Who knew all this would happen afterwards! I had fun being the recorder of the Christmas tree selection, and had no glove on one hand so I could easily take photos…here wishing all a happy holiday from the Dublin Ohio north-ish pole. Photo by Audrey Heym.
I gave a brief photo of this little pocket park in Berea, where I stopped to stretch my legs on the way north. But I want to share these while I’m already on my drive back home.
The sign is a bit difficult to read, but speaks of the early efforts for integrated education in the area…which was outlawed in 1903 in Kentucky, then finally became legal again in the 1950s.
The town is known for art festivals and the private liberal arts college, Berea College, founded in 1855. The arts and crafts community is known throughout the south.
Someday maybe I’ll tour more of the town and college!
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Today’s little goddess has accessories!
From the State of Michoacan culture -
Late Preclassic Terracotta
Thanks Jenny Menendez Ceramics
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"Igikai" is a Japanese word for 'your reason for being'. Ikigai: theintersectionofpassion,mission,vocation, andprofession.
It's wherewhat you lovemeetswhat you're good at,what you can be paid for, andwhat the world needs.
I’m glad I only had 200 miles to go on that rainy day, did I say - RAINY? I had an easy night at the hotel in Lexington. Then I didn’t get on the road till 10 ish. And after filling the tank and finding my first
300 miles had my dear 18 year old car get 35 miles per gallon, I started my slow route right up the interstate.
There won’t be many photos of that trip. It was slow and fast, never knowing when a slowdown would happen, just from traffic mostly. Lots of trucks, and the rain was light most of the time, but roads were always wet, and those trucks threw up lots more water into the air. So it was in white-out conditions a lot of the time. I’d just try to slow down enough to not be behind someone’s blinding fog of water, and sometimes there wasn’t really any place to do so. But I didn’t see any accidents and most drivers were courteous.
That reminds me, when I wrote about trust the other day, I forgot how we trust all the other drivers on the road. Our lives depend upon it.
Me using nebulizer in the hotel room. Not watching whatever was going on TV.
Tree in lobby where I filled up my coffee carafe as I checked out. I’’ll be back Sunday night on my way home! I sure hope I get better weather on my way back to NC!
Probably crossing the Ohio River going into Cincinnati.
One of the few times I didn’t have trucks and cars all around me so I could perch the phone on top of the steering wheel for a photo.
As usual I stopped for a break when tired, or just needing to move around. The first half hour was my first stop!
I must say this wasn’t a boring trip. I had to have my attention, and my eyes, peeled the whole trip. I was so tired when I arrived at my son’s that I just wanted to close my eyes. But for me lying down when tired just made me cough a lot…so I found comfort in sitting with eyes closed on the couch. What a guest I am!
Setting up to get a photo of Audrey, her dad had something to say about that. This was taken on Wednesday after I had recuperated!
The pose!
Granddaughter Kate came home from college, where she's a freshman at Ohio State U! (Incidentally, I made the mug she's drinking coffee from with a straw, forgot to ask exactly why though...)
My other granddaughter is Caroline, the Pie Baker. But each of the daughters signed up to cook at least one dish for the holiday dinner. Many delicious things! Which was covered in another blog!
I must mention that it snowed the whole day Thanksgiving, but it never stuck because the high was around 33. At night it got down in the 20s, and the next day stayed cold, but the wind had finally died down.
Today’s Goddess:
The Venus of Laussel is 46 cm high bas-relief of the Great Goddess holding a moon counter, with marks of the 13 moons each year which women follow with their menstruation cycles. It was carved in limestone approximately 25,000 years ago and is painted with red ochre. Associated with the Gravettian Upper Paleolithic culture it was found in 1911 at Abri de Laussel in the commune of Marquay, France.
(Note the original description said the moon counter was a horn of plenty, but all the female archaeologists I’ve read say it refers to women’s menstruation cycles.)
It is currently displayed in the Musée d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux, France.
The Mother Goddess on FB
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PS. The family watched a movie together last night…we all enjoyed “King Richard” the story of the early days of Venus and Serena Williams. I give it 5 stars.
I'm featuring Cody. He is a sweet looking little guy. Do not try to take away any food items away from him, then you see his lion quality! And I sometimes got quite peeved with his yapping, which the family just ignores. I started yapping back one time, at the same high volume and pitch...so they noticed!
But finally I got some good photos of him.
Yes, he sits on a cushion on a stool at the table when the family is eating.
My son actually plays the dangerous game of tug-of-war with a doggy treat bone!
Kate, Caroline and Audrey pose for a photo shoot while Cody “photo-bombs.”
Not to be confused with a Brazilian Pomeranian!
Being a cat person I have had a somewhat strained relationship with Cody. He is a very demanding little one, and now that the girls have left home, perhaps his “parents” have been spoiling him a bit.
I remember a mural I saw once from Pompei which had a Pomeranian dog in it! Amazing! I’ve learned where Pomerania actually is as well…Poland/Germany area.
The Sleeping Lady is a Neolithic ceramic sculpture created between 4000BCE and 2000BCE. It lives at the Museum of Archaeology, Valletta, Malta
I have a replica of this little figure. So sweet! Thanks Jenny Mendez on FB.
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I just looked at the weather as I head south again and had a change of plans. Good thing I’m retired and have an open schedule. The second day driving up was total rain, and the second day I would be driving home looked like it would start with snow changing to rain by the time I got on the 2 lane mountain highway. So I’m leaving a day earlier and will just deal with holiday traffic probably on Sunday. Then dry and cold for Mon. At least that’s the forecast for various cities I’ll be going through. In my lifetime, weather often arrives later rather than earlier than forecast!
Joint effort by Michelle and Russ gave a lovely herbal tasting bird, which was basted every half hour. I wonder if that’s why the white meat was mostly done, but not the dark meat, even though the thermometer reading said it was done. Thank heaven for a microwave to finish the dark meat pieces.
Caroline had a great dressing recipe with leaks and celery…and big chunks of hard bread…it came out great…lots of broth softened it down, and the veggies were reduced to just flavors.
Kate was the Mac and Cheese Mage.
Audrey was the Green Bean Queen!
We even came up with titles for our contributions!
Dad was already the Fire Maker.
Michelle was the Turkey Queen
And I was the Gravy Matron.
My first serving included everything mentioned before with sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and sweet potato rolls, and cranberry sauce - below.
The pumpkin caramel pie was somewhat sweet and may need some tweaking.
The best part of the day was being with my family!
While you and your families (if you're American, that is) sit around or walk along, digesting the feast from Thankful eating...it's a great opportunity to talk about a subject dear to my heart.
Climate change. You knew that was coming I bet.
Here's a nice little TED talk about how it can be done.
I was involved with a few others in a group we called "Climate Conversations" for a while. We definitely became more educated about our own possibilities, and some of us made big changes...one or more driving hybrid cars now.
A recent international gathering in Brazil (COP30) to discuss and maybe make decisions about climate change was less than successful...though plans are continuing, "Colombia and the Netherlands announced the first International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, to be held in Colombia in April 2026."
This year marked ten years since the signing of the Paris Agreement and, despite the frustratingly slow pace of the COP meetings, significant progress has been made in the last decade. As I shared two weeks ago, global emissions used to be tracking a scenario that would take the world to 4-5C (7-9F) by the end of the century. But thanks to all the policies enacted and advances in clean energy over the last decade, we’re currently heading towards a world that’s 2.8C (5F) warmer. And if all of the countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions are implemented, the warming will be around 2.4C (4.3F). For more on where things stand post Paris, see these ten graphs.
For example, the first graph from the NY Times shows:
Global greenhouse gas emissions and expected warming
But none of the world's biggest emitters — China, the U.S., the European Union, India — have met their Paris promises. And every degree of warming matters.
NY Times Nov 7, 2025
The following is from Katharine Hayhoe's free newsletter "Talking Climate."
This COP promised to be the “implementation COP” where countries would figure out how to limit temperature rise to the Paris target of 1-2C.
Much of the last-minute negotiations hinged upon whether the final agreement included a pledge to “transition away from fossil fuels.”83 countries pushed to have this statement included in the final agreement, supported by a letter organized by the We Mean Business coalition that was signed by over 150 other non-profits, regional and city governments, and companies.
Ultimately, however, that wording didn’t make it into the final deal. Instead, the COP30 president promised that “the issue of stronger language on moving away from fossil fuels can be raised again in six months’ time at an interim COP meeting.”
Here’s the problem, though. There is no path to meeting the Paris targets without almost entirely phasing out fossil fuels. This isn’t rocket science; it’s basic physics we’ve understood for over a century.
To stabilize global temperature at any level, let alone 1.5–2°C, we must remove the same amount of heat-trapping gases from the atmosphere as we emit. Although some carbon removal is possible thanks to a range of nature-based and technological fixes, from reforestation and regenerative farming to carbon capture, their capacity is nowhere near enough to offset the emissions of unchecked fossil fuel use.
The science is settled; what’s missing is the resolve to act on it. And the longer we wait, the higher the cost.
I no longer use paper napkins (and very limited paper towels.) It doesn't sound that big, but having the cloth napkins to wash and fold is a nice reminder that every bit counts.
Of course the biggest bits are the most important. But as we've seen with all the rallies lately, people power is how things will change on a bigger scale. So my information sharing is the way I let folks know what's happening, in order to encourage others to be out there marching and holding big signs while I can't do it myself any more.
And while I'm at it, thank you so much for reading my little blog. I love this community of people who mostly think the same as I do.
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The great old song, Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie, from the movie of course. You might have needed to have been there to enjoy it as much as I do. 1967
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Today’s quote:
The light of love is always in us, no matter how cold the flame. It is always present, waiting for the spark to ignite, waiting for the heart to awaken...
First day was nice weather and mostly easy traffic, a Monday after all!
My first time going through Hot Springs NC, I saw a pedestrian bridge over my highway which said the Appalachian Trail was there. Not sure if it was over the French Broad River also. I never saw where the trail came into town, which I’d heard of.
There were lots of artsy places - and I just stayed on the main highway so didn’t see where the springs were - where various pools are available for soaks.
The French Broad River was parallel for much of that first leg of my trip…with lots of hairpin turns and traversing mountain ridges! I wondered how the river was actually flowing downhill the whole way.
I tried to capture barns as I drove along…as the speed limit was pretty reasonable.
A bank in Newport TN
Then Seri (or whoever tells me where to turn on my map app) got me confused in Newport TN. That’s my story, but it might have been the many turns that has US 25 east, west, north or south. I took the wrong one, but Seri got me over to the right one, after this funny back road (at least it was paved!)
It was a really nice day driving, and stopping every hour or so to stretch my legs. Next chapter will show some of Kentucky. Once I was on the interstates, I had to find interesting places to stop.
And I have shared my granddaughter’s photo “The Piemaker” as my header…also saving it here.
It sounds and smells like a delicious pumpkin pie!
My son Russ and his wife, Michelle, working in their kitchen. She whipped up lasagna in a couple of hours, from scratch! Russ works from home and definitely puts in many long hours.
