January 30, 2022 a thought for today, The head of the rooster that crows out of time will be cut off. Turkish  Proverb

One of my photo challenges for yesterday was “a book cover”. I think I have mentioned before that I read mostly ebook and gain knowledge from internet sources. So I don’t have many books around. This is a book I have kept from some of my family’s collections. 

One of my two favorite ministers gave the message today. As usual it was “spot on”....maybe , this time, just a tiny bit long, nonetheless, meaningful. One disappointing thing though was the number of members who came out for the worshiping together and in person, like “where two or three are gathered together in my name, … behold, there will I be in the midst of them”. It would be heartening if it were a multitude of more than “two or three”. But it can work either way for the many of for the few.

My second photo theme for yesterday was “thankful”. I chose this image from a family gathering. I am thankful for the times I get to share with family and to be able to share moments in their lives. I added a filter to make it more like a painting or sketch 

I think we are going to get a short break in the next few days of  the below freezing temperatures. It is still cold today even with the sun as bright as it can be right this minute. 

As I have mentioned before, this is my day, Sunday, to relax, reflect, refresh and prepare for what’s ahead in the coming week. 

One of the themes for today is “mirror”. I like mirror themes. I like shadows and reflections too. This one is a church. 

The word today is perfection.  This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections. Saint Augustine. Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time. Voltaire. Every particular in nature, a leaf, a drop, a crystal, a moment of time is related to the whole, and partakes of the perfection of the whole. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself is a mark of perfection, but to bear with patience wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection and even of actual sin. Thomas Aquinas.  The man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Perfection is the child of time. Joseph Hall.  Music is harmony, harmony is perfection, perfection is our dream, and our dream is heaven. Henri Frederic Amiel. That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes. Quintilian. Consequently he who wishes to attain to human perfection, must therefore first study Logic, next the various branches of Mathematics in their proper order, then Physics, and lastly Metaphysics. Maimonides.  Humor has justly been regarded as the finest perfection of poetic genius. Thomas Carlyle.  The true picture of life as it is, if it could be adequately painted, would show men what they are, and how they might rise, not, indeed to perfection, but one step first, and then another on the ladder. Anthony Trollope. 

The second theme for today is “in a row”. There are a lot of things in my church home. The architecture and ornamentations are outstanding. These columns seemed a perfect match for this theme.

Buckeye Lake has a history in my family. Two of my mother’s siblings had homes there. One was a cottage for the quick vacations in the summer. The other was a full time home. We spend many weekends there when I was a teen. Water skiing and trips to the amusement park on the lake were fixed pass times for the spring, summer and autumn. The article today is about Buckeye Lake and an event called Winterfest that is bringing back some life and money to the area. One of the attractions this winter is Benny the Bass. Apparently it is believed by some that he can predict the coming of spring. His tank is located outside the Buckeye Lake Brewery. On this day the article related that this community had “hung together” to get through a lot, and will celebrate that the people are coming together to meet with each other again. Thousands of people ignored the cold the gather for the 7th annual Winterfest. They are gathering in dozens of restaurants, shops, and other businesses around the lake. This event starts with a Polar Plunge at the Buckeye Lake Winery in Thornville. Residents of the lake had been through some hard times one being a warning that the century old dam was about to collapse and would take more than $100 million to repair or rebuild.  The water level of the lake had to be lowered and tourism dropped. Then the pandemic hit and other problems came up causing businesses to close. But most of the businesses survived and there is some growth beginning to spring up. People hung on through the problems with the dam and then the pandemic. One other disaster happened to one of the businesses. The business caught fire. Several departments managed to save the building but things had to be restored. It was able to open two weeks after the fire. After all of the hardships the Winterfest is going to help raise sales for many of the businesses. They say they aren’t going to let the cold weather stop them. In this celebration people are walking through the businesses spending money and also taking selfies with Benny the Bass. Benny has predicted that there is going to be an early spring. Benny gobbled up a minnow meaning that Buckeye Lake will have an early Spring. It turns out that a little research gives an early spring at least a sporting chance.  A Cincinnati area fish hatchery advised that Benny would never eat the food offered the first two years that he was used give his prediction.

I think I’ll order take out from York Steak House for dinner. 

Joy

 January 28, 2022 a thought for today, The hare was offended with the mountain, but the mountain did not notice. Turkish Proverb

I got to church earlier than I usually do on a newsletter print Friday. It is very cold with a little powder of new snow so I wanted to be there before Dorothy so she didn’t have to sit in the cold waiting for me. I had the first few steps done by the time she got there so with the two of us we finished in just under an hour.

Yesterday’s first photo challenge was “dinner”. I forgot to capture an image the evening before of my dinner so I pulled one from the archives. 

After I left the church, I went by the park to get a photo of nature before heading home. 

My second image for yesterday was “made me smile”. Sweet Pea
is my main model for photos like this. She can’t help but bring a smile to most people. Those eyes are to hard to resist. 

It seems more people in my life are having positive COVID tests. Now one of my son’s has it. He was supposed to be on a trip for his job for about three weeks, that had to be cancelled. Three of my friends from church have also had positive COVID tests. 

I need to take care of a few things that have been on the back burner today and I also need to water the “indoor garden”. About six months ago, I had gotten some plums for Bob. He had asked me if we could grow a plum tree from the pit. I said I would give it a try. From what I learned in a Google search the pits need to be cleaned and wrapped in a damp paper towel, kept in the refrigerator for about six months to begin to sprout. So....I did that. Three days ago I pulled two of the five pits out of one of the wet paper towel “blankets”. I put it in some soil. I noticed last night that there is a sprout beginning to push it’s way up from the soil. That’s when I realize I need to get some water on it along with all the rest of the “garden”. 

My first photo challenge for today is “nature”. For these kinds of shots the park near my house is perfect. Nature in this part of the world at this time of year will most likely be one with snow the main focus. 

The word is peace. Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay. Sallust. Peace is liberty in tranquility. Marcus Tullius Cicero. He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees. Benjamin Franklin. Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. Buddha. The pursuit, even of the best things, ought to be calm and tranquil. Marcus Tullius Cicero. In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. Herodotus.  Peace if possible, truth at all costs. Martin Luther.  He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Revenge, lust, ambition, pride, and self-will are too often exalted as the gods of man's idolatry; while holiness, peace, contentment, and humility are viewed as unworthy of a serious thought. Charles Spurgeon.  An election is coming. Universal peace is declared, and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry. George Eliot. Peace is the virtue of civilization. War is its crime. Victor Hugo. Five enemies of peace inhabit with us - avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace. Petrarch. 

The second photo theme for today is “knife”. I was looking around the house for a Swiss Army knife but couldn’t find one so I went through some of my craft supplies to find what I needed. I was amazed at the number of different kinds of cutting tools I use for some of the crafts I have practiced through the years. 

Updates on improvements in our community. This one is about some new growth on Fifth Avenue. According to the article this street is a “connector street, shuttling drivers back and forth between I-71 and High Street and Grandview”. It seems like fast moving new developments will lead to Italian Village and Weinland Park neighborhoods will be an added destination soon. The story of this article is looking at a “one-and-a-half stretch” on Fifth between Olentangy and the CSX railroad. Soon there will be over 3,100 new residents with eleven planned new developments, meaning more people for retail businesses and services in the University and Short North areas. There will be four hundred new apartment units, a new senior living building. Added to the proposed new construction is another 315 apartment unit and 275 more at another site on Fifth Avenue. There are other apartments planed also. All of this doesn’t even include the “multitude of single family housing” that will be going on in the Italian Village and Weinland Park neighborhoods. Along with these housing units are retail and restaurant growth going on. This is a lot of growth to be going on in this neighborhood of Columbus. 

Pizza....

Joy

left behind

 January 26, 2022 today’s thought, The devil tempts all, but the idle tempt the devil. Turkish Proverb

And colder still!! There is snow still on the ground just from two days ago and it doesn’t look like it is going anywhere soon. 

One of the photo a day challenges for the 25th was “flowers”. In the winter I have my photo archives get a work out. This is one of the samples from one of those files. These were holly hocks on my back chain link fence. 

I got the envelopes for the bulletins for the people who can’t make it to church done and the labels for the newsletter printed. I had a couple of other things to get done on the computer. I kept checking on the email so I could catch the last of the newsletter items that I need to finish. When it got here, I formatted it and put in the spot I had saved. Now I am ready to print tomorrow.

The second photo for the 25th is “coffee brake”. We offer coffee and snacks to our visitors to the food pantry. That was a perfect capture for the theme, 

I’m back from food pantry. There was a really low turn out today, I’m sure in large part due to the weather. As it turned out we got a little work done on some handouts material that has become outdated. Two of us who were working on the sign in desk started through some of the papers. We made very little head way but it is a start.  

One of the photo themes for today is “water”. This is another from my archives. The pond in the park near my house is frozen over so the image I got didn’t show much of the water. 

The word today is pass.  Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught. Honore de Balzac. Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms. George Eliot. Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us. Voltaire.  He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven. Thomas Fuller. Time brings all things to pass. Aeschylus. Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage. Publilius Syrus. Let the first impulse pass, wait for the second. Baltasar Gracian. Doubt is the vestibule through which all must pass before they can enter into the temple of wisdom. Charles Caleb Colton. I assert that nothing ever comes to pass without a cause. Jonathan Edwards. I pass my life in preventing the storm from blowing down the tent, and I drive in the pegs as fast as they are pulled up. Abraham Lincoln.  We cannot pass our guardian angel's bounds, resigned or sullen, he will hear our sighs. Saint Augustine. Book love... is your pass to the greatest, the purest, and the most perfect pleasure that God has prepared for His creatures. Anthony Trollope. Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, or even a stranger, if in a lonely place. Tecumseh. 

The second photo for today is “homemade” . This is one of the crochet project for my great grandchildren. The cord around the edges of the tic tack toe mat pull together to form a pouch that carried the x’s and o’s.  

This article talks about recycling and how important it can be for the economy and for the earth. It is about recycling. The article said: “ Did you know that recycling does as much for the economy as it does for the environment?” Wrapping paper, cardboard and other papers can be made into 100% recycled container board for packaging materials. Plastic bottles can be recycled back into new plastic bottles or decking materials, drainage pipes. The article stated that Ohioans in supporting recycling favor a “circular economy.....moving away from........take, make, throw away”. This kind of process supports “redesigning products to be more durable, reusable, repairable and recyclable”. In the recycling processes more jobs are created along with environmental pluses. In 2018 recycling businesses in Ohio employed more than 5,000 workers. This caused a payroll of $235 million which generated $1.3 billion in revenue. According to the article these figures to go to 10,000 employees and $2.5 billion in revenue. The article went on to say that not only are there things we want to get rid of that may not be recyclable but can be reused. Old and used bicycles can be revitalized and reused for transportation for people looking for work and fitting needs for other reasons for transportation. Donations of furniture help homeless and others in need of furniture and can’t afford brand new. Household items help people in need. Those items passing through the Goodwill Industries also “fund a variety of vocational programs for individual with developmental disabilities”. So recycling and re-purposing helps others and saves on the environment and on the economy. 

I think we are having creamed chicken on biscuits and potato pan cakes for dinner.

Joy 

would some attention do it?

January 24, 2022 thought for today, If you speak the truth, have a foot in the stirrup. Turkish Proverb

We are having another snowy day. Bob cleared the driveway, porches and cars last night. Now it will have to be done all over again. It looks like we will be having more snow this season than we have had for a while. 

The first photo of the day for yesterday was “a place”. I shot this one while I was t church. It is a great image for this title. 

I got a call from my great granddaughter yesterday afternoon to let me know that the box I had sent with her prayer shawl and the other crochet items for the rest of the family had arrived. That was a relief after what I have been seeing on the news about trains and trucks being emptied of the packages. The packages have been ripped open then emptied (contents stolen) and boxes left empty on the tracks. 

My second image for yesterday was “J is for....”. And the subject for
this image is.....me, Joy. 

Sue is spending the week at Tiffany’s to be with the girls when they get home from school. That makes it too quiet around here. But it’s good that she is enjoying her time with the kids. 

I got the bulletin done this morning. The minister who is with us this week almost always has her information to me ahead of time. I was able to work on the newsletter a little bit yesterday so I have it up to the point of adding the photographs and two other items as soon as they get to me. Barring any unforseen problems I should be able to get it done in a couple of hours. 

The photo a day challenge for today is “shape”. Naturally there are all kind shapes all around us always. My choice is my late blooming Christmas cactus. There are several interesting shapes on this blossom. 

I got an invitation to join another photo a day group. I’m going to give it a try. I hope I will be able to find enough images to fill my “assignments” every day. It’s fun and believe it or not it has taught me to be more aware of things and observant. The problem is going to be that it is a little more difficult to find interesting images in the winter time, at least it is for me. 

 The word today is own.  Let us live for the beauty of our own reality. Charles Lamb. No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings, William Blake.  Knowledge will forever govern ignorance....James Madison. Each day provides its own gifts. Marcus Aurelius. As iron is eaten away by rust, so the envious are consumed by their own passion. Antisthenes. A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green. Francis Bacon. This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections. Saint Augustine. Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power. Lucius Annaeus Seneca. The best way to convince a fool that he is wrong is to let him have his own way. Josh Billings. Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm. Robert Louis Stevenson. Delicious tears! The heart's own dew. Letitia Elizabeth Landon. We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing. Louisa May Alcott. Love is ownership. We own whom we love. The universe is God's because He loves, Henry Ward Beecher.

The second photo of the day theme for today is “lunch”. I pulled this one from my archives. A scoop of tuna salad in the beginning of a sandwich along with a salad and a cup of tea. 

I keep looking for interesting new items in the newspapers but mostly find depressing stories of facts strewn all about without making much sense in the scheme of things. Then I search for history or new architecture, parks and spots to our community. Here is another bit of history about a near by Columbus neighbor. This article is about “former fraternity, nursing home” being revitalized. It is a stone and brick Victorian house in downtown Delaware. When a nursing home closed their doors fifteen years ago, the owners stopped paying property taxes. Then the neighbors and officials were concerned that is would become a “nuisance”. Things got pretty desperate. There were back property taxes, vines were growing around the doors and windows, the roof was leaking, no one wanted to take on all of the responsibility. There is a land bank program I Delaware, they voted in a 4-0 vote to include the building in the land bank. That will allow work to begin on getting the property ready to sale and will “wipe out the tax obligation”. The interior has been checked out, an annex that had been put on by the nursing home was damaged. The annex would have to be demolished. The main structure, built in the 1879s, would require $400,000 to renovate and was structurally sound. So there are hopes that it can be saved, it looks like the prospects are good. There are still some discussions on what direction to go with this property.

 I am going to make up cube steaks with gravy and mashed potatoes for dinner. 

Joy

a spare? or left behind?

 

 January 22, 2022 a thought for today, The coral waxes, the palm grows, but man departs. Tahitian Proverb

It’s cold!!! I don’t know why I seem to be feeling the cold inside my house more today than I have so far this winter. It is bothering me so much that I don’t want to step foot outside the door where there is even more cold. I am thinking I most likely wont go to help at the free meal (HM3) at church tonight. I might feel warmer if I would move around more like sweeping and dusting, that doesn’t hit a sweet spot in my thinking either. The furnace comes on as it should, it just, doesn’t have the warm wrap around feel that I want. 

The photo of the day for yesterday was “happens everyday”. This is one of the family of geese that spends part of his day at the metro park near my house. I am able to capture (with the camera) them in all kinds of poses if I hang around long enough. 

I took a short spill late on Thursday afternoon. What happened was I missed one last step going down to the basement. I was able to grab for the banister which helped slow down the drop. I still went down but the only damage seems to be to my hands from grabbing tightly onto the bottom of the banister. I have two cuts on one finger that probably could have used at least a butterfly if not a stitch so I am hesitant to put my hands in dishwater for a day or two, I’m just rinsing dishes and putting in dishwasher. I wrapped the finger in gauze and used Neosporin. I didn’t have any butterfly bandages handy so I made one this morning. The cut has begun to heal some, it may be too late for the butterfly to do its job. 

The word for today is over. Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind. Nathaniel Hawthorne. You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. Marcus Aurelius. Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed. Arthur Schopenhauer.  There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers. Saint Teresa of Avila. I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. Thomas Jefferson. 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. Roll on, deep and dark blue ocean, roll. Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain. Man marks the earth with ruin, but his control stops with the shore. Lord Byron. 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. The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. Lao Tzu. Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little. Plutarch.  Who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe. John Milton. Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished. Francis Bacon. Good courage in a bad affair is half of the evil overcome. Plautus.  

Today’s photo challenge is “I love this colour”. This is what my dad would all sky blue pink. I was curious about this term so I “Googled” it. Here is one definition: The colour that the sky sometimes takes at sunrise and sunset, blue in places and pink in places (sometimes with the sky being blue and clouds pink, sometimes with the whole sky being a spectrum from blue to pink). 

And here’s another. Sky-blue pink appeared in authors’ children’s books. By the 1930s it had crossed the big pond to Britain. Since millions of copies of the Uncle Wiggily stories have been sold, and many of his books are still in print, the expression continues to be introduced to new generations.

There is some gorgeous architecture in Grandview with some structures that have an interesting history. Here is one of them. What interests me in local history articles is that it tells how Columbus fits into and measured up to the growing in the myriad of types and styles of history of this country as it grew/is growing. There is a place in Marble Cliff that use to be a carriage house and has been converted to a 3,500 square foot “luxury living” home. It was originally  architecturally designed to look 100 years old.  There were two structures on the property. One was the mansion built in 1908 the other was the carriage house. The carriage house has been remodeled into a three-bedroom home. During the remodel the masonry and charm were left intact along with an original brick wall. It is a three story structure with arched doorways. There is also a five -story tower to be seen through the trees. A description of the interior includes a narrow, spiral staircase along with in the tower a small loft. According to the article a stairwell creates a split down the middle of the structure....“stand at the top and peer down to a large, unfinished basement”. With a 1979 purchase of the converted carriage house a wall was removed for the addition of a bar between the living and dining room. Even with the models “plenty of history remain”.  Some of the history is a partial wooden pulley, most likely used to lift hay and grain for the horses, located from a wall outside the master suite and a wooden gate that is embedded in a brick column. The owner’s wife mentioned a visit from a few nuns who wanted to take a walk down memory lane. The memory lane was formed from a time when the mansions had been used as a convent and the novices lived in the carriage house. As a part of its history, in the 1960s the architect who designed the Ohio Historical Center lived there and used the kitchen as his draft room. There is a century’s worth of memories in this place located in our community. 

I am taking some spaghetti sauce from the freezer for dinner tonight. 

Joy

overlooked?.....forgotten?

 January 20, 2022 a thought for today, The bee has a sting but honey too. Swedish  Proverb

I got the information late yesterday afternoon so between food pantry, fixing dinner for the family and getting ready for choir practice I was able to get all but one point done on the bulletin. This morning I got up early and researched, typed and entered the last article, formatted all the parts and pieces in the bulletin, then saved to flash drive and left for church.

The photo theme title for yesterday was “lucky number”. I don’t think I have a particularly lucky number but for some reason I have always liked the number seven and three. So I used the number seven that was painted on the floor of one of the rooms at church where games have been played. 

There was a box I wanted to get in the mail so when I got home I finished packing it, taped and addressed it and left for FedEx for getting it on it’s way. On the way home from there I stopped back at the church to get some photos of the taking down of the Christmas decorations. 

Finally back home....made some phone calls and started the laundry. 

One of the photos for today is “a path”. This is one of the paths at the metro park a couple of blocks from my home and one I frequent a lot for photos. 

I finished the Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly Tuesday evening. I felt the need for a break in my usual and favorite genre of reading style. I tried again to download a book my grand daughter-in-law told me about a few weeks ago. I was able to get it this time (I had tried before and all copies were loaned out). It is called The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. It’s very interesting. I’m still digesting its meanings. Hint: The gist of it is not just about bees. It takes some “reading between the lines” much like some of quotes require.

The word today is others.  Great minds have purposes; others have wishes. Washington Irving. If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. Isaac Newton.  Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners. Laurence Sterne.  Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. Marcus Tullius Cicero.  What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. Albert Pike. The improvement of understanding is for two ends: first, our own increase of knowledge; secondly, to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others. John Locke. What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others. Pericles. There is no respect for others without humility in one's self. Henri Frederic Amiel. Better to illuminate than merely to shine, to deliver to others contemplated truths than merely to contemplate. Thomas Aquinas. Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves. William Hazlitt. The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves. William Penn. What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. Saint Augustine. 

The second photo for today is “anything on ice”. This is a perfect subject for the weather we are having right now.  While I was at the park and watching the ground as I cruised the parking lots this is one of the many spots of ice I saw. 

We’ve seen dogs and horses used in therapy and other ways they help for people, here’s one about a bunny. This article is a story about some students at Briggs High School here in Columbus. Some of them have a very friendly white bunny named Briggsy. There is a place at Briggs called the calming room. This is where Briggsy spends her day. Her job, and it seems to come naturally to her is to help students “decompress”. At one staff meeting the subject of the stress students, all of us for that matter especially during this on going pandemic, was brought up. One of the members suggested bringing in a therapy dog. Then another staff member mentioned that she knew of someone who fostered rescue bunnies.  According to the article “the idea took off from there”. Apparently there were fifteen bunnies “living in a hoarding situation....they were released into a Columbus neighborhood to fend for themselves”. Briggsy was one of the fifteen, she was in bad shape when she was finally picked up. “The principal decided to give the bunny a one-week trial”. The affect she had on the students was “amazing”.  She has been at the school for several weeks. The article went on to note about one of the students who was so upset that she had trouble letting other know what was bothering her. They put the bunny in her arms in the calming room. The article said that as people watched her anger left then she was able to talk about her problems. The calming room is now outfitted for Briggsy with her own toys and bedding. There are even dresses for her for special occasions “such as honor roll celebrations and award ceremonies”. On the weekends she is not left in the calming room all alone she is taken home with a staff member or student caretaker. She is now a “member of our community” says the staff. 

I think I am going to order in from Ding Ho for dinner tonight.

Joy     

practicing their art

 January 18, 2022 thought for today, A wise man hears one word and understands two. Jewish Proverb

Until late yesterday afternoon I wasn’t so sure I was going to be able to get out of my driveway today to get to food pantry at church, let alone to the session meeting at church that night. I ended up calling around to find someone who would shovel the snow on the driveway. I found one. One of my neighbors did his own driveway and two of the other neighbors but mine didn’t seem to be on his list. I opted out of the meeting last night due to back problem, snow, cold and dark. But I did make it to food pantry today. 

Yesterday’s photo a day title was “in the sky”. Yesterday was heavily overcast with about four inches of snow on our streets, roofs, trees. It was a world of white. This was the best shot I could get of “in the sky”. 

We had more people come to the pantry than I expected due to this weather. They came two or three at a time with quiet time in between. 

It got a tiny bit above freezing, enough to melt what was left on the driveways after the heavier snow was shoveled away yesterday. And tomorrow we are supposed to be able to enjoy something in the 40s for one day at least. 

I got a chance to start work on both the bulletin and the newsletter. Now it’s time to wait for the rest of the information to get to me so I can finish them. The minister told me he may not be able to get it to me before Friday. I explained that I liked to print early Thursday morning so that I can get it in mail so the lay reader and others can get it before the service on Sunday. This minister is one that preaches for us once a month so he had over a month to prepare, but I guess we’re all busy. 

The word today is ordinary. Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary, great minds with the ordinary. Blaise Pascal. My powers are ordinary. Only my application brings me success. Isaac Newton. I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself, I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself now and then in finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. Isaac Newton. The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest, Thomas More. Every person above the ordinary has a certain mission that they are called to fulfill, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It is the mark of a great man that he puts to flight all ordinary calculations. He is at once sublime and touching, childlike and of the race of giants. Honore de Balzac. The greater intellect one has, the more originality one finds in men. Ordinary persons find no difference between men. Blaise Pascal.  Every person above the ordinary has a certain mission that they are called to fulfill. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Every man, in his own opinion, forms an exception to the ordinary rules of morality. William Hazlitt.  Every occupation has its own honor before God. Ordinary work is a divine vocation or calling. In our daily work no matter how important or mundane we serve God by serving the neighbor and we also participate in God's on-going providence for the human race, Martin Luther. The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to them we call  them ordinary things, Hans Christian Andersen. 

Today’s photo challenge is “serenity”. The only thing I could think of was quiet and solitude. So this photo from my archives seemed to fit the bill. 

It isn’t always just the therapy or specialized animals who bond with us in a service. There are the animals of nature that sometimes need our attention since we are the stewards of the earth and all lives that inhabit it. This article is about some young manatees whose lives are in danger and have been brought to the Columbus Zoo for nursing and healing. Side note: note that the Columbus Zoo was chosen and accepted to receive these animals and to give the care they are known for using for years. They will be cared for until they gain enough weight to be returned to their natural home in Florida when it is safe for their return. They are all females and were orphaned then rescued as calves in 2020 and 2021. They were at the ZooTampa until they became so crowded that they needed help. They were flown here in custom built “state of the art containers” and were accompanied by a Columbus Zoo employee.  Florida manatees are dying in high numbers. During the year of 2021 (to December 31) there were 1,101 manatee deaths in Florida, double for the five-year average. The problem is mostly man made along with some weather threats causing a starvation issue. The seagrass that the manatees eat and cold weather along with the boat strikes are majors issues as well as the ingestion of fishing gear by accident. 

I am going to pull something from the freezer for dinner....it’s a good thing I freeze left overs. 

Joy

this has many of the qualities of art, lines, textures......

 January 16, 2022 thought for today, When the word is out, it belongs to another. German Proverb

The sermon today triggered a thought I have been tossing around for quite awhile. I need to give some more thought to the differences in the meaning of truth and fact. Many times I have found myself stupidly, perhaps, thinking truth and fact as synonymous or near to synonymous. It’s been said that the truth on a particular subject or happening can be seen one way by one person and another way by another person. Maybe my problem is separating spiritual truth from human truth. I think I try to find what might be the spiritual truth in a “human related fact”.  Maybe I need to give it a lot more thought and research. So the sermon made a point.....it made me think.

The photo challenge for January 15 was “heck yes!”. In the kind of weather we are having right now ..... heck yes to a fur coast, ear muffs and gloves. 

I don’t want to put too much excitement into this but....my back seems to be a little better today. I was able to get to and volunteer at the HM3 free meal last night without too much pain or difficulty walking. It seemed to get me through for today too. Maybe the worst is over for this episode. I am thinking my diagnosed osteoporosis has something to do with this.

So....this being Sunday it is my day of contemplating and regenerating for whatever is to come. Side note: my thinking seems to be a bit foggy today. 

I had a second photo of the day today, its title is “entitled”
(meaning for us, the photo must somehow reflect the title of a book). The title for mine is "shadow".

The word today is patience. Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. John Quincy Adams. A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else. George Savile. Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance. Virgil.  Patience is the best remedy for every trouble. Plautus.  Patience is the art of hoping. Luc de Clapiers.  Wise to resolve, and patient to perform. Homer.  Abused patience turns to fury. Thomas Fuller.  To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself is a mark of perfection, but to bear with patience wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection and even of actual sin. Thomas Aquinas. Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown. Soren Kierkegaard. Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Hope is patience with the lamp lit. Tertullian.  I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Lao Tzu.   

Today’s photo title is “self care”. One of the many ways of self care is the shower/bathtub and all it paraphernalia.

I like the finding of reason and beauty in “vintage.....history” and don’t like to see it destroyed when there is value to its existence. I am finding something of that nature in this article. The title reads: “A lack of foresight may have robbed Columbus of a vibrant neighborhood”. It’s referring to the area between Mound and Fulton streets moving from downtown and to “serve as utterly forgettable highway ramps”. There were “nonprofit” offices, parking lots, light industry and a left behind old neighborhood along with some “shuttered” storefronts. Now Mound Street has heavy highway traffic and leads to a westbound off ramp from I-70 to the courthouse. Fulton Street use to be one way westbound and is now eastbound to the on ramp to I-70. The project that changed this neighborhood was supposed to cost $500, that expense turned to $1.4 billion. The plan was to reduce crashes and make lane changes easier. During the planning sessions there were discussions about reducing long distance traffic with the interchange and lead to local transit improvements as well as pedestrian and bicycle space. Population growth in the downtown and its neighborhoods would reduce local traffic. The suggestion was to think ahead for future traffic growth.  One consideration was rerouting I-70 and digging a tunnel under or a deck over the current roadway. There were plans for connecting Downtown with neighbors to the east and south. There were some improvements to the east but not to the south of I-70. During the planning it was decided that it makes the city “less attractive” and less enjoyable to people living in the city. The article mentioned that according to some studies “homes on a prominent corridor, converted to busy commuter thoroughfares ....  devalue the surrounding property”. In developing city traffic the infrastructure has to be maintained and “nurture the neighborhoods”. To conclude, according to the author of the article, Mound and Fulton streets “looked forlorn yet full of possibilities, a decade ago”.  

I think it’s going to be Taco Bell for dinner tonight. Then wait to see how much snow we will be getting tonight. 

Joy

Why?

 January 14, 2022 the thought for today is Among men of honour a word is a bond. Italian Proverb

I think this has been one of those “easy” weeks leading up to two that are going to be packed with items on the agenda. Yesterday was busy with the weekly printing of the bulletin and with the laundry. Today is more on the quiet, slow moving agenda day, something like Wednesday was. 

On January 13 the photo a day theme was “happy”. I have several photos in my archives of my great grandchildren in happy times. This one is one of the most current and my newest great grandson. He is such a happy baby. 

I have finally finished the crochet projects I was working on for each of my great grandchildren. This one was a long one. I bit off more than I could chew. But they’re done now. So, since I have an easy day on my hands I spent some time looking for the next project I will do for them. I think I will make each of them a tote bag for toys or books or what ever treasures they would want to carry along. I had thought about crochet moccasins for each of them but then I would run into the problem of size. I may put that on the back burner and try it the next time.  

The word for today is opinion. Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance. Plato.  Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion. Democritus.  People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Stubborn and ardent clinging to one's opinion is the best proof of stupidity. Michel de Montaigne. I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend. Thomas Jefferson. I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion about the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. Benjamin Franklin.  Science is the father of knowledge, but opinion breeds ignorance. Hippocrates. Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes. Voltaire. The universe is transformation: life is opinion. Marcus Aurelius,  There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance. Hippocrates. Physical courage, which despises all danger, will make a man brave in one way; and moral courage, which despises all opinion, will make a man brave in another. Charles Caleb Colton.  Knowledge is true opinion. Plato. 

The photo of the day for today is “reflection”. I have several reflection photos in my archives but I see this one every day as I pass by to answer the door. 

This is interesting information about one of the oldest areas of Columbus. I have passed the old Franklinton Post Office a few times and wondered about it’s history. This article tells about the family who started it and implied how old this building that I see is. In 1798 Abraham Deardurff and his son came to the heart of central Ohio, Franklinton. This land had been laid out by Lucas Sullivant in 1797. It already had a bit of history, it was washed away in a flood in 1798 and “re-established a quarter mile west on slightly higher ground.....a booming metropolis of about 15 to 20 people”. The Deardurff’s decided to stay in the area. They had come with a wagon full of “trade” goods. They sold cloth, axes, plowshares and hardware”. One of the son’s, David who was 14 was left there to tend the family 10-acre cornfield they had acquired in a barter. David’s father returned to the East to bring the rest of the family, a wife three more sons and two daughters. The wife brought as much as she could from her “old world”. She had a large wooden chest called a “Kiester” from Germany filled with linens, bedding, china, kettles, cradles and a “crane and spider” cooking appliance. In a later account of what was in the chest other items were found pieces of Brittania ware, sheep shears, spinning wheels, brass candlesticks, candle molds. During the time that David was left alone to tend to the corn field he, with the help of others, cleared away forest and built a “fine” log house. The family “prospered”. The father continued to travel back and forth from the East with mail and articles to trade.  David set up a mail route that connected Franklinton to other parts of Ohio that were settled. Beyond the original article up to this part I gathered more information from a Google search: The Franklinton Post Office was built in 1807. It is a two story log home on South Gift Street that was built for David Dearduff. The post office took up the west room of the house. It was in operation until 1834. The Columbus post office “took over the operations” at that point. An addition was added to the rear of the home in 1860. According to the article in Google, different families lived in the “old home into the 1950s”. The current owners purchased the house in 1979 so that it wouldn’t be demolished. It is now registered with the National Register of Historic Places (1974) and in 2001 was listed on the Columbus Register of Historic Properties. It is hoped that it will be restored one day. That is my personal hope too. I would like to visit it at some point. There was an archaeological dig at the site in 2010. Some things found during the dig were a small brass plate, a clay marble, and pieces of pottery. 

Pizza. 

Joy

fill ‘er up?

 January 12, 2022, a thought for today, Who honours not age, is unworthy of it. German Proverb

I’m bored. I have things ready for printing and some research that I needed to get done, that didn’t take too long. My continuing back problem doesn’t allow for much mobility right now. 

I moved around enough to make some sun tea and start a meatloaf.

The photo of the day for January 11 was “lunch”. Here’s what I had for lunch on this day. I called it the McDonald version of surf and turf. A fish sandwich and an hamburger sandwich with a nice large iced tea.

We have all heard of the “seasonal affective disorder”. An affliction that happens for many people during the winter months when there is less light in the day and the air is cold. Most of my life I didn’t notice  much of the effects of it but the older I get the more I feel it. Winter can be fun for many people but not so much when life slows down. The colder, grayer days see to reflect a colder, grayer disposition. This is one of those days for me. If I had the gumption, I should go out somewhere. I don’t like shopping unless I am going out to get something specific and then leave the store so that kind of trip is out. The temperature is a little higher today but still cold in my estimation so that leaves something that would mean being outside off the list too. Guess I am stuck. So I will find something productive to do on the computer.

The word today is old.  It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.  Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside. Alexander Pope. Grow old with me! The best is yet to be. Robert Browning. Wear the old coat and buy the new book. Austin Phelps. Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late. Benjamin Franklin. When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable. There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age. Victor Hugo. Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read. Francis Bacon.  I met in the street a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, his cloak was out at the elbows, the water passed through his shoes, - and the stars through his soul. Victor Hugo. A man growing old becomes a child again. Sophocles. Memory tempers prosperity, mitigates adversity, controls youth, and delights old age. Lactantius. It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. Robert Louis Stevenson. Education is the best provision for old age. Aristotle. 

The photo challenge for today is “I am here!”.  This makes the third selfie for this month. I am
in my usual spot, my desk chair in front of the computer with a window on two sides so that I get a continuous view of the nature in the city and for all seasons and weather conditions.

I seem to keep finding current articles about history in our area of our city. Here is a bit more about early Columbus Ohio. This article is about what life was like in our city more than two hundred years ago. Columbus was founded in 1812. When Franklinton, across the Scioto River, when founded in 1797 there were several hundred residents who supported the new state capital. There was a threat of attack by the British and “their Native American allies” in the area until after the War of 1812. But that wasn’t the only threat to the region. There were rattlesnakes and now and then angry bears. Still living with these dangers the “pioneer residents of central Ohio brought with them the customs of their earlier lives and continued to observe them”. The pioneer women wore clothing made of plain and simple linen and cotton that “fits the natural form and reaches to within six inches of the floor”.  They may have a belt made of “homespun and colored with imported dye” along with a row of buttons down the back. According to the article, the typical lady pioneers in this area wore cowhide shoes to “conceal substantial feet and shapely ankles”. A wedding taking part in 1876 mentioned in the article was further described as having the “attention of the whole neighborhood” who all were eager to take part in the celebration of the event. In this particular story the groom would leave for his father’s house to meet with the bride before noon. The wedding “by the inexorable law of fashion, must take place before dinner”. The transportation of the time was on a horse's back. The horse would have old saddles and bridles along with “packsaddles with a blanket over them”. They would form a procession along the road. As a part of the party some may play a joke by firing guns that would frighten the horses and the girls would giggle and scream. Games were played at the event, “race for the bottle” was one. Two or more young men raced to the bride’s house to win a bottle of whisky and then passed to the others for a drink. The ceremony took place at the bride’s house. There was a dinner and dancing and fun until morning. It was mentioned in the article that some not invited there made attempts at revenge by cutting off the manes and tails of the horses at the wedding party. Besides the story of a wedding celebration other activities of the time were mentioned in this article. There were log-rolling and harvesting for the men and quilting and apple butter making for the women. All of this helped neighborhoods get to know each other. Fortunes were told by counting apple seeds from the apples used in the apple butter and cider making. After the start of the fun activities the floors were cleared for dancers and loud singing. During these times a fiddler was an important person. He would call the “Virginia Reel” and signal the start of shouting, laughter and “clatter of hilarious feet upon the sanded puncheon floor”. 

I am making a meat loaf for dinner tonight with some of the Omaha potatoes we have left. 

Joy

enhancement added....

 January 10, 2022 a thought for today, Honesty makes you rich, but she works slowly. German Proverb

Yesterday turned out to be a great Sunday. One of my two favorite ministers gave the sermon and she didn’t disappoint me. The message was once again right on. She related several timely stories that tied the ancient words of the bible to today’s daily ways of living. I also had a touching message from a dear old friend. Also a message about a community service that came to one of our ministries out of the blue. 

The photo of the day for January 9 was titled “play”. The first thing on my mind was kids playing a game or maybe a basketball or basketball net or tennis nets at the park. When I got to church our choir director was practicing and I thought “playing the piano” .... perfect. 

It looks like this week is going to be one of the quieter ones for this month. Today there’s not much on the agenda. I did get a chance to work on the bulletin. I think most of it is done except for the information from the pastor, that should be here tomorrow. I worked on clearing some things from the frig and getting a full load in the dishwasher. 

It’s still cold outside. I think it is here to stay for a couple of months. At least it’s not snowing and the sun is out and as bright as it can be.

Todays photo of the day is "makes me smile". I have had pets all my life, each with their own personality and characters, their own special gift of love, their on place in my heart. This one does too, she is so very gentle, shy and drops her head when scolded (like maybe memories of abuse earlier in her life?). And to think she was “thrown away” because her original owner (when she was but a pup) mistook her chronic digestive problem as one of peeing on the floor that they couldn’t break. She’s mine for life as they each have been.  

The word for today is observation.  Observation more than books and experience more than persons, are the prime educators. Amos Bronson Alcott.  Observation is an old man's memory, Jonathan Swift. Observation, not old age, brings wisdom, Publilius Syrus. Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life. Marcus Aurelius.  Where observation is concerned, chance favors only the prepared mind,  Louis Pasteur.  A careful observation of Nature will disclose pleasantries of superb irony. She has for instance placed toads close to flowers, Honoré de Balzac.  I'm not smart, but I like to observe. Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why. William Hazlitt.  The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses. Francis Bacon.  Observe constantly that all things take place by change, and accustom thyself to consider that the nature of the Universe loves nothing so much as to change the things which are, and to make new things like them. Marcus Aurelius. To know a man, observe how he wins his object, rather than how he loses it; for when we fail, our pride supports us - when we succeed, it betrays us. Charles Caleb Colton. 

This is one of the days I have two photos of the day assignments. This one is titled “circles, squares and/or triangles”. I took cans out of my pantry and lined up my image of circles. 

Here’s more about Columbus’s future and history. The title of the article is “Shaping Columbus for decades to come.”  At the beginning of the article it mentions how the pandemic affected “development” in our city. Warehouse and residential construction was a “boon”. But retail and offices “not so much”. According to the article there are ten projects planed for 2022 that will “shape Columbus for decades to come”. One project is the Peninsula and East Franklinton. Here there will be an office building and two apartments with parking garages going up. Then a hotel and a 34-story tower. Further down on Broad Street will be a mixed use “Gravity 2 development”. Some people wonder if these additions will affect the “historic core of Downtown”. Next there is work on the North Market Tower in the Downtown area. This project will be a 171-apartment complex including 212 hotel rooms, some office space and parking. Along with those is a 28-story Hilton expansion across High Street. These two projects will “fill the gap” in the area between the Arena District and the Short North. Combined with these growths and “improvements” is the Trolley District. There has been eight years of work on this area. It is a $25 million district built “from the shell of the city’s trolley car facilities form the 1880s”. There is continuing growth in the New Albany area of our city and surroundings. Another area of growth and renewal is The Ohio State University. The campus is being “transformed” in what, according to the article, is termed the ‘Innovation District’ where there are labs and commercial office space which include a 26-story addition to the Wexner Medical Center. This will “change the skyline....forecast to create 12,000 jobs”. There is more going on in the Arena District. The construction of Lower Field seems to have been the beginning of more to come. An area called Astor Park is planned for the area, office buildings, apartments and parking, all adding to the riverfront setting. Upper Arlington is another area where changes are occurring. Lane Avenue is a major part of the growth with Arlington Gateway, Westmont at the Lane, senior housing restaurants and parking are things to watch for. Capital Square yet another area of movement is expecting a “rebound” from a period of low interest.  To add to all of the energy and excitement for our city is the fact that warehouses were built during the pandemic. Many warehouses that were vacant were revitalized from “West Jefferson to new Albany to Etna”. Distribution centers “have risen”.  One more area to keep an interested eye on would be Nationwide Children’s Hospital where there is and has been continual updates and innovations. So we can take pride in our city and the efforts to keep us modern, vital, and continually moving into the future. 

I am making beef stew for dinner, I’m giving the pressure cooker a work out today. 

Joy

overlooked

 January 8, 2022 a thought for today, The world's a stage; each plays his part, and takes his share.  Dutch Proverb

The cold has come in like a demon. The temperature is below freezing. I am surprised my car started yesterday. Bob said his car hesitated today. I haven’t tried mine today but being that it is older than his I may also have a complaint when I turn the key later this afternoon to go to the free meal at church.

On January 7 the photo a day title was “word to live by”. It’ hard to pick one word only. There could be a lot of words to live by depending on circumstances. On the other hand there are some very important words that come to mind, love, honesty and many more. I don’t have any framed words to photograph so I searched through some newspaper ads. I found this one. The background was the boring color of newspaper paper. So I used the Photoshop hue and saturation filter to give it a touch of color. 

My back is still not up to par so I am staying as still as I can although I did run the mop over the kitchen floor and did a little light dusting. I need to make some dog treats this afternoon so I think that will be it for today. 

The word today is now.  That though the radiance which was once so bright be now forever taken from my sight. Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower. We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind. William Wordsworth. Humanity has won its battle. Liberty now has a country. Marquis de Lafayette.  There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands. Plato. The past is not dead, it is living in us, and will be alive in the future which we are now helping to make. William Morris.  Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so. Robert Green Ingersoll.  Those things which I am saying now may be obscure, yet they will be made clearer in their proper place. Nicolaus Copernicus. With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now. Ralph Waldo Emerson. The time to be happy is now, and the place to be happy is here. Robert Green Ingersoll.  There will never be any more perfection than there is now. Walt Whitman.  This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. Ralph Waldo Emerson. He is blessed over all mortals who loses no moment of the passing life in remembering the past. Henry David Thoreau.  

The photo challenge for today is “get in the photo”. I think we had one other selfie this month on the
2nd. Anyway, I turned around from my computer and spied myself in the mirror framed by some bric-a-bracs. 

The zoo has been a favorite place to visit in all seasons for many years. This article tells a little about its early history. It is reported to be one of the largest zoos in the United States. We have 600 species of over 10,000 animals. The Wilds is another part of the zoo, at least is managed by the Columbus zoo. The Wilds is a “safari park in eastern Ohio”. It was a huge embarrassment that our zoo which has  maintained an “esteemed reputation around the world” was recently involved in a couple of recent scandals. In my opinion those two “scandals” can’t erase the joy and educational experiences that this zoo has offered the international public over its time in existence for nearly the past century. The zoo opened in 1927at Riverside Park at the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir with “only a hand full of species to display”. On a trip to St. Louis two business men from Columbus visited the St. Louis Zoo. One of the two men, Harry Wolfe, “decided” this is what Columbus needed. When he came home, he “lobbied” the city to start the zoo but was turned down this first time. As it happened, the city began receiving “exotic animals as gifts for the zoo before they even had a place to put them” so they were kept at the Franklin Park Conservatory. The article mentioned that in December of 1926 the Columbus Dispatch held a Christmas party where Mr. Wolf provided six reindeer that he had shipped from Alaska. After the party he gave them to the city because there was now a place for the zoo, O’Shaughnessy Reservoir. This is where the zoo is today. The first building at the zoo was the Columbus Dispatch building where the lions and tigers were kept. Admission at the zoo was free at the time and the city of Columbus paid the wages of the employees and upkeep of the grounds and animals. There were some name changes over the years the first was The Columbus Municipal Zoo in 1937. At that time it was “no longer under the financial wing of the city”. Now the financial end of things changed to memberships bringing in the income. At that time the membership fee was $2. At the beginning of WWII the zoo struggled to generate membership and employment. Staff members were “called into service or more essential jobs”. The employees that were left at the zoo had to work longer hours and had more responsibilities. The article went on to say that in 1950 the zoo was re-established under the jurisdiction of the city of Columbus. In 1970 the management of the zoo was tuned over to the non-profit Zoological Park Association. The city still provided some funds out of the general fund until 1986. Now, today, the zoo gets some funding from the Franklin County tax levy. The zoo became more widely know than ever when beginning in the 1980s Jack Hanna appeared on television with animals for educational purposes. Memberships grew. Now, and with the name the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the zoo has come a long way with changes over the years. One fairly recent event was the addition of Wildlights in the Christmas season.  “It has struggled and it has thrived” over the years since the 1920s.

It’s going to be tuna casserole out of the freezer for dinner. 

Joy

Ignored