July 18, 2026 a thought for today, Even a thread of hair has its shadow. Romanian Proverb

Photo in my life yesterday

My first challenge for yesterday was “my country”. I used a shot I had taken a few weeks ago of a series of our flag along the highway. 

The next assignment was “my choice” and one of my series of
“weeds”. It is one tallish weed along the back fence. 

The last upload was “a food you’ve never tried”. I have never tried to eat a dandelion. I have heard that all parts of them are edible.

Life yesterday. The last couple of days we have been experiencing some smoke moving down our way from Canada. There was a major air hazard waning about being outside yesterday. Late in the day a pretty heavy rain storm moved in. The thunder was so loud that Bobbi found a place to hide. The thunder calmed down but she stayed “hidden” until the middle of the night. 

It’s a fairly typical Saturday. I have picked up the groceries but not quite put them away. I am about to do that. I wanted to get the photos I shot on the way home into Photoshop before I started on the put away part of the day. 

Today the smoke seems to have dissipated to some extent. I thought I was hearing on the news yesterday that the rain was supposed to be today. I must have heard wrong. We had the rain late yesterday, none yet today. We still seem to be in the heat wave though. I think we will get a break in that part beginning tomorrow. 

The word to ponder today is blow. He that blows the coals in quarrels that he has nothing to do with, has no right to complain if the sparks fly in his face. Benjamin Franklin. I will have nought to do with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same breath. Aesop. Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind. Robert Ingersoll. He who strikes the first blow admits he's lost the argument. Chinese Proverb. The wind bloweth where it listeth. Bible, John3. 8. Blow, blow, thou winter wind! Thou art not so unkind as Man's ingratitude. William Shakespeare. The human heart is like a ship on a stormy sea driven about by winds blowing from all four corners of heaven. Martin Luther. Absence extinguishes small passions and increases great ones, as the wind blows out a candle, and blows in a fire. De La Rochefoucauld. Do not speak harshly to any one; those who are spoken to will answer thee in the same way. Angry speech is painful: blows for blows will touch thee. Buddha. I pass my life in preventing the storm from blowing down the tent, and I drive in the pegs as fast as they are pulled up. Abraham Lincoln. A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache. Catherine the Great. 

Article summary. This isn’t exactly what I was looking for in my search but it is close. I was looking for staycation on a different slant I think. We’ll see how this one explains it. The title is How the Victorians invented the ‘staycation’. Joan Passey, Lecturer in Victorian literature and culture, University of Bristol. At theconversartion. These articles are written by authors all over the world this one is written by a person in England. The gist of must of these articles touches us all. In the 19th century “tourism” began to enter the picture involving more folks. The article mentions that happened due to more railways and work policies offering better choices for leisure in England. But traveling out of the country wasn’t readily available. So people planned their available “vacation” time closer to home. As work “holidays” rolled around more regularly and transportation was more readily available working class people used their free days to explore closer to home. It looks like in Europe the railway was important in the travel expediencies for the “less wealthy” folks. I found that this article covered more about the leisure time and staycations in England and very much about the railway considerations. It mentioned seaside resorts, promenade and pavilions with “deckchairs, ice-cream, donkey rides, Punch and Judy shows”. It also mentioned that in the 19th century ice cream came  along with “ice houses “ to keep them cold became popular. The article didn’t mention the staycation in the US so I did some more research. It became “widely popular in the US in 2008" due to high gas prices and inflation and “economic uncertainty”. Local “attractions were” considered and planned. In the research I found that during WWII people were “encouraged to stay home” to save “rationed resources”. Then it “resurfaced” in 2008 as gasoline went up and budgets were “tighter”. According to more of what I read they have become more like “local outings mixed with catching up on projects around the house”. Some families are turning their own backyard into a personal getaway.

Meat loaf and baked potatoes sounds good for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload is “a colorful dish”. It is one of my BLTs. Which reminds me I haven’t had one for a while and it looks good. 

The next assignment is “yellow”. This is a yellow, for some reason, I see very often.

The last challenge is “minimalist”. This is one of the yellow daisy’s that has
begun to sag. The arrangement is about to be replaced. 

Joy

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

Bobbi resting on my leg image uploaded to Fine Art America