Various

 I drove by the local firehouse on the way back from a walking today in the woods. The firemen ( and one woman...in France, Firemen are called "Pompier"). They were rolling up hoses close to a firetruck. A little boy, maybe 5 or so, with his mother, were approaching as they just had to be walking past....The boys face said it all...the mother was leaning over talking to him with a big smile...maybe explaining what they were doing...I could feel the tension of the pure joy this boy was feeling...like his toy came to life and he was about to meet real firmen and see the hoses and the truck...you just know the firemen would give him a big welcome show...I thought, because of this, in the future this boy would become a Pompier after this experience.

I am guessing that most people just drove by and saw none of this...but I am glad my eyes and heart are sharp to pick up a beautiful little vignette like this.

My physical therapist is Romanian.  She is the sweetest person...in her 30's...2 children and one newly on the way. I took an instant like to her. She speaks english so we talk about lots of stuff. I see her to help me with jaw/neck/ pain. I am interested in Romania and its history. It is on the northern side of the black sea.

She does not know all that much. She was born in 88 and the government fell in 89. I remember this well. She told me that her mother told her that they were afforded 1/2 a loaf of bread a day but that her mother was a baker and she could trade for things...I believe she has a very shallow understanding as she was probably protected from how severe it was. I asked her a bunch of questions that she said she would ask her mother, that is still in Romania. I know that there are many poor people from Romania that are called "Roma" that beg on the streets...

She told me that when she and her husband moved to France, they bought an apartment. They asked a local priest to come by and bless the apartment. It is a tradition for them and she was worried about the price as in Romania...everything you do related to the church is taxed to the teeth...They are a Greek Orthodox country....like 90%...I understand that the people are bleeded dry. I need to do more research.   This is their new cathedral in Bucharest that she told me about.

I just bought this beautiful pin from Etsy....It is Ceres.

I love anything Greek or Roman.