February 22, 2020 thought for the day: Like two golden birds perched on the selfsame tree, intimate friends, the ego and the Self dwell in the same ..Traditional Proverb

The twins are here for their weekend overnight. So we have toys all over the tables and floors. And the usual clip art for cut outs.

The photo theme for February 21 was “fri-yay!” My fri-yay is pizza night. This habit began when I worked full time. It was the end of the week, I had Saturday and Sunday off so it was the beginning of the weekend. I didn’t want to cook and clean up. Pizza was healthy, easy and quick. The habit has hung on all through the years. It is now a tradition in our house.

I have photos stored on four external hard drives, a couple are duplicates for backup. I am trying to put together a book of photos-of-the day that I have been doing over the past few years. I belong to two photo clubs, one more active than the other. I have my first book about three quarters complete of the photos I have had from one of the clubs. I just decided I want to put some photos from the other club in the book also. This second club only has a photo-a-day on four to five days a month. Anyway, I spent about two hours this morning searching for the photos I want from the archives. From this I have, once again, learned that I need to find another way to name and store the photos to make it easier to find later when I want them.

This has turned out to be a perfect day for searching the archives. I got the Ash Wednesday bulletin done yesterday so I have a break for a couple of days.

One thing on the agenda that I am going to have to work on is a dish for the church pot luck tomorrow. I think I will make a coka-cola cake with coka-cola frosting.

I need to use some time yet today to add one of the photos I searched for to the book.

The word today is edges. Truth uncompromisingly told will always have its ragged edges, Herman Melville. So near is falsehood to truth that a wise man would do well not to trust himself on the narrow edge, Marcus Tullius Cicero. A sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use, Washington Irving. 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.  Though familiarity may not breed contempt, it takes the edge off admiration, William Hazlitt. But whoso is heroic will always find crises to try his edge, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance, Confucius. 'Tis the sharpness of our mind that gives the edge to our pains and pleasures, Michel de Montaigne. Our interest's on the dangerous edge of things. The honest thief, the tender murderer, the superstitious atheist, Robert Browning.   

The challenge for today is “home decor”. My decor is eclectic, so it was hard to decide what to use to meet the challenge. After some searching and shooting a few corners, I came up with one of our chairs and a lap blanket.

Today’s article  may not be “news” but it could be a bit educational. We may just need to know this down the road. It begins by relating that a kind of science fiction-ish yellow slime is on the soil of an indoor house plant. After some research it was noted that the “goo” was possibly healthy for the plant. The article went on to note things that can be beneficial to your personal pit of nature in your plants. First leave the slime, the dog vomited there, it can effectively break down woody matter in the potting soil. Going on in the article are several other things that plants like. Here they are: over watering can “suffocate” the roots. If the soil is dry to the touch, it needs a drink. “Stale water rules”. It is beneficial to let a water container sit for twenty-four hours to allow the fluoride and chlorine to “dissipate”. Also the room temperature it finds as it sits helps. Something the article mentions is hard for me to do. It stated that sometimes cutting back certain plants makes them healthier.  Here is something I didn’t fully realize. Some house plants seem to “prefer” being “rootbound” in a small container. A sign that they need replanted is roots coming out the drainage hole or when the plant is three times the size of the container. Many plants that “take over” an outdoor space are “foolproof” indoor plants. House plants make ideal gifts especially when they are cuttings from your own plants such as aloe vera or spider plants. According to the article aloe vera houseplants are easy to grow and propagate and they can “give back”. Their “gel” can treat dry skin, burns, insect bites and more. The article suggests starting hyacinth or narcissus indoors before spring appears. They can be started without soil in a bed of pebbles and water. House plants like a “vacation” by being outdoors, out of direct sun, in the warm spring and summer weather.

We are having chili and fried potatoes for dinner.

Joy