June 13, 2020 thought for the day: Would you shear a donkey for wool! Latin Proverb

In this time of conflict I want to voice my opinion in a kind of metaphor. Australian Shepherds are different than Dachshunds. They behave differently, they look different yet they love the same, they suffer the same. They learn differently and are trained differently but they both have the special wisdom they were gifted with. They have their space, they have their value.  Each needing/requiring different specs and “rules”. Some are black and some are white and some are.... and all created by the same Master. All of them matter. The glory of life.

The photo challenge for the 12th was “L”. Again, using the alphabet to find on a photo scouting outing leaves a wide choice of subjects. That is most letters of the alphabet allow for it but not all of the letters do equally. L is one letter that offers many choices, leaves, letters, lettuce, and so on. I took several shots. My final choice was my ladder. I took a few shots. The lines, shapes, patterns and textures are great on such a subject but, for one shot, I wanted to add a bit of color and something a little softer than the metal ladder.

So far it has been a gray and damp Saturday but the sun is trying to come out to join the weekend fun. There’s nothing popping out at me that needs attention just this minute either, a nice relaxing day at home. I can catch up on things that are hanging around waiting for attention, a few emails, a new recipe to try, a few more seeds to plant and some places to proofread in the art coffee table book I am putting together.

The word is heaven. There is only one path to Heaven. On Earth, we call it Love, Henry David Thoreau. Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal, Thomas Moore. Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you, St. Jerome. The way to Heaven is ascending; we must be content to travel uphill, though it be hard and tiresome, and contrary to the natural bias of our flesh, Jonathan Edwards. To see a world in a grain of sand And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour, William Blake. Heaven will be inherited by every man who has heaven in his soul, Henry Ward Beecher. Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. We are our own devils; we drive ourselves out of our Edens, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven, Henry Ward Beecher. Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive But to be young was very heaven, William Wordsworth. Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven, William Shakespeare. Let us learn upon earth those things which can call us to heaven, St. Jerome.

Today’s photo subject began its title with the letter “M”. I stayed at home today so the search was in the small circle available for the time being. I settled on the mantel in the living room. I felt the need to add a portion of a chair to the scene for a bit of added interest.

Here is one more thing getting back to “normal”. I am glad to see the zoo reopening. This is the season for the zoo for visitors getting back to the nature side of things. Today’s visit was a bit different than others at the Columbus zoo. They are opening after being closed to the public for several months due to the quarantine. There are chain dividers to keep folks away from some of the glass enclosures so that they won’t be touched. Today the zoo was opened to members only, tomorrow will open to the public. There are a few changes right now for the safety of the visitors. For one thing visitors have to make an appointment to visit for the time being. This will keep the number of people on the grounds under control.  Paths are now one way and some of the exhibits will remain closed for a while. Others areas that are open will be disinfected often. The zoo employees will be wearing masks, visitors are “encouraged” to do also. The people who visited today were happy to be back. One of the many nice parts of this visit was fewer people making the visit quieter and more comfortable. The zoo officials plan to make it safe for everyone by determining how many folks to let in at a time. Personally, I like this idea.

I think I am going to have creamed chicken on biscuits for dinner.

Joy