June 4, 2024 a thought for today, He who sacrifices his conscience to ambition burns a picture to obtain the ashes. Chinese Proverb

An upload for yesterday was “I walked here”. Since my “exercise” regime is walking a minimum of 2000 steps a day, I walk a lot of places. This is just one of them. 

A second upload for yesterday was “photographer’s choice”. I found one lone plant as I passed through the park on a photo search. With the hanging leaves around the single flower, it gives a mild feel of hidden in a tiny jungle. 

The third upload for yesterday was “look up”. This was an image made at about the same time as the one just above. This was one of the tallest trees I passed as I went through the park. I think the clouds give a little feeling to the height of the tree. 

Life today. This is an easy, laid back day. Although, there is activity here at the house that is a little out of the ordinary. My back door has been a little out of alignment. So my son-in-law said he was going to fix it. This is the day for that to happen. He came with Tami and brought along my great granddaughter to help. There was a hitch so he had to go get a part. Serenity couldn’t help with this part so my granddaughter came by to pick her up. I got to see both of the great grandchildren because Gideon was with Natalie. That gave me the opportunity to give them the fingerless gloves that I had made for them. I gave another set to Drew and Lexie. Now I have a set ready for William and Benjamin. I will mail those or get Lowell and Rebecca to take them when they go visit next week. 

While Andy went to get the part he needed, Tami and I had a chance to talk. We need to have more of those times. We lost some time in the past. We have a chance to make up time now. 

My fist upload for today is “messy”. Tami suggested this one since all off Andy’s tools for fixing the door were spread out in the back entry. 

I worked on the letter and some of the photos while Andy and Tami finished up working on the door. It has been nice having family in the house for more than just a few minute visit for a change. It’s usually just Sue and me and Sweet Pea. This felt good, almost, just almost, like when my kids were here always and growing up....but they say you can’t go back. So it is a brief momentary grace. 

We are having the almost normal Ohio weather. Today it is warm enough for the air conditioner yet tomorrow it is supposed to drop again. At least it keeps us guessing and on our toes, one of the things about Ohio, adding spice to life.

This image upload was another of the “photographer’s choice”. I seem to be “connecting” emotionally with blue sky, white fluffy clouds and tree tops more than usual. They give me a bit of a feel for Bob, and, well, as the gifts of our Higher Power.

The word today is forget. Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin.  I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius.  When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger. Epictetus.  It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own. Marcus Tullius Cicero.  If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered. Edgar Allan Poe.  It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know. Henry David Thoreau.  I love my friends neither with my heart nor with my mind. Just in case…Heart might stop. Mind can forget. I love them with my soul. Soul never stops or forgets. Rumi. The remedy for wrongs is to forget them. Publilius Syrus.  It is wise for us to forget our troubles, there are always new ones to replace them. Brigham Young.  Everyone likes a good quote - don't forget to share. Abraham Lincoln.  You forget that the fruits belong to all and that the land belongs to no one. Jean-Jacques Rousseau.  Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses. Confucius.  If any man seeks for greatness, let him forget greatness and ask for truth, and he will find both. Horace Mann.  Life is short. Do not forget about the most important things in our life, living for other people and doing good for them. Marcus Aurelius.  The good and the beautiful is not forgotten; it lives in legend and in song. Hans Christian Andersen.  I shall never forget you. I have never forgotten anyone whom I once knew. My life has never been crowded, and seems not likely to be so. George Eliot.  One cannot too soon forget his errors and misdemeanors. Henry David Thoreau.  Pray till prayer makes you forget your own wish, and leave it or merge it in God's will. Frederick William Robertson.  Good to forgive, Best to forget. Robert Browning.  We easily forget our faults when no one knows them but ourselves. Francois de La Rochefoucauld.

My last upload for today is “I feel...”. This is one of those challenges that is hard for me to determine how best to “show” that feeling/emotion. This stem from my Christmas Poinsettia that was giving me a second bloom of the year, maybe a hint of a Christmas in May. This particular stem cutting has been with me for a couple of weeks. It is finally giving up to eventually return to the earth. 

Article: Finding things that children see in their pure way can teach adults about life that may get overlooked or forgotten. This is a story about how a “media psychologist explains the research behind ‘Sesame Street,’ ‘Arthur’ and other children’s TV”. As the article began it explained how these shows may seem “simplistic” due to how slow it may seem they move and themes may be repeated and “tend” to be plain. Another thing that is taken into serious consideration is the moral aspect of its development. Research has shown “important developmental and social skills through media” have become carefully proven techniques. When Sesame Street was developed beginning in 1969, it began a decades long practice of testing its content before airing it to ensure children learned the intended messages”. Some of the lessons in the shows are “notoriously difficult to teach to young children, including lessons about death, divorce and racism”. Part of the research as it continues to keep the episodes at the highest level of expectations is that children are tested before the episodes are released to determine “whether they are engaged with, pay attention to and learn the intended message of the content”. I learned from the article that in 1992 one of the programs “designed to teach children about divorce, the entire episode is scrapped”. The children seemed to misunderstand some key information about divorce. So that segment was scrapped and it was “back to the drawing board”. In all the time these techniques have been put into practice it has been determined and proven that new insights have to be taken into consideration. One thing that was learned is one technique to use at times is to have the characters speak directly to the camera. Sometimes they use a practice called participatory cues  that leave time for the kids on the other end of the TV to “yell out an answer to their question”. This technique can stimulate “increased vocabulary learning and content comprehension”. There are sometimes things in the segments lean more towards adults called “active mediation” which can lead toward helping the children “improve aspects of their own emotional and social development”. One thing they found was that “a main character experiencing life through the eyes of another character with Asperger’s syndrome improved the ability of child viewers to take another person’s perspective”. Some episodes are developed to show “the importance of getting to know others before making judgments about them”. The article suggested that “parents and other adults can help children learn from media by watching alongside them and answering their questions”.

I think it is going to be left over meatloaf for dinner. 

Joy

                     look closely....there is a man resting among the trees