Thursday Doors: President James K. Polk’s Birthplace

Since the James K. Polk Site near Charlotte, North Carolina, is only four miles away and offers easy bike access to the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, I go there often.

Here are photos of the doors on the early 1800s style buildings. These aren’t the original Polk family buildings, but they are representative buildings from the area.

There are also guided tours through the buildings and a museum.

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The red stuff would have been clay from the Little Sugar Creek a few hundred feet away, but is now reinforced with a cement of some sort.
A view of the cabin with the main hearth.
A view from the garden.

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Linked to Thursday Doors.

Ritva at Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Ritva at Ritva Sillanmäki Photography

Six Sentence Story: Pop

“After all these years of searching I’ve found nothing – nada – zip – that would explain how there could be life of any sort in any universe,” Brian told his grandchildren, “which makes me wonder what lit the fuse that got us here.”

But didn’t it all just pop out of nothing?

By itself!?

Yeah, we heard it went pippity-pop like pop corn, grandpops.

What in the world do they teach you kids in school these days? Nothing like that could ever happen.

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Denise offers the prompt word “fuse” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Art For Art’s Sake

Dale offers the prompt “art for art’s sake” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.

It occurred to me that most art on display has an ulterior motive even as it pretends to be minding its own business.

These are all up-close photos of large palm branches that fell to the ground.

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Palm branch with spots of light
Wavy palm branch
Another fallen palm branch
The still, small voice inside said, “Take the picture.” But it’s just another palm branch, I replied. Then I got the silent treatment. So, I took the picture. “Don’t forget to post it somewhere.”

Still More Rambling Limericks

Below are four limericks I posted in the comment sections of Esther Chilton’s Laughing Along With a Limerick.

I limit them to four for mental health reasons. However, if you really want more, here’s the first set and here’s the second. And there are many more by many other people on Esther’s site.

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There once was a shiny, bright lad
and a damsel his mom said was bad
and a dragon, much worse . . .
I forget the next verse . . .
but whatever it was, he’s the dad.
Prompt word: “dad” May 12, 2025

May I rent a small tent in your head?
I will lead you and feed you, I said.
I will say what I will
and you will get a fill,
but alive you won’t be till I’m dead.
Prompt word: “rent” May 19, 2025

Weird stuff

There’s a tickety-toc to old clocks.
There’s a warmth when one wears woolen socks.
Every that has a this.
Every love wants a kiss.
Every love that’s untrue merely mocks.
Prompt word: “socks” February 24, 2025

“When you talk you don’t listen,” they said.
So I listened and they talked instead.
Then I listened some more,
though I don’t know what for,
since the words that I heard missed my head.
Prompt word: “talk” May 26, 2025

More weird stuff from the same location

Six Sentence Story: God Wills That All Be Saved

After listening to the song, Saint Augustine in Hell, Gregory asked John, his father confessor, how anyone could imagine that Saint Augustine might be in hell.

Well, Father John explained, Saint Augustine was a saint and God wills all to be saved, so there’s a very good chance that he’s in heaven. But he did teach that only some, not all, of us were predestined to go to heaven – predestined before we were even born so we could not boast that we had anything to do with it, so – if he’s right – he might be one of those unfortunate ones the Lord never knew.

Unable to lace his doubts into a secure knot of preservation with these vague words, Gregory cried, Please, Father John, I’ve got to know!

You, my son, I trust will be in heaven, Father John assured him, because you love God with your whole heart, because you follow where He leads and because God wills that all be saved just as you do, so when you get there ask for Saint Augustine and rejoice when he greets you. If it turns out that you can’t remember his name, then rejoice nonetheless in the Lord.

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Denise offers the prompt word “lace” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 KJV1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

2 Peter 3:9 KJV9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Romans 10:9-13 KJV9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Saint Augustine, On the Predestination of the Saints, Chapter 16: Faith, then, as well in its beginning as in its completion, is God’s gift; and let no one have any doubt whatever, unless he desires to resist the plainest sacred writings, that this gift is given to some, while to some it is not given. But why it is not given to all ought not to disturb the believer, who believes that from one all have gone into a condemnation, which undoubtedly is most righteous; so that even if none were delivered therefrom, there would be no just cause for finding fault with God. Whence it is plain that it is a great grace for many to be delivered, and to acknowledge in those that are not delivered what would be due to themselves; so that he that glories may glory not in his own merits, which he sees to be equalled in those that are condemned, but in the Lord. But why He delivers one rather than another —His judgments are unsearchable, and His ways past finding out. Romans 11:33 For it is better in this case for us to hear or to say, O man, who are you that repliest against God? Romans 9:20 than to dare to speak as if we could know what He has chosen to be kept secret. Since, moreover, He could not will anything unrighteous.

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Wild Flowers

Dale offers the prompt “wild flowers” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.

I went across the street into the park to look for wild flowers, but I couldn’t find any. So I went deep, deep into the woods, that is, I went on a trail I normally wouldn’t take, and found three examples.

Here they are.

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Woodland wild flower
Another wild flower
I am not sure if this is a flower or not, but here it is.