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