Night-Blooming Cereus, Flower of the Day, July 12, 2018

07/11/201807/12/2018 / Marilyn Armstrong / 2 Comments

A once in a lifetime look at a plant the blooms at night for just one night! Amazing!

lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown

This is a very special posting as this cactus indigenous to Arizona and the Sonaora desert blooms only once a year for one night. As I was leaving Viva Mexico tonight with a young man I’d brought there to consult with Agustin–a very emotional event for us both, Tia Lupita, Agustin’s aunt, came running out of the restaurant and up the block after us. She put two of these blooms in my hand, telling me to put them in the refrigerator tonight and tomorrow night they would bloom fully. They are so gorgeous now that I can’t imagine their improving overnight, but I have minded her, after taking these photos.

I have been waiting my whole life to see this flower which I have read about so often and it means so much to me that she sought to give them to me. How I love Mexico and the people…

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FOWC – MEAN! – Marilyn Armstrong

07/11/201807/11/2018 / Marilyn Armstrong / 6 Comments

#FOWC – MEAN!

To paraphrase my friend Tom, “You don’t need a prick to be a dick, but it doesn’t hurt none, either.”

Have you watched “It’s a Wonderful Life“? With Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore? Lionel Barrymore was the meanest man in town … and he didn’t hold a candle to the meanest guy in OUR town.

Guess who I’m talking about? You betcha! Donald J. Trump. His sidekicks are pretty nasty assholes too, so don’t think I’m just picking on him. I’m picking on the entire movement, the complete political party made up of nasty racists, bigots, and hate-mongers. The kind of people who steal children from their parents and think it’s funny.

For further commentary on how “not being a dick” can be a meaningful political position in these, our modern times, please see Tom Curley’s post:

ARE YOU A DECENT HUMAN BEING, OR ARE YOU A DICK? – by TOM CURLEY

after which, ponder whether your “political convictions” exceed your conscience or any remaining ability to empathize with human beings. Because today, being a Republican is equivalent to abandoning anything that would normally identify you as a decent person.

And it ain’t just me saying it, either.

RDP #41 – VINTAGE STUFF – Marilyn Armstrong

07/11/201807/11/2018 / Marilyn Armstrong / 10 Comments

RDP #41 – VINTAGE

Each time I get one of these “Vintage” things, I think I should post pictures of Garry and I. We are definitely vintage, though today has been a yeoman’s effort at house cleaning — or at least cleaning the kitchen, living room, stairs, and foyer.

Photo: Garry Armstrong – circa 1928

It would have been less strenuous if Gibbs has not thought this was a great time to go swimming in the water bowl. Each time I cleaned up the gallon or two of water all over the floor, I’d turn around and there was another gallon there. And of course, the water bowl was all full of mud and the VERY clean kitchen floor had his muddy footprints on them. So you could say we have a thrice cleaned kitchen and hallway floor.

Qing dynasty rice bowl, typically used by field workers. The blue chicken is a cultural thing. The bowl is almost 200 years old — and it isn’t even close to my oldest piece of pottery.

This was the day I moved cabinets to get behind them (ew!) and under the feet (double ew!). Next time I have the courage of my convictions, I’ll move the piece in the middle where I store the pots and pans, as well as the dog, treats et al. It doesn’t get moved because it’s heavy. There’s a lot unloading of other things before we even think about moving it. Not an easy job for a couple younger than we and a huge job for us.

Ana McGuffey – 1946 – Mme. Alexander – Doll’s faces are intended to embody the “adorable” factor of real toddlers.

There are an awful lot of vintage things around this place, even discounting Garry and me as the primary vintage couple.

See the pictures for other vintage items and wave to us as the vintage couple who seem to collect stuff even older than we are. Old, older oldest?

WORLD-SHARING 2.02.4 – Marilyn Armstrong

07/11/201807/09/2018 / Marilyn Armstrong / 20 Comments

Share Your World – July 9, 2018

What would you name the autobiography of your life?

Serendipity.

Which do you prefer sweet, salty or buttery?

All of the above, in varying combinations. I do not, however, like “sweet-salty” combinations such as chocolate covered salty pretzels. I do like sweet-bitter combinations like bitter orange, lemon … to a point. I’m not an extremist. I don’t like intensely bitter orange or super-soured lemon. I sort of appreciate subtlety in foods.

As for buttery? Not so much these days. When I was younger and didn’t mind fatty foods, I was more butter-inclined. Fonder of “slathered in butter.” Not much these days. I’m more temperate. I like a little bit of this, that, and the other thing. Too much of any single thing is … well … too much of a good thing.

What’s the finest education?

For what? Law? Medicine? Software Engineering? Physics? High Mathematics? History? Economics?

Even amongst the top schools for each subject, you could argue which was which THE school. Do you like MIT or Cal Tech? Harvard or Yale? Cambridge or the Sorbonne? Julliard? Oberlin?

Photo: B. Kraft

I think the best education for me or you would be the best we could get out of what happens to be available. I’ve met some really ignorant PhDers and some incredibly smart people without any formal education.

Still, that being said, a really excellent education at a top school for whatever you are studying can’t possibly hurt, right? So if you can get into the right school, definitely go. And I don’t mean online. I mean GO. Because there’s more to college than classes.

What made you smile this past week?

When we got home from the hospital — it was a long day — I found a package. It was the fancy Red Sox 2018 shirt I ordered for Garry. A bit more than I would normally spend on a shirt, but I thought he needed something to perk up his world. He has been so worried about this surgery, he needed an “upper” and I thought this would be it.

You think? It certainly made Garry smile 😎

CEE’S ODDBALL PHOTOGRAPHS – Marilyn Armstrong

07/11/201807/09/2018 / Marilyn Armstrong / 7 Comments

Nothing makes me take odder ball pictures than a new camera. As I’ve been trying to figure out what this camera cum computer can do, I’ve taken some interesting pictures. No question, they are odd. But very interesting and rather unique.