November 9, 2023 a thought for today, More the hurry, more the obstacles. Welsh Proverb

I mentioned that one of my great grand children was having some possibly serious health problems. It looked like he may be needing surgery. I got a virtual call from him last night and learned the surgery isn’t being considered right now. It looks like things will clear up with medical treatment. It was good seeing him and talking to him. He seems to have as much energy as always. We are still waiting on the results of Sue’s medical tests and their final out come. 

My first upload for yesterday was “flowers.” Most of the flowers in our city/state have left the scene for now. So there are only a few spots that still show their color and some limited vitality. This was at the local park near my house. The mums are still there for now.

The second upload for yesterday was “time.” I don’t know what I will be doing at any one time so it is difficult to chose an activity, for me, to “show” time. So I chose to use a clock or time piece. This one is in my car and was shot while I was on my photo safari for the day.

The third photo for yesterday was “triangle.” This calls for the observance of looking for something that specific (so you see many other things while searching for that single one). I found several and shot them but this one seemed to be the most interesting when seen in the darkroom (Photoshop). 

Life-I got the printing done with morning as is usual for Thursday morning. There were others in the church also today. A food delivery for our pantry and some other “household” chores were being tended to. So there was a good bit of activity. 

Once I got home it was back to the normal daily “routines”. After some research and study on the computer I started the laundry. The extra things I have immersed myself in today have taken more time than I was paying attention to so now I have to step it up to get things done before dinner time. 

The first upload for today was “sparkly.” I found this one while I was at church as I was passing by the “fall sale” room. This is a dress hanging on the clothes rod with a white cape hung on the hanger next to it. 

The word for today is decisions. Quick decisions are unsafe decisions. Sophocles.  Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide, Napoleon Bonaparte. The human heart is like a ship on a stormy sea driven about by winds blowing from all four corners of heaven, Martin Luther. The person who in shaky times also wavers only increases the evil, but the person of firm decision fashions the universe, Johann von Goethe. Be slow to resolve, but quick in performance, John Dryden. The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim, SunTzu.  The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. Accept life, and you cannot accept regret, Henri Frédéric Amiel.  Once you have made up your mind, stick to it; there is no longer any 'if' or 'but', Napoleon  Bonaparte. Emotions are continually affecting our thought processes and decisions, below the level of our awareness. And the most common emotion of them all is the desire for pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Robert Greene.  He who molds the public sentiment... makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to make. Abraham Lincoln. Give your decisions, never your reasons; your decisions may be right, your reasons are sure to be wrong. James Mansfield.

The second upload for today is “bridge”. I’m not really close to a bridge over any kind of water at least not close enough for a good shot with little time to get it. So I have this one that intrigues me by it location every time I pass it. 

A true story. I may have done a piece on the Columbus Zoo before but this one seemed to cover more material than I have noticed in others. The others may have been parts other stories of our history. This one claims to mention the early history of the zoo. Since it is one of the largest zoos in the United States over time it has gained a lot of attention some on popular television shows. It is 588 acres large and cares for 10,000 animals of 600 different species. My father was a Columbus Fire Fighter when I was a child. The firemen got a discount on tickets so we visited the zoo often and for several years. Also, much younger than the zoo itself is The Wilds, a safari like experience in eastern Ohio which is managed by the zoo. There has been a problem or two over the years but what major conglomerate hasn’t had problems as it grew. The Columbus Zoo has remained a place to visit when in Ohio. As I read further in the article I renewed or learned interesting things about the zoo. It is a nearly a century old. It first opened in 1927. At that point in time is was “Riverside Park and was located on the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir.”  At that time it was only a 21 acre portion of land and featured only a handful of animals. The article called it  a “menagerie” rather than a zoo at that time. There was no vision of it becoming what it is today. Again, according to the article, I learned (probably relearned) that Harry Wolfe was a “prominent” force in the zoos birth. He and the mayor of Columbus were on a trip to St. Louis. While there they visited that city’s zoo and decided Columbus needed something like it. The first time Wolfe made the proposal in 1920 it was turned down. He had “started something in the community” by then so gifts of exotic animals began to arrive. For lack of any place else to put them they were temporarily placed at the Franklin Park Conservatory. In 1926 there was a Christmas party that “featured’ six of the reindeer that were shipped here from Alaska. They caused a lot of happy excitement. Mr. Wolfe gifted them to the city and offered a list of the requirements to take care of them. By that time there was land available for the zoo. The first building on the site was for lions and tigers. This early version of the zoo was “finished” in 1932. Admission was free at the time and the city of Columbus paid the employees wages. In 1937 the name was changed to “the Columbus Municipal Zoo and was no longer under the financial wing of the city.” Since the city was no longer responsible for the zoo there was a charge to visit. The membership for $2 at that time. At the beginning of WWII in 1940 things got difficult for the zoo to keep up with membership and employment. People went into military service or were in essential jobs.  Jurisdiction was re-established by the city. In 1970 it became part of the Zoological Park Association, Inc., a non-profit organization. This association helps zoos get more animals and zoo expansions. In 1980 Jack Hanna began appearing on television shows where he brought animals with him and brought education about the animal to the forefront. Membership increased to around “$84 million annually.”  The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has undergone multiple changes over the years. As the article ended it said “a man named Wolfe that got it all started back in the 1920s.”

The third upload it “triangle”. I liked the positioning of the two sets of three windows on this house.

Something from the freezer again tonight.....it has one of those busy days. (BTW-dinner was a grab-from-the-frig as you go because Tami and Andy (and Gideon) along with Abe showed up to move furniture and put a rug down in my bedroom just before dinner time). 

Joy

                                 over the hill