Jennifer Haller discusses the reasons she volunteered to be one of the first human test subjects for the new COVID-19 vaccine on the NPR program Weekend Edition Saturday, which aired this morning.
Her radiant act of altruism brought tears to my eyes; I was too overwhelmed even to remember to make coffee.
Here's the link to the program webpage, which includes a transcript. Or you can press Play on the embedded player below to listen:
Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Martha's Begonias
I just wanted to take a moment and revel in Martha Stewart's collection of begonias, which she has on display here on her blog:
https://www.themarthablog.com/2020/02/the-blooming-begonias-in-my-greenhouse.html
https://www.themarthablog.com/2020/02/the-blooming-begonias-in-my-greenhouse.html
Friday, July 5, 2019
Houseplants -- Outdoor Begonia and Geranium
Begonia and Geranium are classified as annuals by nurseries and garden centers. However, they make excellent houseplants if given enough light.
As you can see below, I like to keep my flowering begonias and geraniums outside in bright sunlight when temperatures are well above freezing. Then I bring them indoors during Winter and keep them in front of a South-facing window.
These plants are nearly like weeds. They're easy to propagate by taking stem cuttings, and I've even managed to root leaf cuttings. Geraniums tolerate neglect very well; some begonias, not so much.
Nurseries tend to heavily discount annuals in the Fall. No normal person wants them at that time of year. But SquarePegs are not normal -- we're happy to "adopt" a plant for a 90% discount.
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| Geranium in background; Begonia in foreground. I've have this geranium for many years. The Begonia ("Bada Boom Mix") is new for this year. |
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| Geranium from an old hanging plant, which most people would throw out in the Fall. |
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| A Begonia that started out as a tiny, after-season discard. This is "Dragon Wing Red" |
Saturday, July 20, 2013
What Do You Want For Your Birthday?
Another birthday came and went recently. This was the big "Five-Oh," so I thought I'd commemorate it with a blog post. This, like all the others before it, came with another round of answering "What do you want for your birthday?"
The answer was easy to fulfill when I was a boy. In fact, my birthday list was decided for me -- all I wanted was whatever the toy marketing folks wanted to sell. It was just a matter of shopping and money to fulfill it. Nevertheless, I still got underwear and the things I needed, much to my disappointment. How ungrateful I was!
That changed after I started my own family. Now my birthday list reads....
Happy birthday to you, whoever you are & whenever it is!
The answer was easy to fulfill when I was a boy. In fact, my birthday list was decided for me -- all I wanted was whatever the toy marketing folks wanted to sell. It was just a matter of shopping and money to fulfill it. Nevertheless, I still got underwear and the things I needed, much to my disappointment. How ungrateful I was!
That changed after I started my own family. Now my birthday list reads....
- A happy and healthy family, including all the pets.
- Money, just enough to live by and to donate, not so much that I become much more of an asshole than I already am.
- Green traffic lights, or none at all.
- Magical sunrises and gloriously fiery sunsets.
- The continued ability to see humor and beauty in every situation.
- A world in which people love one another for who they are and not what they can do.
- Underwear.
Happy birthday to you, whoever you are & whenever it is!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Smitten by Inner Beauty
Soon after I graduated high school, I returned in order to attend continuing education classes. Computer courses were hot at the time (mid 1980s), but I signed up for yoga.
My yoga instructor was a fit, middle-aged woman with waist-long dark brown hair, which had some streaks of grey. She was smallish, but not a pixie.
She had an amazing ability to become younger and more radiant during the class. Whereas at the start of class she'd look stressed, haggard and downright old, at the end she'd look like a radiant teenager. I would have gladly stayed after class with this teacher!
At the time I figured it all had to do with the amazing power of yoga to relieve stress. But now I think it's something more.
I thought of her recently after a day in which I was in the presence of two other women who captivated me with their beauty. One was tending to the plants at the local nursery. She seemed ordinary, and she had quite a bit of disfiguring acne scars on her face. But then my wife asked her about the spearmint and peppermint, and she began to glow with loveliness as she talked about the plants. I lost all sense of time and place in her presence.
The second woman was playing an electric piano outdoors to a sparse and scattered audience. As we walked closer and I heard more detail of her playing and singing, I began to realize that she was really talented. And then I began to watch her. Soon I was captivated by her beauty. My life would be complete if I could spend the rest of it watching her.
The key is that these two women were engaged in activity that they were passionate about. The lovely gardener was passionate about plants. The beautiful singer was passionate about her music. And my yoga instructor was passionate about leading people through her asanas.
But why don't other people seem to notice these stunningly beautiful women? I even see such beauty in the waitress at a local Thai food restaurant. Please imagine this: You've arrived at a restaurant and the hostess has seated you with menus. You glance around and out comes a waitress with a tray of food. She's on fire, but only you seem to notice. She calmly delivers the meal to a nearby table and returns to the kitchen. That's what I experience, but instead of seeing fire, I see beauty. In her case, I marvel how everyone else can avoid staring at her.
When was the last time you were smitten by beauty?
My yoga instructor was a fit, middle-aged woman with waist-long dark brown hair, which had some streaks of grey. She was smallish, but not a pixie.
She had an amazing ability to become younger and more radiant during the class. Whereas at the start of class she'd look stressed, haggard and downright old, at the end she'd look like a radiant teenager. I would have gladly stayed after class with this teacher!
At the time I figured it all had to do with the amazing power of yoga to relieve stress. But now I think it's something more.
I thought of her recently after a day in which I was in the presence of two other women who captivated me with their beauty. One was tending to the plants at the local nursery. She seemed ordinary, and she had quite a bit of disfiguring acne scars on her face. But then my wife asked her about the spearmint and peppermint, and she began to glow with loveliness as she talked about the plants. I lost all sense of time and place in her presence.
The second woman was playing an electric piano outdoors to a sparse and scattered audience. As we walked closer and I heard more detail of her playing and singing, I began to realize that she was really talented. And then I began to watch her. Soon I was captivated by her beauty. My life would be complete if I could spend the rest of it watching her.
The key is that these two women were engaged in activity that they were passionate about. The lovely gardener was passionate about plants. The beautiful singer was passionate about her music. And my yoga instructor was passionate about leading people through her asanas.
But why don't other people seem to notice these stunningly beautiful women? I even see such beauty in the waitress at a local Thai food restaurant. Please imagine this: You've arrived at a restaurant and the hostess has seated you with menus. You glance around and out comes a waitress with a tray of food. She's on fire, but only you seem to notice. She calmly delivers the meal to a nearby table and returns to the kitchen. That's what I experience, but instead of seeing fire, I see beauty. In her case, I marvel how everyone else can avoid staring at her.
When was the last time you were smitten by beauty?
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Expectations
I wasn't really aware of expectations until I heard a sermon from our Pastor recently. He started to talk about his expectations of the worship experience. He said that he expected love, forgiveness, inspiration and healing from G-d1. All of this was in stark contrast to my expectations -- I had virtually none.
Well, I had the most basic expectations. I would participate in a worship ritual that would involve standing, sitting, and kneeling; speaking, singing and listening; learning, day dreaming, and socializing. I expected nothing from G-d -- I never do. He/She/It is this pervasive presence that simply exists out there, like air, sunlight and gravity. I expect nothing ever from It, except that It Will Always Be There.
Expecting nothing from G-d isn't really a bad thing, actually. I used expect scrutiny, criticism and punishment. I spent several long years healing myself of those expectations.
I thought about Pastor's and my expectations often throughout the service and afterward. I realized that the Pastor's expectations focused solely on what he expected to receive from the situation, whereas mine were mostly centered on what I was supposed to offer.
I need to psyche myself up for worship. I have to "shake my sillies out" so that I can pretend to act reserved and normal, not contentious and weird. For example, I expect that when the Pastor talks about some supernatural experience that a prophet supposedly experienced, I will have to suppress the urge to stand up and say, "Don't you think that Ezekiel had eaten something hallucinogenic to see that?"
Expecting to get something from every situation -- that's a Me-generation thing, isn't it? It's like asking or thinking "What's in it for me?" all the time, don't you think? Does everyone think this way?
Try this: go into the next situation expecting to give something. It could be a trip to the store, a coffee date with a friend, a meeting at work.
At the store, don't think "I'm going to get everything I need on sale." Think instead, "I'm going to help someone reach for a product on a high shelf."
At the coffee date, don't think, "I expect sympathy from my friend when I tell her about what my fool of a husband said to me last week." Think instead, "I expect to say or do something that will deepen our friendship."
At the meeting, don't think, "I'm going to show off so that I can finally get a raise." Think instead, "I will mention how hard my coworker worked to get his project to me on time and in perfect form."
Try just for today, just for the next hour even, to expect to make the world and the people in it better.
1Here I avoid referring to the deity by name in respect of the Jewish custom, even though I am Christian (or at least I started out that way).
Well, I had the most basic expectations. I would participate in a worship ritual that would involve standing, sitting, and kneeling; speaking, singing and listening; learning, day dreaming, and socializing. I expected nothing from G-d -- I never do. He/She/It is this pervasive presence that simply exists out there, like air, sunlight and gravity. I expect nothing ever from It, except that It Will Always Be There.
Expecting nothing from G-d isn't really a bad thing, actually. I used expect scrutiny, criticism and punishment. I spent several long years healing myself of those expectations.
I thought about Pastor's and my expectations often throughout the service and afterward. I realized that the Pastor's expectations focused solely on what he expected to receive from the situation, whereas mine were mostly centered on what I was supposed to offer.
I need to psyche myself up for worship. I have to "shake my sillies out" so that I can pretend to act reserved and normal, not contentious and weird. For example, I expect that when the Pastor talks about some supernatural experience that a prophet supposedly experienced, I will have to suppress the urge to stand up and say, "Don't you think that Ezekiel had eaten something hallucinogenic to see that?"
Expecting to get something from every situation -- that's a Me-generation thing, isn't it? It's like asking or thinking "What's in it for me?" all the time, don't you think? Does everyone think this way?
Try this: go into the next situation expecting to give something. It could be a trip to the store, a coffee date with a friend, a meeting at work.
At the store, don't think "I'm going to get everything I need on sale." Think instead, "I'm going to help someone reach for a product on a high shelf."
At the coffee date, don't think, "I expect sympathy from my friend when I tell her about what my fool of a husband said to me last week." Think instead, "I expect to say or do something that will deepen our friendship."
At the meeting, don't think, "I'm going to show off so that I can finally get a raise." Think instead, "I will mention how hard my coworker worked to get his project to me on time and in perfect form."
Try just for today, just for the next hour even, to expect to make the world and the people in it better.
1Here I avoid referring to the deity by name in respect of the Jewish custom, even though I am Christian (or at least I started out that way).
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Rock from the Universe
This image belongs to someone who uses the handle jhamomlb, and is posted here with permission:
What do you think of this rock? What's his name? Where is he from? Something to meditate upon...
What do you think of this rock? What's his name? Where is he from? Something to meditate upon...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Book Review "How to Thrive in Changing Times"
When I signed up to review this book, I expected that it would help the reader become resilient. But as I read, I quickly realized I was mistaken. Yet I was not disappointed, because as the book's subtitle suggests, it aims to offer "simple tools to create true health, wealth, peace, and joy for yourself and the earth."
I enjoyed several sections. Her discussion on page 40 of "words as seeds" was perhaps my favorite part of this book -- a moving revelation to me.
On page 97, she implies that it's been scientifically proven that gratitude can help the immune system. It's inspiring, although there are no references to any supporting studies.
The "Gratitude Walk" on page 102 involves appreciating the beauty in nature and being thankful for it. It occurred to me that my love of nature photography is my way of appreciating the beauty in nature.
She discusses the practice of transfiguration (transmuting environmental pollution) at the beginning of chapter 7 (pages 134 to 138). She describes experiments in which her group lowered the ph of a toxic base solution, but again cites no references. In another experiment, she describes how the auric field of a peach was improved. Photos of the auric field were produced with a gas discharge visualization (GDV) camera and can be seen on a website.
The book's small size belies its lengthy content. It does this with smaller margins and small font size for the "Practice" text. As well, there's no bibliography or index and a simple one-page Table of Contents.
If read with motivation and an open mind, this will strike you as a inspiring gem of a book.
I enjoyed several sections. Her discussion on page 40 of "words as seeds" was perhaps my favorite part of this book -- a moving revelation to me.
On page 97, she implies that it's been scientifically proven that gratitude can help the immune system. It's inspiring, although there are no references to any supporting studies.
The "Gratitude Walk" on page 102 involves appreciating the beauty in nature and being thankful for it. It occurred to me that my love of nature photography is my way of appreciating the beauty in nature.
She discusses the practice of transfiguration (transmuting environmental pollution) at the beginning of chapter 7 (pages 134 to 138). She describes experiments in which her group lowered the ph of a toxic base solution, but again cites no references. In another experiment, she describes how the auric field of a peach was improved. Photos of the auric field were produced with a gas discharge visualization (GDV) camera and can be seen on a website.
The book's small size belies its lengthy content. It does this with smaller margins and small font size for the "Practice" text. As well, there's no bibliography or index and a simple one-page Table of Contents.
If read with motivation and an open mind, this will strike you as a inspiring gem of a book.
- This review was posted to LibraryThing on 2010-02-23.
- More reviews can be found here.
- I received a free copy of this book in order to write this review.
- As an associate of Amazon.com, I receive a small cash award for each click-through-purchase of "How to Thrive in Changing Times: Simple Tools to Create True Health, Wealth, Peace, and Joy for Yourself and the Earth".
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Potted Plant of Pens
Check out this functional yet decorative idea for storing pens on Carrie's Unique Journalist blog. I love it!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Message From the Universe
What if trees grew in such a way that their intertwining branches signaled a key to some divine Truth? Perhaps if we pay close attention to them, and to other miracles of Nature, we might learn more Truths.
What if this were our most important activity: watching the clouds for a special sign? Not for a sign of impending weather, but for the One Day, the One Instant, that the Meaning of Life would be revealed in them?
If we could engage all our senses in the beauty of Nature -- the sweet smell of a lilac bush, the tinkling sound of a small stream, the soaring majesty of a cloud-crowned mountain, the rough-solid feel of a trustworthy tree, the soothing taste of a rosemary leaf, the weight of miles of air above us, the press of the cool ground below us, and the slow spinning of Spaceship Earth -- would we experience a Message from the Universe?
What if this were our most important activity: watching the clouds for a special sign? Not for a sign of impending weather, but for the One Day, the One Instant, that the Meaning of Life would be revealed in them?
If we could engage all our senses in the beauty of Nature -- the sweet smell of a lilac bush, the tinkling sound of a small stream, the soaring majesty of a cloud-crowned mountain, the rough-solid feel of a trustworthy tree, the soothing taste of a rosemary leaf, the weight of miles of air above us, the press of the cool ground below us, and the slow spinning of Spaceship Earth -- would we experience a Message from the Universe?
Friday, December 26, 2008
Winter Beauty Affirmation
My daughter made this for my wife. It reads, "Snowflakes are unique and beautiful. So are you!"
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