December 13, 2024 a thought for today, Parents are the first teachers of the children. Burmese Proverb

An upload for yesterday was “twelve things”. For this one I used twelve ornaments. Some of these ornaments have been saved from Christmas trees from when I was a child. Some were my mom and dad and some were my mother’s sister and her husband. They must be over one hundred years old. Awesome how they have made it Christmas after Christmas. 

The next upload is “this is “joyful”. These girls are my great-nieces. They are my
sister’s twin great-granddaughters. They are having a good (joyful) time at the recreation center a few blocks from my house. This is an older photo. They are pre-teens now. 

There is a story about this last image for yesterday. While Lowell and I were at breakfast I noticed that our very friendly server has on this festive sweater. I needed a “sweater” for one of my uploads today. I asked if I may take a photo of her sweater. She smiled and graciously agrees all the while saying her sweater would be famous.  

Life today. We had a bit of a car shopping yesterday. Lowell took me to breakfast then we headed to Toyota. We talked about the car search at breakfast. I mentioned to him that a cousin of mine has a car for sale for the amount to pay off the loan. After some discussion we decided that that may be the way for me to go. Though I had my mind pretty well set for a Toyota with Camry or Correla at the top of the list. There are several “plus” reasons to go with the Ford. At least some of the stress is relieved a little. I have to wait until the insurance situation goes through. This incident with the car and transportation have given me reason to consider other parts of my life. I may be cutting back on some things I do now. My age is making it’s presence known. My thinking is slower. The “sounds” of my letters may be changing soon. 

The first upload for today is “sweater”. Well, I didn’t have any festive sweaters so I decided to use this vest that Tami made for me many years ago. It fits the season and holds happy memories. 

Food pantry is over for the week but I am behind in my printing due the car search yesterday. I will be going to the church shortly to get the printing done. I am late so folks won’t be getting their bulletins until late. I am asking Patti to turn the computer on at church so that it will boot up by the time I get there. 

I did the laundry yesterday so I don’t have that on my agenda for today. Once I get home from the church I will not have a long list. I think I will just be working on the photo up loads for today. 

I got all the “packages” (calendar gifts) done yesterday, another thing off my mind. I gave out some of the mint plants at pantry on Wednesday. I have a few more to get ready and pass out. Then Christmas preparation will be done except for the gift cards I give the young people.

The next upload for today is “moody”. I pulled this one from my archives. I feel that the mist/fog hold a very moody feel to it. It is a mystery with a touch of sadness or loneliness. 

The word for today is public.  We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. Aesop.  Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom - and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech. Benjamin Franklin.  With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed. Abraham Lincoln. When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself a public property. Thomas Jefferson.   Imagine for yourself a character, a model personality, whose example you determine to follow, in private as well as in public. Epictetus.  If I have done the public any service, it is due to my patient thought. Isaac Newton.  Deeply earnest and thoughtful people stand on shaky footing with the public. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Public opinion is the thermometer a monarch should constantly consult. Napoleon Bonaparte.  And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything. William Shakespeare.  Public sentiment is everything. There are certain things in which mediocrity is not to be endured, such as poetry, music, painting, public speaking. Jean de la Bruyere.  

The last challenge upload for today is “candy cane”. This is an image I went out in the neighborhood to find. I have a couple of candy canes here a the house what I wanted something with a little more character. This one fit the bill. 

Article: It’s interesting to delve into some of the stories of life in the past. Here is some information about health and how people were affected many years ago. Also how it affects our health today. The title is: “Infectious diseases killed Victorian children at alarming rates — their novels highlight the fragility of public health today”. The article began describing how “in the first half of the 19th century, between 40% and 50% of children in the U.S. didn’t live past the age of 5". This occurred through the “early 20th century”. Tuberculosis killed 1 in 7 people in the US and Europe.   Smallpox killed 80% of the children it infected. Diphtheria was another danger and “caused panic” in the 1850s.  After those scarey facts the article mentioned that “multiple technologic” now help in the prevention of spreads of these “and other once-common childhood illnesses, including polio, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, scarlet fever and cholera”. It mentions such things a “closed sewers” that protect drinking water from contamination as it did all those years ago. Pasteurization works in stopping tuberculosis, diphtheria, typhoid and other disease-causing organisms in milk”. Regulations stopped food additives that ended with chalk, lead, alum, plaster and even arsenic that were thought to “improve the color, texture” in “inferior products”. Another boost in technology generated vaccines and antibiotics . Finally the article mentioned a more beneficial side of the story “these sanitary, regulatory and medical advances, child mortality rates have sat below 1% in the U.S. and U.K. for the last 30 years”. In the Victorian era there was “terrible grief of losing children”. This was noted in novels like Charles Dickens “The Old Curiosity Shop”. The story of “Green Gables” and Minnie May who came through a battle with diphtheria. Then the story of “Jane Eyre” and illnesses of girls in charity school. There are more current stories of such events as with Abraham Lincoln’s son who had typhoid. Now an illness such as scarlet fever can be “curable with a 10-day course of antibiotics”. The author relates that the “Victorian stories” tell a profound story of grief and we should not  “dismiss them as old-fashioned”.

It’s DoorDash night. I don’t know if it will be pizza or Wendy’s. 

Joy

          inside out (wishful thinking ?)