January 30, 2025 a thought for today, Better the bite of a friend, than the kiss of an enemy. Hebrew Proverb

One of the uploads for yesterday was “on my own”. This is where I am most of the time and I am on my own right here....except for Sweet Pea laying by my desk chair. 

This next upload for yesterday was “pickles”. It seemed like a odd assignment but it’s fun to show most parts of life in photo. Who know how creative and interesting it can get. 

The last photo a day upload for yesterday was “prints in the snow”. I believe this is a shoe print from one of the times I let Sweet Pea out as I checked on the rest of the yard. 

Life today. This is more like it. We have finally gotten to 40 degrees. We still have some patches of snow here and there but it is mostly gone. 

I was in the church most of the time by myself this morning. Patti came in shortly before I was ready to leave. She had asked one of the men from one of the groups who meet at our church to have a look at the computer in the office. It has been extremely slow to boot up and then to load the software and printer set up. He had worked on it since I used I last. It was faster than the last time I printed. I think the life of a computer it about 6 to 8 years. That is about the age of this one. Anyway, the update on this one was a nice surprise. 

I am concerned about Sweet Pea. She is either sleeping a lot or pacing around seeming to not be able to decide what to do. I think her age is showing more and more. I am already sad. She is my partner and best friend. 

The first upload today is “letters”. I am showing letters of the alphabet in this message in the stained glass window. 

This has been an easy going day. Tomorrow Lowell will be with me as we get the final part of getting the car business finished. I have to get the title transferred and new license plate. He wants it transferred in a certain way that I am not sure how to do so he is going with me. 

I was able to get my photo a day photos while I was out this morning, then run through the “darkroom”, Photoshop. Now I am ready for the uploads. Then to the kitchen to make the casserole. 

The next upload for today is “wood or wooden”. As I was walking through the sanctuary I saw the light imprints on the wooden pew of the church and decided to use this one.  

The word today is see.  It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. Henry David Thoreau.  Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see. Arthur Schopenhauer.  Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. Saint Augustine.  Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children. Sitting Bull.  To love beauty is to see light. Victor Hugo.  Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of. Charles Spurgeon.  Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand. Thomas Carlyle.  The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts. William Hazlitt.  I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. Abraham Lincoln.  It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it. Voltaire. To see things in the seed, that is genius. Lao Tzu.  We build statues out of snow, and weep to see them melt. Walter Scott.  The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity. Lucius Annaeus Seneca.  We do not see people as they are, but as they appear to us. And these appearances are usually misleading. Robert Greene.  Let men see, let them know, a real man, who lives as he was meant to live. Marcus Aurelius.  

The last upload for today is “to my left”. This is the view I have to my left every day as I work on the computer. I also glace out to see the people walking their dogs and notice weather conditions. 

Article: Here AI is mentioned again in an area of “helping” along with satellites. I haven’t read the whole article as I am reading it as I share with you. The title is: How satellites and AI help fight wildfires today. At the beginning the article mentioned how the “fire-spotting technology and computer models were helping firefighters” in the 2025 fire in California”. It went on to mention that some of the technology used in that fire was new and “evolved” over the year yet “some techniques are very similar to those used over 100 years ago”. Years ago the first were reported by people seeing smoke. Early in the 20th century fire towers will built. There towers had windows on the four walls. These towers provided living space for lookouts. They were build due to the “Great Fire of 1910 that burned 3 million acres in Washington, Idaho and Montana and killed 87 people.” Today there are cameras set up to “watch over many high-risk areas”. This is were AI is mentioned. AI technology analyzes the images and passes it on to the appropriate people and places. It is “trained” to see repetitive patterns in the smoke plumes. Along with satellites they can “generate” alerts over wider areas. With AI and other technology mock fire and be imaged and studied for fuel details and information on ground-level plant growth and tree “canopies, tree height and density. With his kind of information how a fire may spread can be can aid in forecasting what may be likely to happen. All of these “tools” are available to firefighters thought computer applications ultimately help fire crews as he respond to wildfires. One thing that cannot be predicted is he wind. Firefighting can be greatly aided with this information however, “Ultimately, during a fire, firefighting strategy is based on human judgment informed by experience, as well as science and technology.”

Tuna Casserole sounds good for dinner. 

Joy      

                                                                more television choices

 January 28, 2025 a thought for today, A door once shut will not easily open again. Hebrew Proverb

One of the uploads for yesterday was “what I’m doing now”. This was our visit to the post office to mail the church newsletter. 

Next on the upload list for yesterday was “crisp”. I did a search on google for an
idea of something crisp. I was surprised to see how many images there were of potato chips for this word. So, it was a good choice. 

The last upload for yesterday was “your favorite landscape”. I had to make choice to use a landscape image from my archives or one I would snap today. I have some great landscape shots of the countryside on my way to Mt. Sterling. But for today I chose one of the city streets that I see and travel almost everyday. 

Life today. It is warming slowly. As I glance at the frameo on my desk it shows the outside temperature of 29 degrees. A really encouraging prediction is that tomorrow we will actually reach 40 degrees. 

Today is a food pantry day. It is a bit more comfortable for the visitors to get there not having to come to us in sub-zero temps. The sun is shining today so by the time we leave pantry it should be at least a bit warmer.

The first upload for today is “cooking”. Since I wasn’t cooking much today I picked this one from the archives. It was the beginnings of sauce for taco salad. 

I think I am finally getting back to some kind of “regular” schedule. The holiday were busy with other projects. Besides that there was all the appointments relating to my car problems. As a matter of fact I am just finishing up on some of those with the title and the insurance time consuming arrangements. Maybe I will get back to some of the projects I put way back on a “back burner”, some I have even forgotten about. Some that I am happy to get back to. 

The next upload for today is “something small”. Right by my laptop is my necklace with a sphere containing a mustard seed, that is my choice for this assignment for today. It reminds me as the day goes by and time passes, “faith the size of a mustard seed”. 

The word today is scarce. The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity... and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself. William Blake.  As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand. Josh Billings.  Gratitude, warm, sincere, intense, when it takes possession of the bosom, fills the soul to overflowing and scarce leaves room for any other sentiment or thought. John Quincy Adams.  A child thinks 20 shillings and 20 years can scarce ever be spent. Benjamin Franklin.  When words are scarce they are seldom spent in vain. William Shakespeare.  We often repent of our first thoughts, and scarce ever of our second. Horace Walpole.  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.  To read the Bible is of itself a laudable occupation and can scarcely fail of being a useful employment of time; but the habit of reflecting upon what you have read is equally essential as than of reading itself, to give it all the efficacy of which it is susceptible. John Quincy Adams. It is safe to make a choice of your thoughts, scarcely ever safe to express them all. Isaac Barrow.  I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn into precedent. George Washington.  We can scarcely hate anyone that we know. William Hazlitt.  Childhood itself is scarcely more lovely than a cheerful, kindly, sunshiny old age. Lydia M. Child.  Learning is the ally, not the adversary of genius... he who reads in a proper spirit, can scarcely read too much. William Godwin.  Courage and wisdom are, indeed, rarities amongst men, but of all that is good, a just man it would seem is the most scarce. Plutarch.  Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other, and scarce in that; for it is true we may give advice, but we cannot give conduct. Benjamin Franklin.  

The last upload for today is “lunch”. When I stop for my fist sandwich with out cheese I think of that TV documentary where a man ate at a fast food every meal and every day for a month. I’m not that bad but I do eat there frequently. ‘I likkkke it’. 

Article: I could spend hours in book stores and libraries. To me libraries hold the world on their shelves. They show places to see, societies to observe, people to get to know, ways of life different or the same as ours. Possibly an endless source of knowledge. The library in this article also offers an ambiance unlike most others giving it yet another reason to visit. It is about a near by library. The title is “Wagnalls Memorial Library Is A Whimsical, Book-Lover’s Paradise”. It is located in a charming and interesting village near Columbus and “stands as a timeless testament to the power of education and community”. It has a history of over a century and is an “iconic” landmark that  stands as “a beacon of knowledge for generations of visitors”. The library was established in 1925. It was the “brainchild” of the daughter of the “co-founder of the Funk & Wagnalls Publishing Company”. The architecture is impressive in the neoclassical style. There are “majestic columns” with a “stately” facade. On the inside there are traditional as well as modern features. There is a reading room with gorgeously “crafted” bookshelves and comfortable nooks for private reading space. Also a that space there are art exhibitions, cultural events and workshops. Surrounding the library are gardens with “whimsical” features of small fairy bouses, birdhouses, and places for kids to play. Some of the other things to see in Lithopolis where the library stands are other things to see and experience. For instance the Honeyfest which of course features honey along with music, venders and beekeeping demonstrations. The Slate Run Living Historical Farm is nearby. This is a “living history farm” where there is the “opportunity to step back in time and experience rural life in the 1880s”. Also near by is a historic district, Canal Winchester, with “preserved buildings, quaint shops, and delightful eateries”. While in the are there is a covered bridge included in the visit.

Maybe just hamburger and fries for dinner. 

Joy

                                          passing by

 January 26, 2025 a thought for today, Every man carries his worth in his basket. Hebrew Proverb

One of my uploads for yesterday was “the weather today”. This kind of photo is easy to find right now, with all the white snow and empty trees. This is a view along the side of the consumer square shopping center. 

The next upload was “j is for...”. Due to my hydrophobic garden projects I have quite a few mason jars on hand. So I used them as my “j is for...” assignment.

The last upload for yesterday was “black and white”. This is a view from my back porch. It is the same view every winter after we have cleared the driveway. 

Life today. Mike did a marvelous job with the message at church this morning. I wish for him that he wold have the time to become a certified as a lay pastor. He would make an excellent one. He seems to know his subject and presents it with sincerity and feeling and simplicity. One of the hymns he picked was right-on when it matched his message. 

I have little on my agenda today, Sunday. I will put the postage stamps on the newsletter for mailing tomorrow. That will be the extent of my “work” for  today. 

The first upload for today is “leading line”. This is a few the street in front of my house. The “leading line” is headed to the park that is a few blocks from my house. 

The weather is more presentable today. The temperature reading is 31°. Things were much more comfortable for last night’s sleep too. Hopefully it is here for the rest of the winter. Or at least freezing or above rather than sub zero and single digit arctic blasts. 

The next upload for today is “my choice” which is another in my series of black and whites. This is one of the two water towers at the park near my house. 

The word today is same. Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present. Marcus Aurelius.  When you are laboring for others let it be with the same zeal as if it were for yourself. Confucius.  I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. Galileo Galilei.  A well adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous. Alexander Hamilton.  When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion. Voltaire.  A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees. William Blake. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. Emily Bronte.  We should remember that one man is much the same as another, and that he is best who is trained in the severest school. Thucydides.  As people are walking all the time, in the same spot, a path appears. John Locke.  Nature is a mutable cloud which is always and never the same. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  There never was a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous. Benjamin Franklin.  God is the same God, always and everywhere. He is omnipresent not virtually only, but also substantially, for virtue cannot subsist without substance. Isaac Newton.  Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance - the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it; better, will preserve it longer, than the sad or sullen. Thomas Carlyle.  Sameness leaves us in peace but it is contradiction that makes us productive. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  

The last upload for today is “a fave breakfast”. This isn’t an everyday breakfast for me, as a matter of fact I don’t always have a substantial breakfast (my bad). This is just one I happened to have near by for this mornings assailment. 

This article was written a couple of years ago. I just happened to find it when I was doing some research in some of my “news fact checking” sites. Zoos and animals seem to be popular with many people, especially me. The title to this article is  Zoos and aquariums shift to a new standard of ‘animal welfare’ that depends on deeper understanding of animals’ lives. It begins by describing a visit to a zoo facility in 1980. The facility at that time was “row after row of bare concrete boxes with jailhouse-style bars occupied by animals from around the world”. It went on to say that the animals were in good physical conditions but were staring into space or pacing restlessly”. Now when we visit a zoo we see more humane conditions with their living conditions more like their “native habitat”. It appears that the “professional zoo and aquarium community has fundamentally altered the way it views the task of caring for the animals in its collections”. This accounts for how zoos are “graded” or qualify for accreditation. The writer believes that this upgrade is due to the “evolution in the scientific understanding of animals’ lives and welfare” and a focus on conservation. The article went on to describes some zoos of the past. It mentioned that in the 13th century until 1835 the Tower of London “served as an animated trophy case”. In Europe “exotic” animals were displayed in garden settings. Some served as circuses that “sensationalized” the “strangeness” of animals. In the US he first zoo opened in Philadelphia in 1974. Early in the 20th century zoos began to be concerned about the animals’ physical health. In the past 50 years landscaping became more of a part of the operations and grew in conservation and involved with education of organizations. There are now more requirements on physical space, temperature ranges and cleaning methods.  Toward the end of the article it is mentioned that “captive animals typically outlive their wild counterparts”. So zoos contribute to keeping some animals from becoming extinct. 

I think I am going to GrubHub or DoorDash for dinner. 

Joy 

                                      old and faded

 January 24, 2025 a thought for today, When the kettle boils over, it overflows its own sides. Hebrew Proverbs 

My first challenge for yesterday was “a view”. This is probably familiar since it is the part that I visit often and use as a photo site many times. Most of the ones I have of this site are not encased in snow. The park has something to offer for all seasons.

The next upload for yesterday is “fish”. This is one that gave me a bit of some thought. I have had several aquariums over my life time. I gave them up some time ago since I was having trouble keeping up with the changing water and cleaning. This photo is one of my aquariums from my past. 

The last upload for yesterday was “snow bubble”. I had never heard of a snow bubble until this photo-a-day “assignment”. I researched it and found the recipe necessary technique and recipe. I needed to make a solution of water, soap and syrup, then wait for the temp to below freezing. There were several hit and miss attempts. If this image is enlarged you may be able to see some fo the crystal like sakes in a potion of the bubble. I have some of the solution left so I will continue to try. 

Life today. Another day another arctic freeze....we are getting a better picture for Saturday and the following week. 

I had planned to get the newsletter printed today. I finished it late yesterday. There was a change in going to print for this morning though. It snowed last night. There was enough that it needed cleared so I contacted Brian. He came, cleared the driveway and entrances. Also space for Sue to get in and out from the curb. 

The first challenge and upload for today is “shallow DOF”. For this image, I set the camera on portrait feature to put the background out of focus for the depth of field I needed. 

I put off doing the laundry yesterday so I did that today. That left little time to get to the church to do the printing. I may try to do that tomorrow morning before I go for the grocery pick up.

I am still trying to stay warm. The furnace is running regularly but here on this level of the house the temperature needs a little help.  I have been using the space heater even though sparingly since it pulls so much electricity. 

The next upload for today is “black and white”. Winter snow makes this an easy photo assignment. This is Brian clearing my neighbor’s drive after he finished mine. 

The word today is sacred. There are four questions of value in life, Don Octavio. What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love. Lord Byron. Nothing is more noble, nothing more venerable than fidelity. Faithfulness and truth are the most sacred excellences and endowments of the human mind. Marcus Tullius Cicero.  If any thing is sacred, the human body is sacred. Walt Whitman. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Oh, come, Divine Physician, and bind up every broken bone. Come with Thy sacred nard which Thou hast compounded of Thine own heart's blood, and lay it home to the wounded conscience and let it feel its power. Oh! Give peace to those whose conscience is like the troubled sea which cannot rest. Charles Spurgeon.  Voltaire lighted a torch and gave to others the sacred flame. The light still shines and will as long as man loves liberty and seeks for truth. Robert Green Ingersoll.    Friendship, of itself a holy tie, is made more sacred by adversity. Charles Caleb Colton.  However great may be the work for which we are responsible, we will always do well if we pause to spend time in sacred praise. Charles Spurgeon. Wisdom is a sacred communion. Victor Hugo.  Music is either sacred or secular. The sacred agrees with its dignity, and here has its greatest effect on life, an effect that remains the same through all ages and epochs. Secular music should be cheerful throughout. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  I tread in the footsteps of illustrious men... in receiving from the people the sacred trust confided to my illustrious predecessor. Martin Van Buren.  

The last upload for today is “fave clothing”. Well I am not much of a fancy style clothing person. I just like something comfortable and appropriate for whatever the occasion. This is my house coat (robe). Its baggy and fleecy and super comfortable. 

Article: I am uncertain about how I feel and understand about the power of AI. So I think learning as much about it as we can is a good idea. It appears there are some awesome good that it can do but I am unclear about the amount of damage it can also do. It’s like most important things that happen in life....weigh the pros and cons and use common sense in decision making. The article title is: The rapid spread of artificial intelligence has people wondering: who’s most likely to embrace AI in their daily lives? Many assume it’s the tech-savvy – those who understand how AI works – who are most eager to adopt it. The first sentence surprised me “Surprisingly,  “those with less understanding of AI are more likely to indicate using it for tasks like academic assignments”. My feeling about that is at least that’s relatively safe compared to AI techniques used in our physical and structural cognitive and genial well being, otherwise put, “crossing into human territory”.The article mentions that AI doesn’t possess human qualities but as I see it more and more testing and growth of AI capabilities and uses are in question. The article goes on to say that those without the technical knowledge think its magic. People “with higher AI literacy are more receptive to these uses because they focus on AI’s efficiency, rather  than any “magical” qualities”. Further in the article it mentions that continuing with AI growth will require more ways to “help them understand the benefits and risks of AI”. And to try to move toward the “loss of the awe that inspires many people to embrace this new technology.” I personally still need more illustrations and more information on “side affects”. AI is and has been used in some areas of  photography for a while now. I still like the “truth”, what is is and what is made up is made up. Photos capture a non-repeatable capture of time, time in truth. I do like art and crafts also, in it’s place.

Maybe taco salad for dinner. 

Joy

                                                                    trapped in a web

 January 22, 2025 a thought for today, Violence in a house is like a worm on vegetables. Hebrew Proverb 

The first upload for yesterday was “homemade”. This is one of the afghan that I crochet for the seasons of weather, this one is winter. 

Yesterday’s second upload was “birds in the winter”. This set of birds seemed
to be warming themselves on a light post. 

The last upload for the 21st was “empty”. When I was at one of the points of looking for my images I had an empty French fry bag that “fit the bill”. 

Life today, We are supposed to be on the upward direction to this most recent chill moving out. Last night was the worst so far, but we made it. I am learning all over again as I do over and over that life holds experiences we have never had before even from new ones as the years pass. This is one of them. I have lived during heavy snows even a blizzard, cold weather and hot hot days. But I think this particular “freeze” is one of the worst I have experienced. It may be that it seems harder because of my age or it may be just as bad as it feels at any age.  It’s one of those things that make us wiser and add to our advanced knowledge base.

One of the uploads for today is “white”. This is perfect weather for that sort of image. As I was coming home I saw some young kids making this snowman. I decided to use it as the photo. 

This is food pantry week. I have been concerned about the folks who visit with us on those days. A lot of them walk to get to and from us. These temperatures have to be very hard on them. We generally have around 36 guests in a session. Yesterday we had 27 and today we had 37. So they are still able to get to us. We don’t normally have animals in the pantry but one of the guests today had a dog that he couldn’t leave outside on a below zero day. The pup was so friendly and wanted to visit and play with everybody. Sweet Pea had a field day with the scents on my legs when I got home. 

I am going to be a few days late with the newsletter this month. It’s puts a little extra time working on it when I have food pantry days at the same time. 

I worked on the photo uploads when I got home from pantry, then finished my writing. 

The next upload for today is “winter sunset”. I knew yesterday that I was going to need this image so I checked when sunset would be here in Columbus. Then I set my alarm for five minutes before that last night to get this shot. 

The word today is rule. Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule. Buddha.  As a rule, men worry more about what they can't see than about what they can. Julius Caesar. To rule is easy, to govern difficult. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Circumstances rule men; men do not rule circumstances. Herodotus.  Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force - that thoughts rule the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  The rule of friendship means there should be mutual sympathy between them, each supplying what the other lacks and trying to benefit the other, always using friendly and sincere words. Marcus Tullius Cicero.  I attribute the little I know to my not having been ashamed to ask for information, and to my rule of conversing with all descriptions of men on those topics that form their own peculiar professions and pursuits. John Locke. To despise no opportunity of usefulness is a leading rule with those who are wise to win souls. Charles Spurgeon.  Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together; that at length they may emerge, full-formed and majestic, into the delight of life, which they are thenceforth to rule. Thomas Carlyle.  As I approve of a youth that has something of the old man in him, so I am no less pleased with an old man that has something of the youth. He that follows this rule may be old in body, but can never be so in mind. Marcus Tullius Cicero.  Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule. Nevertheless one had better know the rules, for they sometimes guide in doubtful cases, though not often. Paracelsus.  The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every calling, is diligence. Abraham Lincoln.  

The last upload for today is “grateful”. I have many thins to be grateful for but needed something I could use for an image. I used this one of my space heater which is a huge help with these sub-zero temps we are experiencing. 

Article: The blizzard in the 1970s in Columbus was a note in history, will this one be too? The title to the article is “After Four Decades, People Are Still Talking About The Blizzard of 1978". The writer was saying that she missed that blizzard due to being born after it. Her dad had said there is nothing to compare. So she began to wish for something as monumental and exciting. It was hard to measure the depth due to “hurricane-force winds sweeping through the area”. Drifts were up to 15 feet tall. So the storm was not only huge but dangerous. There were 6,000 people in Ohio trapped in their cars. She ended the story by saying that thought not a blizzard or heavy snow fall “After the frigid, weather we just got through........I’ve decided that I would rather hear 100 more stories about that storm than experience one myself.”

Maybe pizza from the freezer for dinner. 

Joy

                                       inside/outside

 January 20, 2025 a thought for today, The truth stands up, a lie does not. Hebrew Proverb

One of the uploads for yesterday is “where I live”. This is a small part of where I live, a corner of my living room. 

The next upload for yesterday was “stars”. I thought I would use the stars (and stripes) for this one. 

The last upload for yesterday was “black and white”. This one is just one of the church windows in my church.  

Life today. The freeze is on. It’s mid afternoon and 11 degrees. Sweet Pea and I made it through the night with our heating blanket/pads. Yes, I have a heating blanket on my bed, my room is on the cold side of the temperature gauge. I also bought Sweet Pea a pet-style heating pad. She doesn’t quite know what to make of it. We have to get through the next couple of days and we should be more comfortable.

The first upload for today is “real life”. This image seems to fit perfectly for the
weather we are having in our lives right now. 

I had a whole list of things I wanted to get done today. Somehow, it got off track. I spent more time on the bulletin than I thought I would. On top of that I got side tracked on another project or two. All of that not to mention that I have the inauguration on the TV so every now and then when something catches my attention I stop what I am doing to watch part of a speech or to watch this person or that person come onto the scene. Now I am “racing” through my check list to see if I can at least get done what was on the top of the list, besides the bulletin, before dinner time. Isn’t life an adventure?

The second upload for today is “coffee”. I don’t drink coffee anymore. I use to but even when I did if was only one cup a day. It was the first thing in the morning just to get started. My beverage of choice these days it tea. 

Before I move on any further, I must take care of my plants, I have put them off longer than they can wait for water. 

The next upload for today is “made of metal”. This is one of the cups on our rain chain. It has seen and shows all kinds of the touches of weather. 

The word today is round.  Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form. Rumi.  All things come round to him who will but wait. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness. William Wordsworth.  Forward, as occasion offers. Never look round to see whether any shall note it... Be satisfied with success in even the smallest matter, and think that even such a result is no trifle. Marcus Aurelius. On the earth the broken arcs; in the heaven a perfect round. Robert Browning.  There are some people who need to wear a label round their necks to show that they are Christians at all, or else we might mistake them for sinners, their actions are so like those of the ungodly. Charles Spurgeon.  I had gained the summit of a commanding ridge, and, looking round with astonishing delight, beheld the ample plains, the beauteous tracts below. Daniel Boone.  Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.   Each thing is of like form from everlasting and comes round again in its cycle. Marcus Aurelius.  He had a broad face and a little round belly, that shook, when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly. Clement Clarke Moore.  Every one soon or late comes round by Rome. Robert Browning.  

This is another of the days when I have a fourth photo-a-day upload. This challenge  is called “negative or positive space. In this particular image I feel that the sky seems to be both negative space for the sake of the photo image and positive space for all of life. 

Article: This is a timely article about past inaugurations and the influences on the modern day ones. The article title, How Christian nationalism played a role in incorporating the phrase ‘so help me God’ in the presidential oath of office. The presidential oath of office today includes “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” And then it may well be added “so help me God.”  The article related that those four words are not in the Constitution but “for many Americans, the phrase has been a part of the oath ever since George Washington was said to have added it 236 years ago”. It further related that there is a question as to if George Washington actually said “so help me God?..... there is no evidence that he did”. It wasn’t until 1854, 65 year later that “Rufus Griswold, an editor and literary critic, told the story in a book titled “The Republican Court”: “[Washington] added, with fervor, his eyes closed, that his whole soul might be absorbed in the supplication, ‘So help me God!’” The author said that he fact checked in Google, Books, Internet Archives, American Periodicals Series and Newspapers.com for information on this subject, “so help me God” in the oath of office for the president of the United States.  The author as a historian, found that “The best way to understand Griswold’s mythic insertion of “so help me God” into the presidential oath is through the lens of Christian nationalism” which was “big” in the 19th century. I seems “a Protestant evangelical revival movement that peaked in the 1830s, “brought about … a desire to see religious values reflected in the nation’s culture and institutions.”  There was a minister in Philadelphia who told “told his congregation in 1828 that only leaders “known to be avowedly Christians” should be elected”. It seems that in that aftermath the “account of Washington prayerfully adding “so help me God” to the presidential oath became part of America’s Christian creation myth”. There is another ‘so help me God’ story”. It happened later in the “years just after World War II, a time of increased tensions between the United States and the “godless communists” of the Soviet Union”. It is mentioned that religion then was an “important weapon”. After that “the U.S. added “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, made “In God We Trust” the country’s national motto”.

I think it will be fish and chips for dinner. 

Joy 

                                reflections of what is and what was

 January 18, 2025 a thought for today, Who steals from a thief goes unpunished. Hebrew Proverb

An upload for yesterday was “looking up”. This is obvious. It was a glance to the top of a neighbor house to see the bit of snow that was left after some melting. 

Another upload for yesterday was “boots”. This was a friend coming through
the kitchen after being outside in a snow drift. 

The third upload for yesterday was “triangle and angles”. This is another neighbors house that has an interesting shape over the front door along with several other shapes in the overall design. 

Life today. I am at a point where I am wondering if “happenings” will slow down in my life enough to the point that I will be bored.  There’s no “unsurmountable” problems just tiny little “bumps” that need tended to. “Bumps” that require time and thought. For instance, just a tiny one that came up today. A message in my car warned me that “oil change is required”. First of all I have never had a car that tells me it needs something other than a flat tire or gas tank showing near empty or such things that are obvious with no “message” on the dash board. I was under the impression that when we had it at the mechanics a few weeks ago that that among the other things was attended to. Another of the “bumps” is dealing with unusually harsh winter weather predictions that require attention to comfort and safety. I am not looking forward to being bored but maybe more space between “bumps”. There are more, maybe ten or twelve, bumps that are to minor too mention, all the same need tended to. I guess I should just hang it up and call it “life”. 

Yesterday Lowell and I met with a man telling us about the choices we have in replacing our now outdated air conditioner. Wow the cost!

Sue went to visit the twins today.

My first upload for today is “a fave animal”. I am an animal lover so I could have made several choices but at this point in my life my fave animal is Sweet Pea. 

I am meandering with my writing right now and I still have groceries to put up and “important” things to do.  I love Saturdays....smile. Bedsides I also want to watch the finished product on the HGTV home remodel I have at the moment on the TV beside my computer.

The next upload for today is “technology”. I gathered just some of the “technical” items in my house right now. There is a lot of technology in the world today. 

The word today is root. There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. Henry David Thoreau.  Grow in the root of all grace, which is faith. Believe God's promises more firmly than ever. Allow your faith to increase in its fullness, firmness, and simplicity. Charles Spurgeon.  Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil. Plato.  Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth. George Washington.  Humility, that low, sweet root, from which all heavenly virtues shoot. Thomas Moore. The very spring and root of honesty and virtue lie in good education. Plutarch. The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses. Francis Bacon.  Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you want is not a sceptre, but a hoe. The prophet does not rise to reign, but to root out the weeds. Saint Bernard.  Religion and art spring from the same root and are close kin. Economics and art are strangers. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Christianity is the root of all democracy, the highest fact in the rights of men. Novalis.  He that has energy enough to root out a vice should go further, and try to plant a virtue in its place. Charles Caleb Colton.  Wisdom has its root in goodness, not goodness its root in wisdom. Ralph Waldo Emerson.  

The last challenge upload for today is “my choice” so it is another of my series of “partials”. Part of a cereal box and empty bowl. 

Article: This story is about some more green space for our city. In my opinion, green space is always good. This particular story is about space close to my home, a home counting the ones in this neighborhood before this house, of over eighty years. I am always glad to see healthy and aesthetic additions to this area. The title: Amenities Planned for Newly-Preserved Areas, Including 50-Acre Woods on West Side. There is a  Clean Ohio Conservation Program in the works. It looks like the Hilltop will be one of the places for some of this work. There is a triangle shaped bit of land that has been “untouched by development for decades”. Trails are planned for the 50 acre area. It is heavily wooded near Whitethorne Road with more plans down the line. There is a problem in the way at the present which relates to how people will be about get to the site. The article mentioned that “…the number one priority is preserving the largest remaining natural woods in Hilltop.”  This area is called Whitethorne Woods. There has been a map designed which show a rail along a railroad right-of-way. Those tracks run from Grove City to Franklinton.  Right now the plans are being “built” but there is no time line at the present. There are plans for up to six other parcels in Columbus being devolved for improvements. An area near Dahlberg Gibson Learning Center, one in Prairie Township, near Battelle Darby Creek. The article concludes by explaining that “these spaces are essential for clean air, clean water, and biodiversity. By investing in their preservation, we enhance our quality of life and strengthen our communities’ resilience against environmental challenges.”

Tuna Fried Rice sounds good for dinner. 

Joy

                                     golden