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