Perseverance

Perseverance is not a long race. It is many short races one after the other.

~ Walter Elliot

- - - - -

The other day I saw a photo of a baby pig - a piglet, if you will (a piglet even if you won't). On the image were the words "Bacon Seed." I laughed and laughed and then I thought how sad it was for the little cute pig. 

Then I forgot all about it because Leslie made BLTs for dinner.

The point is to persevere. 

35

The true nature of evil is that it is so very casual.

~ James St. James

- - - - -

Thoughts on this sign...

I think that even someone dressed formally who is loitering can appear casual. 

I think that you are more likely to be asked to leave a formal event for being dressed to casually than asked to leave a casual event for being dressed to formally.

I think because of the issues around men and masculinity in our culture, not all of them would be comfortable coming to an event wearing a casual dress.

I think it's time we gave up blaming violence against women on their attire. I don't believe in causal dress.

35 years and up seems random to me. Unless of course it is because they want to exclude anyone who isn't eligible to be president of the Ireland, Russia, the United States, or Uruguay.

Courage

If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.

~ Marcus Garvey

- - - - -

Don't forget that part of courage is rage. You have to be brave enough to get angry enough to create change or face your fears or lift up others.

Also you can rearrange the letters to make "e-cougar" which would be a pretty ferocious e-animal. Way more ferocious than the e-sheep, for example.

Annoyed

Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one's ability to persuade.

~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg

- - - - -

I don't know why Leslie was annoyed with my Uncle Sam finger puppet first thing in the morning. It's not like I even had it on a bad finger.

Hospitality

Hospitality: making your guests feel at home even if you wish they were.

~ Justine Vogt

- - - - -

Supposedly the suffix "ity" means to have the quality of something. In this case, this can of beans and potatoes seasoned with Vidalia onions has the quality of a hospital. A hospital in the south.

Interesting marketing approach.

Chair

When fortune calls, offer her a chair.

~ Yiddish Proverb

- - - - -

What you see probably depends on where you sit. If you always keep your head down, you're likely to see less. And if you are a butthead, you're likely to see virtually nothing at all.

Tree

A fool sees not the same tree a wise man sees.

~ William Blake

- - - - -

That's because a fool can only see unintelligentree while the wise see sagacitree.

I make up words when I can't find the words I want, therefore I am neither wise nor foolish, but I just see things creativetree.

Life

A well-ordered life is like climbing a tower; the view halfway up is better than the view from the base, and it steadily becomes finer as the horizon expands.

~ William Lyon Phelps

- - - - - 

But sometimes we want to look deeply and intensely not broadly. In that case, it isn't the tower that helps or represents the view we hope for. Rather it is the microscope - or maybe just squatting if what you want to look at is on the ground but not all that tiny. 

In conclusion, sometimes a well-ordered life is like squatting on the sidewalk. 

(pause)

I'm not sure if that will ever really catch on.

You get mixed messages because I have mixed feeling.

~ Sarah Kane

- - - - - -

I love this combination of signs. It's kind of like - You aren't welcome here, and you can't do anything, but give us some money.

Wait.

By writing that I guess I'm equating "no weapons" with "you can't do anything." I actually do lots of things without weapons. Unless you consider my sharp tongue a weapon - 'cause watch out or I will cut you.

Panorama

To the person who desires nothing and does not get entangled in desires, the manifold changes of nature are one panorama of beauty and sublimity.

~ Swami Vivekananda

- - - - -

And to the person who desires barbed wire and gets entangled in that desire - yikes! That sucks.

Lines

There's a very fine line between loving life and being greedy for it.

~ Maya Angelou

- - - - -

There's also a fine line between this side of the clothesline and that other side of the clothesline.

Pearls

Guest: Everyone loves Mrs. Madison

Dolley Madison: That's because Mrs. Madison loves everyone.

- - - - -

I heard the above on a special about Dolley Madison. Dolley Madison replaced the use of diamonds (favored by European royals) with pearls. She did a lot to set the tone for what it means to be a first lady. 

She wasn't perfect. No one is - especially when viewed through the lens of history.

Or when viewed through a blurry lens. Everyone looks flawed then.

Also, according to Cokie Roberts, Mrs. Madison didn't actually love everyone, either. Cokie said, "That's not true. I read her letters."

Teaching

In the end, as any successful teacher will tell you, you can only teach the things that you are. If we practice racism then it is racism we teach.

~ Max Lerner

- - - - -

Practice makes perfect, but not if you're practicing racism.

Milk

The supply of the milk of human kindness was short by several gallons.

~ P. G. Wodehouse

- - - - -

This saying reminds me of the saying, "A day late and a dollar short." Except instead it is, "The supply of the milk of human kindness was short by several gallons."

Hm

Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

~ Proverb

- - - - -

You can't spell frosted flake chicken on a stick without two ICKs.

Education

Education is the point at which we decide whether we love the world enough to assume responsibility for it and by the same token to save it from that ruin, which, except for renewal, except for the coming of the new and the young, would be inevitable. An education, too, is where we decide whether we love our children enough not to expel them from our world and leave them to their own devices, nor to strike from their hands their choice of undertaking something new, something unforeseen by us, but to prepare them in advance for the task of renewing a common world.

~ Hannah Arendt

- - - - -

That's a lot of words, Hannah Arendt. 

All I have to say about this right now is that I like to think that kids are going to renew an uncommon world because that's the one where I live.

Windmill

We should use our opinions to start discussions, not to stop them.

~ Madeline Albright

- - - - -

What if the discussion I want to have is about using opinions to stop discussions, though. What then, Madeline Albright? 

What.

Then?

Dorothy

Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no fibs.

~ Oliver Goldsmith

- - - - 
You know that part in the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy says to Professor Marvel, "Oh please, Professor, why can't we go with you and see all the Crowned Heads of Europe?" Well, if I had a dollar for every time a student said that to me, my life would not be significantly different from how it is today. 

Bull

I never rode a bull. I'm not that stupid.

~ James Caan

- - - - -

I bet if you worked at a western bar and were in charge of facilities issues and the main attraction in the bar kept breaking down and you kept asking the owner to replace it with a new one and he wouldn't because he was cheap and he didn't value your time... I bet if that happened, sometimes when you were working on the attraction you would mumble to yourself, "This is mechanical bullshit." But not too loud because the owner might hear you.

Also, I know that's probably a cow in the photo, so shut up.

Color

Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul a thousand different ways.

~ Oscar Wilde

- - - - -

You know what this says to my soul? It says, "I don't like this color."

Signs

The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness.

~ Michel de Montaigne

- - - - -

It was a sleepy little town - located at the corner of mattress and stop. 

You might think that is a good start to a novel. You might be right. I don't know. I haven't read that novel.

Children

Everything is ceremony in the wild gardens of childhood.

~ Pablo Neruda

- - - - -

When we went to David's graduation, Aurora was there and provided some pretty interesting insights and commentary - as kids are prone to do.

For example, the provost came on stage at the very beginning and gave a welcome and opening comments. After which Aurora said loudly, "Are we done now?"

Someone said to Aurora, "Hey - whisper, don't talk."
To which Aurora replied, "Why can't I talk? I don't want to whisper!"

Then about a half an hour later, Leslie yawned. Aurora yelled, "GoGo - are you tired?!!"

(pause)

It was a pretty fun graduation.

Tools

The expectations of life depend on diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work, must sharpen his tools.

~ Confucius

- - - - -

Kirk and I saw this last summer at The Desert of Maine. We laughed and laughed and laughed. We laughed because if you make holes in wood barrells all the water would run out. Also, I just realized it isn't spelled "barrells." 

Trespassing

This land is your land.

This land is my land.

~ Woddy Guthrie

- - - - -

When I go onto other people's property, I always carry a guitar. That way if I get confronted, I can start singing "This Land is Your Land" and it will distract the person who is confronting me. Or if I get chased by dogs, I can give them the guitar and run away. Also, the guitar is made out of steak.

Windows

My mother and I could always look out the same window without ever seeing the same thing.

~ Gloria Swanson

- - - - -

These do not look like windows to me. They look like losedows.

Flora

Nature knows no calendar,

the seasons move in a circle.

~ Flora Thompson

- - - - -

I think Flora is a nice name. 

Unless your last name is Scent. Or Duh.  

Olympic

Carry not the Olympic torch, but carry the torch of love instead.

~ Anthony T. Hicks

- - - - -

I think it would be pretty funny if the person carrying the Olympic torch got caught up in a mob of people chasing Frankenstein. Even if the Frankenstein monster was scary, you couldn't help but chuckle at that Olympic torch guy, right?

Weeds

Be honest. Be nice. Be a flower, not a weed.

~ Aaron Neville

- - - - -

When I looked up "weed quotations" for this post, the internet thought I wanted something different than what I was searching for.

Mailbox

Two of the cruelest, most primitive punishments our town deals out to those who have fallen from favor are the empty mailbox and the silent telephone.

~ Hedda Hopper

- - - - -

I wonder why these are called "mailboxes" and not "road cupboards."

Dollars

Integrity pays, but not in cash.

~ Jennifer Stone

- - - - -

What does one have if not integrity? Millions of dollars? Fame? Glory even? Yes, but not integrity. Maybe fancy cars, clothes, and homes. Maybe the ability to travel anywhere at any time. Maybe mobs of adoring fans. But what does all that mean if you don't have integrity? That you have a pretty awesome life!

(Long pause)

I'm just kidding. Integrity is cool and stuff, too, I guess.