December 30, 2019 thought for the day: Master your passions or your passions will master you. English Proverb

I have certainly kept myself busy today. My sister went through some further changes on her journey back to wellness. The changes were a bit disturbing but putting them in the hands of God made my stress a little less scary. This morning I talked to her on the phone and feel much better.  But the process has ups and then downs. Apparently she is still facing several problems.

After my usual virtual visits I left for Kroger. The dogs will be grateful. They would have been out of their dinner tonight. As usual, I picked up a little more than I actually needed but, of course, it will all be put to good use.

The photo theme for December 29 was “selfie”. Like so many people I do not like to have my photo taken so this was a real challenge. I set the camera on self-time and set it on the desk. I had to arrange it several time to get anything usage.

After putting the groceries all away I got started on the rest of this Monday’s to-do list. I have the bulletin up to the point of the pastor’s information. After the scare with my email the other day I realized I haven’t run a full system’s computer scan for quite a while, so I did that today. I got the frig and dish washer cleared out and the dish washer reloaded and started. Another storage box got cleared out, there are still over a dozen to go. I think I am about at the end of the to-do list for today, a good thing to be, at the end of the list I mean.

My word today day.  Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, William Shakespeare. When we sleep the soul is lit up... by many eyes, and with them, we can see everything that we cannot see in the daytime, Aeschylus, It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom, Aristotle.  Look at the fate of summer flowers, which blow at daybreak, droop ere even-song, William Wordsworth. Unto him who is able to keep us from falling, and lift us from the dark to the bright mountain of hope, from the midnight of desperation to the daybreak of joy, to him be power and authority for ever and ever, Martin Luther. Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Truth is a naked and open daylight, Francis Bacon. This child whom we Love, Brings daylight Into our soul, Victor Hugo. Between the dark and the daylight, When the night is beginning to lower, Comes a pause in the day's occupations, That is known as the Children's Hour, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Life would be no better than candlelight tinsel and daylight rubbish if our spirits were not touched by what has been, George Eliot. Old men, what are they? Fast fading the leaf, Three-footed they walk, yet frail as a child, As a dream set afloat in the daylight, Aeschylus.   

Today’s photo is “lunchtime”. I stopped on the way home from Kroger for a sandwich and a diet cola. By the time I got home and ready to shoot the photo one of the burgers was gone so here is what was left.

I see something new in the way animals help humans, in some ways more than human’s can help humans. Today’s article is about a program where horses are therapy for veterans and recovering addicts. One day as the horses were released from the barn a group of men were watching. They were told to watch the horses and pick the one that most matched his personality. This group of people were from an addiction recovery program. Horses for Healing was formed about five years ago for the purpose assisting in a form of therapy for adults and children of special needs. His “niche” is serving veterans. He is a former Marine and a recovering alcoholic. Part of the “healing” in this project includes work in the barn such as mucking the stalls. The man who runs the program states that the horses are “in tune with our feelings and emotions”. To begin one of the sessions the people are encouraged to breathe in, breathe out, in your mind think of walking on a beach as the water touches your feet. Even the horses seemed to relax. At this point in time, there are 100 volunteers that help run the program. It is hoped that one day more land can be added along with an indoor arena with more access for handicapped. The article stated that this experience can be life changing.

Tonight’s menu: creamed chicken on biscuits, Stove Top stuffing with gravy and pickled beets. I added apple cider vinegar and a bit of sugar to a can of Kroger beets. The creamed chicken was a can of Swanson's white chicken breast meat added to a simple white sauce with a bit of Knorr's chicken bullion added. The sauce is spooned over Pillsbury biscuits.

Joy

December 28, 2019 thought for the day:  Make not your sail too big for the ballast. English Proverb

I am feeling lonely for my sister. She is still in the hospital. Things seem to be improving slowly. My daughter-in-law has been spending a lot of time with her. I am thankful for that. There are long distances to walk when visiting, traffic in the area of the hospital is horrendous, and I am a big chicken (and old). I have been doing what I can, which is also little by little, to get things ready to move her bed to the first floor. We still have a lot of storage boxes to unload in the living room, where the bed will be, since we have had little help with the holidays, accident, etc.

The photo theme for December 27 was “I’m grateful for...”. Over time this theme has been used before. There are so many things that I am grateful for that is it hard to choose any one thing. For today’s photo I shot my pet, Sugar as she laid in the sun looking out the window at the neighborhood with some of my flower collection in the background. I am grateful for the peace of this time and place.

To start the day today was a bit of a headache. My email went down yesterday. Everything I tried to get it open didn’t work and eventually locked me out due to too many attempts to log in. I had to call a techy at AT&T for help this morning. If any of you have had to get tech support on the phone, you know what I had in store. We did get it started but there was an unwelcomed appendage to the support. Before I completely realized what was happening, the tech was trying to sell me what he said was a needed new software to clean up and protect my computer. (I just paid over one hundred dollars for an update on my virus protection plan yesterday). At this point he was on an outreach to my computer. When it dawned on me what was taking place, I told him to stop and we were done.

This is one of the best days in the week for just doing things as they pop into my head so I don’t have a lot on the agenda.

The photo theme for today is “I got this!”. This was one of my birthday gifts this year. It is called Winterberry. I love the red berries particularly in the winter season.

I chose danger for the word today.  He who learns but does not think, is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger, Confucius. The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark, Michelangelo. Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing, Adolph Monod.  Physical courage, which despises all danger, will make a man brave in one way; and moral courage, which despises all opinion, will make a man brave in another,  Charles Caleb Colton. There is less danger in fearing too much than too little, Francis Walsingham.  Through danger safety comes - through trouble rest, John Marston. Thus, that one can find no place to walk through the breadth of the earth is not because the earth is not tranquil but because the danger to every step of the traveler lies generally with words, Xunzi.  If we must fall, we should boldly meet the danger, Tacitus. Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow, Aesop. A common danger unites even the bitterest enemies, Aristotle. No one that encounters prosperity does not also encounter danger, Heraclitus.



There are a lot of “left overs” after the Christmas holiday. This article gives some tips on how to dispose of things. The article today started with the fact that 25 million tons of trash appear around holidays, which cover from Thanksgiving thru New Years. The article listed how to handle removing Christmas trees. The Army Corps of Engineers and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will collect trees to be used as fish habitats. The trees are placed at the bottom of a lake for hiding places for fish and feeding and living “quarters”. Of course all ornaments etc. must be removed from the trees. Trees can also be used in people yards for birds to nest. The article points out that putting trees in land fills cause a problem because they don’t break down quickly. They can be recycled thru Rumpke and a few other drop off places. The article covered how to get rid of other things like wrapping paper, cards boxes all of which can be recycled. Another item covered in the article to clear away was food waste. First they advise to be thoughtful in the amount of food that is chosen. Beyond that, use left overs or compost food to keep it out of landfills to reduce the methane gas they release there.

We are going to have KFC for dinner tonight.

Joy

December 26, 2019 thought for the day: Live with your friend as if he might become your enemy. English Proverb

What a few days this has been. First off I spent the day at home in bed for Christmas day. I had the flu. Late in the afternoon my sister had an auto accident with the twins in the car. They were all injured. Fortunately not fatally. One of the twins was a little more banged up than the other. They have found one thing after another with my sister’s injuries as the hours passed. The most serious seems to be a ruptured spleen. My comfort in driving has always been questionable not to mention after her misfortune. So I am VERY worried about driving to the hospital to see her. My son took me there today. My daughter-in-law has been with her all night and into today so I know she is being cared for. I could be a bit in the way I think so I will wait until she comes home to see what she needs.

The best parts of my Christmas was spending a few hours with my granddaughter and two great grand children as well as my sons and daughter-in-law. I don’t have a regular tree up for several reasons but did buy a string of lights to add to my “Mickey Mouse tree” and around the mantel adorned with Christmas cards. My work on documents for the church enlivened my Christmas spirit and the candle light service (before the flu hit me) topped it off and helped make this seasons another place in my memory file.

On Christmas eve I spent the evening at church for our candle light service. It was beautiful and peaceful contributing to the true meaning of the season. This is where I got my shot for this photo a day theme “xmas eve”. Actually I wanted to get the shot uploaded before I went to church so I used the one from last years  archive of the service. The scene was exactly the same.

I printed the bulletin and newsletter at church this morning before Lowell was going to pick me up. Just before he picked me up, I got one of the packing boxes still left to unpack done. When he dropped me off, I started the laundry.

Today is almost like a spring day, odd for the latter part of December but pleasant and enjoyable.

My word choice today is dance.  Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul, Plato. Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance? Lewis Carroll.  All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing, Moliere.  Let us read, and let us dance — these two amusements will never do any harm to the world, Voltaire.  Never give a sword to a man who can't dance, Confucius. In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art, Rumi.  When you do dance, I wish you a wave o' the sea, that you might ever do nothing but that, William Shakespeare.  On with the dance! let joy be unconfin'd No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet To chase the Glowing Hours with Flying feet, Lord Byron.  Dancing is like dreaming with your feet! Constanze Mozart. Whosoever knoweth the power of the dance, dwelleth in God, Rumi. Dance, then, wherever you may be.

The December 25th theme was a challenge for me since I was “under the weather”. I chose from the archive again. The theme was “celebrate”. The event was a celebration of a very beautiful couple from my church.

I like plants...almost all plants. So stories about plants draw my attention and hopefully will be of interest to you to for one reason or another. This is something a bit new to me, sort of, it is about “tower gardens’. I tried some “vertical gardens” in the back yard. I was having trouble with getting the placement for sun and watering to the liking of the individual plants. These gardens seem a little different. Mine were in individual pots hung on vertical poles. These are tall plastic towers. This is about students in a local high school. Besides the plants they were planting they were thinking of conserving limited land resources. This led to talks about energy covering wind, solar and water along with knowledge that human population continues to grow. They consider this one idea for the future of farming. I learned from the article that tower gardens are in 19 schools around Ohio and are supplied by Mt Carmel Health System. I learned that instead of soil these gardens use a product called rockwool. After the roots start growing they are placed outside the tower in 35 slots on the exterior. These kinds of experiments make me want to be back in school with these students. The 20-gallon tube is filled with water and nutrients that are circulated and LED lights are used for “sunlight”. At this point cleaning and watering are necessary. Mt. Carmel has invested $28,000 in grants to fund the projects along with Franklin County Public Health and Fairfield County health taking part in the project. The students have been introduced to the idea of fish being raised in aqua culture as well as the plants in tubes for the future.

Today’s photo theme is “hat”. The only hat I could easily find fits the season and was used in a couple of the other photos this month of the holiday theme. Sweet Pea didn’t want to leave it on for very long so I had to shoot quickly.

I am going to order in for dinner. Sue is in the hospital so it’s just Bob and I.

Joy

December 23, 2019 thought for the day: If you plant, you harvest. Filipino Proverb

It’s been a wonderful day. I got to see my granddaughter and my two great grandchildren. One of my son’s and daughter-in-law came by too. Due to several happenings Christmas will be a little sparse this year so this was a highlight of the season for me.

Before that I was at the church to print the Christmas Eve bulletin. Tony and Bob were busy setting up things for tomorrow too so we had some time for some conversation.

December 22 the theme was “I did this today!”. I find it easier now to “wrap” my packages in decorative bags rather than folding and taping sheets of paper. So the photo of what I did today was place the gifts in the decorative bags ready for the Christmas giving.

Now it’s time to start on next Sunday’s bulletin and some more work on the newsletter but first I am going to take the rest of the day a little on the easy side. The weather has taken a bit of a turn from the cold weather to some really pleasant temps.

The word is daily.  The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life, William Morris. Human happiness comes not from infrequent pieces of good fortune, but from the small improvements to daily life, Benjamin Franklin. History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquities, Marcus Tullius Cicero. To know that which lies before us in daily life is the prime wisdom, John Milton. In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true. In ruling, be just. In daily life, be competent. In action, be aware of the time and the season, Laozi.  Oh, how daily life is, Jules Laforgue.  What is the true test of character unless it be its progressive development in the bustle and turmoil, in the action and reaction of daily life, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. In their daily life, all are braver than they know, Henry David Thoreau. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

There are many traditions that have come along in my long life time. Of course one of the oldest is to watch the children open their gifts and help them play with the new prizes. I will not be seeing my great grandson on this Christmas so I had him open his gift from me today. So did his aunt and uncle. They played with the match book cars they added to his collection on this December 23rd early Christmas gift exchange. A perfect time for me to capture a moment in time with this theme “tradition”.

The Columbus zoo is something to be proud of. We have grown and grown and have done some wonderful preservation projects. Today’s article is about one of the newest additions, more polar bear cubs. The zoo has been breeding polar bear cubs for a long time, at this point we have had half the country’s polar bears. The zoo keepers watch new born cubs and their mother for all hours using cameras to computer and cell phones. The cubs are no bigger than a stick of butter.  The mother of this latest cub is Aurora, our 13 year old bear. It’s father its Lee, a 20-year old who came to live here last year. It is said that every birth of these polar bears is significant. Apparently, due to many factors it is difficult for them to reproduce in captivity and the wild. Predicting that the mother may be pregnant is hard. After a cub is born there are many things that have to be watched extremely carefully. They may weight one pound and the survival rate is about 50%. On top of all the problems sometimes the mothers refuse to take care of them. In those cases the zoo keepers hand feed and tend to them. To help in the successful births genetic history is used for the breeding purposes.  Because of climate changes resulting in their continued existence there was the formation of the federal Endangered Species Act. There are other factors that affect the control of breeding polar bears. Some are the effects that having used contraceptives earlier has caused added problems in the breeding processes. Also, because of federal acts for protecting animals the polar bears can’t easily be moved from zoo to zoo to find suitable mates. Somehow cubs can be sent to other zoos to grow up and then be bred.

Since I have my potato peeler and mandolin back again I am going to make homemade hash browns to go with the coney’s and brats.

Joy

December 21, 2019 thought for the day: You never really know your friends from your enemies until the ice breaks. Eskimo Proverb

In our search for the week end tradition of clip art choices the girls wanted today, we had a major accident. I had my usual morning cup of chamomile tea sitting near my key board (my bad...except I do it every morning with no problem). One of the girls was reaching to show me the clip art she wanted and bumped the cup of tea. It went everywhere, under the key board, the monitor stand and all the paper work I have around. Gladly, I had been finished with church papers I was working with so they had been moved. Anyway, we, everyone in the house, got it cleaned up with only minor damages.

The December 20th photo of the day theme was “xmas treat”...I had some chocolate covered cakes that I got at the store the other day. I put them on a Christmas plate with some holly trim. It looked to be a bit much when I got to the “darkroom” so I cropped some of the minutiae out.

After the spill incident was resolved, the girls and I used two silicone molds I have here. We made some jell-O and filled the molds. They called the jell-O shapes gummy bears. After that I got them started making cookies with the refrigerator dough I had bought with them in mind.

I needed to make some adjustments to the bulletin that I had finished earlier so I got that done. I sent them to the minister, lay reader and proofreader to get feed back before I print them either tomorrow after church or early Monday morning.

Now I have to go in search of my photo of the day, “star”, then make the dog’s meat ball treats.

The word is culture. The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts, Charles Darwin.  Culture is like wealth; it makes us more ourselves, it enables us to express ourselves, Philip Gilbert Hamerton. It is proof of high culture to say the greatest matters in the simplest way, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Culture is to know the best that has been said and thought in the world, Matthew Arnold. Meditation is culture, Benjamin Disraeli. The prosperity of a country depends, not on the abundance of its revenues, nor on the strength of its fortifications, nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but it consists in the number of its cultivated citizens, in its men of education, enlightenment and character, Martin Luther. No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden, Thomas Jefferson. Culture is one thing and varnish is another, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Every man's ability may be strengthened or increased by culture, John Abbott.   




I found my photo of the day on the Charlie Brown tree (Norfolk Island Pine) I have for this yeas’s Christmas tree. I am trying, painfully, to teach myself origami. This star (the theme title) is one of my early attempts. I would really like to get to the more advanced stage of this craft. I love many of the designs I have seen. I added the gold trim using an onboard Photoshop filter called “stroke”.

What a wonderful thing to have happen to mostly underprivileged children in this season. Today’s article is about giving bicycles to a fifth graders class of students as Christmas gifts.  I like the way the author put the opening statement: “At 2:02 p.m. Friday, the gym......was a quiet, peaceful bicycle showroom, with 62 glistening new bikes sitting silently in neat rows.  Then, at 2:03 p.m., the doors swung open....” The kids went wild as kids do with such a wonderful sight and gifts for each one. They each comments on the bike they chose or were given and gave reasons thy it was special to them, the color, or the thought of the ride. Some were riding the bikes around in a circle around the other bikes. Others kids were adjusting seats and testing lights. Some had never ridden before so some of the adults were helping them. This year was the third annual year that the New Salem Baptist Church bought the bikes with money that was donated and a break on price by Walmart. The neighborhood where the school is located is a community of some immigrants and some underprivileged children. This was a happy event. I would like to have been there to witness it for myself.

Yesterday was my other photo club’s pick for a photo of the day. Today’s theme for that was “wide angle”. I don’t have an add on wide angle lens but I felt the scene was a “wide angle” view.

Everyone is on their own for dinner tonight. This is the birthday party for Jesus at church so I will be there for a while at around dinner time.

Joy

December 19, 2019 thought for the day: Don't let the windows of your home be so small that the light of the sun cannot enter your rooms. Eskimo Proverb

I have had a build up of things to get done before Christmas so I have gotten behind in my writing. One of the major things was the unloading of the storage unit. Lowell and Mick unloaded it themselves, there was supposed to be two other people who Lowell hired to help but they didn’t show up. I was amazed that they did it in about two hours. As things come back in, I am finding that there are some that I can let go. We did some reduction of “things” as we packed, I am able to do more as it is unpacked. I should have done it in the packing stage to reduce some of the labor of moving and storage but it didn’t work that way, not for me any way.

On December 16th the photo theme was “wrapping”. To me, the shot I took was a bit boring and I didn’t have anything else to choose from to I added an onboard Photoshop filter to make it a bit wavy.

We have boxes and boxes to unload. There is no way I can get it done until after Christmas. There are just to many other obligations and things I want to savor over the holidays. The boxes can wait another couple of weeks.

I have two things out of the way for this week, the weekly bulletin and the poinsettia dedication pamphlet. Now for the birthday party for Jesus and then the Christmas eve bulletin.

On the 17th  of December the photo theme was “tree”. My tree, as I think I have mentioned earlier in my blog, my Christmas tree this year is a Charlie Brown type tree so I picked a tree in the yard with a bit of snow left on the branches.

Fortunately I have the ‘shopping” done. Due to my “station’ in life at this point I am buying only for the children. I have the family calendars for the others and they are done too. I have a little wrapping to do.

I have officially crossed the line to the eightieth year of my life. It’s a little scarey and I have some getting use to to that number. A bit of sadness occurred to add to that momentous date, one of my cousins passed away. She and her mother lived with my family for several years of my early life, up to my teen age. We haven’t been terribly close for several years; nevertheless, we have had many shared memories.

I have managed to get the printing done at church this morning, the laundry started, the dish washer unloaded and reloaded and one of the infamous boxes almost unloaded.

The word is courtesy. Manners are of more importance than laws. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe, Edmund Burke. Do thou restrain the haughty spirit in thy breast, for better far is gentle courtesy, Homer. A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love, St. Basil.    To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness,  Benjamin Franklin. When music and courtesy are better understood and appreciated, there will be no war, Confucius. Intelligence and courtesy not always are combined; Often in a wooden house a golden room we find,  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. There is a courtesy of the heart; it is allied to love. From its springs the purest courtesy in the outward behavior, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Manners must adorn knowledge and smooth its way through the world, Lord Chesterfield.  

On the 18th “decoration” was the theme of the day. Since I have all the boxed to unload in my house there is little room for decorations. I attended a Christmas luncheon with my literary club this afternoon. The hostess had her house decorated from top to bottom so I picked a view of her decorating motifs. 

I think it’s interesting to hear about happy things that go on in neighborhoods not far from us that have had major problems. The article is about a neighborhood that has been “depressed” for a while. But for this season a group of 70 people got together on the Sullivant Avenue, one of the main streets in the neighborhood, to preform Christmas carols.  From the Hilltop to the “bottom land off Franklinton has been a troubled area of the city. The event called “Songs on Sullivant” used this first time event to add a bit of good spirit for the season. One resident of this area remarked that “I’ve never lived in a place where I felt such a community.” ” Many joined the impromptu choir when they heard about it being organized. One lady was driving down the street and heard about the event. She stopped and joined in.

The theme today is “joy is...”. I chose a calendar image with Happy New Year in January 1st square trying to relate that I am looking forward to the new year with joy.

I am going to make tuna casserole for dinner.

Joy

December 15, 2019 thought for the day: You'll beguile none but those that trust you. English Proverb

I woke up on my own this morning, without the alarm. This is Sunday so I wanted to be up or some virtual visits before getting ready for church.

The photo theme for December 14 was “red and white”. The first thing I thought of was a candy cane that had been in the crease of one of the car seats since last Christmas. I went straight out to my car to see if it was still there. It was. I also remembered that with one of my Christmas orders last week I got a “bonus” “gift” of a Santa hat. The red in the candy cane had faded some so I chose the Santa hat.

We had a low turn out for services this morning and the church was on the “cool” side. Most of us left our jackets or coats on. Some of us had a quick meeting after church to make final preparations for next weeks birthday party for Jesus.

I don’t have a lot planed for today. Yesterday Lowell made arrangements to have the “packrat” storage unit put in the driveway so that he and a “team” can unload it on Monday. We will be getting back some furniture pieces, kitchen supplies and other things that have been packed away since we started the refurbishing of the house. It will be nice to say “welcome home” to some of our familiar and comfortable parts and pieces.

There was a happening this week that brings to the forefront how much neighbors can mean to a person. My next door neighbor had a stroke two days ago. We have been concerned for him since we learned about it. Apparently it was one of the scarey things that can happen that has had a “good” turn out. We just saw him come home and seems to be doing well.

The word today is cooperation.  Men exist for the sake of one another, Marcus Aurelius. In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed, Charles Darwin. There is but one mode by which man can possess in perpetuity all the happiness which his nature is capable of enjoying, - that is by the union and co-operation of all for the benefit of each, Robert Owen. He that does good to another does good also to himself, Seneca the Younger. Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts, William Shakespeare. No member of a crew is praised for the rugged individuality of his rowing, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Light is the task where many share the toil, Homer. Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  



On December 15 the chosen photo theme is “fun”. This time I had to reach into my archives again. I came up with this one and added a motion filter to the background.

 It’s interesting to learn about new scientific finds. It makes me wonder, “how long has that “new” find actually been in existence?” Then I begin to wonder how the ability for humans to gain knowledge has no limits. Something “new” is always out there to be discovered and yet it could actually be something old and hidden. Today’s article is about the name of naming species of living things. The opening sentence of the article states that there are 1.7 million living species that have so far been named...it is estimated that the Earth may contain 10 million or more. Wow, that suggests to me are some out there we haven’t met yet.  The article states that new species are usually named for something about “their appearance, behavior, habitat or distribution.” Another story about finding new species is that of a scientist whose specialty is sea anemones. Found about fifteen species of sea anemones. On the other side of the coin are the losses of species due to habitat destruction and water quality. This could mean that some species could be lost without us ever knowing that have been in this world.

I think I will make chicken Parmesan for dinner. 

Joy

PS. My other photo group had a photo of the day on December 15. That theme was “antique or old (not a selfie). This was my choice from some things my mother had kept. 

December 13, 2019 thought for the day: You should lie down with the lamb and rise with the lark. English Proverb

I stayed in today. Bob has to have a dessert to take to a Christmas dinner tomorrow night. I don’t want to go to the store again today. I have a cake mix here on hand so that’s what I will fix for him to take and make a simple icing. Actually, he doesn’t need it until tomorrow but I am getting some of the things I have had in storage back home tomorrow so that day is filled up.

I worked a little on the next newsletter and a little on the Poinsettia remembrance brochure for the Christmas bulletin at church. I have taken a bit of a jump on getting them done. I don’t want to wait until the last minute especially in this season.

The photo theme for December 12 was “green”. We don’t have a Christmas tree up except for my little Charlie Brown tree (our point of interest this year). But I stopped at McDonald’s on my way home from church. While I was waiting in line, I noticed this tree, as I had many times before and took a couple of shots. I added a filter to give it a bit more interest. I like the way I was able to use the add-on Topaz paint filter and the built in Photoshop hue and saturation filter. They are similar to tips and tricks used on a dark room enlarger. 

I got my Christmas calendars done, with the binding and the hole punch. The hole punch is a little sloppy on some but I don’t have time or money to do them over again.

I got the kitchen and powder room floors swept and washed, the refrigerator cleared, dish washer unloaded and loaded. I also ran the roomba through a battery charge. I had to stop it and clean it twice, it had picked up a lot of dog hair. Sweet Pea sheds a lot in the winter, most of the time actually, but who cares, she’s a comfort and a doll baby.

The word today is constant. Nothing is more certain than uncertainties. Fortune is full of fresh variety; Constant in nothing but inconstancy. Richard Barnfield.  Charity is that rational and constant affection which makes us sacrifice ourselves to the human race, as if we were united with it, so as to form one individual, partaking equally in its adversity and prosperity, Confucius. The soil of friendship is worn out with constant use. Habit may still attach us to each other, but we feel ourselves fettered by it. Old friends might be compared to old married people without the tie of children, William Hazlitt.  The iron ring is worn out by constant use, Ovid. No ornament of a house can compare with books; they are constant company in a room, even when you are not reading them, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Human nature is the one constant through human history. It is always there, Thucydides. The most evident token and apparent sign of true wisdom is a constant and unconstrained rejoicing,  Michel de Montaigne.

The photo theme for today is “sparkle”. Again, I don’t have a Christmas tree up and decorated, no Christmas wrapping paper or ornaments yet. So I had to search around. I ended up using an archived photo and added a couple of filters to the image. These themes are adding to my Christmas mood.

The title to this article just sounded too good to not share it. It also has a recipe attached. Have you ever heard of chocolate eggnog, well, here we go. We all know that hot cocoa is a must in the winter time. For some, coffee added to it is heavenly. According to the article hot cocoa added to eggnog makes a thicker and richer beverage. The author of this article was talking about using “fair trade” cocoa for reasons concerning how cocoa is processed. Then there is the choice of “natural” or “Dutch-processed”, which is the milder and darker of the two. For this recipe an immersion blender was used to do the mixing but if that isn’t available a mixer or egg beater can be used to make the whole drink think and smooth. Reading the directions for starting the recipe sounded like an artist putting together a master piece. The ingredients were 6 cups of milk, 2 cups of cream, 1 cup of cocoa powder, 3/4 cup of sugar, 3 teaspoons of vanilla, ½ teaspoon of salt. The cocoa powder and sugar were put in a bow then a tablespoon of milk was added. That mixture was stirred with a fork until the milk was “gone”. At that point add another tablespoon of milk and keep that up until all the lumps and powder are gone. The rest of the milk, vanilla and cream in a sauce were ready for the first mixture to added. As the salt was added the pot was beginning to simmer on a low fire until bubbles come up around the edge. After the fire is shut off the eggnog part of the drink is started. In a large container add 8 cups of the hot cocoa to 3 whole eggs, fresh ground nutmeg. Before adding the cocoa to the eggs beat them first then slowly add the hot cocoa. After the first few tablespoons of cocoa have been slowly added and mixed continuously so the eggs don’t “scramble”, the rest can be added faster. At this point the nutmeg can be added a little at a time to the taste you like.

That wonderful relaxing night for dinner has rolled around again.....pizza.

Joy

December 11, 2019 thought for the day: You must look where it is not as well as where it is. English Proverb

It’s cold! Long johns help but summer would help a lot more ☺.

We had our Christmas dinner with the Martha Circle from church last night. We met at York Steak House. Side note: We learned that ours is the last York in the country. We had a wonderful turnout. We had fourteen people. In the past we have only had six or seven make it. It was festive. We had great meals, great conversation, great bonding . . . 

I have my Christmas calendar’s all bound and found that I need two more so I printed them. I was on edge thinking I would run out of color ink but I just made it. I will have to replace a capsule of ink before the girls come and want copies of their my little pony clip art. As they were printing, I started putting the center hole in the ones that are done.

The December 10 photo theme was “gift”. I don’t have anything wrapped yet. The only thing I had on hand was some small gift package-like ornaments for our”Charlie Brown Christmas tree”. That had to be my choice for this one.

So I got them done just before I had to get ready to go to church for food pantry. As it turned out we had a very slow day and very few people coming by. Yesterday was much busier but still not as heavy as it has been. It’s probably because we have changed the days we serve this month due to Christmas.  Next week will most likely be busier. I brought my “moments in time” crocheting project to work on during the slow periods. 

As I was leaving the church there were some snow flurries. It’s sure cold enough for snow. I think we are supposed to have a slight warm up for a day or two.

I have a second photo group that I belong to that has a type of photo a day but it is only four or five days of the month. December 10th for this group was “side lit”. Sugar, my doxy, was napping in her favorite spot next to the window so that was my pick on this one. 

When I got up and wanted to do my virtual visits I found I was not able to get on the internet. I had to call Spectrum for help finding the problem and help to solve it. As it turned out all it needed was a reboot....thank goodness.

The word is conscience. Conscience is the most sacred of all property, James Madison. The great theatre for virtue is conscience, Marcus Tullius Cicero. Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience, George Washington.  Reason often makes mistakes, but conscience never does, Josh Billings. I have somewhere read that conscience not only sits as witness and judge within our bosoms, but also forms the prison of punishment, Hosea Ballou.  While conscience is our friend, all is at peace; however once it is offended, farewell to a tranquil mind, Mary Wortley Montagu. The man who acts never has any conscience; no one has any conscience but the man who think, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Conscience is the reason employed about questions of right and wrong, William Whewell.  A good conscience is the best looking-glass of heaven, Ralph Cudworth. What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?  Adam Smith.  Justice is a temporary thing that must at last come to an end; but the conscience is eternal and will never die,  Martin Luther


.

I thought this article would be an interesting subject to look at. It talks about what a decade is and it 2020 is the start of a new decade. Apparently, there is some problem to that point according to an “old timekeeping” way of seeing it. According to the article many people thing a decade begins with a year ending with a zero. The consistent way to measure a decade is to start it with a year ending in one. This matter is presented in the Farmer’s Almanac. Since there was a measure of time called “AD” and “BC” this is no year “one” That is at the point the measure of a “decade’s start date” became a “problem”. Whatever the start date a decade is ten years. The article goes on to mention that we start children’s ages at zero not one. In the 1960's we started a decade, not ending in one. In the end there is no perfect way to count it.

Today’s photo challenge is “mail”. There were a few ways to come at that choice. Some of the ideas were a commercial mail box, a home mail box, of which there could be a variety of designs or a stack of mail. I chose the commercial mail box in this shot to show the textures of the aging in the rust and the shapes of the box and it’s parts.

I am taking the spaghetti I made a week ago out of the freezer for dinner. I think I am out of spaghetti noodles but I have some ziti noodles.

Joy

December 9, 2019 thought for the day: You are responsible for you. English Proverb

What a day! I had to get some medical lab work done. My doctor wanted me to get it done before the coming appointment. I like to leave at least a week for the lab to get it done and back to the doctor, since my appointment is next Monday I felt I should get it done today. The lab opens at 7:00 and I wanted to be there as close to that time as I could. I was up with Bob at six. When I got to the lab there were five people ahead of me. It was raining and still dark so my drive was stressful. But, it’s done.

The photo a day theme for December 8 was “morning”. That makes taking the photo, if you want the photo to be actually a photo of that day instead of from the archives, a time line thing. I looked around outside to see what would fit the notion of “morning”. I felt the reflections of the sun in the neighbor’s window and the street lamp still lit gave that a good thinking point.

I got my part of the bulletin done as soon as I got home and sent a request to the pastor for the rest of the information. He had it back to me before noon so I got the whole bulletin together. Now I need to format it but I am leaving that for tomorrow.

There has been a water leak in a neighbor’s yard for over four days. Just a few minutes ago some “heavy” equipment showed up. Now they are tearing up the yard and fixing the problem.

The word is connected.  We are more closely connected to the invisible than to the visible, Novalis. Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected, George Washington. It is remarkable how closely the history of the apple tree is connected with that of man, Henry David Thoreau. We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men,  Herman Melville.  As a net is made up of a series of ties, so everything in this world is connected by a series of ties. If anyone thinks that the mesh of a net is an independent, isolated thing, he is mistaken. It is called a net because it is made up of a series of interconnected meshes, and each mesh has its place and responsibility in relation to other meshes, Gautama Buddha.  And is there anything more closely connected with wisdom than truth? Plato.  Purpose ... is held to be most closely connected with virtue, and to be a better token of our character than are even our acts, Aristotle. It is wonderful what a difference learning makes upon people even in the common intercourse of life, which does not appear to be much connected with it, Samuel Johnson.  

My photo theme for today is “Santa”. Well, I don’t have anything “Santa” in the house, neither does Sue. So I went back out in the rain . . . telling myself “this is nuts!”, trying to get a good shot in the rain. I am amazed at how little there is of Santa in the decorations. There are reindeer, angels and nativities but very little Santas. After about a half hour driving around I had three to select from. This kind of thing really does add spice to my life and may, just maybe, keeps me a little on the younger side.

I was interested in this article when I saw the title about men answering letters to Santa for kids. There are two men, one in Westerville and one in Grove City that put mailboxes in their yard just for letters to Santa. They read them and then answer them. They both want to keep that part of Christmas, as they remember it, alive for children. One of the gentlemen stated in the article that he thought of his town as a Norman Rockwell type town. There were red mailboxes in the middle of town for Santa Claus. He got hold of some old mail boxes and started the trend from his own yard. He invited friends to help him with the letters. He prints a form type letter leaving blanks for personalization. The article mentioned that in the letters the kids ask about the reindeer and worry about being good so they aren’t on the naughty list. One of the two gentlemen made his mailbox with PVC pipes. He and his wife answer the letters by hand and add hot wax to seal them.

Its potato soup and hot dogs for dinner tonight.

Joy

December 7, 2019 thought for the day: When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. English Proverb

It’s been an active Saturday even though I did sleep-in more than I do most days. The girls were here over night so they both were up before me. Sonja almost always is but Savannah was up too this morning.

One of the day’s “duties” was printing my little pony clip art for the girls, two pieces for each twin. I spent some time working on setting up the book I would like to publish some day, a coffee table book of photos. I was finally able to work out the steps to get it started.

This was a busy day in the kitchen for me too. I made shredded chicken for Sugar, she is still on a mostly chicken diet. Then I made my own recipe for meatballs for the dogs evening treats. Three pounds of ground beef with about three quarters’ cup of each sweet potato, carrots, green beans chopped in the food processor. Then I add a half a can on pumpkin, two jumbo eggs, one cup of cooked rice and about a cup of oats. Form balls. Bake for fifteen minutes at 350 degrees. They love it, by the way.

On December 6 the theme was “small”. Wow, how much of that can be found and which of the meaning of the word, size, low down, moods, etc. So I imaged how I wanted to define the theme. I remembered one of the kids toys left on the back porch. I brought it in, cleaned it up. Then I found Bob’s new uniform jacket. I used the jacket as a background and the teeny tiny doll as the main object. 

I also made a double batch of beef stew for dinner and to freeze for a later meal.

We are having a decent late fall day so Bob mowed the back lawn to get rid of all the droppings from my Japanese Pagoda tree. The pods and twigs are getting picked up in the dog’s coats.

Sue took the girls to their other grandmothers for a sleep over tonight. All three, Sue and both of the twins have colds. I have a feeling Bob and I will be getting one too soon.

The word is truth.  For men in earnest have no time to waste In patching fig-leaves for the naked truth, James Russell Lowell.  Truth stood on one side and Ease on the other; it has often been so, Theodore Parker.  Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying, Vincent de Paul.   I will be as harsh as truth and as uncompromising as justice, William Lloyd Garrison.. Truth is no road to fortune, Jean-Baptiste Rousseau. One can live in this world on soothsaying but not on truth saying, Georg C. Lichtenberg. Truth and, by consequence, liberty, will always be the chief power of honest men, Madame de Stael.  The advent of truth, like the dawn of day, agitates the elements, while it disperses the gloom, Elias Lyman Magoon.  A man protesting against error is on the way towards uniting himself with all men that believe in truth, Thomas Carlyle.  As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand, Josh Billings.  Truth can never be told so as to be understood and not be believed, William Blake.   

As I mentioned, a couple of paragraphs back I made meat balls for the dogs’ treats, a perfect choice for the photo theme “homemade”. I have also been working on my “homemade” calendar’s so I took a few shots of those too.

The Arena District has been being built for several years. I have enjoyed each new addition along the way.  This article relates to some of the additions and improvements from 2010 to 2020. The developer for most of it was/is Nationwide Realty Investors (NRI).  One of the early structures was the Nationwide Arena for hockey. Soon offices and apartment buildings still leaving a lot of gravel parking lots. In 2016 an empty warehouse was converted into office space and Cameron Micthell Restaurants. About that time three new towers, Parks Edge, were begun. Soon the North Bank condo building. Coming soon is the “Confluence Park, a mixed use neighborhood .

We are having beef stew, the recipe is in one of my earlier blog and biscuits for supper.

Joy

December 5, 2019 thought for the day: Paddle your own ... English Proverb

Choir practice was great last night and uplifting for me as it always is. I love the words to the hymns and the peer bonding.

It’s been an interesting day. I got up with the alarm so that I could do my usual virtual visits before I left for church to do the printing. I made copies of the anthem and copies promoting our upcoming birthday party for Jesus before I started printing the bulletin. I had two “shoves” to put in the bulletin today, that slows things down a little. All in all, I got done in good time. As I was finishing the round-about of putting things out and finding the “attendance” sheets and empty boxes and clip boards to be returned to their proper places, Janet came in to volunteer in the office. I asked her to cut the party for Jesus flyers in two for me. That gave her something to do as she manned the office. About that time Donna came in too. So we had a chance for a quick chat before I was on my way to other chores.

I dropped off the home bound bulletin envelops, got gas and stopped at Kroger. I had several things to pick up. Then a stop at the Dollar Store.

At home I unloaded and put away groceries, separated laundry and started a load of clothes.

Late in the afternoon yesterday I picked Sue up when she dropped off her car for repairs.  I thought I would be taking her back to pick it up this afternoon but it isn’t done yet. 

On my various errands today I was on the look out for my photo of the day. I took several but haven’t been in the “darkroom” yet to make a selection. Besides, my camera warned me that the battery was low so I set it to charge while I got on with all these other tasks. The theme for the photo was “I bought this!”. Due to the fact that I do very little shopping, this one was a challenge. I think I mentioned that a couple of days ago I bought two chairs left from the fall sale so I used that as the subject. It needed some background adjustments in the darkroom and this is what I came up with.

The word is compassion. The dew of compassion is a tear, Lord Byron.  Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Compassion is the basis of morality, Arthur Schopenhauer. Doubtless a great anguish may do the work of years, and we may come out from that baptism of fire with a soul full of new awe and new pity, George Eliot. To commiserate is sometimes more than to give, for money is external to a man's self, but he who bestows compassion co


mmunicates his own soul, William Mountford.  Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame, Alexander Pope.  Worse than idle is compassion if it ends in tears and sighs, William Wordsworth. When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity, George Bernard Shaw. The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own, Benjamin Disraeli. Conquer evil people by gentle kindness, and make zealous people wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion, Isaac of Nineveh.   

Todays photo theme is “the weather today”. I found it difficult to show a photo of sunny but chilly. I did the best I could on a search for the answer to that quandary. I made stops along the way home for my out-and-about of the day. Ultimately I had a few to choose from and felt that this was the best of the batch.

I guess prices on many things have to be raised to pay for other improvements in the city. That’s just the way things have to work. Sometimes it’s hard to agree with how and where the prices are raised. The article today is about plans to change parking meter set ups. The plans are to make them 30 minute, three hour or unlimited 50 cents an hour. Apparently there will be a survey to determine what most of the public would like. Another part of the plan is to introduce a ParkColumbus smartphone app for metered spots as well as selected on-street spaces. There are a few highly prized free spots Downtown. After a period of time with the new system a survey will be available to see what people think of it. The hopes are that the meters will increase revenue which could then be used to lower prices for Downtown employees. According to the article, restaurant owners and law firms complained that many times spaces near their facilities are limited for their employees due to other people feeding meters every couple of hours at current low rates.

The other online photo club that I belong to has a photo of the day about four to five times a month. Todays theme for that club was “Guess What”. This club has had to change it’s spot on the web a bit. The club’s name was photogroups101 with yahoo but it slightly changed and isn’t open yet for viewing.

I am making taco salad for dinner. Brown a pound of ground sirloin. Add on 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, heaping tablespoon of tomato paste. Then the spices, ½ teaspoon each of Mrs. Dash onion and garlic spices, paprika, splash of black pepper, teaspoon of Knorr beef bouillon, tablespoon each of white vinegar and sugar, squirt of lime juice. Serve the sauce over crushed Doritos, add to taste, sour cream, shredded sharp cheese, lettuce, chopped tomatoes and optional black beans. 

Joy

December 3, 2019 thought for the day: Good company will save you from bad deeds. Hebrew Proverb

We needed a couple of more chairs for our dining room. I have been checking on line. Then something came to mind. We just had a fall sale at church. I called Donna, who ran it, and asked if there were chairs left from the sale. There were so early this morning I went to check on them. They’re nice, they even have arms....I like arms on chairs. Tony helped me get them in my car. When I got them home, I cleaned them and put them where they will belong. I didn’t realize until now that in moving them around, out of the car, into the house then cleaning them and resetting them along with that I did a number on my back. I will be feeling that for the next few days.

I waited until I thought Tony would be there before I went for the chairs so I worked on formatting the bulletin. I had to reduce the size of the font to make it all fit but it’s done now and looks pretty good.

Yesterday’s photo of the day was “light”.  Since I don’t have my Christmas lights up yet and I was trying to complete the task in the day light I ran into a challenge. However, the day was overcast so the street lights were still on in come areas of the city. I had gone out to pick up much needed ink I shot tail lights, street lights and store window lights. None suited me when I was in the “darkroom” (Photoshop). I did find this one. I had shot it as I was waiting in the drive through lane at White Castle. Due to the overcast day none were as clear as I had hoped. I added a Photoshop filter to this one to try to highlight the street light.

As I am doing other things, I am letting the printer continuously print my Christmas calendars for family and neighbors. That’s the true meaning of “multitasking”.

Actually before I got to clean the chairs, I cleared the frig of most of the Thanksgiving left overs and started a full load of dishes.

The word is companion. Patience is the companion of wisdom, Saint Augustine. In marriage do thou be wise: prefer the person before money, virtue before beauty, the mind before the body; then thou hast a wife, a friend, a companion, a second self, William Penn,  Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms, George Eliot. Books have become our dearest companions, yielding exquisite delights and inspiring lofty aims, George Henry Lewes.  There are three schoolmasters for everybody that will employ them - the senses, intelligent companions, and books, Henry Ward Beecher. Pleasure and pain, though directly opposite are contrived to be constant companions, Pierre Charron. There is nothing can pay one for that invaluable ignorance which is the companion of youth, those sanguine groundless hopes, and that lively vanity which makes all the happiness of life, Mary Wortley Montagu. If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away, Henry David Thoreau. Virtue rejects facility to be her companion. She requires a craggy, rough and thorny way, Michel de Montaigne.  Never make a companion equal to a brother, Hesiod. The greatest friend of truth is Time, her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and her constant companion is Humility, Charles Caleb Colton.  

I didn’t find anything to interesting in either the Dispatch or Columbusunderground for today but I found this article in the Columbus Monthly magazine. I like stories about our history. It makes old things come to mind in a new way. The photo is one of the things that caught my eye. It was of the old railroad station on West Broad Street. I have often admired its shape and form. As the article stated, it is a “pagoda-like” structure. It use to be a railroad station and is also one of our city’s architectural attractions. It was built in 1895 by a firm that designed many of the notable buildings. In that time period structures were composed of from many periods and places. Some features had to be designed due to traffic and passengers. There was a fire in 1975 that destroyed the roof. At the time the Volunteers of America owned it and restored the inside after the fire.

Today’s photo theme, "something festive" was a little easier than yesterday’s but still, I don’t have any of my holiday decorations up yet. I was at church to get the chairs. I knew the sanctuary was beautifully decorated so I made a stop there before I left.

“It almost wasn’t, though. In January 1975, it lost its entire roof to fire, though our firefighters valiantly saved the interior, the corner turrets and the tower. The owner at the time, Volunteers of
I am going to make spaghetti for dinner. I usually make meat balls but I think it will be meat sauce tonight instead. It’s easier and quicker. I just brown the meat, add a 32 oz can of crushed tomatoes, one can 6 oz can of tomato sauce and 1 small can of tomato paste. Then the spices, Mrs Dash’s onion, garlic, table blend, Spice Islands Italian Herbs, Smidge and Spoon celery flakes. After that a tablespoon or so of sugar and same amount of apple cider vinegar. I also add a touch of baking soda to lighten the acid in the tomatoes. Let it simmer an hour or two.

Joy

December 1, 2019 thought for the day: You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails. German Proverb

The twins have been here for five days now. My energy is completely depleted and that’s from just listening and watching. Two days are an adventure and there is still a bit of motion left in my body and mind but five.....? There is really a smile on my face at the moment, they are on their way home and I am on my way to recovery and the memories are being filed. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Church was enlightening with warm and friendly smiles along with a motivating sermon. The sanctuary was gorgeous with the decorations for the coming of a celebration of His birth. The folks who stayed last week to get the job done did a perfect job. The anthem was touching for me as it and the others always are during choir practice and then sharing it with the congregation.

On the way home, as always, I was on the look out for my daily photo. I stopped at McDonald’s and got one of the shots and then along the street to home observing the traffic. The title was “out and about”, with the monthly theme about the upcoming holiday.

The photo theme for yesterday was a challenge. The color was “neon”. Wow. Where was I going to look for that. The closest thing I could find in the house was a bottle of Sprite. I had to use just a touch of the hue and saturation filter in Photoshop to give it the tartness of neon to a color.

When I got home, I started printing my annual family and neighbor calendar. I am really late this year getting it done, hope I can get it completely done before the big day.

The word is communication. Language is the armory of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquests, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. It is to bring another out of his bad sense into your good sense, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  If wisdom were offered me with this restriction, that I should keep it close and not communicate it, I would refuse the gift, Seneca.  The instruction we find in books is like fire. We fetch it from our neighbours, kindle it at home, communicate it to others, and it becomes the property of all, Voltaire. False happiness renders men stern and proud, and that happiness is never communicated. True happiness renders them kind and sensible, and that happiness is always shared.  Charles de Montesquieu. Good, the more communicated, more abundant grows,  John Milton. The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate,  Joseph Priestley. 

The photo theme for today is “out and about”. A new month has begun so it looks like the daily challenges for the  month will be holiday related. It should be an interesting month. I was able to create several shots for this one. One was a flock of sparrows on my neighbor’s phone lines, but this is the one that appealed to me most. 

I loved today’s article when I took a glace at it. This one is about two year olds but the thinking can be applied to all ages as they grow. The writer’s grandson is two years old and how wonderful that can be. It is amazing to note how at that age they are speaking with thought-provoking opinions and energy that are immeasurable. The author of the article wrote a thought that I have nurtured for a long time, whoever said “terrible two’s” was, I quote “obtuse about the ...miracle of it all”. An ology of a two year old is “milk should be served in a purple glass, water in a green one...” If you utter words that are “private or for family only” don’t be surprised it when in church they are repeated. It’s hard to make prefect plans only to find that either they are in a peaceful mode or a storm in their activity is approaching. Two year olds don’t know what a clock is or that it is a measure of the activity of our lives. When you are out and about with them be alert to the fact they need to press buttons for a receipt, or for the floor you want on an elevator. As you are leaving a facility there may be things near the door that need further inspection, parked cars, spots in the pavement, that kind of thing. As you are in transit there may be reports from the back seat like there is car next to us.

This is going to be one of those everyone on his own for dinner, unless we have take out from Taco Bell or other.

Joy

....Keep your light burning and let Christmas start...

Since yesterday was the end of the month, I generated a copy of a composite of my choices of photos for the month of November 2019.

November 29, 2019 thought for the day: What good is it to run when you are on the wrong road?  German Proverb

Our Thanksgiving turned out beautifully. It started out with making the menu list, then deciding what we wanted to get already prepared and what we (I) would cook. I haven’t cooked for more than three people in a long time and I haven’t been seventy-nine and cooked for more than three people for a long time. So this is an adventure in “memory movements”. That day was on the first food pantry of this month. On the second day, Wednesday, I went to the store before I went to pantry to get the Thanksgiving supplies I needed as well as things I was out of. I went before pantry because I didn’t want to fight the crowds that would build by the time I left the church after pantry.

Even on the busiest days I still keep up with my photo of the day. Sometimes it is even soothing to be able to take a few minutes to look for and at things moving the focus to something less stressful than the holiday rush. The theme for November 27 was “pastel”. That was a relatively easy one for me. I have a bag full of yarn I am using for my crochet projects.

On Thanksgiving morning the plan began to take place. Mopping floors, doing dishes in the dish washer twice so that it would be clear for after the meal. I also worked on the laundry. I made the deviled eggs, rest or worked on cleaning/laundry then on the corn casserole and so on. I had cooked the turkey on Monday because it was thawed and I didn’t know how long it would be safe in the frig. So on Thursday I reheated it for the meal. I didn’t go to church to print the bulletin on Thursday so I went this morning.

The meal was perfect, the gathering was warm and loving as they are supposed to be and there were plenty of left overs for some who couldn’t make it do to just getting out of the hospital and for others who wanted another meal for later. It was different for me for this year due to some changes in family interactions. But it was memory making on the warm side.

The word is clouds. Behind the cloud the sun is still shining, Abraham Lincoln. Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility, Saint Augustine.  Above the cloud with its shadow is the star with its light. Above all things reverence thyself, Pythagoras. Anger so clouds the mind that it cannot perceive the truth, Cato the Elder. Clouds symbolize the veils that shroud God, Honore de Balzac. To penetrate and dissipate these clouds of darkness, the general mind must be strengthened by education, Thomas Jefferson.  Every dew-drop and rain-drop had a whole heaven within it, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Clouds cannot cover secret places, nor denials conceal truth, Demosthenes.




The theme for 28th was “bright”. That one was a little harder for me. That was the “big” day with the tidying up, cooking and laundry as well as making the small changed to the church bulletin. So the shot had to be something from close by. The sun wasn’t cooperative for it’s rays and bounced light. So I had to search. I have a set of plant lights for my “indoor garden”. That was the brightest thing I could think of and find.

I like hearing about any help our service people get to brighten their lives. The title to this article seemed unique and interesting. It concerns a group named The Ohio Christmas Tree Association sent 100 Christmas trees to military units and bases. They wanted to send more but due to lack of finances they had to keep it at 100. This program started in 1995 for troops in Bosnia. Earlier the costs were manageable due to sending the trees through the military distribution center. The Association is seeking donations to cover the cost for this year. There is a GoFundMe page to help with the funding. The Army Family and Moral, Welfare and Recreation divisions pass out the trees. Then place them in the boxes. One year school children helped pack the boxes. Some of the volunteers who help prepare the trees and the rest of the material to be placed in the boxes are teachers, engineers, medical people and ministers.

Thank goodness it’s pizza night again.

The theme for today was “golden”. I was at church to do the printing. I knew there were some golden objects there. I stopped on my path through the sanctuary to get a shot of the golden cross on the altar. I use no light except what was coming through the stained glass window and then a few with my flash turned on. As I moved on through the church completing my tasks I spotted the golden tip of the pole with the Christian flag on it in the junior room on the lower level.  

Joy