September 30, 2023 a thought for today, He who would make a golden door must add a nail to it daily. German Proverb

The first upload for September 29 was “moon”. I had to pull this one from the archives since I don’t often see the moon. I am usually in bed by the time, and if, it is visible. 

Sweet Pea and I are back from picking up the groceries and the cold things are put away. I still have a couple of bags to put away. But I thought I would eat my brunch first. 

Sonja is spending part of the day with us. She decided to take a different direction to her weekend this week and wanted to spend some time with Sue (and me). 

I got a touch more done on the thank you notes. As I mentioned in an earlier letter I bit off more than I can chew but I am stubborn and will see it through. I hope to have them in the mail before the 12th. I need a few more addresses that Lowell is going to get for me. Then there are a couple of more steps to completing the design. I don’t have anything pressing on the calendar for this week except for two evening meetings and, of course, the weekly bulletin. 

The second upload for yesterday was “my choice”.... again from the archives. This one is of police officers protecting us in the night. 

The weather is perfect for an early autumn day. The sun is bright and the temperature is comfortable. Perfect football weather. The only thing missing is a breeze to make the wind chimes sing (especially one of them....it has some special meaning for me).  

We may be going to visit my daughter late today. They have a new puppy...a new member of the family....we would like to meet. 

My first upload for today is “small”. This is one of my great grandchildren when they first appeared into this world. 

The word today is science. Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world. Science is the highest personification of the nation because that nation will remain the first which carries the furthest the works of thought and intelligence. Louis Pasteur. Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life. Marcus Aurelius.   Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science. Robert Green Ingersol. In all science, error precedes the truth, and it is better it should go first than last. Horace Walpole.  Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Medicine is not only a science; it is also an art. It does not consist of compounding pills and plasters; it deals with the very processes of life, which must be understood before they may be guided. Paracelsus.  Society lives by faith, and develops by science. Henri Frederic Amiel.  He who possesses art and science has religion; he who does not possess them, needs religion. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  

The second upload today is yet another from my archives. This is a replica of the Santa Maria that rest on our downtown river for a number of years. It is in storage right now. 

I mentioned in another blog about how tending to my house plants helped in the grieving process. This article seems to relate to that kind of activity also. An Assistant Professor of Plant Evolutionary Biology wrote the article and as I “surfed” through curiosity news articles I discovered this. The title is “take a break from your screen and look at plants − botanizing is a great way to engage with life around you.” It started out comparing the “abundance” of life on earth with animals and plants and professes that there are more species of plants than there are of animals. It goes on to say that plants “make up” 82% of all life on the planet. Apparently there is a “botanical boom, with participation in plant-based hobbies surging.” “ Botanizing” is studying more plants to study life in plants as opposed to animals to observe “subjects that stay in place” as well as the study of animals which don’t “stay in place.” In the study of plants one can find a shared experience of the two. Early on for thousands of year people studied plants to find what was “useful as food, medicine and for other purposes.” In the 17th  century there was the study of nutmeg. In the 19th century there was a “craze” in the study of ferns. The article claimed that today there are many studies on trees and shrubs. In this article there are several uses of the word “botanize.” It is pointed out in the article that plants “provide raw materials for the homes we live in, the food we eat and the oxygen we breathe” and without them humans would not exist. It also says in this line that many people think of plants as a “backdrop to life” not the most important. Doctors “prescribe nature walks to reduce stress” which leads to the notion that “botanizing” helps in the getting outdoors idea not to mention helping us get away, even for a short time, from “social media.” The article goes on to dialog much of my own thinking you don’t need to travel far or spend a lot of money to learn about plants. You can experience their “colors, textures or scents.” In your garden plants and around the neighborhood you can see how other plant life adds to the life experience. The article came to an end by mentioning that botanizing could be a “critically evolved 21st century pastime......looking at plants with appreciation – not simply as products for human use but as foundational and interconnected members of life on Earth” as I do with my house plants. 

I am not sure about dinner tonight. Sue and I are learning to fix whatever we want at the time. I am learning to make one person meals. I will most likely have air fried fish and French fries tonight. 

Joy

Here are the composites for the photos of the day from my three online photo clubs