April 7, 2021 a thought for today, Yesterday is ashes; tomorrow wood. Only today does the fire burn brightly. Eskimo Proverb

We took care of yet another doctor’s appointment this morning. It was a follow-up appointment following my laser surgery of two weeks ago. It was a fairly early appointment so we had time to run an errand, then stop at McDonald’s for lunch and then home again home again.

The photo challenge for April 6th was “swing”. I went to one of my top spots for photo ideas, Westgate Park. As can be correctly deduced when considering a public park with two areas of playground equipment, there are several kinds of swings. I took several shots of one of the areas of swings. I made some more images of swings in neighborhood front yards on the way home. There were no children using the play ground or neighbors swings at the time so they were lonely and waiting for attention. 

The bulletin is done and out to be proofed. The new bible study pages for the free Saturday meal is done. I received the message for Saturday and have it formatted and printed. Things are ready for printing for tomorrow.

More signs of spring are emerging. We can leave the house without winter coats or even heavy jackets, what a freeing sensation. I am sure we will have a few more temporary drops in temps but those events are becoming further apart. In a few weeks I will be moving the “indoor garden” out to the back deck for their spring/summer vacation. 

The word for today is teach.  Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin.  The scars of others should teach us caution. St. Jerome.  God removes the sin of the one who makes humble confession, and thereby the devil loses the sovereignty he had gained over the human heart. Saint Bernard.  Teach thy tongue to say 'I do not know', and thou shalt progress. Maimonides. Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of. Charles Spurgeon. Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach. Aristotle. The years teach much which the days never know. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Much learning does not teach understanding. Heraclitus. A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron. Horace Mann. Teach us to give and not to count the cost. Saint Ignatius. In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy. William Blake.  While we teach, we learn. Seneca. The only medicine for suffering, crime, and all other woes of mankind, is wisdom. Teach a man to read and write, and you have put into his hands the great keys of the wisdom box. But it is quite another thing to open the box. Thomas Huxley.  Old age and the passage of time teach all things. Sophocles. Good masters teach good doctrine, but that taught by evil masters is wholly evil. Saint Basil. For the mind is all the easier to teach before it is set. Quintilian.  The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power of teaching. Aristotle.  

Today’s photo theme is “ vehicle”. At the stop earlier this morning for my sister to run an errand, I was waiting in the car and took some photos of several “vehicles” in various positions of motion or the lack there of. 

This article has some more ideas about community gardens. I liked the description of gardens in the first couple of lines in this article: “spending time alone among their chlorophyll of choice....team sport...best played with neighbors....friends and family involved”. As the article related, there are different types of gardeners in central Ohio, individual beds or plots tended by individual gardeners or family or communal. And when the products of the garden are bountiful they are shared with others. Some of these gardens are to produce food to “address food insecurity in specific neighborhoods.....others offer educational experiences for youth or job and life skills”. For the larger community type gardens there are sponsors such as specific organizations that minister to the needs of the parts of our communities who need an extra hand as well as the fact that many churches sponsor community gardens. The article reported that “scores” of churches operate the gardens or provide funding or land for them. Other or the cities businesses provide financial support for gardens “because they improve the environment as well as the quality of life of neighborhoods”. The article mentioned a garden, the Highland Youth Garden, in the Hilltop area of Columbus that educates the neighborhood youth in gardening, biology, nutrition and life and the products that result from their efforts feed the neighbors. Many of the Columbus Public schools, in more than 50 of the school buildings in the district, help students in learning to grow fall and winter gardens. Another aspect of the community garden subject is “opportunities for new Americans”. When “refugees” come from other countries they bring along their “farming and gardening experiences from around the world”. There is a garden in Columbus called the International Harvest Garden, where immigrants can grow foods “native to their homeland”. This garden in 6 acres of land in cultivation for the community garden and is sponsored by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. These community gardens all provide “tons” of food for thousands of families each year. Surpluses of the garden’s food are donated to food pantries, churches and families “experiencing food insecurities”. Some places to find out more about already established areas for these gardens call the  Franklin County Office of OSU Extension at 614-866.6900. 

I think it will be salmon patties for dinner tonight at our house. 

Joy

PS: A few days ago there was a news item on the TV about an amateur photographer in the Columbus area who takes photos of damaged, lost, forgotten, thrown away or otherwise unwanted items tossed aside that can be found while walking and looking downward or in uninhibited observations of the space around us. That gentleman is retired from an honorable position in our society and life long career. He was recently diagnosed with autism. I like the idea of those photos. I think I will try to locate such items and see what my results are. I will post some here now and then.  Among other thoughts for my descriptions, I like to call them, “once upon a time”.