Sadie Supervising Her Feeding

Posted on November 13, 2017 by russtowne

Our black Lab Sadie is supervising our grandson Thomas as he prepares to feed her. Everyone contributes in our home. Sadie kept a watchful eye as Thomas got into his work digging deep to get the last of the food in the bin.

With Love,

Russ

Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments

A Girl and Her Horse

Posted on November 13, 2017 by russtowne

Our granddaughter Riley recently experienced her first “horse” ride. Thomas used to love riding it until he outgrew it, but he was gracious when Riley got big enough to ride it. He and my Beloved shared in Riley’s delight at her first horse ride.

The walls to the left and in the background show signs of our partially-finished home addition and remodel.

With Love,

Russ

Posted in Family, Family Fun, Grandparenting & Grandkids, Uncategorized | Tagged Family, fun, Grandchildren | 13 Comments

Today’s Quote

Posted on November 11, 2017 by russtowne

With my slow growth rate I should last a very long time! I like Mark Lanesbury’s comment about self-love, that it can take a lifetime, but what a beautiful bond!

With Love,
Russ

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Thank You

Posted on November 10, 2017 by russtowne

Thank you to all who put themselves in harm’s way to protect others, and thank you to their families for the sacrifices made so others can remain safe and free.

With Love from a Grateful Man,

Russ

Posted in Courage, sacrifice, service, Uncategorized | Tagged courage, freedom, military, sacrifice, service | 1 Comment

Sometimes I Just Can’t Help Myself

Posted on November 9, 2017 by russtowne

Did you hear about the new product that combines Cheez Whiz and clarified butter?

They’re calling it “Ghee Whiz.”

With Love, and tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Russ

Posted in Humor, Puns, Uncategorized | Tagged humor, Puns | 3 Comments

Gifts and Choices

Posted on November 9, 2017 by russtowne

I just read excerpts from a speech given by Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame that I really liked. The next two paragraphs were my favorite part of the article by Ruth Umoh at CNBC.com:

Bezos told the Princeton grads that there is a difference between using gifts, such as intelligence, and making choices in life. “Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice,” said Bezos. Although being smart comes in handy, kindness is invaluable to achieving your career goals, he says.

He left the graduates with these final thoughts: “Gifts are easy — they’re given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Gifts and Choices

With Love,

Russ

Posted in Choices, Kindness, Uncategorized | Tagged Bezos, CNBC.com, kindness, Princeton, Ruth Umoh | 2 Comments

Life in a Colorless World

Posted on November 9, 2017 by russtowne

The scenes above are from my latest children’s picture book project, Mysti Z’s Magical Day. They depict the moment after a mysterious fog has drained all the color from where Mysti and her friend were playing. Everyone is shocked and panicked.

I just realized that the book is the opposite of the film The Wizard of Oz. The film starts in black and white and then color explodes into view when Dorothy opens the door and sees the land of Oz. In my book, the world is full of color and fades to back and white.

Can Mysti save the day and bring color back into the world? I wouldn’t bet against the resourceful zebracorn!

With Love,

Russ

Posted in children's books, Children's Picture Books, Project Updates for Children's Stories/Poems I Wrote, Uncategorized | Tagged books, children's picture, color, Mysti Z's Magical Day, Wizard of Oz | 9 Comments

It’s Not a Scary Medical Scan, It’s an Adventure!

Posted on November 8, 2017 by russtowne

An Adventure

I’m delighted to see this initiative to help ease the fears of young children when getting a medical scan in the big scary, noisy, machines. Way to go, GE! Thank you for sharing the article, Leo at Not All News is Bad.

With Love,

Russ

Posted in Children, Fear, good news, Uncategorized | Tagged children, GE, Leo, medical sacns, Nor All News is Bad | 2 Comments

7 Unexpected Benefits of Being a Bookworm

Posted on November 5, 2017 by russtowne

Nice to know! I like to visit other worlds and times, experience amazing adventures, explore things larger than myself, and discover aspects of myself that had remained hidden to me until I found them in a book.
With Love,
Russ