My name is Katherine J. Krein. I lost my father in June of 2013, and then I lost my mother in November of the same year. After they both died I went through a mind-warping number obsession that has taken me years to control. This is my story. It is now 2025. I still use this site to post some poems and thoughts. My obsession has faded, however, I still notice the numbers. Faith, hope, and love is what guides me now.
Mercury Man Sam came into my mind early this morning on his liquid silver wings. He has a charming gaze and his eyes are full of wit, though I never could tell Whether he was mocking me or not. As the day progressed my mind cleared itself of the memory of mercury wings. I have decided he held no malice. He will always be remembered for his brilliance.
In other news, the white Christmas cactus in our front window is in full bloom this morning. Its name is a misnomer because it will bloom whenever the conditions are right.
On the other side of this bay the white orchid has ten blooming flowers. The peach orchid has two. The peach one put on its full show in March.
This white orchid has 10 flowers today. The peach one (not pictured) has 2.
Every time I looked out my kitchen window today, the air was alive with flying helicopter seeds. What maple tree was shedding these is unknown to me. All maples produce these helicopter seeds, including the silvers and reds. They are also known as whirligigs and twisters, and a few other fun nicknames. Samara is an official name for them,and in Hebrew it means "guardian."
I prefer to find the dry ones that have landed on open ground. This way I can have fun launching them into the air for a second or third flight. Maple seeds evolved to have wings in order to increase their chance of procreation. They need to fly to get out from under their parent's shade.
The spiral of the snail shell can symbolize eternity & family ancestors.
I wrote the above title back in 07/28/2015. I remember it because I had used it as a profile quote at that time. I had written a post pondering the concept of speed and pace in different individuals. "Slow and steady wins the race" is the motto I need to live by these days. I have not always been this way.
It is human nature to compare things, however, we must be strict in allowing individual styles to pace themselves whenever possible.Life should not always be about competition. Everyone cannot run at the same speed because we are all built differently and have developed differently, molded by our environmental stressors. Our brains process things at its own built in speed, and the speed of its overall biological systems. We have to stop thinking that slowness is inferior. Slowness can be a hidden strength in the long-run.
A Sunday Drive in Newport, Rhode Island. The year was 1964, give or take a year.
When I look at old pictures of my dad from when I was young, I always think he looks like Satya Nadella,CEO of Microsoft. I guess it is probably just the bald head and glasses. My dad did eventually lose all the hair on top. He still had hair on the sides up until his death. He never shaved his head. I have a T-shirt with advice from an eagle. One of the things it states is: Bald is Beautiful. Baldness is a male trait that ran through my family, so I have to agree. One question I never asked and now wish that I did is why did they always cut my sister's hair short, and mine was kept long most of the time. I did get a chin length bob before we moved to the Philippines. It would have been the year after we left Rhode Island. My dad was studying at the Navy War College during our time there.
Since we were all dressed up it must have been a Sunday. We always went to church and then often we went out to dinner since our extended family was all living in the mid-west. We often would take a Sunday drive after we ate. Here we ended up at the beach for a photo session. This tradition went mostly by the way-side after a few years. When we went to church in Virginia we would often go to the Hot Shoppes cafeteria in Tyson's Corner mall. Boy has that mall changed over the years. Today it is much larger than it was when we frequented the cafeteria.
I know I was going to stop reminiscing about my life growing up, but every time I see Satya Nadella in the news, I am reminded of my dad and his old pictures. I wonder if others might see the resemblance.
Before Easter I was researching palm plants because I was curious about the use and meaning of palms at Easter. Along the way, I discovered the plant seen above. This came to my attention because one of its common names is Ponytail Palm. It is not really in the palm family. I prefer to call it by another of its common names which is Elephant Foot. I ended up purchasing one because it is an attractive addition to a table in our living space.
While doing this research I also learned a little more about a quilt square I found among my mother-in-law's quilt supplies and fabrics. It was in a plastic bag with a note from where she had purchased it. It was made by a Hmong artist who had immigrated to Minnesota.It is pictured below.
Hmong elephant’s foot print on a flower cloth (paj ntaub).
The elephant foot motif can be found in many cultural items of the Hmong. Some have this motif as a tattoo.
This was learned during my casual research for my own edification, and I am definitely not an expert on the subject.
When I think about elephants I think about their strong matriarchs that can make or break the success of their family units.
Elephants keep crossing my path. Recently my husband bought me a bracelet with elephants and amethysts since it is my birthstone.
I am not going to read too much into the elephant symbols frequency in my life. I do come from a family of strong women, and I will leave it at that.
Catching up on kitchen tasks, consolidating pantry items, and using ingredients that have been waiting to be used, has given me inspiration. This inspiration gave me the creative energy to try something new. An abundance of walnuts needed to be used. I was already planning pancakes. I found a bag of flax seeds I had forgotten about. The addition of ground up walnuts and some flax seeds should make the pancakes more nutritious. I had a jar of new maple syrup that I was anxious to try. Coffee and apple slices were added to make a simple and delicious breakfast.
Life is moving forward, and I am getting back to old routines, adding a few new twists along the way. The work will continue. I am not ready for a white glove test.
The Japanese Cherry trees are blooming early. The pink in front is very old.
When looking out our front bay window, all we see is pink covering the branches. It spreads dominantly across our view.
The white cherry in the back garden are daughter saplings from the older trees that had to be cut down. The fluffy white spreads out joyously, fulfilling their family legacy.
The little dwarf iris you see here were planted as bulbs long ago. Six were planted, though I never see more than two or three.Their bloom is brief. These two were spotted early morning on a dreary rainy day by the mailbox.It was voting day, and I had an early morning errand to run. Their appearance cheered me up. My reward for such an early morning.
The Camellia japonica is named "Kramer's Supreme". It is planted in the back garden in front of my bedroom window. This past Friday I spotted the first fully opened flower. I cut the branch to bring the flower inside to spread cheer and beauty to us all.
The tulip magnolia trees at my school are looking very pink with buds already beginning to open. A white cherry in my garden is already showing blooms. The vernal equinox is a week away.
My daughter is all grown up. This does not stop me from looking back at old pictures.
The icons of yesterday have been replaced.
Spring break will arrive the week before Easter. Hopefully the weather will allow me to start my garden clean up. Birthday celebrations will take place.
Life moves forward. Some things happen in a flash.Some things need a slower pace. Survival requires flexibility.Perspectives will shift. Love and faith must be constant factors. We work hard and pray for luck.
The sun was shining through our kitchen window this morning. I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye. Something was outside in the evergreen next to our dining window. Upon closer inspection, I spotted a young blue jay. The thought of a peanut search went through my mind since blue jays covet these. This was my inspiration to go outside. I looked at our indoor weather station. The weather outside was warm enough to venture out and explore.
"Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for mirth. You're closer to God's heart in a garden than any place on earth." (written by Dorothy Frances Gurney)
My garden needs work, though my focus was not on this. I opened my metal container filled with peanuts and took out several handfuls. The blue jays and others should be happy now. Going outside was a brilliant idea. I spotted the first crocus for 2024. My heart filled with joy, and I was inspired to go get my old Nikon. The corner where the Lenten Roses grow was packed with blooms. We are in the season and Easter will be here at the end of the month. My daughter's first birthday was on Easter Sunday, and this year it falls again on her special day.
Thoughts of my family were guiding me today. Recently I found my parent's fraternity and sorority pins from their college days. When I went to retrieve my old Nikon out of my old camera bag I noticed a connection. I think my interest in photography was inherited from my father. Today it struck me that I must have been subconsciously aware of this when I chose my bag. Can you see the connection?
My dad’s old fraternity pin. Delta Tau Delta at University of Kansas (KU)My old camera bag’s brand logo.
My garden looks ready for spring. I feel ready for spring. Renewal is bursting out all around me and I feel the spirit of God is with me.
There used to be a National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. It was located at 1401 Constitution Ave., Washington, D.C. It was permanently closed September 30, 2013. Fortunately we were able to visit it before it was closed.
I was especially drawn to the seahorses. Their bright yellow coloration made them stand out in the dark. The pair stayed close to each other and often wrapped their tails around one another.
Since this time, I have learned that the scientific genus name for seahorse is called Hippocampus. In neuroscience the hippocampus is a structure hidden within our human brain. We have two hippocampi, one in each cerebral hemisphere. The hippocampal neurons string together the past and future in our minds. It forms part of our limbic system which is associated with hunger, pain, pleasure, satisfaction, sex, and instinctive motivation. I imagine the hippocampus holds many secrets.
Another resident of the D.C. aquarium was this sea turtle. I imagine it also holds some secrets somewhere, though it does not have a hippocampus in its brain, nor do the seahorses from our seas.
movingforwardslowly 