December 13, 2023 a thought for today, The darkest hour comes just before the dawn. English Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was “twelve things”. I could have done a dozen eggs, or maybe 12 leaves. I decided to keep it in the season and used some of the bag of bows I found the other day. 

The second upload for December the 11th was “decoration”. There’s all kinds of decorations lying around right now so I thought I would use one of these vintage ornaments from past Christmas trees. The memory goes on. 

The third and last image for yesterday was “agriculture”. This one came from my archives and was taken on one of my trips to Mt. Sterling. The country side on that trip is soothing and picturesque.

Life today. Today seems another of those that are full of this and that. I finished the bulletin. Then started on todays letter. It was a multitasking day.....one thing started, another looked at and touched on then back to the first and so on. Being the worry wart I am in the midst of all the rest I am laying plans in my head for how to accomplish all the things that are on my list for next week, before the Christmas holiday. 

To clear my head and regain the focusing ability, Sweet Pea and I took a break and went to Wendy’s. On the way home from there I sighted and snapped one of my photos a day.... successful trip.

My first upload for today is “sweater”. This one is kind of a reach....it’s not really a sweater. Instead it is a sweat shirt with a Christmas vest my daughter made for me many years ago. 

Once we got back home and started on of the items on the multitask list I added clearing the sink of last night’s dishes.  

I had some emails/texts to check on and answer between the other tasks. To top it all off, there are interruptions of more spam calls than usual today.  

The weather is bright and cold today, at least no rain or snow or wind, a beautiful looking day from the inside looking out. 

The second upload is “green”. This year I have come across decorations for the yard a little unique as compared with seasons of the past. These seem to be large blow-up ornaments folks are putting in their yards for the Christmas season. 

 The word for today is nation. The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home. Confucius. The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults. Alexis de Tocqueville.  Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish - too much handling will spoil it. Lao Tzu. Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it. Thomas Paine.  There is no nation so powerful, as the one that obeys its laws not from principals of fear or reason, but from passion. Montesquieu.  The decline of literature indicates the decline of a nation. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds. Abraham Lincoln.  He will therefore seek to establish for his country in the eyes of the world, such a character as shall make her not unworthy of the name of a Christian nation. Francis Scott Key.  Tribe follows tribe, and nation follows nation, like the waves of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless. Chief Seattle.  The genius, wit, and the spirit of a nation are discovered by their proverbs. Francis Bacon. 

My last upload for today is “a bouquet”. This is winter....no blooms from the garden to make an arrangement. I wasn’t planning on a trip to a florist or to the flower section of a grocery story. So I had to make a bouquet from items I have on hand. I used an old vase with one of my oversized “snow balls” and topped it off with some of the artificial holly Sue had for the wreath she put together. 

The article is comparing how Columbus compares to some other cities like Cincinnati and Cleveland and others. It is talking about states in the Midwest and how they along with the Plains and Northeast “have struggled to find success for decades.” I’m not sure exactly what they mean by “success” so I read on. Columbus is “positioned to become that first breakout success story.” To start we have landed the Intel chip factory. The article mentioned that unlike the automobile industry the “chip business was never concentrated in the Midwest.”  And went on to say we had no major sport teams, large industry and “high culture.” We do have some advantages unlike the others such as the Ohio State University, though I learned it is not the largest any more but notable. The growth of the city up to now, according to the article, “works in its favor” since it can’t “get mired in nostalgia for its glory days.” That along with the fact that it is slower growing and has a “lower density” gives it the a boost. Columbus’s growth rate seems more substantial than Cleveland and Cincinnati where, according to the article, have many competing neighborhood and suburbs with “more insular cultures”. It is noted that because it is the capital and college town it is open to outsiders and newcomers. Columbus has been more able to “expand” its city limits more ably. Columbus now has NHL and Major League Soccer teams. The National Veterans Memorial and Museum has as added to our cultural offerings. Also added to Columbus National views has also taken in Amazon HQ and won a “U.S. Department of Transportation Smart Cities Challenge competition.”

Since we had chicken that Tami brought to us last night we will have hamburgers tonight and macaroni salad or shoestring fries. 

Joy                                 hanging on