May 11, 2026, a thought for today, Every hill has its valley. Italian Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge was “water flow or water falls”. I took this one some time back on a trip up along the river. I like the leisure of the “family” and the colors in the river. 

Next assignment was “I stood here”. I stand quite often when I need a
break and want bit of fresh air, it at the top of the steps on my porch. I also like the shadows in the image. 

The last upload was “mirror”. I have used this area for a photo many time over the years in different photo club upload. But areas of photos are never exactly the same, thus “a moment in time”. 

Life today. The weekend was full of happy time. Drew had his first communion and all of the family who could be there were there. After the church service there was a reception at Matt and Jessie’s. There was a lot of good food and happy kids running around enjoying themselves. That was on Saturday. Sunday Tami and Andy stopped to give Sue and me Mothers Day remembrances. Shortly after that Lowell and Rebecca took me and Louanne out for lunch. 

My Mondays seem to get more and more packed. When I get fully involved with one project I put several others on hold. Then on Monday I try to play catch up. I went out early this morning to get the blood work done before a regular six month check up coming next week. I wanted to make some cole slaw so when I left the lab I stopped at Kroger.

When I got home I worked on passing some information to a friend. That took some time for searching for information in some of my files on the computer. Then I worked on and finished the bulletin. After that I had time to get back to this letter and to my photo uploads for today. Now I have the uploads and two other bi-weekly upload of my to-do list. 

I am still going to have to wait a week or so before I get to work on my window gardens. The weather isn’t stable enough yet. 

The word is waste. Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Waste not fresh tears over old griefs. Euripides. The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum. Frances Willard. Waste no more time talking about great souls and how they should be. Become one yourself! Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. "Know thyself," said the old philosopher, "improve thyself," saith the new. Our great object in time is not to waste our passions and gifts on the things external that we must leave behind, but that we cultivate within us all that we can carry into the eternal progress beyond. Edward Bulwer-Lytton. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Aesop. Vile deeds like poison weeds bloom well in prison air, it is only what is good in man, that wastes and withers there. Oscar Wilde. Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide. John Adams. With reasonable men I will reason; with humane men I will plea; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost. William Lloyd Garrison. Whatever is produced in haste goes hastily to waste. Saadi. I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Talk not of wasted affection; affection never was wasted. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Firmness of purpose is one of the most necessary sinews of character, and one of the best instruments of success. Without it genius wastes its efforts in a maze of inconsistencies. Lord Chesterfield. The training of children is a profession, where we must know how to waste time in order to save it. Jean-Jacques Rousseau. We waste our lights in vain, like lamps by day. William Shakespeare. 

Article summary. I am an animal lover and a plant lover too. I guess with spring and summer beginning I am leaning toward information about plants. This article attracted my attention. Even though it talks about the time we were in a ‘lockdown’ situation the information should be useful. The title is House plants were our link with nature in lockdown – now they could change how we relate to the natural world. Giulia Carabelli, Lecturer in Sociology, Queen's University Belfast. At theconversation.com. It started by mentioning that folks born between 1981 and 1996 have re-established an interest in indoor plants. It is suggested this interest may be due to easy “maintenance” and a bit of a touch to nature. It went on to mention that that generation may be becoming more “conscious” of health and “self care” and that plants have a part in it along with a way of getting away from the “increasingly screen-based world” for a respite in time. It mentions that the time of need to “get a way” for brief moments in time during the pandemic lock down brought a lot of these feeling to the surface. So plant nurseries and flower shops had an increase in sales some what like the increase in pet adoptions had a burst in attention. The article related that they offer a kind of bonding as well as educational opportunities along with relaxing the mind and body. Studies showed it drew people to thinking more about nature. I like the way the article came to an end by saying people can be led to a way to appreciate “the importance of non-humans in everyday life”.

I have a bit of “doggie bag” from yesterdays dinner out that will be nice for part of tonight's dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first challenge for today is “I work here”. This is where I am for most of the day. I “work” on the church bulletins and other church documents. Then there is the letter/blog everyday along with at least four photos to create, format and upload from this spot.  

The second upload for today is “my choice”. It is one of my series “black and white”. I like black and white. There is a different “feel” with it and a different artistic feature to it.

The last upload is “rain”. Since we didn’t have any rain today I visited my archives looking for an image with rain in it. I have several but the mood struck me for this one. 

Joy 

                         a day at the aquarium