Monday, February 29, 2016

Free Day

About five o'clock this afternoon and having accomplished very little, I wondered if there was anything I had to do. Then I thought that today, February 29, was a free day. Like a gift. Only one day out of four years do we get this gift of an extra day! What would you do if you had a whole extra day in your life? I wish I had thought of that sooner and used my time better.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Word Nerd

For at least ten years, I have received Daily Writing Tips in my inbox five days a week, and it always teaches me something. It may be about spelling, punctuation, choosing the right word, word histories, or grammar. Today it listed fifty Latin terms that a reader may come across. Some I knew and some I didn't. Here are ten of them.

in media res - In the midst of the action
ad infinitum - keeps going forever
tempus fugit - time flies
sub rosa - done in secret
horribile dicta - horrible to say
nota bene - take note
o tempora o mores - O the times; O the morals!
per se - by itself
dies irae - day of judgment
in flagrante delicto - caught in the act

Sunday, February 21, 2016

KB Pier

It was warm and pretty after church so I thought I would check out the beach.
As it turned out, the midday temps were short lived and chilly winds were blowing by the time I got there. It is February! Here are two views of the Kure Beach pier. It was actually pretty against the subdued sky.


Friday, February 19, 2016

evening moon

The moon was out while the sky was still a clear blue.
So pretty.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

a charming lilt

In all these years of living in the Carolinas, nobody ever commented on my speaking style, but on several occasions since being back in Wilmington, people have.
The funniest remark (to me) was from a woman from Connecticut who asked, "Do I detect an accent?" I informed her,  "It is a Wilmington accent." She responded as if I were a curiosity!
A couple of people think it is "sweet" that I use the word "Granddaddy" as in "My grandmother and granddaddy are buried here."
Today the tax lady said in closing, "By the way, I love your accent." I told her I had always lived in the Carolinas, so I guess it is just a generic Carolina accent. She of course was from north of North Carolina.
Really it is more, though. Maybe a relic of the past. The younger generations have been influenced by the media I think, and they tend to sound alike wherever they have grown up or who their mothers and daddys were.
Not much I can do at this point, so I guess I will just be a remembrance of how Southerners used to talk.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

wassup at the Arboretum?


It seems I have been going to meetings at the Arboretum a lot lately. After the one today, I wandered the gardens to see what was happening during our coldest month. What a contrast from the blooming season! The only colors were the pinks on the camellias. Everything else was bare, or dormant, and in lovely neutral shades, all crisp and bent. The pond koi were swimming around nibbling on minnows as there aren't enough visitors to pay for a quarters worth of fish food. They didn't even bother to visit me there on the edge.


Sunday, February 14, 2016

Love


Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4: 7-8

Monday, February 8, 2016

call it character

Recently I partially read an article titled something like "Ten things you don't know about Ted Cruz."
One of the revelations was that he is even tempered.
Today I actually answered a political phone call that led to asking which problems in the U.S. today are the most in need of dealing with.
Both made me think about qualities of a leader.
It goes without saying they must be familiar with all that the job encompasses and the problems that must be addressed. But personal traits like an even temperament are really important!
I thought . .  if I am involved in the selection process, and with my one vote I am, what do I want to know about a candidate? I want to know who they are, where they came from, who their friends are, what their influences are, how they treat people, and their beliefs. These things greatly affect decision making. It is not just hearing someone say, "I will do such and such as president," but knowing how they arrive at their decisions, and how their opinions and character were formed.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

she loves her kitty

So glad I got to spend time with half of my wonderful grandchildren this weekend.
And a grandcat!

Monday, February 1, 2016

Day Trip

A friend and I took advantage of the nice weather today and went down past Myrtle Beach to Brookgreen Gardens. Anytime I am outside in a good time for me, and this is such a pretty place.
I have not been taking many pictures lately, but I did take some today though hardly any were blogworthy. Here is one though. I sort of liked the sepia tone for late in the day this time of year.