Quote of the Day (Robert Frost, on ‘Bare November Days’)

“Not yesterday I learned to know
     The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
     And they are better for her praise.”— Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963), “My November Guest,” in A Boy's Will (1915)
 
I took this photo in Overpeck Park, not far from where I live in Bergen County, NJ, three years ago this month.

Photo of the Day: Toms Run Nature Reserve, Pittsburgh PA

I took this photo while away for a few days this past week visiting a close relative in Pittsburgh.

People who remember the longtime nickname of Pittsburgh, “The Smoky City,” might have a tough time believing that it can have an area filled with extended wooded areas and streams. 

But that in fact is the case with Toms Run Nature Reserve, which contains 369 acres of maple, oak and American beech trees in an urban forest 10 miles from downtown Pittsburgh in western Allegheny County.

In the spring and fall, you can hear a variety of songbirds, including vireos, warblers, thrushes and sparrows. But, following heavy rain from earlier in the week and plunging temperatures the day of my hike, I found thick mud much more abundant on the three-mile trail loop.

In 1977, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy began to protect the area from development, but the most intensive work took place after the turn of the millennium, continuing through 2018.

TV Quote of the Day (‘Harry O,’ As a Detective Counters a Potential Client’s Suspicions About His Intentions)

Gertrude Blainey [played by Julie Sommars]: “I don't think you're the right detective for me.”

Harry Orwell [played by David Janssen]: “Gertrude, all detectives are immoral. And we all drink alcoholic beverages.”— Harry O, Season 1, Episode 1, “Gertrude,” original air date Sept 12, 1974, teleplay by Howard Rodman, directed by Jerry Thorpe

Spiritual Quote of the Day (Christian Wiman, on Darkness)

“Darkness starts inside of things
but keeps on going when the things are gone.” —American poet, translator, editor, and essayist Christian Wiman, "Darkness Starts," in Hard Night (2005)

Quote of the Day (John F. Kennedy, With His Last Thanksgiving Day Proclamation)

“Today we give our thanks, most of all, for the ideals of honor and faith we inherit from our forefathers—for the decency of purpose, steadfastness of resolve and strength of will, for the courage and the humility, which they possessed and which we must seek every day to emulate. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”—John F. Kennedy, 35^th President of the United States (1917-1963), “Proclamation 3560—Thanksgiving Day, 1963,” issued Nov. 5, 1963

Quote of the Day (Richard Feynman, on Why You Should ‘Fall in Love With Some Activity, and Do It!’)

“Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn't matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough. Work as hard and as much as you want to on the things you like to do the best. Don't think about what you want to be, but what you want to do. Keep up some kind of a minimum with other things so that society doesn't stop you from doing anything at all.”— Nobel Prize-winning American physicist Richard Feynman (1918–1988), Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character (1985)

Quote of the Day (Ricky Gervais, on Keeping Opinions to Oneself)

“On Twitter, people sometimes say, ‘Why don’t you keep your opinions to yourself?’ I go, ‘You’re following me. I didn’t tweet at you.’ That’s like going to a notice board in the middle of town, seeing a sign for guitar lessons, and yelling, ‘I DON’T WANT guitar lessons!’ Well, it wasn’t for you.”—Comic Ricky Gervais quoted by Nick Marino, “The Only Real Offense Is Not Being Offensive,” GQ, Mar. 29, 2016

The image accompanying this post, of Ricky Gervais at Comedy Central's "Night of Too Many Stars," was taken Oct. 2, 2010 by Thomas Atilla Lewis at https://www.flickr.com/people/51761894@N00.