Cut and Paste

ALL OF THE ABOVE, PLUS BOXES ...

All of the above. My friends and family are always amazed at how much I've saved over the years. I have collages of favorite photos on the wall, on the fridge, in albums, shoeboxes and scrapbooks. 
 
A couple of years ago, a couple of us started an alumni group of the alternative school we attended.....mostly people I hadn't seen in 40 years. I scanned hundreds of photos, cards and maps, along with brochures touting the benefits of this "Summerhillian" knockoff. I surprised myself with all the memorabilia I had saved, and they all wondered how I could have held onto it all those years.
 
Somewhat recently, I also posted photos of great grands, grandparents, parents etc.... upto today's generation etc. to share with my small circle of facebook friends and family ( no one else ). Seeing photos of themselves and their parents insprired a few of my cousins to post family photos....so I've been able to see photos of my mother as a child that I'd never seen before. This is very satisfying to me.... and it is a regular trip down memory lane.

A nice soft topic, leading into Thanksgiving's short work week, is probably a good thing.....

that untertaking should read undertaking.

I'm a sucker for collecting "memories" but having moved so many times in the last few years I've lightened up along the way and am grateful that so many things can now be electronically stored...I have two external hard drives for fear of losing them ...and have stored some stuff in cyberspace through "cloud computing"...in case my 2 external hard drives fail too. Anyone keeps diaries? I have physical ones from 16-22 years old. A few years ago, I discovered a digital version and have quite faithfully kept it up. Its really quite fun to go back and read them.

One of the worst pieces of advice I received from a former boss when I was engaged to be married, was to dump my diary and scrapbook.  He claimed it was such a source of contention between he and his wife, that she was sorry she kept hers.  And so, I was young and impressionable, he went to Harvard, I figured he knew what he was talking about, I dumped my diary and scrapbook.  All these years later, it is a real regret. 
 
I found that if I kept a diary, I tended to vent too much.  It would have painful if others came upon it reading when I was angry, justifiably or not.  And diaries on a computer just are not private........I'm always aware that someone, if they choose to, can snoop.
 
Now, though current pictures are kept mostly on two computers, but there are albums and albums and albums of past trips, childhood recitals, and just "stuff".  Those days slip by in a blink and these days, I even like my old passport picture.

Spring Fragrance: I keep my old monthly day planners, that I use for scheduling matters for court, as well as for personal stuff. More than once it has been helpful to prove exactly where I was or what I did or how many times I actually visited an inmate.

I have kept travel journals all my adult life and my wife is a big time "scrapper" with pictures and commentary. I love quotes that coincide with the experience. It seems to me that you must stay in close contact with where you have been to find out where you are going. Many of my trips are about connecting with the past by treading the same ground as those before me. Seeing the same spot in 10 or 20 year increments add a certain perspective. I am a big fan of the timeless nature of black and whites and sepia tones.  

I have several beautiful old quilts, handmade by my grandmother, oh so many years ago. My mother, now in her 80's can still pick out bits of brightly patterned calico and remember specific items of clothing and who wore that clothing and other associated memories.

It seems that before photography the sentimentally inclined and family historians had their own methods of scrapbooking; elaborate crewel samplers marking weddings and the like, lockets and other jewelry for preserving a loved one's hair, memory jugs etc.

We have boxes of photos under our beds, hundreds, if not thousands of photos on disc, trunks of great grandparents' letters, books, photos etc. Rainy days and snowbound weekends find us rummaging through these and sharing stories and memories.

Anybody Arty-Crafty would have good fun browsing the websites of decoupage, scrapbooking etc.  

Good morning all....wonderful posts..............
 
JANE...................I can't believe it.............my parents had the book on Summerhill and I would look at it for hours and beg them to send me there. I think they really wish they could have. I later had my first teaching job at a hippie school.............I am going to beg my mother to find that book; I believe it was written by the founder, an older white bearded gentleman................your post just brought back so many memories............
 
BERT.........FYI........Steven Spielberg is doing a movie on Abraham Lincoln starring Daniel Day Lewis ( boy, some make-up artist will be challenged to change his beautiful self into Abe!) 
 

As Ivan would say, "Good on you," to all of you who have discussed the topic.  I, on the other hand, cannot get the image of Hugh Hefner scrapbooking out of my mind.  If you spend all day in your jammies, perhaps you can't do much else?  And then, the thought of all those scantily-clad, uber-buxom women discussing what they learned at the Creative Memories seminar....
 
 

This solitary life, the part of the world I was born in, my parents who I still have as a daily gift, my children, all healthy and intellectual (and nice looking) .

But mostly my bride of soon to be 26 years. She is like scripture to me. Kind, gentle, considerate,spiritual. And the most lovely human being I could ever hoped to be blessed with.

The scrapbooks teeming with photos in my mind from years of happiness.

Memories are important and most of us feel a need to keep past events and passed loved ones close.

But, it is wise to remember "unhealthy "attachment will lead to suffering, so,"remember to be here now".

SHANDONISTA...............your post struck me as hilarious & one of our cats sitting beside me looked at me w/ disdain as I cracked up..............For some reason I have a soft spot for Hugh Hefner...........for being the founder of Playboy he just strangely strikes me as kind of an old fashioned guy who REALLY likes women....alot. I kind of get a kick out of thinking of him scrapping in his pj's...............
 
I am off for Thanksgiving break, I am a lady who lunches...............ha, I AM having lunch w/ some girlfriends.....................I just love this site........................

Creative Mammaries seminar..........................

 
 
 
 
bebe.....funny stuff, but perhaps more like "created mammeries"

UMMGAWA, your description of your wife sounds almost exactly like my own sweet daughter-in-law... go figure!

Shandonista and Miss Blue -- now THAT image will be in my head all day :)

bebe~ there is a whole lot of Anglo-Welsh lierature on the subject of quilts. They are a scrap-book & part of the wife's "bottom drawer". My grandpa was a sailor and made the most lovely macrame and crochet - he sent us five granchildren beautiful white christening shawls, made by his own somewhat gnarled gardening hands. Dainty as lace - must have taken him ages - what a labour of love! He also made rag rugs - I'd sit for hours recalling the garments, curtains, bedspreads etc incorporated into those practical floorcoverings.
Ummgawa~ Not wishing to make light of yor resolve to be THANKFUL this Thanksgiving time, there was a pop song titled "Reasons to be Cheerful".  I had to drive through a grim, grey Welsh slate quarrying town almost every day & the song went through my head , followed by "Haze, thank God you don't live here!"
Miss Blue~ I have & will not lend out, an old publication titled Be Here Now - it's a time machine, when I open it up, I'm right back to the 60's/70's.

Hazel- you can make just about anything, even something as drab as a quarrytown, sound interestingly inviting.

Thanksgiving feasting at my home begins at 11:30 hazel, and there will be welcome, honored guest seat just for you. Any of you that might be alone on Thanksgiving, we always keep extra seats and place settings, please come!

Bebe- Or as Bob Hope would say "Tha-a-a-anks for the mammaries!" Ya'll are so bad!

Miss Blue- If you increasingly realize that your life may contain much more than your cumulative past experiences of it, this awareness helps create conscious expectation which, in turn, leaves room for something new to appear to you...ideas, thoughts, God.

Ummagawa~ As a child, I was a bit ...... disconcerted by an item on the wall of our family dining room.
It read-
 Christ is the head of this this house.
The unseen guest at the table.
The silent listener to every conversation.
 
On special days, we would always lay an extra place at table for the unseen guest and sometimes, one would turn up. Can't quote chapter & verse, but The Man did say words to the effect of whatever kindness you do to others is as good as doing it for Him. Thanks for inviting me to yourfamily  table. I will be with you in spirit.
 
While on the subject of Things On The Wall, my grandparents had a plate hung on the wall with one big Eye as the central decoration and the words Thou, God, seest ME written round the edge. Oooo errrr.... No contest, Peterman.

Hazel, T. T.

The kindness done for others IS done for "him" (I do have a problem with a purely male "Deity"), as we and the entire universe, ARE the Lord.

The "Big Brother" EYE on the plate model, therefore, does not work for me.

Let us all be Thankful, at ANY Age ... that as we look at Souveniers and Relics of Times Past, Moments of History, and Pennants of Victories ... that can recognize at who and what we are looking ... Blessings upon those who cannot, and extra Angels for every one of them .......

Miss Otis Regrets, She's Unable To Lunch Today, Bebe .......
 
 
In the Spirit of the Holiday, I decided to change my Avatar to a Giant Turkey !!!
 
Couldn't find an appropriate Shot of Jimmy Carter, so, I did the Best I could .......
 
Hugh Hefner was asked by Jay Silverstein, "Who Has The Two Biggest Boobs In America ???"
 
Without Missing a Beat, Hefner answered, "Miz Lillian, in Plains , Georgia ..."

Miss Blue- I have pondered for over forty years that "God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere."  I consider the depth of Voltaire's remark and then also that magical fact that the circle is distinctive amongst all two-dimensional objects in that it, and maybe it alone is infinitely proportioned. I work with round things every day and every time I design something, I feel like I am in church because it is truth expressed in these cool objects.  I apologize. I just love my work. Now most objects are not symmetric at all, and of all that are symmetric, the degree of symmetry is always finite, except in the unique case of the Circle which can be rotated through any angle with no variation in form. It is, therefore, a natural analog of a special relation "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" When I look at pictures or any objects that I treasure, I see a process of creation in divine motion irrespective of time and certainly gender. I am thankful for the sheer vastness of it and as a human for those tender little mercies I share.  

Thank you for this great topic.  I have a very amitious task ahead of me....sorting through 30 years of my llife captured in photos that I need to put into photo albums.  I want to give each one of my four children their own album for Christmas.  My problem is that I have a garbage bag  full plus many boxes  of photos.  My husband's death 2 1/2 years ago made me realize how important these photos are and what they mean to my children. 
 
I am very thankful that I was so blessed with such wonderful children and grandchildren and friends of all sorts. 
 
I have started with a DVD of how to Scrap book and a million templates to use....I will be busy! 

Oh yes...I have a wonderful picture gallery on my one wall in my dining room. 

 
 
 
 
Ivan..... My goat milk latte just gushed from my nose....T'T , as soon as I clean the keyboard, I'll offer my thoughts.

If it's not Scottish, it's ssscccrrrrrap.  One for
the books and it also answers the question What is worn under a Scotsman's
kilt?!!!!
 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQYp8xJ4kpo

GH- I wish I could describe her to you, she's indescribable.

Hazel- best wishes to you. Your scripture reference is Matthew 25:34 - end of 25. The beginning of 25 is the parable of the talents. There's a lot of good life lessons found there.

Ivan- the prayers of a righteous man are powerful indeed! And you are indeed righteous my friend.

Miss Blue- I acknowledge God as "Him" because the Bible references him that way. In Genesis 1:26 or 27 "let US ( referencing his son's presence) make man in our image, on our image we shall create him". I certainly agree that one may reference him as one pleases. I did enjoy your quilt story.

Jane sent me a card, that led me to a book on "The Quilts of Gee's Bend". These quilts are an incredible scrapbook of a truly unique microcosm of American history. If you haven't heard of them, and love the medium of quilts for the lives and stories they capture, it's worth a moment to learn more about these: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=970364

http://www.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=quilts+of+gee's+bend&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=W9DqTOrzDYSClAfYwKWsCw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CEUQsAQwAg&biw=1073&bih=658

Something happened when our three daughters came here to assemble from thousands of photographs, several large display boards for their grandmother's funeral... something nice.
Proceeding backwards through time, they got past the sad little vision and hearing impaired old lady who could not figure out why she was still here;  back to Granny in Manhattan, London, Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, doing jumping jacks with a great grandson at a B & B mansion on Mackinac, and climbing up the back of Mt. Rushmore.
All done after the passing of her husband who had: "seen it on TV."
Years ago, I read a book: Do Yourself A Favor, Love your Wife, which maintained that it was the best you could do for yourself and your children not to mention the woman in question and who could argue.
The best your children can do is to love each other, their mother and grandparents and go easy on that chubby guy who looked like Norm Abrams in eighties photos.
The process of working back took them from misty eyes and sad comments  to smiles and then laughter. We hadn't heard much of that in recent years.
Closure is a meaningless term but pulling the past forward to heal over the recent is a dandy idea and it was stacks of photos in big plastic tubs and the memories those pics sparked that got the ball rolling.
Glad I was here to see it.

Umm

I think the passages you quote refer to "Us" as in the heavenly hosts of Angels and the Deity rather than your trinity. They are genderless and sexless or as I prefer to think all "encompassing".

Stoney- Nicely done.  

Ummgawa- You are a good soul and your table like the Cratchits speaks to that dish which is often overlooked and that mon ami is gravy soaked kindness in far less supply than foodstuffs.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way"

Remembering....... If I'm good at anything, then it surely must be woolgathering.

It has always been too easy for me to wander off the path of today and get lost in the hopes, wishes, and dreams of yesterday. It's not that I don't savor the now while keeping an eye upon and dreaming about tomorrow..... and I'm very grateful to be able to do just that.... it's more of a feeling that I fit in,...... or I guess I really should say.... that the black and white images that are stored as photographs, 35mm film, and especially those that are often projected upon the walls of my memory warehouse just seem to fit me a bit more comfortably.

I'm sure there is an element of euphoric recall at play here... but it is balanced by thoughts of the difficult and sad times from long ago too.

Like almost all of our topics that we have pondered here; this too reminds me of a song I've heard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ViJn-FFJaA

Tonight, in the club car, let's raise a toast to the past, the present, and a future brimming with hope. Be well

Three or for college professors having bought adjoining rural properties with an eye to the creation of some kind of spiritual and intellectual compound went before the town board to protest the gunfire from hunters in woods and fields nearby.
Two of them appeared in Harvard Crew sweat shirts though neither had rowed there.
At a later meeting, friends of ours testified wearing similar sweat shirts of my design.
On the front: "The College of Mustard," brought smiles to the board members.
On the back, visible to the audience and their opponents, "Poupon U.," had almost everyone in hysterics.
They carried the day and I wish there were a photo of that.

I have taken refuge in cuukoo1's riverside pics, on Miss Blue's screened porch and Park4 had-- had -- some wonderful pics as have many others including the talented Mr. Lake.

I have shoeboxes of favorite letters from my family and husband covering the first 10 years after I left home. In the mid 80's when we first bought a computer even I could manage, I continued to keep favorite postal communication but also set up folders for email correspondence with my immediate family and close friends.

As we bounced around the globe, the correspondence turned into diaries of letters, some pages long with photos, details of daily happenings, important family events, tragedies and celebrations. All in meticulous chronological order. Diaries that are priceless to me. My husband archives them as each generation of computer becomes obsolete.

My grandparents, parents and extended family that are gone, come alive when I read them. My husband knows that when the time comes he'll take each folder, have them bound into books and given to that person.

Our trunk of family photos dating to the late 1800’s is precious to me, we love looking at them and conjecturing who is who, but many are unlabeled and the history behind them is inaccessible now. Being a photographer I have over 70,000 photos archived. But the thing I feel will truly evoke who I was to my grandchildren (if I’m not here), or to their children, are not the photographs. It’ll hopefully be these letters.

Just got slapped back to the present with the sound on tornado sirens.... headin' to the basement with birdcages...... catch you all on the flip side....

JaxZ- Ah the beauty of handwriting, distinctive as DNA, and so revealing. As the calm hand of youth gives way to the shaky hand of the aged, one sees the passages.

Stoney I love your "Do Yourself a Favor" book! When our first child was toddling a good friend gave us a sampler reading: "The greatest gift a father can give his child is to love their mother and the greatest gift a mother can give her child is to love their father." I never forgot it.

TommyT, it amazes me that my oldest sister and I not only look more like each other as we age, but our handwriting does as well!

PL, praying for safety in your direction!

I spent some time the week before last in the sleepy little town of
Carrollton KY in an effort to find some memorabilia for a friend who had spent
summers there with his grandparents.  I was never able to find exactly what I
was looking for but I came back with a couple of stories to tell.  I talked to
several shop owners  (many shops had changed hands or passed through several
generations)  in search of some photograph or even advertising memorabilia of
the business that his grandfather had owned.  I came up empty handed except for
the stories.
 
Two older ladies recalled the old man and shared
their memories with me. Both went something like this. Oh I remember old man
Bell.  We always called him Old Man Bell.  He was quite a character.  A perfect
gentleman.  Always dressed to the nines. I can still picture him walking past
the courthouse impeccably dressed, wearing a suit and tie.  He always stopped to
talk and had a good word for everyone that crossed his path. I don't think he
had an enemy.  Oh, I remember Old Man Bell.
 
I brought the story back to his grandson and
received a heartfelt thanks for conveying the tribute to a man who seemed to
be lost to the historic memorabilia but continues to live in the hearts of a few
of his neighbors, for a little while longer as time allows.  Scrapbooks are okay
for the here and now and the future there and then, but I think their strength
is that they evoke the transcendent memories that live on in our hearts, our
minds and our souls.

That was a quick one......even the rainbow is fading already.  Thanks JaxZ..... Hoping all is well east of me....

I don't know what I ever did to deserve this time, this place in all of your presences. Whatever it was, I'm glad I did it. I am deeply moved  by the extraordinary wisdom, poetry that doesn't neceessarily rhyme or need to,, spirituality, sensitivity, life experiences and the ability to express your thoughts in moving words and word pictures. I feel so privileded to sit and listen and learn from all of you, including one of you who is my own son, by the way.
 
I'm THANKFUL for this intellectual dessert on top of all the other blessings I have had from my birth to this moment.

Miss Blue- I have found that the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. In the earliest part of Genesis possible, it says He made man in His Image, take out Our, and the Greek and Hebrew translates to male, man, God. That's my one and only sticking point here. I am the biggest fan of women, in my opinion, his single greatest creation. I don't disagree with you on your point, just honoring the word as it's written.

Tommy- thank you for the kind words. We always seem to add one or two to the twenty five plus my bride and I have hosted for the past twenty four years. We both love it. And, BTW, I don't have your number, please resend.

Bless you all this Thanksgiving Season.

MISS BLUE.......my parents had the Be Here Now...was it a book? by Ram Dass around, a poster????????? It's my favorite statement to my husband when he is fretting about an exam to give, exams to grade, things to write.........I precede that statement w/ "Dear God please, be here now............." it just makes so much sense, but we do let ourselves get off course & forget to often enjoy the moment we ARE in..............
 
and yes.......created mammaries works much better for Hef..............maybe he should do an all natural issue........natural breasts, no botox, no fake lips.......just gorgeous women................scrapbook that baby!
 
IVAN.........I love that song..............actually one of our ladies who lunch thought that after she had a colonoscopy early this morning that she would join us at noon.....she called me & said she would instead be napping........... 

Umm.

Then we shall agree to disagree, and declare the disputation a draw!

 My heretical views are often a little difficult to digest, so I'll bring another dish to the Thanksgiving groaning board.

When I checked my Facebook page few minutes ago, I noticed a friend request from "Angel". "Someone" surely has a sense of humor....

Stoney,

My screened porch is very much a personal refuge and private sanctuary.

bebe

That is the book...

-----Original Message----- 

  BAD Parrot   A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.

 Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, 
obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to 
'clean up' the bird's vocabulary.

 Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot.
 The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the
 parrot got angrier and even more rude.
John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed 
the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.
 Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep 
was heard for over a minute.

 Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened
 the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out
 onto John's outstretched arms and said
 "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my
 inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend
to do everything I can to correct my rude 
and unforgivable behavior."

 John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.

 As he was about to ask the parrot what had 
made such a dramatic change in his behavior, 
the bird spoke-up, very softly, 

"May I ask what the turkey did?"

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING  (Early)

Miss Blue I don't think you're one bit of a heretic; I agree with you about Him.  Ummgawa, as someone (either Mark Twain, Hemmin'way, or Oscar Wilde said - because they say everything):  "no two people read the same book."  The bible is a book, and what each of us take out of it will be different, based on our life experiences.  Including the "in his own image" thing...it's like George Sand writing as a man and not the woman she was:  no one would publish her books if she was a woman.  To this day, paternalism is a more comfortable idea than maternalism, thus the idea of god as a woman makes some people really nervous.  That's the very short version of my idea about the sex of god -- we don't know, but a Father figure is a more comfortable concept to men and women, where a Mother of It All, a She, is akin to heresy.  I don't understand why, but it is so.  Anyway..........I'm GRATEFUL that Gutenberg invented the printing press and finally printed out one bible, so people could begin to at least disagree about the same copy of the book they called the bible.  Even after that, there's argument of course, but Gutenberg's bible helped a lot.  And I don't know about Angels, other than they're a lovely idea.....................................And I'm GRATEFUL, very, that the tornado PeterLake talked about upthread missed my home by mere mile, and no one anywhere in this town was hurt.  I think we got hit with the lucky stick.  And now the weather plummets to wind chill of 10 they're saying, 35 degrees from today's 60 something -- I don't know if I'm very GRATEFUL for that, but I'm GRATEFUL it will supposedly happen overnight, and from beneath layers of quilts, we won't have to deal with it until tomorrow.   This was a helluva day at sea, sir, a helluva day at sea.  Yes indeed it was.  Have a good night, be safe, be warm, be GRATEFUL. ;)

Miss Blue, in the spirit of "Glasnost", we'll do just that. When we both stand before God, whichever one of us makes it first can shout to the other "told ya!!!!" and this side of that meeting, rather than agreeing to disagree, let's look forward to the day we'll all smile, in great reunion, where our "his/her" debate won't matter, OK?

I'm just happy we both agree on the diety of God, and that he exists. (Oops)

Park4, - I agree, a man and a woman can look at, read, taste, debate the exact same topics and the approach might be simular, but the outcome vastly different. I'm a literalist, it says He, Him, Man in every version I've read. I'm not trying to dig a trench and fight a war here. My only point is that the Bible, beginning in Genesis and throughout the old and new Testament, refer to God as a man. I'm not trying to change minds or offer salvation, I'm just sharing what I consider to be the truth of the written word. That's all. If it says he's a man, I'm cool with it. I just think comparing a "woman writing as a man to get published" and the bible writers saying "God as a 'Him' to make it more accepted" for the same reasons is a serious stretch.

It is, as Mark Twain said, "The difference between lighting and a lightning bug."

I guess it's the glass ceiling of the most high? Please know, P4, I have the utmost respect for your and Miss Blue's approach, but the plain and simple truth is, the bible says God is a man. I think, as important as the Creator's existance is, if God would have been female, it would have quite simply said that, but it didn't and doesn't.

As a believer, I adhere to the telling of woe to those who "add too or take away" from the word. And respect it.

I'll close with this, did ya ever notice how all paintings of angels are female, but all Biblical angels are male?

I'm thankful for good, loyal friends, both having and being one.

My mother in law, a most excellent artist, gifted me an oil painting of me cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway in a yellow convertible in my favorite aloha shirt. I like to toast myself when I am alone to keep rumors at bay. I think that we are several people in our time(s) and hopefully friends to all. Why didn't that young beach bum me wear his sunscreen?

This page never ceases to amaze me. How on earth did we get from pasting old memories into scrapbooks or sewing them into a patchwork quilt to discussing the gender of God and the angels? Assigning male gender to God is, I think, a convenient artifice . As "He" doesn't reproduce, why be encumbered with all those dangly bits?

Tommy Typical~ Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou. I've had a story idea simmering on the back-burner all day about cats & people having 9 lives. Your "I think that we are several people in our time(s)" has put a handle on it. Your earlier post about getting absorbed in creativity also lit me up - what happens to time when you get into that place?

MISS BLUE:  Sorry 'bout that ....... Hate to waste a Good Latte ... I owe you one, for a while ...
 
BEBE:  Strange the way things happen ... isn't it ???  First time I ever heard that Song was in one of those Farces done by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, I think ... The Gal who sang it was a tall, slender Brunette Comedienne named, Cass Daly ...  She was sorta Martha Raye, but skinny, with a Jet-Puffed hair-do typical of the War Years, and one of those little Birds Nest Hats perched in the middle of the Do ...  The whole Song is a Hoot !!! ... And whenever y'all get ready to do REAL, Natural women as a Topic, count me in ... Those are my favorite kind ... I do have somewhat to contribute on that Topic
 
PARK4:  As long as George Sand looked like Merle Oberon, I don't care what she writes ...
 
 
Birds of a Feather, George Hall, Birds of a Feather ... As I said, the Birds that don't belong here, never stay very long ....... NOTE: We do not count those Villagers whose chedules have been so stringent for a while that they haven't been by very often ... but they will be back, for you to enjoy, and maybe have some lively discussions with also .......
 
TT:  Review the Psalm that says, "Lord ... You Have Been Our Dwelling Place Throughout Our Generations ..."

Dangly Bits....YES!!
 
Thanks You Hazel, its got to be 2:30 in the morning where you are! Is your duvet double timing with someone else?

Ummgawa~ Yep, it is 2.30 ish - I did go to sleep & then woke up & have learned that there's no point in lying around wakeful. Some nights, my head does not have an OFF switch -between this page and BBC World Service on the radio, some sort of sanity prevails.

Umm, Haze. Park4

A number of years ago the family and I were sound asleep, in a posh Washington hotel, only to be awakened at 2AM by a loud stern female voice emanating from speakers in our rooms. "There is a fire in the hotel. Check your door and if it is cool to the touch, open it and immediately proceed to the nearest fire exit. If not, await further instruction Do not attempt to use the elevators. This is not a drill" This message repeated over and over again. Now why do you think a stern female voice was chosen?

Happens, there was a kitchen fire. Things were quickly under control and the all clear was given after an hour of standing in the middle of Georgetown in our jammies.

Miss Blue~ Don't tell the guys, but we know who's boss. Tee Hee!!!!

Ivan- thank you. very nice...new grass in the morning

Haze- there is a time out of time. There we are.

Hazel, dangly bits? I love it when you talk dirty.
 

Now why do you think a stern female voice was chosen?
 
 
Because at 2:00 am, a woman was working the the fire alarm job?
 
 

Miss Blue - interesting about the fire alarm.  Recent research has shown that children easily sleep through the regular blaring smoke alarm.  They will, however, awake to a recording of their mother or father sternly telling them to get up and exit the house. 
 
I don't know why the hotel chose a female voice but I do share your reticence in calling the creator a male.  For my money, man created God in his image, not the other way 'round.  And that's not to say I am not a believer, it's just the nature of man - we are egoecentric.
 
 
 

Occam's Razor states that: the simplest answer that fits the facts of a problem is the one that should be selected.
 
it sez "HE", hmmmm. Simple?
 
 

Shandonista~ So there is a product to market - a fire alarm that activates a parent voice recording.
 
The remarks I made earlier in the day about concepts of God - The rather scary All-Seeing-Eye on my Grandparets wall, the worrying homily about "unseen guest" on my parent's wall ..... the images planted in my mind by illustrated Bible stories for children. In one of my nine lives, God was some vindictive white-bearded old man sat on an ornate throne somewhere up in the sky. Took me a while to work out that the God of my Grandparents, the God of my parents & the God who is in my Here & Now are one and the same.

I have heard the same stories Hazel, Mean old man with an ant farm, killing off whomever he pleases, causing suffering for the fun of it, obliterating tribes at a flip of His mighty finger. But, as a small child, I also knew Jesus loved me...how?
 
"for the bible tells me so..."
 
 
It's 3:51 hazel, might be  getting close to coffee and toast time in your part of the world soon.

Big mug of hot chocolate made with milk & cosh-sized glug of whisky seems to be having some effect. Nos da everybody, night-night & God bless.

"Here's a photo I've been looking for...it's a picture of the boy next door ... and I loved him more than words could say ...never knew ‘til he moved away...Painted pictures in my scrapbook just thought I'd take one more look ...and recall when we were all in the neighborhood...

Here's a photo of the neighborhood... here's a corner where we stood...here's a snapshot of dad's old car, never got us very far... faded pictures in my scrapbook, just thought Id take one more look, and recall when we were all in the neighborhood ...

And all those plans where did they go? I don't know. And all those plans we used to know... in the neighborhood..."

 The SepiaTrain stops here.

Umm

Please re-read, I am not arguing that G-d  is male or female, but rather can be described with both male and female characteristics. It may be folly in the assignation of anthropomorphic qualities to the Deity, and is best to describe in terms of "what is not" rather than with "what is".

I recommend "The Guide for the Perplexed".

Good night and sweet dreams, all.

Miss Blue- with emphasis on "for the Perplexed".
 
Good night all...

Nicely done Penn.  Well said indeed.

Ny Response to PENN seems to have been Edited out ... God Only Knows Why ... Nothing Untoward, I can assure you ...
 
What I had said was ... How Good To See You Again Miss Penn ... and that I really enjoyed the Piece you brought ... Three times I read it, already ...  (Are we getting the Hook now for Syntax ???)

Hudson John and Ivan,
 
Thank you for your KIND words.  My words were from a song...isn't music a grand part of life? Reminded me of the gang here...
 
Best,
Penny