July 21, 2020 thought for the day: You notice what I drink, and not the thirst I feel. Spanish Proverb
I had a meeting last night. It was one of those kinds that left some points and manner-of-talk about the details in my thinking and processing mode, so that is what I have been doing the biggest part of today.

I had two photo a day challenges yesterday. The first was “fave smell” That is another that offers a wide variety of choices. I chose one that I have always come back to. I even had it in a perfume once, called vanilla fields. I added a feeling of waves over the bottle of vanilla.

I worked on small additions I needed to make to the bulletin and newsletter before I took Sue on some errands that she needed to make.

When we got back I watered the back portion of the yard. Then got my nose back in a visit back to the computer.

I reached out to a friend to share some concerns I have been having. I needed to vent. She was a good “listener”.

The second title for a photo of the day on July 20th was “round things”. The twins had left some very pink balls in the tub when they finished their baths. That seemed a perfect image.

The word is invisible.  Little by little, wean yourself. This is the gist of what I have to say. From an embryo whose nourishment comes in the blood, move to an infant drinking milk, to a child on solid food, to a searcher after wisdom, to a hunter of invisible game, Rumi.  Age is opportunity no less than youth itself, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. One is not idle because one is absorbed. There is both visible and invisible labor. To contemplate is to toil, to think is to do. The crossed arms work, the clasped hands act. The eyes upturned to Heaven are an act of creation, Victor Hugo. When you're down to nothing, God is up to something. The faithful see the invisible, believe the incredible and then receive the impossible. Where liberty dwells there is my country, Benjamin Franklin.  The Ideal is the invisible sun which is always on the meridian of the soul, William Batchelder Greene. Intellect is invisible to the man who has none, Arthur Schopenhauer. God washes the eyes by tears until they can behold the invisible land where tears shall come no more, Henry Ward Beecher. One of the principal rules of religion is, to lose no occasion of serving God. And, since he is invisible to our eyes, we are to serve him in our neighbour; which he receives as if done to himself in person, standing visibly before us, John Wesley. The longer I live, the more deeply am I convinced that that which makes the difference between one person and another-between the weak and the powerful, the great and the insignificant-is energy-invisible determination, Charles Buxton.

The photo theme for today is “where I stood” ....since I don’t do much standing these days, I changed the title a bit to reflect where I spend a great deal of my time, “where I sat”, my well worn desk chair.

This article is another about bicycles. It looks like there truly is a lot more interest in bicycling recently. Hopefully it hangs on. Personally, I think bicycling is healthy in more ways than one. It is evident that the pandemic has increased the interest in this activity. One of the major benefits is the exercise in fresh air a person gets while keeping some social distance.  This article says that an American Marketing Research Group says that the sales in bikes, helmet and other accessories is over a billion dollars which is double the typical $550 million. This phenomenon has also increased the use in bike trails. The trails are open. Weather conditions don’t seem to make much a difference in the amount of use they get. I leaned from the article that “there are 40,000 miles of multi-use trails across the country” and in comparison there are nearly 47,000 miles of interstate highways. Also of interest is that some of these trails are converted railroad beds. Since there are a lot of “newcomers” to the bike trails the article listed some “trail etiquette”. Avoiding crowds is one, wearing a helmet, stay right and use the bike bell when near a pedestrian and other cyclists. Carry a small bike pump, pull off the trail if you stop, don’t use a phone when riding and don’t walk your dog at the same time as a ride.

We’re having hot dogs and mac and cheese for dinner.

Joy