January 30, 2024 a thought for today, When an old man dies, a library burns down. African  Proverbs

The first upload for yesterday was “street photography”. This is another from the archives. I wasn’t quite sure what was wanted in the request for “street” photography. It could be just a scene of a street and its surroundings or a suggestion of life on the streets. 

The next upload for yesterday was “favorite fruit”. Mine is watermelon. It is
refreshing and tastes good. I don’t think there is great amount of food value to it since it is mostly water but it tastes good and psychological pleasing because it is on the “healthy” side of food choices. There is some food value in a large slice as 314 mg potassium, 28 mg magnesium, 23 mg vitamin C. 

The last upload for yesterday was “a pickle”. Well, this is one of the most amusing “assignments” in photo a day uploads for me. Presenting an image of just naked pickle is difficult so I added a tiny bit of a lettuce leaf with two sweet pickles. 

Life today. Here’s another food pantry day. I have some things on the agenda to get done before I leave. I got the information I need to finish the bulletin so I set out to do just that. I had some of what I needed done on it yesterday so that for today didn’t take long. 

After that I got my bills paid. I remembered earlier today that I was late on one of them so when I pulled them up I found I have to pay a late fee on that one. I guess I need to make myself another sticky note with a reminder to pay bills earlier in the month.

My first image upload for today is “a glass of water”. Just a glass with water in it can be a bit boring so I added some ice cubes and just for the heck of it and to give just a touch of color I added a strawberry. 

Time for food pantry......

I’m back. This was another really busy day. We had thirty-five families today. I think we are going to be having this kind of number for some time now. It’s nice to serve this many people. It  is also easier to keep busy than to sit with noting to do. 

The weather has been pretty nice these last few days much better than the few earlier in January. They are predicting some light snow or rain tonight. When I mentioned that they have been better the last few days I neglected to say that we have had more rain than we needed but the  temperatures have been decent. 

Now I have to get my photos of the day lined up and put through the “darkroom” before dinner. 

The next upload for today is “chair”. This is a chair that I purchased from one of the church fall sales for my renovated dining room some years ago. It is still here and offers comfort when needed. 

The word today is will.  When the will is ready the feet are light, Proverbs. The education of the will is the object of our existence, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Our bodies are our gardens... our wills are our gardeners, William Shakespeare.  Let not thy will roar when thy power can be whisper, Thomas Fuller.  He who is firm in will molds the world to himself, Johann von Goethe.  The will is commendable though the ability may be wanting, Ovid.  All things must; man is the only creature that wills, Friedrich von Schiller.  Will localizes us; thought universalizes us, Henri Frederic Amiel.  Will springs from the two elements of moral sense and self-interest, Abraham Lincoln.  Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. Buddha.  You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. Marcus Aurelius.  You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. Aristotle.  Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I will meet you there. Rumi.  There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will. Epictetus. Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light. George Washington.  

The last upload for today is “letters”. The photo I took of a couple of pieces of mail was not what I wanted so I added a filter. That didn’t turn out so well either in my opinion but I submitted it anyway. (After all Ansel Adams, a great photographer in history said “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.”....this isn’t one of my best.)

This article may show one way to reduce homelessness. Maybe more places could make something like this possible. One of the sections, one acre, of land in our community where homeless folks have made an encampment is being considered for a place to build housing for these same folks and their peers. The encampment was given a name of Camp Shameless. In 2022 there were two near by overnight warming centers that closed their doors. This is when the people used this land as their home. A few months after the closing of the shelters the city shut down the encampment. They did provide housing at that time in a motel for some of the people. The proposed development is being called Knoll View Place. There are plans for a structure with about “50 one-bedroom units to be offered.....for individuals with a disability and histories of homelessness.”  There have been two other similar type developments in the city, one on the South Side and one in Weinland Park. The one in this article is located on Mound Street and will be a three-story building. There will be staff on the site offering services like behavioral health counseling. The plan is to have the housing “provided by Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority will allow all units to be rented to people who earn 30% or less of the area median income.” If the project plan is approved ground breaking will happen in the spring of 2025. There has been a community garden on Mound Street for years. This project will be constructed next door to the garden. 

Not sure if it will be something out of the freezer or stir fry for dinner. 

Joy 

                                                                            broken?

 January 28, 2024 a thought for today, No friendship can survive the gift of gold. Albanian Proverb

One of the uploads for yesterday is “exploring my city”. This is the most obvious image of out city I think, at least the tower is.

The second upload was “apple (pie)”. I had the apple not a pie. So I opened a package of Pillsbury sheet dough and made a “pie” for this shot. 

The third and last upload was “crisp”. The only thing I could think of that I had close by was bacon bits. I had some French fries but they weren’t really very crispy.

Life today. We were having a guest give his witness as our message today. As he was preparing to get in place he fell down a couple of steps. His wife tried to catch him and fell along with him. They were each injured. It didn’t seem serious but to be on the safe side an emergency team was called. They decided to take the pair to the hospital for further examination. Our pastor took over and the service went on. The order of worship was in place and the visiting gentleman had had his message printed as an insert in the bulletin so his message was presented to the congregation. Our thoughts and prayers for the couple go with them.  

As is my custom there is nothing major on today’s agenda. I have some light straightening to do and a few computer chores that will be all for today. 

The first photo a day for today is “stairs”. I was at church when I took a few photos of some of the stairs there. There are really some interesting ones. This is the one I found with the most “artistic features. 

As soon as I got home I prepared an upload for both the facebook and instagram pages for the church. (www.facebook.com/hogemempresbchurch/ and www.instagram.com/hogechruch)

I will get my photo uploads prepared and shared today. I shot one at church and the others were set up here at home.

The next upload for today is “a tea cup”. I have had this one around for years and have used it more than once as a prop. 

The word today is well. Well done is better than well said. Benjamin Franklin.  Doing well is the result of doing good. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads. Henry David Thoreau. Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well. Vincent Van Gogh.  It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well. Rene Descartes  That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well. Abraham Lincoln.  In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of. Confucius.  Life, if well lived, is long enough. Lucius Annaeus Seneca  Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant. Epictetus.  Music is well said to be the speech of angels. Thomas Carlyle  When I am angry I can pray well and preach well. Martin Luther.   Things done well and with a care, exempt themselves from fear. William Shakespeare. The flesh endures the storms of the present alone; the mind, those of the past and future as well as the present. Gluttony is a lust of the mind. Thomas Hobbes.  In a state of grace, the soul is like a well of limpid water, from which flow only streams of clearest crystal. Its works are pleasing both to God and man, rising from the River of Life, beside which it is rooted like a tree. Saint Teresa of Avila.  Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they will. Pythagoras. Every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either. Aesop 

The third and last upload today is “lunch”. Of course for me it is a fast food sort of image. This one is from Wendy’s. You can tell by the yummy mayo on the lettuce leaf. Their “sauce is delicious. 

This article is a story about something small but has or had some value to some folk’s ways of living.  The title is “From pineapples to tumblers, a jab at status symbols”. It starts out telling about the year 1670 when King Charles II had been gifted with a pineapple. It was presented to him by a royal gardener. The presentation of the gift was “immortalized” in an oil painting. As the article went on it explained that in the 17 and 18th century Britain the pineapple was a “huge deal”. The fruit, considered exotic, had to be imported.  People who had a pineapple were rich and would probably display the pineapple where guests would notice. The article related that you wouldn’t eat the pineapple. Of course, as time went by pineapples were/are readily available. “Status symbols never last”. At this point information from the article shifted to talk about the Stanley cups. Apparently out there on the market there are “40-ounce, vacuum-insulated Stanley Quencher tumblers” that seem to be quite popular with parts of society. They cost somewhere around $50 for the “special editions”. When the writer of this article instructed her daughter to drink water after sports practice. The daughter asked if she could have a Stanley cup for that purpose. Mom to this point hadn’t experienced the subject as far as knowing how much they cost. When she researched the product and leaned the actual cost she was shocked. She told the daughter that she would have to buy it herself. Later she, the mother, found one at a flea market for $10 and bought it for her daughter.  She ended the article with a comment about pineapple, and drinkware and any other seemingly idolized objects as “they’re great until they’re not” so “accessorize with kindness instead”.

It will be creamed chicken on biscuits for dinner. 

Joy

                            hopefully if needed the bush will yield

 January 26, 2024 a thought for today, Never let your education interfere with your intelligence. Albanian Proverb

The first photo a day for yesterday was “bubbles”. This was taken a few weeks ago. When we were are Cracker Barrel for one of the holiday dinners my great grandson was blowing bubbles in his chocolate milk. I said “hold it, let me get my camera”. I knew I needed a bubble for a coming upload. 

The next upload for yesterday was “my favorite colour”. As I once said my favorite
color changes for moods and feelings this one today is green. This is one of my fig tree leaves. 

The third upload for yesterday was “juice”. I happened to have the grape juice handy for my prop yesterday. 

Life today. I met Dorothy at church, we finished the newsletter and got it in the mail. It is always nice to work with Dorothy. We work well together and get things done in a timely fashion. 

Speaking of which, in the last paragraph I mentioned getting things done in a timely fashion. I try to stick to that, the timely fashion thing. I also hate doing things that seem to go no where, it’s like running into a brick wall over and over. Getting to the point...I have been putting a lot of time and extra work in our digital areas of church information. I am referring to the web page, the facebook page and the instagram page, as well as promoting our offers on half-page hand outs. I am doing this in hopes of helping to interest people into joining us. If these efforts seem hopeless after a period I will become disinterested in continuing the project to this increased time and work. Right now I don’t see much difference happening. I plan to keep on until it feels more hopeless and more a waste of time. I needed to let off steam. I volunteer, not commissioned. 

The first photo a day for today is “leading lines”. These leading line lead from the Hilltop USA toward downtown Columbus. Not only the lines in the street but the buildings and far away street lights lead in that direction. 

After leaving church I picked up some brunch and went on a photo finding excursion. I think I found some good shots. 

So now some Photoshop work and an order for groceries. 

The second upload is “everyday moments”. This fits like a glove. My everyday moment include the computer, camera and iced tea. 

The word for today is use. That which is used - develops. That which is not used wastes away, Hippocrates.  Use the occasion, for it passes swiftly. Ovid.   Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness. Jean de la Bruyere.  If you allow men to use you for your own purposes, they will use you for theirs. Aesop.  One great use of words is to hide our thoughts. Voltaire.   Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them. Napoleon Bonaparte. Some are created for beauty, and some for use; and there are some which one can do without altogether, Hans Christian Andersen.  Souls without prayer are like bodies, palsied and lame, having hands and feet they cannot use, Teresa of Avila.  Wisdom is the right use of knowledge, Charles Spurgeon.  Time is what we want most, but what we use worst, William Penn.  Make use of time, let not advantage slip, William Shakespeare.  Strategy is the art of making use of time and space. I am less concerned about the later than the former. Space we can recover, lost time never, Napoleon Bonapart.

The last upload for today is “old”. This is part of a church building near my home. I’m not sure of the age....possibly near one hundred. It seems it seriously need a power wash treatment. 

This article is sharing how some of our old buildings downtown will be making some changes. Two of the buildings in question are historic in nature the other will be redeveloped. This project is on for Huntington Bank in partnership with Columbus Downtown Development Corp. The hope are to help in “creating a more vibrant, livable city......(and help to) ensure downtown Columbus thrives for years to come”. The buildings in question are “Huntington Bank Building, 17 S. High St., a 12-story ..............the Harrison Building, was built in 1903-1905 .............Wyandotte Building at 21 W. Broad St., an 11-story building completed in 1898.” The buildings are for sale and in the article the sellers say “the best we hope for is that a preservation-minded developer acquires it." Another quote from the article is that this plan is work toward "part of a broader national push toward revitalizing downtown office buildings to suit modern needs." These are “premier locations” and offer “unique opportunities for mixed-use spaces.” Some of the hopes are for apartments. Other uses to be considered are “hotels or retail/restaurants could be in the mix”. Another thing the article mentioned is that the “city's Downtown Strategic Plan calls for 40,000 people to live Downtown by 2040, up from about 12,000 now”.

It’s pizza night...I am making a pizza from scratch for this one. 

Joy

      seems to be a fairly typical happening in parking lots.....a show of disrespect and carelessness

 January 24, 2024 a thought for today, It requires more courage not to fight than to fight. Albanian Proverb

This upload for yesterday was “fish”. I took this one long ago, it is in my archives. I had a beautiful aquarium for several years until it was a little too much for me to take care of. I miss those aquatic friends of mine but life goes on. 

The next upload for yesterday was “silhouette”. I don’t do this type of photo very often so I am using another image from the archives. It may be one I have used before since I only have three or four of this style. 

The next upload for yesterday was “vintage sign”. I wasn’t in an area to find a vintage sign. So I used this very old notice over a commercial dish washer in our church. 

Life today. It’s been a busy morning. I had some final touches to the newsletter. Then I got the envelopes and labels ready for the printing session at church tomorrow. Along with that I found that some addresses needed to be updated. Also there were things so research in the text messages I got about updates to the newsletter calendar. All of this took the whole morning and now I am getting ready to leave for food pantry at church...... 

I am back from food pantry. We have had two very busy days. Normally we have around 15 to twenty families. Yesterday we had thirty-eight, today thirty-five. The room was packed. Both days.

The first upload for today is “5 o’clock”. I used the idea of dinner for this image. We have out evening meal about that time of day. 

We had a tiny problem or two that may have slowed us down just a bit.

It is raining. It has been raining off and on for two days. According to the weather reports it will be raining for the next five days. At least the temperature is more comfortable. 

Now to finish off the “work” week. Tomorrow will be the printing of the bulletin and the newsletter. Then Friday Dorothy and I will finish the newsletter.

The next upload for today is “a pop can or bottle”. I was going to use some Yoohoos for this image but they were in cartons not in cans or bottle.  

The word today is unexpected.  If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. Henry David Thoreau.  No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected. Julius Caesar.   If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not recognize it when it arrives, Heraclitus.  A sudden bold and unexpected question doth many times surprise a man and lay him open. Francis Bacon.  Fate, however, is to all appearance more unavoidable than unexpected, Plutarch.  There is frequently more to be learned from the unexpected questions of a child than the discourses of men, John Locke.  But speak the truth, and all nature and all spirits help you with unexpected furtherance. Speak the truth, and all things alive or brute are vouchers, and the very roots of the grass underground there do seem to stir and move to bear you witness, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  The unexpected connection is more powerful than one that is obvious, Heraclitus.  Great and unexpected successes are often the cause of foolish rushing into acts of extravagance, Demosthenes.  

The next and last photo upload for today is “shallow DOF”. This is a box of cantaloupes we had on hand for the food pantry guests this week. I was up close on one of them the rest are part of the out of focus background. 

This article is interesting, about getting around in a city without a car. I had a friend when I was a working lady, before I retired that is, who never owned a car. She got to work every work day on a city bus. She did her grocery shopping the same way except for times a neighbor would take her. The rent-a-bike and rent-a-scooter were not part of the scene at that time. The author started out talking about a trip to Japan and how she didn’t know the language but she was “fluent in Google Maps, which was the only language I really needed to know”. She went of to talk about transportation and touring not only in Japan but other foreign countries. She says they are “beyond enviable.....a sense of presence not experienced back home”. Further on she says that she was “challenged” to find a similar experience here in her own city without driving a car....it became “enlightening”. She says she lives near bus lines and within waking distance of several grocery stores, she also used online shopping, (another help when without transportation.) Making this “enlightening” challenge more easily adaptable she works from home and has no children.  In her challenge she noted that we do have bus lines along with scooters and e-bikes. She believes that “navigating” without a car “provides a sense of freedom”. Most of her transportation in this challenge was walking and biking. She related that she became more conscious of the community, seems much the same as I have with my photography. Simple everyday things become more noticeable and intriguing. Some of the things she found more noticeable were “Street art, pinecones, warm light brushing the top of trees” I notice these same things when looking for photos. People along the way are also more noticeable. The everyday thing I refer to as she does are sidewalks, ramps, bike racks. She noticed that “Columbus is not completely flat”. It only takes her three minutes longer to walk to her gym that going by car does, and she can skip the warm up. Shopping and other outings may take a bit more planning. Making lists for efficiency in places that will be on the trip. Impulse buying is cut down and only items that can be carried on a bike are considered. Also the areas of traffic that will come up in the trip have to be considered. Planning for longer periods away from conveniences should be considered such as necessary clothing for the weather, a charged cell phone. She says she learned more about Columbus and an “increased gratitude for my neighborhood”. Other people mentioned in this article say they didn’t see the need for two cars in the family. One member of this family rides a bike or takes a bus more often than driving. An interesting note in this story is that when one family decided to be a one car family they used Google calendar to keep track of appointments. Also to be noted that in using a bike for transportation one should have a good lock and use a helmet. Another much in riding a bike is to know the law, traffic laws....use a signal and “go with the flow of traffic.” 

If I get home from food pantry in time to catch up on other things I think I will make salmon patties for dinner. 

Joy

                        there were years of better days

 January 22, 2024 a thought for today, If you take care of your character, your reputation will take care of itself. Albanian Proverb

One upload for January 21, 2024 was “in the sun”. There was no sun to be seen today. Only the reflections of its light as it was hiding behind the snow clouds. So I used a capture in time from my archives. 

The next of load for the 21st was “people”. I don’t do people photos very easily, I can, I just don’t want to infringe on folks who don’t appreciate it. On some occasions I must. I added what I hoped would be a painterly filter to soften the image.

The third upload for yesterday was “homemade”. This is one of my crochet projects. Nice and comfy and cozy. 

Life today. It has been a productive day for me so far. We are having a person give the message at church next week who hasn’t been with us before. Whenever we have someone, new I am a little tense hoping that I do the bulletin the way they want it. This person has a page and a half document that he wants for the congregation to have. So I pulled up his copy off of his email, made a copy, then redid the formatting to fit the sizes of print material we use in our services. This will be an insert so I wanted it to fit on both sides of a half sheet. It took some adjusting, it looks pretty good.

I wanted to put something in both instagram and facebook about our Sunday School classes. Donna took some photos in her class yesterday and sent them to me. I wanted to arrange them in a pleasant way so I had some Photoshop work to do. There were shadows on some of the images that I was able to eliminate. I created a composite of four pictures and used an algorithm to fit on the instagram site. Then typed the description of the what was covered in that class. I got them done and uploaded to both sites. 

My first photo a day for today is “one”. As I was contemplating on what I would want to use for a photo depicting “one”, I was snacking on Ritz crackers and had one left on a styrofoam plate....so question answered.

Next I started on the bulletin. The gentleman who is doing it this week sent me the information I need this morning. I was able to get the whole thing done.  

This is newsletter week so I am hoping to have it done for Thursday printing. I have the majority done but needed three items to finish it. I received one of the three an hour ago so I took some time to get it formatted and entered. Now to wait for the other two. I’m sure at least one of them will be last minute. 

It is still cold but beginning to crawl up the thermometer scale. I have been using the space heater that I found last week in Bob’s things. It is helping immensely but...last night before dinner I blew a fuse or tripped whatever controls the fuses. I hade the dishwasher running, the TV on, the computer on as well as the heater. It was all on the same circuit. Anyway, I am a dork when it comes to such things so I called Sue to come down stairs and help me out. She has always been the one who figures how to “fix” things like this. She comes to me for computer things, searches and on line orders and such. We balance each other this way, not always but some. Anyway she found the switch that had shut off. Problem solved. 

Now I have to go find two of my photo a day uploads for today......

The second photo today is “lines”. I was on my way down the driveway to move the recycle container to the back yard when I saw the line in the asphalt. Another question answered.  

The word today is understanding.  If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time, insight into and understanding of many things, Van Gogh.  To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed -- That can make life a garden, Johann von Goethe.  The improvement of understanding is for two ends: first, our own increase of knowledge; secondly, to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others, John  Locke.  The highest activity a human being can attain is learning for understanding, because to understand is to be free, Baruch (_Benedict de) Spinoza.  Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe, that thou mayest understand, Saint Augustine of Hippo. Men are admitted into heaven not because they have curbed or governed their passions, but because they have cultivate their understandings. William Blake. Everyone hears only what he understands, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Everything that happens happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so, Marcus Aurelius.  True love is born from understanding, The Buddha.  A man of understanding finds less difficulty in submitting to a wrong-headed fellow, than in attempting to set him right, François de La Rochefoucauld. Much learning does not teach understanding, Heraclitus.  The power of intuitive understanding will protect you from harm until the end of your days. Lao Tzu. 

Today was an easy day to find photos of the day. This one is suppose to fit the title “white”. This tiny snow bank is lining the driveway after it had been shoveled. 

This article may have a timely tip about winter weather problems and plants that we will want to see in the spring. It talks about putting salt down to avoid slipping and how it may “impact” plants. Salt and de-icers help with safety issues though they may have a “toxic” effect on plants as well as waterways. Rock salt has been the most common product used for many years. It is the same as table salt, sodium chloride. It works well on the slippery surfaces when the temperature is freezing and below, relatively inexpensive and “widely available”. This “chemical” is corrosive and “easily damages plants” as well as many areas of certain surface finishes. Some of this type “de-icers” that tend to damage roads and walkways are salt spray and “soil-borne salt”. Salt spray can spread in the air up by traffic and wind to 1,000 feet. This spray “pulls water out of the foliage of plants and also from the buds of deciduous trees”. Soil-borne salt can accumulate in the soil from runoff as the ice and snow melts. Soil born salt is made of clay and holds more salt than sandy soils. The salt spray can cause injury quickly. Soil-borne salt causes injury more slowly by preventing root from absorbing life giving water as well as essential nutrients. Plants that have been damaged by salt are “more susceptible to insects and diseases”. Any damage to plant form “soil-borne salt” is more difficult to “diagnosis” because it is similar to damage caused by insects and diseases. In examining the effects of the salt used for deicing as it spreads with melting ice and snow on water quality should be considered. The “waterways to become more saline over time, which negatively affects aquatic species that are sensitive to salt”. The article suggests that instead of using salt and other de-icers “using anti-skid products, such as sand, instead of salt when possible” although in my experience these can me messy to clean up after a thaw. The article goes on to report that “calcium chloride, potassium chloride, and magnesium chloride de-icers are less harmful to plants than rock salt when used as directed”. Another answer to the problem with the damage to plants is to move the plants from a direct contact point of these materials. Using some additives to affected soil may help, apply gypsum (calcium sulfate) in the spring. Also adding organic matter may help as it will be “drenched to remove the salt”. Some salt tolerant plant are eastern red cedars, inkberry holly, blue spruce and mugo pine. 

I think I will have beef and noodles that I saved in the freezer for dinner. 

Joy

                                many years ago in a park along the Olentangy River

 January 20, 2024 a thought for today, Home is not a structure, but something in your heart. Albanian Proverb

This first upload for yesterday was “breathtaking”. We don’t live in an area where there are the “typical” breathtaking views of nature. But who is to say breathtaking can’t be a surprising gift of nature as this sun through the clouds on a snowy day in Ohio. 

The next upload for yesterday was “cute”. Many things that our pets do are “cute”. Sometimes it is a question of catching those moments with a camera. Also many thing young children do a re cute too but right not I don’t have any small children around the house. 

A third upload for yesterday is “stars”. In my mind, since I don’t get the change to see many stars in the sky the stars on our flag are something to honor and capture. 

Life today. Yuck!! Cold. Brian came to shovel the snow for me yesterday. He cleared the driveway, two porches and steps, and in front of and behind Sue’s car so that she could get out. The temperature hasn’t gone up to clear the spots that couldn’t make a completely clear driveway but the sun is helping a little with that. 

The first upload for today is “is in the kitchen”. Right now I have a sink of dirty dishes to I had to be particular in the shot I captured for this upload. 

I got out of the drive way perfectly to go for the curb side pick up today. Everybody in traffic seems to be moving along as though there had been no weather changes. 

I don’t have anything special on the agenda for today. I decided I want a more “relaxed” day today and tomorrow, I hope. I have the church newsletter on the uphill side now. I am waiting to three articles for church members to finish it. I was able to carve out some time after I put the groceries away to upload another image of the Hoge windows to the Instagram/Facebook pages. I hope to have photo and descriptions of other activities at Hoge to upload, maybe weekly or biweekly. Hopefully Sunday School activities and other interesting activities at Hoge.

The next upload is “balance/symmetry”. Sometimes those two properties need some thought and looking around. What better way than nature to find them.  

I have had to be imaginative for some of my photos for today. This is one of the four days a month that I need four photos a day as opposed to the three I need for the other days of the month. With this cold weather and my age bracket I have difficulty getting away from the house for other kinds of photo opportunities to fit the daily “assigned” shots. So “we take what we can get”. Some of it requires imagination or shots pulled from old archives, some of which are kept for that very reason....future needed shots.

The third upload for today is “cool colours”. This is a graffiti work of art not far from my home. I pass it every day. So I decided to capture it an share it. 

The word for today is two.  Every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either, Aesop.   All human wisdom is contained in these two words--Wait and Hope, Alexandre Dumas.  We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak, Epictetus.  There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. Buddha.  There is an invisible strength within us; when it recognizes two opposing objects of desire, it grows stronger. Rumi.  Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me. Immanuel Kant.  Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self interest. Napoleon Bonaparte.   Lost - yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever. Horace Mann.   Make a habit of two things: to help; or at least to do no harm, Hippocrates.  Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessings. Publilius Syrus.  Destiny has two ways of crushing us - by refusing our wishes and by fulfilling them. Henri Frederic Amiel.   Let us read and let us dance - two amusements that will never do any harm to the world. Voltaire.  There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself - an enemy who has lost his temper and a friend who loves you dearly. Antisthenes.  

This is one of the days of the month that I have four uploads. This one is “coffee”. I don’t drink coffee any more. No one here in the house does. I do keep some instant coffee in the house. This one is ground in a stick like cone so that is what I was reduced to use as a prop. 

The article. I found another story about the history of Downtown Columbus. It started out, as most, do about the earliest part of our town....Franklinton and Lucas Sullivant who founded it in 1797. One thing new that I leaned in this article is that as we know it was “established” on the west bank of the Scioto River....it was known as the low side. That part of the town was named for Ben Franklin. Franklinton was a “sleepy frontier community for the next 15 years”. Many towns were formed by settlers wanting bettern living conditions. The difference for Franklinon, according to the article, is that in its beginning and initial expansion was by speculators and politicians. As we’ve seen in other stories, Chillicothe was the capital until “legislators” complained that the distance was difficult. In an effort to help with that it was moved to Zanesville. Zanesville “was incapable of housing all of the assemblies”. So it was back to Chillicothe for a bit. A law was passed the the capital to to be within 40 miles of the center of the state. As matters of picking a suitable capital moved along four men from Franklinton donated 10 acres and agreed to construct all the buildings for the government. Ten of those acres were set for a state penitentiary the rest for the Capitol and grounds. A “cash bonus of $50,000" was offered so that a the Ohio Capital would be on the bank opposite Franklinton. This new development was called Ohio City. But that name only lasted from 1812 to 1816 when the name was changed but the state legislature to Columbus. This name came about by a tavern owner named Joseph Foos. He respected Christopher Columbus for his courage of sailing the world. The Statehouse was built near what is now State Street and South High Street. The first mayor who was 22 years old, Jarvis Pike, use to grow corn and wheat on the front lawn of the Statehouse. Life went on in the new capital in ebbs and flows. In the 1800s it was a “staging area and supply center for the military during the War of 1812". After the war ended the population “declined” and land prices fell. In 1831 the Ohio and Erie Canal came to town by way of a feeder canal. Another promising growth was the National Road reached Columbus in 1836. By the time of the Civil War the town was connected to othe areas by telegraph and railroads. It became and “army town once more”.  As with the end of the War of 1812 the end of the Civil War the city began to fall into a decline again. As the town reestablished itself the government out grew the Statehouse and new Statehouse began construction. There was a major delay on the work due to the expiration of the charter making Columbus the statee capital. Wok was restarted in 1848 and completed in 1857. Before the new one was completed the old  Statehouse burned down. Around that same time period the riverfront was home “to several coal yards, factories, derelict boarding houses, and tenements”. Plans to make improvements failed. Finally nature intervened when the Scioto River flooded in 1913". The flood destroyed the factories, tenements and some houses. The river water “reached a depth of 26 feet in Franklinton, closing that part of the city for more than six weeks”. Then floodwalls were built on both banks of the river. In 1897 the Wyandotte building was constructed and was 11 stories I height and considered the first “skyscraper” in Columbus. Later the “modern skyscraper” the LeVeque Tower was built, 47 stories in height. Life in the city continued to decline and reestablish. Plans were made to “transform” the riverfront. The depression and World War II came along. Many people left the downtown area and moved to suburbs. Plans continued to rebuild the riverfront. The Bicentennial Park opened in 1976. This was the real beginning “of a new history of Downtown Columbus that would lead to an eventual rebirth of city life”. The Scioto Mile added to the new riverfront. The Nationwide Arena District brought sports venues. Continuing in growth was the Short North, Victorian Village and more. Still moving on is the High Street Corridor, downtown lofts and condos, interesting to “those who work in the area and retirees wanting to downsize”. Some older buildings are being renovated to add to the growth of the newer lofts and condos. For the convenience of those folks there are “many restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues that are within a short walk or bike ride.”

I think we are having hamburgers and fries for dinner. 

Joy 

 January 18, 2024 a thought for today is, Happiness is a form of courage. Albanian Proverb

An upload for yesterday was “boots”. I searched for a photo I had of two set of boots taken off at the door when the wearers entered. But I couldn’t find it so I talked my sister into finding a pair of her boots for this shot. 

The next image for today is “shoe laces”. This is also a photo of old worn out
boots but I needed it for the laces. I don’t have a pair of shoes with laces anymore. I had to pull this one from the archives. 

The last upload for today is “food and drink”. This is one of my favorite things to do....eat. Of course, this is a McDonalds brunch for me, a fish sandwich, no cheese, french fries and large unsweet ices tea. 

Life today. It has been a mostly typical Thursday in the normal weekly adventures. I have the printing done. I had the chance to do some friend-bonding with Patti as we both worked. Bonding brings wisdom on many levels. It cements friendships and combines minutiae of other happenings that touch each part of our life activities that we share. It can also be a thread to other lives that touch us as we travel this “vale of tears”. Along with the printing I was able to download and clear the memory card used for the streaming. Another project I began was printing half-sheet hand outs describing the many areas of digital and social media that we at Hoge offer the community. I hope to print enough copies to offer to the AA and NA groups we have at the church as well as the HM3 (free meal and ministry) and food pantry that Hoge offers to Gods people in our community and beyond. Hopefully it brings more people to our church, in my mind, especially young people. We have a lady who seems to really enjoy sharing the stories of God with children. I hope this may somehow bring more of them to her and to us. 

The first upload for today is “shadows and light”. I took this one a while back. I have several photos of shadows and light. I like the atmosphere of this one. 

A friend nudged me to take another look as the web page I created a few years ago for updates. After some urging and time putting things together along with another friend I was “charged”. Maybe God’s hand at work for touching my life where needed right now as well as touching many others in the long run I hope. 

As usual for Thursdays, when I got home, I started the laundry. It is no more than one light load now that Bob is no longer here. I will have it done in an hour or so. 

They say snow is coming to the point of accumulating. I may need to see if Brian, the young man who does my lawn in the warmer months, will be able to clear the snow so that Sue and I can get out and be on our merry way. Hopefully I will be able to do my curb side pick up on Saturday and make it to church on Sunday. 

There is an area of the web page that I wanted to update today but I am going to have to put it on the back burner until tomorrow. I am actually enjoying the work I am putting in on it at this point in my life. I am spending time with facebook and instagram also. It amazes me how things we do come into our lives when we need them. Many of which end helping others like a hand reaching out to touch.

I was having a real problem with the cold weather. My house is old and does not heat evenly. The upstairs is comfortable while the lower level is cold, especially my sleeping area. When speaking to a friend of mine yesterday I remembered a space heater Bob use to use in his “ham shack”. I went down stairs to find it. I found it but I could not get to the place he had it plugged into the wall. So Lowell came over and got it for me. What a difference it has made.

The second upload for today is “a single tree”. I see this one every time I pull in my driveway. It’s very old and very tall. Hopefully it will never fall, it would get two or three garages and a house or two as well as lots of wires and cables. 

The word for today is try. Try and fail, but don't fail to try, John Quincy Adams.  I have been impressed with the urgency of doing, Leonardo da Vinci.  There is nothing impossible to him who will try. Alexander the Great.  The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal. Aristotle.  Try to learn something about everything and everything about something. Thomas Huxley.   I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward. Charlotte Bronte.  I read, I study, I examine, I listen, I think, and out of all that I try to form an idea into which I put as much common sense as I can. Marquis de Lafayette.  Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly. Saint Francis de Sales. It is the false shame of fools to try to conceal wounds that have not healed. Horace.  All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Man is a gaming animal. He must always be trying to get the better in something or other. Charles Lamb.  The rule of friendship means there should be mutual sympathy between them, each supplying what the other lacks and trying to benefit the other, always using friendly and sincere words. Marcus Tullius Cicero.  

The last upload today is
“technology”. I’m sure every house has something like this with TV remotes, cell phones, computers, tablets, wireless phone, and we could go on. 

This article is about a place visited by a lot of us who live in Columbus. Many important events have happened there, personal and business related. There apparently is a  “Plan to Redevelop Former Spaghetti Warehouse Site”. It looks like the plan is to build a fifteen-story “mixed-use” building on that site. The old building would be demolished. A 534-unit building and parking garage would take its place. The people who owned and ran the Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant did not own the building but are seeking the help of another group of people to “partner” with them to buy the space. One of the possibilities mentioned in the article would be for the restaurant to make “a return to the site, occupying a spot on the ground floor of the new building”. According to the article Columbus Landmarks and some other would like to see the building preserved. However there was a problem with the roof when the restaurant closed and there are concerns that the building in the state of having “caved in and it’s already started falling down”. It has been examined by structural engineers who have determined the building’s not safe, not salvageable.” There are some hopes that they will “be able to salvage parts of the building.... want to incorporate some of the history into the project in some fashion.” to execute it, to develop a property that will continue the theme that the [Columbus Downtown Development Corporation] is doing with The Peninsula, what Kaufman did with Gravity....and help connect the neighborhood.”

It is going to be tuna casserole tonight for dinner. 

Joy

                                                just a taste of today’s gift from nature