Random Thoughts

Today I noticed paw prints in cement Johnson left to dry. Seems the neighbor's cat who likes to come pee on things in our yard decided to take a short cut - going through the cement instead of around. This is one of my all time favorite pictures of John. I think he was about four, maybe five years old. I don't remember now what he created. I don't think that is as important as the look of concentration on his face. You can't see his face in the pictures below, but he is every bit as focused on his work. It's true - you can take the mud out of the boy but can't take the boy out of the mud.   When the tree stood sentinel over the front yard, Dad insisted there would be no sidewalk. The roots grew willy nilly under the cement block walkway. A sidewalk would be nothing but cracked pieces of concrete. As soon as the tree was gone Johnson had a vision for what the front of the house would look like. I confess, although he's explained it...

"We know that a peaceful world cannot long exist, one-third rich and two-thirds hungry." Jimmy Carter A couple years after I moved back to Jacksonville, I heard an advertisement for an Empty Bowl Luncheon held to raise money and awareness for the Second Harvest Food Bank here in NE Florida. The idea is simple. School kids make bowls in art class and donate them. People who attend the luncheon get to pick out a bowl. The meal - a bowl of soup, some bread and some fruit -is meant to remind attendees about the growing number of people for whom a bowl of soup is a blessing. The Empty Bowls Luncheon is always held right before Thanksgiving. Another reminder that  the time for gratefulness should not just one day a year. For those who are hungry, every day they have food is reason for gratitude. Until today I've never been to the luncheon.  I was reminded by my blog friend and bowl maker Illuminary a few weeks ago that it was that time of year again. Her kiln has be...

"35 million people in the U.S. are hungry or don't know where their next meal is coming from, and 13 million are children. If another country were doing this to our children, we'd be at war." Jeff Bridges Sometimes when I go to the grocery store, I'm all about pushing my cart around the store and getting what I need, paying no attention to anyone or thing around me. Sometimes, though, I kind of stroll the aisles smiling at babies, helping old people, scanning the magazines for news other than what's happening to Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber. Today, I became aware of harried-looking mom's and dad's pushing carts with a couple kids in tow. Sunday being a day to finish a week's worth of errands. What was evident was how they were checking the prices, searching through coupons, and trying to balance budget constraints with treat desires. In the cereal aisle I saw a young teen pick up a box of Count Chocula. Not the healthiest of cereals, and one...