September 28, 2021 a thought for today, Pay attention to the whispers, so we won't have to listen to the screams. Native American Cherokee Proverb

The day started with completing the bulletin. Then time to go to church to help with food pantry. 

I begin my yesterday talk about the photo of the day for yesterday's title “portrait”. I had shot this photo the last time the twins were here for an overnight. I was so pleased with the way it stands out and the many things we can read in that beautiful face. 

Yesterday we were trying to do some updating on the computer at church. We ran into a problem with some of the installation so I went in early today to see if I could figure out what we needed to do. Some of the issues seem to have taken care of themselves but it looks like others may need an IT person to fix it.

Yesterday was full of side tracks. I went in to finish the newsletter. Once that was done is when  it was brought up that we upgrade our Windows 7 to Windows 10. At the same time we some how managed to get an update on the whole Microsoft Office started. Two separate software packages running at the same time. I knew that I had to take my sister for an appointment for some lab work so I couldn’t stay for the whole process. Another lady was there, I figured she could handle finishing the process, it was better than half way through, so I left.

Later in the evening I was working on the standard evening crocheting projects and got a call from my great grand children in North Carolina. Somehow our phones acted up and our call didn’t go smoothly even with one attempt after another. Still later in the evening I got some sad news. Last week my cousin’s wife died of COVID. Yesterday her husband, my cousin died of the same disease. 

Food pantry was more on the busy side than on the slower side today. That makes two week s that we have had a day that was a little higher in number of people than there was all during the pandemic. Maybe things are possibly on the up swing. 

Today’s photo challenge is “landscape”. I live in the city so, of course, the landscapes I see most are of the streets and neighborhoods. Of course I still have the nearby park where there is some beautiful landscaping but I thought for a change I would use one of the city streets.

The word today is fleeting.  Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever. Napoleon Bonaparte.  Modernity is the transient, the fleeting, the contingent; it is one half of art, the other being the eternal and the immovable. Charles Baudelaire. As distant prospects please us, but when near We find but desert rocks and fleeting air, Samuel Garth. Thus shall ye think of all this fleeting world: As star at dawn, a bubble in a stream A flash of lightning in a summer cloud A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream. Gautama Buddha.  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. Time is so fleeting that if we do not remember God in our youth, age may find us incapable of thinking of him. Hans Christian Andersen. While we contemplate in all creatures, as in a mirror, those immense riches of His wisdom, justice, goodness and power, we should not meerly run them over cursorily, and, so to speak, with a fleeting glance, but we should ponder them at length, turn them over in our mind seriously and faithfully and recollect them repeatedly. Martin Luther. Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant; all the rest of his life is either past and gone, or not yet revealed. Marcus Aurelius. The flourishing life cannot be achieved until we moderate our desires and see how superficial and fleeting they are, Epictetus. Time itself flows on with constant motion, just like a river: for no more than a river can the fleeting hour stand still. As wave is driven on by wave, and, itself pursued, pursues the one before, so the moments of time at once flee and follow, and are ever new, Ovid.

Here is a story about another of the Columbus neighborhoods, German Village. The article begins telling about how in 1802, an American Revolution veteran claimed 328 acres, most of what would become the German Village. As German immigrants arrived, McGowan sold tracts of land to them. In 1830 there was a large wave of German immigration. Many of them had served in the American Civil War and gained “universal respect for local citizens”. In 1865 one third of Columbus was German. A local neighborhood grew with businesses, schools, and churches such as the historic St. Mary’s Catholic Church.  In the twentieth century others from eastern Europe came to Columbus and a “brother neighborhood” was formed, Hungarian Village. There was a period of decline after the closing of local breweries during Prohibition. Later when manufacturing was zoned into the area there was “erosion of the residential feel”.  In growing years there were streetcar tracks and wrought iron fences that later, during WW II these icons of the era were “confiscated for the war effort” adding to the developing slum so much of the area was demolished. One gentleman wouldn’t give up and bought a house with the determination to rebuild the neighborhood. One of the events that helped with new growth was a Haus und Garten Tour. For this event there were eight restored homes and gardens. Historical architecture was saved and the area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. According to the article more than 1,600 buildings have been restored since 1960. The area is mostly red brick homes with wrought iron fences and brick-paved streets. Worthy of note is that in 2007 Berman Village was recognized by the White House as a “Preserve America Community”. 

I am making navy bean soup in the pressure cooker for dinner along with grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Joy

                                                                             Neglect? 

 September 26, 2021 a thought for today, The world of humans is divided by lines, but the mind knows no limits, the heart no barriers. Moroccan Proverb

I left for church very early this morning. I wanted to get a bit of a head start on printing the newsletter before I meet Dorothy tomorrow to finish it. I didn’t know if I would run into some problems with the copier. Fortunately, there wasn’t too much of a problem to start with. The formatting was off kilter, as has been the habit for the part month or so, lines cut off and out of format. The stapling that has been off was working ...... for the first fifty copies. There was a paper jam, after that the stapling didn’t work. I finished printing without the stapling (I will do the ones I copied without staples by hand tomorrow). I want to see if maybe the paper jam upset the timing on the stapling. I will test that theory tomorrow. If it is still off, I guess we will have to call for repair. I had copied about seventy-five copies when it was time too quick for church service. 

Our photo theme for yesterday was “rows”. I couldn’t immediately come up with an idea for an image of rows. I thought of the slats in the porch swing or the slats in the neighbors’ fence and the row of plants along the side of my house. Then I thought of the row of beautiful houses along my neighborhood street. So I went out to take that shot, and found the row of cars along the curb so I used that image for my submission. 

My favorite minister gave the sermon this morning. As usual his sermon was quite meaningful for me. Our returning numbers are still low. Hopefully we will fill more of the pews at some point soon. 

Sue needs to run some errands this week so when I got home from church I asked if she would want to get one of them out of the way today. She said she would like that so I dropped her off at a thrift store for some shopping. I will pick her up when she calls. In the mean time I can get some things chalked off my to-do list (which is short due to this being Sunday). 

The word for today is finished. Art is never finished, only abandoned. Leonardo da Vinci. There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory. Francis Drake. What is not started today is never finished tomorrow. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  When you're finished changing, you're finished, Benjamin Franklin. The wise man, the true friend, the finished character, we seek everywhere, and only find in fragments. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Half finished work generally proves to be labor lost, Abraham Lincoln. The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you're finished, Benjamin Franklin.  What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us. The greatest university of all is a collection of books. Thomas Carlyle. Now let us find solace in the finished work of our Lord Jesus. Everything is fully done: justice demands no more, Charles Spurgeon. Beauty is part of the finished language by which goodness speaks, George Eliot. While a man is stringing a harp, he tries the strings, not for music, but for construction. When it is finished it shall be played for melodies. God is fashioning the human heart for future joy. He only sounds a string here and there to see how far His work has progressed, Henry Ward Beecher.  

The photo challenge for today is “ behind me”. Before church started I took a partial selfie of the side of my face with the rest of the church behind me. Later, when I stopped at McDonalds, I took this shot out the back window of my car.

Lets learn about some of Columbus neighborhoods. Here’s Italian Village, a historic district of Columbus and part of the Short North area. It is located close to the downtown so has access to work, culture, education and entertainment. Eighty percent of the buildings are residential with other commercial structures. According to the article, Italian Village was one of the first suburbs in Columbus. In 1823 the Columbus-Worthington Pike (High Street) was built. This road is what precipitated residential growth in the Italian Village area.  In 1862 the Italian Village was annexed to Columbus. With the advent of street systems and alleys “that serviced horse stables behind residences” the village grew. In the 1900s Italian Village was a well established “residential community”. The village was an immigrant neighborhood concentrating on Italian immigrants in the beginning. However, from 1850-1870 the Irish made up part of the village. There was a street there nicknamed “Irish Broadway”. African Americans moved in for work prospects, railroad machinery and iron works. They established the Bethany Baptist Colored Church in 1882. The village continued to grow into the 1940s then it declined after World War II. Many of the residents moved to the suburbs and lower income families moved in. The larger homes were converted into multiple family homes. Due to low income families not being able to support the businesses in the village it continued to decline and became a “slum clearance program for construction of the inner belt and urban renewal”. The article related: “Concerned with the destruction of historic buildings, neighborhood residents and property owners began to take action”. In 1973 a group was formed to “preserve the historic value of the district”. Middle income families moved back to the neighborhood. New churches were built, catholic churches as well as others become landmarks. St. John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church, founded in 1896, flourished and drew members, mostly Italian immigrants, is still there with the sound of Italian spoken throughout the halls after Mass.  Today there are many restaurants and bars in Italian Village along with art galleries. The Short North entertainments are close by with theaters, farmers markets and parks. This particular article was quite lengthy so if you are interested in more information about the Italian Village in Columbus Ohio do a search through Google. 

Taco Bell for dinner. 

Joy

a peaceful walk in a beautiful park with an extra dropping along the path

 September 24, 2021 a thought for today, Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bone. Moroccan Proverb

What a day....actually, what a week. To begin with my calendar schedule was filling up to the point of pulling my hair out. So much so that I moved to finish the newsletter to several days later than the usual finishing day. Here it is Friday and as I am recounting the week. I find that I can’t think of a time where there were so many plans made and then changed at the last minute. Tuesday Sue had a doctor’s appointment that was on the calendar, we found out on Monday that was changed to another date. We were going to have the twins for an overnight on Thursday (yesterday), that got turned around, another adventure came up for them. Today I was scheduled to have a tooth pulled and to receive a dental bridge. We got to the appointment and were in the waiting room when we learned that the dental bridge wasn’t ready yet so the appointment got moved to next week. Seems I could have just kept my normal newsletter week schedule after all. 

The photo challenge for September 23, 2021 was “mirror”. While I was completing my list today, I combined a search for my photo theme. I found five mirrors in the building. I liked this mirror and it’s surroundings best. 

Since I had moved the newsletter printing, I didn’t make an all out effort to get it done by Thursday. I put it on the back burner according to the calendar schedule. There were two items still to be formatted. When Lowell dropped me off after the trip to the dental office, this morning I got to work on the newsletter. After about two hours the newsletter is complete. 

The weather has taken a pretty surprising turn. The temperature has dropped about twenty degrees. I turned the furnace on. I may have to put a sweat shirt on too. 

Today’s photo theme is “sad”. For me this is “sad” because of
the disregard for something that had a health value and another for someone’s choice of final resting place.

The word today is fine. It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds. Aesop. The best effort of a fine person is felt after we have left their presence, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  There is nothing so agonizing to the fine skin of vanity as the application of a rough truth, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton.  That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, lest you should think he never could recapture the first fine careless rapture! Robert Browning.  ...True prayer is measured by weight, not by length. A single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a fine oration of great length, Charles Spurgeon. There are people who laugh to show their fine teeth; and there are those who cry to show their good hearts, Philibert Joseph Roux. The intellectual quest, though fine as pearl or coral, is not the spiritual search. That spiritual search is on another level. Spiritual wine is a different substance, Rumi. The best part of health is fine disposition, Ralph Waldo Emerson. There is nothing so absurd as knowledge spun too fine, Benjamin Franklin.  There are fine things that are more brilliant when they are unfinished than when finished too much, Francois de La Rochefoucauld.  

Here in this article is some talk about taking down another historic building. That makes me sad. The article shares some conflicting views on this plan. I personally like to see old buildings restored and re-purposed. The South Dormitory in the area of The Ohio State University campus is planned to be demolished to create a parking lot. It was built in 1935. As a point of interest and consideration while reading this story, the article mentioned that in 2021 the city spent over $20 million to renovate a nearby larger main building that was built in 1874. The North and the South dormitories accommodated 132 students each, the North Dormitory for boys and the South Dormitory for girls. They were designed in the Jacobethan Revival Style “with materials and details that cannot be matched or afforded today”. The North Dormitory is not slated to be demolished as the South Dormitory is slated for that fate. According to the article the South Dormitory hasn’t been occupied for almost twenty-five years. The demolition request is scheduled on October 14. Apparently a “no” vote from the neighborhood group could slow down the process but not stop the demolition. Both the North and the South Dormitory buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There are thoughts and hopes that the “aesthetic, cultural and historic value of the building.....(and) .hopes the city will also consider the environmental impact of tearing down the South Dormitory”. This way of thinking considers “reuse of the existing building and reduces new construction that would save on carbon emissions”. Toward this form of  thought the building is “100% preservation worthy”. 

It’s pizza night again.....yeah

Joy

left behind

 September 22, 2021 a thought for the day, A devil takes one and makes two, a saint takes two and makes one. Monacan  Proverb

Wow, what a whirl wind day. I finished the bulletin, did the shut in envelopes and the craft pages for HM3. I finished most of this just before I had to leave for working at the food pantry.

It has been pouring rain most of the morning so we didn’t have too many clients show up at food pantry today. Yesterday was quite different. The number of people we had come in yesterday was almost back to what it was before the pandemic. It felt good to have that many people back. Hopefully next week will be busy too. 

The photo theme for September 21 was “pile”. This happens to be healthy collection of bread available to our food pantry guests. 

I think I mentioned that I have put off finishing the newsletter until next Monday. I’m even more glad I did as time passes. There is still a good bit to get done and not much time left to do it before Friday. Having the weekend is a relief.  

The word for today is feelings.  Never play with the feelings of others, because you may win the game but the risk is that you will surely lose the person for life time. William Shakespeare.  Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth. Benjamin Disraeli.  When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. Rumi.  Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by reason. Samuel Adams.  First feelings are always the most natural. Louis XIV. Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts? Confucius. Butterflies are but flowers that blew away one sunny day when Nature was feeling at her most inventive and fertile. George Sand.  See to it that each hour's feelings, and thoughts, and actions are pure and true; then will your life be such. Henry Ward Beecher.   Let’s not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives and we obey them without realizing it. Vincent Van Gogh. If we would know what heaven is before we come thither, let us retire into the depths of our own spirits, and we shall find it there among holy thoughts and feelings. Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Never exaggerate, but express your feelings with moderation. Teresa of Avila.  One makes use of pigments, but one paints with one's feelings, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin.  Like waves, our feelings may continue by repeating themselves, by intermittent rushes; but no emotion any more than a wave can long retain its own individual form. Henry Ward Beecher.

Today’s photo challenge is “hobby”. I have a few. Besides the photography I have been attached to for a number of years, most of my life off and on, I enjoy reading and crocheting also.  I was in a hurry to get this uploaded since my day was full and added a filter that I am a little disappointed with at the conclusion of the processing but I didn’t have time to change it. I’m afraid that it makes the equipment look a little dingy. 

Here’s a little more about our community. The opening line of this article is “On March 30, 1803, the State of Ohio authorized the creation of Franklin County. The county originally was part of Ross County. The county was named in honor of Benjamin Franklin.” The article went on to summarize the establishment of Columbus as the capital of Ohio in 1812  and some of the historic places in Columbus such as the first penitentiary here in 1813. The first church, school and newspaper in 1814. In 1824 Columbus became to county seat. In 1834 we were 5000 people large.  We became a city at that time too. We are now the largest city in population in Ohio. Franklin County is 540 square miles large. Even though the population is large, we still had six hundred farms in 2000. More tidbits of information are that Columbus is the birthplace of Wendy’s and long time home of White Castle. Some major research services in Columbus is Battelle Memorial Institute, OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc, and Chemical Abstracts Services. In the area of cultural life we have music, drama, dance and other art organizations which also include the Columbus Museum of Art, the Ohio Historical Center, the Center of Ohio Science and Industry. In the sports area Franklin County is home of the NCAA football national champion Ohio State Buckeyes, the Blue Jacket and the Columbus Crews are here. There famous names who visited the city or have some kind of attachment here, George Bellows, Alice Schille, Eddie Rickenbacker, and James Thurber. And just to boast about the State of Ohio we have eight presidents, William Harrison, Gant, Hayes, Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, McKinley, Taft and Harding.  

I am making a quick Tuna Helper dinner. 

Joy

trapped

September 20, 2021 a thought for today, Worth makes the man and want of it the fellow. Mexican Proverb

“That” week has come around again. The one with the bulletin and the newsletter and two days of food pantry. To add to that I have two doctors’ appointments, one for Sue and one for me. As well as a meeting tonight and HM3 on Saturday.  No time for worry or procrastination. I have called my newsletter helper to see if she would mind moving the day we do the bundling to next Monday instead of this Friday. It was fine with her, so that is a bit of a welcome respite. 

The photo challenge for yesterday was “chair”. This “challenge” is on the easy side. There are chairs all over the place. If I had a more ‘artistic mind’ I would have created a more exciting image. This one showed pretty much a homey feel. It was in my church conference rooms which is kind of home like. 

I got the template set up for the minister’s information when it gets here. I got bits and pieces done on the newsletter. There are at least two items I’m sure I won’t get until the last minute, it’s become an established habit by now. I have three people noted.

The weather today seems to be a sort of “crossover”. It’s not hot and it’s not cold yet, it “progressing” in a lazy like manner. It’s in between today. Pleasantly. It also looks like rain will be visiting soon. 

All of my “indoor garden” is back inside now. I have down sized in the number of plants I have kept and on the size. I have kept some cuttings that were taken at different intervals. I have given away the larger plants that have outgrown my ability to care for them. Now everything is more manageable at least for a while. 

One of today’s photo themes is “I believe....”. This one also seemed easy for me. This book sits on a
table by my computer all the time so I chose it for today. 

I got the sink cleared and the spaghetti sauce started. In a while I want to make some homemade dinner rolls. 

The word for today is fear.  We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. Plato. Always do what you are afraid to do. Ralph Waldo Emerson. I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship. Louisa May Alcott.  To him who is in fear everything rustles. Sophocles.  I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve. Montesquieu. We consume our tomorrows fretting about our yesterdays. Persius. Fear makes us feel our humanity. Benjamin Disraeli. There are times when fear is good. It must keep its watchful place at the heart's controls, Aeschylus. Fear not for the future, weep not for the past, Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey. Lord Byron.  Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance, Francis of Assisi. Half of the failures in life come from pulling one's horse when he is leaping, Thomas Hood. Cruelty and fear shake hands together, Honore de Balzac.   

I had a second photo of the day for today. The theme for this one was titled “in the style of Mark Rothko”. I had never heard of this artist so I had to google it. Mark Rothko is an American abstract painter of Latvian Jewish descent. He is best known for his color field paintings that depicted irregular and painterly rectangular regions of color. My sister just pained one of the walls in the bathroom. She pained it orange against the gray of the other three walls. That seemed perfect for a Mark Rothko style.  

The article today is about the Southern Theatre and it’s 125 year. The architecture of this theater has always fascinated me. It’s gorgeous. I think I have been in there only twice and both time walked through with my mouth open in awe. A hundred and twenty five years ago F. Scott Fitzgerald was born, Harriet Beecher Stowe died and women didn’t have the right to vote and there was the Southern Theatre in Columbus, Ohio. It is said that” you can whisper on the stage and hear that whisper can be heard in the furthest row away”. I had not paid much attention that it is actually attached to a hotel, now called the Westin Great Southern Hotel. According to the article there were several theaters on Broad Street over the years. I also learned from the article that when electricity was starting to come to Columbus the Southern was the first to be “electrified”. Until then the theaters were lit by gas jets, the main reason why builders used steel and brick for construction. “Notable names” made appearances to the Southern. W.C. Fields, John Philip Sousa, John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore to name some. Major plays like Ben-Hur, with “two chariots with horses galloping across the stage on a treadmill”. In the 1920s theater was not so well attended due to automobiles and good roads allowing people could visit other places of entertainment. Another problem that changed things for theaters was radio and movies. In 1914 a movie screen and projector were installed in the Southern. In the 1990s there was a renovating of the theater and the projector and screen were removed. The building was used for graduation ceremonies and other community events. It was purchased by the North American Broadcasting Company and WMNI radio broad cast from there. Live performances ended in 1979. In 1982 the theater and hotel was sold. Four years later the theater was in disrepair, the stage damaged and seats torn out. It was then donated to CAPA. Currently there are 933 seats as compared to the 2,791 seats in its heyday. Today there are touring acts hosted there and is a home base for several arts groups.  

I am making my dad’s recipe for spaghetti for dinner.

Joy

left overs, anyone?

September 18, 2021 a thought for the day, All work is as seed sown; it grows and spreads, and sows itself anew. Persian Proverb

I’m not a spur of the moment persons so Sue and I have to coordinate our timing on many things.  She had plans for something today. I was going to take her and drop her off then come back home and work on what I need to get done before HM3 tonight. Shortly after she came down for breakfast, she let me know that her plans had changed and there wouldn’t be an outing today. So I headed into a new direction and some new plans for today. I had planned to get some of the house plants in today, now  I will have a little more time on that project. I will probably have to leave a few of them for tomorrow. 

The photo theme for September 17 was “plant”. I hadn’t brought the majority of the houseplants in from the outside yet so I took this shot of some of them waiting to some in. I used a couple filters on the image to add a pronounced look to the shape of the leaves and then added a dark vignette to the edges.  

Tiffany took two of the larger plants that I was trying to find new homes for but I still have about a half dozen smaller plants left. Bob moved them to the front yard for me after he got the mowing done. They will have to be rescued this weekend or they will meet a different ending. 

It’s gorgeous outside, a perfect time for an ending to summer. Autumn will be here in a few days.

I write a little then move to the outside to pick another plant to bring in. The largest ones are in except for the two large hanging baskets and two Bob will have to move upstairs for me, those will come in tomorrow. I think I can finish the smaller ones before the day is over. Then I can clean the back deck and get it ready for the new season. 

The word today is family.  Peace in society depends upon peace in the family, Saint Augustine  The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home, Confucius. Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world, Napoleon Bonaparte.  To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right, Confucius. Love sought is good, but given unsought, is better, William Shakespear. You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation, Brigham Young.  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. Children are potentially free and their life directly embodies nothing save potential freedom. Consequently they are not things and cannot be the property either of their parents or others, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. The happiness of the domestic fireside is the first boon of Heaven; and it is well it is so, since it is that which is the lot of the mass of mankind, Thomas Jefferson. There is health in table talk and nursery play. We must wear old shoes and have aunts and cousins, Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Today’s photo challenge is “mess”. My garage reminds me of a stuffed and seldom visited attic. There are storage bins full of odds and ends that were taken out of the house when we remodeled over a year ago. There is little room left for outdoor utilities. We are going to have “remember” these things and get them out of there. 

It might be nice to learn a little history about surrounding places in and around Columbus. I spent much of my teen years at Buckeye Lake. Our aunt and uncle lived there for many of my growing up years.  I found some articles that tell about different parts of Ohio and how they became what they are today. I watch a show on Thursdays called Broad and High and part of that is Columbus Neighborhoods. That’s where I started searching for information to pass on. From this article I learned some things about the lake that I didn’t know. For instance, I didn’t realize it began as a small pond in the eighteenth century and Ohio Indians called it “Big Swamp”.  When Ohioans started the Ohio and Erie Canal in the 1820s a dike was built that caused water from the Licking River to be channeled into the “small pond”. The name then changed to Licking Summit Reservoir. As the water flowed it caused sphagnum moss to break away. The moss created a floating island now known as the Cranberry Bog State Nature Preserve. It has shrunk over the years from about fifty acres. It has produced cranberries and some other plants and wildlife make their home on the island. The canal declined in its use and the Ohio and Erie Canal was abandoned. At about that time the name of the “big swamp” was again changed to Buckeye Lake which became a public park in 1894. Buckeye Lake became more and more popular for recreational activities. An electric trolley system called the Columbus, Buckeye Lake and Newark Interurban Electric Railway was established. In 1906 the Buckeye Lake Yacht Club was formed and still exists. Finally in 1910 an amusement park was created on the north shore. The Great Depression, as most major events of this nature, led to changes. The rail system went out of business so it was more difficult for people to get to the lake. Many families bought cottages, some stayed year round. More attractions were added to the amusement park. A roller coaster, a roller skating rink, a nightclub and the Crystal Ballroom and Pool were added. The ball room attracted famous performers. Guy Lombardo, Count Basie, Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington, among others. All of this continued through the 1940s. As many as fifty thousand people visited the park each day (we use to take Uncle Dean's speed boat across the lake from the cottage to the park for a day’s outing).  In its heyday Buckeye Lake became a state park. In the 1960s the park was in a decline that led to no recovery. All that remains today is a fountain on the North Shore. It is still a state park but all of the amusement portions of the park are gone. There are still many vacation homes on the lake and near the park. 

We will have hamburgers and French fries for dinner. 

Joy

                                                           line, textures and other shapes

 September 16, 2021 a thought for today, If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come. Native American Arapaho

It’s always exciting and full of the light of energy when we have the twins here for an overnight. It doesn’t happen as often as it use to so all that energy takes a minute to adjust to when there has been a space between visits. 

Yesterday’s photo theme was “pet”. I took Sweet Pea to the park today.  I tried to get a shot of her and that turned out to be a circus of sorts. I had to keep her leash in my hand and focus and shoot with the other. This is what I got.....not of bad. 

After I finished the printing at church for the week and got home. More adventures began. The girls decided they wanted to visit the park. There are two play ground areas at the park, they don’t agree on which area they want, one wants one area the other one wants the other area. So it is a stop at each place. Then a swing by the pond to see if any youngsters are fishing which is the case on most summer days. There wasn’t today, however. Then we made a stop at the Dollar General so they could “shop” and spend their change. After that it was a “luncheon” at McDonalds where a food fight, small and of sorts, began after they got bored. That was the signal that is was time to gather up and head for home. 

Once at home they started on their separate enterprises and I began mine. I started the laundry which will take the rest of the day along with cooking and my photos for the day. Speaking of which, as I waited in the parking lot while they “shopped” I played around trying to get the shot for the day’s title “begins with E”. I even experimented with taking shots of my own ears and eyes (sheepish grin). 

This is one of the days I had a second photo of the day today. The title was “hat”. I have kept the last hat from the Columbus Fire Department that my father wore.  'Nuf said.

The word for today is falsehood.  Truth at last cannot be hidden. Dissimulation is of no avail. Dissimulation is to no purpose before so great a judge. Falsehood puts on a mask. Nothing is hidden under the sun, Leonardo da Vinci. Blessed be the God's voice; for it is true, and falsehoods have to cease before it!  Thomas Carlyle. Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it. Blaise Pascal. Tyranny and injustice always produce cunning and falsehood, Maria Edgeworth. Tangible language, which often tells more falsehoods than truths, Abraham Lincoln.  Indiscretion, rashness, falsehood, levity, and malice, produce each other, Johann Kaspar Lavater.  A liar begins with making falsehood appear like truth, and ends with making truth itself appear like falsehood. William Shenstone. Truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water. Miguel de Cervantes. Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay; falsehood by haste and uncertainty. Tacitus. It is an affront to treat falsehood with complaisance. Thomas Paine. Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth. Desiderius Erasmus. Accuracy of statement is one of the first elements of truth; inaccuracy is a near kin to falsehood. Tryon Edwards. Exaggeration is a blood relation to falsehood and nearly as blamable. Hosea Ballou.  Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it, so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale hath had its effect, Jonathan Swift. Fraud and falsehood only dread examination. Truth invites it, Samuel Johnson.  

Today’s photo theme is “something that begins with E” as I mentioned in the paragraph above. After I got home, I managed to get one of the twins to “pose” for me. I got this gorgeous image. I didn’t use one of the images that I took earlier of my own eye, that capture wasn’t so good. I had of my ear that wasn’t too bad but this image is much better. 

Those of you who know me know I am an animal lover so I like stories about animals being rescued and/or helped. Also stories of the people who help the human animal. Quid pro quo per species or more help on one side than the other? This article is about a person who tries to help dog get adopted through using her facebook page. The author says she got started by wanting to take a dog at a local shelter for a walk to see if she could do it without getting upset. She fell “completely in love with her”. She said she could not work at shelters where animals not adopted get euthanized. She began her adventure by posting selfies with dogs on Facebook. From that she got a lot of “friend requests”. So she started a separate page called “my dog shelter friends @ the Richland County Dog Shelter.” She felt that showing the dogs more than inside the shelter building would give a more open view of the dog, “a different light”. She has almost 5,000 followers. She takes the dog out of the shelter to McDonalds, or on a bike trail where she can take candid shots. Now s he works for a no kill shelter and doesn’t want to put the shelter in a bad light because the do a great job. The dogs are fed and cared for and get a second chance to a loving family. She even had after hours events to raise money to help the shelter in the care of the animals particularly medical costs.  And the shelter tries to match dogs to their forever families. She says that stopping at the shelter after her day job is a wind-down time. 

I am going to try a recipe I heard about on HGTV’s The Kitchen, Sunny’s Quick Bolognese with Pappardelle (with a couple of modifications).

Joy 

       even puddles hold mystery in their nature....there just a bit of distraction added to this one

 September 14, 2021 a thought for today, Great chiefs prove their worthiness. Native American Seneca

Today was a grocery shopping day. I wasn’t out of too much but what I was out of was important. Anyway, it, the shopping and all that comes with it, still takes that big chunk of energy. The ins and outs of the cart and car and the putting away. I can remember that same chore when I had three babies under five years old. It was a huge “happening” then but not nearly the stress on brawn and bones that is now all these nearly sixty years from that era.

On September 13 the photo a day challenge was “on my wall”. As is true of most photographers I have a lot of framed photos. But I don’t have them mounted on the walls. I don’t have the gumption to climb a ladder to hang them properly anymore so they line some of my walls, artfully placed I might add, along the floor lines. This one won out and got itself hung on a day I had a lot of energy. 

By the time all that energy has been used up and the body seems deflated there is nothing left to even attempt an action in some other direction. So its looks like all productivity for the rest of the day will be postponed. 

The word for today is fall/fallen.  Keep your eyes open to your mercies. The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life. Robert Louis Stevenson. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns, George Eliot. Let us draw a lesson from nature, which always works by short ways. When the fruit is ripe, it falls, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Limited in his nature, infinite in his desire, man is a fallen god who remembers heaven. Alphonse de Lamartine.  A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished. Friedrich Schiller. Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile, William C. Bryant. He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. Aeschylus.  Where there are large powers with little ambition... nature may be said to have fallen short of her purposes. Jonathan Swift.  First I shake the whole Apple tree, that the ripest might fall. Then I climb the tree and shake each limb, and then each branch and then each twig, and then I look under each leaf, Martin Luther. The drops of rain make a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling. Lucretius. But words are things, and a small drop of ink, Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. Lord Byron. There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root, Henry David Thoreau.

The photo a day theme for today is “happy”. I have scads of shots in the archives of my kids, my grand
kids and the twins that I could have used but I wanted something more current. I didn’t shoot this one but it caught my eye and seemed perfect for todays “assignment”. I thought of the “assignment” as could have meant pick a photo that fits “happy”. My granddaughter in law sent this one to me so I asked for permission to borrow it. 

This article has an interesting and possibly helpful side. It is about something called the “armyworms” and has a possible solution. There is a family owned farm in Uhrichsville along Crooked Creek, that raises cattle. A couple of weeks ago they noticed a brown spot in one of the pastures. A couple of days later it had grown to twice it’s original size. This is about the time he had received information about armyworms. He had also read that a farmer who raised turkeys lived nearby. He got an idea about using them for the problem. So he contacted the farmer and bought 90 turkeys. He turned them loose in his pastures. The turkeys began pecking at the tiny holes that were in the ground. This seemed to attract a bunch of starlings who joined in the fun. According to the article within days the armyworms were gone agronomist came out to check on the farm and the worm problem. It so happened that when the starlings were waiting to come into the field they were sitting on high power lines and blew out the power. The pasture was then named “Pasture 911". Two ranchers had been working on an idea to use poultry to “rehabilitate pastures that had been under-grazed or over-grazed”. When they were developing this idea they heard about the armyworm problem and decided this was a perfect opportunity to put it all together. This project was a great success. There is hope that the pasture will be back to normal next spring. The turkeys will most likely become Thanksgiving dinners. I learned from the article that the worms are semi-tropical and normally live in the southern parts of the country but have been destroying lawns and crops in Ohio for the past several weeks. The farmer was able to use the turkeys to control the worms instead of chemicals. 

I am trying to think of something quick and easy to fix for dinner. We have some left overs that will work or some frozen chicken fries. 

Joy

Under the branches of a shade tree

 September 12, 2021 a thought for today, Even in paradise, living all alone would be hell. Native American Seneca 

There was a bit more activity in the church today than there has been in a long time. They weren’t all there for our church service but it was nice to hear and see all the activity. 

The September 11th photo of the day theme was “how I feel today”. First I made an image of Sweet Pea as she lay curled up on the carpet taking one of her naps...that seemed to be a good fit. Then I had to go out for errands so I went by the park and happened upon this image, captured the moment and came home to see if it would work. 

As usual for Sunday I don’t have a long agenda for today. On the other hand I wanted to get the plants that need separated and transplanted off of the to do list. So when I got home from church I tackled that chore. Now it is out of the way. I put some plants that need new homes out by the curb. In years past I have done that and people took them almost before I got them set up. This year there hasn’t been any interest at all. Bob and I put them out yesterday and again today. I will move them to the back tonight and try one more time next week end. Then I will have to take a different way. I may have to throw some out. I really need to “downsize” on that are of my daily chores. 

I planned on stopping by the neighborhood art gallery on the way home but there wasn’t any parking left when I came by the shop so I passed on it for this week. 

So the rest of the day is on the relaxed and easy going side. 

The word today is experience.  No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man. Heraclitus.  Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. Soren Kierkegaard.  One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning. James Russell Lowell.  Experience is the teacher of all things. Julius Caesar. I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. Patrick Henry.  The head learns new things, but the heart forever practices old experiences. Henry Ward Beecher. By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. Confucius. Simplicity is the most difficult thing to secure in this world; it is the last limit of experience and the last effort of genius. George Sand. The wise are instructed by reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity and the brute by instinct. Marcus Tullius Cicero. No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience. John Locke. Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. John Milton. 

Today’s photo challenge is “this is useful”. I took shots of some of my major cooking utensils like Kitchen Aid mixer, food processor, mandolin and on. I made a flat lay of my laptop, tablet, cell pone/camera, keyboard and channel selectors. Then I spotted this one on my way home from church. 

This article is a bit about the beginning of roads in Ohio. The article started with the statement “long ago when driving along at 65 to 70 mph across Ohio was not possible.” It went on to say that until the “completion of the interstate highway system.....traffic moved considerably slower”. In the beginning of the state the roads were mostly dirt and followed paths of animals and the Native Americans. As the state grew in the 1800s there were “corduroy roads”. Trees were cut, split and laid out to cross muddy places in the paths. In the cities there was a system called “wood block system”. This system was paving the streets with brick-like wooden blocks laid side by side on a gravel bed. These blocks cracked, warped and broke over short periods time and changing weather. Later bricks were used. Brick streets “remain a fixture in German Village.” However, bricks are hard on automobiles. Moving on, streets were built of macadamized asphalt. The National Road, 1811, was made of a durable layer of gravel. Along that highway stone bridges as they crossed waterways. The National Road came to Columbus in 1831. The article went on to point out that the “real change in Ohio” began with bicycles and automobiles which became more available to more people. Automobiles became less expensive and came with improvements like self starters and dependable headlights. All of this brought on better roads. Beginning in the 1900s federal, state and local money was used to build paved highways. I liked this sentence in the article, “In the years after World War II, a road trip was something of an adventure that usually was an adventure.” It was slower than traffic today mostly because they were two lane roads. Traffic became heavier and there were trucks using the roads too. Roadside parks came into existence so that people could stop and rest. There was no air conditioning so the trips in the summer could be uncomfortable and these. Even with all this the article related that travel on the “back roads of Ohio was interesting.....at a speed of 35 mph.” It took longer to get to places but it also allowed for more sight seeing. 

I think it will be taco bell tonight for dinner. 

Joy

 September 10, 2021 a thought for today, The words of God are not like the oak leaf which dies and falls to the earth, but like the pine tree which stays green forever. Native American Plains Indian

I am back from the dentist. The cleaning is done and the imprints for the bridges have been made.

I have to have another tooth pulled when the bridge is ready. Two more weeks and I will be done with the dentist for a while. 

On September 9, the photo-a-day title was “begins with M”. I saw all kinds of things that begin with M, this one seemed to stand out the most. It also offers a couple of the basics of good and tasteful art. 

Wow, was it chilly when I got up this morning. They are predicting the temps to go up for several days after today so I don’t think I will turn the furnace on just yet. 

I got some light house work done after I got home. Then worked on a church project. I have worked out a process to get some very old photos from one computer to the other. I have my photo shop set up on one of the computers and not on the other. I think I will work on transferring some of the ones I need for two new projects I am starting this afternoon.  

Since the weather is supposed to be warmer tomorrow, I hope to spend a concentrated effort in moving some more of the house plants back inside. 

Today’s photo challenge is “ what I am watching”. As I glanced out my window, I “watched” a couple of my neighbors working in their yards. I saw two or three different folks at different times walking their dogs down the street. I watched a man on a skate board zooming by my house. I saw a couple of different people on bicycles at different time. All of these beside the things I watched off and on on the TV. 

The word for today is excellence.  The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. Confucius. We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started. Henry Ward Beecher. In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Life's like a play: it's not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters. Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts. Aristotle. In my judgment, excellence and wealth are direct opposites, since when the one shrinks, the other grows, and when one grows, the other shrinks. Apollonius of Tyana. These virtues are formed in man by his doing the actions ... The good of man is a working of the soul in the way of excellence in a complete life, Aristotle. To enjoy the things we ought and to hate the things we ought has the greatest bearing on excellence of character, Aristotle. The brave are born from the brave and good. In steers and in horses  is to be found the excellence of their sire; nor do savage eagles produce a peaceful dove, Horace.  The most important part of education is right training in the nursery. The soul of the child in his play should be trained to that sort of excellence in which, when he grows to manhood, he will have to be perfected, Plato.  Nothing is more noble, nothing more venerable than fidelity. Faithfulness and truth are the most sacred excellences and endowments of the human mind, Marcus Tullius Cicero.

This is one of the dates that I had a second photo of the day to find and upload. This one was titled “post card of my hometown”. I have several views of the city in my archives but this seemed to be the closest at hand and the most representative. 

The article for today is talking about how the width of the Scioto River was changed here in Columbus over time. In the early 1900s the land west of High Street sloped and created a slum of sorts. There was a plan in 1908 to widen the mall from the Statehouse westward across the river but it didn’t happen mostly because of a major objection from one particular business. In 1913 there was a huge flood. Then there was some new and ongoing development downtown between 1918 and the mid 1960s. Central High School (now COSI) was the first building built during this “new development”. At about this time the city “walled in the river and widened it to three times its natural width”. It seemed to “behave” better as a flood control although there was a major flood in 1959. In 2013 a dam and surrounding sediment were removed, narrowing the river to 300 feet (91 m) and giving the city access to 33 acres of previously submerged shoreline.  In 2015 art, green space, paths and event venues were completed with the Scioto Mile Project.  According to the article “both old and new walls still flank the river and the grassy banks, and concrete paving was designed to flood without damage in times of high water.”

It’s pizza night....

Joy

 September 8, 2021 a thought for today, When wood is chopped, wood chips will fly. Russian Proverb

I am on the tense side of emotions today. I have an appointment with the dentist this afternoon and I am not looking forward to it at all. I am supposed to go back again in Friday. 

The photo challenge for yesterday was titled “mailbox”. I toured the neighborhood looking for unique mailboxes. Well, I didn’t find that many with the description “unique” but I found this one that I think had some interesting artistic qualities beyond the mailbox itself.  

I am trying to get as much done before I leave for the dentist so that I won’t have anything on the agenda after I get home from the dentist. I don’t know how I will feel. 

Thankfully I didn’t have too much listed for today anyway. I got the bulletin done earlier this week and I have the other things ready for printing tomorrow. 

I would be getting more done with the house plants but I don’t think that will be part of today’s to-do list. 

The word for today is ethics.  In the New Testament, religion is grace and ethics is gratitude. Thomas Erskine. To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man, William Shakespeare. Between friends there is no need for justice, but people who are just still need the quality of friendship; and indeed friendliness is considered to be justice in the fullest sense, Aristotle.  Education is the art of making man ethical. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.  Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages, Thomas Jefferson.  Never by hatred is hatred appeased, but it is appeased by kindness. This is an eternal truth, Gautama Buddha. Ethics may be defined as the obligations of morality. Lajos Kossuth.  No amount of ability is of the slightest avail without honor, Thomas Carlyle. He that respects himself is safe from others. He wears a coat of mail that none can pierce, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Both wit and understanding are trifles without integrity, Oliver Goldsmith.  Honest hearts produce honest actions, Brigham Young.  Every flower of the field, every fiber of a plant, every particle of an insect carries with it the impress of its Maker and can-if duly considered-read us lectures of ethics or divinity, Sir Thomas Blount, 1st Baronet.

The photo a day theme for today is “4 o’clock”. Displaying an image with a plain clock whose hands
are on the 4 and 12 didn’t inspire me. So I added to the thought with something that may suggest what I was doing at that specific time of the day along with a digital display that showed the exact time that I was doing it. 

This article is a combination of three short stories about the Scioto Heritage Trail, some more history about Ohio. Recently there has been a development of the Ohio and Erie Canal Southern Descent Heritage Trail. It goes from Buckeye Lake to Portsmouth. Groveport had an event celebrating the opening of the driving trail. It was called: “Groveport Canal Day: Celebrating Our Heritage Along the Southern Descent Trail.” There was a tour with music and food offered.  The village of Lockbourne also had a “kickoff” event from the Locke Meadow Park with guided hikes along the Magnolia Trail. At this event there was a talk on the history of the Ohio & Erie Canal along with activities, games, a chili cook off and music. The “Heritage Trail is a 114 mile driving trail from Buckeye Lake. In Groveport at the Sharp’s Landing building there is a restored canal era building there with an ice house, smokehouse and bakery. In Portsmouth there are murals where the byway ties into the Ohio River Scenic Byway. From there into the Shawnee State Forest, the largest forest of the twenty in Ohio. On the trip one will pass by the boyhood home of Leonard Slye who became Roy Rogers when he moved to California. Part of this whole experience will take one through an area “rich in Native American history”. One of the three articles mentioned here is a story about the beginning construction of the canal to connect Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Work began in 1825 to construct the 308 mile canal to the Ohio River at Portsmouth. It was completed in 1832.  “The Ohio & Erie Canal Southern Descent Heritage Trail includes fourteen historic canal sites, in seven Ohio counties, along a 100 mile stretch of the Ohio & Erie Canal, from Newark to Portsmouth. This is The Scenic Scioto Heritage Trail”.

I am pulling something from the freezer for dinner. 

Joy

line, shape, form, texture, color, size, and depth

 September 6, 2021 a thought for today, There would be no good fortune had misfortune not helped. Russian Proverb

This has been a pleasant Monday/Labor Day so far. I didn’t set an alarm. I got up leisurely and ran through the morning rituals in an easy-going way. Once all the emails were checked and news titles scanned I worked on the bulletin. The pastor for this week got me all the information I need yesterday, well before the day I begin the template, I appreciate that consideration. I was able to get the whole thing done in about an hour and a half. Then I moved on to some routine daily chores on the computer. 

Yesterday’s photo theme was “free choice” . There is so much to see and capture in a photograph. For me mood and other outside influences have something to do with what I choose to shoot. Today the traffic lights against the clouds filled blue sky caught my attention. 

I took a break to take another baby step toward bringing the plants inside. Then I put some potatoes and eggs on for potato salad. 

I need to start work on my Christmas calendar. I have the lap top set up to find many of my old files so I opened it today to leave open to use when I get a minute here and there. I normally don’t use the lap top except for special events. It is old and very slow but serves a purpose when needed (just like me ☺).

The weather is perfect for this gorgeous September day. I really should be outside enjoying it more. Hopefully we have a lot more of these before the winter weather gets here. 

Since I got the bulletin done today, I may run some errands tomorrow.

I had a second photo of the day for yesterday, that title was “made me smile”. A new dish washer was delivered to their house that day and the box was a happy attraction for Gideon. That made me smile and remember what fun it was to hide out and enjoy the solitude of a box bigger than me was.  

The word today is enjoy.  It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. Charles Spurgeon. Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Philip Stanhope. 4th Earl of Chesterfield. True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are ever united. Wilhelm von Humboldt.  True happiness arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one's self, and in the next, from the friendship and conversation of a few select companions. Joseph Addison. Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire. Epictetus. Learning is pleasurable but doing is the height of enjoyment. Novalis. The habit of reading is the only enjoyment in which there is no alloy; it lasts when all other pleasures fade. Anthony Trollope. Life is a progress from want to want, not from enjoyment to enjoyment. Samuel Johnson.  Education alone can conduct us to that enjoyment which is, at once, best in quality and infinite in quantity. Horace Mann. The greatest sweetener of human life is Friendship. To raise this to the highest pitch of enjoyment, is a secret which but few discover. Joseph Addison. He who enjoys doing and enjoys what he has done is happy, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment, Carl Friedrich Gauss. A thing seriously pursued affords true enjoyment, Seneca the Younger. 

My photo of the day for today is "best part of my day''. I have several times of the day that are my "favorite". I have a "place" for everything to my way of thinking. and seem to need to have things done at certain times. Over time each of those "things" are important to me and claim that part of my day. But the beginning of the day is a favorite, a whole new day to be lived. Evenings are also good, a time to reflect on the day and rest. I shot this one as through the window so the lines of the screen give it a textured appearance.  

Here’s a little more history about Ohio, always a good thing. This one is about snakes and a relationship with Ohio. We don’t see to many snakes in the city, maybe a garter snake in a garden. However they still do live in Ohio as the article said there are several varieties of American rattlesnakes. The article talks about Lucas Sullivant when he came to Ohio in 1795. He grew up in poverty in western Virginia. He was a surveyor. As a note of interest, he lived a family named Treacle. There was a time that he named a creek in central Oho for them. He was able to do this because he was the member of a team who mapped the area from the Scioto River to the Miami Rivers (Virginia Military District). In 1795 on a surveying expedition he was interrupted when he was taking a nap. As the story goes a camp that he and his crew made awakened a panther and was killed when it prepared to strike. The commotion scattered embers from a fire that had been built. The next morning when Mr. Sullivant woke up he found that a large rattlesnake was coiled up in his blanket. Years later his youngest son, Joseph, wrote a story about the history of central Ohio and some of those stories were about snakes. He told about another occasion when his father encountered snakes. When Lucas was at a camp near the Marble Cliff quarries there was a “sickening odor”. It was discovered that the odor came from a “prodigious” number of snakes, mostly rattlesnakes. It is noted in the article that there are fissures and holes in the rocks along the river where the snakes came in the fall to set up “winter quarters”. The early settlers of Franklin Township had several “snake hunts”. It is stated that one of  the most famous snake dens was at the Marble Cliffs. At one point large quantities of dry wood and brush were placed in a cave where snakes were found and set on fire in the spring. It is said that hogs and bald eagles killed many of the snakes too. The article said that in exploring the area now you wouldn’t be able to find evidence of where the snakes once lived due to the dams that were built later along the Scioto. 

Hamburgers and potato salad for dinner, a sort of picnic for Labor Day. 

Joy

weeds and other distractions