October 30, 2024,  Custom is the guide of the ignorant. English Proverb

The first photo challenge upload for yesterday was “an animal in nature” oops had two not “an”. I used a blurring filter to take out the houses behind the trees to feel more “forestry”.

The next upload for yesterday was another of the “trees” series. So far the ones I have included are found within a few blocks of our neighborhood.  

The next upload for yesterday was “costume”. I don’t have little kids near by any more so I couldn’t choose one of their costumes. I used this on from a family photo. I removed the costumed image from the photo and put it in one of my photo of some of the neighbors decorations. This is one of my grandson’s dressed to take his kids trick or treating.  

Life today. Yesterday was not the best day at food pantry. My computer was not cooperating. It refused to boot up. Then when it finally did it worked so slow it was useless. I rebooted and shut down completely with little effect. We managed to find two backup laptops. Some other ladies attempted to help with those two. Because the backup computers have been sitting for a long period of time they were difficult to boot and to pull up the necessary software. Finally one of back ups did come up. The one I use and have been using for years finally booted up and behaved normally. By that time Gail had done all of the intake up to about the last dozen families. I think the problem may have been shutting the computer down when we were closing, it was in the process of updating.

My first upload for today is “pumpkin”. As would be typical of this season I have many images of photos from the past few days. This morning I noticed this one on my neighbor’s porch. I like the other components in the image, shapes and textures.

So on top of my “fender bender” a couple of days ago and this computer major hiccup my mood was “stay-away-from-me” for the rest of the day. Poor Brian met me at my car as I pulled in the drive way. That wasn’t the best time to approach me. But we managed. 

So far this day is starting out well. I am getting more things done than I think I have ever gotten done in a short time. I have the envelopes printed for church as well as all of my photos in and out of the darkroom and cataloged. I have a good start on the letter for today. I even got the dishwasher unloaded and reloaded. 

I have food pantry in about an hour. Later this afternoon I think I will be getting visitors that I don’t see often. 

Jessie and Matt stopped by for a visit. They bought goodies with them, home baked cookies. It was good to see both, Matt hasn’t been home for a while. 

The next upload was another of my series of “trees”. Again it can be found in a short trip through my neighborhood. Each of my trees are as unique as snow flakes. Awesome gifts, aren’t they?

The word for today is observe.  Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all. George Washington.  Everything that happens happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so. Marcus Aurelius.  I'm not smart, but I like to observe. Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why. William Hazlitt.  Unless your government is respectable, foreigners will invade your rights; and to maintain tranquillity, it must be respectable - even to observe neutrality, you must have a strong government. Alexander Hamilton.  Look at the means which a man employs, consider his motives, observe his pleasures. A man simply cannot conceal himself! Confucius. Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor. Hesiod.  A broad margin of leisure is as beautiful in a man's life as in a book. Haste makes waste, no less in life than in housekeeping. Keep the time, observe the hours of the universe, not of the cars. Henry David Thoreau.  It is by teaching that we teach ourselves, by relating that we observe, by affirming that we examine, by showing that we look, by writing that we think, by pumping that we draw water into the well. Henri Frederic Amiel.  Observe your enemies, for they first find out your faults. Antisthenes.  The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses. Francis Bacon.  Nature is a temple in which living columns sometimes emit confused words. Man approaches it through forests of symbols, which observe him with familiar glances. Charles Baudelaire.  Observe constantly that all things take place by change, and accustom thyself to consider that the nature of the Universe loves nothing so much as to change the things which are, and to make new things like them. Marcus Aurelius.  We cannot observe external things without some degree of Thought; nor can we reflect upon our Thoughts, without being influenced in the course of our reflection by the Things which we have observed. William Whewell.  Observe all men, thyself most. Benjamin Franklin.  

The last upload for today is “close up of an insect”. This fly was enjoying a crumb of my breakfast sweet roll.

The article: Here is another outlook on how Halloween in the US came into being. The title is “The ancient Irish get far too much credit for Halloween”, written by a professor of religion and history. The article started with a statement that many of us have heard that “Halloween a modern form of the pagan Irish holiday of Samhain”.  It goes on to say that the Irish “get credit – or blame – for the bonfires, pranksters, witches, jack-o’-lanterns and beggars who wander from house to house”. The author says that in earlier studies of the holiday lingering customs or rural Britain and Ireland and mediaeval texts “evidence that these practices and beliefs had ancient pagan roots” were found. Stories of magic and paganism were mixed. Further in the article it is mentioned that “the Halloween we celebrate today has more to do with the English, a ninth-century pope and America’s obsession with consumerism”. The changing seasons marked by summer to winter are noted in Irish calenders. “Stories about the pagan past told of Irish kings holding annual week long feasts, markets and games at Samhain”. In these stories at the feasts didn’t link death and horror but did mention magic and the other world. One of the stories was about Nera. Nera went out on a dare” where he followed “warriors through a portal into the otherworld. But instead of ghosts and terror, Nera found love”. He married an “otherworldly woman” where he lived happily after there with her on a farm. Later in the article it is written that a link of “ghosts and devils was really the pope’s fault”. In 834 Pope Gregory IV named November 1 “the day for celebrating all Christian saints”, All Hallows Day. The article says that “modern interpretations insist that Pope Gregory created All Hallows Day to quell pagan celebrations of Samhain”. However it went on to say that Gregory didn’t know about the “ancient Irish seasonal holidays”. It is thought the he “probably did it because everyone celebrated All Saints on different days and, like other Popes, Gregory sought to consolidate and control the liturgical calendar”. In the 16th century “the Protestant rulers of Britain and Ireland quashed saints’ feast days, because praying to saints seemed idolatrous”. So the Halloween that we celebrate today “of costumed beggars and leering jack-o’-lanterns descends from this mess of traditions, storytelling and antiquarianism”. The story of the jack-o’lanterns are “neither ancient nor Irish”. The earliest idea of this custom comes from an 18th century event of ‘an eponymous Jack, who tricked the devil one too many times and was condemned to wander the world forever. Supposedly, Jack, or whatever the hero was called, carved a turnip and stuck a candle in it as his lantern”. The carving of “turnips in early November probably originated in England with celebrations of All Saints’ Day and another holiday, Guy Fawkes Day on Nov. 5, with its bonfires and fireworks, and it spread from there”. The Britons built the bonfires to celebrate Beltaine not Samhain. These customs came to the US in the mid-19th century when “the Irish, English and many other immigrant groups brought their holidays to the U.S.”  It was after that the pumpkins became the “carved turnips” and jack-o’-lanterns, since pumpkins were plentiful in North America – and easier to carve”. It was interesting that the article mentioned that “people in Britain and Ireland blamed the Americans for the spread of modern Halloween and its customs”. Also surprising to me is that “British schools even tried to quash the holiday in the 1990s because of its disorderly and demonic connotations”.

Maybe hot dogs or coneys for dinner. 

Joy

                                                            wall of different color tones

 October 28, 2024 a thought for today, It's never too late to mend. English Proverb

The first challenge upload for yesterday was “a flower macro”. These were some of the roses in the altar flowers at church. 

The next upload was “golden tamaracks”. I don’t think these trees are grown in our city but this is the closest I could come. (Tamaracks-is a species of larch native to Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and also south into the upper northeastern United States from Minnesota to Cranesville Swamp, West Virginia)

The last upload for yesterday was “moon”. This one I captured without the “astrophoto” feature on my phone. I used the night filter. 

Life today. Life is so full of surprises of one kind or another. Today is no different. It started out nice in that I “over slept”. It felt good. I didn’t have time sensitive projects for today. I had the usual bulletin on the agenda. Of course my personal projects of the day with the letter/bulletin and photos. Other than that it was a day of manageable chores to get done. Then Sweet Pea and I went out for a photo safari. Things changed then. There was another person in my life who backed out of a driveway and didn’t see me. He hit me. He was apologetic, unlike the one who backed out into me a couple of years ago.  My fender suffered a fair amount of wrinkle along with a door that quietly groans to open. We exchanged insurance information and phone numbers. When I got home, I called his insurance company. They took my information and said they would get back to me. So now we wait. 

The first photo challenge today is the first in my next five day series “trees”. I like showing the patterns in the now bare limps of the beautiful mature trees in the neighborhood. 

I got back to the normal projects for today. I’m having a bit of a problem focusing as I should be but things are getting done. I have the bulletin done and the letter for the day started. I have the photos in the “darkroom” to be prepared for upload.  I still have the Sunday School upload to Instagram to put together. Then to finish the photos. 

So Monday started out as a bit of a bummer. It could have been much worse. In all it was another lesson of some sort.  Maybe a lesson in deciding not to leave the house? .....hardly. Time will reveal what the actual lesson meant.

The next upload today is called “boo”. There are a lot of these little guys of all sort in the neighborhood right now.

The word today is object. The object of the superior man is truth. Confucius.  The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government. Thomas Jefferson.  An object in motion tends to remain in motion along a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force. Isaac Newton.  I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire. Ignatius of Antioch.  There is no object so soft but it makes a hub for the wheeled universe. Walt Whitman.  Not every difficult and dangerous thing is suitable for training, but only that which is conducive to success in achieving the object of our effort. Epictetus. An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. Pliny the Elder. Every beloved object is the center point of a paradise. Novalis.  There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law. Abraham Lincoln.  Devote each day to the object then in time and every evening will find something done. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  If an eloquent speaker speak not the truth, is there a more horrid kind of object in creation? Thomas Carlyle.  To know a man, observe how he wins his object, rather than how he loses it; for when we fail, our pride supports us - when we succeed, it betrays us. Charles Caleb Colton.  

The last upload for today is “spider web”. I could readily find any real ones today but there are plenty of the home made kind around right now. 

Article: I guess I am stuck on animal articles. This one sounded interesting. I have a soft heart for bats in general not necessarily those of the particular vampire species. They are all so homely I feel sorry for them. Maybe a little more information will show their natural and positive attributes. This article title is an invitation in that direction: “Vampire bats – look beyond the fangs and blood to see animal friendships and unique adaptations”. It was written by an aspirant professor Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Vampire bats are often “favorite subjects for movies or books”. According to the article there are 1,400 species three of which “are known to feed on blood exclusively”. The most common of the three is “most abundant” and live in the forests of Central and South America. They “feed” on livestock and wild animals. The bats have “heat-sensing receptors on their noses help them find warm blood”. The article goes on to say that the chosen animal is “unsuspecting” of the bats feeding. Vampire bats help each other in this way “if a bat returns to the roost hungry, others may regurgitate a blood meal to get them through the night”. This occurs between family members such as mother and offspring. Bats form relationships in much the same way as seen in primates. They reciprocate in activities such as “cleaning and maintaining the fur....(and) sharing food”. When one bat is sick there is a “form of passive social distancing where sick individuals reduce their interaction with others”.  According to the article “it’s comparable to someone infected with the flu”. A major problem with a vampire bat population is that “can transmit the deadly rabies virus to livestock, which can cause quite significant economic losses”. An increase in livestock brings an increase in “vampire bat populations”.  Some farmers use a “topically applied poisons called vampiricide, basically a mix of petroleum jelly and rat poison”. This poison is applied to the fur of a bat who has been trapped. Then it is carried back to “the roost, where others ingest the poison”. More recently “focus has started to shift toward large-scale cattle vaccinations or vaccinating the vampire bats themselves”. The article closed with “you’re looking at a complex network of individual friendships between animals that care deeply for each other.” In the beginning I was looking for “natural and positive attributes”. I’m not sure if that’s what I found in this article. I believe all creatures, great and small, were created for a very definite purpose. I don’t propose to second guess that purpose whatever it may be. Just marvel at the creation.

It’s going to be something from the freezer for dinner. 

Joy

      the attraction is the age, and the art in the lines and shapes and patterns

October 26, 2024 a thought for today, Fear blows wind into your sails. Japanese Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was my last in this series of architectural detail”. This is a section of a church at the end of my street. 

The next photo challenge upload for yesterday was “a night sky”. I have a
feature on my newest Samsung that is called Astrophoto, taking photos of the sky at night. I have been playing with that feature. This is one of the results. I can’t seem to locate my tripod for more serious time with this feature. 

The last photo for yesterday was “scarey”. There are a lot of supposedly scarey ornaments on lawns this month. This is one of them.

Life today. Saturday it seems is a marker of some sort paired with Sunday....perhaps a take off point for freedom of  spirit? 

Sue was off to visit her happiness, the twins. This is the third day in a row since she got her car. She is so happy.....I am glad for her.

 Sweet Pea and I are back from picking up the groceries. I didn’t make a swing for photos as I normally do on the way home. I had found what I wanted in the archives before I left. 

Once I get home from the store, I don’t immediately put the groceries away. I put the frozen and refrigerator things away leaving the rest to be managed whenever I want to take a break from something more interesting.

My first photo upload today is “fence”. I took this one some time ago in a walk in the alley behind my home. This fellow wanted to have better look at the lady with the camera. 

I had ordered a couple of the items that I was out of for my diy houseplant insecticide. I have some mint plants that I have been nursing for a couple of months that need that kind of TLC right now. So I took some time to make the solution. Once it cools I will take a break again and tend to the plants that are in need at the moment.

Matt’s home for R&R this week end. I should have gone with Lowell and Rebecca to visit with him for a while. I thought it would be better with just a few people. I may have been in the way or I know I would have felt that way. He needs to see his wife and kids alone for a while.  

We are having another wonderful autumn day. It is still on the cool side in the mornings, natures way (and you know who that is) of preparing us for winter.

The next upload for today is “jack frost”. We haven’t had a pictorial freeze yet this year so this is one I have pulled from my ever ready archives. 

The word today is nothing. Nothing is more active than thought, for it travels over the universe, and nothing is stronger than necessity for all must submit to it. Thales.  In criticism I will be bold, and as sternly, absolutely just with friend and foe. From this purpose nothing shall turn me. Edgar Allan Poe.  There is nothing new except what has been forgotten. Marie Antoinette.  A clear and innocent conscience fears nothing. Elizabeth I.  Real firmness is good for anything; strut is good for nothing. Alexander Hamilton.  Nothing is as dangerous as an ignorant friend; a wise enemy is to be preferred. Jean de La Fontaine.  There is nothing unpremeditated, nothing neglected by God. His unsleeping eye beholds all things. Saint Basil.  Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we had sufficient will we should always have sufficient means. It is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible. Francois de La Rochefoucauld.  There is nothing like a dream to create the future. Victor Hugo.  There is nothing constant in this world but inconsistency. Jonathan Swift.  Whoever blushes is already guilty; true innocence is ashamed of nothing. Jean-Jacques Rousseau.  Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes. Henry David Thoreau.

My last upload for today is “vibrant flower”. This is another from my archives since most of our colorful blooms have given up until next spring. 

Article: I’m back with something about animals. Hope I’m not boring you with new thoughts about the animal kingdom. This article is about nature in their lives and how some people question the purpose of that natural wonder. The title is “Animals that are all black or all white have reputations based on superstition − biases that have real effects”. The article starts by relating how one would feel if they were minding their own business and come across a black cat. Do you cross the street or “crouch down to pet it?’. In addition it mentions that you know that there is a silly superstition but you are in a hurry and don’t want to experience some kind of jinx. They mention a black cat or other black animals “has shaped people’s preferences about animals”. These superstitions are unfounded. There are superstitions for both black and white animals. These anomies can be a severe disadvantage for the animals natural protections. “These animals often have a tougher time blending into their habitat”. I learned that even their “struggle to regulate their temperature and to communicate with others in their species” is a problem. In some places it was found that “local laws and found news stories of wildlife being protected” because of these problems. In some placed there are penalties attached if the laws of protection are broken. Penalties such as “US$500 or 90 days in jail for failing to abide by the law”. In reverse of the negative superstitions there are others that are celebrated. In one placed there is a “yearly festival called “White Squirrel Weekend.” For other celebrations may have be a “release white doves at weddings and funerals as symbols of purity and peace”. In other places it was found that some people adopt the “black squirrel their mascot”. This article also related that “pure black animals are more novel”. For thousands of years there have been “stories, lore, tales and myths that attempt to explain the world”. It went on to mention that “our early ancestors sat around fires, telling thrilling stories, they sought refuge together from the darkness that concealed looming threats”. It went on to relate how “white became synonymous with “good” and “pure,” while black aligned more with “evil” and “unclean.” 

I think I will make goulash with some of the packets I froze the last time I made a pot of chili for future use.

Joy

         neat and tidy..... check out the two sparrows checking out the parking system

 

 October 24, 2024 a thought for today, Boasting begins where wisdom stops. Japanese Proverb

My first challenge for yesterday was one of my series of “architectural detail”. The pillars and arches in my church seem to give a feeling of power and majesty. There was very little light in the sanctuary when I made this image. I like the tones in the colors. 

The second upload for yesterday was “patterns in nature”. There are two types of evergreen in this image. Each of the trees have different texture and patterns. The lighting at that time was adding to the look of the patterns.

The last challenge upload for yesterday was “orange”. I took several shots of pumpkins today but decided to use this ever present orang cone as the image for upload. 

Life today. Yesterday Sue’s daughter came to pick her up to go look for a car. They found one that looks pretty good. I am anxious for Sue’s safety but my family keep telling me she is an adult and can make her own choices. I will be missing her on the times we spent together as I toke her on her errands. I can’t get past the fear of the possibility of missing her permanently. She seems happy to have her “freedom” again. I am glad for her in that regard.

This has been a good Thursday so far. Patti and I got to the church about the same time this morning. She had sent me a message about a couple of tiny fixed in the newsletter which I was on my way to print. They were small and quick to fix so I did that before I was out the door. Once I got the printer and computer cooperating, Patti and I had a chance to “bond” with some chatting. I got both sets of printing and placements done in about two and a half hours. 

The first image upload for today is one in the five day series of “architectural detail”. This is an image of catholic church near my house. I have always admired the stately design of the entry doors. 

I had to make a stop at Kroger for some meds and a couple of other things. After that I had today’s photo to find and capture. I drove to a couple of spots that I had in memory where I could get what I needed. 

When I got home, it was back to the computer. I did some work in the Photoshop “darkroom” then got back to the letter.  

After everything was at a near completion point I took a break and started the laundry. As I came back up from the laundry room Sue was getting ready to go out on her first trip in her new car. Tiffany had called and wanted her to stay with Sonja for a while in Lancaster.

We are having another gorgeous autumn day. It began slightly on the cool side, cool enough for a sweat shirt. Now it is warm enough for a short sleeve cotton shirt.

My second upload for today is “abandoned”. This is a shopping mall near home where many of the stores are now empty and abandoned. I feel that these establishments could be put to some beneficial use instead of littering the landscape. 

The word today is none. I know many books which have bored their readers, but I know of none which has done real evil. Voltaire. All commend patience, but none can endure to suffer. Thomas Fuller.  Of all human powers operating on the affairs of mankind, none is greater than that of competition. Henry Clay.  The history of the world is none other than the progress of the consciousness of freedom. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.  We hand folks over to God's mercy, and show none ourselves. George Eliot.  Without frugality none can be rich, and with it very few would be poor. Samuel Johnson.  Let there be a door to thy mouth, that it may be shut when need arises, and let it be carefully barred, that none may rouse thy voice to anger, and thou pay back abuse with abuse. Saint Ambrose.  None are more unjust in their judgments of others than those who have a high opinion of themselves. Charles Spurgeon. Slight small injuries, and they will become none at all. Thomas Fuller.  Nature puts no question and answers none which we mortals ask. She has long ago taken her resolution. Henry David Thoreau. Happiness, that grand mistress of the ceremonies in the dance of life, impels us through all its mazes and meanderings, but leads none of us by the same route. Charles Caleb Colton. Of all follies there is none greater than wanting to make the world a better place. Moliere. 

My last challenge upload for today is “a field”. The first “field” that came to my mind was a farmers field. I would have to make a short trip to find that image. So I chose this small sports field located in part of the near by metro park. 

Article: I learned a long time ago about color affecting the senses. So this article caught my attention. “Color complexity in social media posts leads to more engagement, new research shows”. The article begins with mentioning that a picture is worth a thousand words and that marketers say “images are crucial for achieving their social media goals”. In that same line the marketers say that “70% of users prefer image-based posts over text, surveys have found”. The author, a professor of business, and some of his colleagues “looked at what researchers call “color complexity.” They did a study on how “pixels in an image, and our brains process it subliminally”. The story went on to show that advanced computer “vision technology”makes measuring color and “eye-tracking” help to see what people pay attention to in “real time”.  This group of people did four studies. They used Facebook posts in part of the studies. They felt that “more complex images in social media posts tended to capture greater attention”. They also found the posts made later in the day with more screen space have more affect on color complexity.  So timing and “visual prominence of posts play a role in maximizing engagement”. They pointed out that “the importance of color in marketing, and its influence on everything ......has long been well documented. Much less is known, however, about the role of color complexity in social media engagement”. They finally determined that “findings underscore the importance of strategic image design in social media marketing”. These findings more or less strengthen what I learned earlier in life that color along with all its tones and hues, or lack of, basically “can truly impact our mood and influence our behavior” and not exclusively to advertising. It affects many if not most parts of our lives.

Joy

                                 laundry day

                            Great Grandchildren’s Art

Drums by Drew

                                                                 Drums by Lex

                                       (hope to add more in this section as time goes by)

 October 22, 2024 a thought for today, An accomplishment sticks to a person. Japanese Proverb

One of the uploads for yesterday was “up close of tree bark”. This one has a passenger, the ivy vine. The textures and patterns seem to show the life of nature.

The next upload for yesterday is one of my series of “architectural details”. This
small building and window and safety pool can be found behind my vets office.

The last upload for yesterday was “macro”. I had one heck of a time trying to get Sweet Pea to hold still for this photo. I must have shot at least a dozen shots to get one that was passable. 

Life today. Yesterday was a day of fun projects. Tami and Andy came over to help wherever we needed them. We still had some pictures we wanted that had been stored in the garage. I wanted to get the photo rails all filled. Sue had a shelf she wanted mounted in the bathroom. 

Now that the first set of photo rails are installed, filled and look so good I am ready to order a second set. 

I had also scheduled Brian to cut the grass. So we were all in and out of the garage on and off for a while. 

Later in the morning I was able to get the bulletin set up. We found out today that the minister who was going to do the service wasn’t actually scheduled. So now we have to make some quick changes. 

The first upload for today is another of my series of “architectural details”.  This is a section of my church.

Before I left for a food pantry and before starting on this letter I got the newsletter done except for the photo page and one article the still needs to be sent to me. I need to finish that in the morning along with the shut-in envelops and newsletter labels. There is also the necessary addition/changes to the bulletin. 

Food pantry was another one that went past our limit for the day. It went smoothly even along with “training” another lady. The filling of the orders went good today too. We just had a large number of families. 

The next upload for today is “ball”. The globe seemed to fit the requirements. I took photos of another ball we have in the house but it just didn’t seem to fit the bill. 

The word today is next. Next to acquiring good friends, the best acquisition is that of good books. Charles Caleb Colton.  The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next. Abraham Lincoln.  Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. Martin Luther.  Next to excellence is the appreciation of it. William Makepeace Thackeray.  The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next. Henry Ward Beecher.  Whosoever wisely examines the works of God will speedily discover what is next to be done. Thomas Becket.  The man of petty ambition if invited to dinner will be eager to be set next his host. Theophrastus.  Consequently he who wishes to attain to human perfection, must therefore first study Logic, next the various branches of Mathematics in their proper order, then Physics, and lastly Metaphysics. Maimonides.  Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained. James A. Garfield.  If things are going untowardly one month, they are sure to mend the next. Jane Austen.  Charity begins at home, and justice begins next door. Charles Dickens. The greatest and noblest pleasure which we have in this world is to discover new truths, and the next is to shake off old prejudices. Frederick the Great.  

The last challenge upload for today is “underneath a bridge”. I took this one sometime ago. It shows advanced age of the bridge. I like that part along with the activities on top of the bridge as well as the scene under the bridge. 

Article: Who knew? I didn’t. This story is a surprise to me so I thought I would see what is about and share it. There is a “This Secret Sunken Garden In Downtown Columbus Is The Definition Of ‘Hidden Gem’”. When I was a kid I read a book called the Secret Garden, one of the reasons this article caught my interest. The author wrote “a new little spot of zen has emerged, and it’s definitely worth your attention”.  This new “gem” is located at the Preston Centre, located at 155 East Broad Street, has recently opened, offering a stunning retreat amid the bustling city”. Apparently is the garden is not open for public access but it does “invite visitors to pause and take in the serene views from above”as is indicated it is below street level. The design of the garden is described as “elegant”. It is in the middle of the “chaos” in downtown Columbus with a “serene waterfall, a charming small pond, and lush greenery.” This “sunken garden” will be part of the rest of the construction going on fo a Park Walk. All of this “will connect the PNC Building to the new mixed-use development at the corner of Broad and Young streets”. The article mentioned that the project was “inspired by New York’s High Line Park.” There is an existing skybridge that will be an open walkway. In this area there will be green space with seating and public art along with food carts. All of this “making the area more walkable and community-friendly. So, whether you’re taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of the sunken garden from above or eagerly awaiting the opening”. 

I think it will be meatloaf that I have frozen from another meal and baked potato for dinner. 

Joy

                                  beauty and the beast

Great Grandchildren’s Art

          Drums by Drew     

                                                                                                                              Drums by Lexie

                  (hope to add more in this section as time goes by)

 October 20, 2024 a thought for today, Loose tongues are worse than wicked hands. Jewish Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was “water droplets”. It is a little hard to find the water drops on the evergreen branches but they are there. 

The next upload rather fits the season, “bones”. I could think about what I would use for this image. I have a copy of my hip replacement but it is buried somewhere in my files. I have something called a bone folder that I use for folding the bulletins and newsletters. (They were once made of bones from cows, now they are plastic). I was going to use it until I came through the neighborhood and found this skeleton. 

The third upload was “serene landscapes”. I drove by a couple of places in the neighborhood that would meet this description. I finally chose this one of the local park near my house. 

Life today. The comfort of “family” at church hit the mark today as usual. The sermon was good, the hymns relayed their message well. The prayers carried their power. 

It’s a simply gorgeous autumn day. On the way home from church I made my rounds for some of the photos I need for today. The weather made it even more enjoyable in the search.  

The first photo upload for today is “pictures”. I think I have been mentioning the photo rails I recently bought. This is some of my sister’s sketches of our family mounted on the new rails. Some are my sister and myself, our grandfather and mother on my father’s side, my father when he was toddler riding on a tricycle. It also holds one of my photo a hundreds of nails in a telephone pole. 

I got home and started on this letter when Sue came down. I had decided that I wanted her sketches and/or paintings on this set of photo/art railings. So we went to the garage to find her work that has been in “storage” for more than five years now. We were able to get some of them in the house, that is a chore for two old ladies. We had to leave the larger ones for Tami when she comes to help tomorrow. We placed seven of her pieces. I like the affects. The way it looks solidified the thought of getting at least one more set of rails. For some more art work, hers and mine.

The next challenge for the day is “thin ice!”. It’s not winter here yet so this on is from my archives. As shown some fallen leaves on a sheet of thin ice. 

The rest of the day will be what Sunday is made for ..... reflection and renewal. 

The next challenge is “a trail”. This is another view of one of the many paths
and trails through the park near my house. 

The word today is neither. In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences. Robert Green Ingersoll.  I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen. Martin Luther.  Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. Francis of Assisi. Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil. Marcus Aurelius.  Eve was not taken out of Adam's head to top him, neither out of his feet to be trampled on by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him. Matthew Henry. Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness. Thomas Jefferson.  To accuse others for one's own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's education is complete. Epictetus. To do two things at once is to do neither. Publilius Syrus.  Whenever a separation is made between liberty and justice, neither, in my opinion, is safe. Edmund Burke.  He that does good for good's sake seeks neither paradise nor reward, but he is sure of both in the end. William Penn.  Of two evils, choose neither. Charles Spurgeon.

This is another of the days that I have a fourth photo a day upload. This challenge is “curvy/curly”. I wanted my daughter to come by yesterday for this one. She couldn’t make it. My reason for wanting her to come by is that she recently got a hair cut. She has naturally very curly hair. With this hair cut the curl was very pronounced. Since she wasn’t able to stop by I used some of my paper quilling samples. 

This article is about some of the oldest metro parks in our city. In 1945 the “Columbus-Franklin County Metro Parks began creating spaces to preserve forest and recreation land. These parks are meant to contribute to “conservation, education and connecting residents with the great outdoors”. In 1945 when the “park district” began there “only 100 acres of Franklin County’s woodlands were public lands”. There was three years of planning when “Blacklick Woods became the first Columbus & Franklin County Metro Park when it opened in 1948". Some of the first essential features in the park was a well and a gravel road. It has grown to more than a 650-acre park. It now has a “nature center, six trails, picnic shelters, play areas, and seasonal ponds”. The most recent addition to the park is a major and unique idea. It is the “hottest attraction in the park”. What I am referring to is the “treetop canopy walk that stretches an eighth of a mile long and is 40 feet above the ground and situated among the trees”. This feature has observation decks, a rope bridge, a giant hammock along with a  two-story educational center with a fire pole visitors can slide down from the second level to the main floor.” The next park to be brought into the system was the Blendon Woods Metro Park in 1951. In the “1960s, Columbus' population increased, highways expanded and suburbs rapidly grew”. Then the Metro Parks system “purchased land to expand existing parks and secure space for new ones”. In the 1970s some of the parks “hosted teacher trainings and classes for gardening clubs and established the Junior Naturalists program”. Now there are 20 Metro Parks “with more than 230 miles of trails and more than 28,700 acres of land located in the Columbus area and extending beyond Franklin County into six other counties in central Ohio”. 

Dinner will be something from the freezer this evening, I’m tired and/or lazy. 

Joy 

                       patterns in samples of wood flooring tiles

Great Grandchildren’s Art

  Drums by Drew                                                                       Drums by Lexie

 (hope to add more in this section as time goes by)