Laura Benedict's Blog, page 8

About Time

 

Union Terminal, Cincinnati, Ohio

 

The time has come to brush up on my scheduling. I’m an inconsistent scheduler–resistant and yes, a bit lazy. I’ll set goals and forget what they were the next day. Two weeks in a row I’ll neatly and colorfully lay out my bullet journal, only to forget to consult it. Or I’ll consult it faithfully for a week and then…forget. I do have years’ and years’ worth of family calendars. They were critical when I had two children at home who had very different schedu...

Goodness By and By

 

Endure and persist; this pain will turn to good by and by. –Ovid

November roses are symbols of persistence and resilience. The frosts have begun, and sometimes half the blossoms on a bush will die, their petals curling and turning brown. But some flowers stay bright through several frosts. Eventually they’ll all be gone, browning and drying and falling to the ground to prepare it for growth come spring. Good will come again by and by.

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Saturday Serendipity, 11 November 2017

Serendipity makes a life worth living.

 

Bits and Bobs

(It’s all archeology, critters, and politics–talk about strange bedfellows)

Rewriting evolution: 300,000 year-old skulls that look a lot like us.

2,000-yr old sundial gives us a new perspective on ancient Rome .

Rare political link! A quiz that uses an unusual metric to determine whether you might be a Republican or Democrat.

A Van Gogh painting shares its fame with a grasshopper.

Apparently a zillion stingrays is called “a fever.” So coo...

What Book Do You Think the Whole World Should Read?

Of Books and Music

Thursday evening was my second choir practice in about twenty years. I raised an opera singer, and have been to a blue million choir or chorus concerts, but singing in a group has never been high on my list. Right now there are six women in the group, and one director. When the priest asked me if I wanted to join, I said I could only make a joyful noise, but that I’d be willing to try.

There’s something so peaceful about singing in a dimly lighted church in the evening. Eve...

Do You Have Seasonal Affective Disorder, or Are You Just a Writer?

When fall arrives, there’s something in the air besides woodsmoke and the gorgeous color of the surrounding landscape– gloom. Oh, it can be a delicious gloom: the kind of gloom that’s the perfect setting for cuddling up to a pile of big, fat books with a pot of tea and a bowl of…popcorn? Okay, make that shortbread cookies–popcorn isn’t really cuddly. Gloom is also great for cuddling with your sweetie, or reading to little ones. Gloom is perfect for such moments. Gloom is the lifeblood of the...

Tuesday Photos on Wednesday

I wracked my brain for unique photo ideas for my first big fall photo post. But fall is fall. And leaves are leaves. And the colors are classic, for sure. I’m LOVING my new iPhone 7+ camera, and am on the lookout for tips and instructions to make photos better. If you know of any links, please do share.

What’s fall look like where you are? Evergreen, pastel, or gold–something totally different?

 

I’m wild about the colors, textures, and reflections in this bath.

 

Red.

 

One tree, so many col...

Nurse of the Day (Reprise)

When you were five or six years old, did you have a dream for your life? A ready answer to the question, what do you want to be when you grow up?

I didn’t. I find that kind of sad, like I missed out on something really important.

This memory is fuzzy: When I was five, I was in the audience for a local Cincinnati television show called Skipper Ryle. Skipper Ryle was pretty low-key. He told exciting stories and had a studio full of friendly, walk-on shipmates. (And maybe a fake parrot?) The S...

Sunday, Sleep

 

We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep. — William Shakespeare

 

My own relationship with sleep is complicated.* I don’t have any sleep disorders, unless you count not ever wanting to go to bed. But sleep repairs us even at the cellular level. It’s a very good thing.

*Witness the random post that you, my dear subscribers, might have received last night. Sleepy me clicked “Publish” instead of “Save!”

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Saturday Serendipity, 4 November 2017

Serendipity makes a life worth living.

Bits and Bobs

Reason Mag on how our culture has made our children too fragile to succeed.

Study shows people care about dogs more than adult humans in dire situations.

More films and tv shows means it’s a great time to be a bad actor.

Skip to the good parts: A special treat for voracious romance ebook readers.

Erasing subconscious negativity: at tinybuddha.

 

Books and Links and Such

My fave post this week: Have a Low Stress Holiday Season.

The fab J.T....

Social Networking: Virtual Me, Virtual You

So true.

 

Isn’t it weird that we have virtual lives, and that we’re comfortable with some social networking sites, but not others?

I’m all-in for Facebook and Instagram. Facebook is where I visit with friends, family, and fans. Instagram is my peek into the lives of people I (kind of) know, or am related to. I love to share my photos there, and  goggle at the way people can make their lives look way more fascinating than mine. Twitter is where I gather interesting info from artists, aggregat...