February 16, 2023 a thought for today, There's trouble in every house and some in the street. Irish Proverb

One of the uploads for February 15 was “on a shelf”. This is a couple of the shelves we have in a food pantry.

As I was printing today one of the lady’s came in. It’s always good to have a little time to chart with one of the other church family. There were some pieces moved into the food pantry area. I got the bulletin, anthem sheet and the Ash Wednesday bulletins done. I later got a call to let me know that the date on the front needs to be changed so I will run it before Wednesday. 

Another of the uploads for Wednesday was “midnight”. I’m an “early to bed” kind of person so I don’t see midnight to often. This is as close as I could get. Looking from a dark room through a door cracked open around ten o’clock.

Today isn’t really a good day to be on the look out for good photo shots. It is a little overcast which for some kinds of photos can be good....just not today....for me.

Once I got home and rested the tired ol’ legs for a few minutes I started the weekly laundry that will take up the rest of the day. There’s not much other house work that needs to be done at the moment since the cleaning lady was here just a couple of days ago leaving time for some more “back burner” chores. I need to get into the annual report work too. The newsletter is still in the works for next week. So no time to be to lazy for too long. 

Yesterday was another day for a third upload called “books or magazines”. 

The word for today is come. Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door, Emily Dickinson.  How lovely are the portals of the night, when stars come out to watch the daylight die, Thomas Cole.  Great thoughts come from the heart, Luc De Clapiers. I will prepare and some day my chance will come. Abraham Lincoln. 'The time has come,' the walrus said, 'to talk of many things: of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings.' Lewis Carroll.  Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists. Blaise Pascal. Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave. Martin Luther. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Jesus Christ.  Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.' Alfred Lord Tennyson. Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance. Virgil.  Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. William Wordsworth. The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone. George Eliot.  All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come. Victor Hugo.  Come dress yourself in love, let the journey begin. Francesca da Rimini.  We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing. Louisa May Alcott.  

The first upload for today is “money”. I have some change that needs to be separated and taken to the bank.

Those of you reading my letters and blogs know I am an “animal lover” and like to point out when and how they  “protect”, offer comfort and life improving qualities. This one is one such article. It is about rescue dogs. One of the dogs mentioned briefly in the story is an Australian Shepherd...that is my Sweet Pea’s breed. I  use to have a Basset Hound also mentioned in the article. There is a team in Ohio, Southern Ohio Canine Search and Rescue, who “are working tirelessly to find missing people”. The dogs in this group are “diverse”. This team was started in 2021 and to date have been called for searches thirteen times. They are made up of ten dogs and six handlers along with two field supporters who collaborate with local law enforcement. The “jobs” are....the dogs learn to find a scent, the handler watches over the dogs, the support team stays with the dog and handler to keep them safe watching for hazards and handles communications. I learned in this article that everyone on the team has a background in fire and EMS. Some of the breeds of dogs on this team are German shepherds, Australian shepherds, Boarder Collie mix, a Basset Hound, a Labrador mix. The article says that any dog can be trained in these areas. Some of the dogs on the team are rescues. The training classes for the dogs include scent, trailing, water recovery, live find and human remains “detection”.  Some are “dual-trained” for air scent and some for ground scent. Those for air scent are off leash, the ground scent are on leash.  Pandee is trained for water recovery. She stands on the bow of the boat and sniffs the water or ice then whines, barks or drools when she finds the scent. Baby, a black Lab, air scents. She wears a cowbell for tracking purposes. When she finds the scent she barks five time then gets a squeaky ball treat. Rosie is a Basset Hound and uses her long ears to help find the ground scent. Handlers can encourage the dogs but in the end the dog decides which skill fits them best. Training starts in a room where a person is picked for the dog to find, as they practice the person moves further and further away. They practice training so they can track in any “environment”....urban, wilderness and residential. Some of the training includes “hiding” used when the person being sought is a run away and might be hiding anywhere. Besides working with the dogs in their training the handlers also attend seminars and completes certification with their dogs. The handlers pay for their own training and their pets. The organization receives financial support for equipment including jackets as protection. They are hoping to buy radios for communication while on searches.  

Another upload for today is “pretty”. This is my only house plant that is blooming at the present. It is my Peace Lily at the for front of its plant house mates.

More air fry for dinner....chicken fries and French fries (all lower fat due to air fry). I love the air fryer and it doses save me time and clean up and the food is healthier but I’m hoping that more food is made available that takes less prep time than “made from scratch” and is package ready for the air fryer. 

Joy

  waiting for spring