Whit Monday

Today the Germans celebrated Whit Monday, part of the Pentecost feast and traditionally a baptismal season related to the resurrection of Christ, although in the modern Catholic Church the day falls under what they call "Ordinary Time." Today felt very ordinary to me, but in tribute to ancient religious traditions, here is a beautiful white rhododendron bloom from my garden.

The day dawned cold and rainy. I was inclined to spend a lazy morning reading, and was strongly influenced by Kendallishere. Her journal and comment thread were rich with fascinating thoughts and news to explore. She first grabbed my attention with her beautiful, insightful comments on blips posted by Welshman in Budapest. Both these artists (and numerous others) have inspired me in the short time I've been part of this rare and special Blip community.

Alas, the afternoon turned brighter and I eventually made it out for a 5-mile run. For this I owe my inspiration to daughter #2, who had texted me a screenshot of her running accomplishments this morning (while I was being lazy). She is on the Baltic Sea with friends for the long weekend and still keeping with her training regimen. I admire her dedication. And am slightly jealous, but extremely proud, that she is now a better runner than I am.

In other news, my laptop has died again. I first reported its slow death on January 27th. This week, we've had a few more blue screen incidents and today I can't seem to resurrect it. I wonder if that's evidence of divine intervention? ;)