February 13, 2022 a thought for today, To be without knowledge is to be without light. Somali Proverb

Our church was almost empty today. I hope people will begin coming back soon. This pandemic has put a big weight on attendance. I have heard there are still many churches that have not gone back to live services all this time and some went back and then stopped again when the variant virus flared. At least we are still open and have been most of the duration of the pandemic. I’m glad I was there, I feel renewed for the coming week. We also had our donut fellowship. It’s nice to just chat together during these once a month hours. We also had a meeting that had to be postponed from last week due to the bad weather conditions. 

The first photo challenge for February 12 was “l is for.....”. My image for this theme is part of my lighting system for my “indoor garden”(an array of tropical and subtropical plants including succulents) that requires up to twelve hours a day of light. 

We still have patches of ice in places on the ground but at least now people are able to get around those areas and get on with normal day activities. It’s been a while since we have had a winter be this bad and challenging. We’ve had some with more snow than this but not to many with so much ice. 

The second photo theme yesterday was “patterns”. This image is one of my paper quilled snow flakes with the window screen in the middle ground and a neighbor’s tree branches in the far ground. Each of these creates their own unique patterns. 

This week coming up should not be to busy but there are a couple of days with food pantry. I am planning a relaxed and uneventful afternoon since this is Sunday. 

I finished The Innocent by David Baldacci Saturday, then  downloaded the next one, Whiteout by Ken Follett.

Today’s first photo theme is “m is for....”. I pulled a package of M and Ms, for baking cookies, from the frig for this image. I also like the hint of a reflection in the foreground under the saucer of candies.

A word for today is prepare.  I will prepare and some day my chance will come. Abraham Lincoln.  In fair weather prepare for foul. Thomas Fuller.  It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow. Aesop. Fortune favors the prepared mind. Louis Pasteur.  The nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one. Alexander Hamilton. People only see what they are prepared to see. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed... Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders. Henry David Thoreau.  It is not the soul alone that should be healthy; if the mind is healthy in a healthy body, all will be healthy and much better prepared to give God greater service. Saint Ignatius.  A heart well prepared for adversity in bad times hopes, and in good times fears for a change in fortune. Horace.  Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer. Charles Caleb Colton.  All speech, written or spoken, is a dead language, until it finds a willing and prepared hearer. Robert Louis Stevenson.  Book love... is your pass to the greatest, the purest, and the most perfect pleasure that God has prepared for His creatures. Anthony Trollope. It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow. Aesop.  

The second image for today is “textures”. I liked the patterns and shapes of the steps as well as the textures that fill the requirements for the theme today.  The texture of the grass, the concrete with pebbles, the fallen leaves, even the piece of paper at the bottom of the steps adding softness and crunchability. 

Today’s article is not one of the breaking news type but is worth a look and a thought. It is about the stress of losing a pet and being reunited in the end. In our area recently there was a pooch named Abbey Roy who got lost and had a lonely adventure in life for seventeen days. The owners are animal lovers and over the course of many years had adopted ten furry companions. They are a two dog family, somehow a third one snuck in,  but the loss one doesn’t take the place of another. Soon after one passed away after an illness they began to feel the hole in their lives. They still had an aging Newfoundland and a mixed breed. But they couldn’t “restrain” the urge to look for another pup. They watched internet posting from the humane society. They saw a pup they fell in love with , her name is Maggie. In mid January they brought her home. They stopped at a machine shop that they operate in Newark. They put Maggie in a crate and locked the shop door so they could go for a quick lunch. When they got back, the door was unlocked and the crate was empty. They searched the area, put up posters, asked neighbors about her, placed information on Facebook and found nothing. They called the Humane Society for help and a Columbus based Lost Pet Recovery joined in the search. The search continued in the snow and freezing temperatures. Traps, “feeding stations” and cameras were set up at specific places. This went on for seventeen days. Cameras recorded Maggie once trying to fight off coyotes. It was quite apparent that Maggie was terrified and ran from people came near. Authorities felt she survived by following a creek for water and finding food as in corn left for deer and other ways. It is felt that she slept in barns and outbuildings to keep warm. Finally the Lost Pet Recovery found at a feeding station Maggie and “brought her in”. After a vet check she finally got to go to her new home. 

Taco Bell for dinner tonight. 

Joy

turf and puddle and pebbles and shades for gray