Ribbit

ily oak trees

The evidence is left behind every morning, broken acorns across the patio table.  Further proof that summer is fading.  I could sweep the patio several times a day and still some would remain.  Instead, I'll let them pile up, there's more important things than a messy patio.  If your days are numbered, and let's face it, all of ours are, do you really want every moment filled with the monotony of cleaning up after squirrels?

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

The flying Squirrels video

Our first attempt at a little video. The flying squirrels are still coming regularly. I am moving the date on this in case you missed it and because I signed up for a youtube account so hopefully you can view it easier. :)

twisted

I am the juicy grape struggling to come to my full potential while the twisting vine of cancer struggles to confine and snuff out.  I'm so very thankful for the pruners of this world coming to my aid!

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

The chaos of life has been giving me problems with this project, but I'm still trying to dig deep and get these emotions out.  Occasionally I catch myself barely tapping the surface and I know that's not what this is about and I struggle to go deeper and rip out the root of all the ills that cancer brought to my soul.  Thank you for your words of encouragement, they mean the world to me!

PS - I am currently limited to only using my macro lens.  I hurt myself and cannot tolerate the 8lbs of camera and 400mm lens right now.  I feel like my arm has been cut off. :(  If you remember me telling you about my missing rib, and showing it to you, if not click here to get the full story, that's the area of my chest currently give me some pain.  I'm thinking maybe it's just a pulled muscle from lugging the big camera around so much lately.  Hoping it will work itself out.  Either way, when we come back form vacation it's time to see the oncologist and get scanned so we'll find out I'm sure.

surviving

When you finish chemo and are finally deemed cancer-free you are thrilled to have met your goal.  You count yourself lucky to have survived the beast, to have battled, and WON!  You spend some time floating in the clouds and regaining your strength.  As time goes on that horrible time in your life gets further in the rearview mirror, but you know the beast is always out there circling.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

Macro Monday Mini Crab

While sifting for shark's teeth we came upon several small crabs. I thought this one was pretty tiny, until I saw. . .

Now he's tiny! These were taken with my little waterproof point and shoot.

Can you tell he's no bigger than a penny? It's so funny to see something that small get all defensive, lol.

Macro Monday is easy to play, snap a macro (or any close-up) photo, post it on your blog and come back here and sign Mr Linky. MM started on Sept 29, 2008 - Thanx to all of you for helping make it such a fun start to the week! :)

SOOC #12

I have been trying to change my attitude towards the chipmunks driving me crazy. They are everywhere, so I might as well embrace them, lol.

Murrieta365

life essence

Water is life's mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.
~ Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

Butterflies

This butterfly stood out in the sunshine amongst the green.

This one tried to hide in shadows but he wasn't as sneaky as he thought.

nothing but white

I live in an area where summer is so short that if you blink you will miss it. I have to soak up every flower quickly before they're gone.  I appreciate their bright colors and smells, knowing that all too soon there will be nothing but white surrounding me.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

Cedar Waxwing couple

The Cedar Waxwings have been unusually cooperative. I really enjoyed watching this pair bounce around eating berries.

The one closest to us would pick a berry, hop over on the branch and give it to the other one.

The rest sat far above while these two had their intimate dinner.

I'm assuming they were a pair as they never got far from each other.

getting to the point

Sometimes we have to shave away the crap to get to the point.  Our minds get so filled with statistics, remedies and preventatives that we're lost in the fragments.  Instead of looking at all the things we "wish" were, we need to be thankful for what we still have and rebuild from the debris.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

I just had a tough time choosing between three photos so thought I'd share the other two I was torn between.

the wall

People need people, even more so when we're sick, or going through tough times. When I was diagnosed I kind of shut people out. I didn't want to bring them down too, or I didn't think they could possibly understand, or I feared running them off with my whining. What I should have done was accept their encouragement, their understanding. I felt vulnerable, like my body had failed me, ashamed. It was hard for me to let people in to help me get through it. Looking back, I should have accepted their hands, their ears, their hearts.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

Tristan is Smart!

A few weeks ago I drew hopscotch on the patio and now it is necessary every time the grandkids come over. Come on, what 1 & 3 year olds don't like to hop? lol

This time after hopping for a while Tristan wrote some things in the squares.  I really didn't pay much attention to what he had done until his mama came to pick him up and said, "Oh he wrote his numbers"  He had written 1, 2, 3, and 4, she asked him if he could write 5 and he continued on.  He has been counting for quite some time but we didn't realize he could write the numbers to.  Mom says he has been doing it for a while and she just caught on to what it was, asked him about it and he said yes. lol

To help you see his numbers I put the number in red and also in the direction he wrote it.

spotted

My Wacky Son

cell phone pic

Two evenings ago, Haden plucked a plant exactly like these and said, "This is Poison Ivy"

I said, "Really? Then drop it!  You're allergic to poison ivy!  Don't you remember?"

Him (dropping it), "But I've never had it since living up here, have I?"

Me, "I dunno.  Don't you remember how bad you used to get?!  I don't know if it's possible to not get it if you've always gotten it.  You better go wash up right now just in case."

(That's our Missouri talk coming out, lol)

I swear that this boy cannot look at poison ivy without getting it.  He has been to the ER several times with it covering lots of his body, and in places you'd rather it not be.  One summer he was there 5 times!  I was so ticked at him as I thought he kept purposefully getting in it, lol.  Shots would help and we learned to wash him with Dawn dish soap immediately if we suspected he had been in it.  And the reason he hasn't had it in several years is because he learned what it looked like and avoided it.  So what was he thinking plucking it out of the ground?!

So yesterday he woke up with one swollen/red eye and we had forgotten about the plant and assumed he got bit by a mosquito while sleeping.  Today he woke up with the eyelid worse and some itching on his ear.  Yep, he's still allergic!

PS - I am not allergic.

light my fire

We all need something that spurs us on. Something that helps make life more enjoyable.  I typically run across many such things every single day.  One thing today, was discovering the tiny little bug hidden in the intricacy of the marigold's petals.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~



I cropped in so hopefully you can see the fly(?) in the center, towards the left.

You might as well laugh too

The last two days have not been good to us, where keys are concerned.

Sunday we had some errands to run, working on the Fiat and picking up some parts for it, and shopping for our upcoming trip*. When we got home from the errands we wanted to pull the fiat back into the garage, we had left it in the drive way, but we could not find the keys. We searched the Fiat, we searched the Rav4, we searched the house, and each other. No keys.

We only have one key for the ignition, one for the trunk, and sharing the ring is the spare to Haden's car. It's vitally important we not lose them, to get copies made we have to order blanks off the internet and pray someone can cut them. OR, we can buy a new ignition and keys for a couple hundred. We plan on trying to get copies but haven't yet.

I have been lectured (love you, hon!) about the importance of keeping track of the tiny keys. Because of said lecture I attached the key ring to the point and shoot camera. Sure it's a rather large keychain, but the keys won't get lost that way. Dennis takes them off to use them and well, he put them in his pocket, with the Rav's keys, and they must have fallen out on the parking lot. Thankfully, we got them back. Equally, thankfully, it was not me who lost them! lol

Now it might make sense that the Fiat keys aren't on Dennis' key ring, nor mine, they stay on a hook in the house. But, Dennis keeps all his keys on one ring and he has many keys. I only carry the key to the Rav4 on my keyring. I don't have a house key, I just use the remote to the garage door and come in that way. I have a spare key to his van, but I don't carry it. I leave it in the Rav, lol.

Last night, the spare van key took a ride in the washing machine. Oops! I honestly can't tell you if it had been in Dennis' pants pocket or in mine, I don't remember who had the key last. But I am the one guilty of not checking the pockets well enough before tossing things in. So far, the remote part is not working, I didn't try the ignition. Hopefully it will work once it dries out. I have washed a thumb drive and a CF card before and both still work.

*Oh, did I tell you we're going to Glacier National Park? We leave in about 10 days. Fun! Camping and hiking and such, maybe I'll have cell reception, maybe I won't, I won't have internet for most of the time but I am getting posts queued up. I will be sending a photo or something each day to facebook, as reception allows (if we're not friends there please add me, there's a link at the bottom of the page)

the moon

When I was going through chemo I had a hard time sleeping. I spent many nights wide awake and in contemplation. Often I would step outside, even though it was winter and snow was on the ground. I would bundle up and step out, breathing the frigid, refreshing air and gaze at the moon and the stars and it seemed all my worries were momentarily gone.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

speedy

If I could move as fast as a hummingbird for just one hour imagine all I could accomplish! I wouldn't even need to hide from the world, I could just zip here and zip there, barely noticed.

~ You can see the explanation behind this project by going here or see the all posts in this category by going here. ~

100th Macro Monday

Happy 100th Macro Monday! Thank you to each one of you helping to make it such a success! Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had 100 participants this week?

I have to confess, I did not count all these tiny ants - That thing they are eating on is an average black ant to give you some idea of how small these guys are. Amazingly tiny.

I'm pretty sure there's at least 100 there.  PS, I did count the ant eggs in the badge below, but I lost count so I'm not sure if there's 98 or 103, lol.

My husband was kind enough to bring me a package of mini-m&ms (actually it was for the grandkids, but don't tell them I played with them first, k?) and I counted out 100, exactly. But you can't really tell here, so. . .

Macro Monday is easy to play, snap a macro (or any close-up) photo, post it on your blog and come back here and sign MckLinky. :) MM started on Sept 29, 2008 - Thanx to all of you for helping make it such a fun start to the week!

I invite you all to make up a Macro Monday badge (if you want to) just email me if you'd like me to share it here too.  I'll make up a page where they all can live and be linked back to their creators. :0)

sooc #11 Happy Birthday Honey!

Today is my husband's birthday, and since he is 6 months younger than I am he has finally caught up! I called one of friends in the wedding cake business to make him a cake. He loves her cakes! We went to pick it up friday and it was very hot, an hour and a half away and it sweated a little on the way home. But it's all good.

The only direction I gave her was I would like a camera on it and that he likes yellow. She did great!  After I took this photo I said, "Ok, I'm done"

He was holding the knife ready to cut and waited so patiently, not, for me to finish playing with it.  I barely had the words out that I was finished and the first cut was happening!

Jennifer really does make awesome cakes! They are always so moist and yummy (the sweat didn't affect the taste at all)! I'm going to include a link to her website in case any Wisconsinites are looking for a cake for a birthday, wedding, or any other celebration. Saves me answering emails, lol. You can see more of her wonderful creations at Cakescapes!  And remember, all these photos are straight out of the camera, no tweaking involved. :)

Murrieta365