Against the Wind

Quite a collection of links I’ve gathered while not blogging. The one that brought tears to my eyes was this from Peggy Noonan on the editorial pages of the WSJ.

Noble. Constructive. Admirable.

When was the last time anyone thought of Wall Street like that?

There was a moment, a very public one well within memory, that was all of those things. And it might help the coming generation of business leaders to keep its lessons in mind.

It had to do with the last time Wall Street was in ashes—literally. It had to do with how they brought it back.

We’re being bombarded with anticapitalistic propaganda, so this is a little antidote. It’s a good read, and a reminder.

The photo is of scenes on the drive. This photo is from the trip to Tulsa to move furniture from the assisted living room to storage, as Mother was never going back to assisted living. She died and we had a memorial service before I got home from that trip. When I’m just about to go around the bend with worry and distraction about something, I love to grab the camera and focus as if I could pull an image out of the ether. This image is emblematic of the whole journey. There is not one tree pointed quite in the same direction. Where is UP? What’s horizontal. No directions are quite true. An emotional “fun house mirror” situation.

I’m finally on something of the “other side” of the grief thing. It took me a long time to get past numb and sort of feel the loss of my mother. It’s not something I can readily accept even yet. I have urges to call her, now and again. But I’m letting go, accepting the change in status, reluctantly.

I’m still blogging the Proverbs now and again. Proverbs 8 is titled “The Excellence of Wisdom” in the New King James version of the bible. This is the older KJV.
Proverbs 8:32-36

Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

Reminds me much of Job’s wife’s injunction… “Curse God and Die.”

ManCub

I’m going to hope Sara sees this soon enough for me to get a name attached to the photo. 

Cousin Jim, who has probably had more than his fair share of bumps and bruises in his years, decided that getting close to retirement, having the sons mostly grown, he’s entitled to a new hobby.  He thought he’d like to take up photography, and asked me about cameras when I went to Tulsa for Mother’s last hospitalization.  So, I told him I don’t even know about the camera that I have, except that it is capable of more than I ask of it!  I don’t know whether more pixels is what you need (are you going to make  large prints?  you need lots of pixels.)  or heavy duty lenses?  (as long as it does a good job on auto focus… yeah as good a lens as you can affort)  Anyway, my non advice was, “here… try out my Nikkon and see what you see.  He bought a nice Cannon.   But from the photos he took, here is a picture of one of his grandsons.  

They boys were at his house, a bit off their feed, and the baby, fell fast asleep on the floor.  I call the shot “The Man Cub”   Sara is this Rylan?  I’ve forgotten the child’s name!  But they are some cute boys.  Jim fears he will end up supporting them as his son doesn’t look like manning up to the job.  Maybe he’ll see the light… maybe he already has.  I don’t know.  But the babies are to be loved in any case.   Jim (the patron saint of perpetual responsibility) will likely see to it they do alright.  Jim took the photo.  I cropped heavily.  Nita may have made the quilt.  I’m thinking with photo shop I can change the light source appearance, and get rid of the “flash effect” of dark background.  

For now, it’s off to Marianne’s.  She’s promised to trade me a good lunch for help figuring out the math and formulas from economics.  Sounds like math teacher fun to me.  

Semester is almost over.   Yeah!