friend of Truth is time, her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and her constant companion Humility. Charles Caleb Colton. Justice is the constant and perpetual will to allot to every man his due. Domitus Ulpian. They must often change who would be constant in happiness or wisdom. Confucius. The mind of man is like a clock that is always running down, and requires to be constantly wound up. William Hazlitt. Beware of dissipating your powers; strive constantly to concentrate them. Genius thinks it can do whatever it sees others doing, but is sure to repent of every ill-judged outlay. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. 'Tis true there is much to be done, . . . but stick to it steadily, and you will see great effects, for constant dropping wears away stones . . . and little strokes fell great oaks, as Poor Richard says. . . .Benjamin Franklin. I am much indebted to the good Christian people of the country for their constant prayers and consolations; and to no one of them, more than to yourself. Abraham Lincoln. Friendship is never established as an understood relation. It is a miracle which requires constant proofs. It is an exercise of the purest imagination and of the rarest faith! Henry David Thoreau. Moral precepts are constant through the ages and not obedient to circumstances. Lord Acton. It is your own assent to yourself, and the constant voice of your own reason, and not of others, that should make you believe. Blaise Pascal. 

Article summary. I am interested in human emotions and how they affect each of us and the those around us. They say gratitude is one that makes us feel better and there are the religious roots to it. So I wanted to take a look to see this person’s view of the word. The title is Are you as grateful as you deserve to be? Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University. At theconversation.com. It begins by focusing on points that affect all of us in our times of sadness and stress. Times like when we experience illnesses and injuries. These are the times when we can “develop one of the healthiest, most life-affirming and convivial of all habits – that of counting and rejoicing in our blessings”.  Following this the author went on to say gratitude is a benefit showing in some studies that “grateful people tend to be healthy and happy”. They feel less stress and depression along with the ability to cope better when hard time hit. It may be we are more focused on the good things which leads us to “take better care of ourselves and each other”. Writing thank-you notes offers the same benefits. It is relayed here that Aristotle from ancient history was noted in believing “that we become what we habitually do”, meaning we can “mold ourselves” into being the kind of people we want to be. Cicero of Rome “called gratitude not only the greatest of virtues but the “parent” of them all”. Gratitude is a universal and highest value in all major world religions. In Judaism the first words in morning prayer is “I thank you”. In Christian perspectives gratitude along with thanksgiving “are vital”. One critic of note calls it “the highest form of thought.”  Gratitude and thankfulness are important to the Hindu people along with Buddhists as well. As the article moves on it mentions that a “brush with death” opens our eyes, we become more grateful. The author suggests that in “practicing gratitude” don’t think just of things that make us feel better than others. Think of how we are each and all blessed with the sunshine and we have a brain and free choice. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload is “warm colors”. This is an image of my most current store bought bouquet. 

The next challenge is “my choice”. It is one of my series of “mirror images” it is one of part of my neighborhood street. 

My last assignment is “day”. I guess the tree tops and sky are symbols
of a day to me. 

I think spaghetti for dinner. 

Joy 

the bonus is what I am calling summertime, it is uploaded to a contest in 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)

 August 15, 2026, a thought for today, He who promises incurs a debt. Spanish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday 

The first challenge was “neon”. I wasn’t near any neon lights so I found some construction paper I had for the kids. I shredded it and used it for my image.

The next assignment was “my choice” and one of my “still life” . I used an
egg in a candle holder with another egg beside it. 

The last upload yesterday was “collection”. I used the photo collection on my gallery wall at church for upload. 

Life today. It has been another wonderful start to the week end. Lowell came yesterday. I was having trouble with my PC. He came and unhooked everything to take it to have it checked for viruses. I am working with the laptop until the PC is back. He took the plants I had been nursing while they were on vacation. Then he fixed a stuck window. It was good just plain spending time with him. Then today Tami, Andy and Gideon stopped just to visit. I am “seventh heaven”, seeing all of them so close together. I wish it were possible in the fast moving life to be able to do that more often. I also am making arrangement to make facetime visits with two of my great grandsons who live out of state. I do get facetime mow with the two of the great grand children here in the state a couple of times a month. 

I got the groceries picked up before my visitors. I also had most of the photo work done for the day except for the uploads that I will be doing shortly. 

 Working on the lab top is a little slower for me. The key board is smaller and some of the keys  are a little different n alignment. I am just glad I had it here and ready to go. 

The rain seems to have slowed down for a while. I have the AC off and the doors open. It feels good and the fresh air smells good. 

A friend of mine suggested that I might start considering a book with my blog with adjustments to fit in a book format. I am thinking about playing around with that to see if I can get it to work and where it will take me

The word to ponder today is consider. Do not consider painful what is good for you. Euripides. 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. First weigh the considerations, then take the risks. Helmuth von Moltke. Read not to contradict and confute, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider. Sir Francis Bacon. The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration. Confucius. A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his illnesses. Hippocrates. Consider your origin; you were not born to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge. Dante Alighieri. Ignorance and inconsideration are the two great causes of the ruin of mankind. John Tillotson. If you consider what are called the virtues in mankind, you will find their growth is assisted by education and cultivation. Xenophon. In everything one must consider the end. Jean De la Fontaine. The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered... deeply, ...finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people. George Washington. The celebrated Galen said that employment was nature's physician. It is indeed so important to happiness that indolence is justly considered the parent of misery. C. C. Colton. He who would pass his declining years with honor and comfort, should, when young, consider that he may one day become old, and remember when he is old, that he has once been young. Joseph Addison.

Article summary. Here is one of those articles I found as I was searching for something else. When I read the title it did make me wonder why there is this superstition about a mirror. Many of the superstitions we hear about have to have a story about their beginning. The title is How did the superstition that broken mirrors cause bad luck start and why does it still exist? Barry Markovsky Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of South Carolina. At theconversation.com. It started by mentioning that superstitions are in most human cultures, black cats and the number 13 and walking under ladders are such cases. The article says that some can be traced back in history to between 2,000 and 2,700 years ago. Breaking a mirror and the seven-year bad luck began in the areas of the world in ancient Greece and in the Roman Empire. In that time mirrors were believed to have “mysterious powers”. So it is believed that the broken mirror superstition most likely dates back to then. The Greeks believe seeing their own reflection in a pool of water “revealed” his soul. The Roman “artisans” made mirrors from metal surfaces and believed “their gods observed souls through these devices”. In that case, the Romans, thought it disrespectful to damage the “mirror” and would “compel” the “gods to rain bad luck on anyone so careless.” The article goes on to mention that in the third century mirrors were made of glass and much more “common place”. Back to the Romans for a moment, they didn’t believe the bad luck would last forever. They believed the body “renewed itself every seven years”, good luck would return. One reason superstitions are formed are that the “human mind continuously and unconsciously searches for useful patterns”. An example, you are given a good luck penny. A few days later nothing bad has happened. Your brain remembers the good luck penny. They you begin to “believe the penny caused the run of good luck. A superstition is born”. As we learn in life, we collect ideas from family and friends “that open the world to us” some of it “full of magical possibilities”. So we learn tales of superstitions. The more we hear about these things the more sometimes unconsciously they become “believable”. Some superstitions if believed tend to be fun and lower stress when things are stressful. But, above all we should remember that false beliefs can cause stress. If we believe in them, they can lead to “bad outcomes”. They can cause “compulsive behaviors”. They tend to cause conflict with true faith. As the article ends it says common sense alone can be enough reason to forget superstitions. 

We may do a DoorDash tonight. 

Photos in my life today

The first upload for today is “multicolor”. My daughter made me a patch work quilt many years ago if has graced my bed all these years. It is reversible. I used the side with the most colors. 

The second assignment was “favorite color” (for today”’) is red. So I used this flower and put a different background on it. 

The last challenge is “dancing”. Again I did have anyone dancing around so I used an image of our family kids as they were “dancing” and “falling” on the trampoline. 

Joy

the bonus image is in a content at Fine Art America and in 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)

 August 13, 2026, A thought for the day, The best cloth has uneven threads. Spanish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday   

The first challenge was “metallic”. I was waiting in a pick up line and saw these cars in the rear view mirror. I decided to use them for this challenge. 

The next assignment was one of the “my choice” and one of my “still life”. It
is one of the resurrection lilies that half fallen off the stem in one of the heavy rain fall.      

The last upload here is “wild”. I don’t see to many wild life in the area so I decided to use some of the “wild” growth of weed that seem to be rather prevalent right now.                      

Life today. Yesterday Lowell and Louanna picked me up for an early dinner. We went to Olive Garden. It was nice to spend time with them and the baked salmon was great.  

As planned, I got the printing done yesterday, a day early. I attended the funeral service of a church friend. It was a nice service. When I left there, I picked up some medicine for Sue. I drove by McDonalds for a sandwich but the line was way too long. So I went by Wendy’s. The line was long there too. So I came on home for a peanut butter sandwich and potato chips. I also got the laundry started. 

I had managed to take the photos I need before I left for the funeral so when I got home and had put the laundry in the washer I started processing the images. 

It seems the rain has let up. The past few days it has been more than just wet. Today the sun is bright and the air is warm. There are a lot of people in the area cleaning up from a lot of damage left from the storms. 

I got a small smart tv for my room but I haven’t had a minute to set it up. From what I understand setting up a Smart TV is a little more to it than just plugging it in. Hopefully I will have time to spent working on it sometime soon. I will be taking Sue to a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. And next week is the “busy” week of the month, not much free time then. 

The word to ponder today is consequence.  What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do. John Ruskin. Make up your mind to act decidedly and take the consequences. No good is ever done in this world by hesitation. Thomas H. Huxley. When anger rises, think of the consequences. Confucius. There are in nature neither rewards nor punishments, there are consequences. Robert Ingersoll. Our repentance is not so much regret for the ill we have done as fear of the ill that may happen to us in consequence. Francois de La Rochefoucauld. Indolence is sweet, and its consequences bitter. Voltaire. How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it. Marcus Aurelius. What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly - that is the first law of nature. Voltaire. The immortality of the soul is a matter which is of so great consequence to us and which touches us so profoundly that we must have lost all feeling to be indifferent about it. Blaise Pascal. Kindness is the sunshine in which virtue grows. Robert Green Ingersoll. It is of no consequence of what parents a man is born, as long as he be a man of merit. Horace. Happiness is not a reward - it is a consequence. Suffering is not a punishment - it is a result. Robert Green Ingersoll. Consequences are unpitying. George Eliot. Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences. Robert Louis Stevenson.

Article summary. I have always been interested in the concept of gardening on a roof top. There was one that I visited a few years ago here on top of the old Lazarus store and I think there is one on an OSU parking facility. I have also read about some in congested living spaces like in New York. A great way to keep nature alive even surrounded by brick and mortar. The title is Green roofs can help cool cities in the summer heat, but building them is only the first step – many don’t survive. Taylor Wishart, Ph.D. Student in Environmental Science, University of Tennessee. At theconversation.com. It began by mentioning the record-breaking heat we have this season than had been this years. It went on to say “one way to help cool buildings is to install green roofs” with plants as they are capable of absorbing heat. They said that when planning the roof garden it is wise to take into account it’s maintenance. Many such roof gardens haven’t survived due to the lack of proper maintenance. They differ from a typical roof as they are made up of layers, insulations, water proofing and drainage. With the proper design they can “support everything from low-growing sedums to shrubs and trees”. The article talks about one in New Yorks Rockefeller Center. It was designed in the 1930s. There are trees, grass and shrubs along with seating. There is another in the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. More than decorative plantings they can supply heat to the building below. They can cool with what is called “evapotranspiration” when they give off water vapor. They can also “reduce the amount of energy” needed for heating and cooling processes. They capture rainfall which helps in things that involve Strom drains as well a reducing flood thereby improving water quality. They have helped in “urban heat islands”, along with allowing birds, buttereflies and helpful insects new places to live. Many cities “recognize the public benefits that green roofs can give”. Problems do come according to the article when these cities build the roof garden without enough thought and action on the area of maintenance. One of the things that come of with that would involve poor maintenance is if and when the building property changes ownership. So it appears the biggest drawback to roof top gardens as mentioned before complete thought to maintenance and how it may change through the years. “Communities may need to think beyond incentives for construction”. It seems to me they should consider the benefits against the consequences. It looks to me that in most cases benefits would outweigh the consequences. 

I may make spaghetti for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload for today is “pastel”. This is my most current dining room bouquet. It is full of pastel colored blossoms. 

The next assignment is another of the “my choice” and another of my “still life”. It is one of the pink carnations on my black platter. 

The last upload is “beauty”. I pulled this batch of daisy from one of the store
bought bouquets. 

Joy

the bonus photos is Bobbi and was added to 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)