September 29, 2020 thought for the day: A precipice in front of you, and wolves behind you; that is life. Latin Proverb

It has been a lazy Tuesday, bu not completely unproductive. I got the bulletin ready for the final bit of information I need to complete it. 

Yesterday’s photo challenge was titled “special”. This is another one of those titles that gave me pause for thought. The one thing I came up with wasn’t the most creative but I was in a hurry. I found a poor little ivy that seemed to have found a “special” place to establish it’s life, between the wood of a porch and a lattice divider. 

Yesterday was a full and eventful day so I decided to make this one a little more on the lighter side. I don’t have a prepared to-do list. We did some grocery shopping yesterday. Then later in the day the plumber came to find and fix the leak we were dealing with. It wasn’t as simple as we had hoped but on the other hand not as catastrophic as it could have been with water leaking into the ceiling. It was a crack in a pipe. There had to be a portion of the new ceiling cut out to find the leek. The damage from the leak was minimal and able to be “fixed”. So within a weeks period of time we have had the driveway sealed, a new furnace put in and a hidden leak fixed. Hopefully, that will be it for a while giving us some time to breath on one front  and just deal with effects of the pandemic and civil unrest. 

The temperature has been falling in the last couple of days so we have been able to experience the new furnace and it’s features, most easily seen using the new digital thermostat. 

The word is motivation.  The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be, Ralph Waldo Emerson. When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps, Confucius. Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you, Thomas Jefferson. There is no education like adversity, Benjamin Disraeli. That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well, Abraham Lincoln. What makes life dreary is the want of a motive, George Eliot. It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows, Epictetus. Many people die at twenty five and aren't buried until they are seventy five, Benjamin Franklin. Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man, Thomas Paine. If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader, John Quincy Adams. The reason why the world lacks unity, and lies broken and in heaps, is, because man is disunited with himself, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living from the dead, Aristotle. He who is the author of a war lets loose the whole contagion of hell and opens a vein that bleeds a nation to death, Thomas Paine. 

My photo theme for today is “this is clever!”. Here’s another one that needed to be thought through. There are all kinds of gadgets around the house and in stores that are clever. There are a lot of tricks pets can do and kids play that would fit the picture. With what has been going on around me lately I have had to think of something on the fly. This was one that my sister and I both came up with when I mentioned the theme to her. I have an electric potato peeler that I don’t know that I could do without anymore. This is my third one. I wore out the last two. 

A lot of people like to do scrap booking. I think it is a way to keep a journal of sorts too. Anyway, this article may add an interesting way to do both, also a way to make a personal “time capsule”.  This article is titled: Making collage using your newspaper a fun project as well as a time capsule. The author of the story said “Looking for a way to digest the news and make sense out of everything going on in the world — or to just create something beautiful? Turn your newspaper into a collage.” Items you will need are a newspaper or newspapers, scissors, glue, and a journal or canvas. The article suggests that you cut out things that are interesting, things you find pleasant to look at, and things that are timely or things that draw attention. Choose different styles of text and use layering illustrations to add a type of 3D effect. The article suggests starting with the largest article first. Adjust styles, colors and shapes in a pleasing order. Glue down a base of items. Next arrange the cut out words or sentences. Work in the manner of a puzzle. As you work on this collage consider your beliefs and the balance of the whole. Cut sentences into sections, trim things so they fit, divide letters if you need to make a statement. Make this project fun. Glue as you go or wait until you have the layout the way you want it. When it is nearly complete check to see if you want to add a date, or trim rough edges. The article suggests that you take a photo of the finished collage and/or frame the collage or start a new page if it was being prepared in a journal. 

I am going to make vegetable soup and spam sandwiches for dinner. 

Joy

September 27, 2020 thought for the day: You don't go to heaven in a carriage. Italian Proverb

Here comes Sunday...I got up with an alarm so that I could get a few “visits” (virtual) before I got ready for church. 

On September 26 the photo title was “I found this”. I went out in the back yard looking down, hoping to find a coin, a forgotten toy or anything that might have been dropped. I spotted the wild strawberries that the furnace man had noticed as he was bringing in supplies. That turned out to be my “found” object for the day. 

I haven’t missed a Sunday at church since we started back when it was determined a little safer with face masks and distancing. I certainly didn’t want to miss this one. We have different preachers almost every week or every other week. The one for this morning comes once a month. I have never heard one of his sermons that didn’t make a huge mark on me. They are beautiful and meaningful, this one was no different. As a matter of fact after the service I asked him to send me a “hard copy” (even though we record them now, there is a person I wanted to experience this particular sermon who doesn’t like to watch the recorded kind).  He said he doesn’t write them out. He makes an outline and then the rest seems to come naturally to him. What a mark of a minister who truly feels his message. 

I circled to a couple of my favorite photo excursion areas on my way home looking for today’s photo of the day. I found one at church but wanted a couple more to chose from. 

I had a bit of news that disturbed me yesterday, about a family member, that I needed time including sleep (and today’s church service) to process. I heard one side of it but need to hear the other for a full and clear picture before forming my own thoughts of right and wrong. Either way, it is a happening that changes perceptions and feelings. Life’s full of negatives and positives all making for a full and informing experience. 

As I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, after church, I went in search of the photo for today. The title is “duo”. I stopped at McDonalds for an iced tea and decided the arches were a perfect duo. I went past Westgate Park and got a hot of the two (duo) water towers too. In the post processing I decided on the double arches. 

The rest of the day is just laid back, roaming on the computer (and HGTV) and absorbing the feelings Sunday is supposed to be. 

The word today is moral. The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself, Saint Augustine.  Without Virtue there can be no liberty, Benjamin Rush. Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses and avoids, Aristotle. Base yourself in loyalty and trust. Don't be companion with those who are not your moral equal. When you make a mistake, don't hesitate to correct it, Confucius. The moral sense is the first excellence of well-organized man, Thomas Jefferson. 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. Let us be moral. Let us contemplate existence, Charles Dickens.  The perfecting of one's self is the fundamental base of all progress and all moral development, Confucius. My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her, George Washington.  All fables, indeed, have their morals; but the innocent enjoy the story, Henry David Thoreau. A patriot without religion in my estimation is as great a paradox as an honest Man without the fear of God. Is it possible that he whom no moral obligations bind, can have any real Good Will towards Men? Abigail Adams.    

This article is about taking a tour of  remodelers works. I like these kinds of events. I recall a couple of artsy kinds of things my sister, Sue, introduced me to over the years. One was a unique Sunday morning TV show that I still watch. Another was the Short North Gallery Hop once a month. And the last is an event that use to go on in Columbus, homes that were remodeled by several artists with a new one put on display once every couple of years. So the title to this article brought these events to the surface of my thinking cap. (Hopefully, I introduced her to some memory making events in her life also). Remodelers in Columbus want the public to be able to enjoy touring aspects of their best work to relieve some of the grimness the pandemic have left. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry will host a “major home tour” on Saturday and Sunday. This tour will include seven homes. Naturally there will be pandemic precautions. A set number of people will be allowed in at one time, face masks will be required. People will be guided on the tour as an added pandemic safety measure. Area that will be included in the tour are a kitchen, outdoor living space, a wine room, and whole house remodels. The tours will occur in Bexley and Hilliard on the Scioto River.  The article said that there are features that aren’t seen every day. Homeowners will be about to meet company representatives and examine some outstanding work. Tickets can be purchased online at trustnari.org and will also be available at each of the sites with cash only and exact change. 

It’s going to be take-out for dinner tonight, taco bell or KFC.

Joy 

 September 25, 2020 thought for the day: You must take the fat with the lean. Italian Proverb

Oh, what a beautiful day.....I love them when they come along even though it seems they are not to frequent, totally “beautiful” I mean. It’s beautiful anytime to be alive but some of the things that go with it can be a bit rough. 

I met with a friend at church to finish putting together the newsletter. It has been a while since we have worked together on this project. With the pandemic restrictions and a sadness in her family it has taken some time for us to begin to get back to a normal, maybe a slightly new normal, but it seemed almost the same today as before which was a happily welcomed event. 

When I got home from church Sue and I went out to complete some errands on her to do list, then a quick stop for take home lunch. 

The September 24th photo challenge was titled “art”. Sue and I both spend time exercising our particular interests in art. Mine, of course, is anything using photography as a base. Sue’s are sketching and painting. I have a few samples of both of our art pieces. I used one set that I have ready to hang for this image. 

Yesterday was a bit of that spice to life kind of day. We had a new furnace put in. It took the poor workers hours. I am sure they were bone tired when they were done. It was a grandfather and his grandson working together, that is a warm and rather rare happening in my personal experience to watch. It was perfect. They worked hand in hand, one telling and showing his years of experience, the other absorbing like a sponge. Not only was I able to observe the knowledge being passed on and accepted, (graciously it seemed) but watching and feeling the bits of love that passed between them at the same time. I thank God for giving me that experience. They were complete strangers when they came (although they do know my son) but they weren’t strangers to me when they left. 

The photo theme title for today is “better together”. My first thought was milk and cookies so that is theone I went with. This one was a little difficult to have chosen. It could have been that grandfather and his grandson but, for me, would have been a little difficult to compose to show the whole feeling. 

I got the message/hymn sheet finished yesterday for the Saturday free meal. So that left the rest of today pretty much on the quiet and easy-going side. There was only one thing left on my own to do list today, tend to my indoor garden. That was done in about fifteen minutes. 

The word today is money. Economy does not lie in sparing money, but in spending it wisely, Thomas Huxley. Never spend your money before you have earned it, Thomas Jefferson.  I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons or your properties, but and chiefly to care about the greatest improvement of the soul, Socrates.  Wouldst thou shut up the avenues of ill, Pay every debt as if God wrote the bill, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Money does all things for reward. Some are pious and honest as long as they thrive upon it, but if the devil himself gives better wages, they soon change their party, Seneca the Younger. Money often costs too much, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Simple, genuine goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon. It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world with us, Louisa May Alcott. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest, Benjamin Franklin.  If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher's stone, Benjamin Franklin.  Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Remember that credit is money, Benjamin Franklin. To have done anything just for money is to have been truly idle, Henry David Thoreau.    

Well, the article has a bit to do about the pandemic which I have been trying to stay away from in my missives but this one seems to be a little on the more pleasant side and may be an indication of some of the changes that may lead to a new normal. It is describing how family farms are still offering Halloween and Autumn fun. One of the farms included in the interview is in Delaware County. The owner said that they enjoy watching families have fun and want to continue to especially in the “unpredictable” year. The family farms this year are required to set up safety protocols according to the local health departments.  Corn mazes, hay rides and pumpkin patches will be set up with that in mind. The farms will be limiting attendance as well as using the 6-foot apart rule, some are requiring temperature checks for employees. Tickets for some will be online so that arrival time can be part of the management. It was recommended by the Ohio Department of Health that hay rides not be included in the festivities. But some are limiting the number of guests permitted on the rides at a time and some added bench seating and removed the straw. They are concentrating on making the farms safe for their guests. There will be rides. At one of the farms there are games and a bounce house, all will be sanitized. There will still be slides, zip lining, pedal carts and a “trike track” for adults as well as for the children. At least one of the farms has a petting zoo, a checkers game that sues pumpkins as playing pieces and a corn maze. The paths of the corn maze has been widened and extended for two miles to allow for social distancing. This article went on to list five farms in the area that will be offering fun activities with safety features in place along with days and time they will be open. 

IT’S PIZZA NIGHT!!!

Joy 

 September 23, 2020 thought for the day: You will not be loved if you think of yourself alone. Italian Proverb

I started the day with some things going on in and around my life that are disturbing to me. Sometimes when I waking up I feel my mind is “educating” me. My thinking processes go from one view of a situation to another side or view of it and seem to travel that path until my mind seems to determine what the correct outcome to the situation should be. On one of the problems I mentioned above that I was wrestling with, I felt the need to share with a friend so I sent a text. Since then I am having second thoughts about expressing my opinions. My mood was one of anger and I have learned in my long life that it is usually best not to “speak” in anger.  It is best to wait for a more peaceful state. 

The photo challenge for September 22 was “garden”. I thought about taking another photo of my indoor garden but I was out on errands so I decided to make a short detour by Westgate Park to see if one of their gardens was in bloom. 

There was a bit of confusion with two improvements happening here at my house. It was tentatively planned that we would have a furnace put in today. At the same time and not completely sure of the furnace situation, the driveway was on the schedule to be resurfaced. We were able to reschedule the furnace for tomorrow.  

While the resurfacing was being done, I finished both the newsletter and the bulletin as well as the message and hymn lyrics for the Saturday free meal. 

The word today is moments. There are thoughts which are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees, Victor Hugo. We are weighed down, every moment, by the conception and the sensation of time. And there are but two means of escaping and forgetting this nightmare: pleasure and work. Pleasure consumes us. Work strengthens us. Let us choose, Charles Baudelaire. Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment, Benjamin Franklin. Man begins life helpless. The babe is in paroxysms of fear the moment its nurse leaves it alone, and it comes so slowly to any power of self-protection that mothers say the salvation of the life and health of a young child is a perpetual miracle, Ralph Waldo Emerson. All good conversation, manners, and action come from a spontaneity which forgets usages and makes the moment great, Ralph Waldo Emerson. ....find your eternity in each moment, Henry David Thoreau. Every moment of light and dark is a miracle, Walt Whitman. Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of, Benjamin Franklin. There are as many forms of love as there are moments in time, Jane Austen. Forever is composed of nows, Emily Dickinson. Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake, Francis Bacon. Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee, Michel de Montaigne. We steal if we touch tomorrow. It is God's, Henry Ward Beecher. The meeting of two eternities, the past and future....is precisely the present moment, Henry David Thoreau.    

The challenge for today is “heart”. I didn’t have anything readily available so I used some scrap paper and scissors for the image. Then used the ‘darkroom’ (Photoshop) for the color and filters.       

This is another article with a two-part story. It covers U turns in Columbus and “reading” when stopped at a railroad crossing. One person interviewed about U turns has lived in five states and wonders why U turns are not allowed in Columbus. There are restrictions that make them safer if followed. Some of these are proper signaling, visibility and distance, school zones, railroad crossings, and narrow streets. It was noted in the article that Columbus has a “blanket prohibition - no U turns anywhere in the city unless it’s marked”. Next in the article there is discussion on markings on the sides of railroad cars. The author of the story said “sometimes when I’m stopped at a railroad crossing, I wonder what all those letters and numbers on the sides of the train cars mean.” Here is something I would never have thought the number of freight cars in the USA, 1,658,000 along with other figures on number of miles of track and number of railroad companies. It went on to inform that it has to be known where the cars are and other information about them. There are letters of the owner along with specific numbers. Other signs tell the size and volume of the inside and outside of the car. It went on to say “there is a whole series of official placards for cars carrying dangerous materials so emergency crews”. I’ll also add a bit that I have noticed on the cars, graffiti. I see most of that as art although it can be annoying too 

I am making baked hash with some of the left over beef stew from last night. 

Joy

September 21, 2020 thought for the day: Aim high in your career but stay humble in your heart. Korean Proverb

This has turned out to be an eventful Monday. I had a list of several things I had planned to get done today but some are going to have to be put off for a day or two. 

On September 20 the photo challenge was “music”. I don’t have a lot in that line around the house and I wasn’t able to make a mini photo safari today. The quickest thing that came to mind was my church hymnal. I opened the book to one of my favorite hymns, Spirit, and made the image.  

We had a person come to give us an estimate on replacing the furnace and one coming tomorrow. Lowell was here to help decide what we are going to pick. Thank goodness, I am not good with those kinds of decisions. That “interview” took a little longer than I had expected. 

Before that I finished one section of the bulletin. After the interview I got back to the computer and started work on the newsletter. It looks like I am going to have to find some “fill”again this month. I am not getting much help with articles from others. Oh well, I think I can put together a pretty good newsletter anyway. 

I started some multitasking after that by starting the beef in the pressure cooker for the beef stew. I also took a few minutes to look for the photo of the day. 

This is another of the four days of the month that I have a second photo a day. This theme was “farm

related”. Well, I am not raising chickens or pigs or any other farm animal, though sometimes I would like to.  I took a carton of eggs out of my refrigerator....that’s the closest I think I could come at the time. 

Mick, my grandson, had surgery today so I was waiting for a report on the out come and how he is doing. Lowell called to let me know Mick’s surgery went fine and he would be home later today probably for now lifting, driving and lots of other activities for the next several weeks will be limited. 

I keep working and crossing my fingers that this computer can limp along for a little while longer. I had put some files in the cloud that I will want to move to a new computer when the time comes. 

The word for today is modesty. Modesty is not only an ornament, but also a guard to virtue, Joseph Addison. Modesty is the conscience of the body, Honore de Balzac.  He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good, Confucius. Suit the action to the world, the world to the action, with this special observance, that you overstep not the modesty of nature, William Shakespeare. Modesty is to merit, as shades to figures in a picture, giving it strength and beauty,  Jean de la Bruyere. Modesty once extinguished knows not how to return, Seneca. Conceit spoils the finest genius and the great charm of all power is modesty, Louisa May Alcott. Usually the modest person passes for someone reserved, the silent for a sullen person, Horace.  Modesty is that feeling by which honorable shame acquires a valuable and lasting authority, Marcus Tullius Cicero. A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions, Confucius. Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world, Gustave Flaubert.  In childhood be modest, in youth temperate, in adulthood just, and in old age prudent, Socrates. If you wish information and improvement from the knowledge of others, and yet at the same time express yourself as firmly fix'd in your present opinions, modest, sensible men, who do not love disputation, will probably leave you undisturbed in the possession of your error, Benjamin Franklin. 

The photo theme for today is “shiny”. We had a sunny day so all I had to do was go on a walk with shiny objects on my mind. I have a few wind chimes that were enjoying the touches of the sun. 

 There are a couple of subjects combined in this one article. The first is about the AmeriFlora that we had here in Columbus few years ago. According to the article, I didn’t realize this, the AmeriFlora exhibition saved the Franklin Park Conservatory along with the “fate” of a German  Village Engine House, No. 5. “AmeriFlora was a world horticultural exhibition that celebrated Columbus the explorer (and his namesake city) on the 500th anniversary of his New World voyage”. It took a lot of work and special arrangements and ‘fund-raising’ from municipal, county, state, federal and private sources. There were designers, contractors and others who had to follow strict codes. There was a loss of money for Franklin Park as it had to b e closed for a good bit of time for the set up. As with many things is life there were pros and cons. While Franklin Park lost some money at the time there were improvements to World Park and ultimately saved the “19th century Franklin Park Conservatory. The other story in this article is about Engine House No. 5 on Thurman Avenue in German Village. This building was constructed in 1829, then replaced in the 1960s. An entrepreneur who was known for turning renovated historic buildings into restaurants came along. He turned the aging engine house into a “quirky venue”. The waiters slid down a brass fire pole holding trays. In the basement was a bar called the Spot that used a Dalmatian as a logo, the name denoting the spots on the Dalmatian. According to the article the restaurant “thrived” for two decades. Here’s an intriguing bit of information mentioned in the article: the entrepreneur who designed the restaurant and his wife along with another couple disappeared in 1993 while sailing. The restaurant closed and was vacant for a while. It has been renovated as an office space. 

I am making beef stew in the pressure cooker (the ‘old’ style, on top of the stove burner)  for dinner. 

Joy

 

 September 19, 2020's thought for the day: No matter where you go, your destiny follows you. Kurdish Proverb

It is turning out to be a nice Saturday, cold, well .... compared to a few days ago. My furnace is in the process of being replaced, being estimated in cost at this point. I am a little leery of using this furnace since it is apparently in a state of demise. 

The photo a day challenge for September 18 was “lines”. Think about it.....there are “lines” everywhere, all kinds of choices for images to capture and present that subject. I chose a simple display of utility cables strung over a small part of the city scape. 

Yesterday was one of those hills and valley days in respect to mood. I was worrying about the leak in the ceiling and the furnace and all that goes with it. Then there is the “humongous”, for me at least, worry that my computer is dying and, at this point,  preventing me from doing some very necessary moves. Another part of the worry was that I hadn’t heard from someone very dear to my heart after several attempts at “messenger”, texts, emails and phone calls. To top off this lousy part of the day, another dear young friend of mine, who called me grandma, died. Suddenly a little light came on in all of that gloom. The person mentioned a minute ago, the one very dear to my heart, called. What a moment of sunshine. Then a dose of even more sunshine was a letter with a return address I have been longing for over a year and a half. I have a hand made note from two of great grandchildren. So by the end of the day the good (the hill) soothed the bad (the valley).

I got the message for the church meal done in the afternoon. So I will take those to the church later on today. 

The twins are here last night and today for a visit. So we are enjoying that untouchable (by us ‘old-timer’) energy of youth. 

Oh, another ‘downer’ for me that some of my blog friends may notice, the site has changed its look, more so on the ‘designer’ side but affecting the final outcome. It is taking a lot more time to add my photos, which for my particular blog, is important. Please be patient with me I will get better at this new format with persistent experience. 

The photo theme for today is “alone”. We had the twins here over the past couple of days. I have noted

that they sometimes play together and other times they seem to prefer to do things on their own using their own individual talents and interests. I shot some images of on of them lying on the floor creating with Leggos. I shot a few more of the other twin sitting on the porch swing using her imagination of other individuals in her mind preforming for or with her. 

I think I am going to stop grouching now.....I am depressing myself all over again (smile).

The word for today is misfortune. 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.  To accuse others for one's own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's education is complete, Epictetus.  My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened, Michel de Montaigne. If all misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart, Socrates. A cloudy day or a little sunshine have as great an influence on many constitutions as the most recent blessings or misfortunes, Joseph Addison. We exaggerate misfortune and happiness alike. Great minds have purposes; little minds have wishes. Little minds are subdued by misfortunes; great minds rise above them, Washington Irving.  By speaking of our misfortunes we often relieve them, Pierre Corneille.  Life, misfortunes, isolation, abandonment, poverty, are battlefields which have their heroes; obscure heroes, sometimes greater than the illustrious heroes, Victor Hugo.  I never knew any man in my life who could not bear another's misfortunes perfectly like a Christian, Alexander Pope. One should go invited to a friend in good fortune, and uninvited in misfortune, Swedish Proverb. Reflect upon your present blessings, Charles Dickens   

Here is some more tips about using building materials. In the title of the article it was mentioned that older building materials and methods are better. That kind of peaked my interest because as stated later in the article, “They don’t make ‘em like they use to” is a favorite thought and belief of mine. The author of this article mentioned that he “cut my (his) teeth .... working in and on old homes...”. In the 1800's new single and multifamily homes were in a building boom that lasted for decades. The framing lumber used then was bigger than today in wall studs and floor joists. It was cut from “”old growth timber”, which showed growth rings at the ends. The article went on to say “that “modern lumber” is “hybridized” to grow faster and is “more susceptible to rot and movement”. Further on in the article is stated that old brick homes didn’t have water leakage issues and mold as present today’s brick veneer homes. There is a difference in concrete today than in the “olden days”. “Concrete masons” 80 to 100 years ago knew to add some additional Portland cement to the mix to make it stronger and last longer. It was also noted in the article that concert has improved over the years. (But, in my mostly uninformed knowledge about concrete,  I still wonder if maybe the old way was better.) Over the years plumbing and electric service has improved a great deal. Cast iron and galvanized lines would rot out, now replaced by PVC.  Circuit breakers are better than old knob and tube wiring and “screw in fuses” and make the home safer than a home in 1913. According to the article today’s tile installed over waterproof gypsum board don’t compare to ceramic tile set in concrete. The person interviewed in the article went on to say: “In my opinion, the workmanship in older homes is far superior to what you generally see in today’s homes.... there are still a few craftsmen who treat what they do as a vocation rather than a job..... go back in time and just about every worker took enormous pride in what they produced each day. This is why I’m a huge proponent of reintroducing building technology courses into all high schools across the U.S”.  His motto is “Do It Right, Not Over!:

I am having old-fashioned goulash for dinner tonight. 

Joy

 September 17, 2020 thought for the day: See with your mind, hear with your heart. Kurdish Proverb

We’re at that “pesky” Thursday, an identification to put the accent on the extra use of my legs. The trip to the church and my tasks there went “swimmingly” (I feel like a poet today). I got the printing done. I got the taped files from the memory card to a file on the computer for the purposes of archiving the services and clearing space for more on the card. I dropped off the mail to shut ins in the box. On the way home I made a trip to Westgate Park for a photography safari.

Yesterday’s photo challenge was “step”. I made shots of the cement steps with an ivy stem accenting the back, and a shot of my neighbors single step off the driveway. Then I settled on this on of our stairs leading to the second story. My family and I have used that step for nearly fifty years not and another family used the same steps for thirty plus years before that. What a history those steps have experienced.  

While I was a church both Jim and I went in search of an item one of our congregants thought they had left in the sanctuary. Alas, no luck. (When I got home, I had a call...the lost object’s owner called to say they had found it and thanked Jim and I for our help. 

I decided the outdoor plants needed some watering today so I did half of the yard before I started the laundry. As I got the laundry together, I had to remind my self of the cloth that I had put outside to dry. Here’s the story behind that. One of my dogs sat in her own poop yesterday, what a mess. She really needed to be put in the shower but I can’t lift that much weight anymore. So she got a “partial” basin bath to her entire backside. Then my sister got her shears and cut some of the hair away leaving an area for another wash down. This is one of the somewhat less than pleasant possibilities of living with a furry family member. Some rather distasteful events occur, that’s a slice of life, but having their unlimited love and devotion and companionship and shoulder to cry on is well worth the once in a while extra efforts. 

Now to the other half of the yard and to finish the laundry, then dinner and dishes. To add                    to this day in my history. 

The word is mischief.  A very good part of the mischief that vex the world arises from words,  Edmund Burke. To smile at the jest which plants a thorn in another's breast is to become a principal in the mischief, Richard Brinsley.  For Satan finds some mischief still For idle hands to do, Isaac Watts. He who has a mind to do mischief will always find a pretense, Publilius Syrus. Truth does not do as much good in the world as its counterfeit does mischief,  François de la Rochefoucauld.  A little neglect may breed great mischief, Benjamin Franklin. In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. The young they keep out of mischief; to the old they are a comfort and aid in their weakness, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds, Aristotle. The sower of the seed is assuredly the author of the whole harvest of mischief, Demosthenes. Where cheating is, there's mischief there, William Blake. Misunderstandings and neglect occasion more mischief in the world than malice and wickedness, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. A word that has been said may be unsaid-it is but air. But when a deed is done, it cannot be undone, nor can our thoughts reach out to all the mischiefs that may follow, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Of all virtues and dignities of the mind, goodness is the greatest, being the character of the Deity; and without it, man is a busy, mischievous, wretched thing, Francis Bacon. The most mischievous liars are those who keep sliding on the verge of truth, Augustus William Hare. Cooking is a form of flattery....a mischievous, deceitful, mean and ignoble activity, which cheats us by shapes and colors, by smoothing and draping, Plato. 

The sky here is a beautiful color made because of the tragedy of the fires in the west. It’s terrible for all life in that part of the country. We can enjoy the beauty of the color but at the same time be mindful of the terror some are suffering both human and all other life. This article is about the wildfires on the west coast. I’ve been told that the effects are even being felt across seas. One of the meteorologists interviewed for the article stated that the wind is blowing in the right direction to make the smoke and fine ash particles make their way east creating the “hazy, milky skies and intense sunsets.”And it was further noted that  “the smoke in the upper atmosphere has filtered the sunlight...... reflecting and scattering the light a little bit differently; that actually accentuates those longer wavelengths — the reds and the oranges”. I also learned from this article that the Ohio Valley’s air quality is not being affected. 

Today’s photo theme is “zingy”. That could be nearly anything, I checked Google for a list of uses of that word. In the long run I settled on a family having an old-fashioned picnic with the cloth on the ground and an umbrella for a bit of protection instead of using cement tables located in the park. 

I am making sloppy joe for dinner. 

Joy

September 15, 2020 thought for to day: The devil will not bother you in a house full of children. Kurdish Proverb

This has been a productive day in the way of checking things off my to-do list. I had to return a couple of memory cards. I also needed to take a selfie stick back, one I didn’t need. Sue rode along with me to get out of the house for a while. On this outing, we drove by some scenery neither of us has seen in a long time.

Yesterday’s photo theme was “nook”. I thought of ones out in the yard under the evergreen trees, and a couple here in the house that we have niched out for ourselves. This one was the one that seemed most appropriate at the time.

On the way home we ran into some construction on West Broad Street. On the way back from a stop we had to make past the bottle neck of traffic we decided to take the return path some way other than West Broad Street.  We happened to be right by the street where the two of us grew up so I made the turn down that street. What a wake up call for both of us. It looks nothing like what it did in our “formative” years. The structures were still there but in terribly poor shape. The mere space that the buildings took up and side walks and trees brought back memories, mostly happy ones from elementary school time to our weddings and then the death of our father followed by mom moving away.

I’m not getting “work” done today. The bulletin for church is completed. Yesterday, I made the first efforts to setting up the newsletter, a week ahead of time but that gives me a bit of a head start and takes a little of the stress of filling space or making room out of the task.

The theme for today is “delight”. I went by Westgate Park as one of our stops when we were out this morning. But I didn’t find anything I liked. This plant has pleased me all summer so I thought it should be honored.

The word for today is miracle.  Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?  Henry David Thoreau . Friendship is never established as an understood relation. It is a miracle which requires constant proofs. It is an exercise of the purest imagination and of the rarest faith, Henry David Thoreau. Out of difficulties grow miracles,  Jean de la Bruyere. Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle, and the dance...is a celebration of that miracle, Martha Washington. Ignorance is the soil in which belief in miracles grows, Robert Green. The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common, Ralph Waldo Emerson. To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle. Every cubic inch of space is a miracle, Walt Whitman. The most ordinary things, the most common and familiar, if we could see them in their true light, would turn out to be the grandest miracles, Michel de Montaigne. Seeing, hearing, feeling, are miracles, and each part and tag of me is a miracle, Walt Whitman.  We must remember that Satan has his miracles, too, John Calvin.

It was one of the times of the month that I have a second photo of the day. The title for this one is “architecture”. I live in a neighborhood where each of the houses are unique not so much like mor modern neighborhoods with “cookie cutter” style buildings. This happens to be one that offers lines, textures and patterns as so many here do. 

This article is of interest to me due to all the civil servants in my family. Other people should know about this service too. There was a fire in Hilliard when the heat was almost overpowering. At the same time there was a group of volunteers passing out water and snacks to the fireman when they were able to take a break. This group of volunteers is called Box 15. The firemen are tried, sweaty and out of breath as they get this bit of comfort. This group is a nonprofit and has been in existence since 1947. This group here in Columbus has three trucks filled with bottled water, Gatorade, granola bars and other things to offer as a relief to men and women fighting fires. Other things they offer are fans, water misters, benches and even a decontamination shower. Box 15 has 21 active members, six of them are retired firefighters. One of the retired firemen mentioned that the Salvation Army were the volunteers that came to the aid of men fighting fires.  It is a big help for firefighters to stay hydrated and able to take a break before going “back in” to continue the fight. In the 1980s as Box 15 grew they partnered with the Salvation Army. The volunteers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are sent to emergencies through the Northwest Regional Emergency Communications Center in Dublin, the Metropolitan Emergency Communications Consortium and others. Also on the trucks that Box 15 respond in are water hoses, extension cords, portable lights, towels, blankets, and socks. The equipment that they use is housed at Columbus Division of Fire Station #1. Station #22 and the Fire Training Academy on Parsons Ave. The article went on to mention how the organization got its name, “a pharmacist named Max Haverman gathered 14 of his friends who all shared a desire to assist the Columbus Division of Fire.” Hence Box 15 (14 men plus the original paramedic).

It’s hamburgers for dinner.

Joy

September 13, 2020's thought for the day: You can wash your body but not your soul Jewish Proverb

I got to the church just before we had a down pour. I wanted to get in a little early because I had some packets that I had put aside for two friends but I couldn’t find them. They turned up later in the service so I was able to had them over.

The photo challenge for September 12 was “tropical”. It’s pretty well known that I have a lot of house plants, many are tropical or subtropical. The one I am sharing is one that my daughter gave me for mothers day many years ago. It's been so long ago that I doubt that she remembers it. I keep it as healthy as I can to remember the gift from her with love to me. I think it is called a ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia or Zanzibar Gem).

When I got home, I started the upload to Facebook of our sermon for today. It takes an hour or better to complete the upload.

As usual for my Sunday’s after church, I don’t have much planned to get done today, just a bit of this and a bit of that.

I have ordered a memory card for the camera at church and I am having the biggest problem getting the correct card that I ordered. They sent me the wrong version the first time so I requested a replacement. A few days later I got the replacement. They sent the same (wrong) card AGAIN. So I asked for my money back and placed a new reorder, as instructed. Now I have to wait for that one. I normally like to order on line and am usually satisfied. This is the one and only thing I don’t like about that way of shopping. Now I have to return the two wrong versions. The place I have to take them to send then back is not all that close to my home. I think you cab tell I a

m a bit peeved. 

The word today is minutes.  The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions - the little, soon forgotten charities of a kiss or a smile, a kind look or heartfelt compliment, Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever, Horace Mann. But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day, Benjamin Disraeli. All knowledge is of itself of some value. There is nothing so minute or inconsiderable that I would not rather know it than not,  Samuel Johnson. I wasted time, and now doth Time waste me: For now hath Time made me his numb'ring clock; My thoughts are minutes, William Shakespeare. I recommend you to take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves, Lord Chesterfield. Like as the waves make towards the pebbl'd shore, so do our minutes, hasten to their end, William Shakespeare. Better three hours too soon than a minute too late, William Shakespeare. The passing minute is every man's equal possession but what has once gone by is not ours, Marcus Aurelius. Seize this very minute. What you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Begin it and the work will be completed, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

The photo theme today is “travel”. The only kind of travel I do now days it by car. I do know that a lot of folks use the bus for their travel so I waited on Broad Street for one to go by so that I could get a photo of one. I had to settle for the back side of one.

It’s another of those stories about an old structure getting a bit of new life. The person who wrote this article said that his daughter is working on renovating a home built and lived in into the 1930s by her great, great and great grandfathers. At the beginning it was mentioned that tools and his “aging” muscles” were being called into weekend work outs.  The history of the house came to light while riding around in “grandpa(’s) pick up truck . . .  with the AM-only radio, no air conditioning and hand crank windows”. Part of learning the history was finding a “bell the size of a dorm refrigerator” in an old pile of wood. The story about it was that is came from a one room schoolhouse in the 1920s. It was also learned that he (grandpa) and his dad secured the rights to the school building, pulled it apart and took the salvaged wood to the family farm and built a new building on the homestead.  The original house on the property remained a home for a part of the family and then became a rental property. Later the second house, built with the reclaimed one room school lumber, became a bed and breakfast in the 1980s. This is the home the daughter, mentioned in the first few sentences, moved into and is remodeling after “almost six decades”. The work was started by pulling up the carpet, sanding and tending to the hardwood floor. The father of the remodeling daughter took on the job of renting the sander (that “weighed as much as three or four sweepers”).  To complete the work on the floor she fixed some squeaky boards then cleaned up with a vacuum, continued with wiping the floor with mineral spirits. It stands to reason that after all that work “no bare feet or dirty shoes were allowed”. She lived upstairs in the house while completing the work. The daughter’s father wrote that “when the time was right, we helped move furniture......in our stocking feet”..

I think we are going to do Taco Bell for dinner. They have done away with my favorite though, Mexican Pizza. So I am going to have to pick something new.

Joy

September 11, 2020'’s thought for the day: You can't measure the whole world with your own yardstick. Jewish Proverb

This has turned out to be an interesting day with lots of “education” for this old noggin, love leaning! 

The photo a day for September 10 was “life”. What an enormous and open subject to capture. New babies, new flowers, people working, people playing. I chose a quite neighborhood and simple, relaxing, walk that could be silence, and peace and gentle exercise as one contemplates life on that day and at that time.

We had a meeting at church planning for the live streaming of our services. I learned a lot from the technician who will be setting us up. I also discovered a  few areas of the church I haven’t visited yet.

When I left there, I drove by my grandson and grand daughter-in-law’s house. He is putting on a new deck. He has some very faithful friends helping him along with his dad, where and when he can. I had hoped to see my great grand son and granddaughter-in-law on the same visit but, alas, apparently they were out picking up things needed for the deck. I did get to have a hug from my grandson, that’s always a welcomed treat.

I had a second photo of the day on yesterday’s date. That title was “letter shape in nature”. If we look closely there can be found many interesting shapes formed by branches, by clouds and by flowers opening, in full bloom or even in their demise. Can you see the W in this image?

When I got home, I had to put on the “housework” hat. I started the irobot. Then I tried an experiment. We, the three of us, don’t seem to be able to eat a full cake before it gets stale or goes bad so I am trying to split a caked mix in half.

The irobot got stuck under my bed so I had to go rescue it. I learned a lesson there too, keep it from going under the bed the next time.

I got to sit and chat with a couple of my neighbors. We learn a lot about our community when we have time to “stop and smell the roses”.

The word today is mind.  You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength, Marcus Aurelius.   If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves, Gautama Buddha. It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see, Henry David Thoreau. Little minds have little worries, big minds have no time for worries, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Our minds should not be empty because if they are not preoccupied by good, evil will break in upon them, Samuel Johnson.  Meditation is that exercise of the mind by which it recalls a known truth, as some kind of creatures do their food, to be ruminated upon till all the valuable parts be extracted, George Horne. Not less than two hours a day should be devoted to exercise, and the weather shall be little regarded. If the body is feeble, the mind will not be strong, Thomas Jefferson. The ancestor of every action is thought; when we understand that we begin to comprehend that our world is governed by thought and that everything without had its counterpart originally within the mind, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I work with yarn as I crochet, I suppose that can be considered at craft. The photo challenge for today is “craft”. I have a lot of the twins’ supplies around the house so I chose to use some of those to fit the theme. 

A little lighter side of the news and maybe some ideas on working with wood. The article today is about five projects that, they say, will make you life better. The person in this article says that they enjoy hearing about bull renovations but smaller projects that make “living....easier” are  as much or more interesting. The first project on the list was extending a table top. The next project building a “mud room locker” to assist in reducing clutter and help organizing. Here’s an interesting one, a drop-down counter using foldable shelf brackets. I think this next tip is one others may have already used, a “deck gate”. A gate on a porch or deck that can be latched. It can be “custom” designed to fit the rest of the house decor.  The last project mentioned is a rollable privacy screen. This one can be creative by using old pallets or second hand doors or new lumber, put together and mounted on wheels. Some tips in the article are use less expensive MDF or pick up reclaimed wood. Another tip, when sanding is needed be careful to use the proper grit of sand paper. Fasten things together with screws rather than nails (or glue) because screws are easier to remove when necessary and cause less damage. And a couple more common sense tips, use clamps to hole pieces together when bonding, stain or paint to blend and make sure to seal to protect form moisture.

PIZZA NIGHT!!!

Joy

September 9, 2020's thought for the day: You can't put "thank you" in your pocket. Jewish Proverb

As I was falling asleep last night, I was making a list in my mind of things I wanted to get done today. I started out with a bang but as the day has gone along and I am checking off this and that I am realizing I am going to have to put some of them on a back burner. I over extended the idea of how much time each thing takes and the time I have available.

I got the message done for Saturday, the envelopes printed and some labels made. While multitasking in that area of tasks I squeezed in clearing an overstuffed refrigerator and starting the dishwasher.

On September 8 the photo challenge was titled “home”. That leaves several areas to find a suitable image, both inside and outside the house. There is one corner that is my ‘most’ favorite. It’s where all of my health-giving plants live during the late autumn, winter, and earliest spring. In the late spring and summer they regenerate in the lazy, hazy days in the early morning sun into twilight and the darkest night.

I have a busy day tomorrow with the usual Thursday list of printing. I am also going to a luncheon at noon. A few members of my literary club are going to try for a small gathering. We haven’t seen each other in over five months.

I have some baking to do that I would like to put off from today to tomorrow but I think that would be a mistake. I had better get to done.


The word is middle.  Whoever, in middle age, attempts to realize the wishes and hopes of his early youth, invariably deceives himself. Each ten years of a man's life has its own fortunes, its own hopes, its own desires, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  The best political community is formed by citizens of the middle class, Aristotle. The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or, perchance, a palace or temple on the earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them, Henry David Thoreau. The middle path is the way to wisdom, Rumi.  In our calling, we have to choose; we must make our fortune either in this world or in the next, there is no middle way, Stendhal. Youth is the time of getting, middle age of improving, and old age of spending, Anne Bradstreet. A whole is that which has a beginning, a middle and an end, Aristotle.  Virtue lies in the middle ground, Jose Rizal. Thirty spokes are joined in the wheel's hub. The hole in the middle makes it useful, Laozi. Most safely shall you tread the middle path, Ovid. In everything the middle course is the best; everything in excess brings trouble, Plautus. As a man passes into middle life, or beyond it, autumn, it has been said, whispers more to his soul than any other season of the natural year. It is not difficult to see why this should be, Henry Parry Liddon. Not too isolated, not too many relationships, the middle, that's wisdom, Confucius.

Today’s theme is “good stuff”, another wide-open subject for images. It’s like something you would put in a gratitude journal.  I needed something quick, I had overextended myself and hadn’t left much time for thought and deliberation. It a tiny part of my neighbor’s garden, something like a “hidden garden”.

This article looked interesting and I didn’t see much else worth sharing again today. It is always interesting for me to see how people adjust to major turns in their lives. This article is about veterans lives when they return home. An artist who has painted veterans from all over the country is contributing work to the National Veterans Memorial and Museum starting on September 18. She wanted to show them out of uniform this time. There will be a trucker, a firefighter and others such as a boxer, an astronaut to a homeless man.  When interviewed about the project she said: “The only criteria I had was they had been honorably discharged. I wasn’t going for the high-ranking officers or those who had won medals. I wanted the average everyday man and woman who had raised their hands and offered to serve their country.” She has been to all fifty states to find her subjects, traveling at her own expense. She was born in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. She was able to find veterans by visiting small town chambers of commerce, where everybody knows everybody. Then she would talk to the veterans as she sketched and photographed them. She wanted to use a trucker and to make it even more interesting a woman, a woman veteran. She found one in Lima, Ohio, a marine whose husband was a former Navy SEAL. There was another member of the family to include in the portrait, the marine’s per dog, Angel who has traveled with her.  She painted a Native American from South Dakota, a firefighter in Oregon who has post-traumatic stress disorder. She painted a homeless vet with his dog in California forest. She took a “backpack, camera and a bog of dog food” when she met up with him. There is a bit more to this part of the story in the article I am referencing. After the exhibit in Columbus it will travel to Huntsville, Alabama and Washington, D.C. The article said that this exhibit will appeal to art lovers as well as people who know little about art.

Chicken croquets and mac and cheese for dinner tonight .

Joy

September 7, 2020, today’s thought for the day: Whatever you do, do with all your might. Latin Proverb

It has been a bit of a different Monday, I expect it should since it is a holiday. Summer 2020 is at an end, pretty much. There will most likely be a few more hot days but the custom of this date ending the “official” events of summer time is here.

Well, September 6, 2020 was a “myself” theme for the photo of the day. I don’t like selfies I like to daydream of myself as possessing a tiny bit of svelte even though I am petite and aging. A selfie completely dispels that notion. So I try to think of all sorts of ways to “hide” at least parts of myself.
 
I took on finishing the move of the house plants back into the house. The only thing left for later this afternoon is clearing away the rest of the empty pots and odds and ends. That will include splitting one last plant that has overgrown its pot.

Before I moved the rest of the plants, I completed the bulletin. It is ready early for the proofreaders. I have a meeting at church about the filming that we are doing for putting on the facebook page. So I was planning on getting some light grocery shopping done today. But since I got in step with moving plants I put the store off until tomorrow.

Bob has the day off so he has been able to help some with part of the moving and cleaning of the plants. I am glad it is out of the way now.

The photo theme for today is “rings”. This one gave me pause for thought. The only thing I could come up with other than finger rings or ear rings or water rings on furniture was the kind that is more like a tool of sorts rather than decoration.

The word today is mercy.  I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice,  Abraham Lincoln. For Mercy has a human heart; Pity, a human face; Love, the human form divine; and Peace, the human dress, William Blake. The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings, Henry Ward Beecher. Where mercy, love, and pity dwell, there God is dwelling too, William Blake. Prayers are heard in heaven in proportion to our faith. Little faith gets very great mercies, but great faith still greater, Charles Spurgeon. Mercy is the golden chain by which society is bound together. William Blake.  Have charity; have patience; have mercy. Never bring a human being, however silly, ignorant, or weak--above all, any little child--to shame and confusion of face. Never by petulance, by suspicion, by ridicule, even by selfish and silly haste--never, above all, by indulging in the devilish pleasure of a sneer--crush what is finest and rouse up what is coarsest in the heart of any fellow-creature, Charles Kingsley. Nature has left nothing to the mercy of man, Henry David Thoreau. Time is the Mercy of Eternity, William Blake. It is impossible to imagine anything which better becomes a ruler than mercy, Seneca the Younger. We give our intent to love and meekness, by the working of mercy and grace we are made all fair and clean, Julian of Norwich. 

 I still haven’t made a visit to the Wilds..I am still hoping to get there some day soon. The article today is about how the Wilds have loss over a million dollars because of the virus. On a late August day the parking lot would normally have been packed and the gift shop busy all day long. But it wasn’t on the day in question. Seasonal workers have been cut. Daily visitors have been cut in half but the expense for care of the animals has gone on.  When the stay at home order was first enacted, the Wilds ceased for the entire month. It takes $2,200 every day to feed the animals. That is not including the veterinary costs and other care costs. One of the measures to help keep expenses down was stopping the breeding program. Some of the animals were sent to “trusted” zoos temporarily. The Wilds has also had to protect the animals from contracting the COVID virus from humans as it has been determined that lions and tigers are able to catch the virus. The article said that the park is slowly allowing visitors to hand feed the giraffes. The number of visitors allowed in at a time has been cut to about half the normal capacity. The park is trying to figure ways to recuperate some of the loss in revenue. One of the ways is to extent the time they are open for the season to November.  The Kids camps were canceled for the summer. The “Nomad Village yurts are available with modifications”. There is a new camping opportunity near the rhino and giraffe pasture. They are establishing a “major fund raiser called “Sleeping Under the Stars” and there is a backlog of people signing up.

I think we are going to have Chinese for dinner.

Joy

September 5, 2020 Thought for today: Quietly, if you can; if not, by any means. Latin Proverb

It’s been a bit different from my “normal” Saturday line up. After all my virtual visits and checks Bob and I left for Meijers. I have been looking for a lactose free cheese and Meijers seems to be only one of two who carry it in the area, at least that’s what I deciphered from Google searches. They did have it but not in the “cheese” section. I was disappointed when I couldn’t find it there so I asked a clerk and was told to check the deli section where they had other varieties of cheese...sure ‘nuf it was there.

The photo challenge for September 4 was “sugar”. I could have empted my sugar, white or brown, container on the counter and photographed it for the theme but I chose to use an old standby model instead, Sugar, one of my best friends. She gets a lot of promotion on this site doesn’t she?

I have been taking the baby steps toward bringing my houseplant garden back in the house after its summer vacation in the open air. I try to clean them up, transplant and separate where needed as well spray them with a DIY plant spray with garlic and hot sauce to get rid of any pests that might be hanging on and taking a free ride. Right now I have five plants back in the house with at least as many, actually ten more, to go. Anyway, I had to go to the garden section in Meijers to get some potting soil.

Another item on the shopping list at Meijers was a blue tooth device to fire my android camera. I found one but it doesn’t hold a candle to my older worn out one so it will be going back.

On the way home we stopped for lunch then a quick stop at Westgate Park for today’s photo of the day. This photo theme is “colour play”. There is a lot of color in Westgate Park with the play ground equipment and statues being one of the constants in terms of color.

The word today is manners.  That alone can be called true refinement which elevates the soul of man, purifying the manners by improving the intellect, Hosea Ballou. It is good manners, not rank, wealth, or beauty, that constitute the real lay, Roger Ascham. Infants manners are moulded more by the example of Parents, then by stars at their nativities, George Herbert.  Every act of the man inscribes itself in the memories of his fellows, and in his own manners and face. The air is full of sounds;the sky, of tokens; the ground is all memoranda and signatures; and every object covered over with hints, which speak to the intelligent, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Defect in manners is usually the defect of fine perceptions. Elegance comes of no breeding, but of birth, Ralph Waldo Emerson. In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The mobs of the great cities add just so much to the support of pure government as sores do to the strength of the human body. It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigor. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution, Thomas Jefferson   Liberty cannot be preserved, if the manners of the people are corrupted, Algernon Sidney. 

I had a second photo of the day for the day, the 5th. That title is “fruit”. So.... is tomato a fruit or a vegetable:

Here’s another story about animals.  I like these kinds ususally, that is if there beneficial to the animals. There has bee n concern among animal rescues, breeders and trainers about what will happen to dogs that have been adopted after the quarantine is over. The quarantine that accepted economy, businesses and residents spilled over to the plight of our four legged population also. To start there was a “puppy boom”. So many people were wanting to adopt puppies that breeders had available puppies and future litters sold.  Two breeders mentioned in the article “showed concern that once someone realizes that a reputable breeder won’t or can’t give them a puppy, they will resort to buying from puppy mills”. They are concerned with the possibility of health problems coming to light, bad behavior problems in the new furry friend too. They are concerned that this could lead to more “surrenders to local rescues and shelters”. One of the persons interviewed said “We’re a very disposable society that if it doesn’t work, we just get rid of it, rather than say, ‘I’m going to stick with the good, bad and the ugly,’” Many shelters are using an appointment-only adoptions service, they can better screen people and match them with suitable pets. Separation anxiety may become a problem for animals that have spent days, weeks, months with owners and family members home all day. All of a sudden they are left alone when people return to work and school. It is suggested that when searching for a pet match look at the breed and the life style of the person wanting to be the parent of a furry friend. It is also suggested that a routine be practiced that assure that any change is not a shock. Socialization and crate training may be something to consider also. Hopefully these kinds of problems will be minimal once the quarantines are lifted and/or the ‘new normal’ ways of life are learned and established.

I think spam sandwiches with bottled spaghetti for dinner. Doesn’t that sound gourmet?

Joy

September 3, 2020 thought for the day: See that in avoiding cinders you step not on burning coals. Latin Proverb

It’s been a productive day and a bit of a burden on the muscles, tendons, and nerves that make up the human body. That part came from the up and down steps and the laundry.

The photo of the day for September 2 was “round”. There are tires, boxes, jars, toys, balls, and status in the round. I went to Westgate Park again and found the image I was going to use. We recently had a huge new water tower installed. The rounded structure has drawn my attention the whole time I passed it as it was being built. I guess it was the strength it’s size and the cement it is built with reveals.  Against the softness of the blue, blue sky and the fluffy white clouds there is a presence of soft and solid.

I went to church to do the printing. While I was there a food delivery arrived with food for our pantry days. There were several young volunteers there to unload and store the delivery. So the church was full of activity. After printing the bulletin and free meal message, I ran a really basic draft of the phone directory.

I have been working on some ideas for our taped church service. I am trying to get the file all in one piece instead of the two it turned out to be the last time. I contacted a dear friend who is head of the IT department for a government agency for some advice. As always he had some good information. I also spent some considerable time in online searching to combine all phases about the situation. When I got home from church today, I put all the information together to take to a meeting that I will be attending tonight.

I also contacted, through facebook messenger, two people I have been missing for a while. I need to know how they are doing. I am hoping to get answers from them later today. My son touched base with me also to see how I was doing, that always feels good.

I also started the laundry when I got home. Oh, between the church and the things I got done a little later, I took my sister to take care of some business. I also searched for my photo of the day in between all the other multi-tasking. In searching for “props” for today’s photo I found a piece of equipment I thought was lost. It has a blue tooth feature that I think I will be able to use. What a nice surprise, I am charging it as we “speak” here.

Other business aside for now, to get on with the laundry

The word today is manage. We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday's burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it, John Newton.  Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable, William Pollard.  Time is what we want most, but what we use worst, William Penn. It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? Henry David Thoreau. Whenever we manage to love  without expectations, calculations, negotiations, we are indeed in heaven, Rumi. We always speak well when we manage to be understood, Moliere. The world is full of fools and faint hearts; and yet everyone has courage enough to bear the misfortunes, and wisdom enough to manage the affairs, of his neighbor, Benjamin Franklin. We should manage our fortune as we do our health - enjoy it when good, be patient when it is bad, and never apply violent remedies except in an extreme necessity, Francois de La Rochefoucauld. Ill-health, of body or of mind, is defeat. Health alone is victory. Let all men, if they can manage it, contrive to be healthy! Thomas Carlyle. And he will manage the cure best who has foreseen what is to happen from the present state of matters, Hippocrates.

My photo challenge for today is “photography”. Kind of easy to find props for that shot. I gathered up some of my cameras and lenses and set the scene.

I try to stay away from articles about the pandemic and/or the demonstration/riots. This article seems to have just a touch to say about it. Let’s see what it says. It started with, because of our daily lives in this learning a “new normal” we may grouse at other, rant on social media or find other ways of releasing tensions and adjusting. One local artist decided to use a billboard to use her skills in a “super sized verison watercolor paintings”. The sign says “Mask Up Columbus” and in it is a group of figures wearing standing together, wearing colorful masks. The artist is 71 years old and former journalist. She feels she is still a storyteller moving “from pens to paintbrushes”. In the article she said that she “stayed blued to the news....this new way of life slowly drove her nuts”.The discussions of wearing masks wore on her to the point that she said “Wear a damn mask, will ya?’” While she was in her studio one day she decided on using a billboard to express her feelings about wearing a mask. She called the number a friend gave her to rent a billboard. The person she spoke to was friendly but seems “skeptical” about her idea. Finally it was determined that she could rent one for a month on Dublin road near Grandview Avenue. She worked with a graphic artist to help get the painting she made as large as twenty-two feet wide and ten feet tall. She didn’t say how much she had to pay for the rental. She said “it was worth every penny.....I thought I should just put my money where my mouth is”.

It’s creamed beef on toast and buttered noodles for dinner.

Joy