Entry for April 30, 2007

Things have not been too well around here, which is the reason there has not been a great deal of activity from myself since sometime last week.

My Mr. Khay Guy passed away last Thursday. It was quite a bad time around here with me and the family. Mr. Khay was very loved and we are missing him very much. Especially his brother Wannabe who grew up with him for 13 years. He is not sure where Khay has gone to and keeps looking for him. We buried him in the flower garden so he can stay close and I planted a wonderful rose bush over him to keep him safe.

Then my DSL connection went south and I have been dancing around with Earthlink for days. I really think it is time for me to consider getting a new computer because I think the problems are based in the old thing. We shall see.

So here I am back. I have a few things I would like to catch up with, some poetry, some art and all my friends.

Happy Monday and may the whole week go well.

Susan

Entry for April 24, 2007/ SPACE THE FINAL FRONTIER

It's that time of the week again. Where we all learn interesting things about space and the universe. Today we are viewing space travel, such as it is these days. I thought this was very cool. I am a big fan of the human race finally being in outer space. Be sure to cruise the article with your mouse because I didn't have time to hilite all the links. That is where all the information lies. Have fun and have a great Tuesday.

2007 April 23

A Supply Ship Approaches the Space Station
Credit:ISS Expedition 13 Crew,NASA

Explanation:Looking out a window of theInternational Space Station brings breathtaking views. Visible vistas include a vast and colorful Earth, a deep dark sky, and an occasional spaceship sent to visit the station. Visible on September 20 of last year was aSoyuz TMA-9 spacecraft carrying not only supplies but also three new astronauts. A few days beforethis picture was taken, the U.S.Space Shuttle Atlantis had just departed. The three new approaching astronauts were AmericanMichael E. Lopez-Alegria, RussianMikhail Tyurin, and Iranian-AmericanAnousheh Ansari. Ms. Ansari visited the International Space Station (ISS) briefly as a paying spaceflight participant for theFederal Space Agency of Russia, and wrote apopular blog about her experiences. Lopez-Alegria would lead the ISS crew dubbedExpedition 14, which included the flight engineer and Soyuz pilot Tyurin, flight engineer AmericanSunita Williams, and flight engineer GermanThomas Reiter. Tyurinreturned to the Earth with Lopez-Alegria this past week.

Entry for April 22, 2007/ ART SUNDAY, A TRIBUTE TO EARTH DAY

I thought in honor of Earth Day today I would present an artist who honored Mother Earth by painting her. Thomas Moran, an English Born American Landscape Painter (1837 - 1926 ). Here are a few of his beautiful landscapes.

THE WHITE MOUNTAINS

AUTUMN-PECONIC BAY, LONG ISLAND 1904

A SHOWERY DAY- GRAND CANYON

TOWER CREEK 1871

Thomas Moran (February 12,1837 -August 25,1926) was an artist of theHudson River School. Thomas Moran's vision of the Westernlandscape was critical to the creation ofYellowstone National Park. His pencil and watercolor field sketches and paintings captured the grandeur and documented the extraordinary terrain and natural features of the Yellowstone region. Moran's artwork was presented to members of Congress by park proponents. These powerful images of Yellowstone fired the imagination and helped inspire Congress to establish theNational Park System in1916.Mount Moran in theGrand Teton National Park is named for Moran.

Hope you have enjoyed this Art Sunday Presentation.

You can find the Art Sunday Tour onThe Witch's Blog. See you there.

Entry for April 21, 2007/ And it is Song Saturday

Just because it seemed like a good idea

The Who....."Behind Blue Eyes"

Entry for April 20, 2007 You have mail, Friday Five

. Do you still use snail mail or do you do all your business and personal transactions online? Absolutely use snail mail I love getting and sending cards and post cards.

2. What is the most far away place you've sent mail? Received from? Amsterdam Netherlands for both, take that back got a post card from Russia.

3. If you can hand deliver an invitation/letter, do you or do you prefer to put a stamp it and mail it? Yes

4. When was the last time you sent an actual letter to someone...not a birthday card, not a bill, but an actual letter to a friend or family member written on real paper in long hand? Christmas 2006, letter in a Christams card, hope that counts it was written on paper and put in the card.

5. When you were ten years old, how much did a regular stamp cost? I don't think we had mail then we were probably still using pony express.

Entry for April 18, 2007/ Poetry Wednesday, The Morning After

A few words on death:

Entry for April 17, 2007 Something Bright for the Day After Darkness

I thought we could use a little brightness in our lives today. Wish I could pass it on to all those families who are mourning today.

I give you part of the Great Universe.

2007 April 16

MWC 922: The Red Square Nebula
Credit & Copyright:Peter Tuthill (Sydney U.) and James Lloyd (Cornell)

Explanation:What could cause a nebula to appear square? No one is quite sure. The hot star system known asMWC 922, however, appears to be imbedded in a nebula with just such a shape. Theabove image combinesinfrared exposures from theHale Telescope onMt. Palomar inCalifornia, and theKeck-2 Telescope onMauna Kea inHawaii. A leading progenitor hypothesis for thesquare nebula is that the central star or stars somehow expelled cones of gas during a latedevelopmental stage. ForMWC 922, these cones happen to incorporate nearlyright angles and be visible from the sides. Supporting evidence for thecone hypothesis includes radial spokes in the image that might run along the cone walls. Researchers speculate that the cones viewed from another angle would appear similar to the gigantic rings ofsupernova 1987A, possibly indicating that a star in MWC 922 might one day itself explode in a similarsupernova.

Tomorrow's picture:planet evaporating

Entry for April 16, 2007/ Virginia Tech Shooting

Just have been watching the news regarding the shootings at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg( I think that is right) Virginia, The media has the death toll bouncing between 22 and 31, but whatever the horrible toll it seems to be the worst school shooting yet, guess you could say it is the worst shooting any where.

What is going on? They have had some bomb threats there recently, no one can say if they are connected but it really sounds like some one was very mad to do something like this. No blame yet, seems the gunman is dead. Don;'t know yet if he shot himself or the police did it.

I could rant and rave about guns in the hands of civilians. The one thing our President managed to say so far was how horrified he was that this happened but he still supports the right of the public to bear arms.....Don't get me started.

I could go on about how disconnected we all are from each other with so much internet and video games, but don't get me started.

I just keep sighing because there is nothing really to say except how horrible this all is and how sorry I am for all those poor people who died and were injured and their families and probably how sad I am for the poor person that was pushed so far to have to do something like this.

Susan

Entry for April 15, 2007? Art Sunday, Gustav Klimt's Women

GUSTAV KLIMT

SYMBOLIST ARTIST

"I have the gift of neither the spoken nor the written word, especially if I have to say something about myself or my work. Whoever wants to know something about me -as an artist, the only notable thing- ought to look carefully at my pictures and try and see in them what I am and what I want to do."

Gustav Klimt

VIRGIN SEA SERPENTS JUDITH

SO ROMANTIC, SO FANTASTIC, THE COLORS, SO BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL.

ENJOY

SUSAN

Entry for April 12, 2007? An Early Friday Five for Friday the 13th

In honor of Friday the 13th a spooky Friday Five....

1) Do you believe in ghost, spectres, spirts, etc and have you ever seen one? Why not, I think I believe in spirits, but what do ghosts or spectrers etc. look like? How would you know if you saw one?

2) Are you superstitious? No

3) Would you walk by a graveyard after dark or would you take another path? When I was young I wouldn't even look at a grave yard, just terrified me. I didn't get over it until I was well into being an adult. Thankfully it doesn't bother me any more.

4) Do you believe certain days of the year are more apt to have 'bad things happen' than other days? Only when Mercury is in retrograde.

5) Friday the 13th - thoughts? Possible or just a bunch of hype? I remember there was a reason it got started but for my life I don't know what it was. Just superstition I guess.

Entry for April 11, 2007Poetry Wednesday

Galadriel's Song of Eldamar

From chapter 8:Farewell to Lórien
After a brief stay Lórien, the Fellowship prepare to leave, now aided with many Elven gifts, including boats.

The Company was arranged in this way: Aragorn, Frodo, and Sam were in one boat; Boromir, Merry, and Pippin in another; and in the third were Legolas and Gimli, who had now become fast friends. In this last boat most of the goods and packs were stowed. The boats were moved and steered with short-handled paddles that had broad leaf-shaped blades. When all was ready Aragorn led them on a trial up the Silverlode. The current was swift and they went forward slowly. Sam sat in the bows, clutching the sides, and looking back wistfully to the shore. The sunlight glittering on the water dazzled his eyes. As they passed beyond the green field of the Tongue, the trees drew down to the river's brink. Here and there golden leaves tossed and floated on the rippling stream. The air was very bright and still, and there was a silence, except for the high distant song of larks.

They turned a sharp bend in the river, and there, sailing proudly down the stream toward them, they saw a swan of great size. The water rippled on either side of the white breast beneath its curving neck. Its beak shone like burnished gold, and its eyes glinted like jet set in yellow stones; its huge white wings were half lifted. A music came down the river as it drew nearer; and suddenly they perceived that it was a ship, wrought and carved with elven-skill in the likeness of a bird. Two elves clad in white steered it with black paddles. In the midst of the vessel sat Celeborn, and behind him stood Galadriel, tall and white; a circlet of golden flowers was in her hair, and in her hand she held a harp, and she sang. Sad and sweet was the sound of her voice in the cool clear air:

I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew:
Of wind I sang, a wind there came and in the branches blew.
Beyond the Sun, beyond the Moon, the foam was on the Sea,
And by the strand of Ilmarin there grew a golden Tree.
Beneath the stars of Ever-eve in Eldamar it shone,
In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion.

There long the golden leaves have grown upon the branching years.
While here beyond the Sundering Seas now fall the Elven-tears.
O Lórien! The Winter comes, the bare and leafless Day;
The leaves are falling in the stream, the River flows away.
O Lórien! Too long I have dwelt upon this Hither Shore
And in a fading crown have twined the golden elanor.
But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me,
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?

Got this from a great web sitehttp://www.seatofkings.net:80/poems.html

check it out. It was a lot easier than typing the whole thing and they gave me the set up.

Susan

Entry for April 10, 2007 Jupiter's Moon Io

Just think once upon a time Earth may have looked like this, who knows, someday Io may have life on it. Who Knows.

2007 April 4

New Horizons at Io
Credit:NASA,JHU/APL,SwRI - Additional Processing:Sean Walker

Explanation:Spewed froma volcano, a complex plume rises over 300 kilometers above the horizon of Jupiter's moon Io in this image from cameras onboard theNew Horizons spacecraft. The volcano,Tvashtar, is marked by the brightglow (about 1 o'clock) at the moon's edge, beyond the terminator or night/day shadow line. The shadow of Io cuts across the plume itself. Also capturing stunning details on the dayside surface, theihigh resolutionmage was recorded when the spacecraft was 2.3 million kilometers from Io. Later it was combined with lower resolutioncolor data by astro-imager Sean Walker to produce this sharp portrait of the solar system'smost active moon. Outward bound at almost 23 kilometersper second, the New Horizons spacecraft should cross the orbit of Saturn in June next year, and is ultimatelydestined to encounterPluto in 2015.

Entry for April 07, 2007/ Art Sunday, Paintings Inspired by The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Since I am on a roll with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy I decided that for Art Sunday I would do a post of some art inspired by The Trilogy.

This is a painting byJohn Howeof his idea of Sam Gamgee, who was Frodo's faithful companion who followed him into the hell of Mordor and out again. John Howe has done a great many paintings and sketches of these works.

This is Rivendale the home of Elrond a Lord of the Elves, a beautiful tranquil place painted byAlan Lee, most of the works inspired by the Lord of the Rings that you see were painted by him. Ford at Bruinen ByRob Alexander, Frodo escaping from the Dark Riders

The great battle between Gandalf and the Balrog by John Howe, this is where Gandalf saves his fellow travelers by battling the Balrog and being pitched into the abyss.

Many of the works by these artists helped create the movies that so many of you have seen. I still hope that you will choose to read the books and let you imagination do the walking through the pages. In the mean time I hope you enjoy these paintings, even though they are a little on the small side. Have a great Sunday

Susan

Entry for April 06, 2007/ Friday Five

Boy this is a good one.

1. Do you excercise? if so how often and what is your favorite form of exercise? Yes, I try and do a little something every day, at least three times a week I do my favorite thing, walking, I do two miles in a half hour. Great exercise and every day I walk with Jake and Goldie.

2. Do you consider yourself a healthy eater? Why or why not? Yes, I do not eat dead animals and I love fruits and vegtables, also I eat many legumes, oatmeal every morning, very few sweets, except I do like my chocoate and once in a while a nice wine.

3. Do you have yearly physicals? More like every other yearly.

4. What unhealthy vice do you still have even though you know you shouldn't? (i.e. smoking, junk food, over imbibance, etc). Every once in a while I will smoke a cigaret. I gave up smoking a long time ago, but once in a while it gets the better of me.

5. How closely do you think diet and excercise affects your over all physical and mental well being? Very closly, I really need to exercise or I get very down in the dumps and if I over eat I get very upset with myself because I spend most of my life concerned about my weight because I am a binge eater and can easily get very over weight if I am not careful.

I love the ones I have real opinions on. This was good, thanks Steph B.

Entry for April 05, 2007 Some Spring Color From Alabama

This is courtesy my friend Tracey who moved to Alabama from Arizona this year

Entry for April 05, 2007/ Welcome Back Lina

Here's a little outdoor celebratory art installation to honor Lina, the wonderful Witch back as hostess for Art Sunday. See you all this weekend.

Susan

Entry for April 04, 2007 / Poetry Wednesday, Lord of the Rings

This song is being sung by Bilbo Baggins(Hobbit) as his nephew Frodo and Frodo's friends are getting ready to go on a great dangerous journey that Bilbo will not be able to go on. This is in the book " Fellowship of the Ring". I really suggest that anyone who has not read the Trilogy should, it is a great exciting wonderful read. I am on my sixth reading now and thought I would start to share some of the great songs and poetry that are in the books. Of course all written by Tolkien, they are written in the style of the person or hobbit or elf or dwarf that is reciting them. It makes a big difference. Bilbo is a great writer of stories, songs and poems. This is but one. Enjoy.

I sit beside the fire and think

of all that I have seen,

of meadow-flowere and butterflies

in summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

in autumns that there were,

with morning mist and silver sun

and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think

of how the world will be

when winter comes without a spring

that I shall never see.

For still there are so many things

that I have never seen:

in every wood in every spring

there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

of people long ago,

and people who will see a world

that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

of times there were before,

I listen for retuning feet

and voices at the door.

Entry for April 03, 2007 This should brighten up your Tuesday

2007 April 2

An Active Sunspot Viewed Sideways
Credit &Copyright:Hinode,JAXA,NASA

Explanation:Why are there dark spots on the sun? Although noted for thousands of years,sunspots have been known for decades to be regions of the Sun that are slightly depressed and cooled by the Sun's complex and changingmagnetic field. High resolution pictures like theabove image from Japan's new Sun-watchingHinode satellite, however, are helping to increase modern understanding. In the center of theabove image is a sunspot, but not seen in the usual orientation --thissunspot is seen sideways. Of particular interest iserupting glowing gas that shows how the Sun's magnetic field comesright out of thespot center, but curves markedly around the spot edges. Betterunderstanding of how the Sun ejects particles into space may result in more accurate predictions ofsolar storms that affect satellites, astronauts, and even power grids on Earth.

---

Entry for April 02, 2007 Khay Kitty

Well it's Monday and I haven't been near this computer all weekend. So today I will try and catch up.

A few people have mentioned the kitty on my background. I have posted on the blast as much as I could but there is more. That is the Khay kitty, beautiful Abyssinian. He will be 17 next month. He has four busted discs in his neck and can not walk very well and recently the vet and I have surmised the he may have cancer, a tumor behind his eye, but for the time being we are giving him the benefit of the doubt and are treating him for a whopping sinus infection, which he does have, but we are hoping that is all it is. So I thought it would be nice to feature our Mr. Khay on the background. He use to be able to crawl up the lounge chair on my deck in the back yard, that was last year, this year he can only get out the pet door and he hasn't even done that in the last few days. He has to settle for the sun on the floor in the living room, but I know he doesn't mind he is a pretty easy going kitty.

The picture is Mr Khay and his brother Wannabe. Wannabe is the one with his head up. Khay has a problem keeping his head up because of his injury. They are very close.

Well hope to see you all around today.

Later, Susan