Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, the day Christians remember Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, sitting on a donkey colt. People spread palm branches on the ground before them, crying out "Hosanna" - or "Please Save Us."

Living in West Jerusalem, I was never really aware of palm trees. I don't remember seeing any in my neighborhood.

There were none around the school where I taught either.

Did Jerusalem have palm trees 2000 years ago? I often wondered. Is Jerusalem warm enough to have palm trees? I knew that Jericho, an oasis in the Judean desert had palm trees... Jericho is sometimes referred to as the city of palms.

On my trip to Israel in 2008, I stood taking a picture of the historic old city of Jerusalem, in the eastern section of the city... I wanted a picture to contrast the old walled city and modern day traffic.

Then I noticed... next to the outer city wall ... palm trees!

They grew in Jerusalem 2000 years ago and they grow there still!

Visiting a Hawaiian Cat Sanctuary

One of the places I wanted to visit when going to Maui was a cat sanctuary on the nearby island of Lanai'i.

I had read about it years ago - and looked it up to see if we would be nearby. I discovered that Lanai'i was a 45-minute ferry ride from Lahaina, a historic port city in Maui, its port dating back to the whale hunters in the days of the novel, "Moby Dick."

My son and I Ubered to Lahaina, then headed for the pier to get our tickets.

With half an hour before our ferry ride, we headed over to shop and explore a nearby park with large banyan trees.

The boat ride was interesting... (On our return trip, the water was a little choppy - but we saw a pod of whales breaching!)

A shuttle van was waiting for us at the harbor in Lanai'i.

We drove to the cat sanctuary, a few miles away.

My son, an avid cat lover, was thrilled to be surrounded by so many cats! The sanctuary houses 640, although some are timid and only come out at night.

Some were lounging in baskets; others had found a perfect spot in the shade.

Where do these cats come from? we asked...

Wild cats are caught and brought to the sanctuary. In the wild, they pose a threat to birds that nest on the island's sandy beaches...

After several hours of playing with cats and feeding them treats, the shuttle picked us up again and returned us to the ferry.

We could have spent more time on the island - but  chose, instead, to head back to Lahaina and spend a bit more time there.

We had supper at a seaside restaurant - where I ate marlin for the first time... (It made me think of  "The Old Man and the Sea," another novel I studied years ago.)

Later we wandered around a bit more - and discovered a historic church that was open...

It was such a fun day!

Fresh air, sunshine, a boat ride...

Cats, whales, marlin, banyan trees, historic buildings!

What more could one ask for?!

Spring Break... From the Cold and Snow

A little over a week ago, my older son and I boarded a plane - bound for the Hawaiian island of Maui, a place neither of us had ever visited before.

His plan was hatched one cold winter day in January, when he read about an airline seat sale - and invited me to join him.

I'm really sorry we're leaving so late in the season, I commented, as we planned our trip. The weather will probably be really nice here in Ottawa when we're away...

But I needn't have worried... It wasn't!! We returned a week later to as much snow as we had left!

It was a wonderful respite from the cold... Just walking around without a hat and coat on was a treat...

The noon day sun beating down overhead was a little too hot for me... I really wanted to nap...

But I tried to keep going. I knew that it wouldn't be long before I'd be back home again...

A week goes by very quickly!

Art: Learning About Contrast and Light

One of my art instructors laughingly commented that drawing and painting are acts of illusion... On paper, a picture is one dimensional - but by drawing shadows, one adds the ILLUSION of depth.

Another instructor talked about the importance of light... which traditionally (in a picture) comes from the left, leaving shadows on the right...

But nature isn't always like that!

Recently I was reminded of both contrast and light when I looked out of the window early in the morning... The light reflecting on the evergreens and the nearby barren branches made both look bleached and yellow! Not much contrast here!

And, nearby, the shadows under the branches of a pine tree were a study of contrasts - but the light came from the right!

Worth Keeping?!

I go through half a dozen pairs of reading glasses every year.

I buy the dollar store variety - so I'm not surprised when they break or fall apart...

Usually an arm falls off...  (I've been told it's called the "temple.")

I used to toss them out ... until I mentioned this to an optician...

Never toss them out! she informed me... They are useful as spare parts.

So I started keeping my broken glasses in a plastic container in the basement...  One more thing to keep... Would they ever prove useful?!

Recently a temple fell off: a screw had fallen out.

Great! Now I could finally use my stash!

But when Terry tried to remove the screws, most of them were in too tight... 

Eventually he did find one he could pull out. It didn't fit perfectly, but it worked...

Hmmm. I like to re-purpose things... But I wonder: Are these broken glasses really worth keeping?!

What are the Chances?!

One of my goals in retirement has been to learn more about the history of Christianity.

To that end, during Lent this year, I started reading a book of ancient writings and sermons. The translation is recent, so the texts sound modern. I often find it hard to believe that some of this stuff was written over 1000 years ago.

From time to time I come across religious writers I don't know - so I google these ancient authors... as I did when I encountered the name "Pseudo-Athanasius."

My search for information about Pseudo-Athanasius led me to an academic website: Academia.edu (where university students can upload their research papers for all to read). But in order to read the texts, you have to create an account and sign in. So that's what I did.

At one point, there was an option: "login with Facebook." I remember pausing... Do I want Facebook announcing that I am part of Academia.edu? But I must have pressed the button.

To my surprise, the following day I received an email message telling me that I had a "follower" on Academia.edu - someone who could see what research papers I had read...

A follower?! I looked at the name and recognized someone I had briefly shared an apartment with in my single days. I had later also been a bridesmaid at her wedding. But I haven't seen her in years. Now we don't even live on the same continent... But we are connected on Facebook.

This whole interaction seemed surreal... 

I randomly discover an obscure website. And within a day, I'm sharing reading lists with a friend from my distant past...

I mean... 

What are the chances?!!

My Mother's Daily Logs

During her retirement from teaching, my mother used to keep a daily log of how she (and my father) spent their day...

Were these logs a memory aid to help her remember what she had done? Did re-reading them help her remember?

Hmmm... I know I often can't remember... Maybe I need to start keeping a log!

Or were her notes a continuation of her teaching practice of keeping a daily written log of what she planned to do in class every day - and how much of that was actually accomplished?

As I sit here thinking about keeping a daily log, I wonder - would it "spark joy" in remembering - or give me a satisfied feeling that I didn't waste my time?!