Comments on Lift Up Your Hearts!

Comment on Grace Update - Life Behind "No News Is Good News"

Helen G. — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:58:53 -0400

So thrilled to read all of the above, not perfect, but so much better. I cannot even begin to understand how much precious little Grace has and continues to go through, as well as you both and the siblings.

I am a close friend of Linda Wightman and have been praying twice a day for Grace since the beginning and that will not stop.

Special blessings always,

Helen

Comment on Nature and Nurture

Grace K — Sun, 27 Sep 2026 12:33:37 -0400

If I knew what a vestibular system is, I might be able to comment more intelligently. As is, two older brothers and lots of boys of neighborhood resulted in no interest in dolls at all for Susie.

Comment on When Did Everything Become Disposable?

SursumCorda — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 09:09:52 -0400

Unfortunately, Peter, that's all too true, and that's part of Engelhart's concern.

There's no denying that throwing everything out and buying new each year took Aslett's Christmas decoration from losing money to making a tidy profit. I wonder if this complex situation might be akin to choosing to paying more for pasture-raised meat, or for produce that has not been harvested by slave labor. We can't all do it, but we can all do better than by not being aware of the real cost of our choices.

Comment on Apple Hunting

SursumCorda — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:58:04 -0400

That would be very interesting, Prudence!

Comment on Apple Hunting

Prudence — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:14:49 -0400

I’m wondering if I should send one of our apples to have DNA testing from the tree out front.

Comment on When Did Everything Become Disposable?

Peter V — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 14:50:52 -0400

When traveling, it's unfortunately sometimes cheaper to buy equipment at the destination than to bring it on a plane. Just checking one bag round trip can cost over $200.

Comment on When Did Everything Become Disposable?

SursumCorda — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 14:02:50 -0400

I agree wholeheartedly, Grace. I understand that economics is a complex field, and for absolutely zero persons is life easy, but it's so hard to feel proper sympathy for all the young people (and not-so-young people) at nearly every income level who seem to be living from paycheck to paycheck. And yet they have (and do, and expect) SO VERY MUCH! Living responsibly and frugally was second nature to nearly everyone I knew. Small houses (single-story, two bedrooms for my first 10 years), one car at most, simple meals, almost never at at restaurants (and then Howard Johnson's was considered the height of luxury), packed our own lunches for work and school, my mother made most of my dresses, my father repaired almost anything around the house that needed repairing—you know the drill, I'm sure. Conservation was a given; it wasn't a movement, it was a life.

Comment on When Did Everything Become Disposable?

Grace K — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 11:44:04 -0400

I'm flabbergasted! A child of the Depression, I was brought up to save EVERYTHING. This attitude is beyond my imagination. Aargh!

Comment on When Did Everything Become Disposable?

SursumCorda — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 06:13:09 -0400

I'd call that bizarre, except that I might be able to see the logic. Flawed logic, but still.... Used furniture, especially couches and beds, can bring unwanted tenants with it. I know someone who picked up head lice from a couch, and there are other nasty critters that could come along.

But I don't see how not buying used furniture solves the problem: Will the landlord next require potential tenants to buy all new furniture? To submit to "head checks"? What are you supposed to do, never let anyone else sit on your couch? Never sit on someone else's couch? Not send your children to school?

People are finally talking about the fact that certain problems, such as allergies, autism, and ADHD are so prevalent these day—but where is the acknowledgement of something equally disturbing: the explosion of creepy-crawlies like lice and bedbugs. Back when he was travelling for business, Porter found bedbugs in his fancy Minneapolis hotel! When I was in elementary school, I never knew anyone with head lice; by the time our kids were in elementary school the affliction had become common (and they still had "listening stations" where kids shared headphones!). Back then, they at least warned parents when someone in their child's classroom had lice, and the child was sent home until no longer at risk of spreading the affliction; now, I'm told, that's considered a violation of a child's privacy rights. Would they keep a child with measles in the classroom? Personally, I'd rather live in a society where measles was a common childhood disease and head lice practically unheard of.

Comment on When Did Everything Become Disposable?

Kathy Lewis — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 22:41:35 -0400

The lease I signed for my apartment specifies that I am not allowed to buy any used furniture for the apt. Since this is hardly fancy housing, I suspect that most people ignore it. I was fortunate - I had bought all of the used furniture I needed before this management company took over the place and put that in the leases.

Comment on The Ghost Wing

Joyful — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:28:43 -0400

I can see from the first photo how the rest of the wing could blend in with the sky. But it certainly makes for a fun picture!

Comment on Politics Is Not Always Serious

SursumCorda — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:02:11 -0400

Sadly, he lost the election. I may have to serve pizza for dinner soon in his honor.

Comment on Sign Language in the Museo Galileo

SursumCorda — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 14:21:29 -0400

Purely my speculation, based in part on what I gathered from Janet's experience with Japanese Sign Language, I suspect that one factor the various languages have in common is reliance on expression, motion, and spatial relationships. That may help in a sense similar to the way knowing one Romance language makes it easier to get along in another Romance language.

Comment on Sign Language in the Museo Galileo

Kathy Lewis — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 13:28:59 -0400

There is at least a fair amount of overlap between different sign languages. My Brazilian friend Rosemary in Gambia had learned Brazilian sign language beforehand, and transitioned fairly easily into Gambian sign language.

Comment on When Billboards Are a Pleasure

SursumCorda — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 10:35:39 -0400

Here's one more we saw:
QUALITY, XENIAL, YUM, ZEBRA