10 New Things I've Learned This Week

Even as a baby boomer who knows a little bit about this world, I'm still learning. For example: 1) Dr. Oz says that if you have yellow pit stains on your undershirts you're probably sweating at night and have a hidden virus that you need a blood test for. 2) Nate Berkus says every surface in your house is a possiblity. 3) Elder Holland expressed great love and support for us and General Conference is a great place to be. 4) Online research into dog seizures (poor Gabe has had 3 grand mals in the last 48 hours) says that some dry dog foods contain ground up dead cats and dogs and their COLLARS in the food, and that vets, like human doctors, usually just treat the symptoms of dog epilepsy. (Which may be caused by brain tumors, genetics, dog food, hypoglycemia.) 5) It's hard to touch your toes after being inert for 6 weeks because of surgery. 6) Our grandkids voices really can get more louder in a big house than in a small one. 7)Trader Joe's white cheddar popcorn is really good. 8) Uncle Woody's Butterscotch carmel popcorn is better. 9) I miss getting ready for Halloween with my little kids. 10) If you sit still for 10 seconds on the porch, orb spiders can spin their webs on you. That can make you feel kinda old. At 80 years of age, Michaelangelo said: "Ancora Imparo." Translation: "I am still learning."

Near Grace

This is my current fine art photo on display at the Eastside Association of Fine Arts spring exhibition on Mercer Island, Washington. It was one of those serendipitous moments when the evening sun is just right, pulling all the vivid colors from the earth. We were traveling in southeastern Idaho by car, going about 70 mph. I yelled to Steve as I grabbed my camera, "Roll down your window!" (I'd been taking pictures like this all along our trip.) He acted fast. I snapped. This is the happy accident that resulted. It's an unretouched digital photo. I called it "Near Grace" because we actually were nearing Grace, Idaho; but mostly because at that moment I felt God's grace so acutely in the beauty of the earth. It made me want to draw closer, nearer to His grace. When do you most feel His grace in your life?