November 28, 2020 thought for the day: If you want some lies to be believed wrap them up in truths. Danish Proverb

For once in several days I was able to sleep a little later than I have been able for a week or so. 

Last night I called to tell Dorothy, the lady who helps finish the newsletter, not to come this month since I was late getting it done. I would take them home and do them myself. She didn’t get my message so she was there to help....I am so glad she was, then I didn’t have to spent the better half of Saturday getting them done. I had the Saturday message already done and the printing of the bulletin done when she got there. So we both worked on the newsletter. One of the other ladies wanted a set of our address labels printed. I had that done at home but left them because I thought I would be doing the newsletter, where I normally use them, at home. So once we were finished I had to come home and get the other set to take back to the church. Before I left the first time, I got the bulletin delivered to the appropriate places outside the sanctuary and a copy of the newsletter put on the bulletin board as well as our taped service memory card archived and cleared for future use.  

Yesterday’s photo challenge was titled “a picture of me”. I dislike selfie’s of me but yesterday I gave in and did it. I wanted to use my new blue tooth ‘toy’ to make the shot. I had to take severls shots to get one that would “pass” my inspection. 

When I finally got home, the workers were here working on the door that was left to be put in. It was actually two doors. It was a new inside door along with a new storm door. It took all day long to get it done. The doors were larger than the old doors so there was some cutting involved. There was one “accident”. When they were enlarging the opening for the door they cut an electric line, fortunately no one was hurt. But the electric was out to certain parts of the house and it affected the cable service so we had no phone, TV or internet for a while. 

Today is much calmer although the workers are coming back. Some siding had to be removed and has to be put back on. So they are coming to do that. I have a feeling that will take the rest of the day into the evening. 

I need to take the message sheets to the church a little later and I have some cooking to do. I need a couple of things out of the dish washer which is still running right now. 

Today’s photo theme is “ out of focus” I wasn’t thinking much about the subject. I found a shot in my recent archives that I felt would “fit the bill” although I am not wholly pleased with it. It is an angel that I crochet and used on this years Christmas tree. 

The word today is play. In our play we reveal what kind of people we are, Ovid.  Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game, Voltaire.  Dare to err and to dream. Deep meaning often lies in childish plays, Friedrich Schiller.  It should be noted that children at play are not playing about; their games should be seen as their most serious-minded activity, Michel de Montaigne. Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play, Heraclitus.  It is a happy talent to know how to play, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Enforced exercise does no harm to the body, but enforced learning will not stay in the mind. So avoid compulsion, and let your children's lessons take the form of play, Plato. ...place where man laughs, sings, picks flowers, chases butterflies and pets birds, and plays with children. Here he spontaneously reveals his nature, the base as well as the noble. Here also he buries his sorrows and difficulties and cherishes his ideals and hopes. It is in the garden that men discover themselves. Indeed one discovers not only his real self but also his ideal self? he returns to his youth. Inevitably the garden is made the scene of man's merriment, escapades, romantic abandonment, spiritual awakening or the perfection of his finer self, Confucius. In life, as in whist, hope nothing from the way cards may be dealt to you. Play the cards, whatever they be, to the best of your skill, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton.  I can never fear that things will go far wrong where common sense has fair play, Thomas Jefferson. It is easy to work when the soul is at play, Emily Dickinson.   

Here, in this article, is another animal story. It is a good ending to a sad start. It’s nice to keep up with things going on at the zoo especially when it comes to saving animals. This article is about an orphaned manatee who was brought to the zoo after it was discovered in the wild and seemed to be starving and lonely after its mother was apparently killed. She was found “hovering” around a large boulder probably missing the attachment of its mother. After being examined by a vet it was found that she had a bacterial infection and was getting weaker and weaker with no mom to teach and cuddle her. She was given the name Squirrel and eventually found a new home at the Columbus Zoo. One of the “permanent residents” at the zoo’s Manatee Coast, named Stubby, became her surrogate mom. Squirrel seems only happy when she is touching Stubby all the time. This isn’t the first cub Stubby has mothered. She has never birthed a cub of her own but she has been a pool mate to more than 20 rescued and orphaned manatees since 2005. She is called the “queen of the zoo”. Squirrel is one of the smallest the zoo has had. She rests on Stubby’s back with an occasional interest in  “floating pieces of romaine lettuce” but then darts back to Stubby. The zoo staff tries to have as little interaction with the manatees since that may make their release back into the wild harder to do. It would limit their “survival skills”. To feed them the keepers attach food to a “weighted pipe” that sinks. They toss it in the water to “re-create” a look of natural see grasses on the ocean floor. Stubby was hit by a boat in the 1990s, her tail had to be amputated which affects her style of swimming and had made it necessary to not release her into the wild. The zoo staff gives her health exams and treatments on a regular basis. She learns tricks to accomplish the tests and treatments, rolling on her back for example to make drawing blood easier. I learned that manatees are federally protected and that the Columbus Zoo and the Cincinnati Zoo are the only “program partners” outside of Florida who rescue and care for the manatees. In this partnership over 618 manatees have been rescued and rehabilitated. Stubby is the only “permanent manatee resident in the Midwest”. Normally manatee calves separate from their mother around the age of 2. That’s most likely when Squirrel will be released back to the wild. Here is a quote from one of the keepers about Stubby, “Stubby is a symbol of using what you have to help others, or making the best of a poor situation," she said. "She's happier for it. Our program is better because of it. Without her, I don't know if we'd have this much success."

We are having some of the ham and turkey from Thursday and cheesy potatoes with the pecan and pumpkin pies. 

Joy

November 26, 2020 thought for the day: You want no one to know it? Then don't do it. Chinese Proverb

Normally I would have gone to the church to do the weekly/monthly printing but due to the holiday I decided to do it tomorrow. Instead I put up our Christmas tree. 

The photo a day for yesterday was “this season”. I think the one I saw out the window and then went out the door to shoot was this one. It show the wet-from-the-rain drive way and the bare tree limbs all good signs of autumn. 

I am also getting the laundry out of he way today too. Yesterday I made four pumpkin pies and four pecan pies to add to the menu that Lowell and Rebecca are preparing. 

We were supposed to have the new storm doors put on at all three doors and a piece of siding repaired this week but the workers never showed up. So Lowell, at first with some trepidation, attempted it with one of the doors, one that was under a roof which was handy since it was raining. He got so comfortable with it and it stopped raining so he put one of the other ones on too. Hopefully the worker will come to finish the others next week. 

I’ll have to admit I’m a bit melancholy. We chose to have our holiday meal with each family in their own house. As I glance out the window, I notice my neighbor have both of their children and their children home for the day. I miss that. I hope there are still a few left for me after this pandemic. 

The word for today is pioneer. For we cannot tarry here, We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger, We, the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend, Pioneers! O pioneers! Walt Whitman.  Genius is the very eye of intellect and the wing of thought; it is always in advance of its time, and is the pioneer for the generation which it precedes, William Gilmore Simms. I hear the tread of pioneers Of nations yet to be, The first low wash of waves where soon Shall roll a human sea, John Greenleaf Whittier. Little sins are pioneers of hell, James Howell.  Where the citizen uses a mere sliver or board, the pioneer uses the whole trunk of a tree, Henry David Thoreau. There is hardly a pioneer's hut which does not contain a few odd volumes of Shakespeare. I remember reading the feudal drama of Henry V for the first time in a log cabin,  Alexis de Tocqueville. Most pioneers are at the mercy of doubt at the beginning, whether of their worth, of their theories, or of the whole enigmatic field in which they labour, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.   

Today’s photo theme is “an edge”. I don’t live near the edge of a mountain trail or the edge or a pier on
some water way so I started thinking of other kinds of edges. The one I finally chose was the edge on a paper cutter. 

I’m not much for hiking especially in the winter but I know it is a healthy pass time/exercise and there are a lot of people who enjoy winter wonderlands. The metro parks have made some concessions in the parks due to the pandemic. They say they are extending the season from December to February. Apparently the previous schedule was to “welcoming” visitors to one park each Saturday and most Sundays in January and February. There will be six parks highlighted each month. I learned from the article that there is a “ticket-to-travel booklet” that gets stamped. According to the article this will allow for hiker not to gather in groups. Another safety issue they will be imposing is no food and drink will be served after the hikes as took place previously. There is an increase of parks available from thirteen to eighteen. In December the parks will be lit in the evening for a special treat. In January there will be more energetic hikes to include distance or hills. In February the snow will give a festive scene. The travel Ticket booklets give instructions. Here’s something else I learned from the article, anyone who completes seven hikes get a Winter Hike patch. One way the parks people put it is that the parks are a place to escape stress and is a great way to travel around the city. Something new this year is a “selfie station”. Places where folks can take photos of themselves as keep sakes. They will be set up in scenic spots in the certain parks, Blacklick, Innis wood, Sharon Woods, Slate Run, Battelle and Cedar Ridge. More information on the parks and the selfie stations are on social media.

We are having Thanksgiving with all the trimmings except all the family. We are having a traditional meal prepared by Lowell and Rebecca and hand delivered.  

Joy

 

 November 24, 2020 thought for the day: If there is room in your heart there is room in your house. Danish Proverb

This is another day with time rearranged. I am having new storm doors installed but the folks who will be doing the job don’t keep the kind of schedule that I am accustomed to. First there is one delay then there is another. I also had a piece of siding come off on the upper most section of the house in the seriously high winds the other day, they will be replacing that also but it is beginning to rain, so who knows. 

In the mean time, waiting for them to appear, I worked on the newsletter. I have most the major items entered with one top spot to fill and a couple of small ones. Then there will be a photo array to download, post process and insert. I am putting it on hold for the time being. I finished the bulletin yesterday but need to do some reformatting. I plan to finish both of those chores tomorrow before I bake the eight Thanksgiving pies I will be baking for different family members. Then I will find and put together both the message and hymn for hand-out at the free meal on Friday. 

The photo challenge for November 23 was “sharp”. As I came out the garage where I was getting a pot filled with potting soil to plant the top of a pineapple plant from the twins lunch I spotted an axe and thought “that would be a good shot for “sharp”. But I didn’t have my camera with me.  Later I was slicing some of my favorite Cabot ‘seriously sharp’ cheese for dinner....perfect for the challenge. 

Lowell and Rebecca have come up with a plan for keeping us all in our separate home as seems to be the safest thing for this year for Thanksgiving. They are preparing a whole meal and will be delivering to three different households. I am baking the pies to try to help out a little. 

The word for today is philosophy. True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us, Socrates. When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger, Epictetus. To become learned, each day add something. To become enlightened, each day drop something, Laozi. I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend, Thomas Jefferson.  Philosophy is the science which considers truth, Aristotle. A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion, Francis Bacon. Since philosophy is the art which teaches us how to live, and since children need to learn it as much as we do at other ages, why do we not instruct them in it? Michel de Montaigne. The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next, Abraham Lincoln.  Rightly defined philosophy is simply the love of wisdom, Marcus Tullius Cicero. Truth in philosophy means that concept and external reality correspond, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. When you want wisdom and insight as badly as you want to breathe, it is then you shall have it, Socrates. The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next, Henry Ward Beecher. Ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hate, and hate leads to violence. This is the equation. Averroes. 

Today’s photo theme today is “serenity”. Since it was kind of soggy and gray I decided to look for something in my archives. This shot is from my back yard a little earlier this moth when we were having a perfect autumn day. 

We seem to be entering the Christmas season earlier this year than in past years. I thought this article might brighten the day and fit with the season a little. The title of the article tells about how the tree farms in Ohio are facing this season. Due to the effects of the pandemic the growers are hoping the idea of cutting down a tree for the holidays will brighten the days leading to Christmas. So many of the holiday celebrations and gatherings have been cancelled. The article went on to mention some tips. First make a “reservation” ahead of time. One of the tree growing owners stated that people should not try to cut their tree too early so that they will last for the “duration”. Apparently it is typical for tree farms open on Black Friday. An early demand for Christmas trees is “ratcheted up their time schedule” this year.  The idea of searching for a tree carries over to other holiday plans this year. They expect the adventure of tree searching, found and cut to be quick this month and next. There will be the well-known requirements for social distancing and the required pre-reservation and other safety measures in place. Other unique precautions will be cleaning the wagons and saws after each use. In the past free cookies and hot chocolate were offered to add to the festivities of the tree cutting, that will be “curtailed” this season along with the horse-drawn wagon rides. There will be tractors pulled wagons to a regulated number of people per trip. One of the farm’s reservation systems will be set up for every fifteen minutes with eight families at a time. The farms are saying they have plenty of trees but there could be a lot of people shopping for them this year. Wholesalers are having difficulty ordering in stock for the year. Trees take about eight years to “reach the height” people want. “Eight years ago the economy was not good” and people weren’t buying so the farms didn’t plant as many trees. One of the growers said  “We want to make your Christmas memory not be part of the bad things that have happened in 2020.”

I’m leaning toward spaghetti for dinner tonight. 

Joy

 November 22, 2020's thought for the day: You may cook in small pots aw well as in large ones. Danish Proverb

What a beautiful Sunday...ugly weather, beautiful sermon (one of my favorite ministers)....my weekly pick-me-up. 

Being Sunday there is not much on the agenda for today. However, when I got home from church I first got started on the upload of the sermon to facebook (this may be the last week for the upload ....since we are going with “live streaming” probably to begin next week). After that I thought I should get a quick start on the newsletter since the deadline for information is tonight and I haven’t begun bringing the template up to date for this months entries. Beyond those two items I don’t have any plans for the rest of the day, except to go in search for today’s photo theme, I was on the look out of the way home but didn’t find a good fit. I will look around here and set up a shot. 

The photo challenge for November 21 was “this of that”. I tried to set up an image showing a salt and a pepper shaker. I wanted show two this or that’s, one the choice of salt or pepper (I now see that it is a bit difficult to tell that it is salt and pepper shaker). The second choice was the difference in the colors of black and white. 

Today the word is persuasion. Persuasion is often more effectual than force, Aesop. Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion, Aristotle. If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect, Benjamin Franklin.  How quick come the reasons for approving what we like! Jane Austen. He makes people pleased with him by making them first pleased with themselves, Lord Chesterfield. The persuasion of a friend is a strong thing, Homer.  Few are open to conviction, but the majority of men are open to persuasion, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Mere knowledge of the truth will not give you the art of persuasion, Plato. Persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should be adopted to influence the conduct of men. The opposite course would be a reversal of human nature, which is God's decree and can never be reversed, Abraham Lincoln. In ancient times music was the foundation of all the sciences. Education was begun with music with the persuasion that nothing could be expected of a man who was ignorant of music, Marcus Tullius Cicero.  None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives, Jane Austen. Let no pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no persuasion move thee, to do anything which thou knowest to be evil; so shalt thou always live jollity; for a good conscience is a continual Christmas, Benjamin Franklin. Who speaks to the instincts speaks to the deepest in mankind, and finds the readiest response, Amos Bronson Alcott. He who has truth at his heart need never fear the want of persuasion on his tongue, John Ruskin.  

Today’s photo theme is “upside down”. While I was out I shot a photo of a huge evergreen tree whose
top most branch was hanging low probably from the effects of strong winds and/or heavy snow. But I nixed that one so had to quickly set up a piece so I could get the upload done in time for the day. The newer versions of some condiments come so that they are easier to pour, upside down from the "norm". 

This article sounded interesting and comforting due one of the many things art can do in our lives. The title to the article and the first sentence  says it all: “The art of gratitude: Columbus Museum of Art works have much to say this Thanksgiving..... art can have so much more to say about the real theme of this holiday: gratitude”. It goes on to describe six of the exhibits and their relationship to Thanksgiving at the museum covering “ joys of nature, togetherness and more” at this time. Some of the workers offered their thoughts on the six chosen items. “Standing next to Mel Chin’s 'Spirit,', is a slender rope keeping a huge barrel hanging. The rope is made of tall grass. The person who is telling it’s story says it represents a balanced ecosystem of our food system. The “rope” represents our food and the barrel is our appetite.  Next is one called Autumn Leaves-Lake George NY, a gorgeous painting of colorful and will positioned leaves by Georgia O’Keeffe. The person describing it says it sparks an appreciation of natural spender all around us as it changes. The leaves would be beautiful on a Thanksgiving table. Third is one titled “Threshing No. I”, a painting of a farmer gather his harvest. The painter chose to show a scene occurring during the Great Depression. The person explaining it expresses her gratitude. Next is called “Porch Livin’”. The painter of the piece depicts memories of growing up in Poindexter Village where families interacted creating bonds of enrichment to their lives. There is an exhibit that is untitled and speaks of ‘love, gratitude, connection’. It is a group of photographs from ‘Erin Brown’s Cbus Front Steps Project’. It shows pictures taken during the pandemic and look-down of how family finds ‘joy and comfort’ with each other. The last piece is called ‘Noah’s Ark’. It is a panel of wood with unpainted figures on a green painted background. Displaying a feeling of a ‘natural world that God entrusted to mankind’s stewardship’. It is felt that painting the background bright green gave the piece a feeling of a nurturing process to a gathering of life. 

It’s going to be carry out from somewhere for dinner tonight....maybe Taco Bell, may be???

Joy 

 November 20, 2020 word for the day: You may light another's candle at your own without loss. Danish  Proverb

This is turning out to be a ‘busy’ day. It started with a trip to the grocery store. It turned out to be one of those every aisle instead of this one or that one where I knew exactly what I was after and where to find it. My list was quite long for today. But I finally got through it. Sue was with me. She is particular to Zero sodas right now, Kroger didn’t have what she had in mind so I took her to Giant Eagle too. 

I wanted to stop a McDonald but the one we passed on the far end of Broad Street was long a waiting line, so I came in further on West Broad, that one was another wait. So I ended up at the one on Wilson Road, much more accommodating. 

One of the photo themes of November19 was “I went here”. I had several stops today but the one that was most scenic was at the park. I took some shots at several places that I stopped but the one of the park was the best with all the color and blue sky. 

I think I should be concerned about my aging thinking processes. I was so focused on some computer work yesterday that I forgot to do the laundry that I had separated and ready to go. So I am catching up on that house hold chore today. 

I save all my photos and most important data on external hard drives. I have one that has over a thousand photos I would like to use right now. But for some reason the computer is not reading the drive. It is an old one so it may be worn out. I am going to try a couple of other things that I have in mind to get it to work long enough for me to get the photos off. If that can’t happen, I am going to try one of the companies that can retrieve data that seems lost on computer drives. Another task that I want to work on is to increase the resolution of photos taken with my cell phone so I took time to set that up. 

Today’s photo challenge is “beginning with t”. I could have gone to the park with all the trees to choose
from located there but I chose a scene from my front yard. I was glancing out the window as I working on some other stuff and noticed that the sky was interesting behind one of the trees. I stopped what I was doing, grabbed the camera and went outside for the shot.   

The word for today is personal.  Be as you wish to seem, Socrates. You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today, Abraham Lincoln. The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence, Confucius. That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well, Abraham Lincoln. You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one, James Anthony Froude. , Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. Aristotle. They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom, Confucius.  Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them, Aristotle.  Happiness and personal fulfillment are the natural consequences of doing the right thing, Epictetus. If we do not plant knowledge when young, it will give us no shade when we are old, Lord Chesterfield. He that does good to another does good also to himself, not only in the consequence but in the very act. For the consciousness of well-doing is in itself ample reward, Seneca the Younger. Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world, Miguel de Cervantes.  Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow, Ralph Waldo Emerson. I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday, Abraham Lincoln. Your real influence is measured by your treatment of yourself, Amos Bronson Alcott. It is not by the gray of the hair that one knows the age of the heart, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton. 

The second photo of the day for today was titled “buttons”. I will have to admit I nearly forgot (there’s that word again, forgot)  that this was a day with two photo’s to upload. I used my red winter coat as my model, then added a filter to “spice” it up a bit. 

Here is an article with some news on more updating and growing in the Columbus area. The article is about some rezoning that is being planted for Hilliard. There are 369 acres on the east side of Alton Darby Creek Road and south of Roberts Road that are going to be developed with 1,098 single family residences and apartments. It isn’t expected to be built until 2022. The name of the area in question is “Sugar Farms”. The land was named by the owners who sold the land which was later annexed in 2019. It is located in the Hilliard City School district. One group had issues in the negative for the proposal until it was considered by the Columbus Development Commission which recommended the rezoning in May of 2019. One of the people who objected earlier said that she felt it was “another example of urban sprawl....with the height of the buildings..... that the development might contaminate wells...”. The density of the units per acre is a question being considered and issues about the Big Darby Creek and like environmental issues. Noted in the article on the positive side were a “move-up in the Hilliard school district....bringing much needed housing in a top-rated school district ...was well as roadway improvements.” The project would also “provide a revenue steam to improve infrastructure”. The article stated that twelve intersections are part of the traffic study in the overall consideration. 

Pizza night has rolled around again. 

Joy

November 18, 2020, today’s thought for the day: You may shut your doors against a thief, but not against a liar. Danish Proverb

This has been one of those ho-hum days. I started out working on the two “shops” I have on line. I have heard some of my photo peers selling things from their sites like mine so I decided to update mine and do some advertising. Anyway, that is where I began the day, well almost. I haven’t gotten the information I need to finish the bulletin so I sent an email to see if it was coming soon. Then I got started on my project. 

On November 17 the photo title was “what I’m doing today”. Sugar and Sweet Pea were out of food. I couldn’t do any major shopping yet so I had to stop at the store for just their food. On my way to the car I spotted the grocery carts and decided they would give an idea of what I was doing today. When I got "film" to the “darkroom” (Photoshop) I noticed something I hadn’t seen when I took the shot. Three separate sparrows exploring the area.  

After I got a good bit of work done on the web sites, I checked my email and the information I needed was there so I took about half an hour to finish that and get it out to be proofread. 

I have the TV on and listen to news wherever it comes on. It is saturated right now with new numbers due to the pandemic. It is really depressing. Hopefully it will be controlled sooner than later, before the whole population will have had the virus.  

After that it was back to the computer with some more updating. I was also able to get the calendar done that I am putting together with Westgate area photos in each month. Its set up but I want to double check it. I may want to change out some of the photos before I send it to a printer. I am going to put that off until another day. My son and daughter-in-law have come to help get some things done. 

The word today is persevere. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent, Calvin Coolidge. By perseverance the snail reached the ark, Charles Spurgeon. Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life, Pythagoras.  To persevere, trusting in what hopes he has, is courage in a man, Euripides. Persist and persevere, and you will find most things that are attainable, possible, Lord Chesterfield. Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable, Lord Chesterfield. Persevere in labors that lead to salvation. Always be busy in spiritual actions. In this way, no matter how often the enemy of our souls approaches, no matter how many times he may try to come near us, he'll find our hearts closed and armed against him, Cyprian.   It is the nature of every person to error, but only the fool perseveres in error, Marcus Tullius Cicero. Joy and patience are far above our strength... We must persevere in prayer that he may not permit our hearts to faint... Prayer and perseverance are necessary in our daily conflicts. The best remedy to the weariness is diligence in prayer, John Calvin. The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones, Confucius. Great difficulties may be surmounted by patience and perseverance, Abigail Adams. 

Today’s photo challenge is titled “my favorite food”. I had lost track of time and I didn’t want to get out
ice cream and not eat it before dinner so I visited my photo archives and found just what I wanted, ice cream with a whipped cream topping. 

When the most recent fires were going on in the western, United States, I was so discouraged for the animals. They were trapped and must have been frightened beyond anything we can decipher. I remember seeing Kola bears in the Australian fires with burned noses and patches on their bodies. I was just knew there would be and applauded people who would rush to help the animals in the California fires as there were reported to be in the Australian fires. Today’s story is about three mountain lion cubs who were rescued from the California fire. They are coming to our awesome Columbus zoo.  One of the three is called Captain Cal and has a story. Some of the firefighters found him as he was severely burned and limping in the road in late September. The pads of his paws were seriously injured. They took him to the Oakland Zoo where he was rehabilitated with “around the clock care.” Two female cubs were rescued a little after Captain Cal from the fire and will all be in Columbus in a few weeks. The two females still need names, they were only a few weeks old when discovered. They all will be flown from Oakland to Indianapolis with staff from both zoos traveling with them to Columbus. Our zoo was chosen because they have had experience with other rescued animal, “including bears, moose and (other) mountain lions”. The article said that after the move the Oakland Zoo can take in more rescued wildlife. The cubs are so young that they will not be on display yet. Since they lost their mother they will be “introduce(d) to Jessie, the zoo’s 17-year-old female mountain lion”.The article mentioned that Jessie is nearly blind and a ‘senior-citizen’ but in good health. It was noted that mountain lions face being struck by cars and illegally poached as well as the wildfires. Captain Cal and the girls are forever safe from those disasters. I think they have had more than their share of man-made disregard.

I am making goulash for dinner tonight. 

Joy

http://joy-rector.pixels.com

 

 November 16, 2020 thought for today: Make not your sail too big for your ballast. English Proverb

I have so many things I want to explore. They are things that would be extending my adventure into using my photography for new purposes. It’s mostly a day dream but day dreams, and a friendly pursuit of them, are ways of making negative and oppressive thoughts that come about and affect each of our lives easier to face and manage. In that vein when I opened the computer this morning I opened three or four files that need updating to help continue that quest and take me wherever that leads. 

I tiptoed into some of those files before deciding I had better get to work on the bulletin. I got it done to the point of plugging in the information I will get from the minister and information I will get from the meeting tonight. 

One of yesterday’s photo’s a day was titled “waves”. I don’t live near a body of water that generates waves of water, though that would have been my first choice of an image for this challenge. Next in my thoughts was our flag “waving” in these autumn breezes.  

I noticed that a dear friend of mine didn’t look well at church yesterday and had left early. I gave him a call to be sure everything is ok. He said he was fine and had left because the service was going a little longer than he had anticipated and he needed to be somewhere else.

I got a few things done on each of the files I had opened earlier before I tackled the dishwasher. 

The fallen leaves have brought on the sounds of mechanical objects doing their best to keep them cleaned up. There are blowers and sweepers and mowers and operators feeling the satisfaction of a well done clean up job. Ahhh, the sounds of autumn, a little harsher than the soft sounds of spring, birds and wind chimes. 

The second photo a day for yesterday was titled “negative space”. I like this one. It’s one of the easier ones to imagine and to set up. I used one of my house plants all of which seem to be enjoying the carry over affects of their vacation outside for the summer. They are filling out nicely. 

The word for today is perfection.  Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work, Aristotle. Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable, Lord Chesterfield.  Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well, Marie Angelique Arnauld.  Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time, Voltaire. This is moral perfection: to live each day as though it were the last; to be tranquil, sincere, yet not indifferent to one's fate, Marcus Aurelius.  All our knowledge is the offspring of our perceptions, Leonardo da Vinci.  It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view, George Eliot. We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses, Abraham Lincoln.  We should ever conduct ourselves towards our enemy as if he were one day to be our friend, John Henry Newman. The organ of perception acts more readily than judgment, Leonardo da Vinci.  It is easier to deceive yourself, and to do so unperceived, than to deceive another, Francois de La Rochefoucauld.  

The photo of the day for today is “something beautiful”. Since I was pleased with my choice of subject yesterday for one of the photo challenges, I decided to choose another of my healthy house plants for this theme. 

This story brought back memories. It also brought to mind what my own parents must have felt as things popped up to chance the motion of their lives. Mainly, in this case, the formation of shopping malls. I can remember my mom getting on a city bus to go shopping down town, there were no malls around when I was a kid. Once in a while she would take us with her. It was an adventure to go downtown (or uptown, whichever way you looked at it). Then the malls came along. According to this article there is another major mall headed to closing it’s doors permanently. I’m wondering what form of shopping will come along now. I’m aware that many people have turned to online shopping. That may be THE way now with no more “brick and mortar” department stores. I enjoy the comfort of that type of taking care of that necessity. On the other hand, it seems to be another indication that people are distancing themselves from social contacts. In my opinion some social contact is essential to human living and development, not to mention sanity. It seems that there are several malls across the country that will be closing along with the Tuttle Crossing mall in our area. Again according to the article Tuttle space is only 76% rented by tenants and their “cash flow this year is 32% below anticipated....” The next step is for a “receiver to oversee the lenders, then the property will be sold “as is” or there will be some way to “stabilize performance”. The pandemic is part of the problem that this is happening. The mall at Tuttle opened in 1997 with some of its tenants were Sears, Lazarus, Marshall Field’s and JCPenney. Later Easton Town Center and Polaris Fashion Place came into being. To “diversify” the use of its space Tuttle rented space to an entertainment center. According to the article Eastland has struggled and Northland and Westland malls and City Center have all shut down. 

I pulled some vegetable soup from the freezer for dinner and I will make salmon patties to go with it. 

Joy

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 November 14, 2020 thought for today: Take heed you do not find what you do not seek. English Proverb

The girls are here for their sleep over this weekend. I didn’t have time to do their clip art photos but since it is their birthday I baked them a cake. They like to help when we are doing anything in the kitchen so they helped me with the icing. I had the cake batter done and in the oven before they knew what I was doing. 

November 13 the photo theme was “something I can’t live without”. Wellll, the biggest thing I can’t live without is my family and friends and pets. But I picked something a little easier to compose in the moment and in a more structured image. I picked the thing that occupies most of my time. I am retired so I could sit in front of the TV all day and be a couch potato very easily but I like to have my thoughts occupied with things and learn as I go. I am in front of the computer most of the day. I cling to something my father quoted to me many times as I grew up “If you become lazy after you retire in most likelihood you will die early.” I think a big part of not being "lazy" would mean physical exercise which I am not too good at.  

I worked on updating my Redbubble store for a while this morning. And helped the girls with some of their new birthday gifts. 

I am trying to put together a monthly wall calendar with photos of the Westgate area from the present and my archives. I want to take it to a small newly opened art store down the street to put out on consignment. So I may be able to work on that before I get to the kitchen for make the pie crust.  

I am going to take a break for a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and to look for today’s photo. 

The word for today is perceive.  It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own, Marcus Tullius Cicero. To perceive is to suffer, Aristotle.  It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter lies in the depth, where few are willing to search for it, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Children are excellent observers, and will often perceive your slightest defects. In general, those who govern children, forgive nothing in them, but everything in themselves, Francois Fenelon.  The sage knows without traveling, perceives without looking, completes without acting, Laozi.  I trust in Nature for the stable laws Of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant And Autumn garner to the end of time. I trust in God,-the right shall be the right And other than the wrong, while he endures. I trust in my own soul, that can perceive The outward and the inward,-Nature's good And God's, Robert Browning. The purposes of the Almighty are perfect, and must prevail, though we erring mortals may fail to accurately perceive them in advance. We hoped for a happy termination of this terrible war long before this; but God knows best, and has ruled otherwise. We shall yet acknowledge His wisdom, and our own error therein. Meanwhile we must work earnestly in the best lights He gives us, trusting that so working still conduces to the great ends He ordains. Surely He intends some great good to follow this mighty convulsion, which no mortal could make, and no mortal could stay, Abraham Lincoln.  We perceive and are affected by changes too subtle to be described, Henry David Thoreau. When we consider we are bound to be serviceable to mankind, and bear with their faults, we shall perceive there is a common tie of nature and relation between us, Marcus Aurelius. The blindness of unbelievers in no way detracts from the clarity of the gospel; the sun is no less bright because blind men do not perceive its light, John Calvin.  Some men's words I remember so well that I must often use them to express my thought. Yes, because I perceive that we have heard the same truth, but they have heard it better, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  

Today’s photo theme is “the weather outside”. Here in the area of the country where I live autumn is upon us and many days the weather shows the less exciting side of itself. Today was one of those days. Autumn does have a pretty side but can get gloomier to the eye as the days pass. Some days are filled with sunshine and blue sky and fluffy clouds as we ease into winter but today wasn’t quite up to that standard. However, there are the shapes and patterns that can be seen in the limps of the barren trees and now and then a bit of color on one of the homes and in what few leaves there are left on the trees.  

It looks like there will be another change in the Columbus sky line. According to the article today a thirteen story apartment building is in the works to be built in a prominent location on East Broad Street downtown.  It will begin with the demolition of “several interconnected buildings” that have been on the corner of Broad and Young streets for decades. Since one of the buildings is a historic structure the façade of it will be incorporated in the new development.  Some of the materials used in this project will be “metal panels, vertical metal fins and black glazed brick.” There will be 133 apartments over a five story parking garage. On the bottom of the structure there will be retail space. On the upper level there will be a “clubhouse, a dog walk and a swimming pool.”

We are going to try a recipe for the best French meat pie that Bob found on facebook. It called for store bought pie crust which I don’t have on hand so I will have to make it from scratch, I haven’t made pie crust from scratch in eons. I want to get it started before I take the message sheets to church so it will be ready to come out of the oven when I get back. 

Joy

 November 12, 2020 thought for today: Venture not to defend what your judgment doubts of. English Proverb 

I usually set the alarm on Thursday’s to get an early start on putting the finishing touche on the bulletin before I leave to print. The timing thing all started years ago when I needed to send the church bulletin to the lay readers and the minister for review before Sunday. I needed to get it in the mail as early as possible so that they would get it before Sunday. Some of the people who need to see it don’t have email so they have to get it by “snail mail”.

Yesterday’s photo of the day was titled “this makes me happy”. I am guilty...I love the comforts and excitements of technology at least the ones that lead to communication and knowledge.  So my choices were relatively simple, I used a cell phone, computer mouse and keyboard and an ipad to symbolize what makes me happy. I wanted to give it a bit of umph, so I added a "darkroom" filter. Of course there are many other things that make me happy but they are harder to photograph. 

On the way out of church I had a nagging urge for a White Castle. The nearest one is on Rome Hilliard Road now that the one on Broad Street is still closed. So I drove to Hilliard. I asked the girl who came to the window if the one on Broad Street would be opening again at some point because I had heard they may close it. She said it is in the plans to reopen but she didn’t know the date. One of the other workers had come to the window before my order was ready. I saw her face and I just knew I knew her from somewhere. It turns out she worked at the White Castle in the “Bottoms”. I use to stop there on my way home from my photo classes at Columbus State, and from my eye doctors appointments in the Arena District. She had been the kindest lady and always seemed to remember me. I don’t know if she recognized me today though. The young lady who was waiting on me said that lady had worked where I thought. It’s a small world, isn’t it.

When I left there, I went to my familiar photo safari location, Westgate Park, to look for today’s photo. It is a plain theme and I wanted to add a bit of something for more interest.  The theme challenge is “grass”. There is a questionably legal form on “grass” but not one I would be particularly fond of photographing even though the plant itself it pretty. So I used the more common one. I wanted the curved path in the shot to give it some life other than nature’s offer. 

Once I got home, it was back to work on answering emails, working on my Redbubble online shop and starting the laundry. 

The word today is peculiar. Our peculiar security is in the possession of a written Constitution. Let us not make it a blank paper by construction, Thomas Jefferson. Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition, Abraham Lincoln. I live and love in God's peculiar light, Michelangelo. What a peculiar privilege has this little agitation of the brain which we call 'thought', David Hume. Happy domestic life is like a beautiful summer's evening; the heart is filled with peace; and everything around derives a peculiar glory, Hans Christian Andersen. Odors have an altogether peculiar force, in affecting us through association; a force differing essentially from that of objects addressing the touch, the taste, the sight or the hearing, Edgar Allan Poe.  It is the peculiar and perpetual error of the human understanding to be more moved and excited by affirmatives than by negatives, Francis Bacon.  Every age has its own kind of war, its own limiting conditions and its own peculiar preconceptions, Carl von Clausewitz. Power exhibits itself under two distinct forms,--strength and force,--each possessing peculiar qualities, and each perfect in its own sphere. Strength is typified by the oak, the rock, the mountain. Force embodies itself in the cataract, the tempest, and the thunder-bolt, James A. Garfield.  He was poor, yet always appeared to be giving something away; a stranger, yet everyone was his friend; no longer young, but as happy-hearted as a boy; plain and peculiar, yet his face looked beautiful to many, Louisa May Alcott.  Ignorance is of a peculiar nature; once dispelled, it is impossible to reestablish it. It is not originally a thing of itself, but is only the absence of knowledge; and though man may be kept ignorant, he cannot be made ignorant, Thomas Paine.   

I like to see when young people use their God given talents to make a success of their lives early on. This article tells about a young student at Ft. Hayes High School and her artistic skills in ceramics. This past summer she got the idea to post some of her work on TikTok video and ended up getting over 1.5 million views. Her favorite items to create are mugs. Her choices in design are nature-themed. The one that she sent to TikTok was had a strawberry design. Once she got noticed on TikTok her Instagram space jumped too. She sells to the point of being out of inventory through her web site even many added custom orders.  One studio artist speaking of her work said that she “pushes her boundaries”. Clay is soft and needs a lot of work to control and hold its shapes.  The earlier mentioned studio artist taught a class that the young artist attended  The young artist is so gifted that she now helps the studio artist teach ceramics to elementary students. It is noted that she is sought out by adult ceramicists for advice. Her interest in crafts began when she was only two years old when she made taped sculptures, later she turned to ceramics. She even owns her own firing kiln. She makes it a point to make her are to fit “functional” purposes. The article stated that her teacher wants her to think about her art more in the sculpture type art. An owner of a shop in the Short North art district of Columbus has sold the young artist’s work in her shop since early in 2019. She says the work “barely stay on the shelf”. Her “fans” say she has a “tremendous work ethic”. She hopes to attend college and major in ceramics somehow and then wants to become an instructor and full-time artist. She wants to work with people with disabilities because one of her sisters has cerebral palsy. She donates her work to fund-raisers and has taught pottery to special education students that are students of her mother. 

I found some spaghetti carbonara  that I had frozen a few weeks ago that will be dinner along with grilled cheese. 

Joy

 November 10, 2020 thought for the day: Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something. French Proverb

I put off doing the bulletin yesterday since running the errands with Sue took up most of the morning. So I got to work on that project the first thing this morning and was able to get it finished. 

On November 9 the photo theme title was “a corner of my home”. After thinking of all the corners in my home I realized for one purpose or another there are a lot of interesting corners around the house. But the one that I am most proud of and I think might be the healthiest is my “indoor” garden. 

I have a space in my “new” kitchen that needs a long floating shelf or a long narrow console (or behind the soda) table. I ended up ordering a console table. It was just delivered about an hour ago.  Bob is off from work a little early today so he has started putting it together. 

Some of my friends from a couple of the photo clubs I belong to have mentioned selling some things from some of the many online sites that feature photo based gifts. I have quite a stock pile at the Redbubble site (redbubble.com/people/jarector/explore?asc=u)  and a few at the Fine Art America site. So I have decided to let my friends (who will hopefully tell their friends) about my offerings. I haven’t attended to the site for over a year now so there are some updates that I need to tend to as well as add new photos. I got a start on that this morning. I have over a thousand photo-based items on the site so it is going to be an ongoing effort to update them all.  If you visit please be patient, it is updating every day. 

One of the photo challenges for today is “older”. I thought about a close up selfie exposing my umpteen wrinkles. I wasn’t really excited about doing that so I choose a stack of very old books we seem to have collected. Some are saved from my dads school days others from other relatives' early life. 

The word for today is peace. Peace is freedom in tranquility, Marcus Tullius Cicero. At home the hateful names of parties cease, And factious souls are wearied into peace, John Dryden.  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.  Social order at the expense of liberty is hardly a bargain, Marquis de Sade.  To the wicked, everything serves as pretext, Voltaire.  Let not your zeal to share your principles entice you beyond your borders, Marquis de Sade.  Buried was the bloody hatchet; Buried was the dreadful war-club; Buried were all warlike weapons, And the war-cry was forgotten. Then was peace among the nations, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Fair peace becomes men; ferocious anger belongs to beasts, Ovid. Savage bears keep at peace with one another, Juvenal. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men, Francis of Assisi.  Our souls may lose their peace and even disturb other people's, if we are always criticizing trivial actions - which often are not real defects at all, but we construe them wrongly through our ignorance of their motives, Teresa of Avila.  Forge thy tongue on an anvil of truth and what flies up, though it be but a spark, will have light, Pindar. When we yield to discouragement it is usually because we give too much thought to the past and to the future, Therese of Lisieux.  I couldn't live in peace if I put the shadow of a willful sin between myself and God, George Eliot. 

The second photo of the day for today is titled “song title”. We were supposed to use a song title to describe the image we were presenting. I titled mine “Above the Clouds”. 

I have never had the pleasure of visiting this event. It sounds like fun. This story is from the Columbus Messenger and is about the “London’s Olde Fashioned Christmas: New day and time”. According to the article the event will go on as it has in the past with a few adjustments due to the pandemic. The day and time have changed. In the past it took place on the Monday after Thanksgiving, this year it will happen on the Sunday after Thanksgiving from 2 to 6pm

Here are some of the things that will be included in the event. A horse-drawn wagon with carriage rides. The wagon rides will be free. The carriage rides will be $20 and can include six people, reservations are required. Santa Claus will be at the Trinity Episcopal Church all afternoon. There will also a “Santa Mail Box” for kids who want to write to Santa. The Christmas Parade is open for anyone who wants to participate either walking or in a “decorated vehicle”. The parade begins at 2pm. There will also be a Pet Parade for pets dressed up in their finest. Any kind of pet is welcome. This special parade begins at 3pm. There is no cost for the participants and there will be awarded. There will be a “Holiday Wreath Giveaway. Ten to 12 wreaths will be given away. There will be a free drawing and winners will be announced at the end of the afternoon. Another offering at the event is a photo booth and other fun activities. To add to the festivities are food, carolers, merchant sales, face painting and costumed characters. For more information contact the Downtown London Association at downtownlondonassociation@gmail.com.

We are having Parmesan coated baked chicken, chicken stuffing and chicken gravy for dinner. 

Joy

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 November 8, 2020 thought for the day: Small wells are better to quench your thirst. French Proverb

The message at church was great today. I liked the theme “The Purpose of Time” and the use of one of Jesus’ parable to cement the statement, all was well presented too. I learn the most from parables than from any other teaching methods.  

For my next two photo images you can pretty much tell what my favorite pass time is.....eating. Yesterday’s photo challenge was “something I do every day”. Well, we all eat....that was my choice of images. I cheated a little and pulled a shot from my archives, I got so preoccupied that I nearly forgot to take time to compose a shot for the “assignment”. 

Once I got home from church this morning and started uploading the taped service to facebook, Lowell called to see if I would like to go to lunch with him and Rebecca. I can’t turn that down, I look forward to the kind of visit (and food) all the time and on any and all occasions. We met at Tee Jays. On the way we came across traffic from a car accident. The squad was on the scene so someone was injured.

It’s a gorgeous autumn day. It would be fine with me if this kind of weather would last for the next few months. That’s called day dreaming. On the other hand, I would most likely miss the change of seasons. 

The word today is pause. Though the human heart may have to pause for rest when climbing the heights of affection it rarely stops on the slippery slope of hatred, Honore de Balzac.  The man who pauses in his honesty wants little of a villain, Henry Martyn.  The future is always fairyland to the young. Life is like a beautiful and winding lane, on either side bright flowers, and beautiful butterflies and tempting fruits, which we scarcely pause to admire and to taste, so eager are we to hasten to an opening which we imagine will be more beautiful still. But by degrees, as we advance, the trees grow bleak; the flowers and butterflies fail, the fruits disappear......, George Augustus Henry Sala. All beginnings are delightful; the threshold is the place to pause, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  His virtues walked their narrow round, Nor made a pause, nor left a void; And sure the Eternal Master found The single talent well employed, Samuel Johnson. How dull it is to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished, not to shine in use! As though to breathe were life, Alfred Lord Tennyson.  Pause awhile, And let my counsel sway you, William Shakespeare.  What a devil art thou, Poverty! How many desires - how many aspirations after goodness and truth - how many noble thoughts, loving wishes toward our fellows, beautiful imaginings thou hast crushed under thy heel, without remorse or pause! Walt Whitman.  I do not understand; I pause; I examine, Michel de Montaigne.  Between the dark and the daylight, When the night is beginning to lower, Comes a pause in the day's occupations, That is known as the Children's Hour, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  

Today’s photo theme is “a favourite word”. I searched the Sunday paper for the word I wanted to use so that I could make a photo of it but that didn’t happen. I couldn’t find the word food or meal with enough character to use. So I pulled another image from, my archives and used some of my budding artistic talent to generate the word food to superimpose over my chosen image.

It’s interesting to watch the changes and growth of OSU and the surrounding area through the years. Here are the newest plans. This news article from the columbusunderground.com mentioned that The Ohio State University have been continuing construction, both beginning and finishing, throughout 2020. Here are some of the projects: At the Wexner Medical Center a new Inpatient Hospital that will be the largest facility “ever undertaken” and completed in 2026. There are two buildings at 15th and High being constructed. One will be the WOSU headquarters, the other a mixed-use building and will a be “centerpiece of the nine-acre development. There is a power plant in the works combining heat and power near the OSU Veterinary Hospital. In the Arts District just across High Street from the 15th and High site work on a multifaceted project is in progress. There is a new School of Music then work on a new Department of Theatre building. There article stated that there could be a “complete transformation of West Campus and first phase has begun. Work is almost completed on a new Postle Hall. Another opening scheduled for this month is Optometry Clinic and Health Sciences Faculty Office Building and the interdisciplinary Health Sciences Center is in its first phase. 

I am not cooking tonight, we will be digging for whatever we can find or want to eat. 

Joy

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 November 6, 2020 thought for the day: Speak little and well if you wish to be esteemed a person of merit. French Proverb

 What a year!! All of the television coverage is disruptive to normal life. The surprises don’t seem to be over yet. First the pandemic, then the protests/demonstrations, now the bombardment on television of the election. Adjusting to the changes these kinds of major human events bring must be dealt with. They, in their happenstance,  must be lived with. The problem, for me at least and for others I presume, are made far, far more difficult by the constant reporting. The “reports” could be on a tape that rolls over and over maybe they actually are. The reporters pack on a one-two punch after another, one being the actual event and then the repetitive and self-promoting stance continues even when the listener is down for the count. We need news to form opinions, to know how to make decisions that need to be made and for general knowledge of current events but there comes a point when it is more than informative, it becomes destructive. We reached that point months ago, and they are still mercilessly piling it on. There are more personal happenings in daily living that tend to take a negative turn also, tacked onto the major ones just mentioned can cause life to become overwhelming for some, do the reporters care?

Yesterday’s photo challenge was titled “in the middle”. As usual I spent some time pondering the subject. The thing that I kept coming back to was the round-a-bouts that are appearing in many spaces today. 

Sue had some errands to run this morning so once those were out of the way I stopped to fill up the gas tank. For once, we didn’t make a stop for fast food, 

I made a couple of calls that needed to be made and then got started on getting the message list prepared for hand out. 

Yesterday was one of the four days of the month that I have a second photo of the day “assignment”. This one was “curves”. There are curves at the park where paths split and curve away from one another. I drove to the park and tried to find a “perfect” image. I could vision it with the eye but for some reason couldn’t get it to composite properly on the screen. We have several street, and alleys, in my neighborhood where the roadways curve. That’s one I settled on for this submission. 

The word today is patience.  Wise to resolve, and patient to perform, Homer.  But remember that the pain of parting from friends will be felt by everybody at times, whatever be their education or state. Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience; or give it a more fascinating name: call it hope, Jane Austen.  Keep your friendships in repair, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All things pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for, Teresa of Avila.  There is nothing so disagreeable, that a patient mind can not find some solace for it, Seneca the Younger. Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, George Eliot.   The disciples of a patient Saviour should be patient themselves, Charles Spurgeon. It is impossible for a man to be cheated by anyone but himself, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Dispose thyself to patience rather than to comfort, and to the bearing of the cross rather than to gladness, Thomas a Kempis.

Today’s theme is “bird”. When I was waiting for Sue as she took care of some things in the store, I looked around for birds. After some concentration and patience I saw some coming and going from lights and cables. 

I had never heard of pickleball so I had t visit this story. This “sport” began some time in the mid-1960s when a family here is Ohio turned their abandoned badminton court into a space for this gam. They started our using ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball. The game gathered interest. “By the 1970s, the sport was gaining traction. By 1990, pickleball was being played in all 50 states.” Grove City just had a “soft” opening, October 17, of a new pickleball court in Windsor Park. People in the area have been playing pickleball at the YMCA and at the Kingston Court. The article says that the sport was brought to Grove City with snowbirds coming back from Florida. There is a USA Pickleball Organization that says that the sport “combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. It is both an indoor and outdoor sport.  The courts are open during the regular park hours. They hope to be open until 10pm once lighting can be added to the outdoor courts. It is a game that all ages can enjoy and seems to be popular with senior citizens. It has become so popular in Grove City that a community group was formed in April of 2019. It has grown to 150 members with additional folks following it on social media. Since we are still dealing with the pandemic regulations they are in force at the courts too, wash and sanitize hands before and after, bring personal water bottles, and do not share equipment. Staying in small groups and six feet apart while playing. Another suggested idea was to leave the main gate open to keep from touching the gate repeatedly. 

No cooking tonight.....pizza. 

Joy

 November 4, 2020 thought for the day: When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. French Proverb

I spent the waking moments this morning thinking about life. My thinking led to we are each alone, each a unique individual created for a purpose. We live with others but we’re still a single exclusive thinking being. In the end we have to depend on our own decisions and their consequences. Share our unique thoughts and take in those of others to grow and share even more. After a while I thought,  I had better get up and I depressing myself. 

The photo challenge yesterday was “sugar”. I could have used pieces of candy for the subject but I don’t have candy on hand. I do have cookies and Suzy Q’s. The “final” decision was for a pile of granulated sugar with a side of brown sugar and a touch of powdered sugar. For the format and composition of the “final” image the powdered sugar was cropped out. 

Well after that “deep soul searching” I got started on a pretty mundane and “normal” day thinking what adventures lie ahead of me. Where will my guiding light take me today. 

The first wave of today’s adventure was a trip to the eye
doctor to get my “new” glasses. Next, instead of coming straight home, I went on my daily photo safari. After some not-so-much-paying-attention-wandering I ended up at the back side of a structure I have wanted to learn more about but it was a bit frightening. It was at the back of rundown business structure with small piles of junk and weeds. Through the weeds and junk there was a beautiful mural/graffiti design on the back of one of the buildings....I guess the whole vision could have been called “beauty and the beast”. But I got the heck out of there with another wonder for my memory and knowledge base (and a photo). One of the photos I captured on this excursion turned out to be the photo of the day for today which was titled “nature”.  At least I got away from all the voting information that is being repeated ten, eleven, twenty times a day on the TV with commentary, over and over again, why this candidate is bad and this one good. 

Finally, at home I came back to earth. I got the message and hymn compiled and reading for printing along with the shut in envelopes. I think that will be the limit to my useful direction today. 

The word is path. God leads every soul by a separate path, John of the Cross. Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated, Confucius. Remember when life's path is steep to keep your mind even, Horace. A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life, Charles Darwin. True wisdom, indeed, springs from the wide brain which is fed from the deep heart; and it is only when age warms its withering conceptions at the memory of its youthful fire, when it makes experience serve aspiration, and knowledge illumine the difficult paths through which thoughts thread their way into facts,--it is only then that age becomes broadly and nobly wise, Edwin Percy Whipple.  The only path to a tranquil life is through virtue, Juvenal. The movement of the soul along the path of duty, under the influence of holy love to God, constitutes what we call good works, Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine.  A good person, striving dimly,Is well aware of the right path, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  The most melancholy thing about human nature, is, that a man may guide others into the path of salvation, without walking in it himself; that he may be a pilot, and yet a castaway, Prince Augustus William of Prussia.  Let us carve gems out of our stony hearts and let them light our path to love, Rumi.  If one hesitates in his path, let him not proceed. Let him respect his doubts, for doubts, too, may have some divinity in them, Henry David Thoreau. To err from the right path is common to mankind, Sophocles.

This article is much longer than the ones I usually pick. But it is about what I think is an important part of Columbus’ history. It is story about Franklinton and it’s “rebirth”. It was one of the earliest settlements. My church got it’s start here. One of the first cemetery’s was located here. Many settlers arrived here before traveling further. Part of the heading of the story read “Neighborhood leaders are grappling with how to preserve Franklinton's history as a working class hub even as a new generation of residents reshape its identity.” The story opened telling about a working man who on most evenings enjoyed relaxing on his porch located on a hill allowing a view of a seedy side of the neighborhood. These sights may include violence, prostitution and drugs. Another resident living not far away from the first is contributing to the “growing art scene” to be found in this neighborhood. She commented that she is happy with the new visions of the area. The new growth has added “swanky” apartment buildings and offered “lively” festivals. This area of Columbus has dealt with poverty and it’s related occurrences. The article reported that Franklinton residents made below $25,000 and more than 185 of the houses were vacant. A problem that seem to be arising is that some people involved in saving the neighborhood want to preserve the history of the area’s “Appalachian roots” and still adapt to the “new generation”wanting to “reshape its identity”. Some are hoping that people who have been there the longest and have dealt with the challenges will want and be able to afford to stay. Following are listed some of the things that are being included in the process of rejuvenating the area.  In 1959 there was a destructive flood and initiated a nick name for the area “the Bottoms”. In 1983 the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared the area a “flood plain”. In 2004 a flood wall was built allowing for construction permits to be issued again. In 2020 the area was “targeted for revitalization”. In 2019 it was discovered that the median income of the area had grown to $35,975. A big part of the revitalization is in the area of art. In another area of the revitalization affordable housing grants have been used to hopefully drive up the values of the houses and hope the owners with improve and maintain the homes. The hope is that there will be a mixed-income community. One worry is that in the redevelopment some of the low income residents will be forced to move more toward the Hilltop area. There is sill hope that the housing options can be managed leaving the area open to “turn the tide” and more businesses will come to and/or return to the area. A statement from the first man interviewed at the beginning of the story said that “the farther you go east the better the housing.....and they’re starting to work down here to get things right.”. He hopes that the development efforts won’t push the values of homes to a level he can’t afford. 

I pulled some chicken and dumplings out of the freezer for dinner. 

Joy