February 26, 2021 a thought for today. The more you try to cover things up, the more exposed they will be. Chinese Proverb

I got all of the printing that I needed done yesterday instead of keeping part of it for today. Sue needed to get to an eye doctor appointment this morning so I cleared obligations I had for today so that I could take her. We never know how much time those kinds of appointments will take so I wanted to have the day completely clear. 

It was an early appointment so I got up early to get a couple of things out of the way. We got there in plenty of time. They did a thorough exam taking up to about two hours. With the pandemic going on they are not allowing anyone in the waiting rooms so I had to wait in the hallway with people walking back and forth to about half a dozen different offices (including their individual waiting rooms). I don’t really see how that is much safer than waiting in one doctor’s personal waiting room sitting at safe distances with masks on. But it is what it is and rules are rules even when it seems they don’t make a lot of sense, like a hallway open to a hundred people pacing back and forth vs a waiting room open to maybe a dozen people at a time. 

This photo theme for February 25 was “handwritten note”. I have a very old letter from my father that he sent to me when I was first married and moved away from home. I couldn’t put my fingers on it right away so I used another. This one is from a book of faith given to me from a very dear reverend and friend. 

I got the three documents printed, folded and distributed yesterday, followed by archiving a memory card then coming home and getting involved in major work on the annual report. I was so focused on the annual report that I forgot to start the piles of laundry until shortly before dinner. Needless to day I worked into the evening to get the laundry done. Between yesterday and today I am worn out so I think I will take it on the easy side the rest of the day. 

The word for today is share. When someone steals another's clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor, Saint Basil. God oft hath a great share in a little house, George Herbert.  Remember: Matter: how tiny your share of it. Time: how brief and fleeting your allotment of it. Fate: how small a role you play in it, Marcus Aurelius.  Far better it is to have a stout heart always and suffer one's share of evils, than to be ever fearing what may happen, Herodotus.   The world will avenge itself upon all happiness in which it has no share, Honore de Balzac. A form of government that is not the result of a long sequence of shared experiences, efforts, and endeavors can never take root, Napoleon Bonaparte. If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it, Margaret Fuller. The more extensive a man's knowledge of what has been done, the greater will be his power of knowing what to do, Benjamin Disraeli. It is not once nor twice but times without number that the same ideas make their appearance in the world, Aristotle. We own almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed but to those who have differed, Charles Caleb Colton.  

The photo theme for today is “a wedding”. We have had three very beautiful weddings in the family in the past few years so it was difficult to pick a photo from one of them. They were all gorgeous and graceful weddings. So I picked the one that I came to first in my search. I have a grand daughter and two grand daughter in laws who added to our family.

This story interested me because it is an activity at Franklin Park. Some of their classes can be interesting and informative. This one is titled, |'Bringing Reverence to Nature' rivals real plants. The article started out as “Some of the most stunning plants these days at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens are not alive.” There is an artist who has been creating life like plants with paper, card stock and Italian crepe paper to be exact.  She studied at the Columbus College of Art and Design. In her living space she enjoys fifty live plants along with her life like created ones. Some say it is hard to tell which is which. An interesting part of the after the paper is cut and arranged she sprays them with transparent paint or dry shampoo to “enhance” the colors. These creations can by arranged in a bowl or hung on a wall or shaped into a Bonsai. Styling a terrarium full of these “plants” is another beautiful display. The artists said that she graduated to this from of paper art from her hobby with origami. She mentioned that paper flowers are a “huge” practice but “strangely .... underground”. Her main venue of plants at this time is succulents but will include more in time. Her display will be at Franklin Park through May 31. She will be giving classes on the art on April 24, May 8 and May 22.

Pizza night!!

Joy 

 February 24, 2021 a thought for today, Read critically, and you will find each word worth a thousand ounces of gold. Chinese Proverb

I have gotten a lot done today. I think it is all ready for printing tomorrow. I may have a few last minute updates to make but other than that there are three items completed today and to be printed tomorrow. I would also like to take time to archive data from the memory card and straighten up the four posters used for HM3 while I am at the church. 

Finishing the newsletter, bulletin and message/hymn sheet has taken all morning. Now I will move onto other chores.

My photo challenge for yesterday, February 23, was “a love story”. These two love each other, it appears sometimes one more than the other. One is an “alpha” authority, guess?...right the smaller one. They seem to miss each other when one isn’t where she is “supposed” to be.  

I have had a roast beef in the freezer and planned for a while now to make some barbequed beef. So I have that in the pressure cooker right now.  

The word today is shadow.  The shadows of the mind are like those of the body. In the morning of life they all lie behind us; at noon we trample them under foot; and in the evening they stretch long, broad, and deepening before us, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Now is the time to unite the soul and the world. Now is the time to see the sunlight dancing as one with the shadows, Rumi.  Word is a shadow of a deed, Democritus.  It is only through shadows that one comes to know the light, St. Catherine of Siena. When virtue is lost, benevolence appears, when benevolence is lost right conduct appears, when right conduct is lost, expedience appears. Expediency is the mere shadow of right and truth; it is the beginning of disorder, Laozi. What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the winter time. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the Sunset, Crowfoot.  What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind. If a man speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering will follow him as the wheel of the cart follows the beast that draws the cart. If a man speaks or acts with a pure mind, joy follows him as his own shadow, Gautama Buddha. I venerate old age; and I love not the man who can look without emotion upon the sunset of life, when the dusk of evening begins to gather over the watery eye, and the shadows of twilight grow broader and deeper upon the understanding, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Character is the tree, reputation is the shadow, Abraham Lincoln.  Every great institution is the lengthened shadow of a single man. His character determines the character of the organization, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  My hands were weak, but I reached them out To feebler ones than mine, and over the shadow of my life Stole the light of a peace divine, Frances Harper.  I couldn't live in peace if I put the shadow of a willful sin between myself and God, George Eliot. For each thorn, there's a rosebud... For each twilight - a dawn... For each trial - the strength to carry on, For each storm cloud - a rainbow... For each shadow - the sun... For each parting - sweet memories when sorrow is done, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The photo theme for today is “blue”. I chose from the archives as I do a lot during the winter months.
This one is at a local park a bit further from my home than the one I frequent at least weekly for photo excursion.

This is helpful and interesting to know....the article is about cameras around Columbus. I found this article as I was searching for something that may be of interest/humorous/educational/ informational/food related/social. This particular article may fit several of these descriptions, it concerns surveillance cameras located throughout our city. The article title mentioned how these cameras may mean as it relates to crime and privacy.  There is a good chance that our “image is being captured on video nearly everywhere you (we) go”. These types of cameras can be found in most cities all over the US. In Columbus there are at least 3,428 public cameras. There was a study that counted cameras used “primarily public safety, traffic management and public transit purposes”. It showed that “3.82 public cameras per 1,000 people (which) was below the average of about 6 cameras per 1,000 people for (other) 39 cities”. During the study mentioned in the article surveillance didn’t include cameras at state-government properties or public “institutions” like OSU. A couple of the negative thoughts about the cameras are restricting freedom of movement, and a “chilling” effect on freedom of assembly. On the other hand, their use in public safety as with the cameras in helicopters to identify suspects during protests and other criminal observation incidents can be instrumental in arrests, gathering evidence to prevent further criminal activities by individuals documented in the captured photos. This sentence interested me, “An overwhelming majority of the cameras identified in the study are not hanging above intersections, as you might think, but are installed on Central Ohio Transit Authority buses”. There are cameras at 83 locations in high-crime areas, eight mobile surveillance cameras used for special events. There are license-plate readers along with another type to be installed at a later date called ShotSpotters. They will be used to detect gunfire. Another thing that interested me is “city's cameras aren't monitored in real time to detect criminal activity as it occurs, but instead capture video that can be accessed later as part of the evidence-collection process”. There are “traffic” cameras, 131, throughout the city that capture live-stream images for traffic regulation. Another surveillance type camera available to the general public are the Ring doorbell cameras. There are privately owned cameras in businesses and homes.  I learned that the “Ring” cameras can by used by police as part of criminal investigations. The public and private surveillance cameras are growing in number and lead to concerns about potential abuses. 

I am making beef barbeque in the pressure cooker for dinner. 

Joy

 February 22, 2021, a thought for today: You are you and I am I. Confucian Proverb 

I woke up with some aches and pains that are not one of the now every day accustomed occurrences  that have come along with the years. I think it is temporary and could be either vaccine side affects related or due to the fact that I haven’t had the needed diabetes meds for a few days. They seemed to clear up so Sue and I went ahead with our planned excursions to the grocery store.  I was running out of so many things that I really needed to get it done. 

Since that took up a good part of the morning, I put starting on the bulletin off until tomorrow. I will have to stay close to the computer for the next few days to get the bulletin, the hand out message and the newsletter done before Thursday morning. Sue has an appointment at the eye doctor on Friday, I will be taking her so I am moving the newsletter prep to Thursday at the same time as printing the bulletin. 

My photo challenge for yesterday was “this made me smile”. This is my great grand son exploring all of his treasured toys. I had another photo also chosen of two of my other great grand children playing in “play snow”, they haven’t had our winter weather. I didn’t shoot that photo so I thought I should pike the one I personally shot. 

I called CVS to check on my meds and the lady said the computer showed that they were delivered today so I checked the mail box. They were there! I finally got the new diabetes meds so I started on it. Hopefully I won’t have the problems adapting to this one as I did some of the others we had to try a few years ago before we found the right one. 

I think the weather is going to begin its turnaround today. The temperature is above freezing and the sun is out though there are still patches of ice. 

The word to day is serious. Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play, Heraclitus. A jest often decides matters of importance more effectively and happily than seriousness, Horace. To think of shadows is a serious thing, Victor Hugo. Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end, Henry David Thoreau. Serious things cannot be understood without laughable things, nor opposites at all without opposites, Plato. Do not judge men by mere appearances; for the light laughter that bubbles on the lip often mantles over the depths of sadness, and the serious look may be the sober veil that covers a divine peace and joy, Edwin Hubbel Chapin.  The way to secure liberty is to place it in the people's hands, that is, to give them the power at all times to defend it in the legislature and in the courts of justice, John Adams.  Leave no authority existing not responsible to the people, Thomas Jefferson.  Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans. It is lovely to be silly at the right moment, Horace. The true felicity of life is to be free from anxieties and pertubations; to understand and do our duties to God and man, and to enjoy the present without any serious dependence on the future, Seneca the Younger.  When you talk, you repeat what you already know; when you listen, you often learn something, Jared Sparks. A child's nature is too serious a thing to admit of its being regarded as a mere appendage to another being, Charles Lamb. 

The photo them for today is “a good thing”. I decided to chose a photo of melting snow as a good thing. It’s about time. There are all kinds of spots on driveways and the street showing the melting snow today. 

I thought we could learn a little more about happenings in the Ohio of the past from this article. It is a story about a man named Simon Kenton.  He was a frontiersman compared by pointing out that he was “Ohio’s answer to Kentucky’s Daniel Boone.” The article pointed out that Mr. Kenton had met Daniel Boone, even saved Boon’s life at one time in history. In his life time he often traveled on the Darby and Pickaway plains. His story begins when he was born in Virginia in 1755 to a farming family. Over time he became a skilled marksman. The story said that he unintentionally killed a rival over a young lady. So he moved over the mountains to “Kan-tuck-kee” where he changed his name go Simon Butler. He hunted in Kentucky all the while dodging local Native Americans. He helped settlers from the east to their newly chosen home. He joined Lord Dunmore, a governor of Virginia, on a march into the Ohio Country in an effort to control problems with Native Americans. The story related that he observed the indians coming together.  Their faces were painted in half red and half black. Red was for life and black for death. Dunmore was to choose life or death. He chose life and promised that the indians would be free of colonial settlers. But the American Revolution came along and settlers including Kenton moved in. He continued to roam the country side and was eventually captured by the Native Americans. He was taken to a camp called Mac-a-Cheek near West Liberty. He was forced to run a “gauntlet” while being attacked numerous times. He was hit in the head with a hammer. He was injured in the foot and left with a limp. He made it through the ordeal but was condemned to die and he marched north to more encampments.  He was saved from death by Simon Girty, future traitor, and Pierre Drouillard, a French trapper. During this time he saw the Mad River Valley. Part of Kenton’s story was that he “accompanied” George Rogers Clark on the winter raid against Ft. Sackville and Vincennes. After that he settled for a time in Kentucky and book back his real name after he learned that the man he thought he had killed didn’t die. Eventually he fought in wars that led to Ohio for the United States. He fought with Gen. Anthony Wayne and again in the War of 1812. He fought with Gen. William Henry Harrison which included the killing of Tecumseh. After that he lived a quieter life. He led settlers to what is now Urbana and lived there for a while. He lacked a formal education and was aging so his financial life was difficult so much so that he was arrested for being in debt. Local people allowed him “to be his own jailor”.  That “position” allowed him to sit in front of the jail “smoking a pipe and ruminating about a long career”. In time he was the father of four children by one wife. He left Urbana. After his wife died. He remarried and had six more children. He ended up living in the village of Zanesfield “in the heart of the Mad River Valley”. He died there in 1836 “at the age of 81". He was buried in Zanesfield. In 1869 his body was removed to a cemetery in Urbana. There is a statue of him at his grave site. 

Left over Salmon loaf and mac and cheese for dinner tonight.

Joy

 February 20, 2021 a thought for today: The smarter you get the fewer words you'd say. Arabic. Proverb

It looks like the snow is beginning to melt....I wonder where it will all go. There are small hills of snow all over the place. I think the temperatures are in the twenties but the sun makes it look a lot warmer and is helping to melt the top layers of the white stuff. Now to get ready for the next problem, water in the basement and mud on the dogs paws. 

Yesterday’s photo theme was “something old”. I happed across this old filing system when I was at church today. It seemed perfect for this challenge.

I finished the last parts of the handout for tonight’s meal at church. So just before noon I headed out for the church to drop them off so the folks preparing the food will have time to put the envelopes in the food packages. 

I took a couple of pictures while I was out so I would have a selection for one of the two photo challenges for today. 

Of course I stopped at McDonald for a familiar lunch to share with Bob. 

I had an external hard drive that had some vintage photos on them....well maybe not vintage but from as far back as 2001. I hadn’t been able to pull it up and was so disappointed to think I had lost snippets of all those memories. Yesterday I was able to revive it. I spent most of the day reminiscing and collecting favorites to move to a newer drive. 

I also found out yesterday that I have to change my diabetes medicine due to insurance. So now I have to go through all of the testing to find the one that will work for me, the highs and lows of blood sugar and all of the attached ups and downs. Maybe I am worrying about nothing. That wouldn’t be unusual because I am the premier worrywart. The first problem with it is I have to wait for it to be delivered in the mail so I have no medicine for it for the next few days. 

Today’s photo theme is “sweets”. That was kind of a hard for me today since my diabetes meds are
making a detour today. But I had a package of M&Ms in the refrigerator (to keep them “fresh” longer). So I chose those as my photo prop for today. 

The word today is sensitive. It is usually the imagination that is wounded first, rather than the heart; it being much more sensitive, Henry David Thoreau.  Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears, Edgar Allan Poe. It is because I think so much of warm and sensitive hearts, that I would spare them from being wounded, Charles Dickens. There is a quiet repose and steadiness about the happiness of age, if the life has been well spent. Its feebleness is not painful. The nervous system has lost its acuteness. But, in mature years we feel that a burn, a scald, a cut, is more tolerable than it was in the sensitive period of youth, William Hazlitt.  The gravest events dawn with no more noise than the morning star makes in rising. All great developments complete themselves in the world and modestly wait in silence, praising themselves never, and announcing themselves not at all. We must be sensitive, and sensible, if we would see the beginnings and endings of great things. That is our part, Henry Ward Beecher. Self-love, so sensitive in its own cause, has rarely any sympathy to spare for others, Madame de Stael. While extremely sensitive as to the slightest approach to slander, you must also guard against an extreme into which some people fall, who, in their desire to speak evil of no one, actually uphold and speak well of vice, Saint Francis de Sales. Though the youth at last grows indifferent, the laws of the universe are not indifferent, but are forever on the side of the most sensitive, Henry David Thoreau 

I had two photo challenges for today and the second is titled “things seen through the window”. I took several shots through a couple of my windows at home showing snow drifts and white, white, white. I also made some shots while I was out and about, taken through the car window. That was my choice for today’s entry. 

If you have followed me in my letters and or on my blog you know I am a foodie. So this article struck a cord. There is a another and unique new food establishment in the works here in Columbus. This article is describing this new idea. The business will be operating in an old historic building called the Old Budd Dairy located in the Italian Village.  Cameron Mitchell Restaurants is backing this new idea. There will be nine restaurants and two Cameron Mitchell-run bars in this “food hall”. There will be televisions, “including a massive theater-style screen”. Since the building is designated a “historic property” parts of it have to be preserved. In the upstairs of the building there is a bar and space for games such as skeeball and arcade games. These features will come along sometime after the opening. The plan is to have a beer garden on the roof which offers a view of downtown. Some of the restaurants included in the project will be “Borgata Pizza, Tacos Rudos, Boni Filipino Street Food, Cluck Norris, Pokebap, Stauf’s Coffee Roasters, Cousin’s Maine Lobster, Modern Southern Table and Alphabetical Comfort Kitchen.” Staff from these restaurants say they welcome the opportunity to work with other successful restaurant owners including Cameron Mitchel. The Borgata owners mentioned that since the space would be more limited than their other stores they would limit the menu to four items at first. The owners of the new locale envision a gathering place for office workers and many other different things such as watching sporting events or a movie night and so on. Though the closing times are still to be finalized they expect the hall to close around 11:00pm on week nights and midnight on weekends, maybe 10pm on Sunday.  Though they don’t see it as a late night hangout as some others are in the Short North. This project was panned a few years ago but there were a few set backs. Now the opening is planned for some time in April.

I think I am making salmon loaf with hash brown potatoes for dinner tonight. 

Joy

 February 18, 2021 thought for today: Youths are like waves of the sea, the elderly have strength instead of tide. Arabic Proverb

It has been an eventful day. I had planned to get up early, go to the church to get the printing done, come back home to pick up Sue and the twins (they had come for a surprise visit, their visits have been cut way back due to scheduling)  and back to Walgreen for Sue and me to get our second COVID vaccine shot. That was the plan but.....I started the car to warm it up. Came in to brush my teeth and pick up things to take along. When I went back to move the car, its was stuck between to large chunks of ice behind all of the tires. 

The driveway had been cleared but not immediately behind the tires. As well as the fact that there was a new layer of snow over all. I took what was left of soma rock salt and put it on the ice chunks but there was still no traction. I called Lowell to come pick us up to take us for the vaccinations. While I was waiting for him, I started the laundry. Sue encouraged me to try the car again. The salt must have worked because I was able to get the car out. I called Lowell to tell him not to come (he was just on his way). Then we loaded up and were on our way. 

Yesterday’s photo challenge was titled “a fave photo”. I have many, loads and loads as well as a lot of .... lets say not so “faved”. It was hard to choose. I went through oodles of archived shots. 

We were the first to get our shots today. I have a couple of other things to pick up and they had told us to stay in the store for at least fifteen minutes. The twins wanted to shop a little too.

When we left there, I stopped at church to print the Saturday evening handouts. I didn’t take time to do the bulletin because someone was stopping by the house to pick up the twins. I did have time to take the twins in the sanctuary for a quick visit and to answer some of their questions. One was “why is Jesus’ picture in the window?”

Then we stopped at McDonalds to pick up some lunch. One last stop, a quick run through the park to get a photo for today. 

The twins along with Sue were picked up to go to the other grandma’s house and I got back to work on the laundry. 

I have been hearing about some reactions to the second vaccination. I have been hoping for none but felt if they were mild it was worth it. It has been about three hours now. I am feeling very sleepy/tired. Hopefully that will be the worst of it but I have heard the reactions can last up to twelve to twenty-four hours. I am going to try to get through this missive and finish the laundry before any other symptoms may begin. 

The word today is senses.  There is nothing higher than reason, Immanuel Kant. Prudence is the virtue of the senses. It is the science of appearances. It is the outmost action of the inward life, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The most evident difference between man and animals is this: the beast, in as much as it is largely motivated by the senses and with little perception of the past or future, lives only for the present. But man, because he is endowed with reason by which he is able to perceive relationships, sees the causes of things, understands the reciprocal nature of cause and effect, makes analogies, easily surveys the whole course of his life, and makes the necessary preparations for its conduct, Marcus Tullius Cicero. Love is the poetry of the senses, Honore de Balzac.  Life isn't like a book. Life isn't logical or sensible or orderly. Life is a mess most of the time. And theology must be lived in the midst of that mess, Charles Caleb Colton. A sensible man will remember that the eyes may be confused in two ways - by a change from light to darkness or from darkness to light; and he will recognize that the same thing happens to the soul, Plato. Weak minds may be injured by novel-reading; but sensible people find both amusement and instruction therein, Henry Ward Beecher.  Sensible people find nothing useless, Jean de La Fontaine. Common Sense is that which judges the things given to it by other senses, Leonardo da Vinci.  

Today’s photo theme is “a view I love”. Along my journey of life I find many views I love, most of the
time it’s a wonderful life filled with wonderful views. Here is one of many. Those of you who visit my blog will see that it is one that I visit often to find sometimes hidden gems. 

This article seems to be telling us about more art projects that should make things a little more pleasing to see as we pass by. A large mural is planned for the Harrison West Tunnel. Since my capability of finding physical avenues of directions I wasn’t sure where Harrision West is or if I have had the pleasure of passing that way. Nonetheless I always like areas that the public sees and visits to be pleasing. I’m sure “tunnels” are more pleasant if they are “beautified”. From the way the article read this project is a “multi-year” event. It will “improve” the Olentangy Trail tunnel. A local artist is in charge of the execution of the plan. The tunnel in question is located under State Route 314 on the Olentangy Trail in Harrison West. Apparently there are other murals in and around the tunnel. The area was said to be  “overgrown”. Interested people want the area to be “accessible to a variety of demographics....staying n line with... a traditional style.” Further in the article, “the Harrison West Mural Project hopes to transform the area of the popular trail into an area that can be likened to Cleveland’s Script Sign or the University of Michigan’s social media-driven Wings mural.” It is hoped that it will be a landmark/hallmark for Columbus. Here is something I learned from the article, the tunnel is visited by 500,000 visitors in a year, many of whom are cyclists and joggers. These folks would like better lighting to improve the safety. The plan is to be completed in three phases over three years. There are the outside of two walls where the art will begin, then the inside of the tunnel, next the sides and pillars of an overpass, all to complete one large mural. The first part of the project is to begin this fall. A third of the funding for the first phase has been received from the Columbus Foundation and the Short North Foundation. It is hoped that further funding will come from other companies who have a vested interest as well as other donations along with community and corporate support. 

I have some of the tuna casserole sauce left from last night (I didn’t make enough noodles for all of the sauce) so we will have the sauce over macaroni pasta for dinner. 

Joy

 February 16, 2021 thought for today: When you fight fire with fire, somebody is going to get hurt. African Proverb

We got most of the snow that was predicted last night and the ice too. I figured we would be at a level 3 emergency but to my surprise it is a level 2. Bob stayed home from work and he has most of the driveway cleared. If we don’t have any more snow between now and Thursday morning I should be able to get out to do the printing and to get my second vaccine dose. 

The photo a day theme for yesterday was “pink”. The twins always have toys and play things in pink. So I searched through the toy box and found this set of tea time necessities.  

I have worked on the newsletter, the HM3 hand out and completed the bulletin. I have put finishing the church directory and generating two new weather proof signs that I have been asked to do on the back burner for now. I have to get the newsletter then the annual report out of the way before I can put any more obligations on my plate. I also have to get to my eye doctor sometime when this weather is calmer.

I have been getting some great photos of the two of my great grand children that are the farthest from me. I got one today that has a picture of their dad and mom too and I haven’t seen them in over a year (seems longer). That’s always a treat but especially on a snowy day like today for some reason. 

The sun is coming out for a while now. It is almost blinding on all of the white that is covering the landscape right now. 

The word is select. Think of what you have rather than of what you lack. Of the things you have, select the best and then reflect how eagerly you would have sought them if you did not have them, Marcus Aurelius.  When I am with others, they are my teachers. I can select their good points and follow them, and select their bad points and avoid them, Confucius.  Vegetables, which are the lowest in the scale of living things, are fed by roots, which, implanted in the native soil, select by the action of a peculiar mechanism, different subjects, which serve to increase and to nourish them, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.  As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  It is our duty to select the best and most dependable theory that human intelligence can supply, and use it as a raft to ride the seas of life, Plato.  My thoughts are my company; I can bring them together, select them, detain them, dismiss them, Walter Savage Landor.  Be deaf, be blind, be dead to gossip, and it will grow disgusted with you and select a more sensitive victim, Charles Spurgeon. Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust, Thomas Jefferson.  

Today’s photo challenge is “ something new”. I don’t have too many “new” things that make an interesting photo right now but this “new” new snow fall (on top of the old) came to mind as the perfect shot for today. 

I think I can learn or re-lean something from this article. The first part of the title is “What is Lent”....”. First it is forty days preceding Easter in many Christian denominations. This time being set by the time that Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by Satan. It begins on Ash Wednesday. I learned that Sundays don’t count in the forty-day total. “In Eastern Christianity, such as in Orthodox churches, a period called Great Lent begins on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter and concludes on the Friday before Palm Sunday, and Sundays are counted as part of the 40 days.” The article related to descriptions of the word Lent. The word means springtime. To some the word is based on “40" (Latin or Greek) and in Germanic and Slavic, it is a word for fasting. The day before Lent was then the last day before fasting and took on a festival atmosphere, in French became Mardi Gras “(which literally means “Fat Tuesday”) or in other languages “Carnival.....taking away the meat”. In some churches ashes are smeared on the forehead in the sign of a cross considered a blessing and note to remember our mortality. Another custom is to generate the ashes from the palms from the previous Palm Sunday. In some instances it is meant to be a period of “reflection and penitence” and encourages a fast from certain foods and activities. By many it meant that meat was not to be eaten on Fridays during this period, fish is not considered a meat. Here’s something I learned, “social injustices or stewardship of the environment-may also be deemed appropriate (for consideration)....during Lent”. In some churches religious objects such as crosses are covered during Lent “often with a purple cloth”. In Western Christianity Holy Week is from Palm Sunday (Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem), Maundy Thursday (the final meal with the disciples on this date the purple cloth covering religious objects is changed to white), Good Friday (Jesus’ crucifixion, black cloths may be used to cover the chosen objects on this date) and Easter. The article mentioned that fasting Christians may choose to eat only one substantial meal on Good Friday. And on this day white cloths replace the black.

I think I am going to pull something from the freezer for dinner. 

Joy

 February 14, 2021 thought for today: Words are like bullets; if they escape, you can't catch them again. African Proverb

I went to church early today to get the Ash Wednesday bulletin printed. I wasn’t sure I would be able to get out of the house before Wednesday next week. It wasn’t bad getting to church today the giant snow fall we are supposed to be getting hadn’t started yet. Attendance was very small. 

After I left church I stopped at Walgreen to see if I could get a set time for my second COVID 19 shot on Thursday. The girl at the counter said I had to set it by getting on line. 

When I got home, I did get on line and set the appointment. Now with what I am hearing on the television about the news I don’t know if I will be able to get out then either. I’ll just have to wait and see. Then I don’t know when I will be the church bulletin printed and Saturday message printed either since I do that on Thursday too. 

The photo there for February 13 was “red”. I have lots of red items around the house but most are not all that interesting so I remembered this small vase of firethorns twigs that I had in the house so it was my model. 

Sue had wanted to go to Walmart and I had told her that we should do it Monday morning since it wasn’t supposed to get really bad until later in the day on Monday. I decided we had better do it today since the weather wasn’t too bad. So we went. I stored up on dog food too just to be safe not knowing how bad things would ultimately get. We have enough food to last for at least a week or so. 

I sent the great grand children each an email Valentin yesterday. It was the first time I attempted doing that on line. I didn’t get paper ones early enough to send. 

Lowell stopped by to help Bob with a lighting problem he was having. I hadn’t seen him in a while so that was nice. 

To top the day off a lens fell out of my glasses. There no way I will be able to get to the eye doctor this week so the old lenses are going to have to do.....that will probably result in a headache since they are not up to the proper prescription. 

The word today is seeking.  In the family, happiness is in the ratio in which each is serving the others, seeking one another's good, and bearing one another's burdens, Henry Ward Beecher.    The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes, Marcel Proust. The first duty of man is the seeking after and the investigation of truth, Marcus Tullius Cicero. One who, while seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other living beings who also desire happinesss, will not find happiness hereafter, Gautama Buddha. Seeker, empty the boat, lighten the load, be free of craving and judgment and hatred, and feel the joy of the way, Gautama Buddha. God reveals Himself, unfailingly, to the solitary, thoughtful seeker, Honore de Balzac. A seeker of Truth looks beyond the apparent and contemplates the hidden, Rumi. Whether one moves slowly or with speed, the one who is a seeker will be a finder, Rumi. The unassuming youth seeking instruction with humility gains good fortune, Joseph Addison. In seeking wisdom thou art wise; in imagining that thou hast attained it - thou art a fool, Lord Chesterfield.  

Today’s photo challenge is an easy guess, “heart”. I looked through some jewelry I have in the house
and some playing cards of that suit. This heart that was given many years ago won out as the model. 

Th article is about some more new things to see in the near future. I remember the horse race park in Grove City. I use to take my niece there, she worked for a time with some of the horses. The house park was sold several years ago and is now being turned into a park. It is to become a living development. It is hoped that by the summer of 2022. That will be the beginning of that is projected to be a ten-year project. What the developers are picturing is a park similar to Goodale or Schiller Parks. There will be no ball parks. There will be areas for sitting and walking or jogging around the lake. There will be a playground and tennis courts and an amphitheater for concerts and special events. There will be a hill for a sitting area and the other side as a sledding hill. According to the article this have been talks with the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts for a partnership to sponsor events at the venue. Total financing for the park is till in negotiations. There is an option for the city to sell bonds as it has with other improvements and other types of proposals. Along with this “central park” portion of the Beulah Park land will feature 900-plus dwellings, including town homes, apartments, custom homes, senior living. The development is among the latest to follow a national trend, and brings new urbanism to central Ohio

We are having our now typical taco bell selections for dinner tonight. 

Joy

 February 12, 2021 thought for the day: You can't become a teacher before you’re taught. African Proverb

The weekly projects are done. Now it’s time to get back to work on setting up the newsletter and the annual report. There is still time before the deadline looms, a good time to begin in leisure. 

Yesterday’s photo theme was “10AM”. I set my alarm on my cell photo because I knew I was going to be out of the house about that time. I thought I would be on the road somewhere but as it happened I was in the grocery store when the alarm went off. I guess this shot could be considered a “personal journal” kind of photo. 

Sue just came in from spending some time with the twins. Their visiting dates have been rearranged so I most likely won’t be seeing them anymore on a regular basis. I miss the light and energy that seems to follow them but then....alas I am old, you know the adage “when I was a child...” (But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the antics of the young through mere up close and in person observation ☺ when the opportunity presents itself).

This is the winter of snow. Over all my many years I have observed, as we all have, that in some winters there is little snow, some drop snow here and there, then there is this kind where we have bursts of large amounts of snow and the cold that makes it last for days and days. To be honest, I have seen worse than this years snow fall but that was when I was younger and the snow seemed more like magic at times. There was a young man in the search of work knocking at my door yesterday wanting to shovel my snow in areas of ground. What a relief. We finally have the heaviest off of the parts that Bob couldn’t get clear in the dark after he got home from work. 

Yesterday was a good day. Despite the snow we had the night before on top of that snow that was still left from the day before that I was able to get the car out of the driveway. I made it to church for the weekly printings and dropping off the posters. I was glad to get those things done so that I didn’t have to worry about more snow that might keep me from getting it done before it was needed on Saturday and Sunday. I also made a quick stop at the store for dog food so they would be completely out if we had more snow in the next couple of days.  The rest of the day was spent on laundry and other odds and ends.

The word today is seeds. Really don't choose every day from the harvest you experience but from the seeds you plant, Robert Louis Stevenson.  Wherever you have planted a seed, I am prepared to expect wonders, Henry David Thoreau.  I have great faith in a seed, Henry David Thoreau.  Everything is born from change. ...there is nothing nature loves more than to alter what exists and make new things like it. All that exists is the seed of what will emerge from it. You think the only seeds are the one that make plants and children? Go deeper, Marcus Aurelius. He who is learning and learning and doesn't apply what he knows is like the one who is plowing and plowing and doesn't seed, Plato. There are not the weeds the ones that drown the good seed, but the negligence of the peasant, Confucius. Youth is the seed time of good habits, as well in nations as in individuals, Thomas Paine.  Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin, Aesop.  Everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be, Marcus Aurelius.  If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people, Confucius. The more you mow us down, the more numerous we grow; the blood of Christians is seed, Tertullian.  Remember that the smallest seed of faith is of more worth than the largest fruit of happiness, Henry David Thoreau.

Today’s photo challenge is “kindness”. I searched my archives for this one. I have all kinds of photos with family hugging, helping each other with a project, feeding the dogs, and so on. When I came across this one the “kindness” feeling hit me so this became the entry for today. 

In this article there are some more ideas befitting the new onslaught of virtual living and for Valentines Day. In this article they are calling it, for this story, “Galentine’s Day”. This name has been around for eleven years. Originally it was celebrated with girlfriends having waffles and beverages at the “season of “Parks and Recreation” in 2010". This year at the North Canton Public Library this year will be celebrated virtually. Apparently some libraries have set up “digital escape rooms”. This is how it works. You are “placed in a fictional story” room,  then you answer “x, y and z” to get out of the room. Here is how it will work “ it takes place in Pawnee (the fictional city where the TV show was set), of course, where Tammy the evil library director has locked Leslie and Ann in an office and they need to escape." People who want to “take the challenge” will log into the library’s website between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday. The library keeps track of “who gets out and how fast, and the winner being awarded a heart-shaped waffle maker.” There will be questions about the library, best friends in history and more. Besides the library game for this Galentine’s Day, there will be a virtual cupcake class. You would pick up a box of the cake makings and attend a Zoom cupcake decorating session. Also offered, not quite as virtual, is at a business in Columbus called uPaint Pottery Studio located at Polaris. You can pick up a take-home kit to make pottery. You can go online, to choose pieces to paint. The staff will gather the paint, brushes and all you need for you to pick up as curb side. Once the pottery is painted at your home, they can be dropped off to be fired. Another offer for this Galentine’s Day is distance yoga at a place called Wonder Within in Delaware. They have a “Tranquility Salt Cave, ..... which allows plenty of room for social distancing." At this location there is “guided meditation” session and a “crystal bowl bath”.  Here is what I found in a search for crystal bowl bath: "there isn't any water (or actual bathing) involved at all. Instead, a crystal sound bath harnesses the reverberating sounds and vibrations of crystal bowls of all shapes and sizes, to lull you into a peaceful and mindful state of being". This is a new way of celebrating Valentines Day, all new to my way of thinking but maybe, fun, at least interesting.

The week is ending and this is the night we enjoy the pizza pie. 

Joy

 February 10, 2021 thought for today: You don't become an expert in five days. African Proverb

Well, there is still snow on the ground and more predicted. I still haven’t had my car out of the driveway. There use to be young men going up and down the street during heavy snow falls to try to find work in shoveling driveways, porches and sidewalks. Yesterday I waited and watched and none went by. Bob didn’t have time to do it before he left for work. 

Yesterday’s photo theme was “fave food”. Once again, I am major foodie. I like good food period. So I have a lot of favorites and tastes change with age and circumstance. Bu one that has hung on through the years and all kinds of circumstances is the tomato in many forms. 

I had to pick up some posters for church yesterday so Bob took me to Kinkos when he got home from work.

I got the changes made on the bulletin and the message/hymn lyrics done for the free meal on Saturday so I am ready to print tomorrow providing I can get my car out of the driveway. 

Sugar, my fourteen-year-old dachshund, is blind now. I let her out to take care of business a little while ago. Of course the snow is still deep in spots, at least deep for her, her tummy nearly touches the ground on normal days. I couldn’t find her when I looked out the window after she had been out for about ten minute. So I got my boots on and a warm jacket and went out to search. I heard a soft whimpering from the side of the house that is hidden from the back door. Sure enough she had lost her direction and was caught in snow up to the top of her shoulders. I picked her up and carried her to get her past the deeper parts of snow. We finally got back in the house where I had to melt the tiny pebbles of snow on her chest and underbody. I wrapped a towel around her until she stopped shivering. Now she is resting and snoring.

Sugar was a high point in the day but so was Sweet Pea. How can you not love that nose pushing for a hug? This is the selection for one of the two photos of the day for today. The title or challenge for this photo is “love is....”.

The word is secrets. God who created us has granted us the faculty of speech that we might disclose the counsels of our hearts to one another and that, since we possess our human nature in common, each of us might share his thoughts with his neighbor, bringing them forth from the secret recesses of the heart as from a treasury, Saint Basil. Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can. I wish you Happy New Year and diary full of best stories ever written in your life, Laozi. He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The secret of success is constancy to purpose, Benjamin Disraeli. The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand things well, Horace Walpole. One of the secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others, Lewis Carroll. If you knew the secret of life, you too would choose no other companion but love, Rumi. The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart, St. Jerome.  You need not wonder at my knowing all human languages; for, to tell you the truth, I also understand all the secrets of human silence, Apollonius of Tyana. Clouds cannot cover secret places, nor denials conceal truth, Demosthenes. There is no secret of the heart which our actions do not disclose, Moliere.  

The second photo challenge for today is “door”. I have mainly new doors from the recent rehab on the house and they haven’t had a chance to develop “character”. But I found one that offered a touch of a unique quality compared to all the others in the house at this time thus a bit of interest for a photo. This door is to the powder room, there is a full length mirror just outside the door hence we have a reflection of the other side of the door. Now we have a part of both sides of the door showing. 

This article is about a lady who is deciding to bake and give her backed goods to essential workers in this time of pandemic. I have a friend who is doing basically the same thing, baking to show his support of first responders. There was a lady who had to have back surgery then had some complications, she became lethargic and felt she was losing her mobility. She watched the news reports that essential workers were doing, hospitals, vets, public safety folks, schools and food services. She also saw an item about a family who baked cookies and hand delivered them as a way of saying “thank you”. She liked the idea and decided to do it herself. This snow balled and her imitative helped to create the Columbus chapter of the national Cookies for Caregivers group here in Columbus. There are now one hundred chapters in thirty-three states and Canada. Their thinking is “We decided to show our gratitude to those working to serve us by serving them freshly baked cookies as a modest sign of our appreciation and respect.”  According to this article there are sixty-nine members in this local chapter. Our local lady in the article said it has been hard to get through to the police stations due to locked doors and tight security. She has visited six Columbus fire stations. This project can become costly and time consuming. She has baked over 141 cookies or treats using chocolate chips or peanut butter. Others have generously helped her. She has found that she is able to get donations now and then form restaurants, groceries and bakeries that may give her their leftovers. One of the bakeries cuts the edges off brownies to get a precise shape and didn’t know what to do with the cut off pieces that are perfectly edible. She has found good use for those. There are some places that can’t accept “unpackaged food” for safety reasons but they appreciate the thought and efforts of the bakers and people wanting to show their gratitude this way. Most can accept these offerings especially if they come from a person or group who is known to them. 

I think we will have left overs for dinner tonight. Bob and I went to York for dinner last night so we will have the left over sloppy joe from a couple of nights ago. 

Joy 

 February 8, 2021 thought for today: If you damage the character of another, you damage your own. African Proverb

Wow, what a cold day! This is the kind of day that makes spring looks mighty good. It feels good to see the seed catalogs coming in the mail, that lifts the spirits for a few minutes anyway. Becoming a snow bird sounds like a mighty good idea on days like this. 

Yesterday’s photo theme was “morning picture”. I didn’t get up early enough to get a photo of the sunrise or even that last rise of the sun above the horizon. So this image was shot later in the morning. 

I got the ministers information for the bulletin early this week. The problem is I got it when I was working on my iPad before bed time and away from the computer. As I was trying to flag it so that I would be sure to notice when I got back to email on the computer I accidently deleted it. Ooops. Anyway, when I did get back to the computer this morning, I found that I hadn’t deleted it after all. So I spent a couple of hours working on that this morning. 

I think I will take the time to catch up on some key wording (making it easier to find archived photos) and a few other data maintenance tasks on the computer. 

It was good to get to church yesterday especially since we cancelled last week due to inclement weather. 

The word today is season.  It is always the season for the old to learn, Aeschylus. In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy, William Blake. There is no season such delight can bring, as summer, autumn, winter and the spring, William Browne. Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. Let them be your only diet drink and botanical medicines, Henry David Thoreau.  I know not any season of life that is past more agreeably than virtuous old age, Marcus Tullius Cicero. No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else, Charles Dickens. You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving, Robert Louis Stevenson.  Many wise and true sermons are preached us everyday by unconscious ministers in street, school, office, or home; even a fair table may become a pulpit, if it can offer the good and helpful words which are never out of season, Louisa May Alcott. Then followed that beautiful season... Summer.... Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. If youth is the season of hope, it is often so only in the sense that our elders are hopeful about us; for no age is so apt as youth to think its emotions, partings, and resolves are the last of their kind. Each crisis seems final, simply because it is new, George Eliot. Every blade in the field - Every leaf in the forest - lays down its life in its season as beautifully as it was taken up, Henry David Thoreau. Adversity, if for no other reason, is of benefit, since it is sure to bring a season of sober reflection. People see clearer at such times. Storms purify the atmosphere, Henry Ward Beecher. 

Today photo challenge is “bright”. As I have mentioned many times winter doesn’t offer me many opportunities for creative images. I don’t get out in the cold in search of photo ops and there aren’t that many exciting things to generate with an all white world in the background. So once again I dipped into my archive.   

This article is about more growth in our community. The Quarry Trails Metro Park will be opening next fall. According to the article it is believed that it will be one of the most unique parks in the United States. Right now it is “muddy and mucky” but is beginning to take shape along with housing development to be included. A couple of the amenities that will be available are a sledding hill with a steep drop and a dog park “on a hillside with a view of downtown”. The article mentioned that the plans for this park and housing development were begun back in 2017 after several years of looking for an appropriate site. This park is located west of the Scioto River near Trabue and Dublin roads and will eventually the whole plan, park and housing will be a 600-acre area. Half of the 600 acres is “still a working limestone quarry.....the walls of part of the quarry rise hundreds of feet high....with a small lake at the bottom”. A 6,000 foot fence surrounds the quarry to separate folks at the park from the working quarry. In the house portion of the project there will be apartments, townhouses/flats, condominiums and office space and a community center and pool. The projected plan is a neighborhood inside a Metro Park. More features of the park are a climbing wall, lakes for kayaking and paddle boarding and multi-use trails. There will be a “natural amphitheater”, and a BMX bike track. A 25-foot waterfall will be “diverted into a waterfall on stairs of stone that lead to a lake”. The first phase of the park include two lakes, the trail system and access to the Scioto River. The home will look out over the park below. On one of the recent tours of the site a deer was spotted as well as a pack of coyotes. An old railroad trestle will be left as part of one of the trails. There is a 19th century cemetery along the property dating back to the 1840s. Local historians are studying its history. 

I think I will make sloppy joes for dinner.

Joy

 February 6, 2021 thought for today: If you can't hold children in your arms, please hold them in your heart. African Proverb

It has been a great day, cold outside, but very comfortable inside. I finished the free meal message/hymn lyrics and took it to the church. 

This is another of those days that I had two photo challenges. The first was titled “my happy place”. I have several happy places-time, date in history and my life, and mood dictate my “happy” places. There is one the suits the purpose many times and that is Westgate Park. This is the setting for my photo today, showing the trees, the paths (sort of, buried in snow) and, if you look closely one of the many benches set here and there for resting and contemplations.  

I had a couple of phone calls concerning church matters. The other productive task today was working on four posters for our free meal event. I got those done and sent them to a friend to check to see if they were good to print. She contacted me and said with a couple of adjustments they are good to go. 

My grand-daughter-in-law has been keeping me updated on my great grand children’s growing up adventures. You can’t imagine how much that means especially when they are not located near enough for a visit on occasion. Anyway, she let me know earlier today that my great granddaughter had a sporting event this morning. The score was tied but it was the best game they have had so far. Yesterday, I received an envelope with a gift from Lexie and Drew, her brother. They had made me a big, big hug in the form of two hands on the ends of along piece of yarn with a note in between the hands. I hung them on the mantel over the fireplace and sent a picture to them. Lexie reminded me that that’s not a good idea to hang them near a fire place. I felt so good that she is concerned for my safety. (Just a note, I neglected to pass along....the fireplace was decommissioned a long time ago so it is really a non working fire place at this point).

The second photo of the day that comes from one of my photo groups “101photos” and uploaded to my flickr.com site is titled “starts with H”. On my way home from the grocery store I passed this familiar home. I decided there were at least three “H’s” there that would fit the assignment. They are home, house, and hill (of snow). 

The word today is school.  Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence, Abigail Adams.  He who opens a school door, closes a prison, Victor Hugo. Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other, Benjamin Franklin. The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next, Abraham Lincoln.  Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army, Edward Everett. Education makes a people easy to lead but difficult to drive easy to govern, but impossible to enslave, Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux. What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul, Joseph Addison. Experience is a good school. But the fees are high, Heinrich Heine. If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away, Henry David Thoreau. Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in, Leonardo da Vinci. I learned most, not from those who taught me but from those who talked with me, Saint Augustine. Nobody sees a flower really, it is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time- like to have a friend takes time. One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled, but few are educated, Thomas More.  

Today’s photo theme is “ something borrowed”.  The only thing that I could think of right off that I have borrowed in the house was a deviled egg tray of my daughter-in-law’s. I didn’t know how to make that exciting so I chose a kind of off the wall idea. I chose one of my house plants and thought of it as something borrowed from nature.  

I like to learn things about our city that I didn’t know before. This article is about one of the statues in the city that I knew was there but knew very little about. It is named the Umbrella Girl and is found in Schiller Park. She is barefoot and wears a “dirndl”, a traditional German dress carrying a pair of shoes.  In the other hand she carries an umbrella. The model for this statue died in January this year. Her mother is sculpted her in 1996. The Friends of Schiller Park put a wreath around the statue’s neck and neighbors and residents of the neighborhood left flowers and candles. I was surprised to learn that this statue was not the first Umbrella Girl. This statue replaced the original statue that was created in 1872. The original statue was a “rendering of Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth.” The original was mounted with a hose that poured water over her, hence the umbrella. The statue didn’t get its name until the 1920's. It became a place photographers came to take photos. The statue disappeared between World War II and the 1950s. No one ever found her, the original. In the 1990s replacing her became a project. People wanted history particularly of German roots restored.   

We are trying something new for dinner...Spicy Peanut Chicken and Noodles. 

Joy

 February 4, 2021 thought for today: If you observe attentively you will even find wisdom in shadows. African Proverb

This is this first day I ventured out in this past snow event. No problems. There is still snow on some of the streets but nothing too heavy, unlike that piled up along fences and beside driveways. 

I realized when I got to the church that is was food delivery day so some of my friends were in the church. After I had the bulletin printed and distributed I was able to join in friendly chat as the others were waiting for the delivery truck. 

When I got home, I called Kim to see if they were going to be home and I could go visit for a bit. They were, so after I separated the pile of laundry I headed out on my journey. It was so good to see all of them, Mick, Kim and William. It was good to see how he is developing and growing. He showed me some of his toys and how they work. He also showed me that he is learning how to say words. Mick and Kim seem happy. It was good visiting with them. The visit was a bright spot. I will relive it many times when I feel the need for the nearness of family (which is often). 

I got the first of the laundry in the washer and started on my letter. 

I saw a couple of birds sitting on a cable outside the window at church as I was working on the bulletin and remembered the photo theme for today is “duo” so I made some shots. Then when I stopped at White Castle I was two bushes side by side and  with snow on their tops so I made a few more shots. 

The word today is say. If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all, Aesop. Always when you are about to say anything, first weigh it in your mind; for with many the tongue outruns the thought, Isocrates. In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart, John Bunyan.  To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing, Martin Luther. When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don't, they don't, William Temple. Saying and doing are two things, Matthew Henry. Man's feelings are always purest and most glowing in the hour of meeting and of farewell, Jean Paul. No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth, Robert Southey. Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes, Henry David Thoreau.  Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love, George Eliot. Never ruin an apology with an excuse, Benjamin Franklin. Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul, Henry Ward Beecher. The truth will set you free, but first (sometimes) it will make you miserable, James A. Garfield. Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth, Benjamin Disraeli. Honesty is the rarest wealth anyone can possess, Josh Billings.  When you want to fool the world, tell the truth, Otto von Bismarck.   

Yesterday’s photo theme was “something beautiful”. How much is beautiful in the winter, outside at least. None of my indoor garden plants are blooming. I know there are lots of other “beautiful” things but flowers are the first that come to my mind. I have to find and keep in mind the beauties of winter. I know they are there, God doesn’t make mistakes. Maybe it's the new shapes that it creates and the places it finds to come to rest. 

The title of this article intrigued me. Again, how people are trying to make other people smile and be happy. As the story went, there was a man who went in the heavy snow to cut some sticks. There was another man who collected a stack of hats and grass skirts from a “costume closet”. Tagging along was a 4-year-old with a sandwich bag full of carrots. There was a lady with her calico cat watching all of this through a window as the collection of these things came into view along with their purpose. As she watched from this window in the senior citizen’s facility, it all became clear. A dozen people were working together outside the window to build a snowman. Someone had brought grapes along the way and as the snowman grew they became his eyes. The 4-year-old with the carrots “jammed” the carrots into the face where the nose belonged, then he carefully picked the right stick to become arms. When he was done, he said, “PERFECT!” Several of these snowmen were built by the employees of the facility and their families. As the little boy scurried about his cheeks were “as red as strawberries and his black snow pants caked in white”. One of the men “slogged through the snow from window to window” asking each resident if they wanted cowboy hats on the snow men or Hawaiian skirts. He also asked their favorite color of mittens and scarves. Later, as the snowmen began to melt one of the “builders” said  “These are the saddest snowmen I’ve ever seen.” The child, who was still there or had come back, pulled a grape from his container and replaced an eye. Then he said, (for the 123rd time), PERFECT!

I am going to pull some tuna casserole from the freezer. 

Joy

 February 2, 2021 thought for today: If you kill time, you'll bury opportunities. African Proverb

It has been a boring day. I wanted to go visit William but the snow was so thick on my car there was no way I could clear it myself although I did make an attempt. I found an old pair of boots in the closet. Took the dogs with me and headed out to take care of it. The snow quickly went over the top of the boots (they are half boots) so with soaking wet socks I headed back inside. I will be giving Bob a task to do for me when he gets home from work. 

I got the information I needed to finish the bulletin and completed that in a half hour or so. 

Yesterday’s photo title was “today’s weather”. We had a huge snow fall the night before so there was a lot of snow all over the place, trees, fenceposts, grass, streets and piles every where people had cleared their driveways and sidewalks. So that was an easy choice to make. 

Sue and I had our first vaccines last week so I called today to set up a time for our second shot. I was told they would remind me of an appointment within a week of when it was due. We are scheduled for the 18th. 

This cold snap is supposed to last a few more days and is supposed to be the lowest it has been in over five years. 

The word is satisfaction. Whatever satisfies the soul is truth, Walt Whitman.  Well done is better than well said, Benjamin Franklin. No one is satisfied with his fortune, nor dissatisfied with his intellect, Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulieres.  He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has, Epictetus. The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them, Michel de Montaigne. Believe one who has tried, you shall find a fuller satisfaction in the woods than in the books. The trees and the rocks will teach you that which you cannot hear from the masters, Bernard of Clairvaux. Do the best you can . . . enjoy the present . . . rest satisfied with what you have, Seneca the Younger. Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they please, Pythagoras. The fool has one great advantage over a man of sense; he is always satisfied with himself, Napoleon Bonaparte. Being satisfied with little, you can gain much. Seeking much you will go astray. The wise heeds this precept. If it could be so with all people!  Laozi.  I am satisfied that when the Almighty wants me to do or not do any particular thing, He finds a way of letting me know it, Abraham Lincoln. There are three wants which never can be satisfied: that of the rich, who wants something more; that of the sick, who wants something different; and that of the traveler, who says anywhere but here, Ralph Waldo Emerson. We are not satisfied with real life; we want to live some imaginary life in the eyes of other people and to seem different from what we actually are, Blaise Pascal.

Today’s photo challenge is “floral”. None of my indoor garden plants have flowers right now and there is nothing attempting to bloom in the snow covered world around here so it had to be a visit to the archives. This is a frequent happening for me in the winter months, visits to the photo archives I mean. 

This is an interesting article about our city as it relates to Valentine’s day. The 209th anniversary of the founding of Columbus as the capital city is February 14. I like the description of the scene of the future “city”. British forts were seen and controlled access to the major rivers around the state. The Ohio General Assembly was looking for a new home. The first state capital was Chillicothe. Several founders of the state were from there, Eward Tiffin, first governor, Thomas Worthington a politician and brother-in-law to Mr. Tiffin. In 1808 the capital was moved to Zanesville for a period then went back to Chillicothe. Many of the members of the General Assembly wanted the capital moved to a more central location in the state. A committee of three men was formed. They “rode into the wilderness of Ohio” in search of a new location for the capital. Some of the places that wanted to be considered were Circleville, Newark, Delaware and Worthington.  Finally, the committee recommended the capital be moved to an area along the Scioto River called Sells Plantations, later to be the village of Dublin. Another place was also suggested, High Banks at the Forks of the Scioto opposite Franklinton. In 1797 some of the Virginia Military District were located there as was the “town planner”, Lucas Sullivant. The land on the east bank of the river was called Refugee Tract and was “set aside for residents of Nova Scotia”. However, they seldom came to Ohio and they eventually sold the land grants including land from Fifth Avenue to the north to Refugee Road on the south. The article went on to relate that the land was unsettled, densely forested and was the location of a “40-foot-tall Native American mound where the intersection of Mound and High streets is today.” Four men, calling themselves the proprietors,  “acquired” the land and offered 10 acres for the statehouse to the Ohio General Assembly. It is still there today. They also offered 10 acres for a penitentiary where the Cultural Arts Center is located in the old armory today. They also donated money to clear the land, build buildings and then would make money by selling lots to interested new property owners. So on February 14, 1812 the offer was accepted. The article went on, “A few days later, at the urging of local representative Joseph Foos, the assembly chose Columbus as the name of the new capital city.” A surveyor was chosen, and a town “with wide streets” was built to form a “long rectangle that angled several degrees west of true north”. The northern boundary at that time is what is now Nationwide Boulevard. At the other side, south, was what is now Parsons Avenue. The first sale of “lots” was held on June 18, 1812, “the same day the United State went to war with Great Britain.....by the time the war ended, a modest 2-story brick Statehouse stood at the corner of State and High streets.”

It looks like it is going to be chili mac or chili on rice for dinner. 

Joy