October 30, 2023 a thought for today, What is new is esteemed, but what is in every day use ceases to afford interest. Latin Proverb

My first upload for yesterday was called “dotty.” As I went into church, I found my image for today. The pew buddy behind me had on this bright shirt full of red dots. Perfect.

We have recently met a preacher, new to our pulpit ..... I have a divided way of thinking about him .... one part of me feels a “tent preacher” kind of thing which is uncomfortable....on the other hand there is a bit of magic....he can tell a story of a recent (fresh) experience about himself or another in todays world and open a bible, then  read a specific scripture that fits like a glove. That’s the part I find intriguing. This week’s message led to my thinking of one particular part of my life right now and how I should work on making some adjustments (another besides the loss of my son). This subject has been a part of my life since I was a child and needs a bit of attention through our shared September Song. 

My second upload was “tamarack.” This group I belong to is formed in Canada where I think there are lots of tamarack trees (relatives are our only deciduous conifer. It sheds all its needles every autumn. The needles are only about an inch long. In the spring they are bright golden-yellow-green). But here in Ohio that style is limited so I did the best I could. 

Once upon a time I wanted nothing to do with “new technology.” That was around the time my kids were in their teens and were playing with something called Texas Instrument and wanted me to join them. My reply was “no thanks.” Now I can’t do without them. A computer, a cell phone, a tablet and virtual and visual visits on my phone or tablet. I can talk to and see four of my great grandchildren who live in other states and my two here a few miles away. My visits are sporadic and only last a few minutes. But I get to see their beautiful faces and hear their excitement of life. I said a few minutes of contact meaning, I have inherited a trend from an aunt....she was a bit shy of the telephone and wouldn’t stay on it more than a few minutes at a time. I also understand that it is normal for young attention spans to be not very long and they have other important events going on in their daily lives that need their undivided attention. I also don’t want to be known as the great grandma who interrupts. Just a quick minute to reach out and touch and to make memories even short ones. I had the pleasure of speaking to five of the six yesterday. One of the six is a teen and has a busy life, you know the kind we all have/had as teens.  

The first upload for today is “sunlight.” This one is from the archives since today is heavily overcast and gray. 

The word today is change.  The true past departs not, no truth or goodness realized by man ever dies, or can die; but all is still here, and, recognized or not, lives and works through endless change, Thomas Carlyle. Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots, Victor Hugo. What I possess I would gladly retain. Change amuses the mind, yet scarcely profits, Johann von Goethe.   Even God cannot change the past, Agathon.  No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Today is not yesterday: we ourselves change; how can our works and thoughts, if they are always to be the fittest, continue always the same? Change, indeed is painful; yet ever needful; and if memory have its force and worth, so also has hope, Thomas Carlyle.  The faults of a superior person are like the sun and moon. They have their faults, and everyone sees them; they change and everyone looks up to them, Confucius.  We ought not to be overanxious to encourage innovation, for an old system must ever have two advantages over a new one; it is established and it is understood, Charles Caleb Colton. Excess generally causes reaction, and produces a change in the opposite direction, whether it be in the seasons, or in individuals, or in governments, Plato.  Habits change into character, Ovid.  

The second upload is another from my archives and is another of the “my choice” images. This was taken when I was one of the photographers for the Humane Society here in Ohio. This kitten wanted out very badly. 

Three things brought this article to my attention a physician using his time and money to take on a large remodeling project, one of many as I understand it. An old building being refreshed instead of demolished or forgotten. And the third point, more renewal in Franklinton. There is a physician in our community who has recently bought and renovated an old Kroger warehouse in the Franklinton area. Some have called it a modern castle. It is an “art-filled”home. When it was a warehouse it had no windows, no HVAC and two overhead garage doors. This physician has renovated other properties in Columbus. When he saw this building available in this “up-and-coming are he began imagining what he could do with it.  Once he started beauty began to grow into “a funky, art-filled, one-of-a-kind, urban dwelling.” It turned out he got married and of them worked together on this project. This home takes up three lots on the city block. One place in the article is it described as a “concrete box containing two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, two garages.” Added to those areas in the structure is a laundry room, an art studio and a storage room. There are only two doors on the inside of the building, the bathroom and the storage room. On the outside there is a Zen garden with sculptures. He wanted to keep the warehouse feel so the kept the block walls and planned for the electric and plumbing to be in the open. Along with the warehouse feel he wanted to have an art gallery, studio and courtyard along with a front porch. One of the countertops was placed on the “old grain store cabinet base from an antique market.” The inside is mostly white an off-white so that is it now too hard on the eye. They want to show art but “not be art.” There was a careful choice of lighting using chandeliers and track lighting for the artwork and fluorescents that are rarely turned on. The carpeting is thick and “absorbs sound”. Some of the furniture is “repurposed furniture from either junk stores or antique malls.” The art studio is a place for them to paint, record music and allows time for work on photography. A unique point is that the upper floor is designed to feel like it is “still a part of the main floor.” Here there is floor o ceiling art displayed. After livinging in the beautiful building and enjoying it the couple decided to move out of state and chose to sale the converted warehouse. It sold within a week of going on the market.

I am making tuna casserole for dinner and for the freezer for future quick meals. 

Joy                                                 the poor safety pole met its match 

 October 28, 2023 a thought for today, What though his hair be gray, his mind is no less vigorous than ever. Latin Proverb

An upload for yesterday was titled “gold”. There are lots of that color in Ohio at this time of year. 

Sweet Pea and I are back from our weekly curbside grocery pick up. Groceries still need put away but that will be in steps to break up the monotony and to be part of multi tasking. 

On the way home I spent a little time looking for one of the photo a day images. It is supposed to be “spooky”. I found several yards decorated for Halloween so stopped along the curbs to take some photos. (Sweet Pea wasn’t impressed with the stops)

The next upload in is “my choice”. In keeping with the season here is an image located outside a McDonalds drive through.

I am taking it on the easy side today. Last week did me in. Today will be a day to get a start on refreshing energy storage, tomorrow will add to that with renewal and rest. I was immersed in thoughts of Bob last night so the tears were flowing uncontrollably. It made me weak and sad, remembering the beautiful and gentle person he was and what I have lost. I need today to let go again.

The first upload for today is “silver”. I have a few silver spoons but they need a cleaning session....they are badly tarnished I have had them from my wedding day.....60 years ago. So I chose a handful of some of my “silver” change.

The word today is business. When from our better selves we have too long been parted by the hurrying world, and droop. Sick of its business, of its pleasures tired, how gracious, how benign is solitude, William Wordsworth.  In all negotiations of difficulty, a man may not look to sow and reap at once; but must prepare business, and so ripen it by degrees, Francis Bacon.  The poor man who enters into a partnership with one who is rich makes a risky venture, Plautus.  The true worth of a man is to be measured by the objects he pursues, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.  The go-between wears out a thousand sandals, Japanese Proverbs.  Reason and judgment are the qualities of a leader. Tacitus.  If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance. Abraham Lincoln.  Every young man would do well to remember that all successful business stands on the foundation of morality. Henry Ward Beecher.  The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green. Thomas Carlyle.  I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. Thomas Paine.  Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand. Thomas Carlyle.  Justice means minding one's own business and not meddling with other men's concerns. Plato.  The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and to influence their actions. John Hancock.  Let us permit nature to have her way. She understands her business better than we do. Michel de Montaigne.  After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, and so on - have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear - what remains? Nature remains. Let your Discourse with Men of Business be Short and Comprehensive. George Washington.

The second upload for today is “spooky”. I drove through the neighborhood with Sweet Pea as my co-pilot. She wasn’t impressed with my frequent stops to get photos of yard decorations of the season. 

‘Tis the season for candy corn...and more. This article claims candy corn as the “greatest candy for Halloween” and explains why. It mentions that we have two candy holidays, Valentines Day, “ruled by chocolate” and for Halloween....the author “must advocate for candy corn.” It’s orange like pumpkins, “a leg up” on the issue and it’s a “strong” orange not a “weak”orange like creamsicle orange. What makes it even more perfect, according to the story, is that it ix made of  “sugar with some artificial colors and gelatin.”  Another account says that candy corn is made of “sugar, corn syrup, salt, sesame oil, honey, artificial flavor, and food colorings with the gelatin and a bit of confectioner’s glaze” but it has no nuts, nougat or even chocolate.  Other candy confections make a try at pumpkin shapes for the Halloween season, just not the success of candy corn. However, the only weakness of candy corn is that it is “loose, unwrapped candy” and not the best for trick or treat bags. As the author of the article moves to the end of his story he says  even though “I advocate for candy corn, it’s not like a marriage. I cheat, often. With (other) candy.”

I think I am having hamburgers and potato soup for dinner. 

Joy

                                  on its way

 October 26, 2023 a thought for today, You have left the sheep with the wolf for safe custody. Latin Proverb

One upload for yesterday was “pastel”. As I was looking for this image I was realizing how little pastel I have in the house. Most colors I seem to have around are neutral or bright. But I have this cup with the gentle pastel colors. 

I like Thursdays after the printing is done and the laundry is almost done. Patti and I had some time to chat for a few minutes as I was finishing folding the newsletters. Some of the reason I like Thursdays is that I walk through the sanctuary alone in the quiet and light from the stained glass. 

When I left there I went on a little trip looking for a photo of the day. I think I got what I want but will make up my mind for sure when I get in the darkroom (Photoshop)

My second upload yesterday was “my choice”. A lot of the things that call for attention right now are the many colors of the autumn leaves both on the trees and on the ground. 

We are having some tuck pointing work done on the church. Apparently I parked to close to the building on Tuesday. When I came out of the building there was cement dust all over the top and hood of my car. I didn’t have time to go to a car wash. I am hoping we will get enough rain to wash it off (hope it doesn’t harden....I don’t know if that’s possible?). Orange cones may have sent a message and prevented that or even an announcement before hand. Such is life and c'est la vie. 

I have started on making some Christmas gifts. I work on that when other more time sensitive things are done. Today between the printing and starting the laundry I got another of those projects started. 

The first upload for today is “vibrant”. As mentioned earlier there are a lot of vibrant colors at this time of year. So I had several captured images to choose from for this one. This happens to be my porch swing with the bright red cushions.

The word for today is beware. Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Socrates.  I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes. Henry David Thoreau.  Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship. Benjamin Franklin.  Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us. Charles Spurgeon.  Beware, so long as you live, of judging men by their outward appearance. Jean de La Fontaine.  Beware of him that is slow to anger; for when it is long coming, it is the stronger when it comes, and the longer kept. Abused patience turns to fury. Francis Quarles. Beware that you do not lose the substance by grasping at the shadow. Aesop.  Beware of the person of one book. Thomas Aquinas. Beware the hobby that eats. Benjamin Franklin.  Beware of him who hates the laugh of a child. Henry Ward Beecher. Beware of missing chances; otherwise it may be altogether too late some day, Franz Liszt.  Beware the fury of a patient man. John Dryden.  

The next upload for today is “my choice”. Here are some more vibrant colors of autumn. This the left overs from a local mum planting in the park.

Here another light hearted story about one of my favorite subjects, animals. It’s about pesky squirrels but they are here for a purpose too, just like we are. The article started out mentioning that “central Ohio squirrels are a little fatter this fall.” The story is that we are having a “bounty” of acorns this year. It is claimed that this is a “mast” year for oak trees. When I read that sentence I didn’t understand the reference to “mast”. Then I saw that it is the term for “the fruit of woody plants.” Soft mast is, as it appears, fruits and berries.  Hard mast is nuts, as acorns and walnuts. I learned that Oak trees are “irregularly cyclical” in their harvests. The produce large crops on a two to six year cycle. The cycle varies through the years and from region to region. This years is apparently a high production year. The author said he was in a forest like setting recently and walking around was like stepping on marbles due to the amount of acorns on the ground. I also learned that Oak trees can live as long as over 500 years and during that time produce countless numbers of acorns. Along with that fact there is an explanation as to how few of those will begin to grow new trees. “There are legions of acorn-eaters awaiting the largesse.” Some insects destroy the nut before they fall from the tree. Once they have fallen from the tree there are a number of wildlife that “relish” the prize. Some of these animals are deer, raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels and more. There are birds, turkeys, wood ducks, woodpeckers and blue jars who love the nuts. Here’s a fact, blue jars bury the nuts, woodpeckers establish ‘granary’(storehouse) trees where they “stuff the mast.” In the years that there are fewer acorns produced fewer animals make it through the winter. Again according to the article the squirrel is a big survivor of the acorn diet. They don’t eat them all at one time. They bury the nuts for later meals. Blue jars apparently also bury the nuts on “an epic scale.” The article realted that the two animals are “forgetful” so some of the acorns will sprout. They may have been the major reason oaks spread northward “on the heels of the last glacial period.”

I haven’t made up my mind between stir fry and grilled fish for my dinner tonight. 

Joy

                                    keep out

 October 24, 2023 a thought for today, He is wise in vain who does not use his wisdom for his own advantage. Latin Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was “dark.” This was taken from a darkened room into a room with the lights on. I like the position of the lighting from the darkened portion.

This is the “busy” week. Two days at food pantry, an evening meeting, the weekly bulletin and the monthly newsletter as well as two inserts for the bulletin. The bulletin, newsletter, inserts and one meeting are done. 

We are having a gorgeous autumn day. The sun is bright, the temperature is dropping and the leaves are in full color and falling with the breezes. 

......I’m back from food pantry. It was a comparatively slow day. We only had about seventeen families. We have been having about thirty plus families. When people are coming in at a slower pace the time seems to drag. Those of us working the pantry have time for chatting and “bonding”, which is nice. 

The next upload is another of the “my choice” image. This one is from the archives and seems to fit the coming season of harvest and Halloween. 

Now it’s time to catch up on this and that around here, picking one thing up and cleaning up a space as we play catch as catch can. 

My first upload for today is “light”. I was sitting at a traffic light an intended to snap a shot of the traffic lights but notices that I was catching the sun also. 

The word today is belief. Be sure you put your feet in the right place then stand firm, Abraham Lincoln.  What we wish, we readily believe, and what we ourselves think, we imagine others think also, Julius Caesar.  The distance is great from the firm belief to the realization from concrete experience, Isabella I.  Alas, the fearful Unbelief is unbelief in yourself, Thomas Carlyle. I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. Isaac Newton. All the great ages have been ages of belief, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Men are most apt to believe what they least understand, Pliny The Elder.  Human beliefs, like all other natural growths, elude the barrier of systems, George Eliot. Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. You believe easily that which you hope for earnestly, Terence. We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings, Ovid. We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples, Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

The second upload for today is another of the “my choice” and another from my archives. I liked the position of the two evergreen trees and of the clouds against the blue sky. 

I’m not a politically minded person but the right form of politics are necessary to a peacefully working society. I think the question in this article is necessary to understand. This question was posed by a 13-year-old student in Arizona “Why do voters have to pick a Republican or a Democrat in the US? Why can’t it be Republican vs. Republican or Democrat vs. Democrat?” An Assistant Professor of Political Science wrote an answer to her question. The article began with the statement that we have a variety of choices about so many things in our lives, except in the choice of the president or governor or mayor. The professor wrote that there is a law called “Duverger’s law, named after French political scientist Maurice Duverger.” Basically it means that there are a set of rules “known as single-winner plurality voting.” It means only one candidate can win. Boiling it down it means that a party “is most likely to win if it runs (or nominates) only one candidate.” An example in the story is a teacher throws a class party and will order food the students want. The teacher will order only one food for all the class “(single winner)”. That food will be whatever gets the most votes “(plurality vote)”. There are ten votes for pizza with different toppings. There are seven votes for ice cream. There could be a winner if pizza is chosen with only one of the many toppings chosen. So in the two party system of voting people with similar “but not identical preferences” can work together or they will lose. The people running the party have to build a collection of expectations that a group of voters want to happen. One of the “parties” will offer a set of ways to accomplish something, the other party will have a different way to fulfill a need. The article went on to explain that many voters want to chose only between two parties. But it doesn’t mean that there can only be two parties running. The article mentioned the fact that “the U.S. Constitution does not allow for only two political parties.” Many of th Founding Fathers were “skeptical” of this notion “fearing that they would divide the American people and serve the interests of ambitious politicians.” Eventually these “visionaries” helped to form the first political parties as they realized” the importance of coordinating with like-minded people to win elections.” There are times in elections that “independents” not affiliated with a party run but they rarely win. At times there may be two candidates from the same party that want to run. Then an “open primary” vote occurs where one of the people who choose to run are chosen before the main election. In any case the winner in the final election is the candidate who gets more than 50% of the vote. 

I am going to have beer battered fish and shoestring fires in the air fryer for dinner. 

Joy

                                   secure?

 October 22, 2023 a thought for today, If all men were on an equality, the consequence would be that all must perish: for who would till the ground? Who would sow it? Who would plant? Latin Proverb

An upload for the 21st was “pattern”. This was a near by prop in my living room. It is a design of a new overstuffed chair my sister enjoys. 

I was confused in the sermon this morning. I was disappointed that I heard almost nothing that I felt teaches us how God wants us to live our lives, nothing teaching or loving at least not in the way it was presented which is the biggest thing about communication. I heard an ancient historical story about tax collecting in the time of Jesus. Even then not so much as about taxes but mostly what people thought of Jesus himself in dealing with tax collectors. It was more like a history lesson or at best a bible study of one specific line of scripture from the time the bible was written. Oh well, at least it caused extrasensory imagination or extrasensory perception. For me it was almost painful.

An other upload for the 21st is “something old”. These vintage books became another of my props for the images today. 

The sun is shining but is deceiving.....it is chilly outside, at least not raining. I am enjoying the sun light and the shadows it leaves.....nature, the pure and constantly new, never the same.

As usual this will be a day of renewal and looking forward to the new beginnings. 

Today’s first upload is “matching”. I took several shot of matching items, brake lights as well as the traffic lights among other interesting finds. I liked the lights with the blue sky and clouds as their background.  

The word today is beauty. Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul. Saint Augustine. Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Let us live for the beauty of our own reality. Charles Lamb. A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness. John Keats. The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Beauty is not caused. It is. Emily Dickinson.  To love beauty is to see light. Victor Hugo. It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it. Voltaire. Imagination disposes of everything; it creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world. Blaise Pascal. Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  If you get simple beauty and naught else, you get about the best thing God invents. Robert Browning.  I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, while character comes from within. Plautus. Virtue has a veil, vice a mask. Victor Hugo.  Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears. Edgar Allan Poe.  Dear God! how beauty varies in nature and art. In a woman the flesh must be like marble; in a statue the marble must be like flesh. Victor Hugo. 

The next upload for today is “something new”. This pathos vine has a new leaf beginning to open. I

likes that as a “something new”. I also like this colors and hues in this image. 

It’s interesting to me how methods of teaching evolve, but then, after all the only thing constant is change. A few days ago I heard how one teacher who also fosters dogs has found that using puppies in her class room are an amazing way to teach. This article talk about gardening as a teachers tool. Apparently there are tests that prove that youth gardening can “boost academic achievement and improve quality of life.” One such test show those elementary school students in these type courses scored “significantly” higher in science tests. The article goes on to say that academic performance.  Physical activity and healthy eating habits come from these types of classes. One eating habit was eating vegetables seemed to have increased. There is a conference being held with 4-H Youth Development on the OSU campus to “outline strategies” for gardening projects to include in the gardening projects. These strategies are geared towardly how the gardening classes can increase grades and interest in science, math, language arts and social studies. This conference will include some of the gardens, some of them are state of the art works, on the OSU campus. There will also be a tour of the “OSU Extension Demonstration kitchen.” This tour will show healthy meal prep to add to the school garden curriculum. Some of the work shop conferences will include how social learning in the gardening is part of the learning experience, and there will be “garden to tray” practices as one of the topics.  There will be tips and tricks to make the learning even more fun. Some of the tips and tricks would include a make and take project that would include a fairy garden, pressed flower cards, and an  “edible soil model” (An edible garden is a garden that contains flowers, herbs, seeds, berries and plants that you can eat.) The gardening classes also include animals and insects in the garden as well as cooking in a nutritious way. 

I think I am having salmon or Tilapia with lumpias for dinner. I “cooked” last night and made beef hash from left over beef stew. 

Joy 

                            road side hazards

October 20, 2023 a thought for today, Imperceptibly the hours glide on, and beguile us as they pass. Latin Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was “my choice”. This is a peek-a-boo view of the neighborhood through the door.

It’s been a day of one way here and one way there. They called to tell me my car was ready to pick. They needed to order a part after some diagnosis yesterday when we dropped it off. They found they needed to order the part. So they kept the car until this morning when they got the part in. Sue had gone out for an errand and Lowell was at work. I called both to see if one could take me to pick it up. Sue got home a little after I had left her a message so she took me over to Toyota. One of the good things about it besides that the car has been tended to was that they had given me a slight discount so it wasn’t quite as much as they had first quoted to me. Having it back in the drive way where it belongs feels good. 

The second upload was for “one colour”. I happened to pick a set of worn cement stairs. I found it hard
to find just one color unless it would have been white on white or a red scarf on a red bed spread. 

I mentioned a while back that I was starting a “year-long-spring-cleaning” (drawers and closets and cupboards) project. I have been at least touching on it every day since I made that proclamation. Today I got into one of the drawers where there are all kinds of small this and thats that may need to be kept.....or not (and I have more drawers and shelves like that). It is a game of do I or don’t I.....a time consuming event but at least I have begun wading in on it. In that particular drawer there are memories from way back, some as far back as my father who died in 1963. Along with that was a memory I had forgotten about of one of Bob’s activities that he was very proud. He was Chaplin of a group of the Sons of the American Legion. I also found an old, boatswain’s pipe. I put the rest that was in the drawer back for a journey back ‘til tomorrow. 

It is another of those days that I get started on something then for some reason or another get side tracked to something else.

The first upload for today is “two colours”. This philodendron is green and yellow and it was a handy model for a busy day. 

The word today is away. If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. George Washington.  A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows. Francis of Assisi. For age is opportunity no less Than youth itself, though in another dress, And as the evening twilight fades away The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray. Lord Byron. Sadness flies away on the wings of time. Jean de La Fontaine.  Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. Louisa May Alcott.  Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week. Joseph Addison.   The mind that is wise mourns less for what age takes away; than what it leaves behind. William Wordsworth.  Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger. Saint Basil.  The fall of dropping water wears away the Stone. Lucretius. 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.  Take away love and our earth is a tomb. Robert Browning.

This image, the second upload for today, is “my choice”. Sweet Pea is enjoyed a gentle petting session.
   

This is an article about one of the places in Columbus that has become an icon. I am adding some comments to the article with my own experiences. Columbus State Community College has just celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. For this celebration as well as the last few “faculty, staff, and students gathered outside Mitchell Hall”. Then they get together and form a number to show the number of years of existence. The article begins by relating that sixty years ago Columbus “was a city in need of skilled workers.” So the Columbus Board of Education met and decided that a trade school with two yeas technical training after high school would be a good system for a “post-secondary education for area students.” The school began in 1963 with the name Columbus Area Technician’s School – also known as CATS.”  The first class was made up of sixty-seven students. In the beginning courses offered were business processing, electronics, and mechanical engineering. New courses of classes were offered in chemical engineering and wholesale management. In 1967 a charter allowed “the college to award associate degrees in 11 technical programs.” At about that time the name of the college was changed to Columbus Technical Institute. At around that time I took several courses to prepare myself for future employment in the secretarial field with a change to computer technology. In 1987 the name changed again to the Columbus State Community College. After I completed the first computer courses I continued with a few more of those and added photography courses to enrich my hobby. I earned a Certificate of Digital Photography. In those courses we moved from darkroom work to digital photography. After I received the Certificate in Photography I continued in those courses refining my experiences, skill and growth. In the beginning I took on site classes and eventually went to online classes with some mixed with partial online and some on campus. I read another article about CSCC and found that there are now over 27,000 students over two campuses, “nine regional learning centers, and online courses.” Many students are interested in completing the first two years of a bachelor's degree, then transferring to a four-year university. The “off-campus centers” are located in Dublin, Westerville, Marysville, Grove City, Reynoldsburg, and southwest Columbus (a couple of my classes were at this one). I learned from this second article that there is another satellite campus in Liberty Township of southern Delaware County. I also learned that Columbus State partnered with Ohio State University to allow students and faculty from both schools to work out of the new facility.

I had a third upload today. This one is from the archives. The title for the “assignment” is “early one morning”. 

It’s pizza night again. I may be cutting down on going out to pick up the Friday night pizzas. I may be just ordering frozen ones from Kroger.

Joy

                           almost hidden

 October 18, 2023 a thought for today, In vain does a man possess property if he makes no use of it. Latin Proverb

The first upload was “floral.”  This is another from my archives but at the moment I don’t have any blooming flowers in the garden and haven’t visited a flower shop in a while. 

Food pantry yesterday was very busy and almost constant motion. We had about 37 families. Today it seems like we are going to be slower.

Since I had the bulletin done yesterday and will be going with Lowell tomorrow to take my car in for some maintenance. I decided to print the bulletin today instead of Thursday as I normally do. I had Sue drop me off here at the church an hour earlier than I usually get here for pantry. I got it done in less than an hour and all distributed then to pantry early enough to help set up. 

The second upload for yesterday was “my choice.” This is one of the plants from my house plant garden. This weeping fig (Ficus Benjamina) has added some height since I brought them in from the house plant  vacation spot on the back porch. 

The weather is cooler but  not rainy as they had predicted. 

I still have my photos a day to find and process.  

I need to go through the freezer since tomorrow is refuge pick up. I am still trying to get the freezers and refrigerator cleared out. I have most of the food I had put aside for Bob cleared out. He wasn't eating to well for some time and I kept ordering food hoping he would eat. 

The first upload for today is “pop of color”. These flowers were by the altar when we had the most current wedding at the church. 

The word for today is art. Patience is the art of hoping Luc de Clapiers.  All art is but imitation of nature, Lucius Annaeus Seneca. No one should drive a hard bargain with an artist, Ludwig van Beethoven. The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance, Aristotle. This world is but a canvas to our imagination. Henry David Thoreau.  Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. Jonathan Swift. The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity. Walt Whitman. A picture is a poem without words. Horace.  The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much, William Hazlitt.  Good manners is the art of making those people easy with whom we converse. Whoever makes the fewest people uneasy is the best bred in the room, Jonathan Swift.  By the work one knows the workman, Jean de La Fontaine.  Religion and art spring from the same root and are close kin. Economics and art are strangers. Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Life is short, the art long. Hippocrates. In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art. Leonardo da Vinci. Art is long, life short, judgment difficult, opportunity transient, Johann von Goethe.  

The second upload for today is “my choice”. This is another from my archives. I picked it because I like the juxtaposition of the roofs and the other shapes and textures in the image. 

This article is a story of more growth in Columbus with a bit of a twist. The “twist” is new construction of development around and will include an already existing mobile home park. It is in a planning stage for an area of Avery and Rings Roads. The developer is working with the Dublin Planning and Zoning Commission on this plan. There will be a “mix of town homes, apartments, single family homes, and an area of “mixed-use commercial.” The land that is proposed for this development includes the mobile homes for senior citizens. There are plans to keep it in tact. For that part of the area they plan on “using open space buffers and compatible adjoining density.” There was a meeting earlier in October for the residents of the mobile home park and others near by to voice their opinions. There were a few negative views like traffic issues and some like concerns about the “park’s rural character.” So it looks like it may take some further planning. I like the idea that they were planning to leave a well established park intact along with new and interesting additions. We’ll see where that goes. 

I think I will have Tilapia and lumpias tonight for dinner. 

Joy 

                                pick up day

 

 October 16, 2023 a thought for today, It is often better to go by a circuitous than by a direct path. Latin Proverb

An upload for yesterday was “black and white.” There are times I like using the black and white setting on the cameras rather than turning a color image to black and white in Photoshop. It’s fun to play with the different “creative settings” on the camera.

This has been an odd Monday. I generally do my virtual checks, email for myself and for church, facebook, and news headlines. Then on to the bulletin. Not this morning. I saw an ad on one of the facebook pages about something I will need to complete my plans for Christmas gifts so I went on Google searches to compare prices. While in that search, I found another item of interest and started on another Google search. Before I knew it it was mid morning and I needed to get to the bulletin. The minister for this week had sent me all I needed to complete the whole thing. I do a history on one of the hymns we would be singing each week. So I did more research on that subject for the bulletin. The hymn I was researching is “Kum ba Yah”. What I learned was interesting.  

A second upload for yesterday was “more fall colors”. I decided to use fallen leaves in this image for a  change as opposed to those still left on the trees. 

I also managed to get some cleaning done in the kitchen. That took up more time than I had expected.

Some lights have been coming on on the dashboard of my car so it needs attention. So Lowell is going to take it to Toyota for me late this afternoon. I hope they don’t have to keep it all week but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do. Sue has agreed to take me to the places I need to be this week. This is a busy one. 

So now that the day is fading I sill have a list to finish for today before I will get my dinner ready.

I had a third image for upload for yesterday it called for “knife, spoon or fork.” I chose to use a cooking utensil as opposed to table service for this one. So that is wasn’t all alone and feeling blue I used a red potato on its tongs. 

The word today is anyone. Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind. Aristotle.  Anyone who tells a lie has not a pure heart, and cannot make a good soup, Ludwig van Beethoven.  You can learn from anyone even your enemy, Ovid. The only freedom I care about is the freedom to do right; the freedom to do wrong I am ready to part with on the cheapest terms to anyone who will take it of me, Thomas Huxley. Time stays long enough for anyone who will use it. Leonardo da Vinci.  Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm. Publilius Syrus.  Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others? Voltaire. No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else. Charles Dickens. May God our Lord never let me harm anyone when I cannot help him! Saint Ignatius. Anyone who truly loves God travels securely. Saint Teresa of Avila.   How sad it is that these great gentlemen should believe what anyone tells them and do not choose to judge for themselves! But it is always so. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Similarly, anyone who wishes to understand the mind of the sacred writers must first cleanse his own life, and approach the saints by copying their deeds. Athanasius.  

Today’s first upload is “stripes”. I didn’t go out today and the first thing I saw that had stripes was the flag sitting in the corner of my dining room. The lighting was good in that spot today too.

I like learning more and anything I can about the animal world especially those that touch our lives everyday. This article title caught my attention, “Dogs don’t see life through rose-colored glasses, nor in black and white.” It starts out telling about an aging dog names Samuel who has myopia and has a friend named Scotch who doesn’t see colors. The author of the story is not a vet but is an optometrist and explained the problems as “cones and rods”. It goes on to talk about how those react to ambient light and how it is absorbed or reflected. Color vision in animals and in humans develops through evolution and grows according to the needs of the species and their environment. As an example to the environment aspect, birds see ultraviolet light humans cannot. Birds need this ability for their natural behaviors as in “foraging and choice of mate. Insects share the ultraviolet advantage to help them with collection pollen. So wild animals can’t recognize the orange bibs of hunters. The vision of dogs is different. Since the eyes are located on the sides of the head “unlike humans.” So the dogs have a wider vision (250 to 289 degrees) but “less simultaneous vision.” I learned this makes the vision of movement “well developed throughout his visual field.” I also learned that the “central vision is actually six times weaker than ours.” There are other physical differences in the dogs eye that allow him/her to see better at night. Apparently that difference also makes the dog’s eye glow in the night. As for seeing color for dogs they “perceive only yellow-green and violet-blue. Colors are perceived paler, like pastels.” The article went on to mention that in the instance of infrared the animals feels that heat through his nose not his eyes. Cats eyes are similar to dogs except for the “color palette” which leans more toward violet and green, they are “essentially color-blind. They are also very short-sighted.......formidable at perceiving movement.” I was surprised to read that “Who knows what our color vision will be like 500 years from now, after we’ve been exposed to more and more electronic devices and artificial colors?” 

The other image for todays upload is “my choice”. My pets are always my best models. This is Sugar. She was a wonderful friend for thirteen years and didn’t mind posing for me especially when napping. 

One of the good things I have found on my new journey of building a new menu is stir fry and lumpas. Oh, I made beef and noodles with the homemade noodles and I now have two 2-cup meals in the freezer for quick meals in the future. 

Joy 

              junk drawer

 October 14, 2023 a thought for today, Consider the facts seven times before you suspect someone. Japanese Proverb

An upload for yesterday was called “neutral tones.” I shot several images of neutral colors and chose this one to represent yesterday’s entry. 

Yesterday I finally got the homemade noodles done. There, as usual, was a lot of flour on my sweat shirt, the counter, the noodle maker and even on Sweet Pea. There are now portions of noodles for three meals in the freezer. 

The fall sale is going on at church. I am afraid the weather will put a damper on it today. It is raining and sometime the rain is coming down pretty hard. 

The second image for yesterday was “my choice.” This is one that “grabbed” my attention as I looked through my archives. It is a building a block from my house at a point with weeds needed attention. 

Sue was gone all day yesterday to be with the kids so it was quiet. I was doing my computer thing when I kept hearing a faint sound that was familiar but not as often as this was and not continuous. It sounded similar to a cell phone buzz. It continued for several minutes. I couldn’t tell if it was my computer, the TV or something more ominous and perhaps something that needed attention. So I began my search. I started by shutting down the TV, then turned off the computer. Still the buzz. Maybe I should check the basement. Down I went. Nothing. Perhaps outside. Nothing. Sue’s room is right above where I work on the computer. Upstairs I went. It was louder. Still hidden, kept moving, louder....it was under the bed.... a cell phone. I thought perhaps it was one of the twins’ phone and maybe they were ringing it to see if it was close by. So I kept calling Sue to let her know. When she got home late in the evening we found it was her phone...ergo she received no calls. What an adventure....what a life I lead. 

Time to make my curbside grocery pickup. And then my daughter is coming to visit me.

Todays entry is titled “fave colour.” My favorite color varies with the weather, the day and the mood. Today it is red.   

The word today is another. But O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes. William Shakespeare.  To have another language is to possess a second soul. Charlemagne.  All mankind... being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions. John Locke.  Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form. Rumi. Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away. Marcus Aurelius. Nothing so completely baffles one who is full of trick and duplicity himself, than straightforward and simple integrity in another, Charles Caleb Colton. In our Country... one class of men makes war and leaves another to fight it out, William Tecumseh Sherman.  A mortal lives not through that breath that flows in and that flows out. The source of his life is another and this causes the breath to flow, Paracelsus. Much speech is one thing, well-timed speech is another, Sophocles.  If we go on explaining we shall cease to understand one another, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand. We gain nothing by being with such as ourselves. We encourage one another in mediocrity, Charles Lamb.  Hateful to me as are the gates of hell, Is he who, hiding one thing in his heart, Utters another, Homer. 

My second entry today is “nature.” This covers several points of nature, the sky, the clouds, the trees and midday light.

This article is about some interesting things to know and see in Columbus. It starts with a “Scenic Stroll Just Might Be The Most Beautiful Place in Columbus.” It is talking about several of the sights you will see walking on the “the Scioto Mile loop.” You will see the Scioto Mile Promenade, Genoa Park, the Bicentennial Park, and several bridges, including the beautiful Main Street bridge. The article mentions that there are parking places along Washington Avenue. From a parking spot there the Main Street bridge is one of the first to be seen. It was built in 2010. A note of history about it is it is th first in North American to use “an inclined single-rib-tied arch superstructure.”  There is a driving area and a walking area. From the bridge you can watch the sun set or the Ohio State crew rowing on the river. As you stroll along you will come to th Rich Street bridge and see the blue lights on its side. As you walk across this bridge you will see an unusual sight, a human size sculpture of a deer. (Note: Scioto is an American Indian word in part meaning deer). Eventually you will come to Genoa Park and the COSI building. On the grassy area of the park are some fountains and wide set of steps. In this area there are festivals and music performances that at to the entertainments in Columbus. As you enjoy the park you will see another deer sculpture as it sits on the top step. There are two deer sculptures in the park. Your next stop may be the Broad Street bridge. Here you will see “offers a couple oval shaped lookout spots from which you can enjoy the view.” At night the lights from the bridge and the blue lights on the Rich Street bridge are reflected in the river at night. Moving along in your walk you will see the “historic Leveque Tower.” Finally you will come to the Scioto Mile Promenade. Here you will walk along Civic Center Drive where there is “a long colonnade of benches and swings.” From there you can see the steps mentioned earlier and see that the steps spell out the Columbus logo “with the emphasis on "us."  As you walk past the Bicentennial Park there are a couple of restaurants. One is called the Milestone229.

We are having either taco salad or beef and noodles (beef broth/gravy is easy peasy in the pressure cooker) and all I have to do is add the already made homemade noodles. 

Joy                            ravages of age

 October 12, 2023 a thought for today, The consequence is the reward of the cause. Japanese Proverb

My first upload for yesterday was “brown.” This is the top of one of the two wind chimes in my houseplant garden. I don’t hear their music due to soft breezes as it usual for most wind chimes. I only hear them when someone bumps one of them. They have meaning and reminders.

I have another Thursday in memory mode, almost....a couple of more hours to go. The printing is done. As I was finishing, folks were coming in to set up for the Fall Sale. It will be going on for the next two days. 

I was going to download the camera that we use for streaming but after reading the manual I realized we don’t need to download. We just need to delete directly from the camera. I mentioned it to Diana while I was at church. We decided we will get together a week from Sunday to work on it together. 

The second upload for yesterday was “my choice.” He has been my model before. He is in a watchful resting pose today with the main attention on the camera and the person operating the ominous object. 

The twins were here for a while today. It’s always good to see them. I am not completely use to all the energy they have. It would be nice if they could bottle it and share some.  They were out of school for the rest of the week. There is a fair going on in the town where they live. 

We are having another gorgeous late autumn day. Brian was here mowing the lawn. I think this will be one of the last week we will need that until early next spring. 

One of the uploads for today is “orange.” Perfect for the season. I shot this one while I was in the grocery story picking up my meds. 

The word today is action. Action is the foundational key to all success. Pablo Picasso. The deed is everything, the glory naught, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.  Every noble work is at first impossible, Thomas Carlyle.  Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind, Leonardo da Vinci.  Haste and rashness are storms and tempests, breaking and wrecking business; but nimbleness is a full, fair wind, blowing it with speed to the haven, Thomas Fuller.  This is a world of action, and nor for moping and droning in, Charles Dickens. It is well to think well; it is divine to act well, Horace. A man of sense may be in haste, but can never be in a hurry, Lord Chesterfield.   A tragedy is a representation of an action that is whole and complete and of a certain magnitude. A whole is what has a beginning and middle and end, Aristotle.  Congratulate yourselves if you have done something strange and extravagant and broken the monotony of a decorous age, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Thus every matter if it is to be done well calls for the attention of the whole person, Martin Luther. Let deeds match words, Plautus. We would often be ashamed of our best actions if the world knew the motives behind them, François de La Rochefoucauld. There is no avoidance in delay, Aeschylus.  If you do what you should not, you must bear what you would not, Benjamin Franklin.  He that has done nothing has known nothing, Thomas Carlyle.  Do your work then step back. The only path to serenity, Lao Tzu. 

The second upload for today, another “my choice” and another from the archives. Daffodils are one of the few blooming flowers I have still left in my spring garden. I like the repeal, the colors and the black background to the yellow flowers. 

Columbus and its neighbors have a varied history. Here is a bit more about us.  The article today touches on that subject and starts out “experience Ohio’s rich history” then mentions that “you may“accidentally stumble on the unexpected.” One of the things you may want to experience is  the Arnold Homestead which is now a part of Carriage Hill Metro Park. In the first paragraph they talk about the Dunkard. I learned that they are of a faith that practices “a strict Anabaptist form of Christianity.”I also learned that its belief includes an offshoot of the Amish and Mennonites. Its people came from Germany and came to the US seeking religious freedom. Many settled in Pennsylvania, some to West Virginia and some to Ohio. The Arnolds, of the Arnold Homestead, are one of them and settled in the Miami Valley area in 1830. They came here from their original stop in Virginia after they learned that Ohio had “fertile farm land”. At about the same time the congregation of their choice was looking for elders and deacons in the area. They traveled here with five children in a ox drawn wagon on the newly built National Road. Daniel (Arnold) bought 158 acres for $2,000. At the time there was a log cabin on the property so Daniel began a plan for a larger home. It would be a two story structure on a limestone foundation and would have an asphalt roof. It would be a sturdy federal style with little flourish and “fancy detail.” It turned out to be a “masterpiece of quality craftsmanship that has stood the test of time.: It took five years to complete. As the family grew the land was portioned off to the sons. The boys continued on the farm as Daniel had. In 1878 a new barn was built and portions were added to the main house including a “winter kitchen.” It was the Arnold’s home for eighty-six years. One of the daughter’s owned the house and farm until 1916 when she sold it to another family. After that the “farm would change hands several times over the years before being bought by the Dayton Metro Parks system in 1968. Carriage Hill Metro Park.”Along with the farm Dayton Parks bought more land to the point of 900 acres total. Dayton Parks added a lake for fishing along with riding stables and much more, and is a “historically accurate working farm giving visitors a glimpse into what the Arnold’s life would have been like.”

I am having fish and lumpias for dinner tonight. This is another one to try to see if it gets added to my list of possibles for my new menu. 

Joy

               traffic scenes