Flowers Bloom, Color Returns

 The picture above was taken last August as I was driving home from our 95th Street Library Brown Bag Lectures. Twice a month the library would have a presentation from a "story-teller" dressed in an appropriate costume, speaking as tho she/he were indeed that person. Fiona Carnarvon, the former mistress of Highclere Castle, also known as Downton Abbey was the main event that day. Enormously entertaining, a delightful way to spend an afternoon. Driving home I spotted a garden growing along a fence line in full bloom. It was on the opposite side of the divided road so at the next available turn I did a quick U-turn and backtracked to the blooming garden. OK, admittedly I should have had both eyes on the road, but I'll bet any photographer will confess that their eyes are always on the look-out for those unexpected moments.  As I parked, grabbing my camera I was a bit hesitant, because the garden was planted along side a long driveway leading to a house. I took my chances and approached, ready to come up with some excuse if needed, and began to make the pictures you see here. It should be obvious why I stopped...!!  

  I love flowers and I love taking pictures of flowers. I have gardens in the front, back and side of my house and the joy that flowers bring to me is comforting, reassuring, and refreshing.  The flowers in my backyard bring me comfort as I sit on my screen porch looking out at the pinks, reds, yellows, purples and greens.  Reassuring that every year the daylilies, are the first to poke thru the earth as it begins to warm, knowing that other perennials are sure to follow. And my gardens are a refreshing change from the long, cold and sometimes dark winters. 

I'm not sure how the next few months are going to unfold but I can be assured that seasons come, flowers bloom, and color returns. 

"The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul." – Alfred Austin 

Until next time.....stay safe,

Pork n' Beans

Happy Saturday from the land of rain and gloom.  Yesterday hit above 40 degrees with sun. Time to bring out the summer-wear...well, not me but there were those that felt the need to show off their hairy, white legs.  And speaking of white legs, I will be showing mine off in less than 2 weeks, a flight to Miami, overnight stay there and then off to Cuba for a 10 day photography trip. Oh man am I looking forward to viewing something in my camera lens besides Gracie, TJ's flowers, and whatever bird decides to land on my bird feeder. I'll be in the land of color....yea!!

I wasn't too good, what am I saying, I was horrible at blogging about my trips from 2018. Such great places, what fun, I don't know if I could pick a favorite.

Began the year with my usual trip to Arizona. Always look forward to visiting with old friends and enjoying the warmth and sun, cactus and birds, trips to Butterfly Wonderland, and to the Desert Botanical Garden.  I would probably be there about this time, and it snowed....that would not make me happy.  I go there for a little respite from winter and if I was greeted with the same weather that I came from, not good. Unfortunately this year I'm not making the trip. My good friend, Rich has been battling Cancer with procedures, chemo and radiation. They don't need a visitor to muddy up with what they are dealing with right now. I'm praying for a good outcome, he's been through a lot in the past months. Please remember Rich and all others who are suffering thru the battles with Cancer in your prayers.

It's amazing what a $4.99 bouquet from TJ's can do to lift your spirits when the weather is so gloomy outside. Even tho today is gloomy I have had a great week with movies, dinners, theater tickets, a concert. I have a group of women, some single, some married that love to go to concerts and to the theater. This is my 4th year at having season tickets to the Paramount Theater in Aurora, IL, with presentations that are absolutely outstanding.  Wednesday night we saw "The Producers", amazing talent and ridiculously funny.  And then a group of us dubbed "the rowdy church ladies" love to go to the movies and out to dinner. We are having an Oscar Party Sunday night so we've been hustling to see all the movies nominated. Last night and a couple of weeks ago we gathered at my house, because I have Amazon Prime and watched "The Wife" and "Bohemian Rhapsody", both good but I have to say my favorite this year was "The Green Book". Great casting and heartfilled story. The only two I have not seen are Roma and Black Panther and both are on Netflix. Might have to crawl in bed and watch these tonight....not much time left. We did see "The Favourite" it was not my favorite. And to think the lead in that will be playing Queen Elizabeth in the next go round of "The Crown" on Netflix.

Gracie at her finest....she has bitten me a couple of times with those fangs and they are a might sharp.

I  pulled out my trusty 50mm 1.4 to take all these pics. Probably one of the first lenses I purchased. Stays true and is the lightest weight lens I own. Too bad it's not a good landscape or macro lens or I would have it on all the time. 

And fyi, that first image is my latest succulent addition. Wasn't planning on adding another but a trip to Hobby Lobby (another dangerous place along with Home Goods) produced this cute little vase and it was just calling to me to add to my windowsill. It reminded me of a little pig and when I shopped for a new succulent I found this one, perfect name, "Pork n' Beans".

See you next time...

All The Way to 50

March 1st.....how did that happen? Two months gone, and what have I accomplished? Hmmm, nope can't seem to come up with anything significant. But I better get crackin' on my list of 75 things that make me happy before BD date.

#42 - #44 I leave for Phoenix on Tuesday to visit with friends and enjoy some sun and warmth...it's been cool there lately but according to our ever reliable (?) weather forecast it will be in the 70's and 80's while I am there. Can't wait to to see sites like this....

or this....one of my favs because of it's pinkish red color!

And how about this....the view from porch.

and ofcourse there are the sunsets...

My morning ritual is always the same...rise, potty, let Cinder out to do her potty, make coffee, grab my I-Pad and check email, read the paper on line, check instagram and facebook. Pretty boring, but it begins my day. I am definitely not a leap out of bed, immediately get dressed kinda gal. Easing into the day is my way. Today as I was doing the above I ran across a blurb about recently read books and she printed a quote from "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones....it says "But mostly my life is good, only it's a different type of good from what I figured on."  That pretty much sums up my life...good but not exactly what I had planned.#45 Life is definitely not a straight line but twists and turns that become a part of who you are.

Door County, Wisconsin

Last Sunday I joined up with a photography group with Lou Nettlehorst and his son, Todd. I met Lou several years ago on a trip to the Smokey Mountains and have kept in contact with him since. He's a great teacher mentor and it's always a pleasure to be with him.#46. We met in the city around Lincoln Park, which is on the north side of downtown Chicago. Great views of the city from this vantage point and I managed to get a few shots of our beautiful city. #47

Fancy Schmanzy Apartment/Condo with views of Lake Michigan

I've had a rather quiet week, which was welcomed after last weeks busyness....after we walked and walked and walked on Sunday my ankles and thighs were screaming on Monday. I've always had bad ankles, even as a kid. My friend Winnie walked the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage last year and wants to do it again this year. I can't even fathom walking a journey that long. My hats off to you Winnie!! And to all others that attempt these journeys. 

The Out of Chicago Photography group that I participate with is having a 4 day workshop at the Chicago Botanic Garden in August photographing flowers and such. Only 100 participants, and 10 professional photographers to guide and mentor us along the way. Oh joy oh joy!! Definitely #48. 

And yes, I have already registered, absolutely no hesitation. 

OK to round this up to 50, yellow roses from TJ's....#49

Sunny days...2 in a row after a gloomy February. March came in like a lamb...hoping it doesn't go out like a lion. #50. 

Enjoy your weekend. Oscar night, Sunday night. And do something that makes you happy.

Until next time...

I Wrestled With A Sump Pump....

On tap for last night was another wonderful evening out with the girls for our dinner and trip to the Paramount theater where we have season tickets to see 4 musicals each year. "Cabaret" shined bright . And yes, it was raunchy and bawdy, but oh so fun. Terrific cast which always amazes me the extensive amount of talent that we have in the Chicago area and that we don't have to go into the city, pay over the top prices for a ticket and exorbitant parking fees to see a terrific Broadway show. And a definite #33 on my happy list. And #34 is having left overs from dinner to enjoy a second time around.

#35 Field Daffodils from Trader Joe's 

I had an arm wrestling match with my sump pump hose yesterday. I'll back up....first came the snow almost 10 inches, then the warmth which thus began to melt the snow, ground is now saturated from the melted snow and then the rains came and came and came. Last Fall I threw my sump pump hose in the garbage because Toby (sob) loved to chew holes in the plastic hose, thus making it rather useless for hauling water away from the house. OK, now the rains have come (as stated) and the sump pump is running constantly, literally every 5-10 second intervals. Water is pooling around the house because of da dah NO hose.

Definitely Duck Weather....

I'll shorten this long story, bought the hose, wrestled with getting it on the pipe because ofcourse it didn't fit, resorted to duck tapping the damn thing onto the pipe between gushing water but first had to slowly cut the old duck tape away from the rim of the pipe,  This whole event became so much longer than anticipated (isn't that the way everything goes as you age)...and to end this event I couldn't get my rubber boots off of my feet. Well, I finally did, but I pulled every muscle in my arms and back and legs struggling to release my feet from the death grip of those damn rubber boots. I know I have used the word damn twice in this paragraph and while I was in the midst of this event I probably uttered the word "shit" dozens of times. It's difficult to be pure of mouth when you arm wrestle with a sump pump hose. OK, happy #36 it's done.

Monday I played bridge with a group of ladies that gather ever once in awhile for a few rounds. Mostly dealt very low point hands, but at least once I bid 5 hearts and made 5, which makes for a happy morning, not to mention the absolutely best home-made sticky buns I've ever tasted bar none. So good bridge hands and Flour's Famous Sticky Buns #37 and #38.  Here is the link to the recipe....
It's long and tedious and I would never attempt to make these, but I so appreciate that my dear foody friend Ruth treated us to these little pieces of heavenly baked buns.

Oh my gosh, I almost forgot about my outing with a photography friend last Friday. Jeanne and I love to photograph barns, and the older the better. If you ask Jeanne what she enjoys shooting she will reply....old, crumbling, rust, gritty. So last Friday off we went to see if we could find some old barns. So #39 is definitely finding old barns to photograph.''

And #40, my Orchid from a previous post (see here) is still alive and blooming...

Off to Bunco this evening, which means good food, fun and friends...has to be #41.

Enjoy your weekend and do something that makes you happy!

Until next time...

Do the Things I Love to Do....

Well it's been over 2 months since I have posted. No excuses, probably not much to report, but in the last month I have had some very sad news that has put me in a melancholy mood. And again realizing that life is short and each day should have some beauty, a little joy, and a lot of gratitude. So many that I love have lost their beloved pet, their mother, their father, their husband, a friend gone way too soon. So much sadness that I just wanted to crawl into a ball and bury my head in my pillow. And again realizing that there is a way to relieve this sadness, to do the things I love to do.

This blog was my "get out of jail" card when my life was surrounded by my husband's illness, my mother's needs, and the daily gradations as both were failing in front of my eyes. In the evening, after settling my sweetie into bed, I would grab my laptop and write a blog post. I began this journey in May of 2011 and have written 960 posts since that time. Writing a post was part of my daily routine, what the heck happened that I got so far off of that path?? I still have a passion for photography, altho I must admit in the winter that passion goes pretty barren much like the landscape. This winter in particular with no snow and mild temps has produced nothing desirable to photograph. You can only photograph bare branches so many times.

Just as Spring was making it's first appearance with warm temps, blue skies, and sunshine and a chance to get out and photograph the emerging of early flowers, the temps plummeted and we are back to "same ol, same ol".  It sure was enjoyable while it lasted. This time last week I was at a photo conference, listening to speakers and having fun photographing indoors and relishing in the sunshine as we ate lunch outdoors, without coats.

I played around with the Lensbaby Velvet 56 during the conference and did get some fairly decent images, but I had just purchased the new Tamron 90mm 2.8 Macro lens and felt that I could probably duplicate the same look with the 90mm and not spend any more money on another lens.

The 2 wood-pecker images above were taken right from my front window with a 150-600mm lens. I finally filled the bird feeder after being empty for almost a week, and purchased a Wild Berry Suet square and the woodpeckers LOVE it.  It's like candy to a kid. Today alone, I saw juncos, cardinals, downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, chickadees, white breasted nut hatch, and ofcourse, sparrows, all right in my front yard. Now that brings me a lotta joy.

Tomorrow night the Oscars will light up TV's all over the world as we wait and watch to see who the big winners are this year. I have seen many of the movies that are nominated this year and I have my favorites. We'll see who walks away with that golden statue this year, but honestly come this time next year I probably won't remember who won what. But it's still a tradition in my house to watch, wait and cheer the winners. (and also see what the stars are wearing on the red carpet)

Take care, have a good week and spread a little joy.

Until next time....

Happy Birthday to Me

Maybe that may seem strange to some, wishing yourself a Happy Birthday, but at 73 it is indeed a celebration....a celebration of life and all the blessings and goodness that has entered my life in these 73 years.  As I continue to share 73 things that make me happy, I realize that life and it's happiness is a decision that I consciously make each and every day.  I can wallow in the (shit) that happens or I can magnify those everyday beams of light and happiness that rise to the top.  I chose the light.

68.  The trees that flower in the spring.

69.  Any color, size or shape of a blooming flower. It's impossible to chose a favorite among all the bountiful beauties.

And especially flowers with water droplets...

70.  A quail sitting on a fence makes me happy.

71.  Unique doors in Tucson make me happy...

72.  Peach Sangria at Carrabas is a happy drink!

73.  It is almost impossible to list all who make me happy....

• My children (Lisa and Lane)
• My son-in-law and my daughter-in-law (Sam and Nelly)
• My grandchildren (Brandon, Bailey, Brie)
• My grand daughter-in-law (Hilary)
• My great grandchild (Matilda Mae)
• My brother, my brothers-in-law, my sisters-in-law
• My friends (too many to list, I am blessed)
• My kids (Cinder & Toby)
• And all who lead me in spiritual direction

I truly loved writing this exercise in happiness.  I encourage all of you to mark the happy things in your life, you will be surprised at how many there are.

Until next time.....

Cut To The Chase....

Oops, if I don't keep at it, my birthday will be here before I have listed 73 things that make me happy. I am barely up to #16 so I need to "cut to the chase" aka leave out all of the unnecessary details and just get right to the point.  Where do those kind of idioms get started?  For the inquisitive mind, there is a website entitled IdiomSite.com that lists, like the above idiom, along with many others, its definition.

And if anyone is curious, Boone made it thru surgery without any issues and was released from the vet hospital the next morning.  Bailey, however, was the one with the issues. You would have thought Boone was on his death bed the way she worried and fussed. Both are fine now and no more furniture scratching. I can now pull all the blankets off of the couch that were wrapped around each of the arms. Normal again, I guess as normal as a house with a 70 something year old, a 20 something year old, 2 dogs and 1 cat.

Oh, btw, Happy Valentine's Day. Hope it was filled with LOVE.  Bailey hand-modeled for me for this shot. She has her nails manicured regularly and I thought they were perfect for holding a hand-full of heart candy.  I really, really don't like that candy, it tastes like chalk with a little sugar thrown in but it made for a nice image. Give me something with chocolate and I'm a happy girl, or cream cheese.  Chocolate and cream cheese together is perfection.

OK...

16.  Taking photographs of hands holding something (see above)

17.  Chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream

18.  Cute mugs...I do have more than I can store in the kitchen cabinets...but do I stop buying them??

19.  Falling snow

20.  The color pink.

21.  Having a winning hand at bridge.

22.  The sound of rain while falling asleep, no thunder because it causes Toby to crawl on top of me and then I am totally uncomfortable and can't enjoy the sound of rain with Toby breathing heavy in my ear from thunder fear. So rain falling at night has a caveat attached.

23.  Book Clubs

24.  The aroma of turkey roasting in the oven on Thanksgiving.

25.  The scent after a spring rain.

26.  Singing loudly in the car by myself and thinking I am as good as the artist on the radio. (who am I trying to kid?)

27.  A really good book, the kind that you can't put down, and when finished you are sad that it's over.

28.  My "go walk" sketchers...soooo comfortable.

Have you started your "happy list"?  You really should, it's cathartic  I'm changing that word because when I  searched for the definition of cathartic it had the words "evacuating the bowels", that is definitely not what I mean.  So, now I'm saying it gives me balance, grace, beauty and dignity. So much better.  Have a happy week.

Until next time....

Flowers, Audio Books, and Coloring Books (Everything You Ever Wanted to Know)

Whoop whoop, TJ's had ranunculas on it's flower cart yesterday when I stopped in after Bible Study. And there is nothing that delights me more on a cold, cloudy day in February than a fresh bunch of these gorgeous multi-petaled flowers.

And then to make the day even better they also had mini daffodils for $2.49.  Now how could anyone pass up these sweet petals of golden yellow?

When you see this you can't help but think that the promise of Spring will be here shortly. Well, possibly not shortly here, but somewhere.

And speaking of Spring, my blogging buddy, Jeanne, sent me a text on Friday inviting me to join her in the hill country of Texas in April for blue bonnet season.  A former photographer for Southern Living is conducting a photography tour of the area sponsored by the Dallas Arboretum, instructing us on photographing these beauties.  After that adventure we will head over to Fredricksburg and delight in all that's to see and do around that area for a few days. Can't wait.  Jeanne is originally from the Chicago area and now lives in the Dallas area, while I grew up in Dallas and now live here in the Chicago area. We met thru blogging and then met face to face a few years back while she was visiting family here. After that the 2 of us met in Charleston, SC a couple of years ago for a photography tour and had a great time together. Already have my plane ticket booked and Jeanne has booked our lodgings. Now Texas knows how to do Spring right, unlike here where it's iffy all thru April and even into May.

I've recently discovered a new sleeping pill.  No, it's not what you think, no drugs involved. It's called audio books. I have recently downloaded some audio books along with the read-a-long kind on my Kindle when the books & audio are a reasonable price.  No sooner do I turn that audio on, listen for possibly 15 minutes, and then I'm gone (asleep, that is). There is a 30 minute timer that I should set so the story doesn't get too far ahead without me actually listening. It's like falling asleep with a book on your lap that slips to the floor and you have no idea what words you last read or what page you were on. That's how I feel when I wake up and there is a voice reading to me and I have not a clue as to what I have missed or how much I need to back-up. Maybe I should be doing something productive while I am listening. Nah, I would rather fall asleep.

I ran into a friend at TJ's yesterday when I was gathering the beauties above, along with a few food items.  We have decided with the extra day in February, (the 29th) we are going to have an adult coloring day party. Won't that be fun. I just bought myself a brand new box of Prismacolor colored pencils, PS those are the best if you are interested in joining the coloring craze. I have 4 coloring books that are just waiting for those strokes of color. Have you joined the coloring book craze?

                            

I know, I know, I am a terrible grandmother, but I did buy this for my granddaughter. She thought it was the best gift ever. Oh and she is 25 years old, so it's not like I gave it to a child. So while she is coloring swear words, I will be coloring Paris objects and flowers.

OK, I'm done (in more ways than one).

Until next time......