March 29, 2022 a thought for today, It's a small thing that outlives a man. Irish Proverb

We were going to have a visit yesterday but we had to postpone for another time. So I changed direction on the spur of the moment, I’m not comfortable with doing things without planning usually. This week is set for activities ever day of the week so there was no time for the grocery store. I made the decision that since plans were changed before nine o’clock this morning that we should make it a grocery shopping day. Now that’s out of the way. 

The first photo challenge for yesterday was “a shop window”. I had one very pretty one but I try to be careful with the ones I will upload and this one had some features that I wasn’t sure I can use. 

The bulletin is partially done. I also got as much as I finished work on the computer projects before I got ready to go for food pantry. 

We had a pretty good turn out. Some didn’t come in until almost closing time. As we were cleaning up the sign-in area the last ones were being served. 

The second photo for yesterday was “diagonal”. It was fun searching
around for things that were at a diagonal. Once I start looking for something in particular that seems unusual I am surprised at how many there really are around. 

The weather is still a little chilly but tomorrow the temperature is supposed to be near seventy. 

We will be baby sitting for a little while before food pantry tomorrow so it will be a full day. 

The fist photo for today is “old building”. This one is from my archives. I didn’t know how “old” the building should be but I was thinking the older the better so I decided to use this one. 

The word is seem.  All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream. Edgar Allan Poe.  Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many. Phaedrus.  No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens. Abraham Lincoln.  Be as you wish to seem. Socrates. I know the power obedience has of making things easy which seem impossible. Saint Teresa of Avila.  I have always observed that to succeed in the world one should seem a fool, but be wise. Montesquieu.  Be content to seem what you really are. Marcus Aurelius.  Good and bad men are less than they seem. Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  Never seem wiser, nor more learned, than the people you are with. Wear your learning, like your watch, in a private pocket: and do not merely pull it out and strike it; merely to show that you have one. Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield.  Do not measure your loss by itself; if you do, it will seem intolerable; but if you will take all human affairs into account you will find that some comfort is to be derived from them. Saint Basil. However things may seem, no evil thing is success and no good thing is failure. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He does not seem to me to be a free man who does not sometimes do nothing. Marcus Tullius Cicero.  People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

As I’ve mentioned before, I like these articles about animals helping people. Here’s another one.

The photo of the day for March 29 is “black and white”.  I don’t that feature on my phone/camera so I found how to change to black and white shooting and took a quick shot of several things around the house. I like the lines of this one. 

This article opened with a story about a college student who had a pet that was experiencing a problem with diarrhea. She was up with her otherwise a healthy Golden Retriever/Newfoundland mix several times a night. The vet diagnosed the pet with “colon issues”. This problem put a strain on the student’s “sanity” but she kept up her good grades. Her “unconditional love” for her pet got her through. The library in Grove City had an even about the power of service animals. This college student was a volunteer in a student “organization that partners with the Xenia-based non-profit 4 Paws for Ability”. She and Fargo there with others service dogs-in-training and their partners. There was a live demonstration. A person was acting in distress with fists in a ball near her chin along with some shaking. She seemed weak and about to fall. The service dogs-in-training were alert but uncertain how to respond. All but one, Molly, normally “quiet and laid back” got up and went to help. She barked and wagged her tail until her human partner came to help. Molly nuzzled the person hands offering comfort. It turns out that the “model” for the experiment has a child who has seizures (eventually they were grand mall) and their dog is trained to sense them. When the seizures began medications were prescribed but in time something more needed to be done. A hair dresser gave a tip and suggested a service dog. The 4 Paws for Ability came into their lives. There were many steps to go through before they finally got Cody their loving service dog. It was mentioned by the family that Cody was a “seizure prevention dog rather than a seizure detection dog”. Cody died after of cancer. Then Hudson came along to take over the job. Hudson would pull the covers off Katie if the seizures came at night. Hudson died in 2019.  The parents considered whether to get another service dog since the child’s seizures seems to under control. The tough part was losing the beloved animals. There seemed to be an “uptick” in the seizer so the family returned to 4Paws. The community helped raise the money for a new dog and the extensive two year training. The “child” is now grown but still needs Molly, the new service dog. The college student from the beginning of the story experience the diarrhea episodes with Fargo she knew he was going to be a great service dog some day.

I this we are having Stouffers Cheesy Macaroni and Beef for dinner tonight. 

Joy

out of business....

 March 27, 2022 a thought for today, If you lend your coat, don't cut off the buttons. Irish Proverb

Yesterday we had a church group who wanted to do a service day at our church come in for a four-hour period of time helping us do anything we wanted in the way of cleaning parts of our church. A few volunteers from our congregation joined them and they spruced up the sanctuary and certain other areas of the church. 

The first photo challenge yesterday was “an empty road”. This is from the archives. I live in the city where there are very few “empty” roads. This one is a country road not far from home.  

Today the sermon was good, the attendance was minimal, the friendship was abundant. 

The second photo for March 26 was called “minimalism”. I
felt the top of a lone evergreen tree against the gorgeous blue sky fit the bill. 

Sue had wanted to run some errands today so when I got home from church we took off for Walmart. It wasn’t for major shopping, just a couple items we needed to pick up so we weren’t gone to long.

So sticking with tradition there isn’t much else on the agenda today.

The first assignment for today is “a tree”. I have lots of shots of trees. This one seemed to have a message with the highlights and shadows and textured leaves.  

The word is secret.  The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life. William Morris.  The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand things well. Horace Walpole. Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage. Thucydides. The secret of success is to be ready when your opportunity comes. Benjamin Disraeli.  Perseverance, secret of all triumphs. Victor Hugo.  This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet. Rumi.  The secret of being a bore... is to tell everything. Voltaire.  Don't let your special character and values, the secret that you know and no one else does, the truth - don't let that get swallowed up by the great chewing complacency. Aesop.  Things forbidden have a secret charm. Tacitus.  May we have communion with God in the secret of our hearts, and find Him to be to us as a little sanctuary. Charles Spurgeon. I know that's a secret, for it's whispered everywhere. William Congreve. There are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 

The second photo of the day for today is “rotating”. There is a statue of a huge butterfly that seems to turn with the breezes at the park down the street but one of my wind chimes also “twists” in the wind so I chose to use it. 

I was surprised to see that Spaghetti Warehouse was one of the three haunted restaurants in Columbus, that is what the article today is about. The first one mentioned is the Spaghetti Warehouse. In 1891 it was an icehouse. In 1987 it became the Spaghetti Warehouse. It is said that the lower dining room may be haunted. The structure is in what is called the “flood plain”. Early on in our history people in Franklinton “suffered high casualties when the river rose”. The article said that they temporarily stored bodies in the cold storage area of the warehouse. It is reported that some guests have said the “ghosts....mostly children ghosts”. These children are in “period costumes”. One of the guests explained his sighting as a new waiter moved toward the customer he was serving the “tray in his hand inexplicable stopped moving, fell to the floor”. The lasagna sauce in the dishes flew “as high as the ceiling”. In another incident a construction guy working in the building at night left unexpectedly and had to send someone for his tools and wouldn’t talk about it. Kitchen staff say there have been events of flying silverware. The next of the three haunted places is Schmidt’s Restaurant and Banquet Haus. In 1886 it was a packing house and next to a livery stable. In 1967 the stable was converted to the restaurant. The “ghosts” seem to inhabit the second floor where there is a banquet hall for private events. In 1983 a mysterious fire sparked and “nearly destroyed the building”. Some of the ghost stories involve a women who was know to the staff and crew in the business. There were foot steps when none was there. Sometimes even a scent of perfume, sometimes a reflection in a mirror. Once a customer saw a red headed women in old clothing on the stairs. A family portrait hanging on the wall resembled the vision. Tables and chairs are sometimes moved out of place, things fall for no reason. There have been the sound of doors shutting, there have been unexplained water stains. The third restaurant mentioned as haunted it the Elevator Brewery and Draught Haus. It was built in 1897 and was used for different purposes over the yeas. There was a pool hall, barber shop, boxing ring and once a brothel. In time The Clock restaurant was located there on the first floor. One of the stories is about a well known “gentleman and womanizer was stabbed in the front of the restaurant...by a scorned woman”, he died on the floor by the bar. The woman was barefoot and it was snowing outside. It is said that now when is snows her foot prints can be seen in the snow. Also mentioned that the clock in front of the restaurant stopped at the time of the man’s death and remained frozen for a century before it was removed. There have reports of doors swinging open and closed on their own. One time the hands of a clock in the kitchen moved backwards. 

It will be Taco Bell or Subway or KFC for dinner. 

Joy

Strong winds?

 March 25, 2022 a thought for the day, He may die of wind but he'll never die of wisdom. Irish  Proverb

Yesterday was productive. The printing of the bulletin went without a hitch. The printing of the newsletter....almost. On the last ten copies the copier quit printing and refused to continue until a “waste cartridge” was replaced. We don’t have one.  It will have to be ordered. After we, Dorothy and I, finished the prep for mailing we realized that five of the folks will be getting theirs late and the five for the narthex will also have to wait until we get the cartridge. 

The first photo challenge for March 24 was “a sunbeam”. It seems I have been using my archives a lot in the past few days. In most cases the season isn’t applicable to the photo in question or the theme is something out of my reach at the moment. In this case I haven’t noticed many opportunities in recent days for such an event. So this one is from my archives. 

There was some other activity in the church this morning when I was there to finish the rest of the folding. So I had a chance to chat with a couple of others. It was nice to have the “reach out” contact with others even for short periods. 

The second theme for yesterday was “patterns”. I am drawn to the patterns of shadows and reflections. I was walking through my dining room one day and this view caught my eye. I had to change direction to find my camera so that I could get this shot before the sun moved and changed the design. 

I heard about something on the news last night that gave me thought for a possible new project, as if I need more on my plate. There is a group of young people who have learned that having (owning), taking care of and sharing a tiny piece of space with a house plant can help people with stress and depressive (mental health) living conditions. So they are putting together and giving a house plant to people in near homeless conditions. I wonder....if this could be an upward benefit in the community our church missions. I am going to do some further research and maybe a trial run. I have found out some of the plants that are particularly good for this purpose. Aloe Vera, Snake Plant, Lavender, Rosemary, Jasmine, English Ivy, and Mint are good choices. I have experience with growing Aloe Vera, Snake Plant and Mint (and many other kinds of house plants). Here is a sentence from some of my research: Tending to plants models self-care. As many struggle with their mental health right now.

The first photo assignment for today is titled “graffiti”. I shot this one a few days ago when I was looking for “a colourful place” photo.

The word for today is safe.  I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Martin Luther. There is nothing so strong or safe in an emergency of life as the simple truth. Charles Dickens. There is always safety in valor, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Our insignificance is often the cause of our safety, Aesop.  Hallow men believe in luck; wise and strong men in the cause and effect, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come, Confucius.  In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  We must respect the past, and mistrust the present, if we wish to provide for the safety of the future. Joseph Joubert.  Education is our only political safety. Outside of this ark all is deluge. Horace Mann.  Your own safety is at stake when your neighbor's wall is ablaze. Horace.  Fear is the foundation of safety. Tertullian   ......Nature's, not honour's law we must obey: This made me cast my useless shield away. Archilochus.   It is ingrained in all living creatures, first of all, to preserve their own safety, to guard against what is harmful, to strive for what is advantageous. Saint Ambrose.

Today’s second photo assignment is titled “ hands”. This is another of the photos from my archives. It
was taken at one of our weekly HM3 events at church where we offer a free meal on Saturday evening. 

I have found another place that shares news of historic places and events as they relate to our community, the 614 Magazine. I found this article about a historic Olde Towne East home. In this home there is a three-story Wurlitizer. Many years ago there was a man who grew up in Washington Court House and visited the Olde Towne East neighborhood when he was younger. He said he was “drawn to the architecture of the homes” in the area.  In the early 1990s there was a house for sale in the neighborhood that was within his budget. It was updated and in good shape. He bought it, but he had long wanted to find a home to restore to its original condition. In 1999 he found what he was looking for. It was “shabby but structurally sound”. There was a Queen Anne pillared front porch with “gingerbread details and is located around the corner in the first house he had purchased. He claimed it was the “the worst-maintained house on the block.” He spent several years of “labor and love” to restore it. The slate roof had to be replaced, the mortar in the “1890s limestone foundation” needed repointed. He wanted to make the exterior features look “timeless”. Some those features were the custom mahogany storm door, ironworks railing on the second floor balcony and a parlor window that is surrounded by an archway of decorative brick. He has tried to keep it with all the “original structure or mimic it” and the replacements to keep a historic nature and keep up with the “character of the neighborhood”. Later he hopes to restore the carriage house at the back of the property. The house was once known as the house with the huge pipe organ. This new owner has replaced it with a 1926 Wurlitzer. It has750 pipes and “spans all three floors” of the house. Visitors to this home on Franklin Avenue will also see “unique Columbus memorabilia” such as a phone booth from Union Station, an usher’s uniform from the Ohio Theater, a 14-foot historical mural originally found in a Victorian Village home and more”. 

PIZZA!

Joy

 March 23, 2022 a thought for today, Experience runs a valuable school, but fools learn in no other. Italian Proverb

I had another of the wonderful video calls from my great grand children last night. They are in their new home now and liked showing me around the house. It was a fun adventure. We go to each room viewing them through the quickly moving cell phone camera. One or the other of the kids is telling me what I am seeing as we cruise through the rooms. Some of the rooms are tilted to the right and some to the left. The ceilings and floors came be interesting too.  It was the highlight of the day for me. 

The first photo challenge for March 22 was “a garden”. Since gardens aren’t really in full regalia right now in our area, I pulled this one from my archive. It is one of the several gardens at the park a few blocks from my house. 

Another interesting thing from yesterday...my Spectrum is working again. I had three earlier calls of when they were scheduled to get here...2 - 3 o’clock. I got home from church at 1:45 and they were done and leaving. Sue had let them in. They completely rearranged where the cabling for all units in the house were located....not outside where the cut cable was lying on the ground but to the basement of the house. It all appeared more professional to me than our last experience.

The second photo for yesterday is also from the archives and from the same park as the first one. The title for this assignment is “reflection”.

Before and after food pantry I put the finishing touches on the bulletin and on the newsletter. This morning after virtual visits I sent them out to a few on email. Tomorrow will be printing day. And Friday finishing day. 

Food pantry was busier than it has been in a while. That’s always good news for us. We reach more people that way. We have a couple of our regular visitors who are or have lost their living quarters due to higher rent fees. Some are some are being hit with a pretty heavy blow on their living conditions. I wish we could help with all even more than we do. Taking care of all their needs are beyond our reach. We do a very good job with what we have. 

I have had an adventure uploading a new book. I uploaded John Grisham’s “Rogue Lawyer”. I read a few chapters before I decided it wasn’t for me. It seems to be written in the first person style. I prefer a wider description or view of happenings. Then I uploaded James Patterson’s “The Family Lawyer”.  After I got about a third of the way through, I found I hadn’t checked on the layout of the book very well before uploaded....it is one with a couple of short stories rather than one full book of one story. Anyway the first story was good and I am into the second story now. 

The first photo theme for today is “a leaf”. There is more than on leaf but at least all on the same single plant. This photo, another from the archives, was taken at Franklin Park in summer time. It happens to have a bit of additional interest, a lost feather of one of the many birds in the park all having found a cozy crevice in a rock. 

I have to get my daily activities done on the early side since I have a literary club meeting a little after noon. 

The word for today is sad.  Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form. Rumi.  For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'. John Greenleaf Whittier. Tears come from the heart and not from the brain. Leonardo da Vinci.  Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh. Henry David Thoreau. Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Sadness flies away on the wings of time. Jean de La Fontaine.  For I have learned to look on nature, not as in the hour of thoughtless youth, but hearing oftentimes the still, sad music of humanity. William Wordsworth.  In this world, full often, our joys are only the tender shadows which our sorrows cast. Henry Ward Beecher.  In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and to the young, it comes with bitterest agony because it takes them unawares. I have had experience enough to know what I say. Abraham Lincoln.  I pity my brother Ferdinand, knowing by my own feelings how sad a thing it is to live apart from one's family. Marie Antoinette. He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise. Voltaire.  You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from passing over your head, but you can prevent their making a nest in your hair, Chinese Proverbs.  

The second photo challenge for today is called “animal”. It is apparent that I didn’t get out for a photo excursion yesterday or today....this one is also from my archives. This is the cat who lives in the vet’s office. He is keeping watch over the fist who also live in the vet’s office. 

This article tells of a bit of history about one of the oldest hospitals in Columbus and it’s founder Dr. Baldwin. The hospital in question is Grant Hospital in the downtown area. It is the only hospital in the downtown area and fills a bull city block bounded by Grant Avenue, Sixth, State and Town streets. I learned from this article that a man named Lyne Starling bought land that is now Downtown Columbus in the 19th century. He took part in the establishment of the Starling Medical College and St. Francis Hospital in 1849. They were located at State and Sixth streets as a teaching and patient care center. A Dr. Baldwin built Grant hospital in 1900. Oh....Grant was named for “Ohio native Ulysses S. Grant”. Dr. Baldwin received her bachelor’s degree at Oberlin College and medical degree from the Philadelphia medical college. He moved to Columbus in a home on East Town Street. His home at that location later became the O’Shaughnessy Co. funeral home. Dr. Baldwin didn’t trust the blood transfusion preformed at the time in history because blood types were not known then, and the noted the dangers of nitrous oxide as an anesthetic, also the “use of medications that had not been proven effective”. The original Grant hospital was east of St. Francis. It was a four-story brick building with open porches for fresh air to help healing. The hospital grew as the city grew and eventually filled the city block. In 1968 there was an addition to the hospital called the Baldwin Tower and was used as a school of nursing. It was demolished in 2004 as the hospital expanded.  

I need to make something quick and easy for dinner. I think it will be creamed beef on toast. 

Joy

vacant

 March 21, 2022 thought for today, When the heat has past, you forget about the shade tree. Japanese Proverb

My first photo challenge for yesterday was “something weird” . This probably isn’t too “weird” but at first glance it struck me as odd. Why is the box sitting on the sawed off trunk of a tree? The box says for sale. What’s for sale....the tree trunk....like come and get it?

Our Spectrum TV system still isn’t fixed. It was such a stressful afternoon when they were here last week that I am dreading them coming back to fix it tomorrow. But at the same time I want all of what I am paying for properly working. Apparently the technician who was here last cut one of the cable and left it lying in the yard. They were scheduled for yesterday but they say we cancelled the appointment....we didn’t. Their TV ad says something like  “prompt and reliable”. 

The second photo for yesterday was “simplicity”. This is very simple, a light in a bit of darkness, a cross above the light....The image has been used before for another assignment that it fit. Each image was shot on a different day but at the same angle and time of day. 

I got a start on the bulletin and several small steps on the newsletter. I separated out some photos for what seems to have become our photo page in the newsletter. I haven’t taken many this month so I will be adding some from my church photo archives. This is going to be another busy week. I have to leave on time from food pantry tomorrow to be here in time for Spectrum. I’ll miss food pantry on Wednesday and will be at a literary club meeting instead. Some time in there I have to finish the bulletin and newsletter. 

Yesterday was one of the four days in a month that I need a third photo of the day. This assignment was titled “breaking the rules”. The rules of photography are: Rule of thirds, balancing elements, leading lines, viewpoint, background, symmetry and patterns, depth, framing.  I think I broke several, rule of third, symmetry..., framing? Anyway I like the clouds in the sky and the shading. 

After I got a couple of email messages out requesting the information, I still need for the newsletter I took Sweet Pea out in the car with me looking for today’s photos. I had sent the email out yesterday but I thought reminders might be needed. 

The weather is beautiful today. Early spring is in the air. It’s still a touch on the cool side but sunny and bright.

The first photo for today is “a colourful place”. As I was focused in my drive by searches, I saw several colorful places but this one seemed the most balanced when I got it to the darkroom (Photoshop). 

The word today is run.  If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve. William Tecumseh Sherman. There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit. Napoleon Bonaparte. When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run. Abraham Lincoln. In youth we run into difficulties. In old age difficulties run into us. Josh Billings. All diseases run into one, old age. Ralph Waldo Emerson. The secret thoughts of a man run over all things, holy, profane, clean, obscene, grave, and light, without shame or blame. Thomas Hobbes.  We run carelessly to the precipice, after we have put something before us to prevent us seeing it. Blaise Pascal. Time and the hour run through the roughest day. William Shakespeare. The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run. Henry David Thoreau.  He who postpones the hour of living is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses. Horace. Truth gets well if she is run over by a locomotive, while error dies of lockjaw if she scratches her finger. William Cullen Bryant.  

The second photo theme today is “photoshopped”. This is my niece. After I finished using a textured layer to the original photo I used the Photoshop Magic Eraser and finished off with some clean up in areas that the Magic Eraser had left markings that I wanted removed. This is what I got. At first I wasn’t sure I should use it because it may strike some people a macabre appearing as though she was deceased. She is very much alive. She was sitting  at the table beside me, she was heavily concentrating in her work with a doll. I grabbed my phone/camera and made the original image. 

 The article is about some more plans for making places in Columbus visually pleasing. There is a place in Columbus called the Starling Garage that is now under construction at The Peninsula development. Four artists have been selected to create art to accompany this new structure. Eighty-one people applied to work on the project. The are work is planned to “bolster our sense of community connection by celebrating the diversity, open- mindedness and optimism of our city.”  The art will be inspired by the “natural beauty and rich history and cultural diversity of Franklinton and Scioto Mile”. Three of the art piece will be murals along with a sculpture of bird figures called “Gather and Flow”. They will be lit at night with LED lights. The art work will be installed this spring before the opening of a new garage opening in June. There is more Peninsula development with phase one being four buildings and two parking garages.  There will be 328 residential units and a 198-room hotel. Later a 34-story multipurpose tower will be built. It will be residential, retail office and parking. This is all new space for people to “live, work and play” with public art a part “of the unique urban fabric....embodying the energy, inclusion and openness of Columbus.”

I think I will make something with left over meatloaf, some kind of meatloaf pasta. 

Joy

wonder how that got tipped over?

 March 19, 2022 a thought for today, From the mouths of babes and drunkards, you will learn the truth. Japanese Proverb

I was awake once, the bed felt so good I fell back to sleep. Then about eight o’clock, I startled myself awake. 

One of my photo challenges for yesterday was “delicate”. I wanted to get just the tiny little fingers but I would have lost some detail to I got the sweet little hands and the sweet little nose.

There isn’t a lot on my agenda for today. I wanted to go out to trim a couple of overgrown plants but we are having some rain right now so I think that will be put off to another day.

The second image I chose for yesterday’s assignments was
“flowers”. My sister came inside yesterday from checking out any possible blooms and told me the daffodils were opening. So today I expected them to be more open....not quite. 

With the down time I had the other day, down time meaning time away from the computer, I went through my yarn tub. It was a colossal mess. I had different left over skeins that had come untangled from themselves and tangled around other untangled skeins. Some were so tangled that it was a waste of time to try to separate them. I didn’t realize just how many different colors, types, and sizes I have used over the past couple of years. I put the skeins that were slightly used but still untangled in zip lock bags to keep them from becoming part of a jungle if they were put back in the tube “unrestrained”. I guess there some good things that come out of the unexpected delays in normal routines. 

Today’s fist photo title is “a grocery story”. I was trying to find one of the images I took a while back inside the store of my sister pushing a grocery cart but I couldn’t find it, this was my second best choice. 

The word today is road.  There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. Buddha. A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road. Henry Ward Beecher. The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. William Blake. We must trust to nothing but facts: these are presented to us by nature and cannot deceive. We ought, in every instance, to submit our reasoning to the test of experiment, and never to search for truth but by the natural road of experiment and observation. Antoine Lavoisier. Advice in old age is foolish; for what can be more absurd than to increase our provisions for the road the nearer we approach to our journey's end. Marcus Tullius Cicero. You know more of a road by having traveled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world. William Hazlitt.  Can you tell a plain man the road to heaven? Certainly, turn at once to the right, then go straight forward. William Wilberforce.  A little road not made of man,  Enabled of the eye,  Accessible to hill of bee, Or cart of butterfly, Emily Elizabeth Dickinson.  There is no road of flowers leading to glory. Jean de La Fontaine.   In our era, the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action. Robert Green Ingersoll.  

The second photo challenge for today is titled “detail”. This is my grand furry pup. His name is Duke. Love the “eye spy” look. 

It’s interesting to learn more about placed in our city. This article is about the history of the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC). I have been there a few times and felt a sense of mystery and history each time. In the opening it is described as an area “shielded by barbed-wire fencing.....rows of parked military vehicles...”. Many people wonder what goes on there. The buildings look like any other buildings that are behind gates. It opened in 1918 after that time there have been fourteen changes on the way to becoming “a vital logistics center providing weapons systems and platform support to US military...”. There are 8,000 employees and has a $400 million payroll. The article goes on to share several facts about the base. There are twenty-six organizations using the base. The most outstanding is the Defense Logistics Agency, the Land and Maritime supply chain headquarters. They control a thousand “multiservice weapon’s systems”. The Ohio Army National Guard, the US Army Reserve and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service along with all their employees, service members, venders and contractors are “stationed” here. During World War I the land for this base was purchased and constructed. At that time the area was “undeveloped swampland and tracts of farmland”. It was important due to three railroad lines located near by.  It was also important because of Columbus was a manufacturing center where military supplies and equipment were made. The base was also important in handling the distribution of food to the military during World War I. A lot of it early on was pork and beans. According to the article “As years went by, the facility developed into one of the largest and busiest installations of its type in the world – feeding, clothing and equipping the military and furnishing vehicles”. Another of the many uses of the property was schools for trades, another was procuring Army’s horses and mules.  Here’s a bit that is interesting and unique, in 1943 silk production took place on the property and it was extracted from black widow spiders. The silk was used in gun-sight cross hairs and compasses. Eventually synthetic fiber made it obsolete. During World War II the center was the largest supply installation in the world. There were 500 German prisoners of war held there. Barracks were set up and 58 guards employed who were former miliary. In 2014 one of the specialist supervisors with the unit became the first US civilian killed in Afghanistan. 

I am making meatloaf and baked potatoes for dinner. 

Joy 

showing wear and tear

 March 17, 2022 a thought for today, Truth does not happen, it just is. Native American Hopi Proverb

The annual report is done and out of my hands now. While I was at the church doing the printing of the bulletin and the annual report we were getting a large load of food for the food pantry. There were quite a few volunteers helping with it today. It’s nice to be able to see so many people in the church. 

The first photo a day challenge for March 16 was “a local café”. I really would have liked to get this photo without the car in front but maybe it adds to the “ambiance”. It is a colorful corner. 

We resumed choir practice last night after a brief hiatus. It was good to be back together singing and bonding. 

While I was at church and when I was on my way home I was on the alert for photos that will fit my photos of the day assignment. I will have to wait until I get in Photoshop to see which one’s I will use. I make several images of each subject on the assignment so that I have a choice when I can see them in the dark room (Photoshop). 

The second photo of the day for yesterday was “silhouette”. I did one similar to his one a few days ago for my other photo club. This one was shot at the same time.

We are having a beautiful spring like day. It is supposed to get up to seventy degrees today. I am eager for spring but summer may be another thing. I will probably spend most days in the air conditioning. It’s nice to be able to sit on the porch swing for the fresh air and to listen to the “sounds of summer” then go back inside for the cool air. Spring, Summer and Autumn are still my favorite seasons with a peak into winter now and then. 

We have a repair person here for Spectrum. He has the internet (along with the TV and the phone) off line. That interrupted my work on information I needed from the internet for photo work and for the church newsletter that I had planned on working on this afternoon. It ended up with all of our services being interrupted for over five hours. And, in my opinion the problem wasn’t serious enough to warrant that and was unnecessary. My stress level was over the top. After they left, we discovered that one of the wires and been deliberately (accidentally?) cut so service to that TV is out. At one point Sweet Pea got out of the yard by a gate that had not been re-locked, that caused more anxious moments. Now there will be another visit tomorrow.   

The first photo for today is “something you think is boring”.  Being stuck in traffic is boring especially when there are trucks and busses surrounding a tiny family car and blocking any interesting views.         

The word today is rise.  Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them. Washington Irving. He who binds to himself a joy Does the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity's sun rise. William Blake. Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. Saint Augustine. My sun sets to rise again. Robert Browning. Truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water. Miguel de Cervantes.  Sometimes, if you begin to sing in a halfhearted mood, you can sing yourself up the ladder. Singing will often make the heart rise. Charles Spurgeon. To rise from error to truth is rare and beautiful. Victor Hugo. What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of the man who instructs the rising generation? Marcus Tullius Cicero. Rising genius always shoots out its rays from among the clouds, but these will gradually roll away and disappear as it ascends to its steady luster. Washington Irving.  In a state of grace, the soul is like a well of limpid water, from which flow only streams of clearest crystal. Its works are pleasing both to God and man, rising from the River of Life, beside which it is rooted like a tree. Saint Teresa of Avila.  

The second photo for today is titled “colour explosion”. The stained glass windows in my church are full of color. So the windows were my first thought and was at the church this morning. To give the colors an “explosion” effect I used a motion blur filter on the image in Photoshop. 

 Having more than just bit of Irish blood in my veins this article interested me especially on this, St. Patrick’s Day. The article tells how the Irish immigrants have an influence in Columbus. After the American Revolution most of what is now Ohio was divided into land grants. Lucas Sullivant, inherited some of the land of Irish immigrants. He founded Franklinton in 1797. In his unsuccessful effort to make it the new capital city he sought the help of other to locate the capital across the Scioto River. One of the persons who helped in this effort was an Irish immigrant who later became the second mayor of Columbus. Over the years other Irish immigrants came to Columbus. One helped build Ohio’s canal system. He lived in a Greek Revival mansion on East Broad Street. He became a prominent banker in the city. Many of the immigrants were Scots-Irish Protestants from Northern Ireland. In the 1840s Irish Catholic families came to America and Ohio and worked in building roads, bridges and, as mentioned, the Ohio canal system. According to the article, by 1860 “large proportion of the population of Columbus was of Irish extraction”. An Irish neighborhood grew up north of town. Naghten Street, later to become Nationwide Boulevard, got its name (Naghten) from an Irish politician. The St. Patrick Church was at the end of the street from 1852. It became the “Irish Broadway” with saloons, stores and other establishments. Many became involved in local affairs. Among them was Jerry O’Shaughnessy for whom the O’Shaughnessy Dam was named. Eventually that “village” of Irish people was overcome with the expansion of the railroad yards. Many of the residents left for newly created suburbs. As the neighborhood changed the Irish community persisted. In the article “A chapter of the Ancient Order of the Hibernian was founded in Columbus in 1876....and lasted into the 1930's”. It was reestablished in the 1970s. In 1936 the Shamrock Club was formed. 

I am making chili mac for dinner. 

Joy 

                                                                    a problem solved

 March 15, 2022 a thought for today, Truth suffers but never perishes. Mexican Proverb

This has been another of those ups and downs days. It was up in that I got to spend some precious time with my great grand son and then a little more time holding and snuggling with his brother. 

The first photo of the day for March 14 was “something you’ve never photographed”. I was looking for an image to fit this assignment as I was leaving the store. This is what I came up with. The bicycle chained to a stop sign with a grocery cart wopperjawed on the curb beside it. My observation wasn’t to keen when I captured the image....I hadn’t noticed the walking cane hanging on the cart handle until I was in Photoshop with it. 

The “downs” were a couple of incidents with loving family where there was some struggle to have a “meeting of the minds” so to speak. Those times pass, thankfully, but the journey through them to the other side can be a painful part.... maybe the learning part too....Another pick me up for today in this “down” period was the memory of a video visit from two of my other great grand children last night. 

The second photo for the 14th was “technology”. I have a lot of that around the house so I snagged the quickest I could find....the Spectrum power box with all it’s lights and my laser jet printer beside it. 

I had some updates to make to the annual report. I thought it was done but someone else noted a couple of things that would make points a little clearer. Some of the data is cut and paste from other people so I don’t take it upon myself to make those corrections. 

I also finished the bulletin. It looks like I might be ahead of the game by a day or so. Hopefully there are no hangups when it comes time to do the final printing. 

The first photo challenge for today is a “play ground”. As I was on my way home from the grocery store, I went by the local park where there are two major play areas and then by a small day care park where there is another park with smaller play equipment. 

The sun is out nice and bright. It was a bit chilly when we left the house this morning but has warmed up pleasantly. 

The word is right. Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right. Abraham Lincoln. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. Charles Spurgeon. When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right. Victor Hugo.  Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. William Penn. If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius.  It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong. Voltaire.  Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all. Hypatia.  Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is not used rightly when it serves only to carry a man above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own. Henry Ward Beecher. To see the right and not to do it is cowardice. Confucius. It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. True independence and freedom can only exist in doing what's right. Brigham Young.  Every judgement of conscience, be it right or wrong, be it about things evil in themselves or morally indifferent, is obligatory, in such wise that he who acts against his conscience always sins. Thomas Aquinas.  A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right. Thomas Paine. When virtue is lost, benevolence appears, when benevolence is lost right conduct appears, when right conduct is lost, expedience appears. Expediency is the mere shadow of right and truth; it is the beginning of disorder. Lao Tzu. 

The second photo for today is “made of paper”. Years ago one of my hobbies was paper quilling. This

is one of the snowflake ornaments I made. I haven’t taken up the quilling tool for quite a while now.  

I have visited the park in this story a few times. It’s an interesting place and this is an interesting point of view. The title to the article reads “What are the three monoliths near Scioto Audubon Metro Park?” Before I read the article beyond the title I wondered what “monoliths” could they be referring to. Apparently as a person is heading east on I-70 in Columbus there is a spot where three “enormous concrete pillars sticking out of the ground” are visible. These same “pillars” can be seen behind a chainlink fence at the northern edge of the park. After some investigation by “Curious Cbus” it was discovered that the pillars are “part of an art installation called ‘Needles of Stone’”. They were constructed in 1989 at the Furnace Street electrical substation by three Ohio State University Landscape Architecture students working with The Columbus Division of Power. They are 16-foot monoliths. According to the article the inspiration came from “a school of thought that the earth radiates energy”. It also mentioned that prehistoric people were sensitive to that phenomenon. Further on in the article it stated that in the mid-1800s megaliths like Sonehenge and Easter Island were part of that theory. The belief is that stones placed in a certain way can “harness energy” from inside the earth. The OSU students were assigned to revitalize an area of “industrial decay”. This area is on Whittier Street where the Scioto Audubon Metro Park would be built “two decades later”. Leading to the assignment ideas of ancient cultures as related to landscapes were brought to the discussion. That is where the Stonehenge forms were considered. The plans for the installation of the “Needles of Stone” have been lost so there is an “air of mystery” about why and how they were built. The money available was reportedly limited so that may be “why there were only three and in the form of a triangle”. I particularly like the last paragraph that mentions are the monuments a tribute to ancient clotures or are the “Needles of Stone” Columbus’s own Stonehenge giving the area around the power substation a part of that bit of mystery. 

This is another of those days when I have a third photo to capture. This one is “simply minimalist”. I chose to share with you a shot I made on Sunday of one of the lights in our sanctuary at church.

I think we will have left overs for dinner tonight. 

Joy

have you happened to pass by something like this part of the city....

 March 13, 2022 a thought for today, God gave us each a song. Native American Ute Proverb

We still haven’t gotten all of our people back in the church since the pandemic....I keep hoping. Maybe with spring coming “they will come”. The weather was cold today though the sun is out bright and the temps are gradually rising. 

One of the photo a day challenges for yesterday was “eye(s)”. Here again is my favorite and most cooperative model, well almost cooperative. I just can’t resist sharing the look of her “the truth and nothing but” eyes. 

Yesterday I finished the annual report and attempted to save it as a pdf. I tried everything I could think of but it simply wouldn’t save. I woke up dreading it this morning and decided to try one more time....still no luck. Then I had a bright light moment...maybe to many photographs, the file was just too large to save. So I spent some time before church and went through the photos one by one and chose the ones that really didn’t need to be there and sadly deleted them. Voilà! It worked. So I left for church with a worry lifted off my shoulder. I had spent hours on that project and wanted so much for it to be a success. 

The second photo for yesterday’s assignment was “insect”. This is winter, this is cold, there is snow on the ground, there are no live insects, visible anyway. So I went in search of one of the twin’s books. I found one that was all about bugs to the image for this theme was a photo of a portion of that book.  

We had donut fellowship after church service and I was on the committee that played hostess today so I stayed to help clean up. 

When I got home, I worked on one of the photos of the day.  The two for today will be coming from my archives. One will be a collection of images of my great-grandchildren put together as a composite. The other may be a repeat but I liked it so well I wanted to use it anyway.  

The first photo for today is “a close up”. This is the photo I mentioned in the above paragraph. She is going to be very popular in a couple of years. This is one from my archives. We don’t have them, the twins, for overnight visits much lately so I have to take what I can of photos of them. 

Since this is Sunday that will be the extent of my accomplishments for today...the rest of the day will be relax and reflect.

The word is reward.  Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. Saint Augustine.  The reward of a thing well done is having done it. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Happiness is not a reward - it is a consequence. Suffering is not a punishment - it is a result. Robert Green Ingersoll.  Men lose all the material things they leave behind them in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these, they will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve. Francis of Assisi. God gave us faculties for our use; each of them will receive its proper reward. Then do not let us try to charm them to sleep, but permit them to do their work until divinely called to something higher. Saint Teresa of Avila. The reward of one duty is the power to fulfill another. George Eliot.  He that does good for good's sake seeks neither paradise nor reward, but he is sure of both in the end. William Penn.  Learning is its own exceeding great reward. William Hazlitt. I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly. Catherine the Great. Honor is the reward of virtue. Marcus Tullius Cicero.   Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day, Sun Tzu. To have prevented one single sin is reward enough for the labors and efforts of a whole lifetime. Saint Ignatius.

The second photo for today is titled “composite”. This is a collection of moments captured with each of my great- grandchildren. 

This story interested me because the youth are learning to preserve and restore historic sites. Fort Hayes, once a military post known as the Columbus Arsenal until 1922, in the south east section of Columbus became a Career Center in the Columbus Public Schools.  It is a “learning laboratory”. Columbus Landmarks has joined the career center in a project to teach the students about historic preservation.  In the beginning of the article the students are gathered inside the long-vacant gatehouse at the entrance to Fort Hayes. They are dressed in fluorescent vests, work boot and hard hats. “Paint is peeling from the walls, insulation hangs from the ceiling...and there is no heat. They are at the beginning of their class. Some will go up in a hydraulic life to “inspect the roof” to look for any kind of damage. They will look for water damage or anything “odd”. One of their lessons for this part of the class is to take notes to give to a “client” that will be the beginning of making you money. The building was arranged for this training through Columbus Landmarks and a $50,000 grant. Part of their training in historic restoration will cover electrical  and masonry classes. According to the article Columbus Landmarks also sponsors classes in “old-home repair for homeowners and works to save historic buildings”. It goes on to say “preservation apprenticeships are rare or nonexistent.....that knowledge is critical”. Some of the differences in more modern building from those of the “historic” types are “dimensions of lumber... spacing of joists”. Some of the students on the day of the interview for this article, would be learning how to use infrared heat guns to strip lead paint from bead board, others were using pry bars to tear up flooring in hopes of finding maple. Further in the article it is mentioned that “The work is slow, and more grants will be needed before this aged building can be put to any yet-to-be-determined contemporary use”. 

I think it’s going to be Subway for dinner tonight. 

Joy 

deep cleaning needed?

 March 11, 2022 a thought for today, Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Walk beside me as we may be as one. Native American Ute Proverb

This is one of those days where there were plans for how the day would go but the plans got changed. I had a dental appointment but didn’t know if it was for a cleaning or a follow up with other work planned so Lowell was going to take me. Something came up that caused a trip out of town for him and Rebecca so I rescheduled my appointment. After the appointment I had planned to take Sue out for a couple of her errands. We moved those up time wise since we have the whole day ahead.

The first photo of the day for March 10 was “a meal you made”. This is my chili with dumplings, crackers (Ritz by the way), and hash brown potatoes. 

Yesterday, after I printed the bulletin, I printed a draft copy of the annual report to check on the layout, formatting and placement of graphics and borders. When I got home and had a chance to study it, I saw that I needed to add one more page and add a deleted page back. I also noticed a situation I want to chance with some of the photos. I like to make the annual report booklet something in the order of a diary of history in our daily activities so the photos are an important part. They add visual history of capturing a moment in time. Anyway, all of the technical data seems to be where it should be so all I have left before the report is due late next week is arranging the photos and/or graphics. 

The second photo for yesterday was “ostentatious”. Well, I looked at the word as outrageous or vulgar. To me, this fits the meaning perfectly. Although even in probable ruin there is something of interest.  

Since I wasn’t going to be getting out of the car to shop today we took Sweet Pea with us. She gets so excited to take a car ride. As Sue was shopping, I took Sweet Pea for a short walk, she couldn’t seem to get enough sniffing. Later Sue and I went by the park so I could get a couple of photos, Sue walked Sweet Pea again. I thought sure she would try to investigate the “ gaggle” of geese that were enjoying the pond. She didn’t seem to be the least bit interested. I couldn’t get the exact photo I had in mind because there were workers cleaning out the drains in the pond. I wanted a view of the park with the length of the pond in the foreground then extending to the end of the park. 

Yesterday was one of the days I had three photos to look for, prepare and upload. This one is “silhouette”. What’s more perfect than a child looking upward with hope.

I finished my book World Without End by Ken Follett. I really got “involved” in it. I realized after I got into it that I had picked it up before. That time I skipped through it. This time I did a more thorough reading, it’s a very long book, and in my opinion very good. I “returned” it to the library for the person waiting and up loaded a new one, Stone Cold by David Baldacci. I started reading it last night. I haven’t read this one before but it appears to be a continuation of one I did read before. The characters are pretty much the same and one of the story lines connects to an earlier one. 

The first photo a day challenge a day for today is “somewhere with a good view”. This was the closest for me to get to today and I didn’t have to go through my archives. This is the theme I was looking for as mentioned in the paragraph above. 

The word today is return.  The mind ought sometimes to be diverted that it may return to better thinking. Phaedrus. Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen. Like friends, too, we should return to them again and again for, like true friends, they will never fail us - never cease to instruct - never cloy. Charles Caleb Colton. Never was a faithful prayer lost. Some prayers have a longer voyage than others, but then they return with their richer lading at last, so that the praying soul is a gainer by waiting for an answer. William Gurnall  This is the truth: as from a fire aflame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. Marcus Tullius Cicero. The person who receives the most favors is the one who knows how to return them. Publilius Syrus.  The nearer people approach old age the closer they return to a semblance of childhood, until the time comes for them to depart this life, again like children, neither tired of living nor aware of death. Desiderius Erasmus. Love often leads on to ambition, but seldom does one return from ambition to love. Francois de La Rochefoucauld.  Return good for good; return evil with justice. Confucius.  In the woods we return to reason and faith, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Return to the root and you will find the meaning, Sengcan.  If you say hard things you must expect to hear them in return, Plautus.  When the light returns to its source, it takes nothing of what it has illuminated, Rumi. For whoever knows how to return a kindness he has received must be a friend above all price, Sophocles. The mind ought sometimes to be diverted that it may return to better thinking, Phaedrus. Use your own light and return to the source of light. This is called practicing eternity, Laozi.

The second photo for today is “knotholes”. When Sue and I were out an about we checked out wooden fences (don’t find to many of them anymore, the plastic ones are moving in and taking their place). 

This article is more history about a part of town I am familiar with and some of the parts of it I enjoyed as a young person. Years ago at the closest “mall” to our neighborhood was an attraction call the “Walk O’ Wonders”.  It was the seven wonders of the world in miniature. The article begins with the only part of that exhibit that is left,  Eiffle Tower.  It now rests in a wooded suburbia of Columbus. It is a 22-foot-tall, 1/48th the size of the original, wrought iron replica of the real thing. In 1955 the Walk O’ Wonders took up a 700-foot-by-60-foot strip of the parking lot of the shopping center. Other parts of the exhibit was a 20-foot tall Leaning Tower of Pisa, a model of the Grand Canyon, 40 feet long and 8 feet deep. Moving on there was a miniature desert with the Great Pyramids and Sphinx. Then came the Niagara Falls, this one pumped a million gallons of water a day. Some of the stores that would eventually come to the site came from a larger mall down the road. The came with the knowledge of the “Walk O’ Wonders” drawing people in. Most of the “miniatures” were made of cement and plaster....except the Eiffel Tower. The whole project cost about $250,000. It didn’t take long to become a landmark in Columbus. It is believed that the Walk O’ Wonders was a way for people to “see the world without leaving Columbus”. There were busses of school children regularly visiting the exhibits. Mentioned in the article was a downside to the exhibit which was a security liability for the shopping mall. There were people interested in destruction of property even back then. They would come in the night and dump soap in the Niagra Falls. This caused the pipes to clog. There were other minor marks of vandalism. The adventure of the “Walk” lasted for more than a decade but then was bulldozed in the 1970s. The Eiffel Tower survived but was removed when the parking lot was resurfaced in 1979. One of the family members of the group who originally put the exhibit together brought in a flatbed truck and removed the tower. The exhibit was an “important cultural landmark at the time for the city and the neighborhood”. 

Pizza night has come again. 

Joy

oooops, someone is the turn?