July 9, 2020 thought for the day: Life is like an onion. You peel it off layer by layer and sometimes you weep. Traditional Proverb

I got to the church to do the printing a little earlier than I usually do so I was done sooner to. That worked out well since I also had to make a stop at Kroger to pick up some meds. Of course, I bought a few other items too. I can’t seem to just walk into Kroger without picking up something I think we will need. They only had one of the two meds that I had ordered ready so I am going to have to go back in another day or two.

On July 8 the theme was “three things”. I shot several photos as I was out and about running errands. One was a building that has three doors each painted a different color, three traffic lights in a row and this one of traffic control pillars. This one shows texture and I like the muted colors in the background.

I have one of the sections of the yard watered, will get to the other side in a few minutes.  I also got the laundry started. All of this walking will show up tomorrow when I get out of bed.

Yesterday, I worked on the letters I will be sending out to the congregation for information for the new directory. I would like to get that started as soon as possible. They were ready to mail except that I needed stamps. I picked those up while I was at church.

I took some time to look for a recipe that sounds good to try chili with pumpkin instead of so much tomato. We’ll see how that turns out.

The word today is influence. Humility like darkness reveals the heavenly lights, Henry David Thoreau. Our liberty depends on our education, our laws, and habits . . . it is founded on morals and religion, whose authority reigns in the heart, and on the influence all these produce on public opinion before that opinion governs rulers, Fisher Ames. Do not Christians and Heathens, and Jews and Gentiles, and poets and philosophers, unite in allowing the starry influences? Walter Scott. No reproof or denunciation is so potent as the silent influence of a good example, Hosea Ballou. Example, whether it be good or bad, has a powerful influence, George Washington. The most influential books, and the truest in their influence, are works of fiction. They repeat, they re-arrange, they clarify the lessons of life; they disengage us from ourselves, they constrain us to the acquaintance of others; and they show us the web of experience, but with a singular change-that monstrous, consuming ego of ours being, nonce, struck out, Robert Louis Stevenson. If a man be under the influence of anger his conduct will not be correct, Confucius. Some wisdom you must learn from one who's wise, Euripides. The most hateful human misfortune is for a wise man to have no influence, Herodotus. Those who exert the first influence upon the mind have the greatest power, Horace Mann. Learn to distinguish what you can and can't control. Within our control are our own opinions, aspirations, desires and the things that repel us. They are directly subject to our influence, Epictetus. 

Today’s photo theme is a building. This building has been vacant for some time. I am hoping it will be put to good use soon.

 First of all, it will be interesting to see the new landscape when this project is done. Also how it will work for the community. The article is about how the former Franklin County landfill will be used. I am glad to see that that happens, land that is used for one can be re-purposed for something with benefits to the community. There is a plan to use part of it for a solar farm, Columbus Solar Park. It will be able to supply enough power to about five thousand homes. The Solid Waste Authority of Central Oho owns the property and will be leasing it to the solar project. At first I was envisioning a wind powered system. Due to the prior use of the land, waste disposal and the methane gas it produced no buildings can be built on the land. The land is still settling. This plan helps with what has been the cost of maintaining the property as well as producing clean and renewable energy for the community. It will allow for the rest of the property to do more recycling, composting and lower the fees for haulers that deliver waste to the landfill. Apparently there was a similar project in Cuyahoga County last year and there are two solar projects in two coal mines and one in a former power plant.

I am having chili for dinner. I am trying to cut down on using too many tomatoes so I am going to substitute part of it with pumpkin. Hopefully that helps with my digestive problems.

Joy