March 31, 2009

run, don't walk......

you have to go and see this
~~~
kristy asked us what we'd like to see her shoot
and
she wanted it to be deep and different and thoughtful and meaningful
~~~
I can't hyperlink her here for some reason
so PLEASE go to my side bar
under camera lovers
and
look for WRECKLESS
~~~
then read what she wrote
fall in love with her photography
and
notice the little things that I missed the first time
{like the name inscribed on the bench}
~~~
now excuse me while I go and straighten out my overly large head
{you'll undestand after you visit on kristy's blog}

March 30, 2009

to be or not to be.....

I was editing today or is it called processing
or is just called playing around with your photos until you're blue in the face and then your hubby takes your computer away from you and says
"hey, remember me ?"
~~~~~
whatever
I've told you before I'm addicted to playing with my photos and until they tell me
it could cause me to grow an extra toe
I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing
~~~~~
but
what I'd really like to do is take photos like denise
because
cripes her photography is amazing
~~
everything she does is soft and gentle and etheral and mystical
but
I can't be like her
she's already taken
{get it?....banner saying}
let's move on
~~~~~
so I played with the flowers above and I like the softer versions
and
on somedays that softness fits me perfectly
as far as who I am, how I dress and I how I act
but
then there are those days where I'm loud in everything I do
so
I think I'll keep my options open
and
just keep being myself
*



March 28, 2009

I asked for it...you asked for it...and here it is

Carol wanted know what inspires me
~~
the sun on my face inspires me...actually the sun anywhere on my body inspires me... which makes me think of the beach and that's a whole other story
kim wanted to see my beautiful tile
~~
I cheated on this one, because this is the tile at our cottage, but it's my game and I get to make up the rules as I go along and this really is my "LOVE" tile and we used it here in the bathroom and as the kitchen backsplash
cinner wanted a picture of my house
~~
and I think she must have forgotten that in order to take that picture, I would have had to go outside in the snow and I'll have none of that and like I said, my game....so this is a picture of our cottage instead, which I like way better than our house anyhow and patti wanted a picture of something if I was looking outside my front door or window...well, here at home I'd be looking at a neighbor's house {yuck} and at the cottage I'd be looking at our prairie {yippee} so I'll just use this picture to hopefully make you both smile

meri asked about something I collect and elizabeth asked about a cluster of goodies
~~
well my vintage photos answer those questions easily
and if you really want to know, I have hundreds of them, mostly of children
and I can't seem to leave a flea market without a handful of them as somehow I believe they need a home, which answers the question sue asked me

samantha and meri... you sillies
~~
my junk drawer
I know, I know....I tend to be pretty neat

sweet laura who has been to my house wanted to see this cabinet again
~~
this is from the original post office from the home town that my hubby and I grew up in and when they built a new one, all the cubby hole pieces were taken apart and we were lucky enough to get a section of it

relyn asked about my bookshelf
~~
which is really bare right now here at home because all my books end up out at the....you guessed it.....the cottage.... because they feel good out there
{I just started, "everyone is beautiful" and I love it}

meri also asked about my favorite hanging thing
~~
be warned
story coming up
even though the picture is shitty
this is a custom made mirror by brian andreas that my hubby surprised me with when we lived in st. louis...the original saying says, "a little more space" and when we moved to st. louis I happened to be lucky enough to have a closet the size of a small shopping mall {seriously it was huge} so john called the company {story people} and asked them if they could add "closet" to the saying and brian said yes and ta-da...my favorite hanging thing

nobody asked to see sophie
but she's almost my favorite anything in the whole world
and
she wanted to model her new spring rain coat for all of you
{it's great when your sister works at land's end}

marcie asked about the inside of my fridge
~~
now if you thought I was boring
well, this just might have confirmed it for you
and you'll notice I can't live without my feta cheese or my french vanilla creamer

holly somehow knew where I spend way too much of my time
when she asked about my blogging space
~~
my desk is an old farmhouse kitchen table with worm holes in it and I love it
and it sits here in my office, which also houses my little corner of the world that somebody asked me about, but now I can't remember who

and last but not least
derrick asked me about my favorite kitchen gadget and I had to pick myself up off the floor as I fell there from laughing so hard
and then marcie asked about the dishes in my kitchen sink
~~
when my hubby read those questions he just laughed and said I needed to take a picutre of the phone and the take out menus which would answer both questions
{oh I just love that man}
~~~~~
anyhow
can I just say that you are all great and fabulous
{and I hope I didn't forget anyone and if I did, I'm so sorry}
and
you all made me think and laugh and run around the house and yell at my flash
which
totally got me out of my snow funk
and
I'm sending you all a huge hug for playing along with me
and
I can only hope that you'll come back to visit
now that you know how dull I am
*

I need a push...

because
this weekend isn't looking so good
~~
we're getting snow
~~~~~
so
in honor of being house bound
and
helping me out of my funk
I'm taking requests
~~
tell me
what you want to see
~~
seriously
throw some ideas at me
and
I'll take photos of anything IN my house that you want to see
~~
now granted
I'm making this sound like I live in an interesting house
and
that I'm an interesting person
with interesting stuff
~~
wrong
~~
what needs to be interesting
is your unique idea of what I can shoot
that will be entertaining {hopefully} when I post the photos
~~
and
what do you get out of this
?
~~
well
I'd love to bake you a cake or rub your feet
but all I can give you is
a little linky loo back to your blog so others
can see how interesting YOU are
~~
so what do you think
want to play along
?

March 27, 2009

cripes...my aging mind !

my mind weaves complicated thoughts and ideas
and
tends to remember what others have usually forgotten
~~
phone numbers
names
locations and directions
~~
but the older I get
the more I forget
~~
and
yesterday's post was a great example of me
losing it
~~
my daughter just told me that I had already posted some of those house pictures
shortly after I had taken them this past fall
and
I was like
"really....are you sure?"
and
she was like
"yep, I've seen the outside of that house before"
"but I don't think you told the story"
~~
DAMN
~~
you see
I have picture files that are bursting at the seams and I tend to keep track of which pictures I've used, which pictures I love the best, which pictures are just so-so and should be deleted, but for some reason I've formed an attachment to them and can't throw them away and which pictures will be the best ones to edit late at night when I can't sleep.
~~
but
I don't have a file of pictures labeled
"used already so don't be an idiot and use them again"
~~
I guess I need a new file
~~
so a huge apology to you, if you've already seen any of the pictures from yesterday's post in a previous post
and
to all my new readers
a.
thank you for being here
and
b.
pretend you never read any of this
~~
and
in case you were wondering
the picture for this post was in the "late night" file

March 26, 2009

sometimes I just can't help myself.....

do you see the little stone doorway on the left
?
it whispered my name
and
invited me in
where I discovered this little room
waiting for me
~~
standing there
thinking about what furry animals might be calling this broken house "home"
and
feeling a little uneasy
I knew I just couldn't turn back
without looking through the dark doorway
that was slowly pulling me closer
and
around the dark damp corner
I found this stairway carrying the same magical power as the rest of the house
so
slowly
step by tested step
I climbed to the top
only to discover a floor that was weak and worn
and
unable to hold me
~~
so I stood at the top of the stairs and looked across the room and out
what might have been the front door
and
then slowly and satisfied
I climbed back down those red stairs
into the musty darkness

relieved
to see the door in which I had entered
~~
and
as I turned back for one more look
with the safety of daylight at my shoulder
I took a deep breath
and
a little smile emerged
~~
because
that's what happens when you do something you love


March 25, 2009

a little graffic....but I think you can handle it

well I'm sitting on my exercise ball to type this
because my spine physical therapist said it would be great for my spine {duh}
and of course my neck and especially my core
~
let's stop right here for a moment
and concentrate on the word "core"
because it's starting to drive me crazy
~~
I guess it's because for years I had a stomach
and
then after my babies were born
I had a belly
but now
I have a core that just doesn't seem to be doing her job very well
and
then my physical therapist informs me that what she calls my core
is NOT the same as what
what my zumba teacher calls my core
{there's a difference in length}
and
I'm really thinking that I'd just like to have my stomach back
~
those damn cores
~~
anyhow
I can do anything {seriously anything} on this exercise ball
including balancing on it with my feet and hands in the air
but
sitting on it for any length of time
well
at first I thought it kind of hurt my va-jj
but
then I realized it wasn't really that
~
in order to balance on this thing
I have to use "those" muscles
{you know which ones}
~~
and
that can be a really good thing for women
who have had children
or
if you pee a little when you laugh
or
for women who want to tone everything down there
~~
and
that's all great and fine
and
I'm sure my husband will request that all my computer time be spent
with my exercise ball underneath me
when he reads this
because
even though
I was thinking that muscle was doing a pretty good job on it's own already
what man doesn't want to be impressed with all of his wife's muscles
strengthened
?
I'm just wondering what my physical therapist is going to say when my core
doesn't look any different when I see her next week
and
my neck still hurts
but I tell her
my sex life is better
*

March 24, 2009

my boy peeps

they would shoot
I would shoot
{my camera}
they would miss
I would miss
they would laugh
I would laugh
too
~~
the smell of gun powder
my boys smiling
the wind in our hair
a little swearing
a little sweating
lots of walking
~~
sunday
was a good day
*

March 22, 2009

not my kids, but still adorable

seriously and honestly
I'm not a stalker
~~
I might be a trespasser
but
I'm not a stalker
~~~
So I was at the park
minding my own business
when these teenage baggy pants boys showed up
to skateboard
and
since
I have a baggy pants teenage boy at home
they didn't scare me at all
and
besides
they were right where I was shooting
so I did the "I'm totally cool" dorky motherly thing and went right up to them
and
said
"hey guys, I've got a "spankin" new lens that I'm playing with....can I take your picture"
and
they said
"yup sure, totally rad"
~~~~~
and
I have to say
I LOVE this skating kid showing off just for me
and
then there was this little girl
who was laying on top of the children's
rock climbing wall
soaking up the sun
while talking to her dad
and
not having a care in the world
~~~~~
granted
with my zoom lens
these two had no idea that I took their picture
so
to protect the innocent
I've kept their faces hidden
~~~~~
remember
I don't know much about cameras or even lenses
but
I'm learning
~~
my last zoom lens was a 80-200
and
this new lens is a 70-300
and
I think I like it
~~
anything else {I think} would be too heavy for me to use without a tripod
but
PLEASE....if you have any suggestions about the zoom lenses
let me know
as my camera store has 10 day return policy
*
thanks soooo much

breathing the outside, in......

the sun
blinding today
~~
the air
warmer than they said it would be
~~
the wind
barely breathing
~~
the sky
a cotton blanket of blue
~~
the ground
damp with rotted leaves
~~
the trees
stretching and yawning while waking to spring's soft music
~~
me
oh
I was the crazy lady in the park taking pictures of everything I could find
including children I didn't know
and
ducks that made me laugh
because
I bought a new toy
and
what better way to practice than to act like a stalker
who hasn't seen daylight or people in the last
6
months
~~
I'm guessing
you camera people might be wondering what
new toy
right
?
and
you non-camera people
are wondering how strange I might actually be
if I'm taking pictures of stranger's children
right
?
~~
well
the new toy
is a mega zoom lens
~~
much better than my old one
but oh she's a heavy one
and
those photos of the children I don't know
well
they'll be in my next post
~~
{and really I'm not that strange}

March 21, 2009

wide open or just me on another quest to find the beauty in the broken

spring is here
~~~~~
are you feeling wide open
and
ready to dust off those winter cobwebs
~~
has the clutter that gathered these past months
in your
mind and movements
become too much
~~
let it go
let it all go
~~
run around in circles
breathe in that fresh new air that makes us sneeze
look for the buds on the bushes and trees
ride with your windows down
sing your favorite song at the top of your lungs
throw on a baseball cap and smile at strangers on the street
lay down on the floor and rub your dog's ears while she's sleeping
eat only potato chips for lunch

and
if you have to
~~
if you're not quite feeling it
stand on something
that will make you taller
so that you can get a better view
of it
~~
because it's here
spring is here
my calendar says so
~~~~~
so now excuse me while I go put my winter jacket back on

March 20, 2009

where the sun shines.....

I tried something different
with these pictures
~
I DIDN'T EDIT THEM
~
go ahead
pick your jaw up off the floor
~
I know
I can hardly believe it myself
what I did do though
was to follow the sun around my house
~
the plant is on our kitchen table
and
was taken around
9 AM
~
the misty mawn original
was taken around
3 PM

and
the books on our coffee table
I shot around
4 PM
~~~~~
as a photographer
and
wow am I going to use that term loosely
I get bored easily
which I'm sure has beeen obvious as this winter drags on
so I'm doing what I can to mix things up a little
~
stay tuned
maybe tomorrow I'll try taking photos with my eyes closed
*




March 19, 2009

so gross, but cool

when we were walking along the river the other day
taking pictures
and
being thankful for the thawing and wishing it was july
so we could put our toes in and test the water
I spotted this
~~~
ewwwww
~~~~~
it's a fish
probably a blue gill
I'm guessing
~~~
everything was intact
including the eyeball
staring back at me
~~~~~
now years ago when our kids were little and we had them with us all the time
this would have been so much more fun to find
because
my son and I would have found a stick
and
unlodged the poor fish from his burial grounds
and
jumped back as he floated to the top
closer to us
~~~
and
then we would have helped him to the bank
so we could really get a close up look at him
and
then jack probably would have stabbed him with the stick
just to make sure he was really dead
and
we would have laughed
~~~~~
that's the kind of mom I was
and
still am
~~~
but
since it was just me and my hubby at the river
this stick wielding mom who helps poke at buried fish didn't come out
until I looked at this picture on the camera
~~~~~
and
now I'm so wishing she had

March 17, 2009

at the top of my voice....

the wisconsin river is no longer frozen
like it was
in this photo
I took on
sunday
~~~~~
now
it's wide open
and
screaming
"I survived"
~~~~~
actually
that was me this morning in my bathroom mirror
when I realized that winter is over
~
it's really over
and
I won
~
woot woot
~
and
now I layer
OH NO
not clothing layers
been there
done that
~
I'm picture layering
and
whoa
it's not that easy
~
well okay it's not that hard
and
maybe I'm just really picky or I'm making it harder than it should it be
but
geez
you have to have just the right picture and just the right layer
to make it look like something other than a blobby mess
but
I'm getting there
~
I figure if I can master layering
tanks with built in bras
under
whisper thin t-shirts
under
turtle necks
under
polartec anything
under
a winter coat and scarf
then
I sure as hell
can do this
*
{the picture in my banner is also layered and I'll take any advice from other layerers on how to do this technique
and
yes I'm cracking myself up....layerers isn't a word, is it?}

March 16, 2009

it was calling my name.....

we had driven by this property many times
almost stopping
but never hitting the brakes completely
~
sunday
we did
~
"no trespassing"
signs
~
there were none
~
there was
a big fence that we had to jump over
though
and
we kept looking around thinking maybe the farmer
across the hundreds of acres owned the property
and
would show up on his 4-wheeler
with a shot gun
but he didn't
houses like this fascinate me in a way I can't explain
~
I wonder who lived here
and
why they let it go
~
it looks like it was loved
once
~
the pink walls
the green ceiling
the light fixture I covet
~
yes
someone loved this place
I think about the hands
that opened and closed this door
for years and years
day and night
through brutal winters and soft springs
~
was it just adults who lived here
~
maybe a young couple who couldn't ever have children
or
maybe a family with lots of children
who slept in tiny rooms on imperfect mattresses
who
shared stories around the warm fireplace in the evenings
while dad
after having spent hours tending to the farm
finally joined them while smoking his pipe
and
what room was this I wonder
~
I think maybe the kitchen
but
there was nothing inside to tell me so
~
it was filled with tires
and
rusted springs to bed frames
and
pieces of wood and debris that I couldn't even recognize
~~~~~
this is how I like to spend my weekend days
~
driving around with my hubby
looking for houses and barns
that are barely hanging on
yet still
maintain a beauty
that
not everyone can see
~
can you see it
?


March 15, 2009

draw, drawing....WINNERS !!

if you left a comment the other day
on my little give-away
your name was put into
my drawing
I decided
one
wasn't enough
two
was just about right
and
three
would give me a challenge
~~~~~
SO
if you see your name
on a slip of paper in my finger tips
you're a winner
~~~~~
well
we're all winners really
aren't we
?
{at least that's what I've always told my kids when they were on the losing team}
ANYHOW
jennifer white
julochka
and
derrick
give me a shout and let me know what prize you'd like to have
either a banner using your photos and words
{of course I'll edit your photos first because I can't control myself}
or
a favorite picture or two that you just want me to "play with"
~~~~~
THANKS
so much to everyone who played

March 12, 2009

our house....

is a very, very fine house
with 2 cats in the yard
life used to be so hard
now everything is easy
cause of you
~~~~~
come on
please tell me you were singing along with me just now
and
make me smile
*
granted
some of you bloggers reading this are almost young enough to have grown up
singing along with Barney
the likes of
"I love you, you love me"
but
this is the kind of music I was raised on
and
amazingly
there are just some songs
no matter how old you are
where you never forget
the
lyrics
~~~~~
and
where am I going with all of this you ask
?
well
finally our house is fine
since our 17 year old is back at school
after a week long bout with a flu bug
NOT
the stomach flu
but
a fever that wouldn't break
a headache that wouldn't go away
a cough that would wake the dead
a nose that ran solid for days and days
and
a sore throat where even ice cream hurt
flu
~~~~~
and
now I have teenager's basement that needs to be fumigated
*
and
while we're on the house subject
can I just say
my hubby is the greatest
?
after watching an episode of oprah one day
and
having him hear for himself that a husband
dusting the house
emptying the dishwasher
vacuuming the floors
making the beds
and
cleaning the toothpaste off of the bathroom mirrors
is
considered
FOREPLAY
for lots of women
~
well let's just say that when I returned home today
after
a morning filled with
a zumba dance class
an appointment with my spine physical therapist
and
a treatment from my acupuncturist
to
all of the above
~~~~~
yep
uh huh
it worked
I'm in the mood alright
*
but
even this manly man of mine
wouldn't go near the basement
"we'll just let that air out a little before we touch anything down there"
I heard him say

it's thursday....do you know where you're at ?

" The vision must be followed by the venture.
It is not enough to stare up the steps~
We must step up the stairs."
~vance havner~
~~~~~
what would have been really great for the above quote
?
you got it
steps
but I didn't like what I had
so I just used this photo
instead
which has nothing to do with steps or stares or stairs
oh well
~~~~~
and
there is still time
to sign up for my drawing
{see previous post}
please
jump in
the more the merrier
*

March 10, 2009

you made my day.....and I want to give you something

we had a rainy day on sunday that turned into ice
and
then into a beautiful
snow
yesterday morning when we awoke
our entire world
glistened
and
surprisingly
it was quickly melting
so I got dressed
and
asked my sweetie to come with me on a little photo escape
since our front yard
only gave me the birdhouse picture above
and
I wanted more
so
we jumped in the jeep
and
drove to my favorite little spot
where
the blinding sun was warm
the soft air whispered
"spring is almost here"
the white ice covering the rain soaked grass cracked with our weight
the creamy blue sky blanketed us
and
the words out of our mouths
were
"now this is what winter is all about"
~~~~~
now
a huge thank you to all of you who left comments
over at relyn's
about my photography
and
my passion for it
and
to thank all of you
a
GIVE AWAY
~
I'm assuming some of you don't know how to edit your photos or have the time to do so
and
I want to help
~
I either want to edit a favorite photo of yours
so you love it even more
or
I want to make you a blog banner using your photos and words
~
SO
leave a comment here
telling me that you'd like me do something for you
and
I'll do a drawing friday night and pick two or three or ten
of you
{depending on how many of you want something}
and
together we'll make something beautiful
and
again
THANK YOU ALL
for being so kind
*

March 9, 2009

I flew the coop....

I'm thrilled to be a guest blogger
today
over
at Relyn's
where's she making the month of march
all about
passion
~~~~~
and
I don't want to beg
but
I'd love for you to come visit me over there
and
find out what I'm passionate about
*

March 8, 2009

walking when it's warm....

It always amazes me how I can drive the same route
so many times
and
never see anything
~
the area we live in is filled with parks
yet
when it's warm enough to enjoy them
we're out at our cottage
so they never get my
time
and
attention
our weather last week really teased me
and
off I went in search of anything
and
to my surprise
I came across this neighborhood park all tucked away
and
hiding
and
I loved it
the ice on the lake was melting in the afternoon sun
the ground was spongy
the sky felt warm with a new shade of blue
the winter berries screamed my name
the birds were singing in a sound only heard in early spring
and
I had found a new park
that will be calling my name over and over again

March 6, 2009

today....




" It is important to expect nothing
to take every experience
including the negative ones
as
merely steps on the path
and
to proceed"
~ram dass~
~~~~~
this morning I went to a zumba class
expecting nothing
other than a chance to be with friends and to get out of the house
{since I don't really like going to the gym}
and
to my surprise
I loved it
and
as
I
moved and swayed
and
stepped and shook my hips
{and laughed when I saw myself in the mirrored walls}
to
the music
my body was loving all of it
too
and
I've decided it's been a long time since my body and I were friends
{mostly all winter}
and
I've decided I'm going to be nicer to her now that spring is coming
and
I'm going to take her dancing a few days a week
~
and
if she's really good
I'll stop and get her a fruit smoothie when we're done
*