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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joy

                                     Schiller Park

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I think fish sticks and left over spaghetti for dinner.

Joy 

                         corn field (one of my sister’s paintings)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spaghetti and meat balls for dinner. 

Joy

                            photo a day composites for June 2025