Showing posts with label mirror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mirror. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

John Lewis' moving words, Lights and mirrors in my house

The above fairy lights give a warm glow in the living room, even on a summer overcast day. The lights are round bulbs about an inch across. They stay cool to the touch and I can turn them on and off using my iPhone and the Wyze app. That is a nice touch because I don't have to reach down to plug and unplug the lights.
Above is my new kitchen dining mirror which was to be installed in March 2020 but then the coronavirus struck, and when our city let many businesses open in June I had it installed. I was concerned about workers coming in but the two men wore masks and entered the kitchen from the side gate, so were only in the kitchen. They were in the house about an hour and a half.
I am sharing below some moving words from John Lewis, American hero and Civil Rights leader, who died July 17 of this year. He will be missed. I was in the Civil Rights movement in college and my best friend and I founded  the campus group dedicated to action and change in that arena. I recall we even wrote to another leader, Stokely Carmichael, when he was in jail in the south, and we asked him to join us in a march in the north. He didn't answer, understandably he was busy. Any blog friends active in the movement?
Here are John Lewis' words:
“Anchor the eternity of love in your own soul and embed this planet with goodness. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates. Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don’t be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice. And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself.” John Lewis


Sunday, March 8, 2020

New mirror, Plum Trees, Coronavirus, and Stone Sculptures

I have been shopping for a large mirror for above my kitchen/dining table and took this photo in a store of a potential mirror. I thought the photo is pretty so here it is.
I wasn't aiming for an artsy photo but it turned out nice, I think. I decided to have a custom made mirror four feet tall and five feet wide and they will make it and install it soon. It is heavy so two men will come over to install it. They brought it over only to find it had a small noticeable chip in it at the edge, so took it away and they are having a new mirror made for me.
Below are some stone sculptures made by setting stones upon stones, near my house and the ocean. The stones look like lonely Japanese warriors to me, looking out to sea.
That is ice plant in the foreground. It has pretty yellow flowers for much of the year, was planted to control erosion and is considered invasive.
Below are plum trees flowering. The first photo is of a plum tree at church.

The plum below is my Santa Rose plum planted 2 years ago, and the flowers hint of potential plums to come. I was pleased to harvest two dozen delicious plums last year that we ate; some other plums were lost to the birds who pecked at them, and some fell to the ground and were mushy.

 My church has many flowering plum trees with pink blossoms, maybe 25 trees.

The plum tree below with its white blossoms looks like a cloud has gently landed on it. No one planted it, it is growing in the alley along my fence. I think a bird planted it. This photo was taken while I was standing on my patio near my kitchen door.

Coronavirus.
What to say? The surgeon general recently tweeted that there is no need for the public to buy face masks, and that health workers need them. This is a bit contradictory. I understand the face masks help because they prevent us from touching our face, so I ordered some online. I am wondering if they are sold out and whether they will actually arrive. The virus can enter through the nose, mouth and eyes, and of course the masks don't cover the eyes.
I read that the virus remains infectious on surfaces for several days, so you don't need to be in contact with an infected person to become infected.
I bought extra Tylenol, Lysol kitchen wipes and cough syrup, just in case. Hand washing is key to prevention and I have hand sanitizer in my purse. Hand sanitizers are sold out in the city in California where I live. A virus expert said the sanitizer needs to be above 60 per cent alcohol, and he recommends taking zinc lozenges at the first sign of flu or cold symptoms. I don't know the scientist's name, sorry. He also says no to hand shaking, instead use fist bumps or a small bow. I am around a lot of people at church and in the retirement/memory care home where I volunteer.
For me, staying home would be difficult, not to mention boring. I am a senior citizen so I am in one of the groups health officials are concerned about. You youngsters may be less at risk. Are you doing anything to prepare? Just in case. Any good ideas?