August 22, 2025 a thought for today, He who seeks finds everywhere. Lithuanian Proverb 

The first upload for the 21st was another of the “my choice” and another of my series of “flat lay”. This flat lay is a few sheet of some of the art work two of my great grand children worked on as there was work going on the new deck. 

The next upload was “picnic”. I haven’t been on a picnic in a long time so I dipped back in my archives or this one. 

The last up load for yesterday was “feels like home”. As I am sitting at my desk and swing around this is my view.

Life today. My house is alive again today. The twins came last night for a sleep over and spend today with us. So there is movement and activity. There is youth, there is spring in things. There is also clean up and food choices. It is a sort of renewal or at least renewal of memories for eighty plus year olds. A breath of air and a sigh of relief. It’s good any time we can have our young people here for a visit. Sue and I are usually completely worn out when they leave but there is a warm glow to bask in as we rest and recover.

I was up a little early. The plan was to meet Dorothy at church to finish the newsletter. The last two months were too difficult to finish the newsletter at church because of the heat. But today is near perfect. She and Dennis came just a few minutes after I got there to unlock and shut off the alarm. Dorothy and I were able to catch up on the going ons in our lives and reminisce some of the past. We enjoy these short monthly meet ups. 

The first upload for today is “something I’m looking forward to”. This is one of my new “window gardens”. This one is on the fencing on the new deck. It is late in the season to be planting seeds but I just got this basket for the new fence. These seeds most likely won’t have time to bloom before the cold weather get here but I will be able to enjoy their greenery. They are johnny jump up seed and geraniums. 

I was eager to get home to spend a little time with the twins before it was time for them to go home.  I get to talk to them off and on between their cell phone time attention. Sue took them out shopping so I had time to make Sweet Peas next two weeks meals and water the plants, especially those in the full sun. 

Then it was back to the computer and to this letter. I was running so late yesterday that I didn’t get the blog uploaded for yesterday so I snuck that in as soon as I got home. I also had to set up two of the photos I needed for today. I have always been most interested in spontaneous photos for the “real life” and moments in time captures. But I am enjoying a touch of some other styles here and there too, such as flat lays and still lifes.

The next upload for today is “hard work”. This is another one from the archives. I am not in a position to see this kind of “hard work” going on to much lately. 

The word today is final.  The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul. Johann Sebastian Bach.  Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art. Frederic Chopin.  The roaring thunder of the law and the fear of the terror of judgment are both used to bring us to Christ, but the final victory culminating in our salvation is won through God's loving-kindness. Charles Spurgeon. A God without dominion, providence, and final causes, is nothing else but fate and nature. Alexander Pope.  Whatever may be his true and final destination, there is a spirit within him at enmity with nothingness and dissolution. This is the character of all life and being. Percy Bysshe Shelley.  The kind of man who always thinks that he is right, that his opinions, his pronouncements, are the final word, when once exposed shows nothing there. But a wise man has much to learn without a loss of dignity. Sophocles.  You have been the last dream of my soul. Charles Dickens. 

The last upload for today is “my choice” and one of my series of “flat lay”. I had the ground beef out to thaw and a bag of potato chips for the twins along with grapes for their snacks. So I put them together for a “food” type lay out.  

Article: This being summer time it is traditionally a time for vacations or maybe a day or week-end trip. Here is another suggestion of things to see and experience right here in Ohio. The title is “Hit The Water: Ohio’s New Lake Erie To Ohio River Trail”. I liked the first sentence, “waterways have been shaping the state’s history for hundreds of years”. It went on to say that they moved people as well as “goods” and ideas. They also build towns and “inspired inventors”.  Now we in Ohio are “celebrating that history with a new driving trail”. This trails lines take you to the historic water spots. It is called the Lake Erie to Ohio River Trail and offers 150 of this sites across the state “from Toledo’s National Museum of the Great Lakes all the way down to the Valley Gem Sternwheeler in Marietta”. The stops at these sights show “preserved towpath”, scenic overlooks, and communities that still thrives”. The author mentioned that it is like “stepping back in time”. Those visiting these communities will see that it is like “seeing how central they were—and still are—to life in Ohio.”  This layout of the Lake Erie To Ohio River Trail includes seven categories which cover, boat rides and ferries, lighthouses, museums, canal museums, natural areas, and historic sites. The natural areas and overlooks cover aquatic science and research sites. One of the historic places is a “1925 lake freighter docked in downtown Cleveland”. Along the way is the states longest natural beach, at Headlands Beach State Park in Mentor. This project, the Lake Erie to Ohio River Trail, “is the third of six experiential driving trails planned by America 250-Ohio, which is organizing the state’s celebrations for the U.S. semiquincentennial in 2026". There have been other trails one of which was the  Ohio Air & Space Trail and another planed was focused on the Ohio Creativity Trail, highlighting Ohio’s writers, artists, and musicians. There’s more to come, too. Future trails will celebrate Ohio inventors, transportation, and leadership, including stops connected to U.S. presidents. The trails are just one piece of the semiquincentennial celebration. Ohioans can also look forward to themed monthly celebrations”. 

I think I have a chicken pot pie in the freezer for dinner. 

Joy

                            our town

August 20, 2025 a thought for today, Sharp acids corrode their own containers. Albanian Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was “my choice” another of my “flat lay” series. This is just a few of my hobby/craft tools. 

The second upload yesterday was “on the wall”. This is on one of the
“outside walls” of the McDonalds that I frequent. 

Next upload was “world day in pictures...my choice”. This is just another day of work on the roads. 

Life today. What a day this has been. It started out a little shaky but manageable. then one thing happened after another. I learned at the meeting I attended last night that a couple of changes needed to be made on the newsletter. So after my morning wifi checks I got started on the changes. After that was done I started on the searches I do for  information I want to include in the letter. 

I spent time getting the birthday cards done, envelopes done for tomorrow and the activity sheets for the kids that I sent each week. 

The first upload for today is “pattern”. This is the pattern on one of my friend’s shirts. I like the curvy line and shapes. 

Brian sent me a test saying he was on his way to do my lawn. I usually get involved in rather lengthy conversations with him and wasn’t conversationally  prepared for that today. But hey, the lawn needed done and he was handy and good enough to do a couple of other small fixes. 

Sue passed through saying that she was on her way to visit the twins. She told me they were coming to spend the night tonight. I was expecting that on Saturday not through the week thinking they were in school. 

After a few breaks in my work patterns my neighbor stopped and wanted to know if some roofers who were going to be working on her house could park a trash container in my driveway for a few hours tomorrow. I said sure but I have to get my car out before that so I can get to church.

The next upload today is “symmetry”. This is one of the doors at my church. It is perfect for this subject, symmetry. 

For a couple of days now my face book page has been coming up in a foreign language. I can get it to change to English some of the time but it mostly happens again when I shut down and then restart.  I depend on face book for my photos and for some church things. So I was researching for how I might be able to fix that

Lowell stopped by to see if a package he had ordered had been delivered so we had time for a quick chat. 

It was by then to get ready for food pantry. Yesterday was a really busy day,  today on the flip side. 

The next upload for today is “my choice” and yet another of my “flat lay”. This on is also from my church. It is part of the refreshments set ups that we offer our visitors at food pantry. 

The word for today is few. Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. William Shakespeare.  Few people have the wisdom to prefer the criticism that would do them good, to the praise that deceives them. Francois de La Rochefoucauld.  Do not talk a little on many subjects, but much on a few. Pythagoras.  He that leaveth nothing to chance will do few things ill, but he will do very few things. George Savile.  Few, save the poor, feel for the poor. Letitia Elizabeth Landon.  Can anything be so elegant as to have few wants, and to serve them one's self? Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Hope is the best possession. None are completely wretched but those who are without hope. Few are reduced so low as that. William Hazlitt.  Few men would dare to read their own autobiography if all their deeds were recorded in it; few can look back upon their entire career without a blush. Charles Spurgeon.  Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood. William Penn.  True happiness arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one's self, and in the next, from the friendship and conversation of a few select companions. Joseph Addison.  The great city is that which has the greatest man or woman: if it be a few ragged huts, it is still the greatest city in the whole world. Walt Whitman.  All wish to possess knowledge, but few, comparatively speaking, are willing to pay the price. Juvenal.  One merit of poetry few persons will deny: it says more and in fewer words than prose. Voltaire.

The last upload for yesterdays was another of the one that I have from a club that has four photo a day each month. This one is “macro in nature”. It is another image of one of my resurrection lilies. 

Article: This looks like it might be another interesting place for a visit especially if you are interested in art and its surroundings. The title is “Free and Fantastic: Why You Need to Visit the Ohio Craft Museum”. In the opening paragraph it is mentioned that this “museum” might just be Columbus’ best-kept secret for art lovers and craft enthusiasts alike”. It is a space that “celebrates contemporary craft and the incredible work of Ohio artisans”. There is even a chance for hands-on experience. It was started in 1963 by the Ohio Designer Craftsmen organization. The museum building itself was opened in 1992. I read that there are five major exhibitions each year. There are also “focus exhibits” and some rotating displays. Some of the art pieces are hand-blown glass, some are ceramics. There are other kinds like hand carved wood as well as textiles, jewelry and paper art. Art classes are offered along with workshops for all ages. There are many art pieces available in the gift shop. The item selections in the gift shop are rotated so the displays may be changed frequently. It is my understanding that there are summer camps offered also. It was closed recently for upgrades and improvements. The article mentions that it is a place to discover creativity.

Out of the freezer for dinner. 

Joy

 August 18, 2025 a thought for today, Hard heads suffer much. Albanian Proverb

An upload for yesterday was “your best flower or plant image”. I have a lot of those, many are “favorites”. I took this one yesterday. It is one from one of my newly established “senior” window gardens. It has been the most productive plant in the boxes this spring/summer. 

The next upload was “day”. I didn’t know quite what to do to “show” this definition. Looking down the street on a quiet summer “day” this is what I see. 

The last upload for yesterday was “looking up”. I have several of these type images. My mood was to choose this one today. 

Life today. This is one of those days time ran away with me. Not to worry though I got a lot accomplished between phone calls, most of which were robo calls, and spills in the kitchen, just had to grin and bear it along with taking deep breaths. 

I got the bulletin done and out. I set up there photos and “developed” in the Photoshop “darkroom”. I worked on the photos for the Sunday School upload to Instagram and Facebook. 

The first upload for today is “something green”. This is a close up of a couple of the leaves on my fig tree. This has a story as many of us have with things around our homes. One of Bob’s friends had one of these trees in his office. It was so big and impressive it almost touched the ceiling at the Toyota sales where Bob worked. I was of enamored by it that I bought one. This is a baby compared to that one. 

I took one break so Swifter the powder room floor and clean out the sink. Since I didn’t go out today I even had to take time to prepare my own lunch, poor me. My enjoyed a spam, SLT. It was good. Then there was watering the “gardens”. 

I hope I am not bragging to soon, but I think I even got the newsletter done. I will wait for the final outcome on that one though. There may be another entry or two. I may send it out tomorrow before food pantry for some reviews. 

Now I have to go bring up the recycle can and water some plants. 

The second upload for today is “my choice”. This is one in a series of “flat lays”. This is some off my wooden kitchen utensils. 

The word today is felt. Then stirs the feeling infinite, so felt In solitude, where we are least alone. Lord Byron.  The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. Samuel Johnson.  He piled upon the whale's white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it. Herman Melville.  I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death. John Wesley.  As a small child, I felt in my heart two contradictory feelings, the horror of life and the ecstasy of life. Charles Baudelaire.  Seek ye first the good things of the mind, and the rest will either be supplied or its loss will not be felt. Francis Bacon.  In the little world in which children have their existence, whosoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice. Charles Dickens.  I was living an extremely burdensome life, because every time I prayed, I became more clearly aware of my faults. On the one hand, God was calling me. On the other, I was following the way of the world. Doing what God wanted made me happy; but I felt bound by the things of this world. Saint Teresa of Avila.  

The last upload for today is “on the floor”. This one was a plain, simple and quick choice for me. My wooden floor with a corner of one of the throw rugs. 

Article: This may be another place to visit in Ohio and more to see there than just the sand dunes. The title is “Explore Ohio’s Hidden Sand Dunes At Oak Openings Preserve”. This is a 5,000 acre metro park in the Toledo area. There are “ecosystems” like wetlands to sand dunes. The sand dunes are “towering dunes like those at the Great Sand Dunes National Park”. They are unique in that they are in a landscape of prairie woodland trees. You can see “prickly-pear cactus” along with orchids in the wetter areas. As you hike you may discover animal tracks. There are benches for resting along the way. The article mentions that you can “step back in time” here. It is noted that “pioneers named the area for its widely spaced oak trees that made travel easier compared to the dense Great Black Swamp they had to traverse to get there”. It is mentioned that the oaks are still standing as a “living link to the past”. There is a place there called the Treehouse Village. There are treehouse with “cozy one-room retreats to multi-level structures that can accommodate larger groups”. There are “elevated walkways with rope bridges” that connect the treehouses.  This park not only has the dunes and the tree houses it is also “paradise” for wildlife. The article says there are trails for “every adventurer”. There are 70 miles of trials. There is hiking, biking and horseback riding. Among all of that already mentioned there are ski trails along with the mountain bike trail. The article ends saying “a place where nature, history, and adventure come together”.

I am having Welsh rarebit again tonight. It’s good!

Joy 

                         statehouse

 August 16, 2025 a thought for today, Hunger increases the understanding. Lithuanian Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was “my choice” and another of my black and white series. It is a collection Sue and I have of memorabilia along with some of the few books I have on my shelves.

The next upload is “dancing”. I don’t have any images, even in my archives, of actual dancing. This is about as close to that as I could get, the twins and Gideon on the backyard trampoline.

The next upload is “soft focus”. As I was generating this image I ended with an sport of color also.  

The last images upload is one of the groups where I have four photos a day a
month. This one is “primary” colors. Since I couldn’t find a item around the house with only the three primary colors together I generated this one the a shredder and some construction paper. 

Life today. Matt has come to put some lattice at the end of the new deck. He brought Drew and Lexie.  It is beginning to get hot outside so I came in to get in the air conditioning for a little while. 

Before they got here I was able to get the letter started and the photo shot and formatted. I also had time to put some time in on the newsletter

The first upload for today is “blue”. This is one of the patio chairs on the porch across from my porch swing. It was Bob’s favorite spot in the evenings after dinner for a short while. 

I don’t have much on the agenda for today. I wanted to spend some time with them. There was one problem so I came in for a while. I had to go out for a while then come back in to get cool. It’s is in the 90s now and still going up. 

I think I heard that the rest of the summer is suppose to be more at a “normal” temperature instead of all of this heat. Autumn isn’t far off. The kids have or are going back to school, that is one of the signs for cooler weather on the way.

The next upload for today is “a doorway”. Sweet Pea loves to look out the door without the blinds on it. I don’t leave this door open often due to the AC running so she grabs every change she gets even when I set up for a photo pose.

The word today is fellow.  We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men. Herman Melville .  If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men. Francis of Assisi.  No man has any natural authority over his fellow men. Jean-Jacques Rousseau.  Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live. Marcus Aurelius.  It is the true duty of every man to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures to the utmost of his power. William Wilberforce.  Off with you! You're a happy fellow, for you'll give happiness and joy to many other people. There is nothing better or greater than that! Ludwig van Beethoven.  An artist needn't be a clergyman or a churchwarden, but he certainly must have a warm heart for his fellow men. Vincent Van Gogh.  The smallest pain in our little finger gives us more concern than the destruction of millions of our fellow beings. William Hazlitt. 

The last challenge upload for today is “atmospheric (feelings an image evokes). I came upon these geese sitting very close to the mall parking lot and likes their pick for a morning stroll. I added a light filter to soften the affect. 

Article: There has been a lot of home schooling in my family over the years. I am wondering how AI will work in that genre. The article title is “Kids need soft skills in the age of AI, but what does this mean for schools?” It begins by wondering if “certain white collar jobs” will still be needed, jobs as “creative and analytic workers, such as computer programmers, or support as many entry-level knowledge economy jobs” which may include K - 12 teachers. The teachers who have always prepared “students for white-collar work”. This author relates that with all of the amazing things AI can do it “has a harder time handling complicated reasoning tasks, much less complex problems whose answers depend on many unknowns” and “no understanding of how humans think and feel”. It is referring to “soft skills” – attributes that allow people to interact well with others and to be attuned their own emotional states”. Further explaining that personality traits can be taught, such as emotional awareness.  An example would be the teacher asking the student about helping someone or someone who was kind then ask what their feeling was about the event, expressing their emotional response that is in their control. This helps them “manage frustration” and how to work with others. The article suggests that “making slow things fast, AI undermines learning, because effort is needed to learn hard things”. It is mentioned that seeing “the classroom as a place where basic skills are learned slowly” and “alongside other students” can be a necessary way for young people to learn and retain knowledge. I see that “the skills that underpin modern technology, such as math and reading, will likely continue to matter” is an important part of the thinking as well as the “interpersonal skills that make us distinctly human”.

Meat loaf and potato salad for dinner. 

Joy

                              home....school

 August 14, 2025 a thought for today, Other trees, other woodcutters. Lithuanian Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was “something that’s changing” this is one of the window box plants that is in nature’s forever changing path. This on has reached the stage of returning to earth. 

The next upload is “beauty”. Some say it is a weed, I say it is a flower. Weed or

flower it is of nature’s beauty.

The last upload is “my choice” and is one of my series of black and white images. It is the cousin to the above image. 

Life today. It’s that day again.....Thursday and all it holds for me. I think I would miss going to church on Thursday. There is no formal sermon but there is a quiet and personal one as I walk through the darkened sanctuary. The only light is the colored reflections from the stained glass. The silence is relaxing to the point of complete freedom. It’s unique not an everyday, every person event. There is only one other spirit in the same space. 

The computer booted up much faster today. It only took about ten minutes. I have no idea what happened. Maybe the times that it was soooo slow the disk was skipping or running into a block of some sort. Maybe we should run CHKDSK. Though it scanned and booted ok today. I was done in about forty-five minutes. One other problem though, my phone was not connecting with the copier. It told me the copier was not available at the time. Last week it worked perfectly. This problem may have been a problem with wifi which is not unusual. 

The first image challenge and upload today is “collection”. It is a collection of photos of my family.

I dropped off the mail, made the usual stop at McDonalds and wandered for a few photos. The only other collections I have is of plants.

Once at home, back to the computer with some breaks mostly to work with my “gardens”. I now have four “window” planters, two on the new railing. I didn’t want to put out more money for plants for the fourth garden so I found the seeds I had put back for next spring, johnny jump up and geranium with a little Osmocote snack. Another break to Swifter the powder room and another to start the laundry. Then a couple of more breaks for quick pick ups. 

The next upload for today is “in the kitchen”. This of course is only a portion of my kitchen. I liked the touch of blue. 

The word today is fault  The learner always begins by finding fault, but the scholar sees the positive merit in everything. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.  When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger. Epictetus.  Teach me to feel another's woe, to hide the fault I see, that mercy I to others show, that mercy show to me. Alexander Pope.  To find fault is easy; to do better may be difficult. Plutarch.  O conscience, upright and stainless, how bitter a sting to thee is a little fault! Dante Alighieri. It is no small misfortune and disgrace that, through our own fault, we neither understand our nature nor our origin. Saint Teresa of Avila.  Only nature knows how to justly proportion to the fault the punishment it deserves. Percy Bysshe Shelley. Tomorrow, every Fault is to be amended; but that Tomorrow never comes. Benjamin Franklin.  Never find fault with the absent. Alexander Pope.  Faultless to a fault. Robert Browning.  Quarrels would not last long if the fault was only on one side. Francois de La Rochefoucauld.  

The last upload for today is yet another of “my choice” and another of my “black and white” series. I liked the lines, patterns, shape, textures as well as the shades of gray.

Article: Here is some more about AI. It is a major source of conversation these days. So we can gather as much as we need to make our own decisions and thoughts about it. This title sparked a new thought on the subject for me: “AI is making reading books feel obsolete – and students have a lot to lose”. The author started with mentioning that as AI was becoming into vogue people were already reading a lot less “than they did in the not-so-distant past”. She has a feeling that “AI is accelerating an ongoing shift in the value people place on reading”. The fact that AI allows for a “generated summary” of a plot and key themes and so “undermines people’s motivation to read on their own”. The article went on to mention that CliffsNotes allows for summarizing subject too, then the internet “opened up an array of additional reading shortcuts”. AI can “handle” the reading part of an assignment and “comparing” it with other stories. It can even “generate” questions. The article suggests that it doesn’t allow for you to judge what the relevance is and making connections of ideas. The article goes on to suggest that there are “justifications” to continue to read. Some of those “justifications” are reading for pleasure, reading to reduce stress, reading to learn and grow natural wisdom. It goes on to mention there are “correlations between reading and brain growth in children, happiness, longevity and slowing cognitive decline”. I learned that there has been a study “employing EEG measurements” that “found different brain connectivity patterns when participants enlisted AI to help them write an essay than when writing it on their own”. As the article ended it shared “what makes reading enjoyable – encountering a moving piece of dialogue, relishing a turn of phrase, connecting with a character”.

Chicken pot pie or Welsh rarebit for dinner. 

Joy

                             our Santa Maria

 August 12, 2025 a thought for today, One day teaches the other. Lithuanian Proverb

My first upload for yesterday was “my choice”. It is one of my series of “black and white”. It is one of the chairs next to my desk. And the step stool next to it which is an essential for petite persons. 

The next upload is “cards”. I only have one deck of cards in my house right now. My son, Bob, was a magician and had several. This one I had made using a photo of one of my sister’s paintings. 

The last upload for yesterday was “what I wore”. Is it a sort of staple in my easy living days. A comfortable of slacks, an old scrubs top. I found them very comfortable when I wore them daily oh so many years ago. 

Life today. Yesterday was on the mildly busy side and productive. I got the bulletin completely done and out for review. Then I got a lot of little things on the standing to-do list touched on, there were small but progressive check offs. I didn’t leave the house at all. I was able to get all of my photos shot here. I also got a quick start on the upcoming newsletter. As I was doing the bulletin I was looking up the history of one of the hymns in the bulletin. I liked what I read and the way it was put. I’m not sure but I think it was AI. That doesn’t mean I am all in favor of AI but I think in the right hands and used properly it can work. I want to take some more time to see how it rolls out.

Oh, and while playing around with my camera I found a feature I hadn’t realized was there. It was a surprising “accident” (possibly AI also). I am sure I will be trying it more often. 

The first upload for today “a tiny detail”. This is one of the very first buds on my new miniature rose bush. 

Today is on the mild side too. Brian sent an early message and wanted to know if he could come to do the lawn today. It seems like a perfect day for that so now that is out of the way. 

I did get some multi tasking done. I always have my computer list. I broke away from that a few times. Once to meet with Brian on what I needed done today. Another of the “break aways” was to clear out the sink and load the dish washer. Yesterday I received the window box containers I had ordered so I took a break to set one of them up a few minutes ago. It is now my rose garden. I have three miniature rainbow colored rose bushes. They are so tiny and even have some buds and one full open. They are about this size of a dime when opening and spread to about the size of a nickle.  While I was at it I watered the other two gardens, there will be four, I have one more to set up. I also popped a potato in the oven to bake for dinner. 

I mentioned that I am having the problem with losing a tooth here and there. I have decided I am not going to wear false teeth. They are too expensive especially since I am on a fixed income. They are uncomfortable, I have one bridge so I know the feel. I am at an age where I don’t want to spend any part of my naturally waning days getting use to them. So I am going to wear a mask when I am out and about, not so different from wearing ear rings or head scarves and other “adornments”. I have ordered two that are advertised as meant for Christian gatherings and one in a flesh color. They will become part of my “Sunday go to meetin’” ensemble. 

The next upload is “wild”. For this one I “captured” a rascal week growing beside my garage door. 

The word today is faith.  The only faith that wears well and holds its color in all weathers is that which is woven of conviction and set with the sharp mordant of experience. James Russell Lowell.  Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand. Thomas Aquinas.  Faith embraces many truths which seem to contradict each other. Blaise Pascal.  Fear is the denomination of the Old Testament; belief is the denomination of the New. Benjamin Whichcote.  Faith is different from proof; the latter is human, the former is a Gift from God. Blaise Pascal. God enters by a private door into every individual. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  I live and love in God's peculiar light. Michelangelo.  Our faith comes in moments; our vice is habitual. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all. George Washington.  Patience and Diligence, like faith, remove mountains. William Penn.  The smallest seed of faith is better than the largest fruit of happiness. Henry David Thoreau.  I believe though I do not comprehend, and I hold by faith what I cannot grasp with the mind. Saint Bernard.  Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life. Jonathan Edwards. The way to see by Faith is to shut the Eye of Reason. Benjamin Franklin. 

The last photo challenge upload for today is another “my choice” and another of my “black and white” series. I borrowed the basket from church for a different image in the series but it did pan out so I will return the basket tomorrow. 

Article: There has been a lot of talk about global warming in recent years, I thought this might be informative about the ancient past and how it may relate. The title to the article is “56 million years ago, Earth underwent rapid global warming. Here’s what it did to pollinators”. Pollinators are natures way of fertilizing flowers and not only the ornamental kind. The events of climate change “can cause a mismatch between plants and their pollinators, affecting where they live and what time of year they’re active”. I never thought about it or learned about it that I remember but according to this article 56 million years ago some plants from the tropics “moved” to new areas. They took with them their pollinators. It is noted here that in the last 150 years the carbon dioxide concentrations have increased more than 40 per cent due to human activities. This increase on carbon dioxide has “warmed the planet by more than 1.3°C.” I learned from the article that increases “are not only unprecedented in human history but exceed anything known in the last 2.5 million years”. The “warming event” 56 million years ago was “caused by the release of a gigantic amount of carbon into the atmosphere and ocean. This event is known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum”. Over a period of 5,000 years more carbon appeared in the atmosphere, most likely from “volcanic activity and methane release from ocean sediments”. The atmosphere remained at that “elevated” level of 100,000 years. Over the years studies show that plants and animals and their habitat changed during those time periods. Studies have been conducted to on pollination and its effects over those periods. These studies have shown that “pollination by animals became more common during this interval of elevated temperature and carbon dioxide”. It showed that pollination by wind decreased. So some plants pollinated by the wind are found “in moist northern hemisphere temperate regions today”. Those pollinated by animals were “related to subtropical palms, silk-cotton trees and other plants that typically grow in dry tropical climates”. The climate change 56 million years ago “may have provided invaluable resources to animals such as the earliest primates, small marsupials, and other small mammals”. The 56 million year ago even “altered ecosystems on land and in the sea” though during those changes “land species and ecological interactions seem to have survived”probably in part due to the rate of ”anthropogenic climate change”. One of the studies showed that “in the absence of major extinction, forest ecosystems and their pollinators could reestablish into very similar communities even after a very long period of altered climate”. The article ended by suggesting that “the key for the future may be keeping rates of environmental change slow enough to avoid extinctions.” On my further research comparing 56 million years ago to now: “the global warming today is happening much faster and is largely caused by human-produced emissions from burning fossil fuels”. 

Hamburgers and baked potatoes for dinner. 

Joy 

                      proudly together

 August 10, 2025 a thought for today, No studies are necessary to become a fool. Mexican Proverb

An upload for yesterday was “strong (subject)”. It seems these hibiscus flowers are ‘strong’ both in size and color. 

The next upload is “food”. This is an image of part of my curbside pickup. 

The last upload for yesterday was “cosy corner”. This is my corner for reading before bed time. 

Life today. I had a virtual visit from my grand kids and great grand kids last night. I needed that. Another pick me up was the delivery of my three miniature rose plants, they are truly miniature and they do have thorns. They are for my “senior” window gardens since I can’t work on plants in the yard anymore. 

I have been using the metaphor diaper to diaper lately. As a being new to this world and life is clothed in diapers it seems not so irregular for seniors on the journey to a new and different life come back to the diaper style clothing. I have begun to see that these kinds of happenings may relate to other circumstances such as losing teeth, lessening eye sight not to mention instability in the  exercise of walking. The problem is the lost teeth aren’t replaced with new ones as in the beginning of this adventure called life. It doesn’t look so good when I open my mouth but it feels much better than the last several weeks. I have sadly but naturally reached that stage. After eighty five years of hanging in there it is time to accept the changes and all go that go with it with grace or let go let God. After all it is His will on earth. 

Church attendance has been exceptionally low in the last couple of weeks. But the folks who were there made it cozy, friendly and comfortable. The message was a good one as it always is from Mike. It has a feel of being familiar with the people who lived in the time of the bible. That feels good and makes Christian growth feel it is going in the right direction. This was our donut fellowship Sunday so our gathering was warn and together. 

I made a couple of stops on the way home. The rest of the day will be restore and refresh. Sue wasn’t home when I got here so she must have gone to visit the twins.

My first upload for today is “hands”. Two of my church family ladies allowed me to take a photo of their hands as be all enjoyer our fellowship hour. 

Another upload for today is “back in the day”. This image is one I took over twenty years ago. It was one of the times my son came home from a deployment. 

The word today is fact.  When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right. Victor Hugo.  I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor. Henry David Thoreau.  Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact. George Eliot.  Society cannot exist without law. Law is the bond of society: that which makes it, that which preserves it and keeps it together. It is, in fact, the essence of civil society. Joseph P. Bradley.  Equality is the soul of liberty; there is, in fact, no liberty without it. Frances Wright.  My evidence that I am saved does not lie in the fact that I preach, or that I do this or that. All my hope lies in this: that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. I am a sinner, I trust Him, then He came to save me, and I am saved. Charles Spurgeon.  There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance. Hippocrates. What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed? Michelangelo.  To kill an error is as good a service as, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact. Charles Darwin.  Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on earth can ever turn it into a fact. Honore de Balzac.  Christianity is the root of all democracy, the highest fact in the rights of men. Novalis.  

The next upload for today is “my reflection today”. That me, part of me anyway, taken in the rear view mirror while I was waiting at a traffic light. 

Article: Many people who have shared parts of their lives with dogs and cats know that unconditional love in this world lies in the lives of “animals”. But I wonder do they know that is actually affects their health. The title is “Dogs are helping people regulate stress even more than expected, research shows”. This was written by two professional social workers. The article opened with explaining that there was a 2022 survey taken of 3,000 adults. More than one-third of them reported that the were “overwhelmed” with stress. Furthermore, other research taken covered “negative health consequences of higher stress levels, which include increased rates of cancer, heart disease, autoimmune conditions and even dementia”. As the story progressed it is noted that this is “where dogs can help”. So there were tests over the last 40 years that have confirmed to study the effects that animal companions have on people. They found in these tests that humans feel more relaxed in the emotional support they felt in their everyday life. More of the results have shown that “a 24% lower risk of death and a four times greater chance of surviving for at least a year after a heart attack”. Now there are tests that have grown to show even a deeper and “more biologically complex effect on humans than scientists previously believed”. In one of the studies it showed that when people are overly stressed there is a chemical reaction in the body that “activates the adrenal glands to produce the hormone cortisol”. This cortisol “eventually makes its way into your saliva, making it an easily accessible biomarker to track responses”.  This hormone and it’s affects are shown to be lower when “they’re with a dog than if they’re alone – even lower than if they’re with a friend”. There are further results in these tests that can alter the full effects but the positive reaction of having the dogs is interesting. In ending the article they say “dogs aren’t just good company....they might just be one of the most accessible and effective tools for staying healthy in a stressful world”. I did just a bit of more research on the subject and found “It's worth noting that the extent to which pets reduce cortisol may vary from person to person and pet to pet. Some individuals may find one type of interaction more beneficial than the other, and some pets may be more naturally suited to providing stress relief”.  

This is another of those days I have a fourth upload. This one is “breaking the rules”. I assumed I meant breaking a photo rule. I used breaking the rule of thirds rule, which is to keep the main subject off center. 

It’s going to be a collection of what ever I can find in the freezer/frig for dinner tonight.

Joy

                            under the Broad Street ridge