Saturday, September 28, 2024
A study in Yellow and ...
More yellow - Art nouveau pitcher ~ eggshell porcelain ~ Samuel Shellink..Dutch pottery.
Today's quote:
When change comes, you gotta slow down and take note of it. In the midst of that change is all the possibility in the world. |
BERTICE BERRY |
Friday, September 27, 2024
Climate change is still around
Back to climate change!
Maybe considering a reduced ozone hole in the atmosphere...a 3 minute Nova note from PBS.
What Happened to the Hole in the Ozone Layer? Click here to play, the photo isn't a link.
The extreme thinning of the Ozone layer threatened to bring on a global crisis from destroying plants and ecosystems to sky-high skin cancer rates. So, what happened?
I've begun talking about how climate crisis refugees are likely to be coming to our area. I don't know what form that will take, but it will create an opportunity to serve and organize people's needs.
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Here's a bit of Native style flute playing by my friend Marina Raye...to just listen to and feel calm.
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Rainfall amounts below as of Thurs. morning 9.26 at 8:30 am.
Yesterday (when I wrote this) Black Mountain was preparing for Helene's outer band of winds and rains to hit us in the night. Before that, we had had days of relentless rain here in Black Mountain. As of 8:30 am Thurs, Black Mountain had 7.33 inches over the last 36 hours. It had continued to rain off an on all that day. But the high winds and gusts were due that night, after Helene came ashore in Florida.
In the mountains, having super saturated ground from long term rains, and gusts of winds, is just leading to downed trees and power lines. There may well be landslides with the water coming down steep slopes. And many of the creeks and rivers are overflowing their banks so there are flood warnings. That is why NC has declared a state of emergency already. This was the weather report at 11 am Thurs. I'll give you some updates as I get them on Fri.
I have several relatives and friends who live in Florida. I'm thinking of how they've prepared for the storm, but fortunately they don't live in flood prone areas. So I hope they'll check in with me today (Fri.) sometime.
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I haven't talked much about climate change lately. Why? Well my friends have all heard my views by now. I'm glad to see my former UU church is doing some efforts focused on climate justice work. Since I left it officially a few months ago, I still get notified of topics of the Sunday services.
Here's the notice for the service coming up on Sept. 29. I plan to attend, and will give you my thoughts afterward!
Sunday, September 29, 2024
“UUs & Climate Change”
Rev. Michael J. S. Carter
One of my favorite things about Unitarian Universalism is the unique way we approach our faith. I'm speaking specifically of deeds, not creeds. Our worship doesn’t just live within our congregational walls, but within the world. As I see it, climate justice, and our faith are interwoven too tightly to be separated. Upholding our faith goes hand-in-hand with advocating for the Earth on which we live (per our 6th & 7th Principles). Our congregation has identified "Climate Change" as its number one concern. As our denomination has also taken up the mantle to advocate for our Mother Earth, let's explore what that looks like for our congregation going forward. I want to encourage each and every one of you to get to know the members of our Social Action Committee and to be curious about what you can do to assist them. Be on the lookout this fall regarding announcements about upcoming events and activities related to climate change...See you on the 29th!
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley
500 Montreat Road
Black Mountain, NC 28711
They also post videos of each service to YouTube as well.
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Well, that went off on a tangent I didn't expect. But I used to belong to a group there which discussed climate change, and hosted the Earth Day event (held at the Lake Tomahawk picnic pavilion) where various topics were demonstrated from vegan eating to sustainable businesses for ecological toilet paper. My health kept me from being involved this last year.
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Today's quote:
"Emerging also is the recognition that, for all of our foibles, all of our vulnerability to ideological manipulation, all of our capacity for cruelty, it is tenderness we most long for, tenderness that is our deepest nature.
"The challenge is how to live with the knowledge that what steers us one way or another, toward terror or tenderness, can be the faintest and most random ripple in the surface of consciousness — just a “wave in the mind,” to borrow Virginia’s [Wolfe] own lovely phrase."
Maria Popova, The Marginalian
Thursday, September 26, 2024
What makes a extraordinary building?
"While Pennsylvania boasts the historic Fallingwater, the Chicago area, particularly Oak Park, is home to its own architectural treasures, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s personal residence.A notable example is the Nathan G. Moore House, also known as the Moore-Dugal Residence, located at 333 Forest Avenue. Designed by Wright in the Tudor Revival style, this house was initially completed in 1895.Wright preserved the essence of the Tudor style but enhanced it with intricate ornamentation. The original simple bay window on the east facade was replaced with a Gothic motif, featuring paired lancet windows and elaborately decorated terracotta. While the half-timbering was limited to the peaks of three gables, the rest of the house showcased terracotta banding and heavily carved, geometrically patterned wood.The house underwent further changes and eventually changed ownership several times. The most recent owner, Robert Dugal, offered seasonal public tours until they were discontinued in 2001 due to his decline in health.The Nathan G. Moore House was added to the Register of Historic Places in 1973.Photo Credit Ervin Eliud
Source: Facebook group Fans of Frank Lloyd Wright
Moore-Dugal Residence, Oak Park IL. 1895-1922 Frank Lloyd Wright
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St. Andrew, The Little Chapel of Guernsey, in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.
Surfaces of the chapel are covered with broken China.
Created in 1914 by Brother Déoda
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San Marco, Venice by Giuseppe Marastoni
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Yesterday was breathing day. High humidity with storm coming. I tried putting all the plants on the floor of the porch, breathing hard all the way. Canceled going to the lunch at the 11th hour...well 11:30 when my friend offered to drive me and let me off as close as possible to the Lakeview Center. But I was coughing continuously after my nebulizing, and almost fainted in the bathroom, but knew to put my head in the sink. It worked, but I was exhausted, so just am staying air conditioned to hopefully have lower humidity to breath.
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Today's quote:
Each of us is an artist of our days; the greater our integrity and awareness, the more original and creative our time will become." John O'Donohue
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
The fun times at the Tailgate Market in Black Mountain
Some fun is experienced by watching the people, the dogs, the kids, the extravagant outfits people show up wearing. And then there's also fun purchasing just the best fresh produce around! Or maybe a plant, or jewelry, or baked goods, or pottery!
I sold this platter to a friend (well almost gave it to her!) last Saturday. She's one of those people who walks this earth just doing good things. The image is some kind of wind and moon interaction that I thought up in 2014. My friend may give it to her daughter, as she has other pieces of my pottery. She also bought a pot from the other Mud Buddy, Amelia Packer.
See what I mean about colorful outfits? I didn't have permission to post Michelle's photo, but I don't think he'd mind his outfit without his face!
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With the storm remains coming in the next few days, I'm not sure I'll go to the market this Saturday...we shall wait and see!
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Today's quote:
Courage without conscience is a wild beast.
-Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (1833-1899)
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Just Good News
I always love to share good news. Marcia already shared the Americans of Conscience list. But there's more from my neck of the woods! And after yesterday's ugly topic, let's look for some positive things!
Sharing with Signs2
Today's Quote:
Alfred Hitchcock said, "The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder."
Don't read if you're in a good mood, but here's the update from Heather for today on Robinson's campaign:
In North Carolina the core members of Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson’s campaign staff resigned yesterday along with all but three members of the campaign staff—two spokespeople and a bodyguard—after the CNN report about Robinson’s offensive writings on a pornography website, including his declaration that he considers himself a “black NAZI,” and that he would like to own slaves. And yet the North Carolina Republican Party is openly defending Robinson. Today the Republican Governors Association announced it was not going to buy any more ad time in North Carolina, a potential disaster for Trump as well as Robinson
Monday, September 23, 2024
Since I live in NC, I should post about Robinson
He has become a national focus, as of last Thurs. news I got to hear what the broadcasters warned might offend some.
I've been hearing TV ads by local Democrats for months, which mainly focused on his and his wife's prior nursery endeavor which endangered children.
But then his past interest in porn sites and his quotes became available.
"... the big story today is that Republican North Carolina lieutenant governor Mark Robinson frequented porn sites, where between 2008 and 2012 he wrote that he enjoyed watching transgender pornography; referred to himself as a “black NAZI!”; called for reinstating human enslavement and wrote, “I would certainly buy a few”; called the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a “f*cking commie bastard”; wrote that he preferred Adolf Hitler to former president Barack Obama; referred to Black, Jewish, Muslim, and gay people with slurs; said he doesn’t care about abortions (“I don’t care. I just wanna see the sex tape!” he wrote); and recounted that he had secretly watched women in the showers in a public gym as a 14-year-old. Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck of CNN, who broke the story, noted that “CNN is reporting only a small portion of Robinson’s comments on the website given their graphic nature.”
Source: Sept. 19 Letters from an American
He's been our Lieutenant Governor all this time? I've admired our Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat who has worked with a totally Republican legislature and actually managed to accomplish some good in NC.
So Robinson is running for Governor for the GOP.
The Democratic candidate, Josh Stein, has lots of good achievements under his belt as our present Attorney General. He has been helping the Asheville area citizens deal with a local hospital which was purchased by a profit making corporation with the loss of many of the professionals who gave quality of care as a result.
As Heather Cox Richardson mentioned in her Letters from an American, the poor conservative Republicans are sitting between a rock and a hard place (my metaphor.) The GOP has gerrymandered so many districts (including my own in Buncombe County) that Democrat votes are probably not going to count...the Republicans (if they vote) will take the legislature hands down, and will have a good chance to put Robinson in the Governor's office as well as Trump in the White House.
"After the first story broke, Natalie Allison of Politico broke another: that Robinson was registered on the Ashley Madison website, which caters to married people seeking affairs.
Robinson is running for governor of North Carolina. He has attacked transgender rights, called for a six-week abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest, mocked survivors of school shootings, and—after identifying a wide range of those he saw as enemies to America and to “conservatives”—told a church audience that “some folks need killing.”
That this scandal dropped on the last possible day Robinson could drop out of the race suggests it was pushed by Republicans themselves because they recognize that Robinson is dragging Trump and other Republican candidates down in North Carolina. But here’s the thing: Republican voters knew who Robinson was, and they chose him anyway.
Source: Sept. 19 Letters from an American
So we in North Carolina who support Harris for President, and Josh Stein for Governor will vote our hearts out. There are a lot of independent voters, and I sure hope they decide for the Democrats. And may somehow a miracle occur in North Carolina.
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Today's inspiring quote:
History lives in and through our bodies right now, and in every moment. |
RESMAA MENAKEM |
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Mabon or Autumnal Equinox
Happy Mabon or Harvest Home. This equinox is also known as the first day of autumn. The equinox is on Sunday, September 22, 2024, at 08:44 A.M. EDT in the Northern Hemisphere
Today's quote:
Personal note: I had an interesting experience last week. From a position of getting out of breath when walking almost anywhere I needed to, I started telling friends that I wanted to start taking walks again. I even set a goal with my care coordinator, Rob (an official title for a Physician's Assistant who phone consults with me once a month regarding my medical issues [having more than 3 chronic diagnosis] from my general practitioner's office.) The goal wasn't set until after I'd had a nice coffee meeting with some friends, where we explored our experiences of our own pain threshold. I didn't know if mine was high or low exactly, but I seldom seem to have severe pains, just fatigue.
So I was talking later with Rob,, and out of the blue said I wanted to set this goal to walk around our local lake (a half mile) without stopping, in three months. These kinds of goals delight the medical professionals, I know, because they are measurable and can have incremental objectives set in the time frame. (I use to write the same thing as a mental health counselor for records of my clients.)
Anyway, at lunch, right after talking with Rob, my friend asked if I'd gotten my referral for pulmonary rehabilitation yet. I said no.
Then within an hour I had a call from Tanya, the pulmonary rehab. technician who I'd worked with several years ago. She had the referral from the pulmonologist. Apparently when I had emailed two weeks ago about my difficulties breathing, and asked if pulmonary rehab would be a good idea, it had trickled down to a referral after all.
But the timing was the miraculous (cosmic coincidence) part...set the goal, set a date, and then boom, here's a way to actually have allies to help me get there! Yes, the universe is supporting me going in this direction. Anyone else would phrase it differently, but that's the way I see it. And I felt so good about myself, I made brownies to take to the pot luck at the apartment complex the next day. Usually I have a lot of fatigue in the evening, and coughing, so can't accomplish much, but not that night! I was feeling so up about possibly getting to feel better, I actually felt better.
PS I might have some energies and positive attitude, but I still have a brain that isn't functioning correctly. The pot luck wasn't for another week! I hadn't looked at my calendar to check. So I shared brownies at the lunch program.
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Some Sepia photos and maybe some critters too!
In order to give a Sepia Saturday post (which I try to do weekly) and maybe Saturday Critters for Eileen's meme...I'm looking, I'm looking...
I was named after my great grandmother, Eugenia Almeda Booth Miller (1873-1936). My mother was mostly raised by her. Yes, 'Booth' is the part of her name I carry. 'Eugenia' had already gone to a cousin. And I'm kind of glad not to be Almeda! So I'm celebrating G-Grandma Eugenia.
Sepia Saturday's suggested meme is Highs and Lows.
Here are definitely some men engaged in something "high"
New York City in snow storm, 1888 - just look at those wires!
Worlds Fair, 1964 New York NY - I was there! Those little gondola rides were also "high."
A leafy sea dragon - so amazing!
From high to low, he got his catch!
Today's quote:
"I speak two languages, Body and English."
also, "Between two evils, I like to pick the one I haven't tried before."
and, "I used to be Snow White, but I drifted."
. -Mae West, actress, playwright, singer, screenwriter, and comedian (1893-1980)
