Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year - it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul. ~Author Unknown



If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance
~Bern Williams



A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. ~James Dent



If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance. ~Bern Williams

Shadow Shot Sunday!

Ah! time to play with shadows again! Click on Hey Harriet, sign up and join us in the fun!

When we were at the zoo on Mother's Day I got this shot of the flamingos and their one-legged shadows along with the mallard, who I think was wondering why he's so short and the wrong color! If you click on the photo to embiggen, you'll be able to see all of their colorful reflections in the water.



The doggies, Mojo and her friend, Izzie, enjoying the shade after a romp with Adam.



Lots of sun this week and time to bring out the deck furniture! My favorite place to eat! And again, if you embiggen you can see the reflection of the blue sky on the glass table. A lovely day!



And, of course, I always have to play with the color shadows!

Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

This piece was sent to me by a good friend who knows I'm a fan of Rabindranath Tagore, and I would like to share it with you this evening.

Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God.
First fill your own house with the frangrance of love.
Go not to the temple to light candles before the alter of God.
First remove the darkness of sin from your own heart.
Go not to the temple to bow down your head in prayer.
First learn to bow in humility before your fellow men.
Go not to the temple to pray on bended knees.
First bend down to lift someone who is downtrodden.
Go not to the temple to ask for forgiveness of your sins.
First forgive from your heart those who have sinned against you.

This says so beautifully and so clearly how I feel and how I strive to live my life.
Not always successful needless to say, but it's my goal.

May you all have a beautiful evening and a lovely weekend filled with love and laughter, warmth and joy.

The Perks of Aging

Someone had to remind me, so I'm reminding you, too.
Don't laugh....
It is all true!

Perks of reaching
50
or being over
60
And heading
towards
70 or 80 or 90!

1.
Kidnappers
are not very
interested in you.

2.
In a hostage situation,
you are likely to be
released first.

3.
No one expects
you to run --
anywhere.

4.
People call at 9 PM
and ask,
'Did I wake you?'

5.
People no longer
view you as a
hypochondriac.

6.
There is nothing left
to learn the hard way.

7.
Things you buy now
won't wear out.

8.
You can eat
supper at 4 PM.

9.
You can live
'without sex
but not your glasses.

10.
You get into
heated arguments
about pension plans.

11.
You no longer think
of speed limits
as a challenge.

12.
You quit trying
to hold
your stomach in
no matter who walks
into the room.

13.
You sing along
with elevator music.

14.
Your eyes
won't get
much worse.

15.
Your investment
in health insurance
is finally beginning
to pay off.

16.
Your joints are more
accurate meteorologists
than the national
weather service.

17.
Your secrets are safe
with your friends
because they can't
remember them either..

18.
Your supply of braincells
is finally down to
a manageable size.

19.
You can't remember
who sent you this list.



And you notice
these are all in bold print
for your convenience.

ONE MORE THING:

Never,
under any circumstances,
take a sleeping pill,
and a laxative on
the same night!

Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

When nobody around you seems to measure up, it's time to check your yardstick.
Bill Lemley



This was sent to me by my friend at iyer-n-higher . He has a wonderful blog and worth taking a look at. And I thought this was worth sharing here this evening.

What a great world it would be if the mind became hungry and growled like the stomach did.



If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.
Isaac Bashevis Singer



Nothing is so strong as gentleness. Nothing is so gentle as real strength.
Frances de Sales

Sky Watch Friday!

Time again to show our skies! Sky Watch is hosted each week by Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise! Click here to sign up and share your skies with us!

It is most definitely SPRING in the northwest! The clouds all seem to be playing in the sky as though they are as excited about the warm weather as we humans on the ground!

 

 

 

 

A Little Humor for the Evening

A friend of mine sent this to me, knowing I was a former teacher and I could definitely relate!

Kids Are Quick
___________________________ _________

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America .
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS: Maria.
____________________________________

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

(I Love this kid)
____________________________________________

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
__________________________________

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I. '
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am..'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
________________________________

TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it.
Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand..
______________________________________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________

TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
___________________________________

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

America –Land of the Shortsighted

The catastrophic job losses of this recession – the worst since the Great Depression just haven’t sunk into the public’s consciousness and one can’t help but wonder just what it’s going to take to wake this country up. Bob Herbert had a great Op-Ed column in the NYT yesterday regarding this and according to him the ground has not been prepared for the kind of high-powered remedies needed to get the economy back into some kind of reasonable shape.

More and more homeowners, who once had solid credit, are falling seriously behind on their mortgages, thus amplifying the foreclosure crisis.

The Center for Labor Market Studies has compiled data showing that the recession’s effects have been “disastrous beyond belief” for some groups, including young men, men without college degrees and black men. These job losses among young workers have ominous long-term implications for American families and the economy as a whole.
But there was a development in Congress last week that should have been seen as significant, but as usual, the media is still obsessed with Limbaugh, Cheney and swine flu. Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, introduced a bill to establish a national infrastructure development bank that would use public and private capital to fund projects of regional and national significance – projects that are badly needed and would be a boon to employment.

We have become self-destructively shortsighted in recent decades and that has kept us from acknowledging the awful consequences of joblessness that has swept the nation since the beginning of the recession in December of 2007. This is keeping us from understanding how important the maintenance and development of the infrastructure is to the nation’s long term social and economic prospects. We’ve been told over and over by many that the infrastructure in our country is seriously damaged, but it just doesn’t seem to be making enough of an impression for us to seriously look at making the changes we need.

And, as Herbert says, it’s not just about roads and bridges, although they are important. It’s also about schools and the electrical grid and environmental and technological innovation. It’s about establishing a world-class industrial and economic platform for a nation that is speeding toward second-class status on a range of important fronts.

It’s about whether we’re serious about remaining a great nation. We don’t act like it. Herbert quotes a staggering statistic: According to the Education Trust, the US is the only industrialized country in which young people are less likely than their parents to graduate from high school.

We can’t put our people to work. We can’t educate the young. We can’t keep the infrastructure in good repair. It’s hard to believe that this nation could be so dysfunctional at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. And it’s tragic!

We’ve already lost nearly 5.7 million jobs in this recession and those losses have been overwhelmingly concentrated among male workers, especially among men under 35.

Herbert says, and I couldn’t agree more, that If the US is to have any hope of getting its economic act together over the next few years, there will have to be a much greater focus on putting people back to work. Rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure is the place to start.

Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

A useless life is an early death.
Goethe



What is the meaning of life? To be happy and useful.
HH the Dalai Lama



The universe is transformation; our life is what our thoughts make it.
Marcus Aurelius



Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.
Marie Curie



Study as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow.
Maria Mitchell

The Ultimate Quote of the Day!

"Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit."

ABC Wednesday - S

Time once again to check out the alphabet! Today is all about S words! ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt. Click here to sign up and play!

S is for Sailboat! For a lovely sail on the Sound!



And S is for Sam Schnauzer! My best and Sweetest friend!



And S is for Seattle, where I live, and for the Space Needle!



And S is for wonderful, blessed Spring!!

Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

What you think of yourself is much more important than what
others think of you.
Seneca



You are a living magnet. What you attract into your life is in in harmony with your dominant thoughts.
Brian Tracy



Enjoy present pleasures in such a way as not to injure future ones.
Seneca



We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own.
Ben Sweetland

That's My World -- Seattle

Before I share my world with you I would like to recognize all the wonderful men and women who have died to protect us and our country. My hope for the future is that we make every effort to find other ways to promote peace and unity -- not just in our country but in the world. The loss of so many young lives was, is and will be a sad testament to all of our worlds.



Once again it's time for you to show Your World! That's My World is hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise. So click here and join us for the fun and share your world with us.

Seattle is a fascinating city with a fascinating history. For the next few "That's My World" entries I'm going to share some of the interesting, beautiful and intriguing aspects. Today I'm going to share one of my favorite places -- the Seattle Public Library. Hope you enjoy!

Rem Koolhaas OMA
Seattle Public Library
Seattle, Washington



The new Seattle Public Library houses the library's main collection of books, government publications, periodicals, audio visual materials and the technology to access and distribute information from the physical collection online.

The building is divided into eight horizontal layers, each varying in size to fit its function. A structural steel and glass skin unifies the multifaceted form and defines the public spaces in-between.



Situated on a sloping site between 4th and 5th street the new library will have entrances on both street levels.

The entrance level on 4th Street, one of Seattle's main thoroughfares, houses the Children's Library and foreign-language resources.
Rows of escalators lead to the 5th Street "Living Room" lobby located under a 50-foot-high sloping glass wall. The lobby can also be reached directly from a covered walkway than runs the length of the 5th Avenue facade.



The carpeted "Living Room" contains the fiction stacks while non-fiction are located on the "Dewey Ramp"; a four-story ramp that allows people to browse through books in a continuos sequence.
The Reading room, on the top floor, has views of Puget Sound and the surrounding mountains.

Koolhaas sees the new library as a custodian of the book, a showcase for new information, a place for thought, discussion and reflection - a dynamic presence.



The fact that the contents of a whole library can be stored on a single chip, or the fact that a single library can now store the digital content of all libraries, together represent potential rethinking: new forms of storage enable the space dedicated to real books to be contained; new forms of reading enhance the aura of the real book.



Our first operation has been the "combining" and consolidation of the apparently ungovernable proliferation of programs and media. By combining like with like, we have identified five platforms, each a programmatic cluster that is architecturally defined and equipped for maximum, dedicated performance. Because each platform is designed for a unique purpose, they are different in size, density, opacity.
The in-between spaces are like trading floors where librarians inform and stimulate, where the interface between the different platforms is organized - spaces for work, interaction, and play. (And reading).

Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
Rachel Carson



It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility.
Rachel Carson



If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.
Buddha



To be aware of a single shortcoming in oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in someone else.
H. H. the Dalai Lama