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Our Daily Thread 5-28-14

Good Morning!

Today’s header photo is from Cheryl.

This one is from Janice.

rose and baby

On this day in 585 BC Thales Miletus predicted a solar eclipse. 

In 1774 the First Continental Congress convened in Virginia. 

In 1892 the Sierra club was organized in San Francisco, CA. 

In 1929 Warner Brothers debuted “On With The Show” in New York City. It was the first all-color-talking picture.

In 1934 the Dionne quintuplets were born near Callender, Ontario, to Olivia and Elzire Dionne. The babies were the first quintuplets to survive infancy. 

And in 1999, in Milan, Italy, Leonardo de Vinci’s “The Last Supper” was put back on display after more than 20 years of restoration work. 

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Quote of the Day

“Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.”

Thomas Moore

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Today is Thomas Moore’s birthday. The quote is from this, “Come, Ye Disconsolate”.

And it’s Larry Gatlin’s birthday.

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Anyone have a QoD?

59 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 5-28-14”

  1. Fun to hear about the quints. I just signed up to help with the Jones quints. They arrive on the 13th and school gets out on the 17th. So that is how I will be spending my school break. The only thing I am not sure of is the noise level with 5 little ones.
    Enjoy your Wednesday.

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  3. Wow! Quints! How old are they, or does their arrival date mean expected due date as in newborn? Someone at the church I previously attended had quints. Several were special needs children.

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  6. Good Morning Everyone. We have Continuing Education here at the office today. I continue to be impressed with the people I work for. One of our agents is leaving today for a long awaited trip to Paris. She sold a home that was new construction and supposed to close six weeks ago, but is closing today. She was concerned about her buyers and regretted not being able to go to closing with them. I offered to go, but the president of the company is going since some things did not go as smoothly as it should have. He told me I could go with him. I decided to keep my hair appointment since he is going. I would have canceled otherwise.

    I hope they don’t ever disappoint me.

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  8. What a nice name for a flowering bush, Kim. It’s not that. I need to look that one up since you mentioned it, and I have never heard of it.

    The flower with bud is on a Mother’s Day rose bush given to me by my MIL. Like our Birthday tree, this one usually blooms for the date. I took clippings from it for the bouquets the children made along with vase jars they decorated during Sunday School to give to their moms on that special day. This rose smells very sweet unlike the store bought roses. The buds look so pink and amazingly turn out white roses.

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  12. The sapsucker in the photo is a male (you can’t see much of the red on his chin in this one, but it’s there). But most birds look fat in some postures and thin in others, depending on how they stretch or fluff out their feathers or whatever.

    I took this photo from inside my in-laws’ living room. A bird landed on their tree and I thought, “Is that a sapsucker?” Because we’d just had the sapsucker photos on here a few days ago and it didn’t look quite like a downy. My husband was sitting closer to the window, so I asked him if it was a sapsucker or a downy. He looked and said, “It’s a hairy.” But I didn’t think it was, so I put out my camera’s zoom lens, and through the lens I could see that yes, I had a yellow-belled sapsucker. On the tree you can see some of the holes it digs to get sap (to the right of its feet and up a little). I got the goldfinch photo during the same visit to their house. We only stopped by there for a few minutes because we needed to get something from my sister-in-law (who lives around the corner from them) and she wasn’t home yet, so we went to visit Mom and Dad while we waited. And I had my camera with me, and got some great bird shots while we visited!

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  13. Good Morning….kinda was thrown off thinking it was 4/28/2014 up there!! 🙂
    Today is AFA graduation…the exciting part is that the Thunderbirds return this year and the weather is picture perfect…the bummer is that Biden will be the speaker…many of the graduates were greatly dismayed upon that announcement….
    What a great shot Cheryl…he is gorgeous! And that flower is so full it does appear to be a peony…I am looking forward to my peonies to someday blooming…it is a very late year this year…perhaps the end of June or beginning of July…
    Qunits? I cannot even imagine! What great fun to be a part of the care team for them Jo…oh the snuggles to be had!

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  14. The flower is definitely a peony, as it looks exactly like what is blooming in proliferation in my yard. Yes, someone who lived in our house loved them so much, that there are a dozen peony bushes of various colors.

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  15. Concerning the shooting; last night Donna posted:

    “Think for a moment of all the TV shows which are centered around finding that perfect someone who will make the character/person feel good. All the songs which present being a desirable sexual partner as the most satisfying thing in life. All the films romanticizing or glorifying the thrill of the pursuit and attainment of love. All the institutions built around achieving this ideal”

    It is strange in that when I was groeing up, there was not the kind of premeditated, carefully planned killings we see today. That comment may have identified part of the problem In thinking about the difference, I went out to car to retrieve the CD I played on the way to the Y this morning. You all know that I don’t listen to contemporary music. I make my own CD’s from iTunes and old records. The songs on the CD are:
    1. When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold
    2. Have You Ever Been Lonely
    3. Blue Eyed Elaine Again
    4. Since You Went Away
    5. I Don’t Hurt Anymore
    6. It Makes No Difference Now
    7. Whispering Hope
    8. Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide
    9. Hearts Holding Hands
    10. A Fool Such As I
    11. I Love You Because
    12. The Waltz You Saved For Me
    13. The Girl From My Home Town
    14. A Hundred Years From Now
    15. Brand on My Heart

    In looking over this list, I notice most -1,2,4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 14, and 15 are about men losing their women. Though in the real world, it was often the other way.
    One is religions, #7.
    True love songs, only 9,11, 12
    One, #13, a man laments a wrong choice.
    #3 is Justin Tubb’s trubute to his dad, though the song is about his mother

    The point is, the assement in Donna’s post points out a huge culteral difference. There were mental illnesses in those days too. And war trama after WW II. But they dealt with it in different ways. I fear this generation is digging it’s own grave.

    I realize that these situations are few, considering the population. But the sheer evil and amount of detail in them are foreboding for the future.

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  17. Just texted my editor, I’m taking 1 more day off sick — I’m still coughing with a lot of loose congestion, it’s in that last yucky stage, and I don’t want to be sitting in the newsroom rattling & coughing like this. I threw them an easy story idea in exchange for my absence, hopefully that’ll help off-set my being gone another day. 😦 We’re so short-handed that someone being out makes my editor very grumpy. I rarely miss work, but this was some virus. It was a week ago that I started coming down with it.

    There was a big crowd of relatives next door again last night and things seemed to be going fine until a very loud argument erupted and spilled out into the driveway (next to the south side of my house; properties are very close to each other where I live). Much of it was in Spanish, but it was extremely intense with a lot of shouting and running; I thought if it went on much longer I might call police, it was all very heated and seemed to be escalating.

    But then whoever was at the center of it decided to jump into his car in the driveway (we all have long, narrow driveways that go uphill as the houses are all set up and back a ways from the sidewalks) and back out. Or at least he tried to back out. I kept hearing the car ramming into the cement walls on either side and scraping and grinding. Everyone kept screaming as he continued to careen down the driveway. The car hit one of my large side bushes at one point.

    He finally made it to the bottom and, with tires screeching, took off down the street with what sounded an entourage of people running and screaming in pursuit of him. Oy.

    Could be an interesting funeral ahead.

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  18. Donna- That sounds typical of large, Spanish family gatherings. There is always some disagreement and loud talking. Usually, though, there is a forgiveness and hugs after everyone calms down. Even friendly gatherings can get very loud and emotional.

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  19. Not a peony, although since my neighbor has one at her mailbox I do see the resemblance. I sent more of the rose pictures to AJ so maybe sometime he will post one so you can see the leaves and maybe the thorns to know it is a rose in full bloom about to drop its petals.

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  22. The Dionne quintuplets’ story is a sad one. They were born during the Great Depression, and their parents did not feel able to raise the frail children. They turned to the government and the government turned the babies into a tourist attraction. They were the first quintuplets to be born alive, in those days before fertility treatments, and they were identical; movie stars and dignitaries flocked to visit them in their nursery. They grew up to justly resent their exploitation.

    ‘In 1997, the three surviving sisters wrote an open letter to the parents of the McCaughey septuplets, warning against allowing too much publicity for the children. The letter read:
    Dear Bobbi and Kenny,
    If we emerge momentarily from the privacy we have sought all our adult lives, it is only to send a message to the McCaughey family. We three would like you to know we feel a natural affinity and tenderness for your children. We hope your children receive more respect than we did. Their fate should be no different from that of other children. Multiple births should not be confused with entertainment, nor should they be an opportunity to sell products.
    Our lives have been ruined by the exploitation we suffered at the hands of the government of Ontario, our place of birth. We were displayed as a curiosity three times a day for millions of tourists. To this day we receive letters from all over the world. To all those who have expressed their support in light of the abuse we have endured, we say thank you. And to those who would seek to exploit the growing fame of these children, we say beware.
    We sincerely hope a lesson will be learned from examining how our lives were forever altered by our childhood experience. If this letter changes the course of events for these newborns, then perhaps our lives will have served a higher purpose.
    Sincerely, Annette, Cécile and Yvonne Dionne’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionne_quintuplets)

    When I think of shows such as ‘Octomom’ and ‘Jon & Kate Plus Eight’, I doubt the lesson has been learned.

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  23. Do the millennial generation a favour, and don’t confuse us with privileged spoiled brats who fancy themselves injured and decide to go out in a blaze of infamy. The recent mass killer has very little to do with the majority of my generation, who mostly are seeking to find a way out of the mess that has been handed to us. May I remind you that the vast majority of those who produce media, as well as the politicians whom we all love to hate, are actually from previous generations. Look to the likes of Simon Cowell and other well-heeled producers for who really has control over what many young pop stars sing and what movies are made.

    Besides, previous generations had their problems. I am always surprised at the level of innuendo allowed in songs from such apparently innocent decades as the 1940s and 50s; and there were an awful lot of movies about love, sex and beautiful women – I feel embarrassed just trying to watch a Marilyn Monroe film. Wealthy young people who kill are also not confined to this era. In 1924, the wealthy teens Leopold and Loeb tortured and killed a young boy – Clarence Darrow’s defence of them was famous. The killings that occurred last week were tragic, but it is not helpful to condemn an entire group on the actions of an individual.

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  24. Now that I’ve got all that off my chest, how about a nice song, written and performed by a very musically talented group of young millenials:

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  25. Roscuro, I think the point was more looking at cultural changes that, in turn, shape and form a generation. The cultural changes in many ways were rooted in the ’50s and ’60s (including the self-esteem movement & the rise of secularism, the ‘me’ generation, and the ideas of entitlement and sexual autonomy) and took decades to become mainstream, to the point that they are deeply reflected in our entertainment, our education system and our government.

    Combined with the advent of the Internet, video games, social media and other influences, you have what is a very different culture now than even 20 years ago.

    We’re all products of our times, to some degree. And we all share in the blame, if you want to look at it that way.

    I don’t think anyone suggests this shooter is somehow ‘typical’ or representative of a generation — only that part of his stated mindset may mirror some of the cultural changes that have swept through the west in the very recent past.

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  27. Back to the cultural situation, these changes have been building, as you note, for decades. There’s nothing new under the sun. But I think with the remarkable influence of the Internet and social media, we do have something of a convergence now that poses particular challenges for our times.

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  28. Since it is Thomas Moore’s birthday, here is the love song which as a young teen, I thought was the most beautiful love song I ever heard:

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  29. I remember in the 1960s and 1970s we all felt like victims of the older generation — they’d so messed everything up. 😉

    Welcome to life. We didn’t do so well with running the world ourselves, did we?

    And so it goes.

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  30. Donna, I wasn’t trying to pass the blame, as I don’t think any group really holds the blame for such a killer (and spare me the mentally ill argument – it is an insult to the millions of truly mentally ill people who never hurt anyone). I just find the hand wringing and head shaking that goes on after an event like this to be highly unproductive. As the old saying goes, “It’s no use crying over spilt milk.”

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  31. Personally, I refuse to give the little coward even a mention in the news post. That’s what they seek. He’s reaping the harvest that comes from his actions, the judgment we all face. Justice has been served, and it’s final. That’s sufficient for me, and I hope it’s some consulation for the families too. I’ve prayed for the families, and will continue to. They need it. But I won’t waste a second on him.

    Regardless of age, cultural, or environmental considerations, in the end, he knew right from wrong. He intentionally planned this to hurt, kill, and destroy. He alone is responsible. As the line from one of the Batman movies says, some men just wanna watch the world burn. Placing blame on outside influences gives weight to the argument that it wasn’t just his fault, or that he couldn’t help it. Sorry, I don’t buy it, and I won’t give the little coward the benefit of the doubt.

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  34. I just did another bird a great favor.
    I destroyed her nest before she could finish building it. She wanted to build a nest inside the spreader hanging in my garage. In ideal place. Warm and out of the elements and difficult for predators. She didn’t know that someday I was going to close that garage and she couldn’t get to her chicks. She’s thinking that disaster struck, but really I have saved her from disaster.

    There’s a lesson there somewhere.

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  40. The quints are close to two. I have been praying for them since before they were born and I taught their older brother. All five are doing well, but it was touch and go for a while.
    You can see them and meet them at gavincarrie.blogspot.com

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  41. I went to the office today, and again I see it rained here at home but not south of Atlanta. And I hate to leave Bosley again, but it will soon be time to go to church.

    Now to the prayer thread to see if there is an update on little Madison”s surgery.

    My son is in an interview right now if anyone sees this and wants to pray.

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  42. Donna did I mention Hannah wants to major in journalism? hmmmmm
    Praying this bronchitis gets the heave ho soon for you…should you perhaps see if the doctor will put you on an antibiotic or something?

    hippies unite! I refuse to give up my clogs and my peasant blouse…and jeans…and flowers in my hair 🙂 peace out…..

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  44. oh, my post did not appear.
    The quints are almost two and are all healthy. I taught their older brother.
    You can meet them on gavincarrie.blogspot.com

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  47. Husband ought to be flying back from Canada and fifteen and seventeen year olds should be arriving home soon. Sixteen is back at the Challenge, eight year old is supposed to be at practice under the direction of sixteen year old who dropped off sixteen year old at school, from which he was to walk out to his job site about a mile away and also dropped off seventeen year old at her job site to do some gardening in the rain. If that seemed like a run on sentence, it fits my run on life. But I am taking vacation today or I never would have sent eight year old to practice without me.

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  48. Re: Blaming previous generations- Passing the blame goes way back to the Fall. Adam: “The woman You gave me…” He blamed Eve for giving him the fruit, and blamed God for the wife. Eve blamed a talking snake: “The serpent tempted me and I ate.”

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  49. I see on TV where they are experimenting on brain implants. There are times when I thought I needed a transplant. Too late now, I’ve already done too many dumb things.
    BTW, I studied and rejected all other solutions to the bird nest thing. I did the best thing.
    With my own brain too.
    🙂

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  50. For those of you who are not my FB friend, I posted a rant this morning about my Zumba class. Here it is:

    We had a substitute in our Zumba class today and maybe I’m a little sensitive to this subject these days, but the lyrics to the music were full of ugliness towards women: “I’m the ruler of all; who cares if there’s blood about the room; let’s trash the hotel room,” and so forth.

    I finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Do you have music with better lyrics?”

    She was genuinely surprised and after we finished our routine, held up the Iphone and talked about what a great musician the Iranian man was.

    “Maybe I’m sensitive because Sandy and I both have daughters at UCSB, but these lyrics are degrading,” I said.

    “But my children love this music.”

    And isn’t this part of the problem? I had to leave right then, but folks, let’s stand up and say NO MORE GARBAGE “Music” ABOUT WOMEN. And the same goes for movies, too. Hrmphfhhhh.

    45 likes and a lot of comments. I guess I touched a chord . . .

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  51. Michelle, I would have been furious about that class. You pay for the class, don’t you? I hope you can talk to someone higher up to say you do not want that instructor ever again. Is it an all women’s class? It really sounds fishy, like week old fish left out to rot.

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  53. Yes, my life is so overbooked, I don’t know who is coming or going. He is going to Canada. He hopes to be back in three weeks to drive us to the son’s graduation in Boise and then go back to Canada.

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  54. michelle, good post. Although my take, sadly, is that too often women themselves have opened the door and allowed this kind of treatment and disrespect. 😦 Music and ‘popular’ entertainment have become increasingly course toward women since the 1970s. And now here we are.

    Antibiotics aren’t prescribed for bronchitis, which usually resolves itself relatively quickly (I started getting early symptoms a week ago). I don’t sense this is anything beyond what’s ‘normal,’ if you will, for bronchitis (which I’ve had at least once before several years ago — the doctor diagnosed it that time). It’s often something that comes with a severe cold virus and is otherwise just known as a “chest cold.”

    I think the tiredness that comes with it is the hardest when it comes to thinking about going back to work. I just got up from another 2-hour nap.

    But I’m going to try to push back to work tomorrow — if I have to take Friday off afterward, so be it. Then I’ll have another weekend to recoup.

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  58. Thanks, Aj. I wondered what happened they were there now, but not earlier. I am now officially spam!! See Mumsee, it wasn’t just me.
    Thaks Kare, so glad that someone else has seen my quints. I check their blog about twice a day and it will be even more fun to just look out the back window of my classroom.
    Mumsee, I am so happy that you are giving yourself a ‘down’ day.

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