EXTRA, EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT

The Headline read "US Craft lands on the Moon" The photo, under it, looked like a pile of jumbled and twisted cords and rods.  My un-scientific mind told me, "WOW, that's someone's crochet project. Why is it on the Moon?" Duh. It took me a moment to realize that "craft" meant spacecraft!

But, oh my, the possibilities. Piles and piles of twisted and snarled yarn stash, dumped on the moon's surface. Every crochet addict has a "stash" of yarn. Lots of yarn. Skeins purchased and unused, as yet. Holiday colors for a toddler's hat and scarf (only, the toddler started high school last fall). Pounds of short scraps and tiny balls of leftover yarn, in numerous drawers, all over the house. Just imagine, a corner-to-corner Afghan draped over the remains of the lunar module. Or a colorful granny square blanket on the lunar surface, awaiting the arrival of the next generation of Neil Armstrongs!!!!It's a cozy and warm picture.

Then, there are the crochet hooks. I have dozens of those little rods. Teeny, tiny thin ones and big fat thumb-thick ones. I buy them, lose them in under chair cushions, and buy more. An assortment is essential for my many projects. 

Obviously I am an avid, long-time yarn-crafter, and I am, you may be thinking, in need of a bit of rest and relaxation. "Poor old lady. She's gone off the deep end."  But, crafting is one way I relax. Crocheting is best done while watching TV. I am able to crochet while riding in a car or traveling by plane. My stitches are mostly even, when I crochet in the dark. And, most important, it's really not possible to snack, while crocheting, because both of my hands are occupied!. 

If I were to travel to the Moon, I would be taking along my latest crochet project. I'd work on it while traveling through space, and perhaps have it completed and ready to use, by the time I arrived.  Actually, I think I will offer my services to the Space Corps or NASA, as a craft instructor for the astronauts!!!

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Dear Lord, help us to focus on the joys of life. Troubles will always find us, but our blessings will always outnumber our sorrows. Be our guide and protector as we travel through this life.

Pride and Prejudice/Hop on Pop

I've been thinking a lot about books lately. I love to read, but I am not an accumulator of books. Oh yes, I have owned my share of books, but I don't really "collect" them. At least not hundreds of them.

Everyone should own some favorite printed books, touch them, reread them, keep and enjoy them. However, hoarding of books should definitely be discouraged.  Large quantities of books are called libraries, and they are generally found in schools, corporations, or public buildings specifically designed to house such collections.  Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) built many of these Public Libraries. Such buildings have sprinkler systems to protect their highly flammable volumes. Large libraries are not meant to be kept in your large closets or in your spare bedrooms or attics. That's too much paper in one place. Folks, keeping thousands of books in your bedroom closet or in your attic, however big those spaces might be, is a fire hazard. Don't do it.

I'm not even going to mention, the smell of musty dusty volumes. let's just say, that they can be a health hazard. Public libraries have solutions for that, also. 

Lending Libraries have been around for over 200 years. Also, electronic books, like Kindles, tablets or even PCs, give readers a personal "ownership" of written material and take up a teeny tiny bit of space. On these tools, you can even enlarge or reduce the size of the print to suit your personal eyesight. You may have a whole library, in one small, even hand-held space. 

Holding onto books that you will never, ever read again, isn't practical. Knowledge is not determined by the number of books that you have read or own. Knowledge is how you put the words that you have read, to use. Step into the 21st Century and keep reading. But do it sensibly.   

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Dear Lord. Thank you for giving us an occasional "wake-up" call. Knowlege is a Gift of the Spirit. Help us to seek it. Wisdom is also a Gift. Remind us to use knowledge wisely.

Fluffy, Spot and Chomper

 I don't have any pets, and I haven't had any in a very long time. It's not that I don't like animals, and I truly wouldn't mind caring for a small dog or fish or something, someday. If you ask me, I would probably dog-sit for your fur babies. But actually, at this stage of my life, I'm having a hard enough taking care of me, myself and I. Presently, the three of us are struggling. 

In childhood I had, if I remember correctly, maybe one cat and one dog (at different times), and I can't even recall their names. As an adult, our family had only one cat (we found out we were all allergic to felines) and three long-lived, fairly well behaved, large dogs. Normal, I thought.

Well, maybe not so much. I have a friend who is crazy about bats. I don't know if she has any pet bats, but she often posts pictures of them, on Facebook. And, then I have another friend, who just adopted two tiny bulldog puppies. Two. And, I am so glad she got them. Judging by the photos she has posted on the Net, I was worried that she would become the mother of an orangutan!!

But the pet owner, of all times, is yet another friend, whom I have known from childhood. He has had, over his lifetime, an owl, goats, ducks, cats, dogs, dozens of fish, a turtle or two and, believe it or not, an alligator. That's an abbreviated list. I'm not going to list all of the pets his children had, but I do recall that his sister had a pony and his father had a pet monkey!.

Having a furry or scaley pet, is a necessity for some folks. I will appreciate and honor anyone's pet choices. I'd love to have a chance to meet all of them.......at your place.

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All powerful God. Thank you for giving us people and animals to love and care for. Teach us to appreciate all of your creations.

                                                    

"Stop and Consider......."

 I am blessed to live in a really nice house. My large kitchen window and a slightly smaller one, over my sink, face East. I can, although I rarely take the time to do it, observe the morning sunrise, from either spot. And, when I have seen the Sun coming up, I have noticed that it is often colorful and interesting. But, mostly I just simply drink my morning coffee, start my day and the Sun just rises, without me bothering to notice.

But, oh my, I can now compare my common place, Kansas City sunrise, to 16 days of Caribbean sunrises, and honestly, I'm not sure it is the same Sun! Near the Equator, the glowing orange/red ball, which slowly emerges from the deep blue, watery horizon each morning, cannot be the same Sun, that comes peeking over the Worlds of Fun water tower, from my kitchen window. 

Each Caribbean sunrise was stunning and unique. Sometimes a perfect sphere would just pop up, and other mornings, for four or five minutes a warm orange glow would light the entire horizon, before a dazzling globe would appear.  

On several mornings the rays, from the rising Sun, would make a perfect hourglass shape, shining above and before the big ball. Other days, the Sun would peek out from low clusters of clouds, just giving everything a shiny silver lining, in anticipation for a last-minute burst of sunlight.

Every morning the sunrise was a wow....a TEN. 

Take the time to enjoy the Sunrise. Take time to smell the flowers. We are all too busy. We are planning for tomorrow, next week, next year. But, sincerely, all we really have is the present. Take time to enjoy it. Today is a blessing.