Nothing Special on This Pretty Fall Day

For the record:  this photo was taken a couple of days ago.  This morning, Schweitzer lit up pretty much like this with the first rising of the sun but with fewer clouds. 

The past few days have been gloriously satisfying with the accomplishment of lots of little odds and ends around the place, and I suspect they'll follow pretty much that same pattern until this weekend when we're supposed to get some rain. 

The past few days have also been sad with the loss of folks/friends whom both Bill and I have known for a long time.  

They say it's a pattern that just keeps repeating itself with more regularity as we get older.  Seems that what "they" say sadly is true. 

Also, for the past few days, I've been climbing a ladder next to the garden with regularity and with a bucket. 

At last, I'm almost finished picking all those tangy red plums. 

Last night I made another big batch of jelly and am hoping it will set up.  It's mighty pretty and definitely tasty stuff. 

For the past few days, the news and its repercussions continue to be disturbing.  

Seems like everything has become so muddled these days that we need a giant flour sifter to separate the insanely ludicrous from the totally ridiculous.  

At this point, I don't know which is worse. 

Fortunately, a few heroes occasionally emerge amidst of all this murkiness and, thankfully, do remind us that integrity, intelligence, empathy and common sense still exist.  

Seems like all of the above admirable and commonly expected human qualities in leaders have been shifted to the back room of late. 

Regardless of the situations, which seem to change hourly, I do wish we could find some ways to quit lurking within our safety zones, waiting for the next stupid thing to come along so we can react and lash out at each other. 

If folks would just realize that much of what we're witnessing on a daily and hourly basis-- through our many forms of media---evolves from master manipulation and that, in many cases, we, the people, unwittingly become the puppets on the strings, maybe we'd use a little more caution before saying something we may regret later. 

Guess that's all for today cuz I can feel a need to bite my tongue, and that would hurt, so it's time to shut up. 

Happy Wednesday.