February 7, 2025 a thought for today, In the mirror everybody sees his best friend. Yiddish Proverb

 

My first upload for yesterday was “beautiful clouds”. This one is from th archives since the clouds to day were faintly hidden somewhere in the gray skies. 

The next upload is “ new”. The only thing new I had in the house yesterday was this “new” mason jar ready to join the other in my hydroponic garden. 

The last upload for yesterday was “f is for....”, this time I have chosen flag for the f. This one is flying among other city landscape icons, telephone poles. 

Life today. I had a meeting as church last night. It is always good to be with friends and family. 

 A refrigerator repair person came out yesterday and fixed the noisy sound, thank goodness. It seems people I have come to make repairs or do things around the yard and house are younger and younger. This was a nice young man, probably not much more than late twenties in age. He seemed to know what he was doing and what ever it was it worked. 

The first upload for today is “grey”. This is a part of my “new” car, a beautiful silver gray color.

Today we have another person coming to check out a repair situation on the siding of the house. Then Sweet Pea has an appointment for her monthly shot. She is late for this one. I canceled the last one due to the sub-zero temperature and hazardous driving (at least hazardous in my minds eye).

It looks like we are having another drop in temperatures for a week. It doesn’t seem like it will be in the arctic type cold. Hopefully it is an early sign of winter finding it’s way out of our town for a while. Spring will be welcomed with open arms. 

I don’t have much on the agenda today after Sweet Pea’s visit to the vets, just a trip to the online Kroger store.

The next upload today is “flower or plant”. This is one of my plants growing in a Bell mason jar and water. 

The word today is sharp.  The sharp thorn often produces delicate roses. Ovid.  A sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use. Washington Irving.  But curb thou the high spirit in thy breast, for gentle ways are best, and keep aloof from sharp contentions. Homer.  God answers sharp and sudden on some prayers, And thrusts the thing we have prayed for in our face, A gauntlet with a gift in it. Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  The sword the body wounds, sharp words the mind. Menander.  A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use. Washington Irvin.  The only faith that wears well and holds its color in all weathers is that which is woven of conviction and set with the sharp mordant of experience. James Russell Lowell.  'Tis the sharpness of our mind that gives the edge to our pains and pleasures. Michel de Montaigne.  I want to tell you this: you cannot get the robe of hypocrisy on you so thick that the sharp eye of childhood will not see through every veil. Robert Green Ingersoll.  If you keep feeling a point that has been sharpened, the point cannot long preserve its sharpness. Lao Tzu.  It is fear that I stand most in fear of, in sharpness it exceeds every other feeling. Michel de Montaigne.  Pounding an edge to sharpness will not make it last. Laozi.  

The last challenge upload for today is “g is for....”, in this case, green. As I was waiting at the stop lightthis huge green cement truck was sitting beside me. It took me a minute to grab my camera, he was moving by then. 

Article. Here’s another story about pets and some of what they can bring to our lives. The title is How the presence of pets builds trust among people, written by an associate professor of Human-Animal Interaction. The article starts out with relating that 90 million American households having at least one pet. Many people feel that pets become family members. They are nonjudgmental as they exude emotional support and companionship through all stages of human emotions. The article goes on to express so many of the other dimensions of affection and natural comfort. Their presence can bring about socialization with other people. Companion animals can be and almost always are a life saver. Other aspects are that people with pets seem to respond to each other, Assistance animals bring about human interactions. Another thing mentioned in the article is something I agree with, they can bing about or “enhance perceptions of trustworthiness and responsibility, which in turn fosters positive social interactions”. When it comes to pets and children it can strengthen “positive social interactions and develop empathy and compassion”. In children with pets as compared to those without it has been noticed that are “higher levels of social skills and empathy toward others than those without such attachments.” On a community level it has been found that “neighbors may rely on one another to assist with animal care, which builds reciprocal trust”. Pets are valuable in times of social isolations as in pandemic type event. In some case there is even an increase in positive social interactions in the workplace where animals are allowed albeit creating a sense of ease and trust. 

I decided DoorDash or GrubHub for this Friday. 

Joy

                                  worn out and dumped