August 6, 2025 God speaks for the man who holds his peace. Mexican Proverb

One of the uploads for yesterday was “chair”. Some days I slowly travel through the neighborhood to find suitable and interesting photo for my daily challenges. This is from one of those days. It looks peaceful and comfortable. 

The next upload is “my choice” and another in my series of “still life”. This is a
vintage vase I have in my collection of bric-a-brac sometimes used as photo props. 

Next is an upload when the challenge was listed as “something that comforts me”. This is my Sweet Pea, appropriately named. She is by my side most of the time that I am at home. After all she is a breed of herding dogs, but hers herding comes with incomparable love attached. 

The last upload comes with an ooops. The August 5 challenge from the photo
group was “rocks and stones”. I miss-read the challenge for that date, it was for September 5. I already had this one done and “in the book”, pardon the pun. So I went ahead and uploaded it yesterday. I will use the rocks and stones. Next month on the 5th.

Life today. Yesterday Tami and Andy came by to put up my new deck fence. Andy built it just for me. I am so lucky to have had the three children God loaned to me. Bob was my angel and taught me, through his own daily life, things I would have missed and most people don’t get to experience. My other two and their families are my comfort and salvation. Each have a gift that at times can help me especially as I grow older. The “gifts” vary, they each seem to have their own “speciality” and are there for me to call on when I need them. Thank you God for allowing me to share their lives. 

After my usual wifi news and email checks I got an early start on the rest of the day. I had to pick up a prescription at Kroger. Brian was planning to come to do the lawn so had told him I would get an early start and get home as soon as I could so he could get done before noon. He came about 10. He also got the lilac bush cut down to the ground. Something killed both mine and my neighbors. Brian was eager to tell me he may have an interview for a job. While I was at Kroger I picked up a few other things. Mostly things that I will use in some of my “still life” photos. 

Once back home I got back to the computer. I had managed to get all three of the photos I need for today, except for the one I had to set up, with some of what I bought at Kroger, for todays still life. 

My first upload for today is “my shadow”. This was a sunny day so I spent some time taking several of this kind of shot. 

I took a break to clean out the frig and load the dish washer. I also started cleaning out the chest freezer. I will do it a little at a time on the day before the refuse pick up the next day. I also managed another break to quickly Swifter the powder room floor.

I hadn’t heard from Sue at all today so I tried to call her but when she didn’t answer I went up to make sure she was ok, she was. 

One of the breaks was getting the activity sheets I send my great grandchildren printed. I also got three birthday cards for folks at church done. Then all of the envelopes I need printed. 

(I just leaned over to pet Sweet Pea, she had nudged me to let me know that’s what she wanted. When I  leaned over I upset my McDonald iced tea on the floor. Now there is a break to clean that up.) 

The next upload for today is “ring’. Instead of looking through my skimpy collection of jewelry I decided to use the rings on Sweet Peas collar. 

The word today is eye.  What we learn only through the ears makes less impression upon our minds than what is presented to the trustworthy eye. Horace.  I have seen the king with a face of Glory, He who is the eye and the sun of heaven, He who is the companion and healer of all beings, He who is the soul and the universe that births souls. Rumi.  If we could but paint with the hand what we see with the eye. Honore de Balzac.  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.  The soul, fortunately, has an interpreter - often an unconscious, but still a truthful interpreter - in the eye. Charlotte Bronte.  It is the eye of other people that ruin us. If I were blind I would want, neither fine clothes, fine houses or fine furniture. Benjamin Franklin.  Men whose sense of taste is destroyed by sickness, sometimes think honey sour. A diseased eye does not see many things which do exist, and notes many things which do not exist. The same thing frequently takes place with regard to the force of words, when the critic is inferior to the writer. Saint Basil. 'Tis sweet to know there is an eye will mark our coming, and look brighter when we come. Lord Byron.  Why do you hasten to remove anything which hurts your eye, while if something affects your soul you postpone the cure until next year? Horace.

The last upload for today is “my choice” and another from my series of “still life”. I want to rework this one with different lighting. The berries in the spoon are blue berries. Though they were a dark. I used natural light and should have considered a different source of light.

Article: It’s always interesting and wise to learn anything new about adding to our health and the subject(s) that could go a long way in the interest of leisure to do that. This title is “Why leisure matters for a good life, according to Aristotle.” It starts out by mentioning a book that show how “modern society” has the need to “achieve”.  They seem to need to sell themselves with no time “off the clock”. It goes on to say that it appears the “even leisure risks becoming another kind of work”. As the article moved on it touched on the subject of the Greek philosopher Aristotle who lived from 384 to 322 and how he pointed out “that we are all searching for happiness”. Aristotle has been quoted in his beliefs as implying that “pleasure, wealth, honor and power will not ultimately make us happy”. He believed that true happiness required “ethical self-development”. The way to reach this is to make reasoned choices to develop habits. Over time they become character traits like “courage, temperance, generosity and truthfulness.” He said that habits relate to motives and character. So these “habits” can lead to understanding leisure.  In Aristotle’s views “leisure as essential for human thriving” and that could be by  leisure was “a time for contemplation, self-reflection, and the pursuit of knowledge”. 

I may make a chicken casserole made with my tuna casserole recipe for dinner tonight or maybe a TV dinner. 

Joy

                                        always and forever near