Street Signs

June 17

I am thankful for street signs. They tell you where you are and where you need to go. Without them and road maps, many of us would wander around aimlessly trying to find our way in unfamiliar places.  

This is the street sign at the corner of North Blvd and Lafayette Street in downtown Baton Rouge. The Shaw Center for the Arts is in the background.

street signs

street signs

tell us where we are

street signs

direct us in our car

but what do we do

when we see the ominous signs

the corner of fire and brimstone streets

me, i’m calling in my life lines.

© rt tulley

Brick and Mortar

June 16

I am thankful for brick and mortar. The name brick and mortar refers to a company that has a physical presence, rather than, say, a virtual presence. Although I enjoy ordering things on the internet, it is nice to walk into a store or business and actually see the items that you are interested in. The metaphor that brick and mortar represents are actual physical things, rather than just thought and dreams. On this Father's Day, we fathers should always remember that being a father is about "brick and mortar", not about wishes and dreams, but about work and substance. In other words, we need to put in the time it takes to build a great product, that of a wonderful son or daughter.

This is a photo of the side of the old arsenal on the Louisiana state capitol grounds. The arsenal was also featured in this blog on arsenals (May 25).

I want to wish everyone a happy Father's Day today. I have already posted about what my father meant to me growing up and in my adult years. Being a father has blessed my life immensely. To be a part of your children's lives makes all the work well worth it. And to see them grow into adults that you are proud of makes it even better. Thank you Beth and John!

brick and mortar

brick and mortar

solid ground

brick and mortar

home i’ve found

virtual reality

no true reality for me

in cyberspace

i will not a cybernaut be.

© rt tulley

Nails

June 15

I am thankful for nails. As someone who enjoys sometimes building wooden things, nails are a necessity. Nails bind and hold and allow us to build furniture, buildings, and fences.

This is a photo of the old jail at the LSU Rural Life Museum showing the nails that were used to build this structure. The jail was also featured in my April 29 photo of the day blog on security. These are antique nails, being made sometime before 1850.

nails

nails are good for building

many a wooden piece

but only with the proper supplies

does the potential increase

for nails without a hammer

would pretty useless be

and if there was naught for wood

it would be frivolity.

© rt tulley