Shadow Shot Sunday!

So, how good are you at finding shadows? Shadow Shot Sunday is a truly addictive meme hosted by Tracy over at Hey Harriet! Click on the logo and show us what you've found!

November in Seattle is about as gray as you can get, so I was having to do a little reminiscing about sunnier days.

Here is Sam and Mojo enjoying some sun on the deck last month!



Our once sunny kitchen! Ah, surely the sun will put in an appearance again soon!



A statue at the Lavender Festival in July!



Interesting shadow of a large planter in our living room.



And a couple of old colored shadows -- a candle holder and glass "rock" from my old aquarium.

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty

Praises for our past triumphs are as feathers to a dead bird. ~Paul Eldridge



The one charm of the past is that it is the past. ~Oscar Wilde



God made the world round so we would never be able to see too far down the road. ~Isak Dinesen



The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time. ~Abraham Lincoln



Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length. ~Robert Frost



Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. ~Victor Hugo

A History Lesson !!

1909 Ford Model R



Show this to your children and grandchildren

THE YEAR 1909

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
The year is 1909.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some statistics for the Year 1909
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles
Of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year ..
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME .
Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used
Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from
Entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school..
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health' ( Shocking? HUH! )
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help. There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A.!
Plus one more sad thought; 95 percent of the taxes we have now did not exist in 1909
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty

Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day.

Take the time to stop and listen; you will be surprised at what you hear.

'Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.'

Sky Watch Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Sky Watch to everyone! And with all of our beautiful skies we have lots of beauty to celebrate!

Sky Watch is hosted each week by Klaus and the Sky Watch Team of Klaus, Sandy, Wren Fishing Guy, Louise and myself. Join us and people from all over the world and share the beauty of your skies! Click on the icon to sign up and play! Please do read and follow the instructions.

They say here in Seattle that we get more rain in November than any other month of the year --- they won't get any argument from me, that's for sure!!



But, wait! One blue sky day? With cloud creatures supervising?



Well, that didn't last long! Who is that riding in that cloud ship??



And then as the day winds down -- we're talking pitch dark by four thirty in the afternoon -- we get just a taste of sweet colors.

Happy Thanksgiving !

From me to each of you for bringing so much joy and friendship and sharing into my life!



And thanks to technology for making blogging possible!!

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty

On Thanksgiving Day, all over America, families sit down to dinner at the same moment - halftime. ~Author Unknown



Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel. ~Author Unknown



Sylvia, That natural bouquet , to day, Nov 26, brought to mind these thoughts....

26 Nov 2008

Flowers for peace
in their minds
tormented by visions
of those so dear.

For the family
on its maiden trip
to their hometown,
shot at the terminus

For the child
who saw
his father being shot
as he responded
to a request
for water
at the door
by those
who were out
for blood

For the cab driver
who ferried
passengers
no knowing
it was his last trip

For the brave cop
who threw himself
over
and battled
the rampant terrorist
half his age,
to snatch his rifle
and died
to keep him alive
to hang
with
hopefully some others.

Do those in power
even realise
that
we celebrate
those
who best
do their duty
without
thought of reward ?

And they
"trade"
rewards,
like those
that came shooting,
killing,
exchanging their sin
for
their so called
places
in
a despairing Sun....
Posted by Ugich Konitari to Sylvia From Over The Hill at November 25, 2009 7:34 PM

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~W.T. Purkiser



We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder



If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama



There is no greater loan than a sympathetic ear. ~Frank Tyger

Seems Like Only Yesterday

BARBIE DOLL has her 50th birthday this year.......



And Tweety Bird is 60!



And what about all our other ....
CHILDHOOD
SUPERHEROES?

SUPERMAN



Thor



Wonder Woman (touch of menopause here I think?)



Batman and Robin



Spider Man




"Life is short, break the rules, forgive sooner, love with true love, laugh without control and always keep smiling.

Maybe life is not the party that we were expecting, but in the mean time, we're here and we can still dance!"

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk. ~Doug Larson



We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. ~Epictetus



Home is where you can say anything you like cause nobody listens to you anyway. ~Author Unknown



My wife says I never listen to her. At least I think that's what she said. ~Author Unknown



Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand. ~Emily Kimbrough

ABC Wednesday -- S!

Check out your alphabet and find some S words to share with us today! ABC Wednesday is hosted each week by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt, so click on the icon, sign up and show us how many S's you've found in your world today!

My first S is for Sam Schnauzer -- my best friend!

S is for Sunsets!



S is for Shadows!



S is for Sea Shells!



And S is for Spooky Spiders!

That's My World -- Portland, OR

Time once again for the opportunity to share the beauty of your world with all of us, so I want to invite you to share the fun! My World is hosted by Klaus and the My World Team, Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and myself! Click on the icon to sign up and play with us! Please do read and follow the instructions on the My World home page!



I've been taking another look at a number of places that have been "my world" over the years and today I'd like to take you to Portland, Oregon. I moved to Portland from Dallas, Texas in 1992 and immediately fell in love with the city and the northwest in general. I made up my mind that it was the only part of the country I wanted to live in -- I haven't changed my mind. I did move from Portland, but not the northwest. And as usual, since I rarely used a camera in those days, I've had to depend on Google and Wikipedia and they never disappoint me!



Portland started as a spot known as "the clearing," which was on the banks of the Willamette about halfway between Oregon City and Fort Vancouver. In 1843, William Overton saw great commercial potential for this land but lacked the funds required to file a land claim. He struck a bargain with his partner Asa Lovejoy of Boston, Massachusetts: for 25¢, Overton would share his claim to the 640 acre (2.6 km²) site. Overton later sold his half of the claim to Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland, Maine. Pettygrove and Lovejoy each wished to name the new city after his respective home town; this was decided with a coin toss, which Pettygrove won in a series of two out of three tosses. The coin used for this decision, now known as the Portland Penny, is on display in the headquarters of the Oregon Historical Society.

At the time of its incorporation on February 8, 1851 Portland had over 800 inhabitants, a steam sawmill, a log cabin hotel, and a newspaper, the Weekly Oregonian. By 1879, the population had grown to 17,500.[15] The city merged with Albina and East Portland in 1891 and with Linnton and St. Johns in 1915.

Skidmore Fountain in downtown Portland, a lovely place to enjoy a lunch or just people watch!



Portland's location, with access both to the Pacific Ocean via the Willamette and the Columbia rivers and to the agricultural Tualatin Valley via the "Great Plank Road" through a canyon in the West Hills (the route of current-day U.S. Route 26), gave it an advantage over nearby ports, and it grew quickly.] It remained the major port in the Pacific Northwest for much of the 19th century, until the 1890s, when Seattle's deep water harbor was connected to the rest of the mainland by rail, affording an inland route without the treacherous navigation of the Columbia River.

This boat, The Portland Spirit, is a great way to enjoy the scenery along the river. They have evening trips with music and dancing, they have day trips, good food and guaranteed fun!



And, of course, for sports fans there is the Rose Garden. There are also many concerts with singers and bands for a wonderful evenings entertainment.



Portland Museum of Art



Portland also has an excellent public transportation system that will get you anywhere you need to go! And that is one thing, in particular, that I really miss!



And Portland State University.



It's a great place to visit or to live!