To Give and Receive

Above is a collection of things I received today. First I voted, then I received the sticker, and then on impulse I went into a nearby Goodwill store. Inside I found some literal treasures, and it was my lucky day for discounts. The roses adorn the Goodwill bag I bought for 99 cents. When I got home and checked our mailbox, I found an envelope that I was expecting from Southwest Indian Foundation. Since November is Native American Heritage Month, I wanted to give my support to Native American art. I studied their catalog and found these unique cardinal bone earrings. The artist is Lonny Cloud.

I voted for one candidate, and I also gave a write in vote for Mother Nature in another area, and I voted yes and no for several add on propositions.

If you have not voted yet, I encourage you to go and do it. All of our voices need to be heard.

Honoring the Dead

Tomorrow is All Saints Day which is a Catholic holiday honoring dead saints. The celebration of the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead, starts tomorrow and goes through Monday. Day of the Dead is to honor family members that have died, and a look back at family history.

I have decided to honor my parents at this time. They both died in the year 2013, and their deaths was the beginning of this strange journey I have been on since then. For the most part, I no longer dwell in the past, though I did decide to honor them for Day of the Dead.

Here they are from a time in the mid 1950’s when it was relatively early in their marriage. They were married for around 25 years, and then divorced when I, as the youngest, was in my early to mid twenties.

June and Keith in the mid fifties.

Yesterday with the thoughts of these upcoming holidays on my mind, I impulsively picked up the book by David Baldacci, To Die For. I have read several of his books from different series. The current book is from the 6:20 Man series. I am only on chapter 19 since I just started reading it last night. I have not figured out why he titled it this. I will have to keep reading it.

October Garden Update

The white azalea and anemone stood out among the heap.
The bright pink of the semi-evergreen Salvia gregii
was spreading over the barren pond, soaking up the sun.
The purple pink of a lonely butterfly bush still had its hopes.
The potted Coleus was struggling along the rail.
The mini red pepper was defying the odds.
The surprise baby tomato came too late.
The tall pink zinnia was a total surprise.
I cut the tallest and left the growing buds,
I will have to check it later.

I have been neglectful.I was punished by
All the burs that stuck to my sweatshirt and leggings.
I limped back inside knowing my muscles will have to heal
before reparations can be made.

I might have to hire some helpers.
I found this image in an old file. I had to laugh. Rube Goldberg comic.

A Tidal Bore Can Reverse a River’s Flow. Temporarily.

After I published my last post about Water Under the Bridge, I remembered the Bay of Fundy in Canada near to where my mother had a summer home. They had a tidal chart posted by each door because the high tide could disrupt a person’s wanderings. I remembered hearing about the effects of the tidal bore on local rivers. So, my last post which stated that rivers only flow in one direction is not 100% true. The tidal bore is temporary, though it does come back again and again.

If interested in this, you should research this area. People can raft or surf the tidal bore in some places.

Another Idiom

Water Under the Bridge
Surreal river scene blending diverse human activities beneath a historic stone bridge
My prompt for this generated image was “different human scenarios flowing like a river under a bridge.”

Recently I have been forced to acknowledge that time is flowing forward, and I am getting older. The passage of time is inevitable with organic life.

My old post titled Water Under the Bridge was meant to mean that we have to move forward in life and not get stuck or stagnate. I have responsibilities that keep me less mobile than I would like, however, staying active within a narrow domain is possible. My old post also meant that we cannot predict the future. We can only live each day trying to move forward with a purpose that benefits others as well as ourselves.

A Whistling Dog Was Heard

Is it Random Or is it Not?
An inspiration while I was cleaning paintbrushes. (May 19, 2020)

There is a boy in one of my classes that likes to whistle really loud, and it reminded me of this, though, my blue dog here had a much quieter whistle.

This old post makes me laugh.

Next day update: Early this morning when I made a regular stop on my way to work, I opened my car door to get out, and saw on the ground about a foot from where I stood up, a child’s old blue paintbrush! I have been making this quick stop for years and have never seen trash or anything unusual on the ground where I normally park. I found this very odd considering this post I published yesterday. Could the blue dog and his cloud know my routine? I smiled and saw this as a friendly sign. I quickly went on my way since I was on my way to work.