Evolving Choices

      

Decalogue

I have enjoyed listening to Jon Meacham's book, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power this summer. One of the things I especially like is hearing excerpts from Jefferson's personal correspondence (a little less formal than the Declaration of Independence!).  The list below is from such a letter.

A Decalogue of Canons for observation in practical life:

1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.
5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst and cold.
6. We never repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened.
9. Take things always by their smooth handle.
10. When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, a hundred.

To see this list in Jefferson's handwriting, go to http://www.jeffersonhour.com/decalogue.html.

A Red, White and Blue Wedding

Thursday, July 4, was a great day for celebrating our country.  For our family, it was also a day to celebrate the marriage of Michael and Vicki.  Their beautiful garden wedding was blessed with pleasant weather, good company, delicious food, and the musical talents of Crossing Blue (https://www.facebook.com/charminlynngibson).

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Love and best wishes to the happy couple for a fantastic future together!

Up The Gorge

I'm still smiling after spending last week with my son Eric who was visiting from North Carolina.  We chose Friday to drive up the Columbia Gorge and enjoy the beautiful scenery and interesting sights.

Early in the day, we visited Chanticleer Point, the Vista House, and Multnomah Falls. Even in the cloudy, damp weather, the views were spectacular.  As we drove along the Historical Columbia River Scenic Highway, we sometimes felt we were driving through a tunnel of lush green foliage.

Continuing east, we stopped for lunch at Bette's Place Restaurant, 416 Oak Street, in Hood River. My spinach quiche was excellent, and Eric said his clam chowder was better than Mo's.

As we drove toward The Dalles, the weather - and the scenery - began to change.  By the time we got to Biggs Junction, we saw more wind turbines than trees beneath sunny skies.

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This dramatic change of scene is what I remember most about our day.  I wondered how the pioneers felt as they traveled west along the Columbia, through the changing weather, without the advantage of a smooth highway.  How fortunate we were to be riding in an air-conditioned car!

At The Beach

Just dropped off my son Eric after his wonderful, week-long visit to the Portland area.  We had a spectacular time, with sunny weather (mostly) everywhere we went.

Early in the week, we went to Lincoln City, staying overnight at the Ester Lee Motel.  Our morning walk on the beach required only light jackets.  Eric even went wading!

We had received a couple of recommendations for Beach Dog Cafe (www.thebeachdogcafe.com) as the best place to eat breakfast - and we now recommend it, too. Be sure to allow plenty of time; it's likely you'll have to wait for a table.

After a delicious and leisurely meal, we made a quick visit to Robert's Book Shop (www.robertsbookshop.com) - a little bit of heaven for all book lovers and the perfect place to visit if your beach trip happens to include rain.

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Then we headed south on Highway 101, stopping at Boiler Bay on the way to Newport to enjoy the still sunny but slightly windier weather.  Our beach trip wouldn't have been complete without a shopping trip to Nye Beach and lunch at Local Ocean Seafoods (www.localocean.net) on Newport Bay - they did not disappoint!

Change the Channel!

At a discussion group last night, someone used the phrase "Change the channel in your brain!" I was intrigued, so I did a web search this morning with thousands of results. Here is one:

"Have you ever been watching television and a program comes on that you do not like at all? You know that if you just sit there and watch it you will not enjoy it and certainly will not be happy. So what do you do? Do you continue to sit there and lament the fact that a show is on which you dislike? Of course not! You Change the Channel!

You can do pretty much the same thing with your mind! If, as you're going through your day, something happens that disturbs you, or someone says something that triggers a not-so-good memory and your mind begins to "change the channel" to a "program" you'd rather not see, you do not have to just sit there and endure the parade of negative thoughts and images that are marching through your mind. You can Change the Channel!"

You can read the entire article by Keith Smith at http://www.straightupliving.com/2011/01/change-the-channel.html.

Marriage Goal

As I prepare for my role in my brother's upcoming wedding, I came across this quote:


The goal in marriage is not to think alike - but to think together.  ~Robert C. Dodds