January 29, 2021 thought for today: If you think education is expensive try ignorance. African Proverb

I got an early start. I just got to the church at about the same time as Dorothy was pulling up, good timing. Working together we had the newsletters ready to go in about half an hour. 

Just as I was at the car and  leaving the house Lowell called and needed a phone number so I went back inside to get it for him. Just as Dorothy and I were finishing up I got a call with a request for Dorothy. With those two calls two other snags were helped to moved along. That makes for a good day. 

Yesterday’s photo was titled “this is mine”. Imagine all the photos you could make to show this theme. I have a lot of house plants so I decided to use one of them as model. I use them often as I do my two best furry friends. 

Once back home, I moseyed back to my computer files archives looking for old and promising photos. In the process of checking each individual file I found some things I completely have buried in my mind. I took a course in writing many years ago, even before I started on my journey for a certificate in photography. It was interesting reading some of my old “stories”. I got some decent grades on those papers. 

The sun is deceiving again today. It is gorgeous as I look through the window but the air is cold, major cold, not below freezing cold just plain cold. 

The word for today is safe.  A safe stronghold our God is still. A trusty shield and weapon, Martin Luther.  Let the people know the truth and the country is safe, Abraham Lincoln. He that respects himself is safe from others. He wears a coat of mail that none can pierce, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Precaution is better than cure, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Obedience is the mother of success and is wedded to safety, Aeschylus. The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come, Confucius. In skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed, Ralph Waldo Emerson. To keep oneself safe does not mean to bury oneself, Seneca the Elder. The dangers of life are infinite, and among them is safety, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. On the occasion of every accident that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use, Epictetus.  No one is strong in his own strength, but he is safe by the grace and mercy of God, Cyprian. Do it now. It is not safe to leave a generous feeling to the cooling influences of the world. Thomas Guthrie. Knowledge is power...knowledge is safety...knowledge is happiness, Thomas Jefferson. When an instrument admits two constructions, the one safe, the other dangerous, the one precise, the other indefinite, I prefer that which is safe and precise, Thomas Jefferson. When Providence favors, you can make a safe voyage on a twig, Publilius Syrus.  

Today’s challenge is “lucky”. I did a Google search for some suggestions of what people consider luck.
Of course there is the four leaf clover and the rabbits foot. I didn’t have either but I found some interesting suggestion on Google, I have heard most of them before but learned a little about them. The lady bug is a symbol of good luck to many. The number seven is also viewed as lucky. One I must have heard before but didn’t remember was “lucky bamboo”. It's purported that a plant with three stalks brings happiness, wealth and longevity. And of course the lucky penny especially if it is face up. 

Here we go.... a way to save money if the freezer goes out. This article may be a way to save money when facing what looks like a disaster. It covers some ideas of what to do if the freezer breaks down. The author wrote that when she went to the frig to get some milk she noticed her toes were getting wet. She opened the freezer compartment and saw that all the frozen food had begun to thaw. She further wrote that since we are in a pandemic she kept a larger supply of food in the freezer so that she didn’t have to go out as much. According to that article the food shouldn’t go below 40 degrees for more than two hours. It must either be cooked or refrozen (I didn’t realize it could be refrozen....need to check out the recommendations of that). She started to cook. The USDA states that “a full freezer can hold for two days because the food will act like a big block of ice”. She noticed that some of the food near the bottom of the stack was still frozen so it was salvable. As she did “triage” to determine what might be saved she followed the advice of  "When in Doubt, Throw it Out!" She was quickly thinking of recipes she could use to save some of the food. One was to put a half dozen hamburgers and a couple of links of sausage in a Dutch oven with some tomatoes, peppers and onion, seasonings and beer to make chili. She fried some bacon, added some shredded cheese, onion and spices to fill some pastry dough. There was a pound of frozen cod in the freezer. She poached it until flakey then added mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, spices and Ritz cracker crumbs and made patties. So it wasn’t a complete loss just a lot of unplanned cooking time. 

Aha....pizza night again. 

Joy

 

 January 27, 2021 thought for today: If you see wrongdoing or evil and say nothing against it, you become its victim. African  Proverb

Yesterday’s photo theme was “ where I stood”. Throughout the day there are many places where we stand for one reason or another so that should be an easy place to get an idea for a photo. One place I stand a lot in at my stove so that turned out to be my photo of this day. 

This was one of those days that ends up being on the busy side. After the daily virtual visits, Sue and I left for Kroger. As a side note, I decided to try using the double mask that they are now suggesting. It wasn’t so bad. I thought I would have even more of a problem breathing but I didn’t notice that so much. 

Once we got home and had started putting the groceries away, I got back on the computer to begin the daily computer agenda tasks. I had the information I needed for the Saturday night free meal at church. So I got the formatting done and started to print. To my dismay the printer absolutely refused to print no matter how many times I sent the instruction from the computer page to the printer. Finally, I ran some checks to see what the problem was. The answer is I was totally out of ink (that’s a first....I normally have a back up supply). So, I needed to have that message printed, a list of address labels printed, and the shut-in envelopes printed. What to do, what to do...I decided to try for some near by places that sell computer printer ink. I wasn’t in the mood to go back out but....I stopped at Walgreen, none of the number I needed there, the Walgreen on another street, none there, the CVS across the street from that Walgreen, none there. So it was on to the closest Walmart. Success!.

I got home, popped the cartridge in the printer and had all three documents printed within ten minutes. Then on to some other computer projects. I also still had some groceries to put away but that could happen in bits and pieces taking a break from the computer. 

The word today is sacrifice.  What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal, Albert Pike.  In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich, Henry Ward Beecher. Patient perseverance in well doing is infinitely harder than a sudden and impulsive self-sacrifice, Horace Mann. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan, John Bunyan. Love sacrifices all things to bless the thing it loves, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton.  Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices, Ralph Waldo Emerson. We can offer up much in the large, but to make sacrifices in little things is what we are seldom equal to, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The greatest sacrifice is the sacrifice of time, Antiphon. Peace is not to be purchased by the sacrifice of truth, John Calvin.  The superior man, while his parents are alive, reverently nourishes them; and, when they are dead, reverently sacrifices to them. His thought to the end of his life is how not to disgrace them, Confucius.  I see the necessity of sacrificing our opinions sometimes to the opinions of others for the sake of harmony, Thomas Jefferson. Life has many good things. The problem is that most of these good things can be gotten only by sacrificing other good things. We all recognize this in our daily lives. It is only in politics that this simple, common sense fact is routinely ignored, Thomas Sowell.  Prayer and sacrifice can touch souls better than words, Therese of Lisieux.  

Today’s photo of the day is titled “ a path”. When we were on our way home, I mentioned to Sue that I needed to find an image to fit that title. She asked me what I though a “path” meant. To me it means an area of space to walk from one point to another. I suppose it could be to get from one point to another by any means but walking fits my idea of that word most. So I made several shots at the park and a couple at McDonalds as we waited in line. One of the ones at McDonalds is the one I picked after some “darkroom” (Photoshop) processing. 

I like the sound of cicadas in the spring so the title of this article caught my attention. They are saying that the 17 year cicadas are due this year and to “expect billions”. The article said that this year will be the year of the “BroodX or Great Eastern Brood”. They are described as large, winged and scary looking but mostly harmless”. It reported that at John Glenn International Airport in Columbus the sound can reach 80 decibels, the male cicadas, when sounding the mating call, can reach a 96 decibels sound wave.  Ohio is one of fifteen states where the Brood X will be visiting. According to the article in 2004 when they were last here they were coming out of the ground at a “rate of more than 356 cicadas per square yard.” The measurement was observed in an old cemetery not in someone’s front yard. This event will take place in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C. This brood is different than the annual cicadas. For seventeen years they are “wingless nymph(s)...about a foot or two down, feeding on sap from the tree roots”. When they emerge, they are ready to mate. Apparently they have some method of knowing when to emerge by the number of times the deciduous trees regrow their leaves. Here is another interesting part of the article, “The bugs will even, in unison, postpone their emergence for a day or two if the weather is rainy or otherwise uncooperative.” Some people even plan their outdoor weddings and other events around the time that the scientists determine when the cicadas will appear. The article stated that they won’t do any major damage, they don’t go indoors, they don’t bite. They do cause “cosmetic damage to trees when laying eggs”. One of the scientists went on to say that they do “provide a number of benefits to nature.” This one is a little out of my area of interest, they can be a low-fat, high protein snack. Some people ask about how to kill them. It is recommended by people who understand this natural phenomenon “don’t,,,,they are a natural wonder”.  Some benefits are that they prune mature trees, aerate the soil, and once they die, their bodies serve as an important source of nitrogen for growing trees. So it appears that though maybe to some people their presence alone is a bother and to many others their noise is disturbing, maybe we should accept their given rights to be here and enjoy just that fact alone in other words, enjoy one more of the many gifts we are given as human beings. 

I am having creamed beef on toast for dinner tonight. 

Joy

 January 25, 2021 thought for today: Life is like a boat you move on when you paddle and stay in the same place if not. African Proverb

I didn’t get started on the bulletin the first thing this morning as I usually do on Monday morning. With this being newsletter week it means I will be doubling up in the next couple of day. 

Yesterday’s photo theme was “this is fun”. My own “fun” doesn’t lent itself to an exciting image so I chose one of the dogs favorite “fun” things to do, beg for a McDonals. 

Instead of getting onto today’s agenda list I had a visit from Natalie and Gideon. It’s much more warm and fuzzy to have a visit with this granddaughter and great grandson than to be buried in the computer for a while. I love to see Gideon play and explore and his cute explanations for things. That visit will hold me for a while. I can call up the memories in the next few days when I take breaks from other obligations. We should make the visits more often. 

Bob was concerned about the icy streets this morning so he called in to tell them he wouldn’t be at work today. I have been watching the weather and it looks like tomorrow is going to be as bad or worse. I’m glad I don’t have anything planned outside of the house for the next few days. I need to go into the church on Thursday and Friday and to the store soon. In the mean time I will be getting the printed material(s) ready to take to the copier at church. 

The word today is rumor.  Serious misfortunes, originating in misrepresentation, frequently flow and spread before they can be dissipated by truth, George Washington.  Enemies carry a report in form different from the original, Plautus. Thus each person by his fears gives wings to rumor, and, without any real source of apprehension, men fear what they themselves have imagined, Lucan. Nothing is swifter than rumor, Horace. Rumor does not always err; it sometimes even elects a man, Tacitus. Rumor is a pipe Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures, William Shakespeare. Gossip is a sort of smoke that comes from the dirty tobacco-pipes of those who diffuse it: it proves nothing but the bad taste of the smoker, George Eliot. Gossip and rumor are evil; easy to lift up, heavy to carry, and hard to put down again, Hesiod. The mind that's conscious of its rectitude (rightnness), Laughs at the lies of rumor, Ovid. Rumor is a vagrant without a home, and lives upon what it can pick up, Josh Billings. For your popular rumour, unlike the rolling stone of the proverb, is one which gathers a deal of moss in its wanderings up and down, Charles Dickens. No whispered rumours which the many spread can wholly perish, Hesiod.  Rumour has a hundred mouths, Paul Verlaine.  Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead, Benjamin Franklin. It (rumor) has a hundred tongues, a hundred mouths, a voice of iron, Virgil.

Today’s photo challenge is “sweet treat”. I had just baked some toll house cookies and that seemed like
the perfect choice at the moment although I like lots of sweets.

This article is not exactly a news item but it could be interesting and maybe a bit educational, useful later or maybe just enlightening to know. According to the article favorite chairs and other furniture can be a “reflection” of your personality. The author said “Few things are more sacred than your designated seat in the living room.” She says her “special” chair is a swivel with full-room “surveillance” and firm cushion for support. Her husband prefers a “well-broken-in” sofa. Her son heads for the ottoman (pretending it is a trampoline). She got to studying the subject of furniture function and did a break down. Her first study point was that of a modified spool chair. She says it offers luxury and comfort. The fabric can add character for either delicate or masculine personalities. It is regal and firm. Further expanding on the description is that it is matched to some one who “knows not to judge a book by its cover”, it charms at first glance as a formal piece and relaxes at the next, “truly is the best of both worlds”.  Her study moves on to sectionals. It makes the most of family time. It is “easygoing”. A place to spend time with family for relaxing together. Her last part of the “study” was the “show stopping wingback chair”. It is a there is drama attached to it and can be used in any room, bedroom, living room and even dining room. 

We are having meat loaf mashed potatoes for dinner. 

Joy

 January 23, 2021 Thought for today: Knowledge is like a garden, if you don't cultivate it you cannot harvest it. African Proverb

What a beautiful day this has been. The early morning hours were filled with tosses and turns and imaginary check lists going over and over in the half-awake brain. But lunch with family replaced that unease into a faded memory. 

Yesterday’s photo a day was titled “on the floor”. That is always an interesting exercise. In the hunt for the best shot you are forced to look down. That can lead to some of what has hitherto been undiscovered. In my house there are a few dog toys on the floor but I didn’t have interest in them for this subject today so I considered my “floor” for this project to be the ground outdoors. After several shots I came up with the one I entered for today. I liked it because of the textures, colors and variety of shapes 

I finished the message/hymn lyric hand out for tonight’s free meal at church. I dropped it off on my way to meet Lowell and Rebecca. It feels good to visit a restaurant now and then even though there is a pandemic going on. There was safe distancing and mask wearing. The salad bar is no longer a help yourself salad bar it is maned by a server with gloves and mask and a plastic shield between the server and the customers.  

When we got home, I worked on finding and uploading some archived photos that I had all but forgotten were on my older external hard drive. I am choosing photos that I want to use in some of my current projects. Many of them bring back memories like photo albums kept through the years used to only these are in digital form. 

The word for today is roots.  Bitter are the roots of study, but how sweet their fruit, Cato the Younger.  Friendship's said to be a plant of tedious growth, its root composed of tender fibers, nice in their taste, cautious in spreading, John Vanbrugh.  The aged oak upon the steep stands more firm and secure if assailed by angry winds; for if the winter bares its head, the more strongly it strikes its roots into the ground, acquiring strength as it loses beauty, Pietro Metastasio. The roots of the deepest love die in the heart, if not tenderly cherished, Johann Gottfried Herder.  Wherever the tree of beneficence takes root, it sends forth branches beyond the sky! Saadi. The person who can laugh with life has developed deep roots with confidence and faith-faith in oneself, in people and in the world, as contrasted to negative ideas with distrust and discouragement, Democritus.  Our virtues and view spring from one root, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  We shall one day learn to supersede politics by education. What we call our root-and-branch reforms of slavery, war, gambling, intemperance, is only medicating the symptoms. We must begin higher up, namely, in education, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  In all great arts, as in trees, it is the height that charms us; we care nothing for the roots or trunks, yet it could not be without the aid of these, Marcus Tullius Cicero.  Truth is the root, but human sympathy is the flower of practical life, Edwin Hubbel Chapin. Our life is all grounded and rooted in love, and without love we may not live, Julian of Norwich. Therefore once for all this short command is given to you. 'Love and do what you will.' If you keep silent, keep silent by love; if you speak, speak by love; if you correct, correct by love; if you pardon, pardon by love: let love be rooted in you, and from the root nothing but good can grow, Saint Augustine. 

Todays photo theme is “sunset”. Since I generally choose my shot for the day in day light hours this
one had to come from the archives. We were on our way out of town when I saw the image and had to record it. 

I thought this article might be an interesting outlook on what young people can come up with. This article talks about a pair of sisters who started an online business named “Sisters’ Creation”. One thing that makes it a bit different is that they are on the young side, 12 and 15 years old. The older of the two enrolled in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy to earn college credit. From there she “presented a business model to a panel of judges”.  She then received funding to put her idea to work. A very short time later things began to work albeit slowly due to the pandemic. The proceeds from their online sales will benefit two charities, The World Wildlife Fund and the TeenGirls Development Foundation. The products they make available on line are hand bags, hair scrunchies and face masks. The girls don’t make these products they are produced by a manufacturer and shipped to customer. However, the girls design the original products. As an example “one such design is on a bag that says, “See the Good,” and depicts an elephant designed by (one of the girls) and using apian art, a traditional folk art made by women of northern India. (The other sister) designed a “Dream Big” bag depicting a big-city skyline and made to inspire girls to chase their dreams.” They use social media to promote and maintain their business. So far the business has netted about $1,500 in two months. The girls are students in the Dublin City Schools. 

We are going to snack a bit for supper since we had a lunch with family earlier today.  

Joy

January 21, 2021 thought for today: It's wise to do what you're born to do. African Proverb

It has been a kind of busy day and productive at that. I got prepared to go to church for the printing after the usual virtual visits. 

Yesterday’s photo challenge was “a friend”. My most available and always near friends were Sugar and Sweet Pea. So they had to put up with a photo device in their face most of the day. 

While the bulletin was printing, I set up the transfer of the taped church service to the new external hard drive. I also took care of a couple of other small tasks that needed to be done. 

When I left the church, I made a beeline to White Castle sustenance. When I got home, I took care of some quick and short house hold chores, paid one bill, put away some out of the way items, and dusted a couple of those places that seem to be a magnet for such disorder. Then went back to researching an answer to a snag I have been wrestling with. Then moved to a slightly heavier household task, starting the laundry. 

The second photo for yesterday (it was another one of those days I had two photo challenges) was “ wooden”. I went around shooting door jams, floor boards, the fireplace frame and finally the back worn out deck with all kinds of wood grains including a knot hole. 

One thing that has helped make things a bit brighter is the sun today. It is out full force, it deceivingly makes it look welcoming outside, which it may be if dressed appropriately for the chill in the air that the sun beams can’t quite heat. 

Sue got a ride to be where the twins are going to be for the weekend so the house is whisper quiet. 

Now I have to search for a photo of the day. This one is a challenge, I am going to have to be creative, don’t know if I am in one of the “artists moments” today, so it most likely will be a weak attempt. Today’s photo theme is "water". I have a difficult time capturing moving water so I had to come up with some other creative idea. I used my watering can and photo shopped a couple of drops from the spout. 

The word is rise.  Rise above oneself and grasp the world, Archimedes. All adverse and depressing influences can be overcome, not by fighting, by by rising above them, Charles Caleb Colton.  Truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water, Miguel de Cervantes. Man must rise above the Earth - to the top of the atmosphere and beyond - for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives, Socrates. Man is that name of power which rises above them all, and gives to every one the right to be that which God meant he should be, Henry Ward Beecher. Everything perfect in its kind has to transcend its own kind, it must become something different and incomparable. In some notes the nightingale is still a bird; then it rises above its class and seems to suggest to every winged creature what singing is truly like, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. As poetry is the harmony of words, so music is that of notes; and as poetry is a rise above prose and oratory, so is music the exaltation of poetry, Henry Purcell. There is not, in my opinion, anything more mysterious in nature than this instinct in animals, which thus rise above reason, and yet fall infinitely short of it, Joseph Addison. We are not meant to resolve all contradictions but to live with them and rise above them, William Blake. We are obliged to place ourselves on the level of our age before we can rise above it, Voltaire.  A worm is as good a traveler as a grasshopper or a cricket, and a much wiser settler. With all their activity these do not hop away from drought nor forward to summer. We do not avoid evil by fleeing before it, but by rising above or diving below its plane; as the worm escapes drought and frost by boring a few inches deeper, Henry David Thoreau.  

It seem there is a continual effort to stay current with growth and new technology. Columbus and its neighbors seem to be building, remodeling and restoring all the time. This article is about new ground breaking in the Upper Arlington gateway. A new eleven story mixed use building is being planed on Lane Avenue to begin in August. The project was scheduled much earlier but there have been several “push backs”. What will come first are demolitions of buildings housing, Darron’s Furniture, Easy Living Deli, Learning Express Toys, Angel’s Touch, and Dibela Hari and Nails then the foundation will begin. Some financial companies will relocate their offices to the Gateway. The construction company is working with the Upper Arlington city engineer to plan for traffic issues and with community members for any modification to the plan and to traffic flow. There is a ten-foot wide median on one of the connecting roads  “to distinguish the residential neighborhood from commercial and also detour development-site traffic.” There are also plans for the “pedestrian” traffic. There will be an eight-foot wide sidewalk along Lane Avenue that will include landscaping to be a “buffer” from the road. There will be a total of 864 parking spaces. Plans are for 218 “luxury” apartments, office spaces and retail and restaurant space. The article mentioned that there is almost not revenue generated as the site sits today and this plan proposes to generate millions of dollars in revenue. The vision “includes a number of enhancements from previous versions, including traffic improvements, architectural and design upgrades and a more-efficient parking-garage layout.”

We are having Subway tonight, me, a salad not sandwich. 

Joy

 

 January 19, 2021 thought for today: That which got bent while growing when you straighten it, it breaks. African Proverb

This pandemic and other social events happening in the same time period have begun to affect my thinking. I can feel myself reconsidering more than one matter that was more or less cemented to my own way of perceiving them. In a way it is refreshing on the other had a bit disconcerting. “What a wonderful life” and a bit befuddling at times. 

On January 18 the photo of the day title was “I love this food”. That was a hard one for me. I am a “foodie” so I love all kinds of food. But when it came time for me to shoot I was hunger and I was hungry for a tuna salad so that was the model that won out for today. 

It has been a laid back kind of day. The bulletin is done as far as I can get it. I made a good start on the newsletter. It would have been due this Friday but was rescheduled to next week. I feel a little ahead of the things and can work on it at a more relaxed pace. A couple of  small entries this morning were done in just a few minutes.  

The word today is right. Have patience. Wait until the mud settles and the water is clear. Remain unmoving until right action arises by itself, Laozi.  Unless there be correct thought, there cannot be any action, and when there is correct thought, right action will follow, Henry George.  An action is the perfection and publication of thought. A right action seems to fill the eye, and to be related to all nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  The great mass of our citizens require only to understand matters rightly, to form right decisions, George Washington.  If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined...Henry David Thoreau. If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading, Laozi.  Man, being made reasonable, and so a thinking creature, there is nothing more worthy of his being than the right direction and employment of his thoughts; since upon this depends both his usefulness to the public, and his own present and future benefit in all respects, William Penn. The prosperous can not easily form a right idea of misery, Quintilian.  When we have done our very, very best, papa, and that is not enough, then I think the right time must have come for asking help of others, Charles Dickens. You just have to press the right keys and the right pedals at the right time and the music plays itself, Johann Sebastian Bach. One who faces and who fears the right things and from the right motive, in the right way and at the right time, posseses character worthy of our trust and admiration, Aristotle.  

Today’s photo challenge is “more than one”. The quickest thing that came to mind for this image was
my indoor garden. There are many more than one type of plant in my indoor garden. As a matter of fact they are not all present in this shot. 

My grandson’s had to introduce me to a “skateboard park” several years ago. At the time I had no idea what it could be. I think this article is about something on that order. The Worthington schools are expanding a large mountain bike park. It is being built between McCord Middle and Granby Elementary schools, an area called the “hidden gem” or a “great little secret”. It will be called Gator Bike Park. It started as a dirt path and has become rock slab with two wooden banked turns. Recently the “snake-ladder bridge” built a few inches off the ground and has several “s” shapes.  The purpose of the park is to get children into nature and be healthy. It was the idea of a physical education teacher. He likens it to a video game in that you want to get to the next level and complete the challenge. Picnic tables and bike racks have been added. It has been built with donations and volunteers. The park has been used as part of the physical education, it can also be used during recess as well as for many after-school clubs or race teams. The article stated that almost 250 kids join these clubs annually.  The article mentioned that there are “lessons learned beyond biking”. One person was quoted as saying that the mountain biking has taught them to bet back up again and never give up. A portion of the “flow trail” is on city land and is an added “amenity” to the northwest quadrant of the city. Parents and kids are grateful for the “amazing” outdoor space. 

I think dinner will be baked Tilapia. 

Joy

 January 17, 2021 thought for today: Nothing wipes your tears away but your own hand. African Proverb

I really need Sunday mornings, it seems I need them more and more as I get older. The bible study we had this morning hit a home run for me today. It brought to the surface a dilemma I needed to face and deal with. It seems less of an overwhelming situation for me now. That was the perfect place to face and accept it. It was a big piece of the answer to this particular bump. 

The photo theme for yesterday was “I can do this”. I can crochet, read, tend flowers, and cook. So I chose an image of what was on the stove and counter top  as I was preparing dinner. 

We had a visitor at church today that I was so happy and surprised to see. She was with us in our church for a few years in the past and was in our choir and has the voice of an angel. She graduated from The Ohio State and moved on to begin her career. It was good and refreshing to see her. 

As usual for Sunday there is not much on the agenda. I need to spend a little bit of time cleaning up some of my photo files, that should be the extent of my efforts today. 

The word today is responsibility.  You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today, Abraham Lincoln. You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say, Martin Luther. The responsibility of tolerance lies with those who have the wider vision, George Eliot. Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Every duty is a charge, but the charge of oneself is the root of all others, Mencius. An excuse is a lie guarded, Jonathan Swift.  To repel one's cross is to make it heavier, Henri Frederic Amiel.  Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself, Henry Ward Beecher. We are not responsible to God for the soul that are saved, but we are responsible for the Gospel that is preached, and for the way in which we preach it, Charles Spurgeon. Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you, Henri Frederic Amiel.  Every person is responsible for all the good within the scope of his abilities, and for no more, Mary Abigail Dodge. A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society, Thomas Jefferson.   

Today’s photo challenge is “in my cup”. I normally drink tea or hot chocolate but I had this photo of a vintage coffee maker with a cup of tea and decided to use it for this theme.

This article sounded like one of those leaning moments for me. I am an animal lover and I hate to see any creature in pain or frightened. However, there were some little squirrel’s that presented a quandary for me and my abode, the problem was eventually solved happily without any injuries. I figured this article would give me a little more insight into a bit of this critter’s family and instincts. I like the way the author of the article told of  the antics of this wild life species. The squirrel is “wily seed -plundering (imp) ......(where) a certain level of admiration is warranted. The nonstop hijinks....acrobatics and problem-solving abilities put squirrels in their own league”. Winter is a “challenge” for them and they, according to the article, came up with a solution having to do with their living arrangements. They live in “tree cavities” and also build “leafy nests” called dreys. This article is a story of the drey. A drey is about the size of a basketball that is busily built high up in a tree. They protect the creatures from freezing temperatures. According to the article, sometimes “two or more squirrels share the same drey”. Their body heat can help each other and raise the temperature “far beyond the ....outside”. Again according to the article, “the innards of an occupied drey can be an astonishing 60 to 85 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature.” The article author’s mom lives in Dublin and likes to watch the squirrels from her “third-floor apartment”. It is further noted that a squirrel “was constructing a drey under a table on her small balcony.” The squirrel was observed snipping small branches off near by trees and weaving them between the table legs.  Once the form was made the “harvesting dead leaves” to “shingle the next” began. The squirrel was entertainment during the construction which also included, both during the building and later, the chasing of other squirrels who tried to butt in. The author of the article’s mother passed away recently. After the service the family members were resting in her apartment when they noticed through the balcony doors, the squirrel had come out of its nest and sat on the corner of the balcony. Since this was at night and squirrel’s are “diurnal” it was unusual to for it to be out of its nest. The article ended with the notation that it was a sign from the creature. The squirrel had brought her many enjoyable moments.  So, maybe they are not entirely pests.

We are having taco bell for dinner tonight. 

Joy

January 15, 2021 thought for today: Thorns themselves will not harm you -- you hurt yourself on the thorns. African Proverb

It’s been a busy day, one with one inescapable household chores out of the way for another week. That’s the good kind of day. First on the agenda, after email checks, etc,  was a trip to the grocery store. The work that task brings about doesn’t end with just the going through the aisles, then through check out, then loading the car. For me the hard part is once we get home, unloading the car and then the biggy, putting things away.  With that all behind me, I took on the next item on the list.....watering the indoor “garden”.  Then I finished the message/hymn lyric sheet for the Saturday free meal at church.

The photo theme for January 14 was “holding something small”. I went through a box of “small” things I have packed away. There were all kinds of “small” things, marbles, earrings, beads, and other trinkets. I found this marble that one of the kids had left behind from years ago. 

It was spitting snow earlier after some light rain, now the sun is coming out from behind the clouds and the temperatures are really not so bad for the month of January in Ohio.

The Thursday printing task was uneventful yesterday. It went quickly and even left some time to start moving the taped services from the main computer drive to the new external hard drive. 

One of two photo challenges for today is “I love this smell”. I don’t wear perfume so I don’t have any in the house. One thing that always captures my attention I the aroma department is some spices and extracts with vanilla being the most outstanding. 

The word today is respect.  He that respects not is not respected, George Herbert. The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself, Michel de Montaigne. It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself, Thomas Paine. The greatest difficulty is that men do not think enough of themselves, do not consider what it is that they are sacrificing when they follow in a herd, or when they cater for their establishment, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Esteem must be founded on some sort of preference. Bestow it on everybody and it ceases to have any meaning at all, Moliere. When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become, Louis Pasteur.  Respect is better procured by exacting than soliciting it, Sir Fulke Greville. It is well for a man to respect his own vocation whatever it is and to think himself bound to uphold it and to claim for it the respect it deserves, Charles Dickens. The only things in which we can be said to have any property are our actions. Our thoughts may be bad, yet produce no poison; they may be good, yet produce no fruit. Our riches may be taken away by misfortune, our reputation by malice, our spirits by calamity, our health by disease, our friends by death. But our actions must follow us beyond the grave; with respect to them alone, we cannot say that we shall carry nothing with us when we die, neither that we shall go naked out of the world, Charles Caleb Colton.  He removes the greatest ornament of friendship who takes away from it respect, Marcus Tullius Cicero. 

The second photo today is “black and white”. I used an image of a bouquet of carnations and daisies that I had taken in the grocery store and uploaded a few days ago. I used “darkroom” (Photoshop) filters on that photo to turn it to black and white for this “assignment”. I like black and white photos with all the depths of both blacks and whites and their gray off spring of hues. 

It’s nice to see newness especially in this time of pandemic. I thought I heard somewhere where    Easton was having financial difficulties but I must have been wrong or it has been turned around. This article is mentioning some new stores that have been and will be opening at Easton Town Center. It sounds like an impressive number of new businesses in the shopping center. Th number fifteen was listed with Macy’s being one of them. During the pandemic Easton offered drive-in movies, a drive through Easter egg hunt, “hula-hoop yoga” and some fund raisers to continue to give people a place to spend time while keeping them safe. The managers of the town center want to keep such activities going as long as it may be needed. They hope to offer horse drawn carriage rides, putting up “igloos”for some restaurants and other outdoor events such as a possible ice skating. Other stores that have recently opened are Slurping Turtle (a ramen and sushi restaurant), Dragon Donuts, Crimson coffee shop, and True Food Kitchen, Bans sporting apparel, UGG shoes and clothing, Luxe Levels apparel and Lilylimes children store.  Some more new one’s coming are LemonShark Poke and Makai Grill, Sono Wood Fired pizza, and Brassica. Easton has weathered some difficult times and has come through. There have been some stores moving out so they will be filling those spaces. It is planned for a 136 room hotel, Aloft, to open at Easton in the spring as there is “expansion” beyond retail and restaurants. 

I am making taco salad for dinner tonight. 

Joy 

 January 13, 2021 thought for today: If you want to annoy the devil stay silent. Bulgarian Proverb

It has been a day of noticeable growth for me (growth is ongoing, never ending and generally without pomp and circumstance). I am contemplating how I will adapt to a possible major change in my everyday life. The past year has been a year of stress and deep learning for all of us, a time of  new beginnings and unforeseen happenings of social life around us. I have experienced them along with all of you. It appears that I am about to face another personal change, as is a part of life. For a single woman of my age it is a time of worrisome awe, a time to gather all the courage our many years have taught us to bear through the sometimes tough and unyielding teacher called experience. 

I needed just the presence of some of the people I trust and love, my church family peers. My son had already touched base with me with his calming words early this morning (and his wife the night before). So I made a trip to the church for the comfort I knew I would find there either in the solitude of the sanctuary and/or the presence of people. And there were more people there to bring some solace than I expected.  Tony was there, when he was an everyday presence there, he always brought me a kind of quiet inner peace. There were several people there taking down our Christmas ornaments. There was my good friend who helps me with the newsletter. There was the seemingly ever present and person of strength, Patti. Just being among them not necessarily conversing was like an invisible but effective  hug. All of these people and more as well as a contact from my closest church email friend, who also helped with my need for the “reach out and touch” phenomenon today (she helps me probably without even knowing it). All of this helps in my growth, lessons of understanding and forward motion. ‘Nuf said.

The photo theme for January 12 was “technology”. One of my son’s is a ham radio enthusiast. Many of my photo aficionado peers were using such things a cell phone, ipads and all of their assessors. So I decided to use a part of one of my son’s set ups. 

I sent out the bulletin before I left for church. When I got home, after a stop for my daily photo journey, I put out a sad message of the loss of a good friend to me personally and to our congregation. And another message for the church. 

The word today is resolution.  How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them, Benjamin Franklin.  When we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us every opportunity of carrying them out, Saint John Chrysostom.  When you rise in the morning, form a resolution to make the day a happy one for a fellow creature, Sydney Smith.  Truth springs from argument amongst friends, David Hume. Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict, William Ellery Channing.  And hearts resolved and hands prepared The blessings they enjoy to guard, Tobias Smollett.  Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will, Jonathan Edwards. The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow, Thomas Paine. When you have nothing to say, say nothing, Charles Caleb Colton. Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom, Gautama Buddha.  What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value, Thomas Paine. To obtain a just compromise, concession must not only mutual-it must be equal also....There can be no hope that either will  yield more than it gets in return, John Marshall.   

Today’s theme is “something in nature”. That’s a subject with a wide-open selection of models. I shot several images but I was most attracted to the geese around the pond at Westgate Park. 

This article gives a bit of a sweet treat. It’s called “Comfort in cookies”. The article stated that “an organization called Top Data, the year 2020 has been the year of the cookie”. This agency, Top Data is an international marketing company, tracks data on shoppers of cookies. It determined that sales went up 25% during the pandemic. Ninety five percent of American eat at least one cookie a month. The article claimed that there was a bit of error in numbers and went on to say maybe we should not put to much trust in a marketing company. On the other hand, there are some truths that come out of these kinds of data tracking.  This article went further to tell which parts of the country are more cookies. The article ended with “Please pass the milk.” A recipe was included so I copied the ingredients and measurements below.  (Makes about 32 cookies-• 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) salted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces,  • ½ cup granulated sugar, • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, • 8 ounces semi- or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (do not chop too fine), • 1 large egg, beaten, • Demerara or turbinado sugar, for rolling, • Flaky sea salt, or kosher salt. Line one or two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.)

I am trying a new recipe called Hawaiian Chili Chicken, served over rice. 

Joy  

 January 11, 2021 thought for today: To speak ill of anyone is to speak ill of yourself. Afghan Proverb

It’s been a pretty good day for getting things done. At this point the agenda isn’t all that long. I was able to get the bulletin done up to the point of information from the pastor. 

I was online with Microsoft. There is an old program on my computer that I haven’t used in ages, and don’t need but I have forgotten the password for it so I can’t open it in order to shut it down. Usually when I have been on the phone for extended time periods with other techys I get the job done. This time there was nothing they could do. The technician I was in contact with gave me one more possibility but I was on the line with her so long that I needed to get to some other things. I will work on it later. 

One of the January 10th photo theme’s was “something nice”. That led to another dirve through Westgate Park. There are a lot of somethings nice in that local urban park.

I had some lunch then a friend stopped by to drop off some things I had ordered for church.

I set up a prop for the photo of the day for today while I was taking a break for lunch. 

The word today is remove. Argument is conclusive, but it does not remove doubt, Roger Bacon.     Create all the happiness you are able to create; remove all the misery you are able to remove. Every day will allow you, --will invite you to add something to the pleasure of others, --or to diminish something of their pains, Jeremy Bentham.  A man should remove not only unnecessary acts, but also unnecessary thoughts, for then superfluous activity will not follow, Marcus Aurelius.  The law is for the self-righteous, to humble their pride: the gospel is for the lost, to remove their despair, Charles Spurgeon. There are two modes of knowledge: through argument and through experience. Argument brings conclusions and compels us to concede them, but it does not cause certainty nor remove doubts that the mind may rest in truth, unless this is provided by experience, Roger Bacon. When young, one is confident to be able to build palaces for mankind, but when the time comes one has one's hands full just to be able to remove their trash, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Law can discover sin, but not remove, Save by those shadowy expiations weak, John Milton. There is no form of sinfulness to which you are addicted which Christ cannot remove, Charles Spurgeon. Whatever things injure your eye you are anxious to remove; but things which affect your mind you defer, Horace.  Music is one of the fairest and most glorious gifts of God, to which Satan is a bitter enemy; for it removes from the heart the weight of sorrow, and the fascination of evil thoughts, Martin Luther.  If you wish to remove avarice (greed)  you must remove its mother, luxuries, Marcus Tullius Cicero. Patience cannot remove, but it can always dignify and alleviate, misfortune, Laurence Sterne.  

The second photo challenge for the 10th was “isolation”. I did a lot of searching for different “isolated” items and/or people. The single chair against the wall with a one door way seems to fit the picture, so to speak. 

This article is about a bit of fun and an art or craft that may interest you and brighten your home. I have worked with terrariums on several occasions. It is a fun project. They can be many different sizes and all kinds of containers. The article mentioned pickle jars, and other clear plastic and glass containers, (aquariums also make wonderful under glass gardens). It goes on to suggest the container and overall design can “complement the decor” of your home to brighten these dull winter days. Everyone in the family can make their own choosing container, plants and decorative items. Choosing the right plants is an important part of building a terrarium. The size of the plants should be considered as well as the type of humidity each requires has to be considered. It is suggested that cacti and succulents are good for containers that do not have a lid. The containers that have lids “become more humid”, too humid for cacti. Some suggested plants are baby tears, pollka-dot plant, artillery fern, aluminum plant, button ferns, even African violets. A layer of small pebbles to begin the “garden” will help with drainage. The suggestions in the article is to next place a layer of sphagnum moss or sheet moss on the rocks to help hold the soil in place. Next a layer of activated charcoal, this layer will be a filter to remove odors and bacteria.  Continuing with the planting is a layer of “high quality” potting soil. It is suggested that the pebble layer through the potting soil layer should take up about a third of the height of the container. Once the plants are in place and any decorative items have been added the terrarium needs to be placed somewhere where it will be in indirect natural light, not bright, direct sunlight. In a container with a lid will not require much watering, maybe weekly misting will do the trick. If there is too much condensation on the lid of a closed terrarium remove the lid for a while.  Keeping the soil barely moist, not wet, will be the way to go. 

Today’s photo subject is “shoes”. I have a pretty and fancy pair of shoes I bought for one of my grandson’s wedding. I also have another pair of less formal shoes that came in one of the nicest shoe boxes I have seen. I chose the second one to use as the image for today. 

I have sloppy joe in the freezer that will be part of dinner tonight, and maybe mashed potato pancakes. 

Joy

January 9, 2021 thought for the day: A lion lurks in everyone's heart; awake him not. Bulgarian Proverb

The sun is out today making for a happy more relaxed mood than when the skies are gray. But, still it is cold, as a matter of fact even though the sun is shining I think the temperature is below freezing. 

There isn’t too much on the agenda. I am trying to get the last of the Christmas calendar’s printed. It will take a few days. I got the message/hymn sheet dropped off at the church. And I want to work on a short photo project today. After that the dogs are out of their meat ball snack so I will have to make those today. Then the rest of the day can be more on the easy-come-easy-go. 

The photo theme for January 8 was “I ate here”. I didn’t go out any on Friday so there were not fast food photos. I put together some of the things I had for lunch as my photo props. 

I like cable TV on the week end. I usually have it on in the back ground as I work on the computer on Saturday. Most of my favorite shows are being shown on Discovery Plus (a new streaming set up) now. I have “made friends” with many of the regular kitchen and home renovations show personalities. I will be missing them because my cable plan doesn’t carry Discovery Plus. Besides I’m not sure I would like the streaming method anyway. I am (sadly) a type A personality. I have a habit of counting on things to happen at specific times. I sometimes get uneasy when that is interrupted. So with the streaming it is watch at anytime not just at certain times of the day or week. If I would want to watch a certain segment a second time all I would have to do is wait for a rerun. Ah well, c'est la vie. 

The word for today is rely.  The beauty of independence, departure, actions that rely on themselves, Walt Whitman. Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope, Epictetus. Catch the opportunity while it lasts, and rely not on what the morrow may bring, Horace.  In the first place, then, men should guard against the beginning of change, and in the second place they should not rely upon the political devices of which I have already spoken invented only to deceive the people, for they are proved by experience to be useless, Aristotle.  God wants our conscience to be certain and sure that it is pleasing to Him. This cannot be done if the conscience is led by its own feelings, but only if it relies on the Word of God, Martin Luther. The most honorable, as well as the safest course, is to rely entirely upon valour, Livy. The Four Reliances. First, rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words; Second, rely on the teachings, not on the personality of the teacher; Third, rely on real wisdom, not superficial interpretation; And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure Wisdom Mind, not on judgmental perceptions, Gautama Buddha.  A sense of our own folly is a great step towards being wise, when it leads us to rely on the wisdom of the Lord, Charles Spurgeon.  It seems to be a rule of wisdom never to rely on memory alone, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  

Today’s photo challenge is titled “a close up”. I drove by the park for some ideas and made a couple of shots. As I was pulling out of a mall parking lot, I noticed a large bolt above the surface of a cement base for some large signage. It ended that I had several images to choose from. 

Here is another story about the Columbus Zoo. I hope there aren’t so many on my blog that they get boring but the zoo is famous and there is a lot to be learned and enjoyed there and at the wilds. This article is relating some facts about Koalas. The first baby koala in fifteen years was born at the zoo in July.  One of the facts mentioned is that they live their life as solitary animals and pretty much live alone. They spend fifteen to twenty hours a day sleeping. Their favorite food seems to be eucalyptus leaves. One of them “gave birth” in July but the baby, called a joey, has been developing from that point in the mother’s pouch. It isn’t expected to “emerge” until mid March. The article related that when it was first born it was the size of a jellybean, by this time it should be about the size of a softball.  At this point it has opened its eyes and has started to move. I didn’t realize until I read this article that it’s tiny arm or leg may appear now and then at the edge of the pouch. The new baby’s mom is named Katy. This baby is the third born at the zoo since 1991 when the zoo first became a home for the Koalas. Male and female Koalas are only put together at a time when conception can take place. There are only nine facilities that care for Koalas in captivity. Zoos sign an agreement with the Australian government to house them and must follow specific requirements for their care. According to the article they are “picky eaters” and eat only eucalyptus leaves. In some areas the food must be shipped from warmer areas of the country. Here are some things I learned from this article, there are 700 kinds of eucalyptus and only a fraction of them can be eaten by the Koalas. I also learned that eucalyptus is poisonous to other species. In 2019 and 2020 there were bush fires in Australia and thousands of animals were killed and 80% of their habitat was destroyed. 

I’m taking some beef and noodles out of the freezer for dinner. 

Joy

 

 January 7, 2021 thought for the day: When you shoot an arrow of truth, dip its point in honey. Arabic Proverb

It has been a good Thursday. The printing went without incident. Then I had time to archive the last few sermons/services and then clear the memory card. I didn’t realize there was a food delivery today. There was a truck parked beside the church when I got there, no one else was there so I was a little concerned. I didn’t know for sure why it was there, it wasn’t marked with MidOhio Food Bank. Anyway, a half hour or so after I got there others showed up to help unload the food. So I got a chance to chat with them. I always enjoy “bonding” with friends. 

I am finding that especially in the winter I have more difficulty in finding some of the “assigned” photo themes. I seem to have to go back to my fast-growing photo archives.  That is the case with both yesterdays and todays challenges. The theme for January 6 was “flowers”. It’s winter here. Unless I have a bouquet in the house or one of my house plants is blooming, I have no flowers to select. Maybe I could have used a garment with a floral pattern. I chose the archives. 

The house is very quiet. Sue is spending time at her former daughter in law’s, the twins are there too. So there are just me and the dogs for now. I don’t have anything pressing on the agenda except getting the laundry done. I am working on that in between doing some research and key wording (for future searches) on photos I have taken.  

I have also been watching reports of the awful happening at the nation’s capital yesterday. I, like most of the rest of the nation, am horrified at the chaos that took place. I wonder what history will say about it in years to come. However, I am proud that our nation’s leaders came back together and took care of business. That in itself showed that we are still and forever a strong nation and will (always) bounce back. I know the world saw our “dirty laundry” as it took place. I hope they saw also, and took note, that it was handled and brought us back to our proud country’s ideals. Our dignity, as ever, shone.  

The word today is relief.  Can I see another's woe, and not be in sorrow too? Can I see another's grief, and not seek for kind relief? William Blake.  Sorrow comes to all...Perfect relief is not possible, except with time. You cannot now realize that you will ever feel better and yet you are sure to be happy again, Abraham Lincoln. There is certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in traveling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position, and be bruised in a new place, Washington Irving.  As we read the school reports on our children, we realize a sense of relief that can rise to delight that thank Heaven nobody is reporting in this fashion on us, Joseph Priestley. There is no feeling, perhaps, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music,--that does not make a man sing or play the better, George Eliot. Books afford the surest relief in the most melancholy moments, Johann Georg Ritter von Zimmermann. Our common country is in great peril, demanding the loftiest views, and boldest action to bring it speedy relief. Once relieved, its form of government is saved to the world; its beloved history, and cherished memories, are vindicated; and its happy future fully assured, and rendered inconceivably grand, Abraham Lincoln.  And light is mingled with the gloom, And joy with grief; Divinest compensations come, Through thorns of judgment mercies bloom In sweet relief,  John Greenleaf Whittier.  Woe to falsehood! it affords no relief to the breast, like truth; it gives us no comfort, pains him who forges it, and like an arrow directed by a god flies back and wounds the archer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Knowledge is a rich storehouse for the glory of the Creator and the relief of man's estate, Francis Bacon.

Today’s photo challenge is “the sky”. I waited most of the day for the sun to give me an image I could
use. Near dinner time I gave up and chose from the archives again.  

As I have mentioned before I love to see old architecture not only not torn down but restored to it’s natural beauty. There was a boy in fourth grade  who visited a place called Riverview Farm. It belonged to family friends.  He rode dirt bikes and swam in the river running on the property. Now many years later he watches that same river from his front porch on the house his once admired. The farmhouse was built in 1879 and is on 180 acres of woods and farmland. There is an “old red barn” along with a windmill and spring house.  The house had once been renovated and raised on stilts to make the cellar a basement. There is a carriage house and driveway lined with “foundation stones from a county bridge. When he bought the house, he made “cosmetic changes”. There was wallpaper in every room. Some was removed but some remained with a layer of oil-based sealer.  Antiques were added along with other designer elements. The carriage house had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchenette and large garage filled with utility and recreational vehicles. Living on the farm has been ideal during the pandemic. Some weekends he cuts trails with a “bush hog”and moving around the pond. Other weekends he entertains friends with ATV rides in the woods, boating on the river, barbeques and bonfires. There is an island in the creek for relaxation. On Thanksgiving there was a dinner at the farm including many friends and neighbors. One of the ladies made egg gravy, mock turkey loaf and homemade pumpkin pie. The “new” owner says “This place shaped my memories ,.....and I love that another generation of kids are now here creating more memories.”  Side note: have you ever read a book, magazine article, or other printed material that included in it’s dialog a food item that sounded interesting and worth tasting? I found such an event in this article. I am going to try the egg gravy and the mock turkey loaf. 

I pulled beef stew from the freezer for dinner. 

Joy

 

January 5, 2021 thought for the day: Don't measure your neighbor's honesty by your own. Arabic Proverb

What a dreary day. It’s feels good to stay inside.

We got some grocery shopping out of the way yesterday. So, my first item on the agenda was to work on the bulletin. After about an hour or so that was well on its way.

Then I directed my attention into trying to find out about some odd expenses I didn’t recognize on my Spectrum bill. There are three of us here so we each use our separate televisions. So after a phone call, you know how that is with all the transfers and press this button and then that one. I made a little progress. It was time consuming and mildly mood altering. I often wonder how folks who are working can spend time on phone calls that take so much time.

The photo of the day for yesterday was titled “so colourful”. I meant to look for something while I was out and about at the grocery store but was to focused on getting the groceries that I forgot. So when I got home and after the groceries were put away I looked around the house for something that would fit. There were a few of the groceries on the counter. I noticed that there was a good deal of color in their labels so that was the chosen image.

I have a new routine to work on the weekly message that goes with our free meal at church. There is a new person who will be sending me the message. So it is a new person I will learn to work with. We have passed on week with very little problem. That’s a good sign on a dreary day like this.

The word is relax. To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment, Jane Austen. Nothing destroys authority more than the unequal and untimely interchange of power stretched too far and relaxed too much, Francis Bacon, Sr. Tea's proper use is to amuse the idle, and relax the studious, and dilute the full meals of those who cannot use exercise, and will not use abstinence, Samuel Johnson. Old age has a great sense of calm and freedom. When the passions have relaxed their hold and have escaped, not from one master, but from many, Plato. He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate, Henry David Thoreau. Our minds need relaxation, and give way unless we mix with work a little play, Moliere. The intellect must not be kept at consistent tension, but diverted by pastimes.... The mind must have relaxation, and will rise stronger and keener after recreation, Seneca the Younger. Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live, Margaret Fuller. It is better to hide ignorance, but it is hard to do this when we relax over wine, Heraclitus. Remember to preserve a calm soul amid difficulties, Horace. Self abandoned, relaxed and effortless, I seemed to have laid me down in the dried-up bed of a great river; I heard a flood loosened in remote mountains, I felt the torrent come; to rise I had no will, to flee I had no strength, Charlotte Bronte. Nothing destroys authority more than the unequal and untimely interchange of power stretched too far and relaxed too much, Francis Bacon.

This is another day for two photos a day. The first is titled “a pet”. That’s an easy topic for me but may become a sort of bore since I use them so often. I glanced around and found Sweet Pea on the bed as she stared at me and the “camera”.

This is a bit of history and seemed interesting when I started on the first paragraph. I starts out describing that there was “an immense body of land west of the Appalachian Mountains extending to the Mississippi River…..” The eastern part was “loosely” called the Ohio Country. This area was divided in “tracts”. There were land grants called the Refugee Tract beginning at the Scioto River running east from what is now Fifth Avenue north and to Refugee Road to the South. In the earliest part of the development people from Nova Scotia had this section. The largest of the land grans was called the Virginia Military District the was given to Virginia soldiers and citizens. A Col. Richard Anderson was assigned to organized this property. He hired surveyors one of whom was Lucas Sullivant. In 1705 he led a group into Deer Creek Valley, now Madison County. While he was “laying lines” along Deer Creek he met a “mounted French trader accompanied by two Indians.” After they passed one another Sullivant heard shots. When he checked it out he found that his “rear guard” had killed the Frenchman, the Indians ran away. He reprimanded the men who fired the shots and knew that the killing would incite the Indians at the villages along the Scioto.  Four days later he saw a band of Indians “larger than his own party” some distance away. He was ready to fight but his men weren’t so they all stayed hidden as the Indians passed. He and his crew finished his work by sundown. A flock of wild turkeys’ flew up into some trees and the men fired several shots at the birds. The shots alerted the nearby Indians and they began an attack. He tossed his compass that was on the “Jacob’s staff standing beside him” and tossed it in a tree top. Then he took hold of his shotgun and fired at an Indian with a tomahawk. The he noticed that his men were in a panic and scattering. He chose to run also and soon met up with six of his men. They traveled all night and the next day without incident. The compass was discovered by a relative many years later. Sullivant was paid for his work with land. He ended up “one of the largest landowners in Ohio”.  The article said that he “laid out plans for several towns”. He liked the forks of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers the best. He founded the village of Franklinton in 1797, this became his home and eventually the new capital city of Columbus developed across the river in 1812.

 My second photo today is “stacks”. I have a stack of newspapers that I use for a variety of things.  I put a dish or two on them to drain, I may use them as a hot pad, I roll food scraps in them as my mom use to before we had garbage disposals, I use to use them to line a bird cage. Anyway, I used that stack for my image of the day. These second photos of the day are on my flickr.com  photo page.

I think we will have hamburgers for dinner tonight.

Joy