February 17, 2025 a thought for today, A person can study for seventy years and at the end die a fool. Yiddish Proverb

The first upload for yesterday was “p is for...” I used plant. This is my fig tree plant. This plant offers me a bit of a connection to Bob. When I bought my late Toyota Camry Bob worked at Toyota West. One of the dear friends that he had made there helped my find my car. Beside his desk he had one of these fig trees that went from the floor to very close to the ceiling. I was enamored with the sight. Upon getting home I promptly ordered one of these, as a baby. Now it is about four feet tall.  

The next upload was “hobby”. This is one of my hobbies at the time. I crochet. Right now I am making key chain fobs. This sunflower is my most current pattern. 

The last upload for yesterday was “my choice” which right now is a series of windows. This one is down the street from my house. 

Life today. I almost forgot that this is Monday and I want to get the bulletin done by the end of day. I thought of it after other work on photos and other things. I have it done to the point of the extra information that I need. I should be able to finish it tomorrow before pantry or when I get home from there. 

Brian didn’t get here to shovel the driveway yesterday. About mid afternoon I heard someone shoveling very close to my house. I checked, it was my next door neighbor doing my porch, steps and driveway for me. He is so helpful to me. He always gets the trash and recycling to the curb in time for pick up. Some day I would like to repay him in kind with something I am able to do. We didn’t get the cars cleared yesterday. This morning I went out to at least knock some of the heaviest snow mounds off so that the sun may do the rest even though the temperature is not suppose to even get to freezing. That was a few hours ago. I just checked out the window....it is cleared. 

The first upload is “refresh”. Any kind of tea is “refreshing” to me. This one is probably my favorite and most often used, either hot chamomile, or caffeine free iced tea in general.  

With the weather the way it is, has been and will be for a while I am having to find things close by for my photo “assignments”. So far so good. Though I have been having to use the archives for some of them, that is one of the reasons I have built the archives. One of the “assignments” for today was “q is for....”. I did some goolge research on uses for the letter. One of the words I found was queen. I do have a quilt that my daughter made for me many years ago..it has been in several of my photo so I looked at other ideas just for choices. So with some further research I found something interesting. “Queen of Puddings”. It is a British pudding that has history back to the 16th century. I did more research and found the recipe. I got to the kitchen, pulled out the KitchenAid (it calls for meringue so I needed the stand mixer instead of the hand held). It’s been a while since I made meringue, apparently I haven’t lost the touch. The peaks were perfect. By the way, the pudding is delicious, too much sugar for me but awesome anyway. All of that took another chunk of time out of the day. But as usual I’m pretty good at multitasking. 

The next upload for today is “q is for...” This is the Queen of Puddings and I mentioned in the above paragraph. I got the meringue on this one just a touch to golden. I prefer the just the peaks to be golden. 

The word is single.  Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. Buddha.  A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong. Tecumseh.  A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows. Francis of Assisi.  I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses. Johannes Kepler.  All the efforts of the human mind cannot exhaust the essence of a single fly. Thomas Aquinas.  Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope. Epictetus.  As for reputation, though it be a glorious instrument of advancing our Master's service, yet there is a better than that: a clean heart, a single eye, and a soul full of God. A fair exchange if, by the loss of reputation, we can purchase the lowest degree of purity of heart. John Wesley.  A single grateful thought toward heaven is the most perfect prayer. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing.  The whole theory of the universe is directed unerringly to one single individual. Walt Whitman.  The superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In moments of haste, he cleaves to it. In seasons of danger, he cleaves to it. Confucius. Every man feels instinctively that all the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action. James Russell Lowell.  Time alone reveals the just man; but you might discern a bad man in a single day. Sophocles.  No one does anything from a single motive. Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  Resolve to edge in a little reading every day, if it is but a single sentence. If you gain fifteen minutes a day, it will make itself felt at the end of the year. Horace Mann.  I thought of the soul as resembling a castle, formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal, and containing many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions. Saint Teresa of Avila.  

The last upload for today is “imperfect but unique”. ("wabi-sabi" which is a Japanese concept that celebrates the beauty found in imperfection). The sad condition of this knob is the imperfect part, the lines and “character” are the unique. I had a difficult time fulfilling this assignment. 

Article: I have lived in Columbus most of my life. There are several places that I “connect with” in Columbus, the zoo, Franklin Park, the LeVeque Tower and many more. Probably the Tower is the biggest one, most prominent in my mind. I have often wondered what a sensation to the senses it would be to live in the top of the tower. The view, the solitude, the traveling to get up and down to visit street level, and the history. The title is “This Century-Old, Art Deco Tower Is The Most Iconic Building In Columbus”. The article began with mentioning that the “architectural marvel isn’t just a visual landmark; it’s a storied piece of Columbus heritage that stands as a testament to our city’s grand history and ambitious spirit”. It was built in 1927. It was originally the American Insurance Union Citadel (AIU building). At the time it was he tallest building between New York City and Chicago.  It was a “statement of hope and prosperity”and today “retains its charm and grandeur, reminding us of the city’s bold ambitions during the Roaring Twenties.”  The article calls it an Art Deco Masterpiece. In architecture it “capture(d) the artistic spirit of its time.” It is building on the facade adoened with terra cotta tiles with motifs that typical of the time with a “fascination with geometry and nature”. The lobby is a wonder of “lavish display of Art Deco splendor”. Looking up toward the ceiling one will see frescoes and the floors having intricate tiles reflecting the “bygone era of opulence”. Over the years the Tower has met the needs of modern society while retaining past signs of its history. On the interior there are offices, “luxurious” apartments and the “boutique Hotel LeVeque”. There is a bar inside called the Keep with “a speakeasy vibe” for relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. The hotel portion blends “historical elegance with modern luxury”. On holidays and special occasions there is lighting at the top of the tower that adds to the city’s celebrations. The article ends with suggesting “each visit can be a rediscovery of the stories and beauty our city has to offer.”

Ir will be left overs tonight.....creamed chicken on biscuits or spaghetti and meat balls. 

Joy                                       giant