On this Sunday, the second day of February, 2025, my heart is feeling the tragedy of the recent plane collision.
It is reported that sixty-seven people were killed. Only forty-one sets of remains have been found, and that leaves twenty-six bodies still unrecovered. This has to be agony for the families and friends of those that were killed.
I did not know any of the victims of this tragic accident. However, I do know what it feels like to lose loved ones, so my mind knows a little of what the families and friends of these victims must be feeling at this time.
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who might be mourning the loss of a loved one. I can tell you that in my experience everyone grieves differently, and this is okay. Some take a long time to get over it, while others find a mission to occupy themselves to lessen the grief, while others see it as a inevitable part of life, and move forward stoically. When the victims are young it is hard not to dwell in the "what could have been", if not for this tragedy.
My hope is that the families affected by this tragedy can find emotional support, peace, and resolution in some way.
Drum Roll Please (Timpani)
I vividly remember the earthquake in 2011. I was in my kitchen in Sterling, Virginia, and it sounded and felt like a giant was jumping on the roof of our house. Today's earthquake was not felt by me. I happened to read about it in the news, though, it was not big news, especially with everything else going on in our country and around the world.
I did not know that the 2011 earthquake was the most widely felt earthquake in America. I learned this today.
update 4/14/25: I deleted this, then restored it to drafts. Today I was debating whether to permanently delete it. My decision was to republish it because of the drum roll. Also, it shows a fact that I learned many years after the event.
Don’t Quit
I was reminded today of the Middle School I attended in 1972-1973.
The most interesting things I remember about these years were the sludge test we had to do in science class,and my confrontation with a male student in band class. He was a trumpet player, and I played the timpani (aka a kettle drum). He kept trying to put his hand up my skirt on several occasions. I told our band teacher, and he told me I had the right to defend myself.(In other words, he was not going to stop the boy.) So, one day when the boy was harassing me again, I tried to slap him, and he jumped down a step and grabbed my hand. I had no other recourse than to kick him, and because he had jumped down a step, my kick landed squarely between his legs. He immediately let go of my hand. He spent the whole class on the floor in the instrument room. He never bothered me again. Neither one of us was ever reported nor punished for this conflict. He did not appear to suffer any permanent damage from my kick.
In case you were wondering what a sludge test is, here is a good description:
"A 'sludge test' for students is a hands-on science activity where students are presented with a mysterious mixture (the "sludge") containing various unknown substances, and they must use scientific techniques like filtration, distillation, and observation to identify the individual components within the mixture, essentially acting like mini-forensic scientists to "solve" the sludge puzzle; often used as an assessment to test their understanding of different chemical properties and separation methods.
Times have changed dramatically since my middle school years. Sexual harassment is taken much more seriously than back in 1972-73. Also, a sludge test would not be attempted today since open burners were used, and there were a few other dangerous components of this assessment.
My old middle school was named J.G. Whittier. The school was closed back in the 80's.
Tonight I decided to look up the poet J.G. Whittier. I found a poem of his which I really like, and think is motivational for anyone facing difficult times. See below a copy of this poem.
In Honor of President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter became president of the United States my senior year in high school. My mother was a Carter delegate from Virginia. The Robbs from Virginia stopped by our house briefly for a campaign event. My mother was very excited. I don’t remember this belt buckle, however, it was used in his campaign advertising. It is representative of his Georgia family history.
Jimmy Carter was an honorable man. I want to recognize and honor his contributions to this country and to humanity. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
To read a little about his campaign history you can go to the American History museum and their collection of President Jimmy Carter memorabilia.
One of his greatest contributions to society was his work with Habitat for Humanity. Look here:
https://www.habitat.org/carter-work-project
His life history speaks for itself. He was a great man and will be remembered for his faith and his integrity. Amen.
Happy Birthday! Dad
My dad was born December 30, 1930. He passed away in 2013. I was inspired for several reasons to find the picture of him climbing a palm tree in Hawaii when he was stationed there with the Navy. My brother was born there.
The background picture today on a new family computer was full of needle palms, and I recently purchased a new shower curtain with a palm tree and beach scene. The ponytail palm I purchased within the past 12 months is doing well. In any case, all these connections to palms, and the fact that today was my dad’s birthday, made me remember the picture of him climbing a palm tree. Happy Birthday Dad– you are remembered fondly!
I also added the picture of myself, my dad, and my brother pictured next to the Lincoln bust located at the Gettysburg, PA cemetery. My brother was the family comedian and always had us laughing as we were growing up. My brother and dad were about the same height around 6’1″-6’3″. In this picture my brother looks much taller because (if you notice his feet) he is standing on his toes with his heels resting on the back wall. He is pranking my dad.
Another funny thing I remember fondly about my dad was his sense of fashion. Being a farm boy he was always early to rise in the morning. I have several memories of him getting ready to head out to the hardware store early on a Saturday morning wearing a combination of clashing colors all connected to the red color family. It turns out he was partially color blind, and he could not distinguish the difference between colors in the red, orange and maroon family. When going out to an important event he needed to rely on others to help him coordinate his colors.
Today I found a good graphic which tries to illustrate how different people can perceive or not perceive colors. There are several different types of color blindness, not just the total absence of color. This problem is apparently more common in men than women.
There is much more available information about this topic today than when I was growing up. I did not include it here because it can be easily researched now.
From Year to Year
Soon 2024 will be left behind in an archive older than time itself.
The year becomes new again in 2025.
There is a beginning and an end to every new year.
The ever-moving hand of time turns the dial of this transformation.
Those of us who live within time's framework must follow along.
What would it take to escape this framework?
Could one enter into a melting pot of the past, present, and the future existing all at once? Could one move freely from one to the other, and to the other? Would you turn into a chameleon in the process?
Keeping track of the chicken and the egg would be nearly impossible.
Does it really matter who came first?
Side note: I was inspired after reading some Ogden Nash poems, and reading about Puff, the Magic Dragon. The year of the dragon is coming to an end soon.
The new year requires some introspection before it begins.
Merry Christmas 2024
Christmas day food update:
Romaine lettuce, baby spinach, a little chopped mix of cabbages & carrots,
Chopped cucumbers, orange & yellow peppers, a mix of small tomatoes,
chopped marinated artichoke hearts, feta cheese, and toasted pine nuts.
We have a small selection of dressings to please everyone. Individuals can top the salad with the dressing of their choice.
We want to start off the new year of 2025 with more healthy choices of food. The cornbread sausage stuffing has lots of celery & sweet onion cooked into it.
The salad was twice covered and briefly stored outside on the deck. The refrigerators are full. The outdoor temperature was perfect for it. (app.41 degrees F)
The Mustard Seed as a Simile
I received a mustard seed necklace from my grandmother Florence when I was a young girl. I was reminded of this today when I saw a modern version of it for sale. The mustard seed can hold powerful symbolism depending on one’s faith. Jesus uses the mustard seed to represent how the smallest grain of faith can grow and grow into something big and powerful.
I cannot say that I have always been faithful. However a small seed was planted in me long ago when I was a young girl. It was pushed into the back of my mind as I grew. As an adult and a mother my faith has been remembered and nurtured again. I cannot say that I am the most pious person, however, I have never sought to harm others. I try to live by a creed of kindness, and by acceptance of others different from myself. During the past decade my faith has come to my rescue many times as I struggled with depression and the illness of family.
Seeing the mustard seed necklace recently reminded me how this symbol can be a great gift for someone. It serves as a reminder to them that through faith they can thrive, and become a force for good. Life can be long and tiresome at times, but faith will hold your hand, and God’s love is unconditional.
Woodpeckers and Junipers
The downy woodpecker is especially close to my heart since we have an artistic carving of a downy pair which we purchased long ago at an indoor craft’s fair. We also have real live downy woodpeckers that come around our home during this time of year. I saw only the male with a full vivid red patch on the back top of its head. It was a perfect specimen of a real bird in action. It hung around longer than I expected, though I was still too busy doing other things to take its picture.
The tree outside our window is a Juniperus virginiana (aka red cedar). It is tall enough to hug our home and protect one corner of our covered deck which would otherwise be exposed to wind. Junipers are in the cypress tree family along with sequoias. We also have three of these trees along our back fence line. They stand closely together which has made them grow straighter and taller, and they are less spread out than the one surrounding the corner of our dining room and deck. We have one more of these trees which had been partially cut down at one time, and now has a tall daughter tree that grew up and out from its base. It protects another corner of our home along the backside.
Since my recent woodpecker sighting I have been reading up about all types of evergreens that are used as Christmas trees, and all the traditions surrounding its origin. During my research I ran across a Willa Cather quote that I found captures a sentiment that I have felt before.
“I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do. I feel as if this tree knows everything I ever think of when I sit here.” ~ Willa Cather
Downy woodpecker pair is made out of carved wood and then painted. We purchased this long ago at an indoor craft exhibition.
Cornucopia: An Abundance of Goodwill
C – celebrate the season
O – offline with family and friends.
R – remember their names.
N – notice their smiles and listen.
U – understand their point of view.
C – count your blessings.
O – open your heart to theirs.
P – provide comfort when needed.
I – invite compromise when needed.
A – ask for forgiveness if necessary, and say “thank you.”
P.S. — Acrostic poems were practiced in school today.
movingforwardslowly 