November 28, 2025 a thought for today, It is difficult to get many heads under one hat. Danish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

This upload challenge was titled “thankful.” This was a table setting for this holiday. 

Next is “a pop of color.” This was wandering through my digital archives looking for an image for this challenge and found this one that I shot a few years ago. 

The last image upload for yesterday is “my choice” and is on of my series of “mirror images. 

Life today. I made my mom’s recipe of Waldorf Salad to take to Mt. Sterling for the holiday. I also made some Welsh Rarebit for an appetizer. It was good to see some family and friends and have a meal full of all kinds of foods to sample. Along with something that was called Drew’s Banana Pudding for dessert. It tasted much like, again, my mom’s banana cream pie. So it was a bit of remembering for me, not only with the foods but for my son, Bob. He was on my mind so when I picked on of the photos for today is was one of him.

An interesting happening was Jessie had a little house kind of thing for cats that their furry family member had out grown. She offered it for Bobbi. When I got it home and put it down for her to examine she walked around it slowly, poked her head in,  even climbed in. Then she would come out look around as though looking for another cat in the house. After that she wouldn’t eat her dinner and kept looking in different places in the house for another furry friend. I put the bed behind the basement door until I can get it washed. 

I didn’t get yesterday’s blog and photos uploaded yesterday so I did that the first thing this morning. 

Today has been one of the kind I enjoy, moving through the day with a relaxed feel. I have gotten several little household chores out of the way along with some searches on subjects that popped into my head as I wrote and came onto things that interested me and to fact check. 

As is habit now, I have worked on the letters and photos before I started the laundry. I didn’t get it done yesterday.  

The word today is night.  The dawn is not distant, nor is the night starless; love is eternal. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  If Confucius wasn't born, the long night would have no bright lamp. Mencius.  To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. William Shakespeare.  How lovely are the portals of the night, when stars come out to watch the daylight die. Thomas Cole.  I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day. Vincent Van Gogh.  Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. Victor Hugo.  Night is certainly more novel and less profane than day. Henry David Thoreau. Last night I begged the Wise One to tell me the secret of the world. Gently, gently, he whispered, "Be quiet, the secret cannot be spoken, It is wrapped in silence." Rumi.  The darkest night that ever fell upon the earth never hid the light, never put out the stars. It only made the stars more keenly, kindly glancing, as if in protest against the darkness. George Eliot. Each morning sees some task begun, each evening sees it close; Something attempted, something done, has earned a night's repose. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  For nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress. Charles Dickens.

Article summary: How the Plymouth Pilgrims took over Thanksgiving – and who history left behind. Thomas Tweed, Professor Emeritus of American Studies and History, University of Notre Dame. At theconversation.com. I am sharing it a couple of days late for this year’s celebration. It’s always good to learn about history and traditions. I think I bit off more than I can chew with this one. It is much longer than I needed and from my point of view a bit complicated. It is talking about how many Thanksgiving types of days have occurred in history. It mentions how some became controversial to the point of causing problems among groups of people. The one most well known and celebrated of course is called Thanksgiving Day and is shown at celebrated in 1621 with the Wampanoag Native Americans and the English Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts and was eventually made an official holiday by. I also learned in research further that many Native Americans do not see it as the celebrated event in 1621. To some of them it is a reminder of loss of land and violence eventually experienced due to “colonization.” In the article it states how this original celebration is tied to religious history and ties to “narrowed conceptions “ of “who belongs in America.” The author mentions that in that line of thought it is excluding some groups of people, as other groups of “Native Americans, Catholics and Jews.” One group of people called  Cahokians had thanksgiving feasts “five centuries” before the famous Pilgrims feast.  The article went on to mention that the pilgrims who arrived in America were Puritans who “denounced” the Catholic portion of the Church of England. As for other days of thanksgiving, during the American Revolution there was a “Day of Thanksgiving” to “commemorate” a victory at Saratoga in 1777. In 1863 a lady named Sarah Hale made an effort to “pitch” an idea to Abraham Lincoln to make a national Thanksgiving holiday. It is my understanding from the article that the “harvest feast of 1621" became the one most depicted as The Thanksgiving Day celebrated today. The author indicates that some of the art work depicting the celebration as seen today was not always correct in the artful presentations. The Pilgrims were added to some of the art work later than in the earliest pieces. Then the author says that the Pilgrims were not the first Europeans to land in North American and give thanks. Moving on in the article, it is mentioned that Saanich Catholics founded St. Augustin in 1565 where a Mass was held with some Native Americans in attendance. Twenty years later an English group made an effort to form a colony in North Carolina where a Jewish man was an engineer. As the years went by there were disagreements over the “official” Thanksgiving holiday. One major happening was in 1924 when the US borders were closed for four decades by the Immigration Act of 1924. As the article was coming to an end it mentioned that “Americans kept telling the Pilgrims’ story after U.S. immigration policy became more welcoming in 1965".

It’s  another DoorDash night. I haven’t decided yet what I am in the mood for.

Photos in my life today

My first upload is “a colorful food or drink.” I found these in the frig and cupboard. They are the most colorful food I have on hand. 

The next image challenge was titled “family.” The images I got yesterday weren’t up what I wanted to upload. I found this one in my wander through the archives. It is my Bob whom I missed at the table. He is and has always been my angel unaware, in spirit now.

The last upload is “my choice,” another of my series of “mirror
image.” 

Joy

bonus....not my Bobbi but still a family fur baby

 November 26, 2025 a thought for today, A royal heart is often hid under a tattered cloak. Danish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

This upload is “busy.” These workmen seem to be just that...busy. It shows in their postures and a little dirt her and there on their clothing. 

Next is “I see this color a lot.” And in this season we do see these colors often especially the orange. 

The last on is “my choice” and one from my series of “mirror image.” We see a lot of these warning cones for some reason recently.

Life today. Food pantry was on the slow side today. In a way that was good, we are in the process of updating our computer stations. Today we were putting that last finishing touches on getting the newest laptop set to our needs. It took a little while but after a while it was running smoothly. 

I am going into the church before pantry today to get the bulletin printed and distributed. It is an adjustment since tomorrow, my normal printing day, is Thanksgiving. I will be making a couple of dishes to add to the meal. I hope to have church timed so that I will be ready to start with pantry setup before we open.

......

I took about a four-hour break from this letter to print the bulletin and work at food pantry. Pantry was very slow. It was among some of the slowest we have ever had. I was surprised this being Thanksgiving week with food one of the biggest parts of his holiday. Both of the computers came up great today. 

The weather people are saying we are going to have an extremely cold day. I guess it’s winter making an early appearance. 

I got two photos I need taken at pantry today so now there is just the tagging, filing and uploading. One of them took more work than the others I worked on it before I left. I used one from the archives to create a mirror image. 

 The word today is need. The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself. Lao Tzu.  If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. Marcus Tullius Cicero.  If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. Sun Tzu.  Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it. Rumi.  Wise men don't need advice. Fools won't take it. Benjamin Franklin.  'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' - that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. John Keats.  I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better. Plutarch.  He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven. Thomas Fuller.  Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others. Saint Augustine.  We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man's estate, is the gift of education. Jean-Jacques Rousseau.  Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Francis Bacon.  Man should not consider his material possession his own, but as common to all, so as to share them without hesitation when others are in need. Thomas Aquinas.  Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. Marcus Aurelius.  Prayer is an act of love; words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love. Saint Teresa of Avila.  

Article summary. It seems there are endless stories about how animals help humans and in so many varied ways. Here is another story on how one animal relates to the human animal. The title is: Golden retriever and human behaviour may be linked by the same genes – new research. 

Daniel Mills. Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine, University of Lincoln.  At theconversation.com. The article opens by mentioning that since animals have “shared” homes with humans for more than 15,000 years. Note: I researched that number of years in Google for adding to this article. The article further noted that it could be there is no “human society” without animals included.”  The author went into more detail by mentioning a study he and some colleaues did that shows that “humans seem to share a genetic basis for at least some behaviour” with dogs. Over time dogs have learned to live peacefully with humans. Some of the learning has led to communications’ they both, human and dogs, understand including the emotional kind. I found in the article that there has even been studies related to an “autism-like syndrome” in dogs. In this author’s studies of Golden Retrievers they found that ranges of intelligence and health related incidents found in genes related to those in humans. There were several scientific points in the article that I am unfamiliar with. I think the whole idea of the story is to indicate and show, with the scientific points, that the Golden Retriever and humans share many points of life and living. Further in the article it was suggested that there genes in humans were connected in the training of dogs. Dogs don’t feel and show reaction to  “unpleasant experiences” as humans but show their sensitivity in different ways. In ending the article along with the basic I have summarized here and the science formulas mentioned in the original article, dogs are “natural models of mental health issues.”

I still haven’t had the spaghetti that I had planned for the other day, maybe today for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

My first upload was “vegetable.” I was working at our food pantry and this was one of the kinds of produce we had for the people today.

The next upload is another of the “my choice” and another from my series of “mirror image.” I like the arrangement of these leaves in the original image on the left half of the image as well as combined with the first design.  

My last upload on this letter is “polka dots.” This was a design on one of my friends’ sweat shirt. 

Joy

bonus photo I don’t know the purpose of the utility but the shapes, patterns and textures are pleasing to the eye

 November 24, 2025 a thought for today, One hand must wash the other, or both will be dirty. Danish Proverb

Photos of life yesterday

This first image for upload was “two colors I like together”. Some one who was visiting left a scarf and jacket in the dining room chair. I took the initiative to capture the image for the color and the pattern. All I need is a touch of white.  

Next is a challenge called “tattoo.” This is my granddaughter’s tattoo
that is a tribute to a puppy she rescued and nursed with a doll sized baby bottles through many nights. The “puppy” lived to be over 15 years old. 

The last challenge is “glass or something made of glass.” This is a simple glass of water and ice cubes that fits the challenged assignment. 

Life today. Mondays are generally one of my  “slow(er)” days. I can pretty much get my things on the to-do list checked off at a comfortable pace. And so it has been on this Monday. I have the bulletin done and out for proofing. I have the letter for today started. I took some time on one of my computer breaks to do a couple of dishes and tend to kitty things which include a quick hug once in a while. 

I worked on the photos for a while. I have them ready for uploads. One is a photo I shot two days ago. I wanted to use it for a new process I am trying called mirror imaging. I think I will like generating this type of image. One thing that has to be considered is to use a photo that will work in an artful way. The other two images had to be set up. The set ups took a little thought and time. Photography makes one think and observe. Belonging to four clubs that give daily ideas to look for helps a lot. It has added to my cognitive exercises tremendously not to mention the comfort and release I find.

I am setting a little time aside each day to finish the Christmas calendars. They are all printed. Now I am working on the binding and center hole punch. As I was working on that today, I realized I had to clear the paper made from the punched outs on the tray that catches them. It was overflowing. That ended in another task. I have confetti-like paper all over the carpet in front of the desk chair. I am going to have to get the shop vac out in a while. 

Today is also the biweekly date on the schedule for tending to the hydroponic garden plants again. 

I want to get an upload of the Sunday school lesson put together and upload to Instagram/ Facebook. I may have to do that one tomorrow before I get ready to go to food pantry. 

I am trying to see when to schedule printing the bulletin since I will be making Waldorf Salad and Welsh Rarebit on Thursday morning when I would normally print. 

The word today is necessary.  Make yourself necessary to somebody. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures. Thomas Aquinas.  Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. Francis of Assisi.  To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. Thomas Aquinas.  A man who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary. Lucius Annaeus Seneca.  It is necessary to bear in mind that Scripture only teaches the chief points of those true principles which lead to the true perfection of man, and only demands in general terms faith in them. Maimonides.  Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best stage, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one. Thomas Paine.  It has been lately urged in a very respectable quarter that it is the mission of this country to spread civil and religious liberty all over the globe, and especially over this continent - even by force, if necessary. It is a sad delusion. John C. Calhoun.  Not to unlearn what you have learned is the most necessary kind of learning. Antisthenes. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows. Sitting Bull.  To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary. Abraham Lincoln.  Wherever there is a settled society, religion is necessary; the laws cover manifest crimes, and religion covers secret crimes. Voltaire.  Learning is acquired by reading books, but the much more necessary learning, the knowledge of the world, is only to be acquired by reading men, and studying all the various facets of them. Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield.  

Article summary:  I find it interesting when history is found after years being undiscovered. Finding such history in our state is another note in our adventure to wisdom.  The title is “What’s the Cincinnati Tablet? The Story of Ohio’s Most Intriguing Prehistoric Find.”  By Chelsea Wiley . www.columbusnavigator.com/cincinnati-tablet-adena. This story is about a find in Cincinnati, Ohio that has been hidden there for more than 2,0000 years. That mystery item is a five-inch sandstone slab since named the Cincinnati Tablet. It was discovered in 1841 when some modern construction was happening. The ground that was being dug turned out to be a burial site of the Adena Native American families. While workers were digging they found many “ancient goodies” as well as the tablets. Items like copper ornaments, as pendants and tools made of materials available all those years ago. Apparently it was a rare find, a “first-of-its-kind”. The tablet was mentioned in scientific publications even in a Smithsonian’s publication. According to the article is was “featured” in London at an exhibit about Native American art. The burial site of the discovery was a series of mounds and “ceremonial earthworks”. These kinds of mounds are “engineering marvels” where people were buried along with some of their “artifacts”. There are several of these kinds of mounds in Ohio. They are memorials of the many American Indian families in this area of the country, reminders of how these cultures “flourished” here way before others arrived. The tablets have designs of “patterns or stylized animals” which tell us of art of the time as well as “symbolic tradition”. Some of the other artifacts are a mystery as to their purposes. Some of the “traces” of color “hint” of “rituals or ceremonies”. 

Maybe some easy and quick spaghetti for dinner. 

Photos of my life today

The first upload is “warm colors”. This one of the four crochet afghan I made. One for each season of colors that fit the feel of the weather for the season. This was for summer and hopefully shows the warmth. 

Next is an upload called “in a row” . These are some of the tangerines I ordered at the store this week. I also shot some a carton of a dozen eggs in two rows but decided to use this one with more color. 

The last upload for now is “my choice”. I have started a series of “mirror image”. This one is in a neighbor’s yards. The half of the image on the left of the photos is the original, the other side the mirror image. 

Joy

a bonus image for today is one from my archives. It was taken on a lunch break in downtown Columbus 

 November 22, 2025 a thought for the day, It is a bad hand that refuses to guard the head. Danish Proverb

Life in photos yesterday

The first challenge upload is “my choice”. It is one of my “minimalist” series. It is taken at my church as are the others for yesterday. One of the shelves in the library. 

Next is “rainbow colors”. This is one of the stained glass windows. I have used a motion blur filer to the  image to put the colors in the spot light. 

The last upload for yesterday was “arches”. Again it is taken at my church as I was going through the unlit sanctuary. 

Life today. This is another of those good days. I started out with the “standard” internet visits that I make with little to no hesitation every day. Then I started this letter. I was also doing some research on a couple of things for my sister. By then it was time to get ready for my Saturday curbside grocery pick up. I got home from there with time to get the groceries in the house and have a McDonalds fish sandwich before it was time to get my hair cut. I had been concerned about getting a place to park. As it turned out I didn’t need to be worried. There was a space right in front of the salon.  I found out there is a new employee there who does nails also pedicures and manicures. I may have to keep that one in mind 

I had left most of the groceries on the counter before I left for the hair salon. I put them up as soon as I got home. One of the photos I needed of some of them before I put them away. Some of the groceries are for the Waldorf salad that I will be making for Thanksgiving. I think I will also make some a double batch of Welsh Rarebit. 

I got one of the photos I need while I was picking up groceries. The other two were right here at home. I also picked up more photos while I was out for the archives for future use. 

The sun is bright today. The air is better than the last few days yet still with just a bit of a chill. So far the temperature hasn’t been as unpleasant as I’m sure it will get in the next month or so. 

It’s time now for onward and upward. Time for getting the photos keyworded, filed, put in the portfolio and uploaded to the challenge sites.

The word today is more.  There is more pleasure in loving than in being beloved. Thomas Fuller.  After all is said and done, more is said than done. Aesop.  Knowledge is proud that it knows so much; wisdom is humble that it knows no more. William Cowper.  Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig. I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen. Epictetus.  Nothing is more wretched than the mind of a man conscious of guilt. Plautus.  It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses we must plant more trees. George Eliot.  Give fools their gold, and knaves their power; let fortune's bubbles rise and fall; who sows a field, or trains a flower, or plants a tree, is more than all. John Greenleaf Whittier.  Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes. Voltaire.  Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by reason. Samuel Adams.  All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire. Aristotle.  Patience and time do more than strength or passion. Jean de La Fontaine.  There is a fellowship more quiet even than solitude, and which, rightly understood, is solitude made perfect. Robert Louis Stevenson.  For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity. William Penn.  While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. Francis of Assisi.  God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners. Soren Kierkegaard.  There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds. Alfred Lord Tennyson.  There are good and bad times, but our mood changes more often than our fortune. Thomas Carlyle. Do your duty in all things, like the old Puritan. You cannot do more; you should never wish to do less. Robert E. Lee.  Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion. Francis Bacon.  He who commits injustice is ever made more wretched than he who suffers it. Plato.  

Article: theconversation.com: Beyond beasts of burden: How to reward our animals for their work. Kendra Coulter. Associate Professor in Labour Studies and Chancellor's Chair for Research Excellence; Member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, Brock University. I am an animal lover. I like to share articles that I come across about them with you. The article mentions how animals do so much for us and are many times a service to our lives. The story opens with mentioning a peacock who is an emotional support animal and was refused to be allowed on a flight. That sparked discussion on the how animals now days can be certified and regulated to serve people with disabilities of all sorts. This idea was expanded to conversation of how animals are used for “work” in many other areas of our lives. The use of animals in many physical areas of work is no longer as important as it use to be due to modernization in production of mechanical ways to get thing done. Animals help in law enforcement as well as in the area of the disability aspect. There are two classes of animals that help people with disabilities. There is the service animal who lives with the person full time.  They alert them of harmful situations as well as help physically in situations as they arise. Then there is the therapy animal who works “part time”. They visit hospitals and any are where they can act as a means of therapy on the same level as a treatment or medications. I like the way the article mentions that the type of animal as in dog, horse, bird or some that many not be thought of as “helpful” can offer their natural abilities to the support human emotions as well as physical aspects of every day life. Animals can learn to “control or suppress their feelings” allowing them to serve in ways to improve the humans well being. The animals would be used appropriately according to their size and natural capabilities. In using the animals for their ability to support our needs we must consider their needs and comforts also. It is wise to keep in mind that not all animals are suited to being able to support human needs. The article mentions that we should keep in mind the “potential” purpose and mutual dependence of the animals considered for specific services and “work”. Another thing the article brought to mind was that the animal cruelty laws should be enforced and addressed in any political areas that concern the welfare of all animals including those we use for our needs and comforts. 

I think chili and hash browns sounds good for dinner.

Life in photos today

The first upload for today is “large object”. I felt that  a firemen’s ladder truck fits the requirements for a “large object”.

The next upload is “food”. This is one of the bags from my grocery pick up today. 

The last upload is “a color I love in my home”. This is one of the “elegant”
chairs I have in the living room. I like that tone of brown and the glisten of the leather.

 

Joy

a bonus photo from my garden with a painterly filter added 

 November 20, 2025 a thought for today, Old friends and old ways ought not to be disdained. Danish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

The first challenge upload was “my choice” one from my series of “minimalist. These we peonies from my garden.  

The second upload was “colorful pattern”. This is the pattern on my sister’s easy
chair and foot stool. 

The last upload for today is “balloons”. The only images I had on hand in that I didn’t have any kind of balloons on had today was this on of the hot air balloon I took a few years ago at a show in Grove City. 

Life today. Yesterday I had my first doctor’s appointment with my new doctor, the last one moved on to an office closer to her home, but further from mine. So I stayed at the office I have been for several years. The new doctor is nice. I am eager to get to know her a little better. She suggested I get my flu shot so I did, not COVID, regular flu. She also wanted me to have a blood draw to track how things are going with those figures. She let me know I have “chronic Kidney disease”, probably due to high blood pressure and diabetes, which are both currently under control. There were some problems with the blood draw, the nurse had to draw from two needle inserts. I had some dozy black and blue marks. Most times they get the job done with no problems. When I left there I was ready to head to food pantry. It was another mixed day. Some problems with the computer and a notation that there were some I had made errors on the day before.

I like “productive” days and this has been one of those (so far). The “standard” Thursday printing went without incident, oh, with a couple of minor paper jams. I got the bulletin done using the pdf copy on the flash drive and the copier. I tried doing the same with the newsletter but it looks like I need a little practice with the set up on that one. As the bulletin was printing I started the boot up on the computer knowing it would take a while. I wanted it to be ready to do the newsletter in case I changed my mind printing it from the flash drive and copier, as it tuned out I did. While I was there there were a couple of phone calls to answer.  Dorothy and I will finish the newsletters tomorrow.

As usual on my way home I looked for some of the photos I need today. I shot several and “refined” my collection with some I set up at home.

I took care of the kitty needs, cleared the frig, loaded the dish washer, paid the bills, started the laundry and started binding the next of twenty five calendars I have made for Christmas. I wanted to give one to my doctor since I won’t see her until next May (I gave it to her yesterday). Then there is one for my hair dresser that I will see on Saturday. I also got the photos cataloged and put in the online portfolio page. They are ready for upload now. 

When Natalie came to give Bobbi her pedicure she brought a Christmas stocking from Gideon. We have found three tiny balls that she seems to like chasing around the house. Oh, and she found a small rubber ball in Sue room. She rolled it all the way down the steps and chases it around trading off with the others. Natalie also brought a kitten treat that comes in a tube like container. Wow, does Bobbi like that one. I will find some at the store for her. She has used up the ones Nat brought. 

It’s time to bring the cloths up for folding, then start the dish washer. Maybe then I can take a breather. 

The word today is misery.  Ignorance is the primary source of all misery and vice. Victor Cousin.  Resolve to be thyself: and know that he who finds himself, loses his misery. Matthew Arnold,  The prosperous can not easily form a right idea of misery. Quintilian.  More company increases happiness, but does not lighten or diminish misery. Thomas Traherne.  Happiness, or misery, is in the mind. It is the mind that lives. William Cobbett.  It would be stupid tameness, and unaccountable folly, for whole nations to suffer one unreasonable, ambitious and cruel man, to wanton and riot in their misery. Jonathan Mayhew.  Pain and sorrow and misery have a right to our assistance: compassion puts us in mind of the debt, and that we owe it to ourselves as well as to the distressed. Joseph Butler.  Trifles make up the happiness or the misery of human life. Alexander Smith.  Doing nothing is happiness for children and misery for old men. Victor Hugo.  Misery is the company of lawsuits. Francois Rabelais.  Misery is a match that never goes out. Thomas Huxley.  As a child is indulged or checked in its early follies, a ground is generally laid for the happiness or misery of the future man. Samuel Richardson.  Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day. Gifford Pinchot.  The final causes, then, of compassion are to prevent and to relieve misery. Joseph Butler.  Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief. Marcus Tullius Cicero. Fire tries gold, misery tries brave men. Seneca the Younger.  

Article: It’s interesting to keep in touch with weather related happenings.  It helps us plan activities or prepare for predicted atmospheric occurrences for both beauty and awe but for health and safety reasons too. As well as developing possible major changes in our lives. The title is “Reduced air pollution is making clouds reflect less sunlight”. It began by telling how clouds not only “provide” rain they also reflect the sunlight “before it reaches the Earth’s surface”. The author and some colleagues did some research. In it they showed that in the efforts to improve air quality it has allowed “more sunlight to reach the ocean surface and causing sea surface temperatures to rise”. It goes on to mention that in this effort it has decreased “particulate pollution” that “has also reduced the cooling effect of clouds, accelerating climate warming”. In this action over decades clouds “reflectivity” has fallen by almost three percent per decade causing the findings to show that “sea surface temperatures rose about 0.4 C, intensifying marine heatwaves that have damaged ecosystems and fisheries”. They expected some of this to happen but there were other changes that occurred also. One of them “turned out to be aerosols”. These “aerosols” in reality “act as seeds for cloud droplets” which “reflect less sunlight and are more likely to rain out quickly, producing shorter-lived, darker clouds. This process weakens the cooling influence that low clouds have over marine areas”.  I did additional research and found that the aerosol product entering the question is  an  “anthropogenic aerosols (pollution particles) due to air quality regulations”. So the studies showed that “cleaner air benefits human health while also revealing the full force of greenhouse-gas warming”. As I read further in the article I found that “the main source of sulfate aerosols” has “fallen off”. Further reading showed that the “declining aerosols accounted for 69 per cent of the cloud reflectivity loss, while warming explained 31 per cent”. It went on to say that as the aerosol emissions keep falling this will “contribute to faster rates of warming for decades”. In summarizing the findings the author wrote that monitoring of the mentioned processes will reveal a “link between cleaner air, dimmer clouds and regional warming, and will continue to be essential for understanding future warming”. So in ending it is mentioned that the “only lasting way to cool the planet” is to “address” the cleaner air quality and “accelerating the reduction of greenhouse gases”. 

I didn’t have the Welsh rarebit I wanted the other day so I will make it tonight for dinner. 

Photos in my life today

The first one for today is “neon and bright”. As I was out and about and looking for neon lights I caught sight of this one just as I passed the entrance to this neighborhood restaurant.

Next challenge is one called “tic, tak, toe”. Out instruction was to make an image where the description for the photo would have one of those words in it.

The third upload for today is “my choice” and one more from my series of
“minimalist”. As I was getting out of the car I noticed this lonely little leaf that must have escaped its peers in the pile just yonder on my driveway. I reached in my pocket for my handy dandy Samsung phone camera. 

The last upload is “knife”. I decided to use a box cutter (utility) knife for this image. I decided to use a little back up to its name and use the bottom of a box as its background. 

Joy

my bonus photo today was a taken in my garden several years ago then I used an oil painting filter 

 November 18, 2025 a thought for today, Gifts make friendship lasting. Danish Proverb

Photos in my life yesterday

  

The first upload was “a color I wear a lot”. I guess it is blue. I like most colors each for its particular feeling. Blue does seem to e the one I ware most though. 

The next upload was “church”. I have a lot of these kinds of photos in my archives. I love most of the  architecture in churches. 

The last upload was “my choice” and is one of my series of “minimalist”. This leave seemed to be caught in the crack in the cement. 

Life today. Yesterday my granddaughter stopped by to give Bobbi a pedicure, and show me how to do it properly. She even left me the tool I will need to do it. She is very use to these kinds of things and more with all kinds of animals, she is a vet tech with several years experience. She also left several treats for Bobbi some that Bobbi can’t seem to get enough of. We also had time for a nice chat, just the two of us. That felt really good. 

The weather has changed a little now. There is no bright sun as there was yesterday. It is rainy and yucky. It’s one of the many changes we see some with pleasant hidden  surprises. There are so many of those hidden surprises in rainy days some might be stomping in a puddle as a kid. 

Today was a food pantry day. I laid in bed before putting my feet on the floor wondering how I was going to get the bulletin finished, the newsletter finished, the envelops printed, activity sheets printed for my favorite six great grandchildren and all of them done before I got ready to leave for pantry. I DID IT!! I got it all out for proof readings....hopefully there won’t be many changes or corrections. The reason I was pushing is that I have a doctor’s appointment, well check, with a new doctor before I have to be at food pantry again tomorrow. I won’t have any time to do it all tomorrow. Now, for the moment anyway, I am a happy camper.

Now that the pressure is in the rear view I can let up on the stress a little. 

Pantry was very busy today and one of the computers was on the fritz . That slows things down a bit but Gail and I were able to keep up anyway. Maybe tomorrow will be a little quieter. 

The word today is misfortune.  The misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool. Epicurus.  The difference between a misfortune and a calamity is this: If Gladstone fell into the Thames, it would be a misfortune. But if someone dragged him out again, that would be a calamity. Benjamin Disraeli.  Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm. Robert Louis Stevenson.  Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them. Washington Irving.  Here is the rule to remember in the future.  It is the task of a good man to help those in misfortune. Sophocles. It is frequently a misfortune to have very brilliant men in charge of affairs. They expect too much of ordinary men. Thucydides.  Misfortune shows those who are not really friends. Aristotle.  Ignorance of all things is an evil neither terrible nor excessive, nor yet the greatest of all; but great cleverness and much learning, if they be accompanied by a bad training, are a much greater misfortune. Plato.  Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. Charles Dickens.  A cloudy day or a little sunshine have as great an influence on many constitutions as the most recent blessings or misfortunes. Joseph Addison.  Indeed, wretched the man whose fame makes his misfortunes famous. Publius Attius Varus.  It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence. Voltaire.  For a tear is quickly dried, especially when shed for the misfortunes of others. Marcus Tullius Cicero.  No-one is exempt from speaking nonsense – the only misfortune is to do it solemnly. Michel de Montaigne.  Misfortune does not help us to believe. Alexandre Dumas.  Ah, lives of men! When prosperous they glitter - Like a fair picture; when misfortune comes - A wet sponge at one blow has blurred the painting. Aeschylus.  

Article: This subject looked interesting at least in the thinking of how “evolution” took place. There is something to be learned in all types of communications. This was a question asked by a child and researched and answered by a professor of anthropology. The title is “If evolution is real, then why isn’t it happening now?” The article starts out by saying that as life progresses evolution occurs and it happens to “help us survive”. It further relates that adaption is a part of this process. The article continues to talk about the culture and environment changes as it relates to evolution. As an example it mentioned as ancient humans moved to cloudy and cooler places skin color became a factor due to the production of vitamin D in the skin.  A little later in the article it mention the food we eat contributes to the evolutional question. Thousands of years ago when people learned to milk cows as an addition to their food source it was discovered some were not able to digest milk properly. The article stated that many people thousands of years ago who became ill when they drank milk, “an important source of food”,  were less likely to survive as well as those who could. The article said that as people who were able to drink milk reproduced  more of society could use that food source. It was mentioned that  “cultural practice of milking animals that led to these genetic or biological changes” is part of the description of evolution changes and “show how the remarkable diversity of foods that people eat around the world can affect evolution”. It further mentioned how epidemics and how they are handled affect evolution. I think this could be just a natural growth and learning process as is the clothing change from a fig leaf to modern styles.   

Maybe Welsh rarebit or soup for dinner

Photos in my life today

This challenge was “something black with textures”. Bobbi is black and gray. The rug under her is a black also both are textured. 

The second upload is “my choice” and another of my “minimalist” series. 

The last upload is “noodles”. This is the chicken and noodles I made the other
day so it was handy for this shot.  

Joy 

bonus photo taken at the Ohio State Fair Natural Center a few years ago

 November 16, 2025 a thought for today, God help the sheep when the wolf is judge. Danish Proverb

My life’s photos for yesterday

The first upload was “something with lots of color”. This wall art is one that has the most color of any of have seen recently. Traffic was stop and go due to some road maintenance so I was able to get this shot with a problem.

The next one is “shadow or silhouette”. There didn’t seem to be enough bright sun to create any nice shadows so I pulled this one from my archives. 

Next is “locks” I decided to use the locks on my garage door since there are two lock(s) in the viewfinder.

The last upload for yesterday was “framed, wood or nature”. This is also from
my archives since the leave are all gone from the trees so I like this scene with the leaves best. 

Life today. It was good to see familiar faces in the church this morning. We are a small congregation. Some aren’t able to make it every week but most try to. It was good to see the ones who were not there last week but there this week, it was good to see them all. I need these re-visits each week. The sermon was one for some thought, which is good for deeper clarity and understanding.

I changed direction on the way home to stop a Wendy’s instead of McDonalds today. Change is nice now and then. 

The sun is a pleasure today. The air still has just a touch of a chill but the sun is warming. A perfect autumn day. A day for remembering summer and a day for anticipating winter. 

As typical for Sunday for me is a day to refresh and renew. A day to dream and move about in a leisurely way. There is very little on the agenda. I will do catch up tomorrow. 

The word today is misery.  Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief. Marcus Tullius Cicero.  I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition. Martha Washington.  What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. Saint Augustine. He who has not the spirit of this age, has all the misery of it. Voltaire.  If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin. Charles Darwin.  For in all adversity of fortune the worst sort of misery is to have been happy. Boethius.  Human misery must somewhere have a stop; there is no wind that always blows a storm. Euripides.  The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about with us in our minds wherever we go. Martha Washington. The happiness and misery of men depend no less on temper than fortune. Francois de La Rochefoucauld.  For there is no one so great or mighty that he can avoid the misery that will rise up against him when he resists and strives against God. John Calvin.  If misery loves company, misery has company enough. Henry David Thoreau.  Human misery is too great for men to do without faith. Heinrich Heine.  

Article: The title was a believe it or not for me. So I had to take a look and share. The title is “Humans may have transformed the Sahara from lush paradise to barren desert”. The article opened by saying that the Sahara use to be green with vast lakes. That’s the part that was “a believe it or not” for me. Wild animals that we see in the zoo lived there then and humans fished for food in the lakes. This early part is talking about 11,000 and 4,000 years ago.  It went on to say that during that period there was more rain in the “northern two-thirds of Africa than it does today”. The signs of nature there at that time were more like we see today in rainforests. Hunters and fisherman “flourished”. Today it is the “largest hot desert in the world”. In its latitude location there are “high-pressure ridges that “inhibit” the flow of moisture. Now it has become a dessert. In some places in Africa the wet to dry activities “occurred slowly” while in other area it happened suddenly. One theory is that those conditions allowed for light reflected from the ground that created the “high pressure ridges”. One other thought or “hypothesis” for the further  devastation seems to be that the turn to dessert was due in large part to human activities over a period of time. It appears that deforesting was one major cause. This action caused “reducing evapo-transpiration” that in turn led a “weakened monsoon rainfall”. Clearing the land of trees and brush “triggered” changes in land and atmosphere. Another part of the article pointed out that predatory animals have an “impact on landscape processes”.  Preys make some animals more of a target causing life styles to change. The protection normally found on the land is changed. So the article is also saying that “if you strip the vegetation, you alter the land-atmosphere dynamics, and rainfall is likely to diminish”. It further state that “we must balance economic development against environmental stewardship”. There are no “second chances”. 

I think I will have goulash again tonight for dinner. 

My life’s photos for today

The first upload today is “calm colors”. This is one side of a quilt that my daughter made for me many years ago. 

Next is “favorite view”. I lots of “favorite” views or at least views I like in my house and neighborhood but for today and at this moment is was Bobbi with a rolled up paper ball.

The last upload for today is “mushroom”. I don’t often see mushroom or toadstools in my yard. When I do they are tiny ones. At first I thought this one was a piece of paper that had blown into the yard. To my surprise it was this beauty. 

Joy                               

                                             bonus taken on one of my walks in a back alley