December 30, 2020 thought for the day: Every letter must be chewed before you can refresh yourself with its juice. Chinese Proverb

It’s been hoo hum. Not much going on. Church material is all completed, now for the printing tomorrow. So now it’s just some “back burner” projects. It’s been so long since I have looked into that bag of tricks I don’t know what all is there. I may have some surprises. 

December 29th’s photo theme title was “golden”. I remembered that a few of the ornaments on the tree had a “golden” hue so I went in search of the one that would be best for this theme. 

I thought I would leave the decorated tree up until after the new year comes in but things don’t seem so festive now. I started by taking some of the ornaments off and loosening the lights near the top of the tree so I can reach them without getting on a step stool. I want to see just a bit of the joy the tree brings for a few more hours so I left a few things on the lower branches. I will finish it tomorrow.  

This is turning out to be a pretty quiet day. The sky is gray and gloomy and the rain has started. I put the dogs out for a little while. When I let them in, I found that they were both a little on the damp side. 

The word today is reality.  Few people have the imagination for reality, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like, Laozi.  The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality, Plutarch. If you've never eaten while crying you don t know what life tastes like, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Let us live for the beauty of our own reality, Charles Lamb. Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced, Soren Kierkegaard. Reality is a sliding door, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Reality surpasses imagination; and we see, breathing, brightening, and moving before our eyes sights dearer to our hearts than any we ever beheld in the land of sleep, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. You speak of poverty and dependence. Who are poor and dependent? Who are rich and independent? When was it that men agreed to respect the appearance and not the reality? Henry David Thoreau. The reality of the building does not consist in the roof and walls, but in the space within to be lived in, Laozi. We suffer more in imagination than in reality, Seneca the Younger.  In war, character and opinion make more than half of the reality, Napoleon Bonaparte.  History illumes reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, Marcus Tullius Cicero.   

As I was tending to the dogs off and on today, I have been trying to use them as my models for the photo of the day for today. The challenge is “matching”. I figured I would “match” my pets, two dogs. Have you ever tried to take a photo of a dog? How ‘bout two dogs at one time? I have been following them around trying to get them to come together for a quick snap but.... I have several shots... I am making one of them work. 

This is another article showing how one persons interest in helping can snow ball. It is about a teacher at East Franklin Elementary School. She wanted to do something for the community where she is working. In the school where she first started teaching she experienced a “giveaway” of winter coats called “Operation Warm”. She remembered the “laughing, smiling, and crying” of the parents and kids as they got the coats. As she remembered all of that and put it together with how she had seen and felt the family “dynamics” of the students and the financial struggles of the families, she was “brainstorming” about ways she could help. She said she kept coming back to the Operation Warm project. She found out that she could make out an application for a grant to bring winter coats to her new school. After she wrote the application, she waited patiently. She got the news last month that all the kids at East Franklin would be getting brand new winter coats. She let the rest of the staff know what she had done and how it turned out. The staff then told the parents who then told the kids. Two hundred and seven coats were delivered before the holiday break. Operation Warm Up Columbus “distributed more than 5,000 new coats” to Columbus area elementary schools. I leaned from the article that Operation Warm is headquartered in Pennsylvania, founded in 1998 and “has delivered more than 3.5 million coats to more than 1,200 communities nationwide”. 

 I am pulling something from the freezer for dinner tonight. 

Joy

 December 28, 2020 thought for the day: After all, harming others means you first harm yourself. Chinese Proverb

I’ve had better days. I had a lot of interruptions while I was trying to complete the newsletter and bulletin. That kind of sets my mood to one that is not so pleasant for myself especially. Then I don’t like myself very much. Despite the mood and the interruptions I did, surprisingly, get a good bit done. I should be able to complete them both tomorrow or at least Wednesday by the latest.

Yesterday’s photo challenge was titled “warm”. The twins were spending some time with us so I had models to work with. They got new gloves and hats for Christmas. Having them try them on gave me the chance for a few images. 

I started work on the newsletter about nine thirty and switched to the bulletin about twelve thirty. By about one thirty I had the biggest part of that one done. 

When I checked my email there were a couple of more pieces to be put in the newsletter. That’s good because there were some spaces to be filled. 

One thing that made the whole day one of the “less than better” was in the midst of all of this Sue and I got in a nasty squabble. That always affects me deep into my soul. I’m sure there will be some healing and things will get better. This pandemic doesn’t make anything easy. Working on things makes the rough journey days easier to travel, though it is two-edged. It is hard to concentrate and on the other hand easier to get over the hump. ‘Nuf of this feeling sorry for myself. 

The word today is reason.  The reason we bitterly hate those who deceive us is because they think they are cleverer than we are, Francois de La Rochefoucauld. When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot become manifest, strength cannot be exerted, wealth is useless, and reason is powerless, Herophilos.  Ambition is to the mind what the cap is to the falcon; it blinds us first, and then compels us to tower by reason of our blindness, Charles Caleb Colton. I see men ordinarily more eager to discover a reason for things than to find out whether the things are so, Michel de Montaigne. Time discovers truth. Time heals what reason cannot, Seneca the Younger. Fortune seldom troubles the wise man. Reason has controlled his greatest and most important affairs, controls them throughout his life, and will continue to control them, Epicurus.  Reason, too late perhaps, may convince you of the folly of misspending time, George Washington. The improvement of forest trees is the work of centuries. So much more the reason for beginning now, George Perkins Marsh.  Reason is the substance of the universe. The design of the world is absolutely rational, Christian Friedrich Hebbel. Reason speaks and feeling bites, Plutarch. Men suppose their reason has command over their  words; still it happens that words in return exercise authority on reason, Francis Bacon. Your own reason is the only oracle given you by heaven, and you are answerable for, not the rightness, but the uprightness of the decision, Thomas Jefferson. Faith is led confidently to expect what reason would never suggest, Charles Spurgeon.  

Today’s photo title is “monochrome”. I wanted something with a little move character than straight black and white, although I love black and white images with interesting subject matter. Anyway, instead of setting the camera for a monochrome I created one in Photoshop, the modern darkroom.  I was going for sepia but this one is just a touch too red/orange in hue for my liking. 

This article has some suggestions on how to dispose of “holiday decor”. I’ve heard some but not all of these before. Thought it would be a good idea to pass it on. The article mentioned how there is a variety of times that people begin this process. Some dispose of the live tree at the end of Christmas day, some “begin the process” of taking down around Epiphany. Regardless of the time frame it may be a good idea to consider recycling or “re-purposing”.  The article starts with ways to handle a cut tree. A lot of areas collect used trees then chip them for mulch. The trees can be put by the curbs to be picked up on yard-waste pick up day. The article went on to suggest that the trees can be “re-purposed” by putting them in the back yard for birds and small animals to enjoy. They can also be put in ponds and lakes for the fish to use as a habitat. As for tending to holiday plants they can be maintained for continued growth and use in the next season. I learned that Amaryllis plant need “a rest period of several months in a cool, dark area in order to bloom again”. Poinsettia plants just need proper watering and “lots” of light through winter and spring. It went on to say in the care of the poinsettia it is good to prune it to approximately six or eight inches in the summer. It needs twelve hours of complete darkness each night for two months. That can be accomplished by putting a cardboard box over it in the evenings. On to Christmas cacti....they need bright filtered light in the day and twelve hours of darkness for six weeks before blooming. As for evergreen wreaths, roping and holly boughs, they can be used as mulch or composted. Cut the branches and boughs into smaller pieces.

I think I want to make goulash for dinner. 

Joy

 December 26, 2020 thought for the day: The flowers in your garden don't smell as sweet as those in the wild, but they last much longer. Chinese Proverb

The day after Christmas....a day of remembering the reason for the season and the love that was in the air, the feeling of a hug of comfort and the gifts of blessings. 

I’m planning to just bask in the glow for today, not planning much just enjoying and mellowing.

The photo theme for yesterday was “a fave colour”. I have probably mentioned before that my favorite color may change from day to day. It depends on my mood and the kind of day that is happening. But yesterday the color was green. So the image shot below the branches of an evergreen tree was the photo of choice. 

I may leisurely work on the newsletter template, getting the calendar set up and small sections updated. The time I have to get it completed is a little abbreviated. Due to the holidays and my family schedule I extended the deadline a week. That would put New Years day as the day to wrap it up and get it mailed but the lady who helps me suggested we do it on Thursday to keep New Years day open. So that only gives me three days to find appropriate filler if I don’t get anything from others. So that will be the agenda for the beginning of next week along with the bulletin and message/hymn page. 

We still have snow on the ground and cold air outside. The snow is pretty in spots and messy in others where people made piles along edges as they cleared areas that are easier to traverse. At least we had a “clean” and “blanket” of white for Christmas morning. 

Lowell gave Bob an idea for a new use for his leaf blower....now he uses it on new and light fallen snow, makes the shoveling to come later a lot easier. 

Lowell and Rebecca brought dinner yesterday and spent an hour or so with us which made this “new normal (?)” Christmas happily livable.  I missed the rest of the family and hope next year and whatever number of years left for the rest of us a happy time to gather together. 

The word today is realization.  Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves, Henry David Thoreau. Man's ideal state is realized when he has fulfilled the purpose for which he is born. And what is it that reason demands of him? Something very easy-that he live in accordance with his own nature, Seneca the Younger.  Self-confidence is not hope; it is the self-judgment of your own internal forces in their relation to the world without, which results from the failure of many hopes and the non-realization of many fears, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton.   The realization of God's presence is the one sovereign remedy against temptation, Francois Fenelon. Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself, Rumi. The secret of genius is to suffer no fiction to exist for us; to realize all that we know; in the high refinement of modern life, in arts, in sciences, in books, in men, to exact good faith, reality, and a purpose; and first, last, midst, and without end, to honor every truth by use, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The secret of contentment is the realization that life is a gift, not a right. Next to faith this is the highest art - to be content with the calling in which God has placed you, Martin Luther. As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age, Henry David Thoreau.  The drum of the realization of the promise is beating, we are sweeping the road to the sky. Your joy is here today, what remains for tomorrow? Rumi.  

The photo challenge for today is “cool”. I checked to see what some other members of my club were
using for this theme because cool can be temperature motivated or the “cool man, cool” kind of thing. I chose Bob using his leaf blower as a snow blower on my car windows as a “cool” image, I think that’s a cool (avant-garde) idea.  

Here I go again, more about animals. This one is about rhinos at the Wilds, our wild and open version of the Columbus zoo. There are two new white rhinos. According to the article this is the ‘longest lineage of the species outside its native ranges in Africa’. A male calf was born Friday. One female calf was born a little earlier on December 9. I learned from the article that white rhinos aren’t actually white. The name came from a mistranslation of the Afrikaans word that describes the animal’s mouth. The word is “wyd” meaning wide. The white rhino species is threatened. This I didn’t know until I read the article, Rhinos are the most frequently poached species for their horns. The CEO, Tom Stalf, said that "Each birth is vital in protecting the future of the species." The Wilds also cares for Asian one-horned rhinos and has had eight calves born  here. The zoo doesn’t have any rhinos. The last one, 31 year old Rosie, a black rhino, was euthanized due to health problems related to aging. I learned from the article that “the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, ....... including the Columbus Zoo and The Wilds, recommends breeding pairs for at-risk species like rhinos.” The data for tracking genetic history of animals allows recommending the best mates and helps to keep animals healthy by maintaining genetic diversity. The Wilds is closed for the season however there is a program called Winter at the Wilds offering tours by reservation through April. 

We are having roast beef hash from the left over roast beef dinner Rebecca and Lowell brought and shared with us for Christmas. 

Joy

December 24, 2020 thought for the day; The happiness in your pocket, don't spend it all. Chinese Proverb

It has been a full and productive day. I made it to the church for the usual Thursday printing. I also got to chat with Jim for a while. I put the Christmas Eve bulletin out for the folks to pick up as they enter the sanctuary and kept the Sunday bulletins in the office to put out before church on Sunday. 

I made a stop at White Castle and then the park for a possible fit to the photo theme for today. 

When I got home, I got busy. I wrapped a couple of gifts I have for two of my neighbors. I noticed I had received the packages from Amazon (early I might add) that the twins had ordered as their Christmas gifts from me so I wrapped those also. 

Yesterday’s photo title was “a pop of color”. I was out and about and as usual was on the look out for my “assignment” for the day (that has become a well established habit in my daily activities). As I was stopped behind another car, I caught sight of this collection of colors and shapes. 

I made out a late birthday card for my grandson and a Christmas card for Bob. After that I logged onto Amazon and ordered gift certificates for the rest of my great grandchildren. I sent them through Amazon to be delivered to the kids through their parent’s email addresses. Then one more email to each of my kids and grand kids explaining that my usual Christmas calendar will be late this year. I will have them ready to give them before the end of January. (I am having trouble getting enough of the ink I need for my printer....everyone seems to be out of stock for what I need.)

After all of that or at some point between those projects I started the laundry. 

I am not going to make it to the Candle Light Service a church tonight. I will be thinking of everyone and remembering past Candle Light Services. 

The word for today is real. Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing, Abraham Lincoln. Real excellence and humility are not incompatible one with the other, on the contrary they are twin sisters, Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire. There is some danger lest there be no real religion in the heart which craves too much daily sympathy, Margaret Fuller. Faith, in order to be genuine and of any real value, must be the offspring of that divine love which Jesus manifested when He prayed for His enemies on the cross, Hosea Ballou.  How few our real wants, and how vast our imaginary ones! Johann Kaspar Lavater.  If people would but provide for eternity with the same solicitude and real care as they do for this life, they could not fail of heaven, John Tillotson.  What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined - to strengthen each other - to be at one with each other in silent unspeakable memories, George Eliot. True happiness is...to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, Seneca the Younger. Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence, Aristotle.  Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to others, Gautama Buddha. It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness, Thomas Jefferson. Happiness, that grand mistress of the ceremonies in the dance of life, impels us through all its mazes and meanderings, but leads none of us by the same route, Charles Caleb Colton. It came to me that I should teach this truth for it is real happiness and joy. The cessation of suffering is possible, Gautama Buddha. Avoid greatness in a cottage there may be more real happiness than kings or their favourites enjoy, Horace.   

Today’s photo theme is titled “pastel”. I was in the park and remembered the color on the water towers. I think the blue tone as well as the gray base color are in the family of pastel. 

In the beginning of this pandemic I didn’t give much thought to the use of air purifiers but the more I hear about them the more impressed I am. Along with the distancing and face masks I think these could go a long way to keeping things safer. This article is relating how many restaurants are “investing” in these air filtration and ventilation systems. I agreed with the article as I mentioned that we still need the masks and the distancing. One thing that is on the plus side of the air purification idea is that the air quality is better when there is no pandemic. I have heard and learned in searches and in this article that the units continuously recycle the air every few minutes, according to the particular unit. The filter out impurities as dust and viruses. The article went on to say that infectious disease specialists are supportive of the purchases but still emphasize the other safety measures to go along with the systems in diluting the virus.  This added precaution also reassures the customers and shows the owners care about their health. The systems large enough for restaurants are expensive so some of the smaller ones are having a hard time being able to buy them.

I am trying to think of something simple to fix for dinner....maybe left over, baked spaghetti, and fried bologna.

Joy

 December 22, 2020 thought for the day: The poorer you are, the more devils you meet. Chinese Proverb

So far it’s been a sort of catch up day. I am still working on the calendars, I know that gets boring to hear but it is one of those ongoing projects until it gets finished, which comes with each small step. 

Yesterday’s photo of the day was “dark”. I was playing with my cell phone camera last night as I was sitting up in bed reading. When I took a break from my ebook, my attention was drawn to the shapes and light at the edge of the half-opened door and the total darkness on this side of the door. I wanted to see how the camera preformed at the “night” setting. This is what I got. 

I had a meeting scheduled last night. So I left the house in the cold and rain to get there on time. As I neared the church there was a complete barricade of the street I was on including a half dozen or so emergency vehicles with blue and red lights flashing. I couldn’t get through. I tried going through the parallel alley down to the next couple of cross streets but the barricade extended to the street I needed too. The only way to get there would have been to make a complete circle around several blocks. I was having more than the usual problems with the glare on the wet streets so I didn’t feel safe making that detour. I also didn’t know what the problem was, a huge sting going on or a shooting or something that may eventually involve evacuating nearby buildings. So I made the decision to skip the meeting and come on home. I called Lowell to see if he could find out what was happening...as it turned out it was a fatal head on car accident. 

I got the information this morning to complete the bulletin, I had the template up to date for that information so it was a quick finish as the calendars were printing located below my desk. 

Since this is a catch up day, I decided to leap ahead just a bit too. I got the hymn selection for the free meal at church on Saturday. I will complete that page when I get the message that it will go with. 

Now I will switch to some house hold chores, like cleaning out the frig and setting up the dish washer. I made eggnog yesterday. I used cool whip for the heavy cream part and I think it is a little too thick so I am going to thin it down a bit while I am straightening in the frig anyway. 

The word today is reading.  Men must read for amusement as well as for knowledge, Henry Ward Beecher. Never be entirely idle; but either be reading, or writing, or praying or meditating or endeavoring something for the public good, Thomas a Kempis. Tis the good reader that makes the good book, Ralph Waldo Emerson. A book that is shut is but a block, Thomas Fuller. How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book, Henry David Thoreau. There is no Frigate like a book to take us lands away nor any coursers like a page of prancing Poetry, Emily Dickinson. Many readers judge of the power of a book by the shock it gives their feelings, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Little learning and much pride come of hasty reading, Charles Spurgeon. A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit, John Milton. Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures, Ralph Waldo Emerson. A man may as well expect to grow stronger by always eating as wiser by always reading, Jeremy Collier. It is well to read everything of something, and something of everything, Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux. Learn to read slow; all other graces will follow in their proper places, William Walker. 

The photo theme for today is “light”. I shot some light and shadow images of the sun rays on my porch swing and my neighbor’s picket style fence. Then I happened to see a huge outline on the inside wall that the sun was producing from the window above the sink. There was the large rectangular shadow as well of lighter aura-like dapples from the suns light. 

I have heard that horses can do a lot for the morale and mental as well as physical health of many handicapped people. Actually I believe there are many animals that share this gift for the human being. This article is about a group called Dreams on Horseback. There is an annual holiday party at a facility called Field of Dreams Equine Education Center which includes Dreams on Horseback. There was a “socially distanced holiday celebration” this year. The stable hasn’t been able to allow the normal horse back rides as usual due to the pandemic so the “participants” haven’t been able to ride or even see the horses for some time. The article mentions that  “The mission of Dreams on Horseback is to help people with challenges improve their lives through horse-partnered learning experiences and education”. A mother of one of the “therapeutic riders.... said this has been a challenging year for her and her daughter,...., because of missing the other riders, staff and volunteers”. One of the volunteers says “these animals are my heart...I love the (participants) and horses”. This year the annual parade was a “drive-by” pony parade. The director of Dreams on Horseback wanted to let people know they are still operating and are “looking forward to ‘21". Hopefully this “parade” will offer a “reconnect” with the horses and staff. Listed at the end of the article are some of the programs they offer, “therapeutic riding lessons, equine-assisted learning, Alzheimer’s senior experiences, vocational training and Military Connections”. 

We are having left overs tonight, tuna casserole and beef and noodles. 

Joy

 December 20, 2020 thought for the day: Plan your year in the spring, your day at dawn. Chinese Proverb

The church service was nice this morning. There was a bit of a problem getting the live streaming going but just a few minutes were missed. 

There is nothing especially timed for today’s agenda so it is on the relaxed side of things as I like on a Sunday.

Yesterday’s photo theme was titled “two colours”. This one was quick for me I turned in my desk chair and saw one of my very old garden books. The binding is written in yellow colored font and the book its self is green. I sectioned the book with its title off from the rest of the image and converted the rest to black and white. 

I have been having one heck of a time finding the ink I need to finish my calendars. Every place I stop there is a note where the ink is suppose to be that says “out of stock”. I get that same response with online ordering too. It must be a very popular version of the ink cartridge. Anyway, that is going to make my Christmas calendars a late Christmas gift. I should have started working on them much earlier. I think it is an “artists” creativity mood. It didn’t hit me until early December this year instead of earlier on in November. 

The church newsletter deadline was typically this week on the calendar but due to the holiday I am not going to be able to get to it so I let the folks know that we will be a week later this month. That takes some of the pressure off of getting things done on time to have a relaxed holiday even though it is going to be in the abbreviated celebration compared to what we are all use to due to the infamous pandemic rules of the day.   

Today I had two photos for the day. The first is titled “ three colours”. I drove around looking for
images to fit this title. I found some outdoor Christmas decorations that almost made it but it turned out there were more than three colors in each as were some of those I shot of the playground equipment at the park. This one fit. There is a boarded up building a mile or so from the house that I pass often. As shown in the photo the plywood panels are painted in three different colors. Again I separated the colors from the rest of the background. 

The word today is quality. The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature, Marcus Aurelius.  Well done is better than well said, Benjamin Franklin. Make the workmanship surpass the materials, Ovid.  The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it, Abraham Lincoln.  To understand the true quality of people, you must look into their minds, and examine their pursuits and aversions, Marcus Aurelius.  It is quality rather than quantity that matters, Seneca the Younger. We must accept life for what it actually is - a challenge to our quality without which we should never know of what stuff we are made, or grow to our full stature, Robert Louis Stevenson. The quality of the imagination is to flow and not to freeze, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way, Aristotle. Many individuals have, like uncut diamonds, shining qualities beneath a rough exterior, Juvenal. It is the quality of the moment, not the number of days, or events, or of actors, that imports, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  The rarest quality in an epitaph is truth, Henry David Thoreau.  Amnesty is as good for those who give it as for those who receive it. It has the admirable quality of bestowing mercy on both sides, Victor Hugo. Charm is the quality in others that makes us more satisfied with ourselves, Henri Frederic Amiel. Endurance is the crowning quality, And patience all the passion of great hearts, James Russell Lowell. Look beneath the surface; let not the several quality of a thing nor its worth escape thee, Marcus Aurelius. Permit no hour to go by without it due improvement, Thomas a Kempis.  Read first the best books. The important thing for you is not how much you know, but the quality of what you know, Desiderius Erasmus.   

The second photo today is titled “an electric light”. My first thought was of the Christmas tree lights. That was an easy one. 

Perhaps there are new ways to celebrate the holiday. This is disconcerting to those of us who don’t take to change readily on the other hand through the years we look back at the “new ways” or “new normal” that have come down the pike, like giant balloons in a holiday parade. The giant balloons had to be new at some point in time, maybe even so bit they were frightening to some. This article is titled “New takes on holiday traditions”.  Families are finding ways to make holiday magic, some have found ways to keep special traditions alive. One way is relating how four singers stood in the sanctuary at a safe distance from each other and standing in front of empty seats. Sweaters have replaced the choir robes and cameras are recording this event. They used a “duckbill” mask especially designed for singers. During their rehearsal they tried and tried again until they all felt it their songs sounded right.  One thing choir members have tried is to record from each of their homes then an audio/visual team put it all together. Another area of the Christmas season is baking cookies. One family chose to do it as a family of twenty members participating by using zoom to do it together.  One of the participating persons was a seven-year old who got excited as spread sprinkles on one of the cookies her mother had piped with icing. Then she held if up so all of the other family members on zoom could see her master piece. Everyone oohed and aahed as it sounded over the laptop. One of the family aunts said, “We want to do something that feels as close to normal as possible. To not have it would be like throwing in the towel, and we don’t want to throw in the towel.” Another of the family members said they want to keep the holiday as special as possible. There were chuckles and “ribbing” as all the family continued to make the Christmas cookies. Also added to the festivities were mistakes that were noted and talk of favorite recipes and memories of past holiday decorating adventures. Some of the advantages of having it with zoom was having more family members join in the decorating tradition also there was less clean up than having several members together in one kitchen. Another of the holiday celebrations is the giving thanks. This year the Thanksgiving day meal was carried out with a Champagne toast held in a driveway. Some families held the Thanksgiving day via zoom also. 

It is going to be tacos again tonight for dinner, seems it has become another pizza night. 

Joy

 December 18, 2020 thought for the day: Solve one problem, and you keep a hundred others away. Chinese Proverb

I had a chance to “sleep in” again. It feels so good to begin to wake up and be able to roll over to catch another few moments of quite and peace under the warm blankets. 

Yesterday on my way home from printing at church, I went by Westgate park to get the photo of the day for today, “rainbow”. There is a mural on the wall of the ratchet ball court that is an array of color. I thought it would fit the theme perfectly. 

Lowell and Rebecca took me to lunch yesterday at Red Lobster for my birthday. I know restaurants are a place where we have to be careful due to  COVID 19. It seems Red Lobster is doing all it can to keep safety in mind, plexiglass dividers, tables roped off, throw away menus, staff with masks. Yesterday there might have been twelve tables in the whole space taken up while we were in there, very minimal. After that we stopped at Mick and Kim’s. I got to play with William for a while. I also got a text message from my grand daughter-in-law and my two great grand children, Lexie and Drew. I haven’t heard from them often so when I do it’s a treat. I think it’s been a little more often in the past few weeks, that’s a God send. 

I really don’t have anything with time limits on an agenda today. I got a couple more calendars bound and ready. Yesterday I picked up one of the lighter cartridges of ink so I was able to run another calendar this morning. By the way, I have fourteen to run. That’s why it takes so long. 

Since yesterday was full with the printing at church and then my lunch and visit I didn’t get the laundry done as I usually do on Thursday. That means today is catch up day. 

There is still a good bit of snow on the ground in the grassy areas and on tree branches and fence posts and things left outside but the streets are clear. 

Besides doing the laundry I worked on getting the message/hymn sheets ready to hand out. Rebecca and Lowell gave me two tropical house plants in the form of bonsai starters. One of them was having trouble standing on it’s own so I repotted it. It is standing straighter now without leaning. Rebecca remembered how I admire bonsai and the heavy twisted trunks on some styles. These two have perfect shapes for my taste. 

Since I was kind of stuck here at home working on the laundry and the calendars, I decided to try to find the photo of the day near by, “one colour”. I attempted finding a bulb on the Christmas tree that would serve the purpose but I wasn’t happy with that out come. So I noticed a neighbor’s door and awning that have always caught my attention and decided to use it. I separated it from the rest of the image so that I could further set it off by turning the rest of the shot to black and white. Now the red stands out even more than as I glance out the window and see it.  

The word today is pure.  The silence often of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails, William Shakespeare. The light which shines in the eye is really the light of the heart. The light which fills the heart is the light of God, which is pure and separate from the light of intellect and sense, Rumi.  Rare is the union of beauty and purity, Juvenal. The scholar only knows how dear these silent, yet eloquent, companions of pure thoughts and innocent hours become in the season of adversity. When all that is worldly turns to dross around us, these only retain their steady value, Washington Irving. Nature is fair in proportion as the youth is pure. The heavens and the earth are one flower; the earth is the calyx, the heavens the corolla, Henry David Thoreau. Scholarship is to be created not by compulsion, but by awakening a pure interest in knowledge, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Let our lives be pure as snow fields, where our steps leave a mark but no stain, Sophie Swetchine. Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern which have come under my observation, none appears to me so pure as that of Jesus....I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus, Thomas Jefferson.  To love is human. To feel pain is human. Yet to still love despite the pain is pure angel, Rumi. When pure sincerity forms within, it is outwardly realized in other people's hearts, Laozi. All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If people speak or act with evil thoughts, pain follows them. If people speak or act with pure thoughts, happiness follows them, like a shadow that never leaves them, Gautama Buddha. 

Jack Hanna has done wonders for the Columbus Zoo. I love his ways as an ambassador for the zoo and his trips with some of the animals to various television show. This article is about his retirement celebration which because of our time in history will be virtual only. The usual “Home for the Holidays” event that happens this time of year won’t be happening in that way this year. Jack who is originally from Tennessee was quoted as saying "We are so grateful that central Ohio welcomed us with open arms all those years ago...being able to help transform the Columbus Zoo has been the opportunity of a lifetime. I am so lucky to have been able to follow my dream of working with animals and hope that we have inspired many others to do the same along the way." The original plans for his retirement celebration had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. Now the staff have made other plans to celebrate with a “hose of community events to honor him’. To start the festivities the roadway along the zoo and Zoombezi Bay has been dedicated as “Jack Hanna Way”. The staff has asked guests to share memories of him on the zoo’s facebook page. There already is a “Jungle Jack’s Top 10 Moments” on YouTube. There will be some areas of Zoombezi Bay renamed along with retheming. Some things will be moved to The Wilds. The zoo is opening a new education building supported by a grant from the Jack and Suzi Hanna fund. In this article the zoo President stated, "Throughout the 25 years that I’ve worked with Jack, I’ve appreciated his authenticity and his endless energy and devotion to making the world a better place". A newer area of the zoo called “Adventure Cove” and its Animal Encounters Village is supported by the Jack and Suzi Hanna fund. As many of us know, Jack is famous for bringing “ambassador animals” with him for public appearances.  In 2019 a life-sized bronze statues of Jack and Suzi we installed near the entrance of the Heart of Africa region.

It’s come around again, Pizza night. 

Joy

 December 16, 2020 thought for the day: If you stay long enough in one place the whole world passes you by. Chinese Proverb

We’re  getting hit with a good bit of snow right now. It is at the ”pretty ” stage”. No foot prints, at least not in my neighbor’s yard as I look out my window.

December 15th was another of my two photo a day challenges. The first was titled “patterns”. If we are observant there are patterns all over the place, all kinds of patterns. I chose for yesterday’s image a decorative stone wall. The stones are all different shapes and sizes offering a collection of patterns. 

 I called to order some of my dog’s meds but I don’t think I am  going to be able to get out to pick it up today. I told the tech I was speaking to when I ordered it and told her that I think I am a bit too old to be digging myself out of any snow drift that I may get caught up in. I will most likely try to pick it up tomorrow. Hopefully it will be at least passable tomorrow. 

I got the two bulletins out to be proofread. Then got the message/hymn sheet for Saturday evening ready to print. I got on line to order my great grandson an Amazon gift certificate for his birthday. He was born on my birthday so we will both be celebrating tomorrow. 

The second photo for yesterday was titled “ shooting straight down”. Here again are a multitude of choices, our own feet or shadow being just a couple.  As I turned the corner on the way home, I saw this sewer grate that I felt was made of interesting shapes along with some fallen leaves to add character to the image. It wasn’t quite “straight” down but close enough. 

Yesterday I got the ink I ordered over a week ago so that I can print some of the Christmas calendars. I got back to work on that this morning. Part way through the second calendar the printer yelled that I had a paper jam. I tried and tired to find one but couldn’t discover any stuck paper. Even though I thought it was “fixed” the printer refused to print. I sighed (heavily) and decided I may have to go shopping for a new printer tomorrow.

I picked up work in another area of my line up for today. I came to a point where I needed to print a page on standard paper rather than the card stock I use for the calendars. It worked!! There must have been a problem with the weight of the paper rather than a paper jam. Since that page printed ok, I decided to try the calendars again, that worked too. What a relief. I took a break from the printer headache to roll up my sleeves and take care of the dirty dishes that were stacked in the sink. 

I really have been multitasking this morning. It’s a headache to have so many “irons in the fire” but at least I am getting a lot accomplished. 

The word today is protect. The daisy, by the shadow that it casts, Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun, William Wordsworth. Any law that takes hold of a mans daily life cannot prevail in a community, unless the vast majority of the community are actively in favor of it. The laws that are the most operative are the laws which protect life, Henry Ward Beecher.  Let our countrymen know that the people alone can protect us against these evils of misgovernment, Thomas Jefferson. The strong must protect the sweet, Homer.  Luxurious food and drinks, in no way protect you from harm. Wealth beyond what is natural, is no more use than an overflowing container. ...., Epicurus. Like a mother who protects her child, her only child, with her own life, one should cultivate a heart of unlimited love and compassion towards all living beings, Gautama Buddha. Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind, Leonardo da Vinci.  A tree is a wonderful living organism which gives shelter, food, warmth and protection to all living things. It even gives shade to those who wield an axe to cut it down, Gautama Buddha.   In the Cross is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection against our enemies; in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit; in the Cross is excellence of virtue; in the Cross is perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross, Thomas a Kempis. In the state of nature... all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in this equality. Society makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the protection of the law, Baron de Montesquieu. God requires that we assist the animals, when they need our help. Each being (human or creature) has the same right of protection, Francis of Assisi.  

Today’s photo is “ minimal” . With the snow on the ground giving a world of white, I picked a single flower pot topped with a touch of snow hanging on my white privacy fence. I made the image but decided on one in my house. I had set a bowl of pears on the new console table. It was the only thing on the table. It looked so alone and “minimal”. 

Here is an article about some revitalization in Columbus near Franklin Park. It sounds kind of cool and exciting. There are a “collection of historic buildings in the northeast corner of Oak Street and Kelton Avenue” apparently called the “Trolley District” (due to an old trolley barn built around 1882) and near Franklin Park that are being revitalized into a “food and entertainment destination”.  Floors and supports are being put in some of the old buildings, ceilings repaired, old bricks cleaned and reused. They hope to have the complex open by next June or July. The “East Market” will have twenty stalls and a restaurant, in the lower level there will be cooler and storage space. According to the article: “It’s going to be the most unique event space in Central Ohio…11,000 square feet, with gridded glass skylights”.  This building is the largest on the site and was known as the “west car barn” used to paint trolley cars. The Columbus Brewing Company will have a taproom with fireplace and large bar and a beer garden. There is a space that will be in the second phase of the project. Included in the plan is a five story, one hundred and two-unit apartment complex 

I am having baked Tilapia and mac and cheese for dinner. 

Joy

 December 14, 2020 thought for the day: When you say one thing, the clever person understands three. Chinese Proverb

I started the week out right...busy. After some work on the bulletin for this coming Sunday, Sue and I left for a shopping adventure. 

The December 13th photo theme was “grey”. This was a perfect day for that subject, the sky is a perfect color to fill the bill. It had a bit of blue in it but still grey. So, I went in search of something that would give the gray (notice the difference in spelling) sky a bit of character. The park down the street offered another subject model for me.   

While I was waiting for Sue to come out of the store, I had a call from Lowell wanting to know where I wanted to go for lunch for my birthday later this week. Also while I was out, I got a text from Natalie. She had stopped by the house to drop some cookies for us. I hate missing her, we see each other so rarely. But the festive cans of cookies I found on the porch swing were a welcome surprise. 

First stop was Kroger. Now that is out of the way for a week or so. Our next stop on the agenda was for me to stop at the church to pick the names I need to complete the Poinsettia dedication sheet to be an addition to the bulletin this week. I was able to have a quick chat with Jim, the Sexton. He had a bit of a health scare but is now back on the job. Sue had purchased a pair of boots for one of the twins but we found this week end while they were here she tried them on they were too small. So I dropped Sue off to try to exchange them. She couldn’t find a replacement so we stopped by another shoe store. She found something that may fit the bill. After that and a stop at MickeyD’s we were on our way home. 

Yesterday I had a wonderful experience. I got to “attend” a virtual graduation. Mickey, my grandson,  graduated from the Ohio State University with a cum laude addition to his name. I am so proud of him. After all these years and many graduations, Miami University, Capital University, Franklin University, and Columbus State University this was the first of this kind. I loved the virtual trip along campus grounds, the general congratulations extended from several OSU VIPs via live streaming, especially the commencement speech from Jerry Ravish and all ending with the OSU marching band playing Carmen Ohio (which always brings tears to my eyes) with another virtual tour of campus grounds including Mirror Lake. Altogether beautiful and a heart swelling with pride.

I was able to add some of the names to the Poinsettia Dedication as a start to complete that project. I will work on the bulletin and the dedication tomorrow. I still have a few groceries to put up.   

The word for today is proof.  Imagination should give wings to our thoughts but we always need decisive experimental proof, and when the moment comes to draw conclusions and to interpret the gathered observations, imagination must be checked and documented by the factual results of the experiment, Louis Pasteur.  It is never too late to give up our prejudices. No way of thinking or doing, however, ancient, can be trusted without proof. ... Old deeds for old people, and new deeds for new, Henry David Thoreau. The highest duty and the highest proof of wisdom - that deed and word should be in accord, Seneca the Younger. It is proof of sincerity, which I value above all things; as, between those who practice it, falsehood and malice work their efforts in vain, Thomas Jefferson.  Wisdom is not finally tested in schools, Wisdom cannot be pass'd from one having it to another not having it, Wisdom is of the soul, is not susceptible of proof, is its own proof,...., Walt Whitman. The principle exercise which the children of god have is to pray. For in this way they give true proof of their faith, John Calvin. Many words are not proof of the wise man, because the sage only talk when it's needed, and the words are measured and corresponding with the need, Thales.  My plainness of speech makes people hate me, and what is their hatred but a proof that I am speaking the truth, Plato.   

Today’s photo challenge is black and white. Since Sue and I were out running errands I sought and
caught several samples of the black and white image. As a gall back I could have used the “darkroom” (Photoshop) to generate a black and white image but I chose on out of the camera instead. 

You all pretty much know my age thereby the generation that I come from. Girls have certain capabilities and fit in certain functions in life in general and boys the same. However, social growth continues and talents of the two redevelop. Though I still believe that the gifts each were endowed with are something to be proud of and protected. Anyway this article is about a young girl being one of the first females to receive the honor long belongs to Boy Scouts of Eagle Scout.  Her brother had also received the honor earlier, they ar3e the second brother-sister in the country to have received the honor. To earn this award a leadership role is required as well as earning a minimum of twenty-one merit badges. These badges can be in the area of first aid, civics, business, environment, all of which require research and service projects. The young lady mentioned in this article was a former Girl Scout. She said she saw what her brother was doing in camping and white water rafting, things that had interested her for a long while. She started her journey toward Eagle Scout in June and completed it in September. Toward earning the award she wanted to help kids in foster care. She worked on a project to provide book bags for them “filled with blankets, stuffed animals, toiletries and games”. Another part of her journey was becoming a Senior Patrol Leader where she learned how to be a public speaker along with other life lessons.   

I’m going to pull something from the freezer for dinner tonight. 

Joy

 December 12, 2020 thought for the day: When you want to test the depths of a stream, don't use both feet. Chinese  Proverb

This is a dreary Saturday. It is warmer than it normally is in December but it’s kind of hard to think that when glancing out the window.

The photo challenge for December 11 was “green”. I took the camera out looking for something interesting in green. I looked and shot through over head branches of evergreen trees and tilted the camera down to get a  good shot of patches of green grass. Finally I landed on the green left in my own fairy garden still left under one of the evergreen trees in the back yard. 

We had the girls for a sleep over last night. I don’t know if because they are getting bigger they are getting louder or if that is just a mirage. In sprints of time they seem to like to wrestle with one another giggling all the while (that is until one hurts the other). So as their limbs hit the floor, a piece of furniture or each other the sound carries with more of a crescendo than when their bodies were a little smaller. When not wrestling or showing each other their creativity in some other manner they have their cell phones or ipads vibrating with sound.

I had planned to go to Sams club today for some ink but then I realized they would probably be back to having people stand in line as they allowed only a certain number of people in. I refuse to wait in line like that. I don’t need anything that badly. If I would decide to go, it wouldn’t be on a Saturday, more like during “senior” hour, as early in the day as possible....maybe next week. 

I am a bit perturbed. My cell phone automatically updated yesterday. After the update my photos do not automatically go to my Onedrive (cloud) as it did before. I don’t want to take the time to try to put it back to where it is supposed to be but rather than stay “perturbed” I may have to try to fix it. 

I do believe the sun is trying to show itself. As I glance out the window beside my computer screen I see a bit of blue sky with fluffy white clouds, 

The word for today is pride.  All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride, Sophocles. Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying, Vincent de Paul. When pride and presumption walk before, shame and loss follow very closely, Louis XI of France.  Pride goes before destruction, Aesop. Humility and knowledge in poor clothes excel pride and ignorance in costly attire, William Penn.  The devil...the prowde spirite (proud spirit)...cannot endure to be mocked, Thomas Moore.  Airs of importance are the credentials of impotence, Johann Kaspar Lavater.  Pride requires very costly food-its keeper's happiness, Charles Caleb Colton.  Charity feeds the poor, so does pride; charity builds an hospital, so does pride. In this they differ: charity gives her glory to God; pride takes her glory from man, Francis Quarles.  Spiritual pride is the most dangerous and the most arrogant  of all sorts of pride, Samuel Richardson. The pride of the body is a barrier against the gifts that purify the soul, George Eliot. Pride and weakness are Siamese twins, James Russell Lowell. We are rarely proud when we are alone, Voltaire. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold, Thomas Jefferson. When flowers are full of heaven-descended dews, they always hang their heads; but men hold theirs the higher the more they receive, getting proud as they get full, Henry Ward Beecher. 

The photo theme for today is “red”. A few days ago my neighbor surprised me with a beautiful gift of two tiny poinsettias, one white and one red. What a perfect choice for my photo for today. The red flowering beauty and holiday icon is in a small red container. After I made the shot I noted a tiny reflection of part of the container in the surface it was poised upon. I liked that added touch. 

This is an interesting use of space and cost savings I would hope. I have seen photos of  the fields of the wind turbines that causes me to wonder if that is the way of the future, solar energy apparatus also amazes me. Couldn’t our source of electricity be free? In my naivete may be showing.....nothing is free. The article today is telling us about a solar farm being planned for Franklin County. It would be located in Pleasant and Prairie townships and within the purview of the Big Darby Accord Advisory Panel. Two thousand acres south of Broad Street’s on east side of  Darby Creek Road would be the location of the solar farm and would provide power to fifty thousand homes.  The process is currently in the approval stage. According to the article the “site currently is made up of single crop and sod farmland.” If I am reading the article correctly, the people who own the land can receive between “$250 and $3,000 per acre annually”. Again according to the article “after construction, the project will employ up to three people to oversee the operations and maintenance of the facility”. There will be plantings under the panels “to prevent soil erosion, improve soil health and reduce phosphorous runoff in storm water that flows into Big Darby”. At the end of the “facility’s 30-year lifespan, the solar panels are removed......the land is returned to its original condition”. One person who lives across from the proposed project and was interviewed stated that she is concerned about interruptions from the construction that will be going on to set up the solar farm. These folks will be paid for any inconveniences but still wants to hear more about the project. It will be interesting to see how projects like this will take place and how/if will such projects will improve our energy resources and if and how it will affect nature and our familiar way of life. 

I think I am going to make beef stew in the pressure cooker for dinner. 

Joy

 December 10, 2020 thought for today: How can you put out a fire set on a cart-load of firewood with only a cup of water. Chinese Proverb

Here’s the way this December 10th started. I put out one of the humane mouse traps last night. We caught one! I heard him/her scratching to get out. I decided to take it a mile or so away from the house and release it where there were other wild critters, some maybe friendly to the mouse, maybe some looking for a snack (I tell myself it’s nature). When I opened the lid to release, my capture popped out and made a run for it. I like this style trap, it’s easy to bait, it won’t hurt my dogs if they find it on the floor, the package says it can capture more than one at a time. The only draw back is emptying it. I want to take it away from the house so they can’t find their way back.

On December 9 my photo challenge was “orange”. Sue had a dental appointment on that date after I dropped her off I went in search of an image to fill that theme. I shot some signs with orange in them and some road maintenance cones. Turning onto one side street, I found an orange someone had dropped in the gutter. I also passed by and shot some freshly painted fire hydrants that appeared to be a bright orange in their new coats. 

Well, eventually I got to the church to complete the printing. The church was totally quiet and comforting like a huge embrace as I walked through. The sunlight with no artificial light competing, was reflected in a maze of color through the stained glass onto the columns, pews and floor. My travels through the aisles this way, always allows for the most peaceful thinking I can experience, just me and One Other. Perhaps that’s why I feel a bit poetic today.  

Since, to my pleasant surprise, I got the Christmas Eve bulletin completed yesterday today there is no “deadline” hanging in the air. A day to move through time relaxed and easy, oops, with one exception....laundry.

The weather is gorgeous today. Some times I think I would like it to stay like this, on the other hand winter has its moments too. 

This was one of the days I had two photos a day. The first is “navy”. I often accept what is probably royal blue as navy so once I got my images to Photoshop I used its help in determining the difference by the hex color code for each. I shot a blue art graffiti piece at the park of the confederate camp. I shot the blue field on the American flag. I shot some blue file folders and some blue hymnals and bibles on the self at church. 

The word is prejudice.  Prejudices are what fools use for reason. Voltaire. It is never too late to give up our prejudices, Henry David Thoreau.  Prejudices are the chains forged by ignorance to keep men apart, Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington.  Prejudice is never easy unless it can pass itself off for reason, William Hazlitt.  Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained with the greatest of violence, Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey.  Prejudice is the child of ignorance, William Hazlitt. Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow firm there, firm as weeds among stones, Charlotte Bronte.  He hears but half who hears one party only, Aeschylus. Prejudice squints when it looks and lies when it talks, Laure Junot, Duchess of Abrantes. The greatest friend of truth is Time, her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and her constant companion is Humility, Charles Caleb Colton. Superstitions, bigotries, hypocrisies, prejudices, these phantoms, phantoms though they be, cling to life; they have teeth and nails in their shadowy substance, and we must grapple with them individually and make war on them without truce; for it is one of humanity's inevitabilities to be condemned to eternal struggle with phantoms, Victor Hugo. The chief cause of human errors is to be found in the prejudices picked up in childhood, Rene Descartes.   

My second theme photo was “kitchen duty”. I gathered some equipment from my kitchen drawers and set up a prop for this photo. One of my aprons, a rolling pin, a set of measuring cups and a pot holder. 

Seeing how many ways of helping and finding ways to fit into a “new normal” are interesting and educational for me. So this article’s title, basically telling how to help students with online learning, tempted me to discover its message. The first student interviewed for this article told of how the hardest thing for him to figure out was how to “get to” his classes. He lives with his grand parents who can’t really help him with work on his Google Chromebook. When you are studying at home with no peers around and no teacher at hand there is no one there for help. There is a place called City Life Center in Franklinton that is run by a religious nonprofit group called Central Ohio Youth for Christ. They have set up a “learning extension center”. This young student lives within walking distance of this center. There are a few of these sites in Columbus. They are run by local churches and city recreation centers. They take in small groups of students. They offer reliable internet, meals and help with the class work. They keep the area safe and use “socially-distance settings”. Some of them open during school hours while others after school if school is in session. These centers have helped about 1,400 students. The City of Columbus has set aside about $2 million in grants for these centers. One person working in one of the centers said that typically ten to twelve students show up. It seems surprising that they will show up on their own when they could stay at home if they wanted. One of the students noted that it is safe and quiet enough to focus on homework where at home younger siblings share the wifi and can be noisy. The article stated that all 29 community centers in the city are operating “solely as learning sites from 9:30am to 3pm on weekdays”.

It looks like it is going to be parmesan crusted chicken and home made potato soup for dinner. 

Joy

 December 8, 2020 thought for the day: If you are in a hurry, go via the roundabout. Chinese Proverb

I need to start working on the Christmas Eve bulletin for church so today was a lot of information gathering for that purpose. I have the music selections from the choir director and some of the information from the pastor. There were a couple of spots that I needed information from other people. With all of that gathered I think I am ready to put it together. I am using a template from past years so I know I have a lot of information to put in a small amount of space so it is going to be a feat in geometry or physics; or go to a larger paper size and then have too much room left over. Thanks to the habit of the pastor for this week, getting me the information early, I have the weekly bulletin done. 

On December 7 the photo theme was “brown”. As I was making my breakfast I noticed how the pancakes were turning a beautiful golden brown, “there’s my photo for the day”. Easy peasy 

We have been searching for a bread box. I have a container that I have been using for other odds and ends that need a storage container. I decided to move some of the things I have to several different containers to make room for nothing but bread. I worked on that today. Now we have a “bread box”. 

I think I mentioned in an earlier letter that we had a tiny problem with mice, they’re back. One of the dogs discovered one and was trying desperately to get beyond some boxes that seemed to be between her and the invasive critter. So I loaded a trap, one of the “humane type” to try to capture him/her. I’ve never used one of this type so needed to figure that out. I’ve used the other type but my fingers aren’t as agile as they use to be, and I’m a namby pamby about killing things, so I am trying this method. 

I’m also still working on the Christmas calendars. I am trying to print at least one a day. I am doing them on my own printer which is very slow so it is going to take days to get done. 

The word for today is precious.  And it is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us, Charles Dickens. An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather, Washington Irving.  Genius and sunshine have this in common that they are the two most precious gifts of heaven to earth, and are dispensed equally to the just and the unjust, Anna Brownell Jameson. A word in season is most precious, Aesop.  Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul, Democritus. The search for truth is more precious than its possession, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing.  When Honor's sun declines, and Wealth takes wings, Then Learning shines, the best of precious things, Edward Cocker. Pain pays the income of each precious thing, William Shakespeare. A high character might be produced, I suppose, by continued prosperity, but it has very seldom been the case. Adversity, however it may appear to be our foe, is our true friend; and, after a little acquaintance with it, we receive it as a precious thing - the prophecy of a coming joy. It should be no ambition of ours to traverse a path without a thorn or stone, Charles Spurgeon. 

Today’s photo challenge is “purple”. For me purple isn’t an easy color to find at least not right now and not right here. Some of the Christmas tree ornaments come “close, but no cigar”. One of the pink ones was the closest to purple so I used a Photoshop adjustment of the hue and saturation feature. After I touched the image with a stroke I found that parts of the bulb picked up the purple more than other parts. I liked the effect so I left it at that and added an oil paint filter. 

I always wanted a train set with a landscape set up all around it but back when I was a girl that “toy” was for boys. It seems the hobby of model electric trains comes to mind a lot at Christmas. The article today is called “Chugging along”. There is a place in Canal Winchester called “Queen of the Line Depot”.  A while ago a group of small-scale model train enthusiasts met in the Ohio Expo Center. They were looking for a place to set up and found an available empty room in Canal Winchester. This was around 1995. By 2019 it had fallen into “disuse”. Some wanted to tear it down, others chose to try to save it. A train “aficionado” was called upon to help. He gave time, talent, money and material. Another interested party contributed her talent in art to work on a backdrop of a “vivid blue sky filled with clouds”. According to the article the layout that came about with their efforts was a route representing a traveling from the south Columbus Brewery District and Front street to Canal Wincester then on to Carroll next onto the quarry south of Lancaster. Eventually the groups want to extend the layout to “travel to southern Ohio to a mountain with a coal mine in the loop.”  For the physical set up in the restoration project a new plywood base was erected adding plaster to build the topography. I learned from the article that stained sawdust was used for grass. Structures were made with kits or custom made to set up the towns along the way.  The set up can be viewed through plexiglass partitions. There is even a model of a canal boat in the water feature area. A schoolhouse will become a “miniaturized depot”. The “downtown buildings are handmade” which include a “the interurban” (an old railway in the area) “and drawbridge”. The hopes are to add realism to the display. It is hoped they can open the newly refurbished model to the public in early 2021. They hope to maintain it on a permanent basis. I think I would like to visit. Maybe I’m not too old to make an effort to have a small electric train set up??

I think I am making sloppy joe for dinner. 

Joy

 December 6, 2020 thought for the day: When you cease to strive to understand, then you will know without understanding. Chinese Proverb

It’s been a informative Sunday. A few people in the church family have some problems. Sad news can sometimes be easier to accept knowing that there is good entwined in the sad. That’s my hopes for the ones mentioned in our services today. It was my day, one I need at least once a week, especially in these times and in my place in life. It is a day of renewal of spirit and then the rest of the day for a semblance of rest and a time of reflection. 

This was our first day of live streaming of the church service. Up to now I have been uploading the taped service from a memory card after church each week. Now I don’t need to do that. I took a look at the equipment it takes to complete that task....I am glad I am not the one chosen to handle that each week. One part of the equipment looked like what I visualize as an airplane control panel, way out of my bailiwick at this point in my life. Good luck to the “driver”. 

On December 5 I had two photo a day themes. The first was “black”. Shooting an image in all black or all white can be challenge. I have two drinking containers I keep on my desk both have black tops so I used them as my subject, against a black back ground and then used a filter to “liven” up the image or give it some texture. 

I stopped at McDonald’s on my way home. As I passed the White Castle on the corner I noticed it is back open. I’m so glad they are back. There are memories in that spot and, I imagine, more to come for me.

I figured I had better start printing my Christmas calendars. I don’t have much time left. Doing this project as a home made item takes time and patience. Most hand made items are created with a natural love that goes into each step, time is a presence at the top of the list. I found a spot that is causing one section not to print so I had to search around to find the culprit and fix it. 

The second theme for December 5 was “cozy corner”. I did a corner subject for another recent image. As I mentioned then I have a few interesting corners in and around the house. I chose one of them on the front porch for this one. 

The word today is power.  To have what we want is riches; but to be able to do without is power, George MacDonald.  Power and position often make a man trifle with the truth, George A. Smith  Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced, Soren Kierkegaard.  Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power, Seneca the Younger. A victorious and powerful ally is but another name for a master, James Madison.  Opinion is a powerful party, bold, and without measure, Michel de Montaigne.  Learning is like mercury, one of the most powerful and excellent things in the world in skillful hands; in unskillful, the most mischievous, Alexander Pope.  The active part of man consists of powerful instincts, some of which are gentle and continuous; others violent and short; some baser, some nobler, and all necessary, Francis William Newman.  A man makes inferiors his superiors by heat; self control is the rule. Anger is an uncontrollable feeling that betrays what you are when you are not yourself. Anger is that powerful internal force that blows out the light of reason. Know this to be the enemy: it is anger, born of desire, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Justice is in subjects as well as in rulers, Thomas Aquinas. Example is more powerful than precept, Aesop.  

Today’s photo challenge is “pink”. Pink is a “picky” color for me. I mean for me it is hard to place a feeling on the color therefore hard to determine haw to present it. I have a very pink jacket and had it on when I came in and checked the photo list for today so I tool a selfie for th first shot. I chose not to use that one and looked for another. There are three children’s outdoor fold up chairs in the back near a fire bit. One of them is pink. I created a couple of images from that collection. The two other chairs were different colors and I didn’t want them to detract from the pink so I selected them out with a Photoshop tool and turned them to black and white in the overall image. 

I think this article offers a bit of holiday cheer. It talks about making handmade gifts and ornaments for the holidays. Making decoration especially this year can serve more than one purpose. It is a way to pass the time, bond with family and end up with a useful decoration to use as ornaments or as gifts. The article suggests and tips for making ten projects. The first is a wreath. Use ornaments you may have on hand, buy some at the dollar store, also use some pine cones and garlands that sparkle. Apply these to a wreath frame or twig frame with a glue gun. The next suggestion is to pain a slat from a  picket fence then use it as an accessory at the entrance way. Use acrylic paint then design a toy soldier, Santa Claus, snowman, candy cane, etc. The third suggestion was using dehydrated fruit as ornaments. String popcorn on a garland and add crispy fruit and berry chips. To dehydrate your own fruit put the fruit in a oven on low setting. Next, make a frosted mason jar.  Spray paint the jar, add pine cones or evergreen stems and top the jr with ribbon. Or ad a string of lights in the jar or add a candle in the painted jar. How about a paper chain garland.  Cut construction paper in even strips, bend them in to circles and put on through another before taping or gluing the end to form the circle. For a little difference use metallic paper. How about making a Christmas tree skirt. That could be done using a scrap of burlap material and a ribbon. Cut a circle of the burlap, wrap it around the base of the tree and attach a ribbon. Here’s another you may have done as a child, slat dough ornaments. Mix four cups of flour and one cup of salt, pour water in to mix and create a doughy texture, mix it thoroughly. The create shapes or use a cookie cutter on patted down the dough mixture. Be use to put a hole in what will be the top of the “ornament” where ribbon can be attached for hanging. The shape should be baked at 325 degrees for an hour. After they cool than an be painted.  Popsicle sticks can be used to make snowflakes. Glue them together to form a snowflake, then use acrylic paint and glitter to decorate. An evergreen center piece is always cheerful decoration for the table. Cut some small branches or twigs from evergreen trees or bushes around your house. Use a brick of floral styrofoam as the base to stick the evergreen pieces in decoratively arranged. Then place the styrofoam in a decorative bowl. The last suggestion from the article is “oversized ornaments”.  Decorate the outside of the house with giant, colorful bouncy balls in different colors. Use small metal buckets or take out containers to super glue the rim and add the ball. 

Tacos tonight for dinner. 

Joy