QUIPS AND QUOTES

Sometimes, we need a little levity.

To be alive, not just the carcass
But the spark. That's crudely put
But if we are not supposed to dance
Then why all the music?
                                        By Gregory Orr

My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But, ah, my foes, and ah, my friends...
It gives a lovely light.
                                         Edna St. Vincent Millay

He who doesn't like
Wine,women and song
Remains a fool
His whole life long.

                                        Author unknown to me.

Fortune favors the brave.

                                        Virgil Aeneid 70 BC-19 BC

Anything too stupid to be said is sung.

                                          Voltaire  (1694-1778)

Aside:  Those oldsters didn't mince words.

The hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the earth;
The hand that holds four aces,
Bet on it for all you're worth.

                                           Author unknown to me, but it sounds good.

Ciao
 

WISDOM AND LISTENING.

At my age I tend to think I have a bit of collective wisdom. But what I like about quotes is they get right to the point with few words and often with humor

So, here goes:
Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk.    Doug Larson from United Features syndicate.

And:

Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.   James Baldwin.

ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH.

I once heard a radio announcer asking people if they believe in Angels. I was surprised at how varied the answers were. This Angel Christmas card gives the essence of Christian beliefs, the hope of all the world is born.

Old religions have multiple Gods that guard against storms, or praise the sun, or other natural events. The Angels are only manifested with Christianity.  I've seen bibles with beautiful depictions of angels, but no precise description of an angel was written during that time,  just that they would appear. Who, then, depicted the first angel to know what they are supposed to look like? I'm not a religious scholar and someone of you might know the answer to that.

Artists of today, decide for themselves but they were guided by painted images of Christ that we see from early paintings and statuary, and artist's renditions in bibles. Angels are mostly depicted as women, but the bible mentions men's names for angels. From a museum work of art-this male angel has no wings.

A modern artist produced a whole chorus of what looks like little boy angels.

Christianity was pushed onto the American Indian and if they wanted to adore an angel, she wore a feather bonnet, a crown of respect in Indian culture.

And were angels cherubs?

Or were they adults?

Out of the protective and holy spirit of angels, came the guardian angel. And, later a Valentine cherub with his bow and arrows.  All stemmed from the original angel that lead the shepherds to Bethlehem.

A single angel points the way to the manger.

The three kings are shielding their eyes from the brightness of the light as the angel appeared to them.

Angels not only represent witness to Jesus birth, but to peace and love and comfort. This artist included all races; the whole world. Some Christian religions believe their beliefs are the one and only true messengers of God, ignoring that Muslims and Hindus outnumber Christians in the world. The God's of Egypt are long un-dieified,  but their belief in them was profound and literally moved mountains-with the assistance of slaves.

I like the modern angels like this barefoot cherub keeping warm with the birds.

 Or this little angel catching stars and putting them in her basket, with a nod to Santa, his hat caught on the moon, a bit of whimsy.

So sibling like, one Cherub annoying another.

And what was in the artist's mind when she sought to have angels looking in on humans snug in their living room on Christmas?

Hey, school girl!

Let's not forget the message.

Meant to make us laugh is a naughty guardian angel spy.

I guess I wouldn't be a card collector if I didn't enjoy them. Maybe you will too.

Most angels fly.  I saw one image of an angel seated.

Others decorate.

Or setting up the the stars for night.

Guaranteed, no two are alike.

Angelic visions.

Maybe angels are supposed to be in the realm of children.

Precious and lovable child angels with fake wings, make me smile.

Like a bride, she is dressed, and expressing devotion.

My favorite card is this one, where crabby older sister is trying to get her excited classmates ready to go on stage for the most important date of their very young lives, the Class Christmas Pageant.

All serve the same purpose, to wish us and you a Merry Christmas.

BITE SIZED WISDOM.

We arrived in Nicolaus, California. I was hoping to say goodbye to my grandsons who are moving temporarily to Australia. I got to talk to them on the phone. Just before a move, a million details need attention. How lucky we are to have email and the internet.

I walked Lake Minden, which is part of a Thousand Trails resort, and didn't take a single picture.
This morning, I thought about many things, as I cruised through my science publications, and emails from groups I belong to. I hope I can find enough "sound bites" of wisdom to make this blog worthwhile.

As history has shown, it is impossible to bomb your way to peace.

A poison kills you," says biology professor Frederick vom Saal. "A chemical like BPA reprograms your cells and ends up causing a disease in your grandchild that kills him."

A scary thought. Plastics in all forms, its seem, are unhealthy for us and the planet.

New research led by Michigan State University psychology professor David Z. Hambrick suggests that, unfortunately for many of us, success isn’t exclusively a product of determination — that despite even the most hermitic practice routine, our genes might still leave greatness out of reach.

I NOW know why all that practice didn't make me a great pianist. It's my DNA.

The probiotic properties of the lactic-acid bacteria isolated from wine are similar to those of probiotics that come from foods like dairy products such as fermented milk or yogurt and dry sausages, and foods of plant origin such as sauerkraut and olives, fruits, cereals, meat or fish.  

Good news, and two glasses a day will do it, but, it has to be wine without sulphites.

Gulf coast ecosystems were supposed to rebound after the BP oil spill. They haven’t.  (Tim McConneil)


So, are we going to trust drilling in the arctic?

Oh,well. this blog didn't turn out quite like I thought it would. I can't find half the information that I kept somewhere that should reflect a bit of wisdom.

We are just a couple of hours away from Murphys, and home again.  Jim is already looking at the weather and thinking about ditching.  He is a Weather Wimp!!!

PALACIOS, TEXAS.

We moved up coast to Palacios, Texas, pronounced Plash-shus. They once counted over 250  bird species here and they have a shrimp fleet of 400 boats, the third largest fishing fleet in Texas. We’ll go wandering today. Yesterday, we traveled and did laundry. The recycle center was closed and the Museum was only open a few hours. But, hey, I have some unguaranteed wisdom to impart- not first hand, though. I got it  from an email.  Try this:

We went with friends to a restaurant on Sunday for lunch and sat in
the patio section beside the store. We happened to notice zip lock baggies
pinned to a post and a wall. The bags were half filled with water, each
contained 4 pennies, and they were zipped shut. Naturally we were curious!
The owner told us that these baggies kept the flies away! So naturally we
were even more curious! We actually watched some flies come in the open
window, stand around on the window sill, and then fly out again. And there
were no flies in the eating area! This morning I checked this out on Google.
Below are comments on this fly control idea. I’m now a believer!
Zip-lock water bags

#1 Says:
I tried the zip lock bag and pennies this weekend.. I have a horse
trailer. The flies were bad while I was camping. I put the baggies with
pennies above the door of the LQ. NOT ONE FLY came in the trailer.
The horse trailer part had many. Not sure why it works but it does!
#2 Says:
Fill a zip lock bag with water and 5 or 6 pennies and hang it in the problem area.
In my case it was a particular window in my home. It had a slight passage way
for insects. Every since I have done that, it has kept flies and wasps away.
Some say that wasps and flies mistake the bag for some other insect nest and
are threatened.
#3 Says:
I swear by the plastic bag of water trick. I have them on porch and
basement. We saw these in at an Amish grocery store
& have used them since. They say it works because a fly sees a reflection
& won’t come around.
#4 Says:
Regarding the science behind zip log bags of water? My research found that the
millions of molecules of water presents its own prism effect and given that flies
have a lot of eyes, to them it’s like a zillion disco balls reflecting light, colors and
movement in a dizzying manner. When you figure that flies are prey for many other
bugs, animals, birds, etc., they simply won’t take the risk of being around that much
perceived action. I moved to a rural area and thought these “hillbillies” were just
yanking my city boy chain but I tried it and it worked immediately! We went from
hundreds of flies to seeing the occasional one, but he didn’t hang around long.

CHRISTMAS PAST

My gang arrives today. Nostalgia for Christmases past and simpler times come to mind as I sort through old cards, but I know, Christmases past are best remembered and not relived.  I wonder how different my kids remembrances of Christmas will be as they get older and look back.
The beautiful lettering on this card, along with the clothing says “old-fashioned”.

Children cry when meeting a scary department store Santa. What would it be like to see this Father Christmas at the door? Smithsonian Magazine’s website asked people to vote for the scariest Santa from about twenty pictures. There were some doozies.
Quaint language tickles my fancy since I love poetry and doggerel, both :
When Christmas comes to your abode,
May care be laid aside,
That naught but cheer, good will and mirth,
And joy and peace abide.
or:
We wish you a glad, merry Christmas
Surrounded by dear ones and friends;
We wish you a sweet, pleasant pathway,
For New Year, wher’er it wends.
And from 1931 :
We hope you’ll have a drumstick that is eatable,
Potatoes mashed , and gravy of the best,
A slab of mince or pumpkin pie unbeatable,
And-it doesn’t  matter much about the rest.
.
Today, I’ll finish any cooking to be done ahead of time, clean out the ashes in the stove, stack in some wood, turn on the music and wait for the best part of Christmas-the family’s arrival.

APPRECIATE THE SNOW

Its April 7th, its not supposed to snow!

 Well, that is, snow isn't all that likely this late in April. I've been here 33 years and remember a snowfall on April 1st. That was unusual. There may have been another April snow. Now this. No one knows what the weather will do, and as much as we complain about the white stuff interrupting our lives, nature has a different plan.
It pays to remember that we have suffered ten years of drought. The reservoirs are filling up. The snow pack in Bear Valley ski area is expected to last through July.  And they need the business, as do the small towns like  Murphys that service skiers.
My daffodils are obliterated; Its back to hauling in wood, but, I gotta say to myself. Quitcherbellyachin. Appreciate the snow. Its cozy inside and my projects get more attention and less distraction. And, that is something to appreciate.

Current project?  Family pictures, this time into scrapbooks.  There have been days I've questioned the wisdom of owning a camera. Well, not really. A message to all. Keep up your pictures with dates, names and place as you go. Don't wait until things get lost and dimmed in memory.