Thank you, PBS.
As summer slowly fades, children board school buses again, and the leaves start to turn, a robot named Curiosity roams about a planet known in my own childhood through science fiction and encyclopedias.
I was thinking about Curiosity, wondering who named it, curious myself about life and all its wonders. As I thought about my little life here on the Cutoff, with its herd of deer, soaring hawk, trotting horses that disappear into the forest – and Midnight, the cat – Fred Rogers appeared on my television screen.
Go ahead. Click on.
Snap your fingers.
Be curious.
This is just beautiful. It touched my heart. Then I played it to the family. It is indeed good to be curious.
That is so nice to hear, Kate. Mr. Rogers was on our public television for several decades entertaining children in the softest, most meaningful of ways. I miss him.
Penny, I loved Mr. Rogers when I was little. Even more than Sesame Street. I should attribute some of my curiosity about the world to him. And, that braided rug………so much like the one I wrote about today. Thanks for the great memories.
You are so welcome, Andra. He was such a kind, thoughtful man that made the world seem safe for awhile and he did inspire curiousity and wonder. His show wasn’t broadcast until I was grown up, but, I watched him all the time with our girls, and sometimes just by myself.
Well Penny, you always help things grow in the garden of my mind and for that I am so grateful. Curiosity makes the world such a better place.
That is so nice of you to say, Marilyn. Thank you. Curiosity does make the world a better place. I agree.
Oh Penny.. yes I was curious.. and I did enjoy your post! I think you have tapped into what spins the universe… creativity! The little robot called Curious certainly makes me think.. about Mars.. and what is possible…
I’m so please you did, Joan. You are so right about that – what is possible. We needs these great and curious people that think outside of the box, don’t we?
What a lovely way to begin a new week! I loved watching Mr. Rogers with my children and I don’t think there’s been anyone quite like him! He was an original. I love it when my granddaughters express curiosity about how something works, or which animals are nocturnal or any number of things. Recently it’s been which snakes are poisonous…very funny since they don’t really have much exposure to snakes. I love to foster their curiosity, and it’s often fun to discover that their questions open me up to learning, too. I often don’t have answers for them and we do a little study. When I was their age I had to go to the library to learn something new, and now we can often just Google it!
A great post, Penny. I do value curiosity in myself and others! 
Debra
I am so thrilled to hear you say that, Debra. Thank you. Fred Rogers was a very special soul, wasn’t he? I must confess to watching him at times even after our girls grew up. After Mr. Rogers passed away, Tom gave me a little book of his quotations for a gift. I treasure it. Don’t you just love those little minds, soaking up everything they see and hear like sponges? It is such grand fun to nurture that curiosity in our grandchildren, isn’t it?
Oh, Debra, how I remember writing notes on what to look up in the library. I recall when our local library instituted a call- in- line for questions. You called, left the question, and they would call you back with the answer. They only did it when the library was closed and you needed to give your address (only cardholders could use it). I called once for my nephew and was sure I would be arrested by the library police. Fated to be locked in the stacks. It seemed so innovative then and now we have Google at our fingertips.
So sweet and a reminder of an innocent time not all that long ago…I am just afraid that with all the electronics and games even the littlest kids have now that they’re missing out on ‘the gardens of their minds.”
I share that same concern, Sallie. Between electronics and our penchant for testing, testing, testing, I fear we may have a lost generation of non-readers who aren’t curious and don’t know how to seek knowledge. Let’s hope that they will, indeed, discover the gardens of their minds.
I miss Mr. Rodgers, what a cute clip. I just gave away, a box of tapes with that same player/recorder to Goodwill. We had fun taping the kids when they were small and let them listen to themselves and wonder what they were thinking in the gardens of their minds. You bring back such good memories…Thanks Penny.
Aw, Sharon, that is so nice of you to say. Isn’t it a good clip? I actually saw it on one of the prime stations and when I first saw it I just smiled. Mr. Rogers would look right at me and say he liked me just the way I was – and I was 35 at the time. I’m sure we have with a similar tape player around here as well.
You are welcome.
Dear Penny, first I’d like to thank you for checking up on me last week. I’m feeling so much better now, still just a little tired, but ready to take up “the reins” of life’s journey and to enter the garden of my mind once again. Mr. Rodgers was such a special human being. He was a gift to all of us and to at least two generations of children who grew up on his wisdom and serenity and his acceptance of possibilities among all human beings. Thank you for the “re-mix” which gave us the essence of the man. I am so grateful that his shows and wisdom live on through the Internet.
I went back and read all your postings that I’d missed in the past ten days. So many things you are curious about–the black cat, ice cream, movies, books, gardens, sleep, and simply the mystery of living a good life. Thank you for sharing with us the fruits of your own curiosity. You are I think like what a daughter to Mr. Rogers would be. Peace.
No need for thanks, Dee, that’s what friends do, but I do appreciate you saying so. I’m so relieved that you are okay and on the mend. Take it slow, Dee.
As to Mr. Rogers, you say it so well. He was special and, indeed, a gift to all. Tom gave me a lovely little book of Fred Roger’s quotes a few years ago. It is a treasure trove of wisdom, knowledge, and kindness. I saw the re-mix on one of our PBS stations here and just had to find it. Google does it again.
Thank you. It is always my pleasure to share what I have and I am humbled by your generous words. I’m touched beyond measure, Dee.
Oh, Curiosity and Mr. Rogers, what a great combination!. I also wondered who gave the robot the name Curiosity. It is so appropriate.
Mr. Rogers was a wonderful example for children. He taught them not only to think but to do or try what they thought about. He seemed to have childlike curiosity himself. He would pick up a whistle and try it out just like a child would. He would see something and wonder out loud what he could make from it. He seemed to have such a quiet, gentle spirit. He was a gentleman that taught children by his good example. Thank you so much for sharing that video.
It is appropriate, isn’t it? Curiosity. Just the right name for the time we live in and for the mission at hand.
He was such a remarkable man, I agree, and such an example of how to BE. You put it so well here, Janet. I would watch Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood with the girls, and then I would watch it when they were in school by myself. I know you will understand that.
You are welcome, Janet. It was too good not to share.