Dostoy's Contemplations

Happy Valentines's Day!

2012-02-14T13:33:00.003-06:00

cause and effect

2012-02-13T22:33:00.002-06:00

Matisse: A Vase With Oranges

2012-02-13T21:50:00.006-06:00

Henri Matisse, "A Vase With Oranges," 1916

American crow (Audubon)

2012-02-13T21:48:00.002-06:00

Garfield Park Conservatory

2012-02-12T22:50:00.005-06:00

so sweet

2012-02-12T22:32:00.002-06:00

goals

2012-02-10T03:14:00.004-06:00

Larry Graham: One In A Million You

2012-02-10T02:47:00.001-06:00

Amur leopard

2012-02-09T18:43:00.000-06:00

photo: Mark Hughes

anger management

2012-02-09T18:41:00.002-06:00

Helen Keller and her pit bull Sir Thomas

2012-02-07T15:58:00.002-06:00

(photographers unknown)

today's peaceful place

2012-02-04T14:13:00.001-06:00

"Yellowstone Falls"

photo: Robert Herbert

Arctic fox pup

2012-02-04T14:11:00.000-06:00

photo: Norbert Rosing

Bonhoeffer quote

2012-02-02T18:04:00.001-06:00

Canada lynx

2012-02-01T14:56:00.001-06:00

photo: Norbert Rosing

something very political

2012-02-01T14:54:00.002-06:00

today's peaceful place

2012-01-31T12:10:00.001-06:00

Cascading waterfall in the Adirondacks

photo: Corey Tapper

choose adoption

2012-01-31T12:07:00.000-06:00

our new houseplants

2012-01-31T00:30:00.000-06:00

makes sense...

2012-01-30T02:43:00.002-06:00

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Story of the Kalendar Prince

2012-01-30T02:13:00.003-06:00

An all-time favorite of ours... (from "Scheherazade")

creativity

2012-01-30T01:54:00.002-06:00

Canada lynx

2012-01-27T22:05:00.001-06:00

photo: Klises

Service dogs help with PTSD

2012-01-27T21:55:00.001-06:00

We read the book "Until Tuesday" and absolutely loved it!!!

Schweitzer quote

2012-01-26T16:51:00.001-06:00

whooping crane

2012-01-26T16:30:00.003-06:00

dog with two boys

2012-01-25T16:55:00.002-06:00

(photographer unknown)

two vintage travel posters

2012-01-25T16:54:00.002-06:00

Mario Borgoni, "Amalfi," 1927

Pierre Fix-Masseau, "Exactitude," 1929

Louisiana black bears

2012-01-25T16:37:00.003-06:00

We found this picture of Louisiana black bear cubs on the U.S. Department of Agriculture flickr site (http://flic.kr/p/8ZBRZK).

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T17:16:00.003-06:00

2012--The Year of the Dragon

loved by all

2012-01-20T20:40:00.001-06:00

therapy dogs heal

2012-01-17T13:11:00.004-06:00

2012-01-13T01:30:00.000-06:00

Powerful! Powerful! Powerful!

two ways to be fooled

2012-01-13T01:00:00.000-06:00

we are their voice

2012-01-13T00:30:00.000-06:00

it was inevitable..

2012-01-12T16:13:00.000-06:00

We got our first snow today. Actually we have been very fortunate this winter. We typically get the first snow in December, often even in late November. Now it is mid-January, so, yeah, it was inevitable that Chicago would get snow. But we still don't like it...

Concrete Blonde: Joey

2012-01-12T15:10:00.001-06:00

January (vintage magazine cover)

2012-01-12T13:06:00.002-06:00

old ship illustration

2012-01-12T13:05:00.003-06:00

backyard animals

2012-01-12T13:04:00.001-06:00

red wolf

2012-01-11T12:29:00.004-06:00

Surikov: Black-Bearded Strelets

2012-01-11T12:28:00.004-06:00

Vasily Surikov, "Black-Bearded Strelets," 1879

Wiesel quote

2012-01-11T12:24:00.003-06:00

Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
- Elie Wiesel

hmmm....

2012-01-10T16:13:00.002-06:00

Passion 2012

2012-01-10T16:12:00.000-06:00

Last week in Atlanta, more than 42,000 Christians packed the Georgia Dome for four days to participate in Passion 2012. Spearheaded by Passion Conferences founder Louie Giglio, Passion 2012 is another in an ongoing series of conferences intended to engage the “university moment” with Jesus’ compelling message.

(Click HERE for the full article.)

an oldie but a goodie

2012-01-08T11:05:00.000-06:00

hehehe

2012-01-08T11:04:00.002-06:00

black-capped chickadee (Audubon)

2012-01-05T11:21:00.001-06:00

when?

2012-01-05T11:16:00.000-06:00

paw & hand

2012-01-03T18:26:00.005-06:00

(photographer unknown)

no passengers

2012-01-03T17:00:00.000-06:00

There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.
--Marshall McLuhan

Out of Africa

2012-01-02T14:17:00.002-06:00

Theo's minister, Rev. Barbara Cathey, is on a three-month sabbatical in Kenya and Cameroon. She is in Nairobi now and posted pictures on Facebook of what she has been doing. One of them was of Karen Blixen's house...the author of "Out of Africa." Just wanted to share it here.

Daryl Hall & Pat Monahan: Wait For Me

2012-01-02T13:15:00.003-06:00

Powerful live version of this song!

Happy New Year everyone!

2012-01-01T17:48:00.000-06:00

(photo: Minden Pictures)

save a life

2012-01-01T17:46:00.002-06:00

so sweet

2011-12-31T16:45:00.002-06:00

kindnes...

2011-12-30T16:41:00.002-06:00

Four Feet Tall & Rising

2011-12-29T19:45:00.002-06:00

We just pre-ordered this book. Now we can't wait until it arrives. Shorty is one of our heroes!!!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/four-feet-tall-and-rising-shorty-rossi/1104081257?ean=9780307985880&itm=1&usri=four+feet+tall+and+rising+a+memoir

better than a teddy bear

2011-12-29T19:03:00.001-06:00

(photographer unknown)

Handel: Halvorsen Passacaglia

2011-12-28T19:28:00.003-06:00

Amazing!

Gerome: Le Muezzin

2011-12-28T00:30:00.000-06:00

Jean-Leon Gerome, "La Muezzin, the Call to Prayer," 1865

snowy owl

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

Jasper at Christmas

2011-12-27T21:40:00.004-06:00

Jasper belongs to our friend Gayle.

kitten & parrot

2011-12-27T21:23:00.003-06:00

(photographer unknown)

Picasso: Mother and Child

2011-12-27T00:30:00.000-06:00

Pablo Picasso, "Mother and Child," 1921

(at the Art Institute of Chicago)

more Percy

2011-12-26T23:34:00.004-06:00

Percy belongs to our good friend Jenny.

some (blurry) Chicago photos

2011-12-26T23:33:00.001-06:00

skaters at night

2011-12-26T23:30:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

2011-12-25T14:56:00.001-06:00

Nativity (with dogs)

2011-12-25T14:53:00.003-06:00

Hope this doesn't offend anyone but we thought it was too cute not to share.

some Chicago scenes

2011-12-25T14:50:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas from the guys over here

2011-12-24T12:39:00.001-06:00

Nutmeg

Cardamom

Roland

Darius

meet Nikita

2011-12-24T12:32:00.004-06:00

Our friend Erica is going to foster Nikita through Felines Inc. We are so excited for both of them!

Styx: Lady

2011-12-23T18:44:00.002-06:00

A great live version of this song.

Stanley in a Christmas mood

2011-12-23T18:30:00.004-06:00

Stanley belongs to Theo's nephew and his fiancee.

grizzly bears (USFWS)

2011-12-22T00:36:00.004-06:00

the whole of life

2011-12-22T00:35:00.001-06:00

You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.
- Jiddu Krishnamurti

Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto No. 1

2011-12-21T00:34:00.000-06:00

king penguins

2011-12-21T00:25:00.002-06:00

help save the Lolo 75

2011-12-21T00:15:00.004-06:00

Subject: Help Save the Lolo 75

Hi,
It’s almost the holidays, but federal sharpshooters are preparing to take to the skies of Northern Idaho in an ill-conceived attempt to kill as many as 75 wolves.

I just sent a message to President Obama’s Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to help stop the killing and I hope you will too. Just take action online at http://dfnd.us/vn7YlP

Thanks for helping…

Dostoy

Surikov: Portrait of N F Matveyeva

2011-12-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

Vasily Surikov, "Portrait of N. F. Matveyeva," 1909

Greater Chicago Food Depository

2011-12-20T00:30:00.000-06:00

We support the Greater Chicago Food Depository on a monthy basis and hope you will considering donating to the local food bank in your area.

Christmas wreaths

2011-12-19T16:33:00.002-06:00

Theo had to go to the dentist today and the bus stop is right in front of St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church. He thought the Christmas wreaths looked very nice so he decided to snap a couple of photos.

Imran Khan and Tony

2011-12-19T00:21:00.000-06:00

poof!

2011-12-16T22:50:00.002-06:00

Marc: Deer in the Snow

2011-12-16T21:48:00.002-06:00

Franz Marc, "Deer in the Snow," 1911

real men

2011-12-16T20:29:00.000-06:00

snowy owl (Audubon)

2011-12-16T20:27:00.002-06:00

This Is How We Roll (Vilalobos new theme song)

2011-12-15T15:33:00.001-06:00

Andrew

2011-12-15T15:16:00.003-06:00

Andrew belongs to our good friend Jean. Doesn't he look spiffy in his Christmas outfit?

why we don't have a tree...

2011-12-13T17:01:00.000-06:00

true adulthood

2011-12-13T16:28:00.005-06:00

Part of true adulthood--and true freedom--entails taking on responsibilities one cannot and would not abandon.

--Kyle T. Kramer, from A Time to Plant

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" explained

2011-12-11T22:58:00.001-06:00

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
2 turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
3 French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
4 calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
5 golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
6 geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
7 swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
8 maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
9 ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
10 lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
11 pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
12 drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.

Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas everyone. And remember, the Twelve Days of Christmas are the 12 days following December 25th. The Christmas Season runs until Epiphany, January 6.

--author unknown

Van Morrison: Moondance

2011-12-09T00:08:00.001-06:00

remember the animals this holiday

2011-12-08T17:10:00.001-06:00

gyrfalcon (Audubon)

2011-12-08T17:09:00.001-06:00

McLuhan on experience

2011-12-08T17:07:00.001-06:00

Everybody experiences far more than he understands. Yet it is experience, rather than understanding, that influences behavior.
--Marshall McLuhan

jaguar

2011-12-07T14:37:00.001-06:00

our latest Kiva loan

2011-12-07T14:29:00.001-06:00

Sargis is 33 years old and lives in Ijevan city. He is married and has two sons. For several years Sargis worked as a crane driver, after which he worked as head of security at one of the Ijevan companies.

Since 1993, Sargis and his mother have established their own business, which is fruit and vegetable trading at the Ijevan food market. Sargis buys fruits and vegetables from the neighboring villages and resells them in Ijevan city. Thanks to profit from his business, Sargis has built a shop for his trading and has bought new furniture for their apartment.

This is his second loan from Kiva and he is looking forward to continuing the growth of his business. Sargis is seeking a loan of 550,000 Armenian drams to buy fruits and vegetables to resell.

http://www.kiva.org/lend/355446

Dino Morea & Slidey

2011-12-06T12:32:00.001-06:00

(click on image for larger view)