December 27, 2023 a thought for today, A courtyard common to all will be swept by none. Chinese Proverb

My first upload for yesterday is “candle”.  I found this one in my collection of Christmas ornaments as I was making room in my storage container. It gave itself an appearance in the last few hours of Christmas. 

The second upload for yesterday was “on the shelf”. This is as close as I can come to an elf on the shelf. He was among the other items I found in that storage container of Christmas decorations. 

The third upload for yesterday was “Christmas: wishes”. My wish like so many others is peace all around and peace for all peoples. Its here, it just has to be found. 

Life today. This is a food pantry day. I have already gone and come. I was a very slow day. On these kinds of days there is time for us not only to get to know the clients a little better. There is also time for more bonding with other volunteers and church friends. 

There isn’t much else going on here at the house. I had to put a bit of a rush on the bulletin because I didn’t get all the information I needed until I got home from pantry. I finished that as quickly as I could and just emailed it for proof reading and other checks from the lay reader and the person who is giving the message. 

The first upload for today is “half full”. I found a half full coffee decanter but I have used that in the past so I decided to look for another “half full”. I decided this decorative plant of frosted cookies would be interesting. 

This Christmas season celebrations for the family has been a bit on the uncertain side, all four of my great grandchildren have had fevers and two of the adults are a little under the weather so meet ups have been difficult to arrange. My first part of the family was on the up side. Everyone was well. We had a huge meal and a happy time exchanging gifts and visiting. The plan is for the rest of my family to meet on New Years Day.

There have also been memories of Bob for all of us, to be expected. The days after Thanksgiving were sad for me and I expect it will happen after Christmas. He is in my thoughts every minute.

After all of that it will be time to start putting the decorations away and getting back to “normal” and to begin a whole new and different year. 

The next upload for today is “bokeh”. (In photography, bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image, caused by circles of confusion.....a circle of confusion is an optical spot caused by a cone of light rays from a lens not coming to a perfect focus when imaging a point source.). This is my Christmas tree lights with the required bokeh as well as a filter to generate this image. 

The word today is season. Oh, the long and dreary winter! Oh, the cold and cruel winter! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been! Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Long stormy spring-time, wet contentious April, winter chilling the lap of very May; but at length the season of summer does come. Thomas Carlyle.  Spring is sooner recognized by plants than by men, Chinese Proverb.  For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land, Solomon.  Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress, Charles Dickens.  We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne. Marcus Aurelius.  Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime, nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time. John Donne.  It is, generally, in the season of prosperity that men discover their real temper, principles, and designs. Edmund Burke.

The third and last image for today is “food”.....my specialty.... McDonalds. It is a regular stop on most of my outings. This is their delicious fish sandwich and fried. 

The story. I visit some sites where I get the “news” articles I like to share. One is called theconversation.com. This is one of the stories from that site, written by a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and a Research Fellow in Animal Welfare Science.  It is an interesting view of what would happen to dogs if people weren’t around. Dogs hold the title of the most successful domesticated species on earth. They were bred and trained to take “functional roles that benefitted us, such as herding, hunting and guarding......and companionship”.  In the beginning of this article it is mentioned that dogs have certain problems that some humans often experience. Some dogs, those with pushed up faces and shortened noses,  have “constricted nasal passages with shortened airways” which cause “air hunger” like folks with asthma can suffer from. Some dogs suffer from skin, eye and dental problems. Here’s one that surprised me, some dogs “depend on human medical intervention to reproduce”. It seems French Bulldogs and Chihuahuas may need caesarean sections to birth puppies. Some dogs seem to need to be or thrive in a human family while others can  “live highly isolated” lives. The article goes on to say that if there were no humans in their lives the “impact would be stark”. Some dogs depend on us for food, shelter and health care. Others dogs as in Europe, Africa and Asia are “free-ranging”. Some dogs in this group are dependant on “human-made resources” as garbage and handouts. These animals as with other animals in the wild must have survival instincts for hunting, be disease resistant, have instincts to raise their young and to be sociable. It went on to mention that size is also a factor in their survival along with behavioral tendencies. The article continued by pronouncing that “a different type of dog would emerge, shaped by health and behaviourial success rather than human desires”. A different looking dog would emerge due to breeding of different species with other species. It is predicted that they would be medium size, short coasts, upright ears and tails Another difference would occur in difference regions resulting in heavier costs due to climate. They would return to the wild and develop annual breeding and social hunting. My own note....that is what it would be like for dogs to live without humans, my thoughts are how would humans do without dogs.

I think I am having hot dogs and potato salad for dinner. 

Joy

                                       coming soon?

 December 25, 2023 a thought for the day, A light burden's heavy if far borne. English Proverb

My first upload for December 24th was “lights”. So far this month we have had photo uploads including lights several time. So I wanted to make it a little bit different and a little more interesting so I added some movement to the creation and capture of the image. These are my Christmas tree lights with an add flare. 

The second upload for yesterday was “together”. I used an image from my archives for this entry. We aren’t all together in one place as much as we once were. Families grow and others enter our lives to share moments with us. So time together has to be planned when it can be.

My third upload for yesterday was “Christmas: reflect”. This is one of my great grandsons on one of his first Christmases. So, for me, it is a reflection of the past with him and what his future may be becoming. 

Life today. Yesterday was our “candle light service” at our normal Sunday service time. For me it was as meaningful as if it were held at 7:00 or midnight. The meaning is the same, the lowered sanctuary lights were strong in sending the message of darkness as the candles slowly illuminated the dark. There were the times in the messages of the songs that took my breath (and my tears). All in all a perfect beginning to recognizing and honoring the reason for the season.

I woke up as many did with childhood memories of past Christmas morning. Mornings when the kids were waiting upstairs to be called down or waiting for Bill to get home from a 24 hour shift at the firehouse for the two of us to spend with the kids. It’s a much different morning. No kids in the house. My sister is still sleeping. The house is quite. So it is a lonely morning of reflection. As the minutes passed I have started getting text message and a phone calls wishing me a happy day, and the sun, God’s light, is getting brighter by the minute.

My first image for today is called “my Christmas day”. As you all know I am an animal lover. All the animals around me on this day as all others are important parts of my life. Today they weren’t the lambs, cattle and other creatures that were with Jesus at His birth but I had several others around me. This one is a hairless sphinx cat, one of my fur(less) grand babies. He, pardon me (I was politely corrected, by my great grand son that he is a she) is trying to stay warm on this winters day.

I will be spending a couple of hours with my daughter and her husband, my granddaughter and her husband and great grand son and daughter, one of my grandson’s and others who may show up.  During the rest of the season I will be seeing the rest of my hearts loves. All in all the remembrance of my God and His love is stirred and relit for my 84th year even through the changes the years have brought me. The day’s canvas is different from years the past. Different from waking as my parents waited, and the years my children waited for this special day to begin. But all with the same meaning even today, maybe especially today. 

Well, I’m going to get ready for my daughter to pick me up.

The second upload for today is “Christmas?”. This tree is one that has graced our narthex. The angel on top is Christmas....a major symbol of the day.

The word for today is Christmas.  I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Charles Dickens. Every gift which is given, even though it be small, is in reality great, if it is given with affection. Pindar.  For it is in giving that we receive. Francis of Assisi.  Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. Washington Irving.  A good conscience is a continual Christmas. Benjamin Franklin.  Christmas day is a day of joy and charity. May God make you very rich in both, Phillips Brooks.  Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home! Charles Dickens.  I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth he sleep! The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men!” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself, Charles Dickens. Good news from heaven the angels bring, Glad tidings to the earth they sing: To us this day a child is given, To crown us with the joy of heaven. Martin Luther.  There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas, Charles Dickens.  How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, His precepts! Benjamin Franklin . The greatest and most momentous fact which the history of the world records is the fact of-Christ's birth. Charles Spurgeon.  He was created of a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy. He, the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute. Saint Augustine.  Come to earth to taste our sadness, he whose glories knew no end; by his life he brings us gladness, our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend. Leaving riches without number, born within a cattle stall; this the everlasting wonder, Christ was born the Lord of all. Charles Wesley. 

My third upload today is “Christmas: highlights”. This another of my great grandsons on one of his early Christmas’s. I see his attention to his new delights in life as a look into the future. It is my wish for him and all my human “babies” (no matter the age) to be as amazed with all the “newnesses” that come with life......that always come. 

A story. This is probably the best time of year for this story. “Ever wonder what happens to unsold Christmas trees?” It begins with sharing the fact that not all Christmas trees gets the “tinsel and ornament experience”,,,, they get left behind on the tree display field “hoping for a Charlie Brown treatment that doesn't come”. One owner of a Christmas tree lot said that after Christmas they “immediately lose all of (their) its value and has no shelf life," He feels that even thought “they are no source of revenue” there are ways they can contribute to good use. The owner of the lot says that they, this particular lot, is “involved in the "entire lifecycle" of the holiday tree”. One of the ways they have contributed the use of the left over (forgotten) tree was to send them to “help rebuild coastlines in the wake of storms and erosion”. Now they are working with farmers to “recycle the trees as feed and as mulch”. They are having a problem getting others to join in this recycle and other useful ways of depositing the trees, there is no “central network” for this. A Facebook page was established for this purpose. (Side note: see how Facebook can be beneficial to our society?) A way for the general public to help with their used trees is to use a curbside pick up or take them to drop-off locations. The article even mentioned that some Boy Scout troops offer a pick up service. Yard waste is another source of disposal. 

Dinner will be catch as catch can due to the huge and wonderful Christmas meal at Natalie and John’s house. 

Joy

                           Christmas morning traffic

 December 23, 2023 a thought for today, He that labours is tempted by one devil; he that is idle is tempted by a thousand. English Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was “Christmas tree”. I have a few of the living room tree already uploaded this month so I decided to snap on of the ceramic trees we have in one of the other rooms for this upload image. 

One upload for the 22nd was “wrapping”. I have moved to using bags for most of the wrapping I am doing lately. There are a few cases where I need paper, ribbons and scotch tape. 

The next upload for yesterday was “Santa”. This is another of the small ornaments we use for decorating the house for this special holiday. This one is a jolly little fellow and I felt he fit in here quite nicely. 

Life today. This is a “lots of little things” on the gloomy, rainy day. It is the typical curbside grocery pick up day which Sweet Pea and I have already accomplished, even got it all put away already. We made a brunch stop at McDonalds. There was a new girl at the pay window today. A new one who admired Sweet Pea....as I paid for our food she said “you have a beautiful dog!” Sweet Pea sat there like a princess accepting the compliment regally. 

I worked on getting the bills paid for the month and finished loading the dish washer and pressed the start button. 

My fist upload for today is “gift”. This is one of the gifts a neighbor sent over. I am so glad they are still in the cookie making adventure for the holidays. I have let that part of the holiday slip away. We have some awesome family recipes but the energy has waned. My mom’s date nut roll-up cookie is delicious but there is some work to it.

Since all the “heavy stuff” of the last few weeks are done for the next few days and I am ready for family and celebrating the reason for the season. I have time today to work on my photos leisurely. I have also been spending some mental time thinking about updates I will want to make to the church web page when the end of 2023 year is over. 

The next upload today is “gifts wrapped”. So they are, a sample of a few of the gifts we have to give this year. The boxed one is a carry over from last year but still one that is needed in some cases. The others are the “wrapping” I am using this year. 

The word for today is rules. The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.  The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are, Marcus Aurelius. When ancient opinions and rules of life are taken away, the loss cannot possibly be estimated. From that moment, we have no compass to govern us, nor can we know distinctly to what port to steer, Edmund Burke. We must not only read the Scriptures, but we must make their rules of life our own, Hosea Ballou.  Imagination rules the world. Napoleon Bonaparte.   He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king. John Milton.  Necessity is the strongest of things, for it rules everything. Thales.  Peace rules the day, where reason rules the mind. Wilkie Collins.  I have made myself what I am. And I would that I could make the red people as great as the conceptions of my own mind, when I think of the Great Spirit that rules over us all. Tecumseh.  Rules and models destroy genius and art. William Hazlitt. 

The last upload for today is “candy cane”. For some reason candy canes have alluded me this season. All I have been able find to snap for uploads are decorations on neighbors’ lawns. I like the background and cozy feeling of these two befriended by the evergreen bush. 

This is a story of one man’s view and research to complete some thoughts of this time in history. The title is “Was King Herod the Great really so ‘great’? What history says about the bad guy of the Christmas story”. I am a little leery of writing about this one. My dad always lectured to us to stay clear of talking too much about politics, religion and peoples’ pay checks. It was written by a professor of religious studies. King Herod decreed that all children two and under just after Jesus was born were to be killed. He heard that the baby was being called the King of the Jews. Much of what there is to be learned about Herod has been found by the “Jewish historian Josephus”. More information was found by modern archaeologists who “excavated many sites associated with him, including the possible location of Herod’s tomb.” Some of the history is that Herod was the “regional king of Judea, the area of Bethlehem and Jerusalem and under Roman “influence”. The area was mostly known as a “Jewish region”. So he was “literally “king of the Jews.”” The article mentioned that he may not have actually been Jewish at birth. His father likely converted to Judaism, his mother was an Arabian princess. The article also mentioned that “it is likely that many of the native Jews in Judea would have been skeptical of their king’s claims to be truly Jewish” since he came from Idumea. He was a “skillful builder” and saw that much extravagant projects were completed on the Mediterranean Coast and in the area of the Dead Sea.  The article went on to claim that perhaps that his most notable project was the “rebuilding and expansion of the Jewish temple complex in Jerusalem.” The temple he built was “more grandiose structure than Solomon’s original temple, built about a thousand years earlier”. He aided in the “preservation of Judaism”. He made it possible for Jews to be exempt from serving in the military. As well as being excellent as a builder he was a “brilliant” economic strategist, eventually having “ventures” in international trade including the sale of balsam wood and copper. It is said that he contributed to the Olympic Games and “averted” a regional famine. He had the persona of a tyrant because in his fear of rebellion he executed threats to his “reign”, even his own wife and three sons. He also overtaxed “excessively”.  The article went on to relate that in Matthew’s Gospels King Herod is prominently mentioned in the period of Jesus’ birth. According to this author “Matthew’s version is considered the most Jewish of the Gospels”. Again according to this article biblical scholars compared Jesus with Moses as Herod threatened Jesus as the pharaoh threatened the Hebrew children.

I think it is going to be a “TV dinner” or hot dogs for dinner tonight. 

Joy

             an abandoned soda in an abandoned building

 December 21, 2023 a thought for today, Friends tie their purse with a cobweb thread. English Proverb

An entry in the photo a day for yesterday was “Santa”. This was a gift from a friend several years ago. It still decorates for us on this holiday. This St. Nick has been with us for several years. 

 

My second upload for yesterday was “all around me”. I decided to us a panorama feature on my camera for this image. I felt it best fits the statement ..... all around me. 

Another upload for yesterday was “winter”. At this time of year we get more than one upload title of “winter”. This one is of Sweet Pea’s paw prints on the back porch. 

Yesterday was a day for a forth upload.  This one is “decorations”. It is another capture of the red bow on my entry door. There is another ornament of a set of bells on a red ribbon hanging on the door handle.

Life today. It was a full couple of hours of printing and folding this morning. Here is the list (I know you are waiting with bated breath for it)....anthem lyric insert half sheet, cut and inserted in a poinsettia dedication sheet after it was printed and folded. Both of those were inserted in the special Christmas Eve bulletin after it was printed and folded. After that, came the newsletter. There is a bit of a note about this one. When I got up at 6:30 this morning, I noticed a text message on my phone that I have an addition for the newsletter that I would be leaving to print in an hour and half. Anyway, I sent an order of seventy-five copies to the copier. As they came off the printer, I folded them once, then folded in the other direction then put them under a weight of books to help flatten them.

An upload for today is “presents”. I have given up on wrapping individually. I am using decorated bags for my gift now. It’s much easier and still festive. It also gives the receiver a way to carry the present home.

That meant time to take the bulletins to the appointed places and gather left over bulletins from last week.  Lastly was placing a copy of the new newsletter on the public bulletin board on the lower level.  Before and after the printing there was time and chance for a short chat with friends who came and went as printing/folding was in progress. 

Now some of the pressure is over. Soon it will be time to share time with family. The next several days will be short visits with friends and family as comes with this most sacred celebration time of the year. 

There was some discussions on the upkeep of our web page that I administer for the church this week.  I haven’t been keeping up with it for sometime. There are a couple of areas that need attention. So since I know about those spots now I will attend to them in the beginning of the new year. In that line of thought, there has been a change in the web site hosting that we use. That means new technology in some of page creation. I no longer keep up with IT growth so my work on the site will be limited to my now apparently dated knowledge of the processes. I think it will be enough to maintain the pages that are in the present design but expansion if wanted or necessary to serve its original purpose will be reduced. 

The next upload for today is “fences”. That can be a ho-hum subject so I wanted to make it interesting. I went to the upper level of the house to shoot downward. My neighbor has a very clean and neat looking fencing arrangement so I shot it as the main focus while in the process I got glimpses of other neighbors fences also. I can’t seem to shake the notion that fences that enclose an entire space reminds me of a giant play pen.

The word for today is risk. It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one. Voltaire.  The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision. Maimonides.   To win without risk is to triumph without glory. Pierre Corneille.  Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk. Lucius Annaeus Seneca.  It is part of a good man to do great and noble deeds, though he risk everything. Plutarch.  We have a natural right to make use of our pens as of our tongue, at our peril, risk and hazard. Voltaire.  Happy are those who dare courageously to defend what they love, Ovid.  Audacity augments courage; hesitation, fear, Publilius Syrus.  Boldness, without the rules of propriety, becomes insubordination, Confucius.    Fortune sides with him who dares, Virgil.  The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise, Tacitus.  There is but a step from the sublime to the ridiculous, Napoléon Bonaparte.  Trust means you're ready to risk what you currently have, Rumi.  The dangers of life are infinite, and among them is safety, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. 

The last upload for today is titled “I do this every year”. That is another thought-provoking subject to show in a photo image. I show some of the equipment I use, hole press, binding machine, binding comb and hole punch for the annual calendars that I make.  

This article, as I read the title seemed to be a thought of how one persons Christmas started and what it meant and maybe how it would relate to others. It started with.... “I dread(ed) my first Christmas without dad. How rough around the edges Uncle Jughead save(d) it.” At the time this memory was being formed the author was 14 his sister 9. Their father had died of a heart attack the month before Christmas. Before the family was up on Christmas morning there was a loud knock on the door. On that cold morning there was a man called Uncle Jug who had worked all night on the railroad. With a smile he asked for a cup of coffee. The figured that looked like he may have had a drink before coming to the house. The young boy saw him as a “big man with rough edges.” He was always dressed in bib overalls, chewed tobacco and drove a pickup truck that he used in a second job of hauling junk. In the Army he was “rowdy” and got a nickname of Jughead. While having the coffee he put on the act of saying he had to spend too much money on kids toys for Christmas and some other happy and funny talk. The author went on to say that ‘Uncle Jug thought of us this first Christmas after dad’s death’. He gave them happy talk and he knew what he was doing, “showing concern for us in his unceremonious way.”

I think I will heat up some frozen salmon patties for dinner. 

Joy 

                            a tree for the homeless and passer bys

 December 19, 2023 a thought for today, We are often shot with our own feathers. English Proverb

My first upload for yesterday was “tree”. This house has some interesting decorations for almost every holiday. As I passed it yesterday morning I thought this would make a perfect upload for the day. 

The second upload yesterday was “something cute”. This is my grand kitty. With no fur I worry about him getting cold but he seemed perfectly able to find comfort in many areas of the house. 

The next upload for yesterday was “transport”. I was on the look out for a UPS or FedEx truck for this assigned image but there were none to be seen as I drove up and down the street. So I captured this bus as it was picking up one of its riders.

Life today. There was a meeting at church last night that I was planning on attending. As the evening went on I slowly decided that I would most likely not go. The wind was blowing and snow was beginning to fall not to mention that the news people were predicting slippery roads and accumulations in some areas. So I begged off. 

Things are moving at a more steady and successful pace than I was worried about for this week. I have several of the pieces I will need for the Thursday printing done. I have two that still need small pieces added to make them complete and ready. I hope to have them in hand so that I can finish them both when I get home from food pantry tomorrow. 

The first upload today is “festive”. As I was coming into pantry today, I noticed the box of decorations some of the ladies made and passed out. It is a perfect image for this upload.

One of the photos I need for today is “winter”. We had a bit of snow that accumulated on the roofs and grass during the night. I decided to snap a photo of that scene. Naturally I had to open the door and step just outside the door.....what a shock!, something like walking into a freezer. Two days early maybe, the first day of winter is tomorrow, the 21st.

I think the main things on my today list are done except for food pantry. I will be leaving for that in a few minutes. When I get home, I may have the rest of the information I need for the newsletter and/or the poinsettia dedication list. 

The next upload today is “watch”. This is a watch that was in some of my mother’s collections of memorable items she kept. I didn’t test it to see if it would still run. It is somewhere around seventy-five years old. 

The word today is poetry.  Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks. Plutarch.    I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of Beauty. Edgar Allan Poe. Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn. Thomas Gray. Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history. Plato. God is the perfect poet. Robert Browning. Poetry heals the wounds inflicted by reason. Novalis.  Poetry is the art of uniting pleasure with truth. Samuel Johnson.  Poetry is the mother-tongue of the human race. Johann Georg Hamann.  Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Always be a poet, even in prose. Charles Baudelaire.  Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular. Aristotle  Poetry is all that is worth remembering in life. William Hazlitt. Ye stars! which are the poetry of heaven! Lord Byron.  Poetry surrounds us everywhere, but putting it on paper is, alas, not so easy as looking at it. Vincent Van Gogh.  

The next upload for today is “winter”. We had some snow. I was able to capture a little of it still left on the roof of one of my neighbors. That along with the bare tree branches and the overcast sky give the signs of winter. 

This article caught my eye with the name Lazarus in it. The Lazarus family did so much for Columbus especially at Christmas time with the lavishly decorated windows in the department store. The store offered special activities for children like the talking tree, the secret Santa shopping and other. Then there was the annual holiday Santa parade. So I thought I would share what is happening to the families one time home. The article is telling about a home of one of the Lazarus’ that  “Undergoes a Preservation-Focused Revival”. The historic Lazarus House in question is on East Town Street. It was built in 1879. The article started out by describing that the “structure” is divided into three “well-appointed” apartments. Some of the outstanding features are a “parquet floors to ornate fireplaces to wavy glass windows and newel posts.” It is of a Victorian style with much unique decor. A couple lives in the house as they are doing the renovating. They say there have been many surprises in this journey, as “gold buttons buried in the yard, a coin from 1889, an old illustrated deck of playing card....the original parquet floor in remarkably good condition after 150 years”. They bought the house during that pandemic and found that “building material” were “skyrocketing”. They are trying to keep the “original features” as original as possible and may find they will want to re-purpose some of them. They have some assistance in this desire from the Columbus Landmarks as they protect architectural legacy. Before starting a project of historic restoration one should begin with “examination first”. In one of the many projects they “incorporate(d)” new elements as in the “custom-made kitchen chairs from Edgework Creative, rounded at the top to mimic the arched doorways throughout the house.” They have a rooftop patio since there is not much of a lawn. They also have pre-teen boys and wanted have outdoor space to enjoy. They had some help form the Columbus Downtown Commission in dealing with the patio. One of the thoughts was the patio door “would take away from the building”. The solution turned out to be to mask it to look like a window. They built a vaulted room for the boys. The 16-foot ceilings allowed plenty of space for the room. As it turned out the room wasn’t just for the boys but allowed for a way to “hide” the HVAC on the side leaving plenty of floor space. The couple wanted others to know that rehabing an old structure doesn’t have to be as expensive as one might think. There are tax credits for historic home and tax abatements. To add to the history of the story one of the present owners grandmother’s worked as a master seamstress in the Downtown Lazarus department store. 

I think I will have stir fry for dinner. 

Joy                                     

                                                    some trees to stick with the season

 December 17, 2023 a thought for today, The start of a journey should never be mistaken for success. English Proverb

This first upload for yesterday was “ornament”. This is an ornament that has been one in a collection of many that have been saved from years past. I like the way it stands out against the red. 

The second upload for yesterday was “bridge”. This is at the entrance to the Ohio State University. I haven’t had time to be in that area for a while so I used this photo image from my archives. 

The third image for December 16th  was shopping. I haven’t been out in the crowded areas of the department stores but I was able to capture this image of someone shopping for food for the holiday.

Life today. Church was good. We, the choir, sang two anthems back to back, a little different than prior services. We had a lot of poinsettias around the altar making it feel much closer to Christmas day. For me it is the beginning of a very full week, I do have a good start on some of the things that will need to be done. I should have the information I need for the bulletin tomorrow morning.

After I got home from church, it was time to get ready to go to a birthday party for my great grandson (and me). We are back from that now ..... it was a fun party and soooo good to be back with all the people there again all in one place. Gideon got so many things that made him happy. He said “this is the best birthday ever.”

The first image upload for today is “Christmas Lights”. What better Christmas lights than those of the Advent Wreath. 

On our way home we drove by the full size nativity scene at St. Joseph Cathedral  It is gorgeous. I only wish my physical circumstances would allow for walking through the whole scene layout. I took photos as well as I could from the car window. 

The weather is not really Christmas-style weather right now and is supposed to be even warmer on Christmas day. I am pretty sure we will get the colder and more severe weather in the next few weeks. Right now we will enjoy what we have. 

The next upload for today is “back alley”. This seems like a break from the holiday  season of images. I like images of European “alleys”, this is an example of one of the alleys in a busy city landscape. 

 

The word today is philosophy. Philosophy is common sense with big words. James Madison.  If he really thinks there is no distinction between vice and virtue, when he leaves our houses let us count our spoons, Samuel Johnson. Moderation is the center wherein all philosophies, both human and divine, meet. Benjamin Disraeli.  The true function of philosophy is to educate us in the principles of reasoning and not to put an end to further reasoning by the introduction of fixed conclusions. George Henry Lewes. Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge, Plato.  All things have sprung from nothing and are borne forward to infinity. Who can follow out such an astonishing career? The Author of these wonders, and He alone, can comprehend them, Blaise Pascal.  You are never too old to set another goal. Or to dream a new dream, Aristotle. The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next, Henry Ward Beecher.  No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience, John Locke.  To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically, Henry David Thoreau. 

The last assigned image upload for today is “lights”. This is the sparkler that was on my great grandson’s birthday cake today. It is a fun break from the usual birthday candles. 

This article seemed right for the season, the title “Hunting for nostalgia (and the perfect Christmas tree)”. At the top of the article it is mentioned that the family member writing this article waited to pick up their Christmas tree to the last few days of December saying “It was a bit of a rushed affair”. They saw and ad mentioning that the tree farm was having its final weekend sot the “skipped a skating class in the name of Yuletide festivity”. He mentioned that there were some “rules” about picking up a tree and remembered to family holiday of tree shopping when he was a kid sometimes in the mud and snow. He said his mom was the one in the family with the artistic eye. He went on to say she went through a dozen before that often returned to the “original choice”. He said his dad laid on the ground, “blue spruce needles catching in his beanie” to use the “borrowed hand saw” to bring the tree “crashing” to the ground. One part of the article that was amusing was that while dad was cutting down the tree mom was in the “shanty” by a roaring fire and had hot chocolate in her hand. They would put the tree on the top of the family car and hoped it wouldn’t “roll off the roof” as it had one year. Once the tree arrived home it had to be “acclimated” to the garage. After a period the tree was brought into the house. The “top would drag on the ceiling just a little bit, and we’d have to lop off an inch or three”. The dad would lay on the floor to rotate the tree back and forth its best showing side. At this point in the article it was mentioned how much trees sold for in the ‘90s. It went on to say that now they cost near “a few days’ worth of groceries”. Further on it goes on to share that even though in a few weeks in the living room the tree would “become mulch”. Even with all the trouble along with that of the “uneven branches that you have to test for strength before hanging an ornament” the other warm memories make it all worth it. Because with the hassle there are the other memories like “still of the evening.........the sound of the cat lapping up the water from the tree stand”. So as the article was coming to an end the thing to be remembered is that “it’s something that brings families together during a busy season”. “Take the time to relish the nostalgia of bygone days even as you celebrate in your own way”

A light dinner from the freezer. 

Joy

                                 to busy shopping to put it back

 December 15, 2023 a thought for today, The measure of our sacrifice is the measure of our love. English Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was “I hear....” ....the Christmas bells (every time the door opens or closes).They are hanging on the front door so when there are guests or any out front activities the bells ring.

The next upload for yesterday was “black and white”. Sometimes black and white image seem to have a different hidden message than the color version. The “hidden” message is more inward than a visual find.

The next upload for the 14th was “mood”. I think there are several ways to express the feel of a mood. My favorite is a vignette. I used the dark form of a vignette on this one as opposed to the lighter or white color. I think it gives more of a thoughtful mood, a deep kind of feel. 

Life today. This is one of the days that a deadline was met yesterday, the next one isn’t due until next week so I can pass through today on the “easy going” side. I have a list of upcoming events that I have responsibility for so today I can pick which one I want to approach. Hopefully this will lessen the stress of several deadlines at one time that will be the certainty of next week. So this morning I got back to the newsletter. I was able to finish it up to the part I need from Patti and from Tom and any others who want to contribute. My part as the “editor/printer/publisher” is filling in the calendar, changing ongoing dates, updating the prayer list, inputting the session minutes, updating food pantry totals, researching and adding recipes, adding house hold tips, adding a bit of Christian humor, adding the monthly birthdays of congregants (the last five have been my choice each month to add to the document, I guess that is a job description of editor/publisher (smile)), Oh, and I nearly forgot, the photos on the photo page that I pass them through Photoshop for clean up and sizing then placed to fit the designated space.....that’s all done and waiting. Yesterday I was able to get a start on the poinsettia dedication page also due next week as well as two anthem lyric inserts to type. Patti only had three sets of the dedications for me yesterday I need the rest before Wednesday afternoon next week after that food pantry day. 

The first upload for today is “decor”. When I first saw this day’s upload assignment I thought of the Christmas tree and it ornamentation of the season rather than “decor” of the house in general. I added St. Nick doll behind some of the branches as though he were peaking thought ...... you know “have you been naughty or nice”.

I have a birthday to share with one of my great grandsons on Sunday. So, yesterday after my printing time at church, I stopped to pick up a little something for him. I will also send him a gift card from Amazon so he can make his own choice. 

I have to take a break from this writing in a minute to work in the kitchen for a bit. Besides cleaning out the frig and loading the dishwasher I think I will make a chocolate pudding cake. Then there will be photos of the day to set up, shoot, edit and upload. The end the day I will do my online grocery shopping for curbside pick up tomorrow. 

The next upload today is “abandoned”. This could be called “thrown away” or “trash”. I chose abandoned. Someone was careless or thoughtless or un concerned about others leaving it for someone else to clean up and disrespectful of not only nature but other humans also.

The word for today is natural. Man cannot afford to be a naturalist, to look at nature directly, but only with the side of his eye. He must see through and beyond her, Henry Thoreau.  If one way be better than another, that you may be sure is nature's way, Aristotle.  Yet if anyone believes that the earth rotates, surely he will hold that its motion is natural, not violent. Nicolaus Copernicus.  The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope to hope. Samuel Johnson  Regrets are the natural property of grey hairs. Charles Dickens.  First feelings are always the most natural. Louis XIV. There is no desire more natural than the desire for knowledge. Michel de Montaigne.  There is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talents. Thomas Jefferson.  The best books for a man are not always those which the wise recommend, but often those which meet the peculiar wants, the natural thirst of his mind, and therefore awaken interest and rivet thought. William Ellery Channing. Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Francis Bacon. Words may be false and full of art; Sighs are the natural language of the heart. Thomas Shadwell  Our admiration of the antique is not admiration of the old, but of the natural. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience, Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

This photo a day upload assignment is titled “transparent”. This is one of my hydrophobic plants nicely showing off its healthy roots as well as it variegated leaves. It is home in mason jar which is, of course, see through...transparent. 

The article. We are interested in the football buckeyes but this article is about the other buckeyes. One lady has extended the interest in the buckeye candy by writing a book about its history and some changes and additions to the sweet treat. She calls it “Ohio Buckeye Candy: A Sweet History.” She mentions how some people have made their own additions to the basic recipe and lists some in her book. One person mentioned to her “a buckeye from Toledo”. This one has added Rice Krispies to the mix. Some like the new crunch and flavor others were “abhorred by the idea.” The author went on to say that the “buckeye wasn’t originally a buckeye.” The story is that a lady bought “chocolate-covered — fully covered, mind you — peanut butter balls” in 1964. Some other lady who was married to an Ohio State University student got the recipe and that is where is started. When she first dipped them in the chocolate they didn’t get completely covered. When she held it up on a toothpick for her husband to see she said “it looks like a buckeye.” She gave batches to her friends. Hers were peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar then chocolate chips and paraffin wax for the shell. They became so popular that they ended up in bakeries and confectioners. They have ended up at Anthony Thomas, QVC and John Glenn International airport, and “tailgate parties, holiday cookie trays, and school and church bake sales.” One local church sales over 5,000 and sale quick. One tip from this article, the toothpick hole shows they were made by hand. Overtime there have been many adaptations with other things added to the recipe things other than the Rice Krispies mentioned earlier. M&Ms have been added. There is one place that adds buttercream. Some of the other flavors are gingerbread, snickerdoodle, candy cane, peppermint, and white chocolate raspberry. Once the peanut butter ball is made and mounted on a toothpick it is dipped in chocolate chip wax mixture to cover about two thirds of the peanut butter ball. It is put in the frig to chill. 

Today is one of the days of the month that I have a fourth photo a day upload. This one is simply titled “a glass of water”. I couldn’t think of anything to add some ....pizazz so I added a few ice cubes to detract from the loneliness of a simple glass of water. I didn’t have any lemon slices or I would have added that too. 

 It’s the laid back, take it easy night......pizza!

Joy

                                                                        out and about