September 6, 2026 a thought for today, The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “out the window”. This is Bobbi again as my model. She is often looking out this window. She will be seen in several photos of this nature. 

The next assignment was “fence or gate”. I was looking for a fence or gate that would be a bit different from the good old chain link or a wooden privacy fence. I found this one in my neighborhood. 

The last upload for yesterday was “a pair”. I used my eye glasses as the “pair”. To give it a bit more substance I used the Message Bible as its background. 

Life today. Church was refreshing today. Everyone who was away last week were back along with a couple of visitors. The message was enlightening. The hymns had for me their usual mini sermon message, though one was a little too long. Also, it was the time for renewal in communion. 

The weather is typical for September, signs of changes beginning in the air. Upcoming time for nature to rest.

I accomplished some “easy going” tasks (not too much, this being Sunday) before leaving for church. I needed some glue for a project I am starting, things, little tokens, I want to make for friends at Christmas. It takes me a while, my hands are not getting younger, they don’t hold things the way they use to. The glue I was using a year ago is dried up. I needed to make a stop for a new bottle of glue. 

The smart tv is still giving my sister and me a time of learning in the trial and error kind of way. When we were kids, eons ago, you just pushed a button or turned a knob on the box with moving picture and stories, now not so much wayyyy not so much! I thought technology was supposed to make things easier??? Now there are passwords and pin numbers to get what you are looking for. 

The rest of the day is reflect, renew and refresh. I may take some time to “study” on ideas I want to expand on in my writings and photos.

The word to ponder today is delight. He had occasional flashes of silence, that made his conversation perfectly delightful. Sydney Smith. In the highest civilization, the book is still the highest delight. He who has once known its satisfactions is provided with a resource against calamity. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Energy is eternal delight. William Blake. You teach your daughters the diameters of the planets and wonder when you are done that they do not delight in your company. Samuel Johnson. Never find your delight in another's misfortune. Publilius Syrus. Desultory reading is delightful, but to be beneficial, our reading must be carefully directed. Seneca. The pleasures which we most rarely experience give us the greatest delight. Desiderius Erasmus. Cowards are cruel, but the brave Love mercy, and delight to save. John Gay. Danger and delight grow on one stalk. English Proverb. By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote. In fact, it is as difficult to appropriate the thoughts of others as it is to invent. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Perhaps the most delightful friendships are those in which there is much agreement, much disputation, and yet more personal liking. George Eliot. Books should to one of these fours ends conduce, for wisdom, piety, delight, or use. Sir John Denham. The Word of God is a lamp by night, a light by day, and a delight at all times. Charles Spurgeon. Man is a poetical animal, and delights in fiction. William Hazlitt. For imitation is natural to man from his infancy. Man differs from other animals particularly in this, that he is imitative, and acquires his rudiments of knowledge in this way; besides, the delight in it is universal. Aristotle. In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows. Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Article summary. The part of the article title that caught my attention was “caring for creation” and as related to a farmer poet. The title is Farmer poet Wendell Berry’s environmental ethics were deeply rooted in his Christian faith and belief in caring for creation. Kristy Nabhan-Warren, Elizabeth Kahl Figge Chair in Catholic Studies, University of Iowa. At theconversation.com. It opened by introducing the “poet-farmer”. He was 92 years old. As he began his farming career, he started with draft horses and all along preferred them to diesel-powered tractors, using methods that “embraced the land” and environmental stewardship. He loved to write about “rural American life” which included taking care for the land as he lived “practicing what he preached”. The article stated that he was a “firm” Christian Baptist. It was said about him that he believed in “creation care” or the “God given right to exploit the Earth’s resources”.The author as a teacher taught students from Mr. Berry’s book called “Jayber Crow”. It was used in a liberal arts course to teach “about small-town living, religion and community”. Later on he used some of Mr. Berry’s thoughts in researching for a book “modern-day agriculture”. In that research he learned more about the how Berry critiqued “agripower,” as showing little regard for the fertility of the soil or the “health, wisdom, thrift, or stewardship of the farming community.” Moving on in the article it mentioned Mr. Berry’s poems. They are in the nature of fiction and nonfiction concerning “consuming less and living more communally”. His works seem to help “popularize family-run farms, organic farming and farm-to-table eating establishments”. In 1977 Mr. Berry wrote a piece called  “The Unsettling of America” in which he mentioned his admiration for the Amish life style who “forgoes” modern conveniences and focuses on family and the Christian notion of stewardship for the land we share. As the article went on it mentioned that Mr. Berry “encouraged” people “whether or not they identified as Christian or as religious” to consider technology and the “impact on the environment” as the Amish do. The poems and other writings led toward focus to be on need nor want. The author ends by saying it is his hope that “Wendell Berry’s legacy will have a long and fruitful afterlife”.

I think I will try a new recipe for bean soup for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload today is "withered". It is my last store bought bouquet. It has about had its run and is beginning to give up. 

The next challenge is “something I’ll eat”. I am always up for a fish sandwich. McDonald has a pretty good tasting one and convenient too. 

The last assignment is “hot”. I put a lot of thought into how to display a word like hot into an image. I had used some strong sunlight forming great shadows. I also heated up water and tested a meat thermometer and a candy thermometer for this shot. I chose a portion of the candy thermometer. 

Joy

the bonus image is one on the gallery wall at my church. On the attached placard I have written: Sketched Mixed Bouquet of Flowers, God's creative, boundless grace, fleeting beauty of earthly life, colors, shapes, and fragrances, beautiful display of God’s love, each petal with deliberate care, light and shadow, joyful seasons and quiet, shadowed valley, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Each blossom a life offered like sweet incense before the throne of grace 

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) 

 September 4, 2026, a thought for today, The butterfly often forgets it was a caterpiller. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday 

The first challenge was “my choice”. It is one of my series of “still life”. This is an old menu from a long ago local restaurant in my area.

The next assignment was “on the floor”. I used a photo of the wood grain
floor with part of a throw rung on a portion of it. 

The last upload was “back to school”.  This one is from my archives.  I wasn’t out and about yesterday and the school buses are back on the road since school just started after the summer break.

Life today. This has been a kind of “put together day”. I mean there has been no “direction”. Every time I got started on one thing another popped for immediate attention. But surprisingly it all seems to be getting done, even my “check list” is being filled in. One more major thing to be done is order the curb side grocery pickup.

Sue had a flat time and called AA our to fix it. As he was beginning to work on it the rain stared and got heavier with each second. 

We lost touch with our Spectrum television service yesterday. So I did some research and found that all we need with these smart tvs is an antenna. We have four tvs of different sizes in the house. Two of them have antenna. Sue’s is one that doesn’t. I tried to attach a small one that I have for an old portable tv to Sue’s but it didn’t work. So we have to get two more antenna. The two that have them are working great.

The word to ponder today is deep.  Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better. Silence is deep as Eternity; speech is shallow as Time. Thomas Carlyle. If you would be pungent, be brief; for it is with words as with sunbeams - the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn.  Robert Southey. The secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget that which has made a deep impression on our minds. Tryon Edwards. Storms make oaks take deeper root. George Herbert. To regret deeply is to live afresh. Henry David Thoreau. The books that help you most are those which make you think that most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading; but a great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty. Theodore Parker. The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence. Tomas H. Huxley. 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. Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into, the mind. Samuel Taylor Coleridge. True humor springs not more from the head than from the heart. It is not contempt; its essence is love. It issues not in laughter, but in still smiles, which lie far deeper. Tomas Carlyle. Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink, I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains. I would drink deeper; fish fill the sky, whose bottom is pebbly with stars. I cannot count one. I know not the first letter of the alphabet. I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born.  Henry David Thoreau.

Article summary. It seems like this one may cover two areas of interest, dogs and socialization. I thought it would something that may be worthy of attention intellectually and socially. The title is Dog parks are an antidote to the isolation and divisions that social media can fuel. Kevin B. Johnson. Professor of Pediatrics, Biomedical Informatics and Science Communication, University of Pennsylvania. At theconversation.com. The author opened the article mentioning that he sees social media as having added to the possibility of persons becoming lonely. The author goes on to say he began to get a glimpse into what we might be losing when we are invested into much “social media”. He was in a dog park when this “light bulb” moment came to him. He called the experience “a corner bar without the alcohol”, meaning talking with other people about all kinds of things other than something on a cell phone or online conversations. All the while he was vising with people while walking his dog in a dog park. He was watching where and how he was walking the dog. All he while he observed conversations going on with people around him, another part of a life opens into something fuller. Regular walkers may share a taste in dog breeds or beer, but they are not colleagues, political soul mates or relatives. Major parts of their lives were difference and varied. I noted that he was saying that places like general stores and soda fountains where people use to gather aren’t around anymore. It is related that the off-leash parks are a fast growing “amenity”. It is allowing for more “neighborhood cohesion”, a “corner bar without booze”. It has been found that it is reducing anxiety, allowing for more empathy and “more perspective”. There is a shift in emotions and conversation topics, no differences in what one feels and what the other feels about politics and other “heavy” topics. It is just more about his dog’s habits and more as the two humans sharing in a sense of humor. According to the article it is more a shift from opinions to a person, room for “tolerance and trust” to develop and grow. The article mentioned that the social platforms seem to “sort people “by interests, identities, tastes and grievances, then make it easy to stay among people who feel familiar”. This seems to be a contrast to in-person contact and interactions with “regulars” at, say the dog park, and leaving room for “tolerance and trust”. After reading this article and “digesting” it I agree with the biggest part of it. I feel the dog park is an example of that type of “meeting place” and/or habit of gathering. But I feel that social media has its place too, an important place, it should be handled in moderation as should many aspects of life.

Friday seems to have become pizza night again so maybe it will be pizza for dinner. 

Photos in my life today 

The first assignment today is “on my feet”. When I am home all day I always have house slippers on. 

The next challenge is another of “my choice” and another of my series of “still life” . For this one I used a set up of a skillet with three unopened eggs ready to be prepared for a choice of cooking time and recipe. 

The last upload for today is “baby”. This is another choice from my archives since I don’t have a baby hanging around the house right now. 

Joy

the bonus image is one of my Christmas cactus blooms and has been uploaded to Fine Art America and my shop there

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)

 September 2, 2026, a thought for the day, Wisdom without use is fire without warmth. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first challenge was “in the mirror”. This one really worked for me. Maybe a better phrase would be it was work for me. I had to shoot several times to get one where she was sitting still and just right in the position. 

The next assignment was “my choice”, one of my series of “still life”. I like the plainness of the tin against the freshness of the flowers. The flowers in the background some how pull the two together for me. 

The last upload was “whoops”. I had to mess up my kitchen floor to get this one. I had a little bit of chocolate in the box so I deliberately (I felt guilty) spilling it on the floor. 

Life today. I got my new check list mostly done. I made a typed one so that I could get my “back burner” things checked  off even if I could only spend a little time on each day that I don’t have days with deadlines on other things. 

Tami and Andy stopped by with my furry grand dog. He examined the house for Bobbi although she had run to hide when she heard the car door shut in the driveway. He checked out all the places there was her scent which is everywhere but didn’t find her. After he left, she checked out everywhere he had been. I have a sort of fear of driving off the west side of Columbus so I don’t get to visit them much. When my kids come to see me, it is a special treat. I “need” to be in touch with them every day. From my end it is by text, email, and phone every day. I am happy that they all still want to be in touch with dear old mom too.

I got everything done on the to-do list so far today so now I need to do the uploads before I try out my new recipe,

The word to ponder today is deed.  He who boasts of his ancestry is praising the deeds of another. Seneca. Deeds, not words shall speak me. John Fletcher. Deeds, not stones, are the true monuments of the great. John L. Motley. Be wise with speed . A fool at forty is a fool indeed. Edward Young. How beggarly appear arguments before a defiant deed! Walt Whitman. Truth indeed rather alleviates than hurts, and will always bear up against falsehood, as oil does above water. Miguel de Cervantes. Evil deeds do not prosper; the slow man catches up with the swift. Homer. He with whom neither slander that gradually soaks into the mind, nor statements that startle like a wound in the flesh, are successful may be called intelligent indeed. Confucius. Words have a longer life than deeds. Pindar. Rash indeed is he who reckons on the morrow, or haply on days beyond it; for tomorrow is not, until today is past. Sophocles. Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks. Herodotus. Word is a shadow of a deed. Democritus. Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand. Hippocrates. To like and dislike the same things, that is indeed true friendship. Sallust. Do not let your deeds belie your words, lest when you speak in church someone may say to himself, 'Why do you not practice what you preach?' Saint Jerome. A fair request should be followed by the deed in silence. Dante Alighieri. The result justifies the deed. (Exitus acta probat) Ovid. Refrain from doing ill; for one all powerful reason, lest our children should copy our misdeeds; we are all too prone to imitate whatever is base and depraved. Juvenal. Do not be wise in words - be wise in deeds. Jewish Proverb. Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. George Eliot. We would frequently be ashamed of our good deeds if people saw all of the motives that produced them. Francois De La Rochefoucauld. 

Article summary. The title made me think what could make the difference and does it extend to adulthood. We’ll have a look and share. The article title is Girls and boys solve math problems differently – with similar short term results but different long term outcomes. Sarah Lubienski, Professor of Mathematics Education, Indiana University. Colleen Ganley, Professor of Developmental Psychology, Florida State University. Martha Makowski, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, University of Alabama. It started by comparing how girls and women solve math problems  by lining up numbers to add. Boys and men take short cuts like rounding the number and adding the rounded number then “adjusting to remove the rounding”. Then it says both of these ways “are less likely to solve more complex math problems correctly”. A study done in 2025 showed that girls do better in math in school where boys do better in “high-stake”math testing and “are more likely to pursue math-intensive careers”. Their studies were used to show not so much on getting the right numbers but more on the differences in the ways they arrived at the numbers and how it “persisted into adulthood”. Boys seem to score higher on SAT and AP math tests. Girls are more “diligent” and get “better grades in math class throughout their schooling”. There was another consideration for study involving gender differences and math. Older adults remember memorizing times tables or long division problems. This can “pay off” on math tests but there are limits and only help in “low-achieving (rather) than high-achieving students in classrooms.” As young children boys used more “inventive strategies” and girls used “standard algorithms or counting”. In some of the studies it was felt that the tendency of girls favoring the “algorithms” kind of solving stemmed from “greater social pressure toward compliance, including complying with traditional teacher expectations” to please the teachers. The study did show that the “algorithm users did worse on the more complex math problems”. Toward the end of the article they mentioned an advanced problem solving test focused on “probability-related reasoning”, something like, how “rolling a seven-sided die would result in an even number”. The women using standard algorithms on computation problem solving verses reasoning type of solving  scored worse on the reasoning test. There was further testing looking at the “invectiveness” idea and identified that spatial-thinking skills may help “develop alternate calculation approaches”. Anxiety and perfectionism can be a factor in taking tests. 

I am trying a recipe I found for tuna veggie casserole for seniors for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first upload today is another of Bobbi when I caught her not paying attention to me and the camera. The title is “at the table”. This is one of her favorite spots as she watches the birds and squirrels. 

The next assignment is another “my choice” and another of my series of “still life”. My mom use to collect knickknacks, this is one of them. I have held onto it all these years. It is a clock and a music box at the same time. 

The last challenge for the day is “macro”. Bobbi has been a super model today. Here she is again. I guess I have just been in the right place and the right time to get these captures. 

Joy

bonus image I think it is called a bluebell flower it bloomed from a plant that I planted last year and it came up this year. I entered the photo in a contest at Fine Art America

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

 August 31, 2026a thought for today, Chips don't fall without being hacked from the tree. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “one color”. This is one of the pews in my church. It is really two colors with the bit of the side is showing. I had difficulty separating anything I was seeing to get one color unless I did a complete macro/close up. I decided to use this one. 

The next assignment was “swamp or pond”. This a view of the pond in the part close to my house. 

The last upload for yesterday was “off the beaten tack”. This is one of the alley ways in my community. It is very little used. It use to be where the trash collections took place. But when the trucks were updated they were too big to go through so we had to take it to the curb in front of the house. 

Life today. Yesterday’s church service was unique. We had a visiting lay pastor. The congregation was particularly small. A few key people were out of town. Some of us have had little experience turning on lights in the sanctuary, opening some windows and turning on some fans. We found just as we were about to start there was no one there to “man” the sound system. Our choir director did her best to tackle the situation to no avail. The reader and visiting lay pastor could barely be heard. So the few sitting further back in the church moved forward. It felt to me like a small country church may have felt back in history. 

This Monday is going along as it should, actually more smoothly than usual. This is one of the weeks that I can sometimes get the whole bulletin done in one day. It is done and on its way for some proof reading. 

I have a good start on the letter and all of the photos shot, keyworded, added to the files and ready for upload. 

I plan on clearing the frig and loading the dish washer. Then I have a few other house hold chores to get done. I should be able to spend some quality time on my “back burner” items today and maybe the rest of the week.

Summer seems to still be around in full force. There was a bit of a break for a few days. It is supposed to get into the high eighties today. 

The word to ponder today is deal. Everyone is as God has made him, and oftentimes a great deal worse. Miguel de Cervantes. 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. Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Man is born a predestined idealist, for he is born to act. To act is to affirm the worth of an end, and to persist in affirming the worth of an end is to make an ideal. Oliver Wendell Holme. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. Charles Haddon Spurgeon. The ideal condition Would be, I admit, that men should be right by instinct; But since we are all likely to go astray, The reasonable thing is to learn from those who can teach. Sophocles. Errors to be dangerous must have a great deal of truth mingled with them. It is only from this alliance that they can ever obtain an extensive circulation. Sydney Smith. Deep-seated are the wounds dealt in civil brawls. Lucan. There is a great deal of wishful thinking in such cases; it is the easiest thing of all to deceive one’s self. Demosthenes. All virtue is summed up in dealing justly. Aristotle. A very little thief of occasion will rob you of a great deal of patience. William Shakespeare. Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them. Charles de Montesquieu. A little and a little, collected together, become a great deal; the heap in the barn consists of single grains, and drop and drop makes an inundation. Saadi. 

Article summary. I believe all creatures were put here as a gift and for a purpose, usually the purpose unknown to us, but a purpose mostly beyond our understanding. So I thought I would take a look at this view on one of those chosen creatures. The title is Should I kill spiders in my home? An entomologist explains why not to. Matt  Bertone  Extension Associate in Entomology, North Carolina State University. At theconvesation.com. I like in the opening statements the explaining that spiders are important in nature and to the ecosystem “as well as being fellow organisms in their own right”. The author goes on to say that most all that we may “meet” are not “aggressive nor dangerous”. Some prefer to live indoors others outdoors.  One of their benefits and it seems “purposes” is  “eating pests” as well as other spiders. There was a survey made in fifty North Carolina homes to see which kind live inside as “house guests”. The author said there was a spider in every one of those homes. The author cataloged them as “cobweb spiders and cellar spiders”. They “build” their webs to catch “prey”. The “cellar spiders” may leave their webs to go in hunt of other spiders that are “on their turf”. Spiders are “generalist predators” in that the eat anything they catch some of which are “nuisance pests” and some are disease carrying insects, some are mosquitoes. The article pointed out nicely that killing the spider may remove an important asset to you home environment. Still further, the article went on to mention one feature most people would disapprove of and that is most of them are “venomous” though too weak to cause harm to humans even if their tiny “fangs” could pierce the skin at all. Here is another point that interested me, entomologists can “fall prey to ‘arachnophobia’” and many have been known to have actually overcome that phobia by simply “observing and working with these fascinating creatures”. Spiders would like to avoid humans as much as humans would like to avoid them. We can (and do) hurt them more than they can hurt us. In coming to a close the article suggest that if you find one in your home “try to capture it and release it outside”. It ends by saying that its OK to have them in your home, even if you don’t see them they are most likely still there. So “consider a live-and-let-live approach to the next spider you encounter.”

I am thinking some kind of pasta for dinner tonight. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload today is “neutral color”. I like the shade of color along with the lines in this photo of my leather sofa. 

The second challenge is “my choice”. It is one of my series of “still life”, a pad and pen with a candle for light presented on a serving board. 

The last assignment is “a is for...”. I used on one and only apple for this one. I
only had one apple on hand so I did a close up view. 

Joy

these are composites of each of the photo a day and fine art clubs I belong to and upload daily for the month of August

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 29, 2026 a thought for today, Where wisdom doesn't go in it doesn't come out. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “shapes in color”. These are the first alphabet letter cement statues in painted in color and found in the park near my home. 

The next assignment was “my choice” and is one of my series of “double
exposure”, this was a neighbor’s window I shot for a series of windows. The “double” image is one from my latest bouquet. 

The last upload was “round”. This is one of the water towers in the park near my house.

Life today. Finally Saturday. It’s been a week with some worries. They are common in all lives and they pass in time. I had a dream last night that, as many do, has carried over into the following day, leaving a feeling of being overwhelmed and lonely. It is slowly “processing”. The dream was one of walking in the city and being lost. Taking every turn that seemed possible then coming up with a dead end or not in the right direction all the while getting farther and further from “home” and family. And woke up meeting no destination.

The groceries are picked up and put away. After I got them put away I did some research on ideas I am forming for my gallery and my book and my Christmas calendar and a couple of other things. I put those things aside when I have my church activities on my to-do list. The next two weeks the calender is relative open so I should be able to work on those back burner items.

I am still getting use to the “smart tv” in contrast to the cable tv that I decided to cancel after several years. Actually I had never really considered cable all those years ago but Bob was interested and signed us up. He paid for it as long as he was working then I inherited it. I got use to some of the shows even counted on them at times so it stuck until a few weeks ago. 

The word to ponder today is cross.  Without the aid of prejudice and custom I should not be able to find my way across the room. William Hazlitt. He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses. Horace. Be entirely tolerant or not at all; follow the good path or the evil one. To stand at the crossroads requires more strength than you possess. Heinrich Heine. Help thy brother's boat across, and lo! thine own has reached the shore. Hindu Proverb. What is life? It is a flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. Crowfoot. No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown. William Penn. In the city that the wolf enters, enemies will be close by. An alien force will sack a great country. Allies will cross the mountains and the borders. Nostradamus. Few cross the river of time and are able to reach non-being. Most of them run up and down only on this side of the river. But those who when they know the law follow the path of the law, they shall reach the other shore and go beyond the realm of death. Horace. To shun one's cross is to make it heavier. Henri Frederic Amiel.  If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Thomas Aquinas. 

Article summary. I think I did a summary on decision making just a few days ago. I think this one relates somewhat to that one. So I decided to take a look. The title is Should we worry that half of Americans trust their gut to tell them what’s true? R. Kelly Garrett, Associate Professor of Communication, The Ohio State University. At theconversation.com. The opening paragraph talked about how about 50 percent of people polled said that they would say something like “I trust my gut to tell me what’s true and what’s not”  in making decisions before getting all the facts. It seems after there was some study on the subject that there is a variation in how Americans decide on what to believe. Using another survey they found there are “different approaches people take when deciding what’s true”. The differences seem to be thinking about intuition and thinking about evidence. It seems people’s ability to tell truth from fiction rather than trusting “their gut” is what makes the difference. A point was approached that in the field of politics people tend to make their decision due to “believe (in) things that favor their side – even if it isn’t grounded in data or science”. According to the article this may lead to things that aren’t true.  Other than politics there are other factors in the decision making processes in life. Another factor is believing in something or not relates to what has been heard often, over and over. The article points out that trusting the gut feeling connected to conspiracy theories may not always be wrong, saying that “intuition isn’t all bad”.  Many people trust their own instincts while wanting evidence also, some don’t use either. Those who check the evidence are more likely to be right. It seems that in much of the study on the subject valuing evidence plays a bigger role in forming beliefs and it leads to a more accurate decision. These discussions on making good decisions can help in being able to not fall for a hoax as has happened in many historical political situations as mentioned in the original article and is well known in history. In coming to an end the article relates that more than common sense will help in negating falsehoods. It says there is no need for serious disagreements in conversations and that “providing evidence can make a difference”.

I think DoorDash tonight. 

Photos in my life today

The first upload for today is “colorful corner”. Though there is not a lot of colors as in many colors with the red and yellow set it off. It is a “colorful corner” in another way, the store employees take their break here to smoke, check their phones and chat with one another. 

The next challenge is “from another camera”. This photo was taken with one of my earlier Sony cameras. I mostly use my Samsung phone camera now. 

The last assignment is “a pair”. I chose the pair of boots belonging to a US
Marines. They were place there as he enjoyed a bit of R and R with our family. 

Joy

this bonus image is a digitally art piece generated from a photo of a ripe tomato on the vine.  I used filters and algorithms to get the “hidden” image in the tomato it is uploaded to Fine Art America.

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

 August 27, 2026, a thought for today, The calendar is made by man; the weather by God. Swedish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

My first upload was “colors in nature”. It is a garden in one of my neighbor’s yards. The colors at this time of year are beautiful. 

The next challenge was “my choice” and one of my series of “double
exposure” . I chose one of the flag along with one of the day lilies from my lawn. 

The last assignment was “ice cream”.  I added a little chocolate syrup and some whipped cream. 

Life today. It was with careful anticipation that I left for the printing at church this morning. We haven’t used the copier since there was maintenance on it. When I opened the office door, I saw the red trouble light flashing on the copier. I was anxious, I turned the copier off and then restarted. From there everything ran normally, as a matter of fact a little faster than before. The bulletin and the newsletter are done. While I was there, I was able to get the first “placard” on one of the gallery photos. I think they will be helpful and inviting. 

I stopped at the mail box and then picked up some lunch. Once at home I got back to my ususal call from the computer. I had a bit of a start on the letter and an idea for a couple of the photos. 

I have two weeks with nothing on the calendar so I will have time to spend on more photos for the gallery wall and start printing on the Christmas calendar that I do every year. I want to get some work done on more of the placard for the rest of the gallery photos. 

I am dealing with the silent worries of motherhood that don’t go away when the kids are grown, well into their own lives. Though they are grown and away I am on my own dealing with what it is to still be a mom. The worries will be resolved in time. 

The word to ponder today is course. ...the safest course is to do nothing against one's conscience. With this secret, we can enjoy life and have no fear from death. Voltaire. Do not trust all men, but trust men of worth; the former course is silly, the latter a mark of prudence. Democritus. Be brief, for no discourse can please when too long. Miguel de Cervantes. Read not to contradict and confute, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider. Sir Francis Bacon. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death. Patrick Henry. Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue. Confucius. I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is best for the State; and as for the man who sets private friendship above the public welfare - I have no use for him either. Sophocles. There is one thing alone that stands the brunt of life throughout its course: a quiet conscience. Euripides. Read not to contradict and confute, not to believe and take for granted, not to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider. Sir Francis Bacon. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Bible, 2 Timothy 4. 7. Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course. William Shakespeare. Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them. Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Article summary. I saw this title and decided to have a look and share. I don’t like making decisions on my own. I like to have back up thought. Maybe this article will help me understand. The title is What St. Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th century mystic, can teach us about making good decisions. Annmarie Caño. Professor of Psychology and Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Faculty Success, Wayne State University. At theconversation.com. For one thing right off the bat I learned that st. Ignatius of Loyola was a “soldier-turned mystic”. The author mentions that in her career she “became acquainted” with the mystic in an internship program. She found that what she learned in that experience helped her decided it would be useful to use it in her study of “mindfulness and other reflective practices”too. She mentioned something I thought when I first read the title that as Ignatius used the ideas in the “language of faith” it can apply his methods in decision making in any walk of life. To understand him she gave a brief “bio” of his life. He was born into “a noble family” in Spain in 1493. He was severely injured in a “battle” that affected his health the rest of his life. As he was recuperating, he was bed ridden and used the time “reading and reflecting”. He became more spiritual during that time. This outcome led to a form of “spiritual exercises”. He is known for founding the Jesuit society along with a method of decision-making that is still “relevant” today that all people can practice. The first suggestion is to “rely on reason and feelings”. It is mentioned that “emotions act as compass points”. Then he says to prob the origin of the feelings. Are they due to a want of power or is it greed related, maybe being afraid of what others think, want to good or be considerate. The article goes on to suggest that we should want to “share our “deliberations” with a confidant”. The author goes on to say that modern psychological science says “sharing emotions with others helps make sense of our thoughts and feelings”. It is suggested to think of how your decisions will affect others particularly the vulnerable and “maginalized”. Ignatius suggested “imaginative exercises”. One of the exercises is to imagine that a friend with the same situation you are having asks for your advice. They describe their pros and cons. Think what your advice would be. Then consider how they would feel about your decision. Last in the decision you have to make in your own situation “act on reason”. Try to feel that you have “invested time and energy to make a good choice”.

I think it will be fish sticks and macaroni salad for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first challenge is “colorful outfit”. I don’t have any outfits that are colorful in the sense of a lot ofdifferent colors. So I chose a top and a bottom of two bright colors. 

The second assignment is “inspirational person”. This is my son Bob wirh Gideon. His attitude of life was an inspiration to me. He was a person God gave me for a while, a message of love and pure simple peace. He was and always will be my angel unaware.

The last upload was another “my choice” and another “double exposure”. It is a corner of my front porch with my flag flying free in the breeze. 

Joy

on the placard for this image I have written: A chapel in darkness, quiet with a sacred hush, untouched by the noise of the outside day, dim light offering distraction of the world, shadows of the pew a place to rest unseen, silent is a waiting altar, a symbol of God's presence

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)