chariot


–noun
1. a light, two-wheeled vehicle for one person, usually drawn by two horses and driven from a standing position, used in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, etc., in warfare, racing, hunting, etc.
2. a light, four-wheeled pleasure carriage.–dictionary.com
a pleasure carriage,
click above to see how the usage of that phrase has fared according to Google’s ngram viewer.

Platanus occidentalis


In tree care, there is the notion of the unhealthy unstable tree. Such trees are slated for removal.
This tree was such a tree. It had the anthracnose fungus, so some of its leaves would fall off early. Additionally, it had some dead branches in its crown.
The solution? Take it down.
I know a lot of people that have a bit of dead wood in their crown, androgenic alopecia, dental caries, neuropathy, gray hair, short-term memory loss… This is something we humans call “aging”.
In humans, this process is allowed to go on until something called “death” occurs, usually about half of a lifetime after the onset of the unattractive aging symptoms.
We hold trees to a different standard.

ISO the Baby Jesus


It was a good thing that Mary and Joseph were able to travel with the infant. Thousands of years later, during this season of renewal, there is some thematic veracity to the arrangement. Jesus remains hard to find, must be with M&J in Egypt…
Can you find Him? (easier to find in color). This scene is on Mountain View Street in Charlottesville, VA.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.–Matthew 2:16