December 1, 2024 a thought for today, Hope is the last thing to die. Mexican Proverb

On the last day of November the first challenge was “work in progress”. I took the perfect opportunity to capture the young lady who brought my groceries to the car for my grocery pickup today.

The next challenge for yesterday was “my choice”. This one is the last of this set of a series “reflections”.

The last upload for the last day of November is “hard”. There are so may “hard” objects out there in the world. This one was just one that was close by and easy. 

Life today. The cold hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s here to stay for at least a week according to predictions. I was concerned that the church would not be warm enough today but it wasn’t too bad. The turnout was low. Several loyal regulars were not there today. I image many people are not back from holiday visits.  

Things seem to happen in threes they say. You all know about my car...still no concrete solution yet; computer....still needs set up. Now an added hiccup....printer acting up especially in printing my Christmas calendar. Hope I can pamper it enough to finish filling my supply for Christmas. 

The first upload for December is “silent night”. I thought about using one of my night time photo from the archives. On second thought I decided to use one of the tiny statues from the nativity set that was being put up at church today. 

This being Sunday I have nothing else on my to-do list for today. I am looking forward to the week coming up with little on the calendar. Maybe I can work on and finish Christmas things. I haven’t got the tree up yet. Maybe that will be on tomorrow’s list. After this week the calendar is full until the end of the year and the beginning of a new one. 

I got most of the photos for today on my way home from church. I already put them through the “darkroom” (Photoshop) and have them ready for upload. 

The next upload today is “my choice”. It is the first in a series I am starting “winter tree”. There are a n abundance of those available right now. 

The word today is poverty.  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.  Poverty is the mother of crime. Marcus Aurelius.  Poverty may be the mother of crime, but lack of good sense is the father. Jean de la Bruyere.  To say that any people are not fit for freedom, is to make poverty their choice, and to say they had rather be loaded with taxes than not. Thomas Paine.  Luxury ruins republics; poverty, monarchies. Montesquieu.  In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. The young they keep out of mischief; to the old they are a comfort and aid in their weakness, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds. Aristotle.  Whoever cultivates the golden mean avoids both the poverty of a hovel and the envy of a palace. Horace.  As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness. Henry David Thoreau. We regard wealth as something to be properly used, rather than as something to boast about. As for poverty, no one need be ashamed to admit it: the real shame is in not taking practical measures to escape from it. Pericles.  Anticipate charity by preventing poverty. Maimonides.  Hope is necessary in every condition. The miseries of poverty, sickness and captivity would, without this comfort, be insupportable. William Samuel Johnson.  The community which has neither poverty nor riches will always have the noblest principles. Plato.  To be idle and to be poor have always been reproaches, and therefore every man endeavors with his utmost care to hide his poverty from others, and his idleness from himself. Samuel Johnson.  Luxury! more perilous to youth than storms or quicksand, poverty or chains. Hannah More.  Holy poverty confounds cupidity and avarice and the cares of this world. Francis of Assisi.  

The last photo a day challenge for today is “half full”. I searched the my  hydroponic garden in Ball caning jars for a model. Also checked the frig for something to fit the heading. I found this jar of pickles that comes the closest to “half” full. 

Article: This was a major stopping point for most people in Columbus many years ago. Many of us were sorry to see Lazarus go away, especially Lazarus Downtown. The article title is “Holiday season brought crowds to Lazarus Downtown to see windows”. I think the Lazarus downtown store opened in 1909. In 1962 stores in malls opened. The “Lazarus brand was retired in 2004". My dad worked part time in the downtown parking garage at Christmas times. We went to watch the parades they scheduled every year. Their windows were all “decorated to the nines” every year. I learned that the window decorating so lavishly began in the 1920s. The windows had themes telling a story through animated figures. There were “festive decorations, and detailed backdrops”. There was a Santaland full of things to excite the kids. In that area kids shopped on their own with a santa’s helper....no parents allowed. Also in “Santaland (there) was the Talking Tree, which entertained children with songs and conversations”. The tree will be back for a visit at the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Main Library this year until January 1.

Maybe taco salad for dinner. 

Joy