Sunday, July 6, 2025

 July 5, 2025 a thought for today, Ice three feet thick is not frozen in a day. Chinese Proverb



The first upload for yesterday was “neighborhood” . This is one view of mine. It is a nice clean and quiet neighborhood.



 

The next upload was “fireworks”. I didn’t go out to watch life fireworks this year so the photos I got are from the ones I watched on TV. 



The last photo for yesterday was “my choice”, another of my “sepia” series. This is another of my neighborhood also. 

Life today. Yesterday was a “stay-in” day. I didn’t leave the house except to go in the yard with Sweet Pea. It wasn’t really that hot as hot as it was a week ago or will be in the coming week. It just felt good not to go anywhere. I missed my fast food lunch but grilled cheese with mayo and sweet pickle relish tasted good for a change. 

The grocery pickup is done, even the put away is done. So the rest of the day is for catch up on things that have no “due date” but still call my name. Most of them are things I enjoy doing just for fun, experience and learning. And most of it is on the computer. 

The first upload for today is “simple”. I liked the shapes and patterns of this “simple” tree trunk. 

I found a couple of the photos I need while Sweet Pea and I were out and about. As I found those images for today I shot others that will go in the archives for later use and/or just to add to the digital photo album. 

The next upload is “your summer vibe”. This “summer vibe” is through the window showing one of y window “senior” gardens along with the every ready porch swing. 

The temperature has started on the upward direction again. It’s nice to have the air conditioner running. I am also grateful for the full size screen in the bedroom window. I won’t be using it as long as the AC is on. It will be nice when the autumn weather approaches and I can leave windows and doors open for fresh air. 

The next upload is “sand and surf”. I had to pull this on from my archives. I
am not near sand and surf much these days. 

The word today done. Well done is better than well said. Benjamin Franklin.  Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. Vincent Van Gogh.  Great things are done when men and mountains meet. William Blake. If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared. Niccolo Machiavelli.  Never retreat. Never explain. Get it done and let them howl. Benjamin Jowett.  The reward of a thing well done is having done it. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  After all is said and done, more is said than done. Aesop.  Everything that is done in the world is done by hope. Martin Luther.  Better a little which is well done, than a great deal imperfectly. Plato.  It's a matter of taking the side of the weak against the strong, something the best people have always done. Harriet Beecher Stowe.  Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing. Thomas Jefferson.  What is right to be done cannot be done too soon. Jane Austen.  Repentance is not so much remorse for what we have done as the fear of the consequences. Francois de La Rochefoucauld. The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green. Thomas Carlyle.

This is another of those days that I have four uploads for the day. This one is “salt and pepper”. There are not to many “artful” ways to show salt and pepper, at least I don’t know of any. 

Article: It’s eye opening to think that all life is connected and affected by each other. I’m sure there was a purpose in the beginning of time. The article title:  War, politics and religion shape wildlife evolution in cities. The article opens by saying that though evolution has always been considered something that occurs in nature others also contribute.Then goes on to say that for wildlife it is influenced by other things. Some are changes in local conditions, namely religion, politics and war which  shape urban evolution. For instance one example is as a religious practice in an Indian McDonalds no beef is served. And in the US fish is popular on Friday in Lent.  When it comes to the landscape as an effect on evolution in Spain a wall was constructed around religious buildings between the 12th and 16th centuries. That division led to a division in populations of fire salamanders inside and outside the walls. The article mentions how politics also affected evolution in wildlife as in 1958 when the “Chinese Communist Party led a movement to eliminate four species that were considered pests: rats, flies, mosquitoes and sparrows”.  Then the sparrows no longer scavenged  the farmers grains but it damaged the ecosystem since they were no longer around to hunt and eat insect. Highway systems also change the life of wildlife. One wartime example in the article is the Russia-Ukrainian was and how it affected the migration of the greater spotted eagle. In ending the article it mentions that researchers show that as the studies go on it is suggested that as “wildlife evolving in response to human history and cultural practices, there’s plenty more to uncover”. And that “understanding how these human cultural practices shape evolutionary patterns” will help in making adjustment that will allow people to better support both humans and the wildlife leading to better over all health of our ecosystems .

I have found two recipes I am going to try tonight for dinner, creamy Tuscan chicken and tortellini en brodo.

Joy

                                     Schiller Park



Friday, July 4, 2025

 July 3, 2025 a thought for today, With happiness comes intelligence to the heart. Chinese Proverb



One of the uploads for yesterday was “my name”. I have had these letters spelling my name for a long time. Looking closely the age would show in these wooden “sculptures”. 




The next upload was “high angle”. I had to go up to the second level of my
home for this one of my neighbor yard and beyond. 



The last upload for yesterday was “my choice”. This is one of my series of “sepia” images. It is a view of the park near my home. 

Life today. Yesterday Brain was here to mow the lawn and do a couple of smaller chores in the yard that needed attention.  As he finished and move to his next job Andy came again today. He wanted to finish working on the large screen he had made for me. It looked fine to me but he said it needed adjustment and he wanted it to fit better so he fixed it. 

I had a meeting at church last evening and as always good to be with “family”. It was a productive meeting and ended in good time.

I think I have mentioned in earlier letters that Thursday is the “busy” day. It’s here again. As much as it seems to be a strain at my age I think it forces me to stay “mobile”. When I got to the church this morning two other people were arriving at the same time. They were from a group that shares the space with us and were there to mow the lawn early before the heat hits. They opened the building so I didn’t realize until I got to the office that I couldn’t find my keys to the church. So I went back home to see if they had dropped out of my purse. They hadn’t. After some closer searching I found them hidden under the camera I carry in my bag. So back to the church. After that getting the bulletin printed and dispersed was smooth. So I got done before the heat was up too. 

My first photo upload for today is “something old”. I have six vintage items that we have collected over  he years. This one is of a four sided stove top toaster.  

I made a stop at the bank for gas money, then at the gas station to fill the tank. After that dropped off the mail then a stop at Kroger mostly to pick up a prescription. 

I needed some photos for the day so I stopped along the way home for some possible uploads. I needed one to fit the title “waiting”. I was looking for someone at a bus stop. As I observed I realized that all the bus stops close to Wilson Road had been taken down due to the street work that is going on for about four blocks in that area. Then the one or two further on down the street were unoccupied. I decided I would have to use a different idea. I made a quick stop at the park then on home. 

While I was at Kroger a young man stopped me at the door and said remember me?. I finally did. It was a teen who had been a frequent visitor at my church for a long time but hasn’t been around for a while. We talked for a while. He has moved to Hilliard so isn’t in our neighborhood anymore. His name is Daniel also called Nate. 

It was back to the computer for the day with a break to do the laundry

Sue had gone to visit with the twins yesterday and decided to make the trip again today. So she had left the house before I got home. 

This upload is another “my choice” and another of my “sepia” photos. It is different view of the park near my home. 

The word today is discipline. The discipline of desire is the background of character. John Locke.  To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. Buddha.  You can judge the quality of their faith from the way they behave. Discipline is an index to doctrine. Tertullian. Genius at first is little more than a great capacity for receiving discipline. George Eliot.  Discipline is choosing between what you want now, and what you want most . Abraham Lincoln.  No man is free who is not master of himself.  Epictetus.  Do not consider painful what is good for you. Euripides.  The discipline of desire is the background of character. John Locke.  Error is discipline through which we advance. William Ellery Channing. No evil propensity of the human heart is so powerful that it may not be subdued by discipline. Lucius Annaeus Seneca.

The last upload for today is “waiting”. This is the one that I had envisioned a person sitting in one of the
bus stop enclosures. There were none available for todays challenge. I settled for folks waiting in line at the McDonalds drive through. 

Article: Ohio has so many places with history to see  entwined in many of them, as well as nature. This article is titled “This Waterfall Trail In Dublin Feels Like A Hidden Gem In Plain Sight”. The author says this is a place “hiding in plain sight” and say it is a “Waterfall Wonderland, Just Off the Road”. I was interested to read that it is “tucked behind some office buildings and near Dublin’s municipal complex”. She explains the feeling as one like you have stepped into a hidden gorge. Part of the description is a of a 20 foot drop into “a serene stream” that continues along the gorge. She goes on to describe the adventure. The walking trails are wide with scenic overlook platforms along the way. One of the sights is a historic stone bridge that was built in 1903. She mentioned that it is “kid-friendly” but there are drop offs so it is wise to “keep a hand” the little ones. There are picnic areas and along the way it is not unusual to spot wildlife along the way. There are blue herons, kingfishers, turtles, and fish in the creek. She suggests that photographers enjoy the photo possibilities. Ending the article she relates that it is “quiet, gorgeous, easy to access, and absolutely worth your time”.

I think fish sticks and left over spaghetti for dinner.

Joy 

                         corn field (one of my sister’s paintings)



Wednesday, July 2, 2025

 July 1, 2025 a thought for today, If Heaven creates a man, there must be some use for him. Chinese Proverb



One of the uploads for yesterday was “what’s this even for?” My son, Bob, use to “collect” odd objects, at least odd to me but of some interest to him and others I’m, sure they were on the market after all. I found this one in some of his things I had no idea what the red one was for. Once I had the photo on Facebook I got an answer. It is a key to an electric lawn mower.  




The next upload was “my choice”. It is another of my “manhole covers” series.
 




The last upload was “lens flare”. I had to help this one along. There was a tiny bit of “lens flare” on the car but I wanted to make it a little more prominent. So I used a filter to “enlarge it slightly”.

Life today. Yesterday I finally found time to get my hair cut. My hair has always been thick and it grows fast so I need a visit to the hair salon often, but I keep putting it off.  

I am having a nice easy going Tuesday. I have gotten back some updates on the bulletin and have those done. I also finished the other tasks that go with the printing, envelopes and birthday cards. 

Last night I found that I can do one of my regular photo/calendar task on my tablet as well as on my computer. It allows me to do that task while I am “down” for the evening with the computer shut down and I am in my lounge chair. This gives me a little more time on the computer for other things during my computer time. 

The first upload for today is “seashell”. This is one of the seashells we have had for years. One of our times when were young and on a family vacation to Florida we collected this one and others. I use is now for as a resting place for one of my air plants. 

Andy showed up unexpectedly a little while ago to work on a window screen for me. That was a nice surprise. I am lucky to have family looking after me and the things I need help with.

I need to clear out the refrigerator today. When I get done with that and since it is an easy going day I think I will “cook/bake” for a while. I haven’t been doing much of that lately. I am going to make some meat balls and maybe brownies. Then a quick mop on the powder room floor and light some comforting candles. 

We are having some cooler weather now. I think it is a short break from some pretty high temperatures will be back. There is some rain along with it. 

The next upload for today “the best of Canada! Your choice”.  This photography group is based in Canada. I have joined the group on line. I enjoy sharing photos with our Canadian neighbors and seeing images from that part of the world that I would never have the chance to see in real life. I share my photos of our part of the world too which may or may not be unique to their lives. I haven’t visited Canada for about fifty years now. I may have a smattering of photos from that time period in the archives. I chose to show something of our downtown gardens with the buildings in the background. 

The word today is disappear.  Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. John Quincy Adams. Something opens our wings. Something makes boredom and hurt disappear. Someone fills the cup in front of us: We taste only sacredness. Rumi.  Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself. Desiderius Erasmus  Purposes, plans, and achievements of men may all disappear like yon cloud upon the mountain's summit; but, like the mountain itself, the things which are of God shall stand fast for ever and ever. Charles Spurgeon. Anger never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Gautama. When people are educated, the distinction between classes disappears. It is the desire of the good people of the whole country that sectionalism as a factor in our politics should disappear. Rutherford B. Hayes.  All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else Gautama Buddha.  Reject your sense of injury, and the injury itself disappears. Marcus Aurelius. The inevitable end of multiple chiefs is that they fade and disappear for lack of unity. Napoleon Bonaparte.  How very near us stand the two vast gulfs of time, the past and the future, in which all things disappear. Marcus Aurelius.  Translate a book a dozen times from one language to another, and what becomes of its style? Most books would be worn out and disappear in this ordeal. The pen which wrote it is soon destroyed, but the poem survives. Henry David Thoreau.

My last upload for today is “currently loving”. She, Sweet Pea, is currently love me, not the camera however, as I am currently loving her. 

Article: My first interest in this article was the use of words, all words in general, and their separate and unique meanings. When my husband came home on leave from the Navy when we were dating he kept calling what I called (and he once called) pop, soda. At first it sounded strange to me after a life time of pop to soda. The title to the article is “Pop, soda or coke? The fizzy history behind America’s favorite linguistic debate”. As I had learned way back the article mentioned “the word you use generally boils down to where you’re from: Midwesterners enjoy a good pop, while soda is tops in the North and far West”. And I understand from the article that southerners aks for “coke” in stead of pop or soda. The author of the article went on to say that she is interested in the “history behind how a fizzy “health” drink from the early 1800s spawned the modern soft drink’s many names and iterations”. She went on to say there was “the urge to create drinks with medicinal properties inspired what might be called a soda revolution in the 1800s”. Apparently it start with the process of “carbonating water” that was discovered in the late 1700s. Then the “carbonated water” was called “soda water” and considered a “health drink”. I also learned from the article that the word soda came from the sodium that was in the drinks. That was considered that the salts (sodium) had healing properties. It was mentioned that pharmacists sold soda water at soda fountains bu th glass. This all began some time around 1806. In the mid 1800s the soda water was seasoned with herbs, roots, sassafras and marketed as “cures for everything from fatigue to foul moods”. Then there was another word for the drinks, seltzers where carbonated mineral water and is called “fizzy water”. The different names for the drinks have a history. Soda in the northeast probably came from the soda fountain that had come into being and the drinks became popular. The word pop refereed to a sparkling beverage that appeared in the “1840s in the name of a flavored version called “ginger pop.”  There is a theory that “pop” may have come about related to the sound that was made with the cork was pulled from the bottle of the drink. The article came to talking about the name “coke”. The Coca-Cola was served in 1886 in Atlanta. There was an effort in the 1900s to “stamp out” for the term Coca-Cola instead. Other popular items whose names became a generic term, Jell-o, Kleenex and Band-Aids. Eventually the term “soft drink” came to mean only such sweetened carbonated beverages”. The author noted that Americans “guzzle” almost 40 gallons per year. Anyway, even though this was a work in the subject of pop or soda, it can indicate how the use of many English words may develop their names, meanings and uses. The English language has many words that sound the same but have different spelling and meaning. Words and language are fascinating. 

Spaghetti and meat balls for dinner. 

Joy

                            photo a day composites for June 2025







Monday, June 30, 2025

 June 29, 2025 a thought for today, Yellow gold has its price, learning is priceless. Chinese Proverb


 

An upload for yesterday was ”chaotic corner”. This is a little closet area where things end up that aren’t needed right away. 





The next upload was “blueberries”. I decided to make a blueberry cobbler. It
was going to be a pie but I ordered a smaller package of blueberries than I would have needed for that.



The last upload for yesterday was “leading line”. As I was sitting in the parking lot I spotter this “leading line” through the parked cars. 

Life today. Yesterday was a surprise. I got up expecting the normal Saturday of the curb side pickup and then just a slow paced weekend day. After a start on checking emails and news heading I got a start on the letter. I got a message from Tami asking if Sue and I were going to be home. She and Andy were going to come by and help us with a few things that are out of our kind of stamina and strength anymore. So they came. I picked up my groceries and got a donut and iced tea at McDonalds, instead of sandwich as usual, in order to get here before they came. You can’t get fish or hamburger before eleven on Saturday.

This was a week end when my community, Westgate, had the annual yard sales all up and down three or four blocks between Sullivant and Broad Streets. So getting out of the neighborhoods was slow and watchful being careful of cars and people in the streets. 

The first upload for today is “weekend moments”. This is part of how I spend my week end moments. 

Church today was on the quiet side, attendance was low. The message was meaningful. The comfort of “family” is always regenerating. As far as the temperatures we have been experiencing this week, the sanctuary was surprisingly, comfortable with fans and open windows. Speaking of temperature and reminder of last several days we were told that the alter candles had completely melted sometime during the week (not due to being lit). 

The rest of the day will be easy peasy and on the refreshing and rekindling side spiritually. I have some things already added to tomorrow’s todo list and I have some open time this afternoon but I am going to “feel” the day, Sunday.

The next upload today is “my mood in object form”. I think this fan shows either a relief from the heat, or just plain “cool”, as in a “cool” mood. 

The word for today is did.  A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. Lao Tzu.  Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little. Edmund Burke.  Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do. Voltaire.  Nature never did betray the heart that loved her. William Wordsworth.  I could not tread these perilous paths in safety, if I did not keep a saving sense of humor. Horatio Nelson.  When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen. George Washington.  Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow. William Pollard.  It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find its way into my heart. John Wesley.  Neither current events nor history show that the majority rule, or ever did rule. Jefferson Davis.  I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve. Montesquieu.  For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps. Christopher Columbus. Every man casts a shadow; not his body only, but his imperfectly mingled spirit. This is his grief. Let him turn which way he will, it falls opposite to the sun; short at noon, long at eve. Did you never see it ? Henry David Thoreau. Sell a country?! Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the earth? Did not the Great Spirit make them all for the use of his children? Tecumseh.  When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves.' Lao Tzu.  

The last upload for today is “action”. I chose to use street traffic as a sample of action. 

Article: This title brought to mind some memories of my youth. It is part of an area we use to visit on short vacations and camping trips. Here is a little history of the area. The article title is “Step Back In Time On This Charming Ohio Island With Glacial Grooves & Petroglyphs”. It is talking about Kelleys Island “Tucked away in Lake Erie, this small island feels like a step back in time”. Kelleys Island is often called Lake Erie’s Emerald Isle. Back in history, over a thousand years before there were European settlers, it was a sacred site for indigenous people. Being that kind of area there are archaeological finds left by the Native Americans. From there exploring the island will bring to light the history grew from there. “Your adventure” starts with a ferry ride and views along Lake Erie from Marblehead or Sandusky.  You can explore the island three ways, golf cart, bicycle or walking. Here is a list of some of the things you may want to see: the Glacial Grooves State Memorial. This is an area of geological formations caused by grooves in the limestone walls that are records of glacial movements through history. There is a state park on Kelleys Island for explorations and relaxing where you can hike, swim or bird watch. There is a sculpture garden where the sculptures “blend seamlessly with the natural surroundings”. Along with other sights there is the Quarry Rim Trail that is a trail around the limestone quarry with stops that “illustrate the island’s quarrying days”. Then there are the rock petroglyphs. They are “ancient artworks etched into limestone by Native American tribes, providing an incredible connection to the island’s earliest inhabitants”. Once you have made the rounds of all theses sights and a couple of others. For a stay on the island there comfortable accommodations as motels besides the island campground. All in all it is a great place to visit. 

I think it will be left over pizza for dinner.

Joy 

                    relief in the shade



Saturday, June 28, 2025

 June 27, 2025 a thought for today, Soft grass follows the wind. Chinese Proverb



One of the uploads for yesterday was “unread books that deserve better”. I have several old books that could be read again. There were the easiest to get to. 




The next upload is “sandwich”. This is my “morning” stop at McDonalds,
sausage and egg on a biscuit. 



The last upload for yesterday was another of “my choice” and another in my series of “manhole covers”. 

Life today. Yesterday I went to the church earlier than I normally do to get the printing of both the bulletin and the newsletter done before the heat had risen to much. There is no air conditioning in the office. I opened the window and tuned on the small room fan that was there. It was “tolerable”. So I got all of the printing and folding done in about two hours, more than just the bulletin printing time. By the time I had taken the bulletins around and distributed and the newsletter placed on the bulletin board in the lower level the temperature was rising noticeability. I was about done when some of one of the groups came in and turned on the commercial fan in the basement, wow did it ever feel good. I was about finished and would be leaving in fifteen or twenty minutes. The heat is why I decided to call Dorothy about tomorrow and the newsletter so we could both decide on how we wanted to do things. 

Fridays after my “busiest” week of the month is the most “relaxed” day of the week. I had decided that with the heat we are experiencing right now it would not be good for the two of us, since we are “up in years” to spend more than an hour working on putting the finish touches on the newsletter. After I talked to Dorothy I brought all the paraphernalia home to finish it here myself in the air conditioning. That is how I spend a couple of hours this morning finishing it. Then Sweet Pea and I took it to a mail box. 

While I was out I got a couple of my photo “assignments” for the day. Back at home I got back to his letter, I had started it with the research earlier. I plan to stay in the rest of the day. 

I got some light house work done yesterday when I got home from church so that makes things easier today. That way it left most things on my todo list checked off for today.

The first upload for today is “window”. I like to look for “unique” windows. They are not really easy to find. 

The word for today is determined.  Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones. Benjamin Franklin.  I am determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my purpose. David Livingstone.  There is no private life which has not been determined by a wider public life. George Eliot.  If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed. Benjamin Franklin.  Excellence, then, is a state concerned with choice, lying in a mean, relative to us, this being determined by reason and in the way in which the man of practical wisdom would determine it. Aristotle.  If the Union is once severed, the line of separation will grow wider and wider, and the controversies which are now debated and settled in the halls of legislation will then be tried in fields of battle and determined by the sword. Andrew Jackson.  I am most thankful to Almighty Providence for mercies received, and determined still to press the case into public notice as a token of gratitude. William Banting.  There is no such thing as a little country. The greatness of a people is no more determined by their numbers than the greatness of a man is by his height. Victor Hugo.

The next upload is “who put that there?”. This is one of Sweet Pea’s two angry bird toys. She seems to slide them across the floor until they “disappear” under the counters. 

Article: The zoo is always interesting for many reasons. I am concerned about how the animals are able to survive in their conditions in captivity and in this heat. This article explains some of the steps they are taking to keep the animals as comfortable as they can. This article starts with one of the zoo workers dropping a ball in water for a game of rugby, not for humans, for manatees. The “competition on June 26 among Stubby, Sabal, Cobble and Clawford”, the manatee residents at the zoo, went on as they “extended their heads to bite the giant block of ice”. As the participants of this rugby match played they received treats of  “potatoes, avocados, zucchini, sweet potato, cucumbers and watermelon.....ice treat made from (the) produce frozen in a 50-ounce bowl”. These particular treats were made to “cater to animals’ nutritional needs” while adding a cooling affect. Another way that the zoo provides relief in the heat is with shade, ice baths, builds fans and ensures that plenty of water is available. The type of relief that the zoo provides for the animals depends on the “species and their differing needs” in seeking to aid in what ever type of cooling along with “support while imitating their native habitat”. The article mentions that the care that the zookeeper offer the animals leads to personal relationships being formed. The care the animals receive is hopefully related to their living environment that “closely resembles their natural habitat” in the wild. In the manatee example “there are chillers in the pool maintained at about 80 degrees, water misters for the birds, ice treats, an adjustable open roof, and lettuce for hydration”. In the daily operation of the zoo the a caretakers “observe animals to better understand their needs and adjust accordingly”. During the year “we film the habitat for several days, and we can see when the sun moves and how it impacts the shade”. It helps the find the shade points. Polar bear has a pool with a “chiller” that maintains the temperature at “55 to 60 degrees, matching the frigidness of Arctic regions”. Their habitant is air conditioned as well as fitted with mist sprayers and additional shading. The alligators, though they like heat they can cool down in the pool. The seals, they say, are use to “living under hot southern California weather conditions, which prepares them for the hot weather in Ohio”. For animals that need it they “are protected from the heat through options of ice buckets and tons of ice in a dry area for them to lie around”. The zoo also protects their workers by suggesting they check on one another frequently, take brakes, stay hydrated and “make use of available cool spaces”. Certain areas of the zoo are closed in case of possible exposures to the immense heat. 


The last photo for today is "my choice" and another of my "manhole cover" series. This one is kind of scary. 


It’s DoorDash or GrubHub for dinner. 

Joy

                                                  

                                                                  uptown/downtown




Thursday, June 26, 2025

 June 25, 2025 a thought for today, If your books are unread, your descendants will be ignorant. Chinese  Proverb


One of the first uploads for yesterday’s challenge was titled “the weirdest thing in my house”. I don’t know of any real “weird” things in my house so this was a stretch for me to fulfil this assignment. When I saw Sweet Pea in this position I had to make the shot. It’s not “weird” weird, but kind of funny weird. It was like she was daring her angry bird toy to play with her own and most current empty toilet paper roll/toy. 




The second upload yesterday was “sunglasses”. This is my favorite pair. They
fit over and around  to hide prescription glasses as they do their job of cutting down on bright sun glow. 



The last photo for yesterday was another of “my choice”. This is one of my “manhole cover” images. 

Life today. I am beginning to see the end of the week coming. That means that I am done with the bulletin and the newsletter. Now to get through the heat in the office tomorrow while printing. I was feeling pretty good about all I was able to accomplish in just a couple of hours early this morning. 

Brian came to do the lawn early enough that it didn’t run into the time I needed to get ready to go to food pantry. 

The first upload for today is “turquoise”. While I was at food pantry and
before we started I was looking around for something traces. I had three suggestions from some of my friends. One said take a shot of my shoes. This had the most turquoise in them of all the other I shot so here they are. I have asked my friends so many times to share suggestions for my photo assignments that they seem ever ready for me. 

I thought things moved a little slowly at pantry. We had more than I expected by the final count with the temperatures still in the nineties. So our pantry days are over for this month. I get a lot from helping out with this program. I meet people who have interesting thing to tell. Bonding with the other volunteers feels good not to mention that we are helping the community and the church. 

I was able to get the one photo shot I needed while I was at pantry. I took the other one yesterday for today. I found one of my great grandchildren’s art work for the third. So when I got home from pantry I was able to get to Photoshop for the cleaning up, key wording (for later searches), and placing copies of the photos in the calendar portfolio. I had a good start on the letter before I left this morning.

My next upload assignment was tiled “a masterpiece”. Here is another one that I had to search for. I had a couple of old “sketches” my great grand children had made. Then I caught sight of this one sitting on my book case and that I had kept in tact. A clay “sculpture” my great grand daughter had made. As you can see “art” is inherited (smile). 

The word today is destroy.  Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends? Abraham Lincoln.  Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin. Aesop.  The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim. Sun Tzu.  America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. John Quincy Adams.  He who binds to himself a joy Does the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity's sun rise. William Blake.  When God desires to destroy a thing, he entrusts its destruction to the thing itself. Every bad institution of this world ends by suicide. Victor Hugo.  One leak will sink a ship: and one sin will destroy a sinner. John Bunyan.  Put a bridle on thy tongue; set a guard before thy lips, lest the words of thine own mouth destroy thy peace... on much speaking cometh repentance, but in silence is safety. William Drummond.  Liberty and equality are captivating sounds, but they often captivate to destroy. John Tyler.  It is better to destroy one's own errors than those of others. Democritus.  The mountains, the forest, and the sea, render men savage; they develop the fierce, but yet do not destroy the human. Victor Hugo.  Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as a heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors. Abraham Lincoln.  

The last upload for today is yet another of “my choice” and yet another of my “manhole covers”. 

Article: I thought this article may shed some light on how to find places in areas close to us to find comfort, “happiness” and relaxation. The title is “Philly psychology students map out local landmarks and hidden destinations where they feel happiest”. The article says there is a “Happiness Lab at Drexel University” that offers a course in “happiness”.  It goes on to explain that it is a “think tank” that looks for “ingredients” that lead to people being happier. The professor of the course first mentions that we should spend more time outside. The article relates that research on the happiest countries in the word and for those who “live longest” are known as Blue Zones. It explains that people feel “part of something larger than themselves, such as a community or a city”. A Swiss psychoanalyst studied the relationship between “our internal world and our external environment”. There have been more recent studies along the same lines which “revealed a vast, intricate and complex neurological architecture underlying our psychological perception of a place”. Happy places feel safe. One of the 20 safest places in he world is Croatia, the US is number 128th. Along with the “outside” being a good place to start the article mentions that the”availability of good food and drink can also be a significant factor in creating a happy place.” Another factor is a sense of belonging. In this professor’s class he had the students make a map of their “happy” places. They chose parks that were easily accessible and offered pleasing sights as their surroundings. Many of the parks picked for their “happy maps” offered places to rest, or work quietly or read a book. Another place that many of the students picked was the local zoo. Another place that the article said the students picked was the museum of art. One student said a visit the library was like “coming home”. A roof top garden was another of the many suggestions, yet another was a pet park.  Still more was a stop at a bakery and cafĂ©. Each of these places suggests places to “pause, reset, relax and feel more connected and in touch”. 

I am going to scrounge in the freezer to see what I have saved for a dinner. 

Joy

                                      peace



Tuesday, June 24, 2025

 June 23, 2025 a thought for today, If you continually give you will continually have. Chinese Proverb



One of the uploads for yesterday was “pink or purple”. This is one of my favorite spring/summer blouses. I think there is a bit of each, pink and purple, in it.





The next upload was “j is for....”. I used J is for jello. So I made the banana cream pie as a pardner with the jello for this image. 




The last image upload for yesterday was “too many mugs”.  Well, this is my collection. I have an Ohio State “mug”, a mug from the Columbus Police Department, a mug from the US Navy (a lot of coffee went through this one) and one from the US Marine Corp. (not "too many" of this kind).

Life today. What a day. This is one of those days that time as seemed to run away with me. There had been a problem with me getting information for the bulletin but it showed up last night in my email. I was able to get the complete bulletin done and sent out for proof reading. I also was able to put some time in on the newsletter. If all goes as I hope I should be able to finish it tomorrow. It turns out Sweet Pea is out of her homemade menu meals for the week so I had to put time in on that working on that project too. 

I  was perplexed with some of the photo work that was on my agenda for today so I had to deep search my archives for one of them. Then there was the other two. I had to spend some time with setting up for those. 

The first challenge upload for today is “upside down”. I think it is the only thing upside down in the house right now, at least the most visible. 

To add to the list this is the day my hydroponic garden needs water exchanges and all other gardens need watered too (table top and “senior” window boxes).

I’m glad I didn’t need to go out today the temperature is in the nineties with a heat index of over 100. I do have food pantry this week but I have a car with air conditioning. Some of the folks who come to pantry walk to get to us. I hope they will be careful and safe. 

I missed a call last night that I was counting on. I guess I am too set in my ways and count too much on arbitrary expectations. I think I am too old to change.

The next upload today is “my choice”. This one is the first in my series of “manhole covers”. This one was taken a while back and at a time I could stop in the middle of the street to make the shot. 

The word today is deserve. They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin.  There are three things in the world that deserve no mercy, hypocrisy, fraud, and tyranny. Frederick William Robertson.  In doing what we ought we deserve no praise, because it is our duty. Saint Augustine.  Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it. Abraham Lincoln.  There is nothing which can better deserve your patronage, than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness. George Washington.  Men lose all the material things they leave behind them in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these, they will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve. Francis of Assisi. May it please Christ our Lord to grant us true humility and abnegation of will and judgment, so that we may deserve to begin to be His disciples. Saint Ignatius.  A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve. Joseph Joubert.  Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. Martin Luther. Virtue comes by nature, learning, and practice, and thanks to virtue, all of the aforesaid may deserve approval. Apollonius of Tyana.  Words, which are the dress of thoughts, deserve surely more care than clothes, which are only the dress of the person. Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield.  To be perfectly happy it does not suffice to possess happiness, it is necessary to have deserved it. Victor Hugo. 

The last upload today is “a fridge magnet”. I don’t have any cute or fancy magnets itself but three plain ones that hold up cute and information. 

Article: I liked this article about an old engine house in Columbus. First of all my uncle was stationed there, Engine House #6, before it closed. Then he moved to 12 engine house. At the same time my father was stationed at 10 engine house, further west on Broad West Street. My husband was stationed at 17 engine house, still further west on West Broad Street. As you can see I am from a fire department family. Then there is my interest in historical architecture and their uniqueness and majesty in Columbus especially when they are in use and not torn down. Engine house no. 6 is located on West Broad Street in the Franklinton area of Columbus and is called the “East Franklinton Engine House”. The Romanesque Revival building has graced our city since 1892, what stories it could tell. The equipment and men made their last run from there in 1966. Later from 1975 to 2014 it was an electronics store. In 2016 it finally became a member of “National Register of Historic Places”. . Station #6 is only one of seven of its time still left in Columbus. It looks like an “old Roman building”, hence the Romanesque Revival. It is constructed of brick and limestone. Its neighbors use to be mostly people’s homes. In the 1950s the area became mostly businesses and factories.  Though the structure still looks like it had from the beginning, windows and doors have been “filled in”. The front doorways were constructed to accommodate the horse-drawn fire equipment used in the 1800s. According to the article the building is still in good shape even though windows and doors are boarded up. The 60 foot tall hose tower where hoses were kept in good shape is still in place. Of course when new there were stables for the horses and a loft to store their food. This firehouse experienced the “Great Flood of 1913" where the rising water reached the second story windows. It also experienced an earlier flood, 1897, where the water only filled the basement. In 1967 it was sold to a man who wanted to make it a Christian film office and museum but changed his mind and made it an electronics store. In 2014 the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) bought the building and had new homes built next to it. In 2016 a place called Heritage Ohio wanted to buy it and make it a shop or restaurant but changed their mind. Now the Ohio History Center is trying to make arrangements to take over the renewal. 

Maybe chili for dinner tonight or taco salad. 

Joy

                            heaven made.....manmade