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?