Spring Stopped by Today

81 degrees outside today. My winter legs made a brief appearance, I can tell you it wasn't pretty. Much motivation to get back in shape. I was inspired by the weather and created a little photo combination.

Tea Time

I have been meaning to photograph this tea set that belongs to my daughter. She recently re-arranged her room and the tea set is no longer a fit for the look. What is really special about this set is that it is tiny, ceramic and personalized. One tea cup has my daughter's name and the other reads, friend. (To give you a size reference the radius of top of the tea cups is only about two inches.)

I will carefully pack it up in hopes of seeing a granddaughter play with it down the road, of course that is dependent on my recollection of where I actually stored it. Go find a friend and have a spot of tea just to keep life interesting today. While sipping on your tea don't forget to take in the moment because time is truly fleeting and swim suit season is almost upon us. Sorry to break up the moment there but the guilt over eating pound cake the last two days is weighing heavily on me, or maybe around my mid section.

Lacrosse Season -Yea!

I love lacrosse! It is finally lacrosse season and that usually means nice weather, fast paced action and games that have a running clock. I enjoy a lot of different sports but lacrosse is still fresh. I had never seen a lacrosse game until about seven years ago. I was asked to be one of the team moms for my son's seventh grade team. Sure I figured I could line up families to bring the gatorade for after the game. I had no idea what I was getting into. First off the internet was standard in most homes by then, not fast and not terribly reliable but would speed up communication. That was the smallest part of the job. There were two of us that served as team mom and we were responsible for paying the refs, keeping track of the stats, the penalties, the time, the penalty time and blowing the horn which doesn't happen except for specific times in the game or specific calls by the refs. One game I found myself painting the field which was never intended for lacrosse and was really a field of mounds of grass, try to paint a straight line going up and down clumps of grass. One of the kids asked what idiot had painted the field and when I responded I would be that idiot, they quickly changed their tune and told me what a fine job I had done. I learned a lot about the game in its simplest form, most of the kids on our team were first year players so play was a bit slow and predictable but the rules were different and the sidelines were quiet since most parents didn't have a clue what was going on, they couldn't yell instructions to their kids or insults to the refs. Those were the days. Any how I have moved on to having the distinct priviledge of trying to catch an amazing move or play with my camera. I love it, every game is different and every kid has a different style. On top of all of that the jerseys are usually colorful and the sticks and heads can add to the photo. I enjoy girls lacrosse too and they have really colorful sticks but not as much brain crunching action. Tonight I share with you my excitement over the fact that it is finally lacrosse season and that means delightful evenings at the stadium are not far behind.

Sitting Around

This was not a weekend to sit around. For some reason this weekend was packed with activities and time with friends. Off to prepare for a new week.

Ready Set 123 4

Don't know why I took this but I did so you are now subjected to it. I was standing in the cold wind, but nestled up against the side of the stands to avoid as much wind as possible and this photo presented itself to me. Once you stepped out on the four I swear the temperature dropped thirty degrees not to mention the wind knocked the camera around pretty good to.

A Real Artist at Work

I had the opportunity to help out a friend today by taking photos of some of her paintings and drawings. She is very talented and I was in awe of her work. The coolest thing was her studio behind her house. Wonderful daylight streams in through two high windows, one east and one west. The walls are all white but not pristine white, workable white. She has artwork she has created all over the walls, just taped up. No fancy frames, very accessible and all over the place. While she was putting a piece of her work on the wall I snapped a photo of her making a last minute adjustment to get it straight so the photo would work. Using available light and a slower shutter the photo was happy surprise.

Parenting 101

Anyone who has every been a parent or a very involved aunt or uncle or family friend knows that parenting you very own child or one close to you has its ups and downs. That said the last week has been a roller coaster as to parenting. A trip to the orthopod confirmed we may or may not have a fractured wrist. Of course rather than get a full fledged cast, a partial cast was placed on our arm all the way past the elbow. With the arm in a cast, hanging in a sling we instantly become one handed. Fast forward five days and the ordinary morning wake up became not so ordinary when my one handed child couldn't move his neck. After a day of watching him writhe in pain and his neck lean more to one side we headed out the door to the pediatrician. Did I mention we just started going to this pediatrician this summer and haven't seen him since a basic check up. Oh and he can't put a shirt on because the arm in the cast can't bend and the other arm couldn't move due to the muscle spasm preventing him from lifting his arm or moving it all for that matter. I wrapped a coat around him and off we headed for the doctor's office with his head all bent over to one side. We got a lot of strange looks but ultimately we discovered he was suffereing from a really bad muscle spasm. So you are wondering what the photo means. Well today we got up, after a dose of muscle relaxers he could hold his head somewhat upright and we sat on the couch eating chocolate kisses and watching tv when he was comfortable or just sat when he wasn't . To me this photo says so much, a day with my youngest, eating chocolate and being a mom.

Mud Scrapers

Raise your hand if you remember mud scrapers! Seriously, we all had them outside our door growing up, you were suppose to scrape the mud off the bottom of your shoes before you came into the house. One of the two things I love about our house is that we have mudscrapers at the front and the back door. My kids wouldn't know what to do with them but they remind me of a simpler time, a time when kids actually played outside and a little mud wasn't the end of the world. The mudscraper in the photo sits just outside my back porch door. The dog runs past it regularly and I might just actually scrape my shoes for fun every once in a while. I dare you to locate and then place a mudscraper by your door.

Are you curious as to my other favorite thing about our house? (the two mudscrapers count as one item since they are basically same category.)

On a random note, I was retrieving a burger, fries and a shake for my Wednesday patient who was laid up by a muscle spasm in the neck when I glanced into the window of a new gifty type shop next to the best burger joint in this part of the state. There were a number of items with little thoughts on them. One particular one jumped out at me. At the risk of totally ruining it, it went something like, In today's world you can be anything you want, why not be yourself.

hmmmm, deep thought.

Practicality

Anyone who knows me, knows I love my tennis shoes. I have a size 2 D foot, so needless to say my balance is suspect and tennis shoes are a no brainer for me. This photo makes me scratch my head and wonder out loud. It was taken at a walk-a-thon to raise money for a fellow student who needed a medical procedure and a donor of sorts. Kids walked for over two hours around the track, some ran. This child preferred to wear flip flops instead of nice cushy tennies. If I walked for a little bit in this kind of shoes (can we really call these shoes?), first I would trip since my feet don't work in flip flops, then my calves would begin to ache from shin splints and then I would sit down and complain. Not this chick, she kept walking in her stylish flip flops as all her classmates were zipping around her in more suitable shoes. All in a day of being stylish and functional and mission accomplished the classmate did get the procedure.

Night View

This church has some of the most beautiful stained glass and I always think I will stop and get a night shot of the front. Year after year I mean to and this year is not different. The problem is that it is cold and I can be a wimp when it is cold outside. I wear jackets almost every month except the ones that have temperatures above 80. Just don't do well in cold, then the problem becomes the leaves on the surrounding trees block the view of the glass in warm weather. I was actually about an hour late to get the shot I wanted but figured I would share anyway and admit to still not getting the shot I was after. I experience a sense of mystery as I took this considering I was laying on my belly in plain view of every car that drove by. I tried a couple of different exposures and this one is not what I was after but will have to do until I can go back and do it properly about an hour earlier. For what it is worth it was dark and the long exposure allowed the lamps by the doorway to overpower the window which I what I was after. Had I been there earlier the sky would have shown up for the pary and the lights would not be so prominent. The lovely green tint across the top is from the awful tree lights. Again earlier would have kept the green away too. This is why planning is so important, this was more of whim.

Back View

Ever have one of those days you just know people are looking at your backside? The lady in this frame speaks to me, don't know why. Perhaps because she has the best view of this reflection pool that leads to a lake on her left and all she has to do all day is sit there. Or maybe because while she sits there enjoying the view, oblivious to everyone walking around her, she is actually flashing a flattened out rearend. Haven't we all been there! I once had someone send me a photo of myself working on the sideline of a football game. Fortunately for me it was out of focus but you could still see my wide backend in what I thought were some awfully cute khaki shorts. Needless to say I burned them soon after viewing the photo. Seriously why would you take a photo of someone's backend? It became very clear to me that my backend needed some work and in the meantime I would limit the view to my backend as much as possible.

Side note: An astute eye will notice the distortion of this photo, where the parrallel sides of the "frame" around our big bottomed lady are not perfectly lined up, that is actually the distortion from the wide angle lens. I kind of like it but am aware of its shortcomings when working with actual people.

Hearts and Valentines

Happy Valentines to all!

I am not sure exactly what the purpose of Valentines day is. I realize it's a day to let that special someone in your life know how much they mean to you, but aren't you suppose to do that every day anyway? If you take the daily route to showing those you care about how important they are to you, you won't have to pay the ridiculous price that I can guarantee you will have to pay on February 14th. Honestly how can the grocery store $9.99 dozen rose packages sell for $50.00 on February 14th? The $9.99 roses are actually better quality and will last longer than the more expensive ones due to the demand and the process the roses have been through to be here for the 14th.

Ok with that rant behind me, I have to admit there are certain indulgences with every holiday. Ironically not one of my children shares my appreciation for these fine delicacies. Candy corn in October is a must, candy canes only taste good in December, it is weird but come January 1st they lose their flavor, and of course Valentines means candy hearts! I'm not talking about tons of them, just one box will do. This year a strange thing happened, none of my kids had a Valentines party at school, which meant no candy on those cute little cards, which meant NO candy hearts for mom. As if an odd alignment of the stars forsaw this way before I did, a gift arrived for me with candy hearts attached. Fortunatley this year I was saved from missing out on my important valentines ritual of overloading on candy and praying to not crack a tooth. Rest assured that next year I will remember this year's shortfall of candy hearts and will purchase in advance of the day to avoid any unvoluntary withdrawal from my personal holiday ritual of candy hearts.

Runway Day

No, no I didn't strut my stuff on the runway but I did attend a luncheon and fashion show benefitting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I was shocked to learn a gal I know but hadn't seen in a while (different neighborhoods, activities etc.) had passed away two weeks ago. After that news wore off a gentleman that has a daily battle with a chronic version of blood cancer discussed his current fight with the cancer after beating it round one and having a clean bill of health for about six years. If that doesn't get to you then my hero for the day, a young lady who plans on being a pediatric oncologist spoke about her diagnosis at age 14. Do you remember being 14 or your kids being 14? I can not even imagine how fighting and beating this awful disease during your teenage years would affect everything in your life past, present and future. She stood before a packed ballroom to tell her story, let me tell you if you are having a self pity party today, get over it and take a long look in the mirror and be very grateful you had an ordinary day with no terrible surprises like these people did when they woke up one day like any other day only to find out their life would never be the same. Afterwards some of the top models in our here parts did actually strut their stuff. I am including a couple of photos to brighten your day and to remind you to partake in your upcoming Valentines' Day chocolates with some self discipline so you too can strut your stuff if you get a call from Top Model.

Ignorance Is Bliss

Going through each day without much thought is so easy, never really stopping to think of others in our daily rush as our day zips by turning into night. Today I share with you one of my favorite photos I took years ago. I did use a tripod and put some thought into how to achieve the photo I imagined in my mind but honestly it was pretty much dumb luck without a lot of effort. I live literally one block from this statue but never noticed it until one night when I turned the corner and there it was, sitting bathed in light under a starry night. One of the most beautiful things I had ever seen sitting just one block from home. The irony here is that it sits on the corner of a small park which many people walk through every day and probably never realize the park is really a memorial to neighborhood children who have moved on to heaven leaving a grief stricken family behind. The walkway is lined with bricks engraved with names of children whose lives have been cut short for some unimaginable reason. Ignorance is bliss to most people who walk through this beautiful little park, I still find it hard to walk through the park without being sad despite being surrounded by the park's beauty.

Peaceful River

When at rest this river is one of the most peaceful places on Earth, when it acts up, watch out. I have the good fortune to visit this place now once every summer and spent a lot of time during my summers growing up in this river. The pace is slower and people who live in this area understand the true meaning of life, helping your neighbors and going about a slower pace enjoying life and all of the things around you. Living in the middle of God's beauty day in and day out with few distractions makes you a different person, more true to yourself and to those around you.

Creepy Mannequin

While helping a friend get photos of some of his tuxes, I had to photograph this guy. He was back in the shadows and totally for some reason creeped me out. The rest where just top half mannequin but this was a full sized guy and just sat in the shadows all quiet. Even once he was pulled out of the shadows into the light so we had room to work with him, he gave me the willies. What do you think?

Chipping Away

Paint tends to chip away over time and for some odd reason the old rod iron that use to adorn our front porch sits in the garden. I think I know why it is in the garden but honestly I don't remember exactly why. I believe it originally was placed upright in the garden for plants to use as they grew up and could twist the new growth through the openings and hold on. Why there is green paint over the original cream paint, is still a mystery. Looks like a school painting project went awry at some point. Never the less, the poor thing fell to the ground years ago, fortunately not hitting any of the what use to be little people that use to play in the backyard. A lot of "use to" in that sentence as now the dog owns the backyard and has destroyed everything except a few rose plants that have also taken over the fence. I desperately need a rose lover to come help me get them back under control. With all that has occurred in the backyard, the rain, snow, sleet, heat, kids and dog it has taken nearly 15 years for the paint to chip and crack but it is still mostly in place. I am hopeful that I hold up over the years as well as the paint job on this long forgotten old rod iron.

Vote for This Blog

Hop on over to http://www.ppmag.com/fresh-blog-09/ and vote for this blog , it seems to change as to where it appears but it is entry 265 which you can enter in the top left hand corner and it will open a new window with a screen grab of this blog, then vote for it across the botton of the new window. It has appeared either on the bottom of the second page if there are five rows of entries or more to the right top area of page 3 of the entries if there are only four rows, the page layout keeps changing. Look for black background and yellow dress of one of the dancers from the traditional Mexican dance troupe and looks like this

Thanks

A Rose

Interesting thing about roses, they have those vicious thorns to protect their stems but their petals are so delicate. Most roses need to have the outer petals removed since they have protected the flower as it bloomed and are usually damaged. A damaged petal can ruin the beauty of the flower and yet from a distance the flower in its entirely is beautiful despite the damage. The moral is anything under close examination is flawed but life is not designed to be looked at under a microscope. If it were, everyone would be tossed out with the rejects. Life should be varied and full so our good parts make up for our flawed parts. Well, hopefully the good outweighs the bad.

My Spring Predictor

Some folks listen to the groundhogs shadow reports to know when spring is coming and doesn't that silly groundhog always predict more winter? I have my own way of knowing spring isn't far away and that is our flowering quince bush. Unfortunately when our fence was replaced the fence man didn't care too much for our quince bush and its thorns and whacked it back so hard that it has never fully recovered from the stress but will still give me a few good blooms a year. The quince blooms before it has new foliage and most around town I have spotted are red but ours is white. Due to the good fortune of being off the ground the dog has not killed it like the rest of the plants in our backyard. I took full advantage of the dog leaving town for the weekend and got some new photos from what little plant life remains in the dog's domain. Once the quince blooms , spring is not far away. I am already beginning to get back in shape after a winter of wearing lots of jeans and baggy sweaters. A quick note on this photo, taken with a macro lens and fighting the wind while pretty much in the shade.

Talking Trees

As crazy as it may sound, I believe the bare winter trees talk to us with their naked limbs. They reach out to the sky in all sorts of different directions. The morning or late afternoon sunlight hits them and brings out the silver look of the bark against a blue sky. Trees have personality and their branches reveal this to anyone willing to take a look. Some are scary, almost like a witches long curly pointer finger and others are simple and charming. Trees are like snowflakes, no two have the same branch design, not including those that are trimmed to perfection. I love the shade of the a fully leafed out tree but I believe their branches alone are fascinating to study.

Look Around

Often we get so caught up in what is easy and sitting right in front of us that we miss the extras in life. There is so much in life to enjoy but the really good stuff is not as obvious as you would think but well worth the extra effort to notice. The simplest things can bring the most pleasure. Take time this weekend to enjoy all those extra wonders around you.
I love this photo, I looked away from the field and there was this, at first glance, simple scene. Upon further study it actually has great lines and the red/black stand out against the background.

Random Day

Today is officially random day as I have nothing specific to share today. I came across this photo and let's see if anyone can guess what it is. goodnight.

Sands of Time

Sands of Time...just kidding, nothing serious here just a quick shot of sand, but not just any sand. This is the sand from the local softball diamond. The team is really beginning to work out for the season and as the sun began to set there were some shadows hitting the sand. At closer examination you can see all of the little cleat marks in the sand. I suppose wherever we go , whatever we do we leave our mark some how, good and bad.

think it over

Boots

If you live in Texas, at some point in your life you will find yourself at a party where people are wearing cowboy boots. Last night, despite the lovely dresses the girls were wearing, they had adorned their feet with boots. I asked some to display their boots for me and the response I recieved was great, except for the lone boy. He obviously is a real boy and hasn't a clue how to strut his stuff, again we are in Texas. He has no style and seriously how hard is it to put your boot out with the others? He totally missed the point.