June 28, 2026 a thought for the day, The fingers of the same hand are not alike. Portuguese Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

One of the uploads was “glimmer”. This one is of a squirrel I saw as I drove through the park. He/she seemed to be looking for food. 

The next challenge was “sunset by water”. First of all I don’t catch many sunset any more let alone “by water”. So this one is one I shot when I was much younger and was filed in one of my archives. 

That last assignment was “a window”. This one is also from one of my archives since I was not our and about too much yesterday. 

Life today. The sermon this morning was complete and concise as is this minister’s style. For myself I get so much from the hymns, not just hers but all of our visiting pastors, that in most cases address the subject of the sermon. Usually I get a message from them nearly as much as I do from the sermon itself, many times even more.  

So far today it hasn’t reached the high temperatures that are expected for the rest of this week. I think at one point it is suppose to get close to 100 degrees. 

I don’t have much planned for today as is my custom for Sundays. There is one “out of the ordinary” in the timing. For one of my challenges/assignments I need a photo of a “summer food”. My first thought was of one of my favorites....potato salad. At this stage of my life I have changed the recipe a bit I use canned diced potatoes. I don’t like that they are not quite as soft as I like so I cook them a little longer than just heating them. Then follow my well worn recipe. Oh, and the hard boiled eggs are cooked in the air fryer rather than being boiled. The point is I want to get them done soon so I can take the photo, use the darkroom (Photoshop), keyword them, “file” them to the computer and upload them. So the eggs are in the fryer right now. I will take a break from the letter when the eggs are done so that I can get the salad ready for the photo.

I have a tip, I have a tiny little sore that isn’t healing as quickly as I think it should so I did some research. I found that using raw honey instead of Neosporine may work as well or better. I am giving it a try. 

The word to ponder today is alive. The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive. Thomas Jefferson. Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience. George Washington. To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive. Robert Louis Stevenson. Of men who have a sense of honor, more come through alive than are slain, but from those who flee comes neither glory nor any help. Homer. Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it. Henry David Thoreau. You must pay for conformity. All goes well as long as you run with conformists. But you, who are honest men in other particulars, know that there is alive somewhere a man whose honesty reaches to this point also, that he shall not kneel to false gods, and, on the day when you meet him, you sink into the class of counterfeits. Ralph Waldo Emerson. I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day. Vincent van Gogh. To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. Oscar Wilde. The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. Alan Watts. To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. Martin Luther. There's place and means for every man alive. William Shakespeare. He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. Friedrich Nietzsche. When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world, I thank God I am alive. Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Article summary. I am an animal lover by nature. It is interesting and more importantly educational to learn more about them. I am amazed with each critter given miracle of precious capabilities. One basic thing is they all “support and ensure the survival and health of the natural world”. They were put here by the hands of a higher power and for a higher purpose. Some of their practical purpose is companionship and to help in our own life cycles. “He formed the creatures with a word and then pronounced them good”.  The title of the article is Are animals smart? From dolphin language to toolmaking crows, lots of species have obvious intelligence. Leticia Fanucchi, Clinical Assistant Professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Oklahoma State University. At theconversation.com/us. The first paragraph mentions the words “emotion and cognition” in this subject of animals. How many of us regularly apply that seriously to animals that are our pets or for that matter for any animal we observe. It explains the neurons are what “connect and transmit” messages, humans have 68 billion, dogs and cats less than one billion, and yet.....read on. Scientists have learned that animals have the “ability to learn through experiences and thinking”. That sentence may make some people wonder where those  miraculous capabilities come from. They may think, after all they are just animals. Scientists have observed that many animals can “solve problems, use tools, recall important information about their environment and recognize themselves in the mirror”. Another “miracle” is that individual species of the animal kingdom don’t have the same capabilities as others, due to their “assigned” positions in the scheme of existence. Bears and crows can make tools. Elephants can remember up to 30 peers that are “traveling companions” as they move away from “drought-prone areas, based on memories” of those areas. This kind of memory includes a memory of when and where it occurred before. The article goes on to say that some birds, cats, rats, monkeys and dolphins can do it too, remembering “things critical to their survival”. In some studies of chosen species they were given tests to find given items. Chimpanzees used sticks to catch termites and stones to open nuts. Crows “manufactured” tools, bending wires to make hooks to get at food. Communication types were studied too. Dolphins and chimps use language which show a “measure of intelligence”. Noises like cracks, whistles can communicate, sign language is used in the monkey family of heritage. Many species recognize themselves in mirrors. A test for that was used on a chimp. They put a red dot on his body when he was asleep. When he woke and looked in a mirror he touched the red dot on his own body, not the one in the mirror. In coming to an end the author said that “just because animals can’t do certain things, it doesn’t mean they’re unintelligent”. After all people can’t fly like “a bird or swim like a fish”, and ended with “put simply, we’re all using our brains.” 

I am making potato salad and pan fried sole for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The month of “glimmer” is coming to an end. This challenge today in the “glimmer” type. Bobbi as she must think she is hidden behind the frig since one of her eyes is covered. 

The next assignment is “summer food”. I was hungry for potato salad that seemed to fit this assignment. 

The last upload is “blueberries”. I don’t buy blueberries as a rule but my sister
does. So I took a peek in her side of the freezer and found a package of blueberries. I will make her some blueberry cobbler for the use of her blueberries. 

Joy

this bonus image is an abstract of two buildings one in front of the other, a church and an office building in downtown Columbus Ohio 

want to shop? Visit: fineartamerica.com search for joy rector click on “view shop”  and redbubble.com search for jarector (and take a look at flickr.com search for rectorjoyce)