Quote from Edith Wharton: IN SPITE OF ILLNESS, IN SPITE EVEN OF THE ARCHENEMY SORROW,ONE CAN REMAIN ALIVE LONG PAST THE USUAL DATE OF DISINTEGRATION IF ONE IS UNAFRAID OF CHANGE, INSATIABLE IN INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY, INTERESTED IN BIG THINGS, AND HAPPY IN SMALL WAYS.

What I LEARNED today was INSPIRING:

The first thing I learned today is this wonderful quote. My niece Jane, from Knapp, Wisconsin, sent it to me. She described it as "a quote that I especially love." I'm inspired by all four phrases but my two favorites would be "insatiable in intellectual curiosity" and "happy in small ways." Being curious keeps me engaged in asking questions and doing research to find answers. I like to find out the who, what, when, where, why and how of things. And being happy in small ways is the way to a less stressful life. Many people I know are so negative about the smallest and dumbest things. They are not fun peole to be around. They don't seem to appreciate the many small bessings in life.

And being a curious person I wanted to learn about Edith Wharton, the author of the quote. I had heard of her but that was about it. Edith was born in New York City in 1862 and died 1937. She is considered one of the most distinguished writers of the late 19th and early 20th century. Her themes focused on the the narrow and limited customs, rules, and manners and inevitable decline of the established upper-class society of New York City during the late 19th and 20th centuries. She wrote THE AGE OF INNOCENCE in 1920. It was her most famous novel - it won the Pulitzer Prize. (Grolier Encyc.)

HUMOR for today: This is a news bulletin from Duluth. I must report the tragic news that OLE was SHOT. He was up by the Canadian border on his 4 wheeler cutting some trees when some rangers looking for terrorists spotted him. According to the news reports, the Rangers shouted to him over a loudspeaker,
"Who are you and what are you doing?

OLE shouted back, "OLE .. BIN LOGGIN."

OLE is survived by his wife LENA and good friend SVEN.