June 29, 2022 a thought for today, The bird is up in the sky but its eyes are on the ground. African Proverb

I put small last minute touches on the newsletter and bulletin. Then I spend some time going through some of my archives. We will be doing a patriotic hymn sing for the church service for the 4th of July. I was asked to find one of the bulletins we had used for the last one of the kind that we had. I finally found it and made copies so it could be decided if we would use it again. After that I got ready to go to food pantry.

My a month of gratitude photo for yesterday is of these traffic lights. Where would we be without them?. So in gratitude for them ......

We had a low count on visitors today. So we had time to chat with each other. When I left there I took one of the other volunteers home since it was on my way. 

One thing was a bit upsetting for me but it is one of those things that the only way to the end of the problem is traveling through it. We have a person who, to put it kindly in the translating the description of others, is a bit of a problem. His language, some actions and his homelessness and all of its attached facts of that life, bother some. It seems with every meeting or any other kind of peer contact his name is brought up with a deluge of complaints, hateful assumptions pour out. I think at some point he will be arrested for trespassing and being a nuisance. I personally believe he seeks comfort at the church but I don’t think that is happening for him by everyone. I guess I am down in the dumps today because in writing this I recognize that we have another person who is facing the same kinds of hurtful.

My other upload for yesterday was of this cozy corner on my front porch.

We are having another near perfect summer day. The temperature is warm but not quite to the point of hot just yet. 

I don’t have anything else on the list for today. Tomorrow will be another busy one and so will Friday. I may have a bit of a break on Saturday. 

Today’s upload for the month of gratitude is the image of these power utilities. Again, where would we be without them?

The word for today is appreciation. Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well, Voltaire.  No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another, Joseph Addison. Correction does much, but encouragement does more, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Ignorant men do not know what good they hold in their hands until they've flung it away, Sophocles. The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly, Thomas Paine. We must never undervalue any person. Now God is present everywhere, and every person is His work, Saint Francis de Sales. The loftiness of understanding embraces all. It requires as much spirit to suffer the failings of others as it does to appreciate their good qualities, Madeleine de Souvre, marquise de Sable. We become wiser by adversity; prosperity destroys our appreciation of the right, Seneca the Younger. The very spring and root of honesty and virtue lie in good education, Plutarch. You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late, Ralph Waldo Emerson. A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue but the parent of all the other virtues, Marcus Tullius Cicero. The greatest gift is a portion of thyself, Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

My image for today at my Canadian photo club is this peek around the corner of my garage at a pretty sight in my neighbor’s yard....this is about all I can see of the lovely flowers in the yard due to a six or seven foot privacy fence. 

The information in this article is one of the many things that amazes me about little things that we didn’t know, like how did the Buckeye Nickname begin. As the article began.... “ that a tree with an odd nut is the namesake so universally honored and accepted in the state”. The article explains that the “earliest instance of a person being called a buckeye was written by Samuel Prescott.” It happened at a ceremony for a court opening in Marrietta, Ohio in 1788. The sheriff was on horseback, a sword in one hand and a wand in the other. Some indigenous people watching the parade shouted “hetuck...meaning “eye of a buck”.  It seem to be a “tall tale” but it was a beginning. There is nothing to back up the story but Mr. Prescott was a trusted story teller. As the story goes on “in the early 1800s the term ‘buckeye’ had a decidedly negative meaning”. The buckeye trees was considered useless by early settlers. By the 1820s things were turning in that regard. The word buckeye was “a name for people born on the frontier”. In 1826 there was a sharpshooting contest between four people called “Buck-Eyes”. In 1830 in a children’s story about a buckeye tree and further there were backwoodsmen called buckeyes. In 1833 a historian named Dr. Daniel Drake called himself and fellow Ohioans buckeyes. Later William Henry Harrison and other politicians used the nickname. A century after the first use of the nickname the Ohio State University “adopted the buckeye as a mascot and the state officially made the buckeye its state tree”.

It is probably hamburger helper for dinner. 

Joy

                                another of those favorite orange cones along our highways. 

 June 27, 2022 a thought for today, The ax forgets but the cut log does not. African Proverb

I have a “day off” today, nothing pressing on the agenda. That doesn’t mean there’s not a to-do list....just one with no deadline....just yet. I did get a running start on the bulletin and one on touching up parts of the newsletter while I wait for the two last minute “entries”. These are the ones that are the last minute every time without fail. 

The upload for yesterday to the month of gratitude group is the image of the lady I took through my screened window as she was leaving a summer garage sale. I am grateful for the carnival feel of these-block long yard sales in the early summer. 

We had a celebrate life service yesterday that was perfect for that kind of situation. There were people sharing the experiences they had with the beloved person. The church was full of love and good memories. It felt good to have all the life in the church. Two of my favorite, make that three, ministers were there. It was good to be in their mist. 

We are having a gorgeous summer day. The heat is not overpowering even though the sun is bright. The wind chimes sound sooo good. The “vacationing” house plants are soaking up this weather. 

The second photo upload for yesterday was for a pop up challenge with the theme of glass. I like the colors in the stained glass window and took this photo as I was waiting for church to begin. 

I finished a very long book, one of Ken Follett’s. It was Edge of Eternity. It was very good but took me quite a while to read it. I had to renew it since I didn’t finish it in the 21 days on the first loan. I love his writing. This one, though, was too “modern” for me. I like this type of historical fiction more in the time period of 1800s or early 1900s. This one is more in the 1960s and 70s. Now I am reading Fear No Evil by James Patterson. 

I may have mentioned somewhere earlier that I was crocheting a “temperature” blanket. Each row is a color representing the weather temperature for the day.  I ended up making it in four sections, July thru Sept, Oct.-Dec, Jan-March and this last one April thru June. In four days I will have finished it!! One whole year not missing a day working on the blanket. It is quite colorful, red to blues, oranges and greens. 

The photo upload for today in the month of gratitude theme is this one of a family dinner. I added a painterly filter to give it an old time look. 

The word for today is answers. At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want, Lao Tzu. The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer, Henry David Thoreau.  A wise man's question contains half the answer, Solomon Ibn Gabirol. Nature puts no question and answers none which we mortals ask. She has long ago taken her resolution. Henry David Thoreau. The soul answers never by words, but by the thing itself that is inquired after, Ralph Waldo Emerson. A seeming ignorance is very often a most necessary part of worldly knowledge. It is, for instance, commonly advisable to seem ignorant of what people offer to tell you; and when they say, Have not you heard of such a thing? to answer No, and to let them go on, though you know it already, Lord Chesterfield. Delayed answers to prayer are not only trials of faith; they also give us opportunities to honor God through our steadfast confidence in Him, even when facing the apparent denial of our request, Charles Spurgeon, In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart, John Bunyan.  Pray for powers equal to your tasks, Phillips Brooks. There are answers which, in turning away wrath, only send it to the other end of the room, George Eliot.  

The second upload for today is to the pop up challenge theme of glass. This is an old oil lamp that I have kept from my aunt. I like the ornamental top portion of the lamp. 

Here is another story about some more wall art to decorate structures in our area. This one is happening in Old Hilliard. They say this wall mural will be a photo op for visitors. This is the fifth mural on some of the walls in Hilliard. The idea for this mural is a play on a movie called “Up”. This one is located on the side of a real estate company. There are hot-air balloons lifting houses as in the movie where an elderly man and a young boy were carried on an adventure in their house. One of the purposes of the mural is to “give the community a fun place to stop for a photo”.  This mural faces the intersection of Main and Franklin streets in Old Hilliard. The first such mural in Old Hilliard is a sunflower on a Madison street garage. One mural was created had to be covered up because “its multi-colors violated building codes”. Eventually the Hilliard Public Arts Commission was created in 2019 and established a policy to encourage public art. The murals are  funded by fund called the “percent for the Public Art”. According to the article the next project is a vinyl wrapping for ten traffic signal boxes. There will be sunflower themed. 

I was going to have sloppy joe the other night but got side tracked so I think we will have that for dinner tonight. 

Joy

looks like the cement is cracking a little an show the pock mark of age and wear

June 25, 2022 a thought for today, The ant that destroys a kola nut lives inside it. African Proverb

My month of gratitude photo for today is this fire engine. I think we are all grateful that they are around. 

This is a busy Saturday here on the Hilltop. The annual Bean Dinner is back after a two year hiatus. Here’s a bit of history about the Bean Dinner: During the Civil War – the area now known as Westgate Park was a Civil War prison camp called “Camp Chase”. While Westgate is now a gorgeous neighborhood – it used to be a very feared place by the Confederate soldiers. The soldiers were fed a ration of beans twice a day. While we remember the nation divided during the Civil War – the Hilltop bean dinner unites people from all around Columbus. Along with the festivities at the park families on  streets surrounding the park offer there properties for yard/garage sales. So traffic during the early morning until late afternoon is slow and congested. My neighbor is one of the many folks having a garage/yard sale this year. This kind of like a carnival atmosphere.

My second photo is of one of my pothos plants that is overgrowing it container.

It has also become the day Bob and I do the curbside pick up of our groceries for the week. I have a feeling this is going to be a busy day there too. 

Added to those “scheduled” events for this day I have a “celebration of life” to attend this afternoon at church. We are expecting a large number of guests so the parking will be limited. I don’t want to try to find a place to park with my “new” car so I am asking Bob to take me and pick me up.  

The gratitude photo for today is what this sign indicated.....grocery curbside pickup. What a time saver. 

The word today is anger.  When anger rises, think of the consequences. Confucius.  If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow, Chinese Proverb.  Anger ventilated often hurries toward forgiveness; and concealed often hardens into revenge, Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Fire in the heart sends smoke into the head, German Proverb. Anger is often more hurtful than the injury that caused it, English Proverb. Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind, Robert Green Ingersoll. Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame, Benjamin Franklin.  Not the fastest horse can catch a word spoken in anger, Chinese Proverb.  Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and  expecting the other person to die, Buddha. But angry people are not always wise, Jane Austen.  There was never an angry man that thought his anger unjust, Saint Francis De Sales.  When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger, Epictetus. When thou art above measure angry, bethink thee how momentary is man's life, Marcus Aurelius.  A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use, Washington Irving. Anger turns the mind out of doors and bolts the entrance, Plutarch.  Every stroke our fury strikes is sure to hit ourselves at last, William Penn. 

The photo upload for today to my Canadian Photo Club is this daffodil that has begun to end its being. 

It’s the season for outdoor activities and parks. This article is talking about public parks always thought of as being free (because there is no charge to visit them) are not free. There are a lot of activities and “amenities” in the parks. As the article related there is mushroom foraging to bird watching. I learned that Ohio is one of only seven states that do not charge for entrance to the parks. At one point there was a discussion about charging for entry in Ohio parks but it didn’t take hold. There was also a time when it was talked about closing some of the parks as a cost-cutting measure. It even became a political issue. So the article says “The truth is there is no such thing as a “free” park. If entrance fees aren’t providing revenue, the state must find other ways to maintain its natural treasures.”

I think it will be sloppy joe for dinner. 

Joy 

Looks like this curb has gotten in the way

 

 June 23, 2022 a thought for today, Tears cannot bring you joy but joy can bring you tears. African Proverb

Yesterday’s month of gratitude upload was this one of Sweet Pea, my most loving friend and companion...ultimate gratitude.  

Printing day has come around again. This time I was able to get myself to the church in my own car instead of taking advantage of a friend generous with his time and transportation. It felt good. I had the extra special bulletin printed and distributed along with the standard weekly bulletin printed and distributed in good time and without interruption except for a couple of phone calls I answered. 

Since I had my own car I stopped at White Castle and then made a trip through the park for some possible photos. That also felt good. Now I will have fresh photos to upload. I had some in the past couple of months too but not nearly as many as I would have. 

My second upload for yesterday was this wooden door in a stonewall. It seems to give the impression of a third world situation. 

Once I got home I made a couple of texts to friends and a phone call to a peer and a friend about some church matters. 

This is going to be another of the hot hot days we have been having. That is one reason why I am glad I got an early start this morning. It was still cool enough to have a window open while I worked at the church. 

Today’s month of gratitude is this one of my neighborhood. I am grateful for the well kept homes and lawns and the feeling of warmth and friendship.

The word today is allow.  Jealousy is both reasonable and belongs to reasonable men, while envy is base and belongs to the base, for the one makes himself get good things by jealousy, while the other does not allow his neighbour to have them through envy. Aristotle. Grow in the root of all grace, which is faith. Believe God's promises more firmly than ever. Allow your faith to increase in its fullness, firmness, and simplicity. Charles Spurgeon. Gratitude bestows reverence.....changing forever how we experience life and the world, John Milton. The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite, Thomas Jefferson. If you allow men to use you for your own purposes, they will use you for theirs. Aesop. The people will save their government, if the government itself will allow them. Abraham Lincoln.  I do not admire politicians; but when they are excellent in their way, one cannot help allowing them their due, Horace Walpole. Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, John Milton.  

I uploaded this one to my Canadian photo group for today. Our treat bowl on one of my handmade doilies shot against a dark background. 

This is kind of interesting. There is so much trouble with guns currently. Maybe this will be a way to get some kind of good from them. The article is about gathering guns and dissembling them using the parts for art. At the very least that will take some out of “service” and/or out of the hands of at least some who don’t know how to properly use them for the lawful purpose of their existence. In this article there is a church here in Columbus that offered a place for the donation of unwanted guns. A local artist has taken the initiative to use their parts and pieces in the universal language of art to be given to the church. The church is taking part in a national movement called Guns to Gardens movement which is trying to “raise awareness for sensible gun legislation and limit the number of guns in circulation around the country”. The artist chosen for this project is has a connection with both Columbus and gun violence awareness. After the gun donation “day” for the church there were seventeen “long” guns collected and three hand guns. So these guns can be owned by people who don’t feel the need to own them for the purpose of killing and can see them in a different light. The donated guns were removed by trained volunteers who checked them for safety before handing them to other volunteers. Later there was a public demonstration of the guns being cut. The parts could be views as the possible parts of a sculpture a change from one reality to another. Two previous sculptures from donated firearms were on display. 

It think it will be baked Tilapia for dinner. 

Joy

Perhaps a little trimming would make it safer

 June 21, 2022 a thought for today, Sorrow may sadden your face but it sharpens your understanding. African Proverb

It is so nice to have a car!! Sue has had a package to mail laying here for several days. Now that we have a car I was able to take her to the post office earlier this morning. 

The month of gratitude for day June 20 upload is on of my “new” car. I am grateful to finally have a ride so that I don’t have to bother friends and family

I have decided not to do the church newsletter this week. I still need information from the other before I put it together. There will quite a bit of printing to do this Thursday anyway, with the special bulletin and the regular too. 

We had food pantry today and had more folks come than we have had in the past few weeks. We had twenty-two families today. So we were busy at a pretty steady pace. We had several large fans running. Actually I was sure I would be sweating profusely but it really wasn’t so bad after all until I left to come home then it was like an oven. 

The second upload for yesterday was a peak at a building down the street and around the corner from my house. It has some interesting feature, the weed coming up in the cracks in the sidewalk and the peeling paint each leaving its own distinctive mark in history. 

I have this weeks bulletin up to the point of the minister’s information and that came in an email just before I left this morning so I will be able to finish it tomorrow morning. 

I took Sue to Home Depot for some things she needed yesterday. While I was waiting for her, I picked up a couple of things I needed. One of the things I needed was a couple of flower planters. I have some of my smaller house plants that are enjoying their “vacation” on the back porch so much they have out grown their pots. I was able to get them transplanted and a little pruning on a couple of the others. 

I have decided to pick up my smaller DSLR camera and practice with it. I have never been to good using the manual settings. I want to practice using them. I have been using the camera on my smart phone for most of my photography for a while. The cameras that come onboard the smart phones are getting better and better but the images from SLRs are still a little clearer. 

Today’s upload in the month of gratitude is this view of the park where a nap on one of the picnic tables with the loyal furry friend on the ground below is full of gratitude. 

The word today is agree.  It is just that we should be grateful, not only to those with whose views we may agree, but also to those who have expressed more superficial views; for these also contributed something, by developing before us the powers of thought. Aristotle.  One who is too insistent on his own views, finds few to agree with him. Lao Tzu.  There is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees. Michel de Montaigne.  If you wish to appear agreeable in society, you must consent to be taught many things which you already know, Johann Kaspar Lavater.  Your very silence shows you agree, Euripides.  Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms. George Eliot. There is no lighter burden, nor more agreeable, than a pen. Petrarch.  Hope, deceiving as it is, serves at least to lead us to the end of our lives by an agreeable route. Francois de La Rochefoucauld.  Choose the life that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable. Francis Bacon. 

The upload to my Canadian group for today is this fence with blossoms poking through the slats, playing peak a boo perhaps. 

Here is another story about more of beautiful Ohio. This one covers the area of Mohican State Park and Malabar Farm. Which includes waterfalls, caves, lots of rives and nature. In the 1940s Mr. Broomfield set out to restore Malabar Farm in Richland County. The farm was once “dubbed” the most famous farm in America because of some ‘Sunday sermons’ that were held on Sundays. These “sermons” were planned to teach about sustainable practices. The sight is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been since 1973. The farms is continuing in existence and “honors” the heritage dealing with soil and water conservation, sustainable techniques and educational information. The main structure on the farm, called the Big House, is heated and cooled with geothermal energy. There is a wind turbine to add “green energy”.  There are hikes and bridle trails, camping, guided tours, a petting zoo and much more at the farm. For a week end outing the Pleasant Hill Lake is fifteen minutes away from the farm leading to the Mohican State Park, offering “all kinds of natural features”. Many of the natural sights were created 14,000 year ago. Along with that is the 300-foot gorge that “spans up to 1,000 feet” width. The views in the park include waterfalls and caves. Many years ago the area was inhabited by the Delaware Native American where their hunting took place. According to the article they were “forced to relocate after the War of 1812". Another historic legend involving the area is that “Johnny Appleseed” roamed the land. It is said that his name was etched into the wall of Lyons Falls but has eroded away. There are climate controlled cabins in the park along with the campground, an outdoor pool, an equestrian area and a primitive camping area along a stream. You may even be honored to see a bald eagle in your trip. 

I think we will have hamburgers for dinner. 

Joy

Poor thing...there were better days

 June 19, 2022 a thought for today, One lie spoils a thousand truths. African Proverb

We’re back to one of my favorite days of the week, a day to refresh and get ready for whatever comes next. 

The upload for the 18th day of the month of gratitude is this set of locks gratitude for safety tools

We had a real boost in the number of folks at church today. That really felt good. Hope they all, and more, come back on a regular basis. I went to church early since I had to print another draft copy of the special bulletin I have been working on for my friend to approve of so that it is ready to print 200 copies for next week. I only see this person on Sunday’s and he doesn’t use the internet so it has to be one on one. Then this is one of the weeks we have a bible study before church service. Then we had communion and that is another renewal.

My other upload for yesterday is this set of discarded tin cans made into a tin can scare crow hanging on a neighbor’s fence. 

This is the first time I have driven my ‘new’ car anywhere since I brought it home, so I was a little nervous. I am going to have to learn to get the feel of it and how to use all the gadgets.  Everyone at church who saw it thought it was brand new.....it’s not, it is 10 years old. But it does look good. 

I will be taking it easy for the rest of the day except for transplanting one more house plant. 

Today’s upload to the month of gratitude is one of my grandson’s having “gratified” himself with a swipe of icing from a birthday cake.

The word for today is age.  Not by age but by capacity is wisdom acquired. Plautus. Age does not make us childish, as some say it only finds us true children still, Johann Von Goethe. Age is a matter of feeling...not of years, George William Curtis. Age is opportunity no less, Than youth itself, through in another dress, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Age imprints more wrinkles in the mind than it does on the face, Michel de Montaigne. The wiser mind mourns less for what age takes away than what it leaves behind, William Wordsworth. A graceful and honorable old age is the childhood of immortality, Pindar. Talk is by far the most accessible of pleasures. It costs nothing in money, it is all profit, it completes our education, founds and fosters our friendships, and can be enjoyed at any age and in almost any state of health. Robert Louis Stevenson.  Age merely shows what children we remain, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. I find as I grow older that I love those most whom I loved first, Thomas Jefferson.   What though youth gave love and roses, Age still leaves us friends and wine, Thomas More.  No man loves life like him that's growing old, Sophocles.

The upload for the Canadian sight is this dumpster container. I like the “art” about it...the lines, patterns, textures, shapes and shades of color. 

Here is a little history about one of our downtown markets. This article is about our downtown market before it was our bus station. In 1850 that was where Central Market existed.  By 1856, most of its street frontage had buildings: a church, commercial structures, houses and a school. Central Market was located along the west edge of South Fourth and lasted over a century. In 1872 the church and school were still there. A city jail was located near the market and later, 1899, a livery stable and police station joined the community. By 1920 there was a hotel with a parking garage, showing that the auto era was approaching. The market was demolished in 1966. The Greyhound station opened at that sight in 1969. At this point in time and history COTA has bought the Greyhound station and closed it, there are no plans for its use now. 

KFC for dinner. 

Joy.

moving on

 June 17, 2022 a thought for today, Life without battle is life without victory. African Proverb

The photo for the 16th day of gratitude month for me is this lone goose representing the peace of life. 

We are having another hot, hot day. I have done my best to stay out of it for any length of time. Today may be a little different. Lowell finally has some time to go with me to look for a car. I have three listed for a possible look. Something came up so he will be delayed a little. Hopefully there will be a good one available. It is really hard to shop for a decent used car. I have done most of my “shop ping” on line.

My second upload for yesterday was a trash receptacle partially hidden behind the column. I like the artful features of lines and shapes and a suggestion of mystery. 

I had started this letter earlier in the day. I am back from the car shopping....I HAVE A CAR!! It has a whole lot of features on it that my 1999 Toyota didn’t have. As a matter of fact it is “fully loaded”, whatever that means. Now I have some learning to do. For a while it is just going to be pushing the start button (new... I use to have to use a key) and put it in drive, adjust the mirrors and the seat belt and go. We called from the dealers to switch my insurance over. It took over four hours to get all the paperwork done so I am not going to get much more done today. Fortunately most of it took part in the air conditioned building, and the AC worked great in the car when we took it for a test drive. 

The 17th day in the month of gratitude is this set of steps overgrown with foliage in a peaceful path upward. 

The word for today is affection.  Love is not to be purchased, and affection has no price. St. Jerome. Affection should not be too sharp eyed, and love is not made by magnifying glasses, Thomas Browne. All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action, James Russell Lowell. Affection is like bread, unnoticed till we starve, and then we dream of it, and sing of it, and paint it, when every urchin in the street has more than he can eat, Emily Dickinson. Affection is the broadest basis of a good life, George Eliot. Talk not of wasted affection; affection never was wasted, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It's true that nothing in this world makes us so necessary to others as the affection we have for them, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth, African Proverb. Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage, Lao Tzu. The word is a sign or symbol of the impressions or affections of the soul, Aristotle. Though the human heart may have to pause for rest when climbing the heights of affection it rarely stops on the slippery slope of hatred, Honore de Balzac. Hope is the most beneficial of all the affections, and doth much to the prolongation of life, Francis Bacon.   It is sweet to feel by what fine spun threads our affections are drawn together, Laurence Sterne. 

Today’s second upload is an image of some workman replacing slate on my neighbors  roof. The photo was shot with the Venetian blinds down and open. 

Here’s some information on a favorite place to visit in Ohio, Hocking Hills. In October 1966 on a weekend there was an overflow of sightseers...on Saturday 5,434....on Sunday 11,814. The sheriff’s department had to direct traffic for over two hours on route 33 and 664. There are caves, waterfalls, along with the geology and sandstone features making for wonderful hikes and sight seeing. In the fall there is a storm of color in the falling leaves. During the pandemic visitors came to Hocking Hills for peace and quite. It is estimated that there are up to 5 million visitors a year. All of those feet meet the “fragile, sandstone-filled microclimate”. Changes have been made to protect the flora and fauna, some of these changes have been “institution of one-way trails”, 6 feet wide . They had become 8 to 10 wide by traffic going in both directions. It not only added protection to the landscape it also added safety. The initial reason for the one way paths was generated from the COVID safety measures in separation attempts. According to the article it can take 20 years for some of the pant live to grow a foot making it necessary to cut down on human contact. In the article it is recommended that to avoid crowds it is bet to visit early in the week. During the pandemic one lady started a Facebook group relating to the Hocking Hills. 

PIZZA!

Joy 

yellow tape for safety

June 15, 2022 a thought for today, Life is lived forwards, but understood backwards. African Proverb

We are having a bad spell of high heat. The power was out for my area of the city last night for about three hours. Yesterday and today there have been some “rolling outages” all over Ohio. At least it happened in the evening so the temps weren’t at their highest. I was concerned that if might be out long enough for the freezer to begin to thaw. Gratefully it only lasted about three hours. 

The photo of the day a month of gratitude for yesterday was shadows and light or sun and shade. 

I decided to do the printing today instead of waiting until tomorrow. Chris, my ride and a friend, is having some health problems and they need dealt with right now. Bob is home from work. The place where he works had to shut the doors because their power is still out. So he was able to take me to do the printing. I also was able to check on some of equipment to make sure it was working properly. 

By the time I left the church my clothes were sticking to me from the heat. I was glad to get back to the air conditioning, we don’t have it at the church. 

The other group upload for yesterday for this image of an educational statues in the center of Columbus downtown. 

I had made some small changes to the bulletin before we left. I also got a batch of birthday photos saved to a flash drive for my grand daughter-in-law.

When we got home and since Bob is home today he attached my soaker hoses for my small side gardens. I watered some of the house plants, they needed it in this heat. Both Bob and I didn’t stay outside in the soaring temps for very long. 

The photo of the day a month of gratitude image for today is the formation of clouds in various states of color with a few rays of sun shining through.

The word today is active.  I have no faith in human perfectability. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago. Edgar Allan Poe. Men of lofty genius when they are doing the least work are most active. Leonardo da Vinci. Observation is a passive science, experimentation an active science. Claude Bernard. Nothing is more active than thought, for it travels over the universe, and nothing is stronger than necessity for all must submit to it. Thales. The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Only the most acute and active animals are capable of boredom, Friedrich Nietzsche. If we would have anything of benefit, we must earn it, and earning it become shrewd, inventive, ingenious, active, enterprising, Such is the active power of good temperament! Great sweetness of temper neutralizes such vast amounts of acid, Ralph Waldo Emerson. He who follows reason in all things is both tranquil and active at the same time, and also cheerful and collected, Marcus Aurelius.  

Today’s upload to my Canadian photography club is this image of one of the “vintage” architecture in downtown Columbus. 

This story sounded interesting, something new for the kids in our community and it is a park I am relatively familiar with. There is a new “Srotybook Trail at Deer Creek State Park”. The Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, along with Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine opened this new and exciting part of the Park on June 13. This program gives children and families a chance for an “adventure inside a great book”. All while happening in the out of doors in fresh air. As many of us Ohioans, Deer Creek State Park is located right outside Mt. Sterling in farm country. The park offers a marina, a campground, 18 hole golf course, boating, fishing, camping, and hiking. “The story featured on the park’s new Storybook Trail is “Drop” by Emily Kate Moon”.  There are panels along the trail that tell the story. There are more story trails in Ohio, the list can be found at Storybook Trails Ohio. 

I think we may have KFC or left overs for dinner tonight

Joy

Old and new

 

 June 13, 2022 a thought for today, I pointed out the stars and moon to you, but all you saw was the tip of my finger. African Proverb

For me it is a typical Monday. I got started on the bulletin. I think I have it done to the point of the pastor’s information. Yesterday, after church, I sat with Ed to examine the bulletin for the up coming celebration of a life bulletin. I made those corrections this morning and called him for any other changes and additions. So that one is ready to print also. 

The photo a day in this month of gratitude for yesterday is of my great grandson’s first birthday. I am grateful that I am still around and can enjoy a few minutes at a time with him and the others. 

I had some texting conversations with one of my grand daughters-in-law. We get into some pretty involved sharing sometimes. 

My upload to my Canadian group for yesterday was a pop up challenge black and white. Black and white images seem to pull a different kind of interest and aura than color. 

This Ohio weather is taking another little twist. For the last few days it has been perfect with temperature except for a pretty good burst of rain last night. Today the temperature is on the rise. In the next couple of days it is reported to be close to 100 degrees. 

One major house hold chore I need to get to today is clearing out the frig. So I think I will do that now and get it out of the way.

My upload for the photo of the day for today, in this month of gratitude, is one of my grandson’s friends as they were playing little league. I’m happy and grateful that I had the pleasure of attending many of their activities as they grew up.

The word for today is acknowledge. The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man. Euripides. Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like, Lao Tzu. We shall yet acknowledge His wisdom and our own error therein, Abraham Lincoln. I am constrained every moment to acknowledge a higher origin for events than the will I call mine, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Reason's last step is to acknowledge that there are infinitely many things beyond it, Blaise Pascal. We should acknowledge God merciful, but not always for us comprehensible, Charlotte Bronte.  Love is a driver, bitter and fierce if you fight and resist him, Easy-going enough once you acknowledge his power, Ovid.  He who acknowledges a kindness has it still, and he who has a grateful sense of it has requited it, Marcus Tullius Cicero. We must certainly acknowledge that solitude is a fine thing; but it is a pleasure to have some one who can answer, and to whom we can say, from time to time, that solitude is a fine thing, Honore de Balzac.  

The upload to my neighbor group for today is this one of the open shelter house in the near by park and all ready for picnics.

Many of us love books. Here is one way of looking at how they serve us. The story starts out mentioning how desperate some folks were during the pandemic. How isolation and “upended normalcy” led to the seeking of comfort wherever it could be found. In this instance the author of the article mentioned that one day the “anxiety had reached panic levels”. He drove to a book store on North High Street. When he tried the door handle he found it was locked. The owner had closed it at the beginning of the pandemic, reopened six weeks later. He knocked loudly until someone finally answered and welcomed him in. The author said that he had visited book stores in every city where he had lived. They “provided me respite from my problems, but they also assisted in my career”, a career of literary critic. He mentioned that he lived with a low-level nervousness and finally found that visiting book stores, used book store in particular, helped much more than drugs and alcohol could. In used book stores you can find “surprising and rare and forgotten works”, they are overflowing with books. Books line the aisles and are stacked high in places. They do seem to be in a particular order. He once found that even in his chosen used book stores there were “these were not my books”. He began searching for his idea of “my books”. Among all used books there will be a point where you will find a “gem or two”. He found one particular store where there seemed to be more of “my books” that some others. He says he feels “realigned” after being in the store. 

We are having meat loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn on the cob for dinner. 

Joy

 no trash containers available at this spot so just toss it...

 June 11, 2022 a thought for today, Him with a clean future has a clean past. African Proverb

The photo for yesterday’s “a month of gratitude” photo. The mounted police patrol paid attention to our neighborhood a while back, couldn’t resist this shot.

This is going to be a great Saturday. It is Benjamin’s fist birthday and Matt’s birthday too. For Matt’s we are wishing a happy birthday long distance, Benjamin’s will be a celebration here in just a couple of hours. 

Bob and I did our curbside pick up that has become a regular happening each week for the past two months. We stopped by White Castle on the way home. 

My upload yesterday to my Canadian group was a bit of fun in “not-quite-the-good-old-summer-time”. 

We got the unloading and putting away done then Bob started on the mowing so he could get it done before the birthday party and before rain predicted for tomorrow. 

Once the groceries were put up I got back to some computer work. I have very bad habit of keeping all my email messages for, not just months, years. I think if I get rid of something that is exactly the time I will find I need it. So my hard drive is complaining. I started deleting files. It looks like it is going to take some time. I multi-task when I am trying to get things done. Which means I don’t dedicate time to just one thing for a specified amount of time just until “I feel the need to stop” for a while. (I like variety). 

My photo of the day for this day in the month of gratitude was of one of my grand babies when they were brand new to this world.

The weather is gorgeous today, a perfect spring day. I love the wind chimes and birds singing, the power washing, mowing and weed whacking sounds......not so much. But still they are one of the sound of the season. 

The word for today is achievement.  Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. Benjamin Franklin.  Our achievements of today are but the sum total of our thoughts of yesterday, Blaise Pascal. Nothing stops the man who desires to achieve. Every obstacle is simply a course to develop his achievement muscle. It's a strengthening of his powers of accomplishment. Thomas Carlyle.  What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality, Plutarch. It is not the going out of port, but the coming in, that determines the success of a voyage, Henry Ward Beecher. The day is committed to error and floundering; success and achievement are matters of long range, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Said will be a little ahead, but done should follow at his heel, Charles Spurgeon. Man is always more than he can know of himself; consequently, his accomplishments, time and again, will come as a surprise to him, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  

Todays up load to the Canadian group was for a “pop up challenge” all in black and white. This a tulip showing it’s shades of gray. 

This event holds many memories for me. I participated as an artist two years in a row....paper marbling was my craft/art. It included cards, mounted art work, note paper and more as well as demonstrations of how the marbling takes its form. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. I also enjoyed visiting the festival on my lunch hour for several years when I worked at the US Court House also along the river, right on of the edge of the festival setup. It was on hiatus during the pandemic so this is a much anticipated rebirth. According to the article “nearly 500,000 people are expected to attend”. Booths are placed on Man Street and Rich Street bridges. There are parking meters available along with city busses, some folks will arrive on bikes. It’s fee to walkabout and enjoy the art and festivities. There are all kinds of food, one being the Schmidt’s truck where I would invariably enjoy their famous cream puffs. It is requested that no pets or food be brought along. The article mentioned that the artists come from thirty-six state and one from Ontario, Canada. There are paintings, drawings, glass works, sculptures, photographs, jewelry, fiber works, mixed-media and much more. Many artists demonstrate their work and craft. There is entertainment with the performance of music, theater, dance, poetry and more. In years past their were food tents, this years they will not there however there are numerous food trucks. There will be antibacterial stations along the way. There will be a Film at the Fest this year at Genoa Park. There is a Children’s Art Gallery. Children can go in the tent to shop alone and volunteers will help them shop. There is art activity for the kids. There is Kayaking and canoeing on the Scioto River from 11 to 4 Saturday and Sunday. Major streets will be closed for the duration of the festival, however Broad Street will remain open. 

It will probably be left overs tonight for dinner. 

Joy

 back in the day.....