One Day at a Time

It Is Complicated

2012-01-24T08:03:00.000-05:00

While cleaning out my closet after the painting fiasco I came across my soapbox. It was a little dusty, so I cleaned it off and now that it looks so shiny and sharp I must stand on it for a bit. Go get something hearty to drink as I would like you to be polite and listen through to the end... I am waiting... Go on, I won't fall off this thing. I do have a lot to say. (If you do not live in

Watching Paint Dry

2012-01-22T10:21:00.001-05:00

My recent weekend consisted of bringing home paint chips from the hardware store, putting them against the wall of my master bedroom and agaisnt the oriental rug on the floor, deciding on a hue, purchasing a gallon of the best quality paint they had and painting the bedroom. (Cannot get in to see the ankle Doc for another week...so ankle be damned...and it was.) My house is five years old

So WHAT Is It, Really?

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

A photo of a nearby shoreline tweaked with filters and tone and lighting manipulation. Yes, in answer to some questions, the photo in the prior post was my lovely granddaughter. I captured her in the middle of a hide and seek game where she was hiding under a ladder in a playground and her innocent childhood personality was revealed like shining silver in such a photo. I tweaked it

Art Is a Three Letter Word

2012-01-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

Photography, painting, music, and writing all fall under the domain of creative art, and therefore, are covered by the term "artistic license." According to Wikipedia (not exactly recognized as the final or most accurate word on such discussions) artistic license is: Entirely at the artist's discretion Intended to be tolerated by the viewer (cf. "willing suspension of disbelief) Useful for

Good News but Mostly Bad

2012-01-13T18:46:00.000-05:00

Well, I have gotten the results of my X-ray and MRI. My ankle was healing as I was taking long walks, but there were days when it felt stiff or a sudden movement would create deep pain. I wanted to have the option to get back into yoga, aerobics and other exercise. I am not a lean mean exercise machine, but I go through phases of loving or needing it before I become a slug at intervals. This

Taking the Plunge

2012-01-10T09:20:00.002-05:00

As some of you geek types may know I have been having some difficulty with the dwindling storage space in my free account on Pica$a (adding characters rather than real letters to the words in this post following another bloggers wisdom to avoid search engines) that G00gle has allowed for my blog. I blog anonymously and therefore do not really care if these blog photos are preserved in large

My List

2012-01-07T13:11:00.002-05:00

I am one of those obnoxious people that makes one or two major New Year's resolutions and usually keeps them...at least for the year. Thus I will list some big and small plans I have finally gotten around to formalizing this year. Get a pass on my ankle so that I can start exercising again. (Already started this with an x-ray this past week and and getting MRI next. My ankle really is

Cannot Keep Up

2012-01-05T16:27:00.002-05:00

This is crazy. No wonder everyone is sick, at least almost everyone I know including my doctor. I have had a nice fire going most evenings and afternoons as temperatures outside hovered just over 30F. The birds are loving the heated water and eating all the fattest seeds first. I have gone through a pound of peanuts, not for me for them! I also put on my nice warm fleece tops as I bring

A Post Script

2012-01-01T11:15:00.003-05:00

I blogged rather disparately about my birthday a few days ago which did eventually go off without a hitch. As proof, below are a series of photos on the cake making and eating. The mix and candles had been found and the little girl learned to bake a cake. She had to taste the batter (health officials please look the other way) and give it her blessing before it went into the oven. And

The Next Journey

2011-12-30T13:02:00.001-05:00

We are on our way to a new year. A year that we fill with hopes, dreams, passions and successful ideas. We tuck it tightly under our arm and head out, chin high, eyes clear, looking only forward with no backward regrets or reviews of past failures. It is a clean slate we have before us with no marks or smears or scratches, yet. We only see the clear blue of potential and the

The Rains

2011-12-27T15:54:00.002-05:00

What a bitter afternoon this has been. After a fall of calm and moderate weather the winds have decided to howl and throw biting rain at my windows. The young oak trees that have held on to the copper leaves now flutter them like mad brown butterflies revving jet engines before taking flight. If I must be sick, there is nothing more comforting than lying in a cozy bed and watching the cold

Can You Hear Me Now?

2011-12-26T16:18:00.001-05:00

I drove back from daughter's house with a sick husband who toughed it out because he did not want to miss their Christmas. All three grandchildren were sick with coughs and runny noses, but that did not stop them from enjoying a present-filled Christmas My granddaughter opened the large box she had seen at my house when she was staying with me last week thinking it was a large fan. It was fun

Greetings to You and Your Kin

2011-12-25T07:06:00.001-05:00

May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; The spirit of Christmas which is peace; The heart of Christmas which is love. ~Ada V. Hendricks

The Fly--not at all in a Holiday Mode

2011-12-23T16:54:00.000-05:00

Just like that aberration in the same-named movie, the fly started annoying with a soft buzz on her right side. She had just settled down to read before bed. Cushions had been propped carefully, the comforter tucked across her legs and lap and the book in the perfect halo of the lamp. The room was cozy and quiet...except for that damned fly. He was closer now. She heard the buzz just behind

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-12-21T09:49:00.000-05:00

Thus far today my birthday has proceeded according to a typical plan. Last night my granddaughter, who is staying at my house this week, had a horrendous nightmare and then proceeded to come down with a nasty cough the rest of the night...no sleep for me. This is birthday breakfast at my house in the photo above. E-Z prep. Last night hubby asked if by any chance I had purchased the cake

J'accuse the Jacuzzi

2011-12-17T16:27:00.001-05:00

It is like my private pool, All white and big enough for two to meet. It lies alone most days Waiting for my attention. I fill it with water that is hotter than a Japanese geothermal spa. I enter naked and carefully To sit not on river rocks but a textured plastic bed. The ointments dance with the watered bubbles of air and soon I am sitting in a field of rain-bowed orbs with

Angry Birds

2011-12-14T09:11:00.000-05:00

Fix your face she said. He wiped the smile away. She sat on the couch and focused her attention on the re-run. It was just a squirrel to run around and around in her easily distracted mind - he understood. He sat in the faded chair by the window and picked with one arthritic hand at the broken seam in his pants. Fix your mind he thought. Her eyes got that far away look. Today was just

A Few Last Words

2011-12-12T09:00:00.002-05:00

This will be the last post on my project for a while. I will try to provide more interesting fodder for my readers on other subjects in future posts. But I have continued to write on this story...there seems to be endless research that interrupts my every sentence. Thus far I have researched flora in Australia, bakery goods in Australia, aboriginal names, and more on geology, mining, and

The Project

2011-12-10T08:58:00.001-05:00

Is it a good (?) thing that this motivation has continue to stay with me over the days? (If you are in a fog...see two prior posts.) I am already thinking of how I could keep this story moving forward and more self-motivating...making it into short chapter stories before I weave it into the big picture. Do I dare make it a New Year's Resolution? I actually keep most of my resolutions so I do

The Beginning

2011-12-08T08:30:00.001-05:00

Writing the beginning story post below is like casting a net. It keeps getting caught on so many rocks and shells and such. I have to research a zillion questions for these two people. I have to research archaeology, opal mining, visas, Australia, and who knows what else! So much for following the rule that you should write what you know. I have the vague outline of a story that came in my

A Self-imposed Exercise

2011-12-06T07:22:00.001-05:00

Amelia had finally made the break. She was at long last able to set her course for freedom and independence, far from the confines of her parochial small town at the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. This new job was in a remote corner of Australia. She had scored a job with a mining company whose retrieval of opals had brought it too close to a possible human migration site. She

The Time Before

2011-12-05T13:08:00.001-05:00

They once were unique and individual. Some tall, some short, some medium. They were thin and fat and muscular and lanky. Their hair was brown or golden or fiery red. When they aged the crown of hair on their head reflected the passing of the years by turning silver or white or disappearing entirely. The purple and green and rainbow were not the crowning colors seen today. The exaggerated

That Time of Life

2011-11-30T14:17:00.001-05:00

(My guy readers can skip this one.) Many years ago a stand-up comedian Roseann Barr had her own television show. It was the counterpoint to Bill Cosby's upper middle class black family. It was about the lower blue collar white family. It was brash, loud and different. While I did not like Roseann's character nor her real personality I did find the show worth watching as they tried to deal

Thanks

2011-11-26T14:46:00.001-05:00

Whew. Everyone has eaten too much food and they have finally left in their cars, one family to head home and decorate their house and the other couple to head to (future in-laws) the house of the girl friends parents which is a 6 hour drive north. The house is peaceful and I am sure, once I find energy, I will be retrieving left-behind treasures and other nefarious surprises. I still have

Another American Holiday

2011-11-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

I sometimes have holidays filled with guests, friends and relatives. Some holidays are quiet as I try to get through them by avoiding the crowds. I am having a reasonable sized group of the above this year for Thanksgiving and started the shopping and cooking yesterday. It is so much easier since I no longer work! I am doing all the traditional cooking and decorating and planning and

Listen

2011-11-18T15:30:00.001-05:00

Kerredelune brought this to my attention. Get yourself something 'cool' to drink, put your feet up and listen to this: Manhatten Transfer and Route 66

Retro

2011-11-15T15:29:00.000-05:00

I have been watching a retro TV show called Route 66 while resting my ankle in the afternoons. Route 66 was a famous highway in American history that ran from Chicago, Illinois through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and ended at Los Angelos, California...a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km). This was the artery for those escaping the dust bowl recession in the 1930's,

Vanity...is it all?

2011-11-12T16:33:00.001-05:00

"In conventional parlance, vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others," according to that virtual authority Wikipedia. I have always had a tug of war with vanity. I would never leave the house without a good outfit, groomed hair and make-up. But if I was hiking and camping I could care less what I looked like. In contrast, at the end of a sweaty day of

You Need More Greens

2011-11-09T09:53:00.002-05:00

Many years ago when my son was a teenager just a year away from college, we had reached that stage that some families reach where you are terrified that your child cannot make it on his own, and yet, you are so sick of dealing with him that you want him out of the house. Yes, some families do not have to undertake crises management with their children, and you are blessed. You can believe

In a Fog

2011-11-04T05:58:00.001-04:00

I am standing in the IHop waiting to be seated. An IHop is not a dance hall nor a kiddie zoo with rabbits, for those who live outside the United States, Canada, Mexico or Guatemala. An IHOP is a restaurant famous for its high-calorie, salt-fat-sugar rich breakfasts. They also serve standard dinners and lunches. It is very popular (especially with old farts) because the servings are large,

Enduring Waiting Without Anger

2011-11-01T15:44:00.000-04:00

Well, I am guessing the evil spirits of Halloween or the good spirits of All Saints Day have worked their magic as I am almost back to normal today. Just the rare achy night and not being able to run are my worst problems! Still cannot see my inside ankle bone, but swelling is only a 10th of what it was. I was totally fascinated by the gradual healing which I monitored daily. I could not

Another Holiday to Keep You Busy

2011-10-29T15:16:00.003-04:00

(Monitor lizard at the zoo! He is a little angry!)

Slicing and Dicing

2011-10-27T18:09:00.001-04:00

(Being somewhat unable to get around I have pulled up something I wrote a while back and was never going to post.) They came and took the teachers and all their things. "You do not need this," they said. Paints and chalk were placed on the cart. "Creative thinking is for math and history." The string instruments were locked in cabinets. "Self-expression should be in sports or... well, nothing

Luck

2011-10-25T06:38:00.000-04:00

It has been eleven days since my careless accident. The swelling is almost gone! The pain, while at times unbearable if I twist a certain way, is mostly minimal as I limp around the house. I feel lucky that this was not as bad as it could have been at my age! My cabin fever reached a peak yesterday and I asked hubby to take me for a ride in the country side. Our goal was to reach the

Alright, already.

2011-10-22T18:47:00.000-04:00

You asked and thus you shall receive...you little Halloween ghouls! Sorry there isn't more black and bluesing for your blood lust. (And, yes, the glitter toenail paint was on long before the accident. If you look closely you will see the legs have not seen a razor in weeks!) I managed to be on my feet for two hours this afternoon at a volunteer training session. I am now resting up, but I

If Wishes Were...

2011-10-20T08:01:00.001-04:00

I know he is trying to be helpful and showing concern but: I wish he wouldn't ask me if I wanted my morning coffee and then totally forget. I wish he wouldn't volunteer to vacuum the main floor of the house and then go downstairs to the basement and forget to shut off the vacuum....or forget to put away the long snaking cord that lies like a booby trap in front of the bathroom door. (Yes, it

Using What Works

2011-10-17T09:07:00.000-04:00

Such a lucky lady I am. I am healing and I can actually feel and see the difference each day. I was religious the first 48 hours in applying the ice at intervals. I stayed off my foot as much as possible and elevated it. Today, 4 days later, I find I no longer need the hiking poles to walk around the house although I limp like a broken wheel across the floor. There is not much pain if I am

Cherry-Picken' Pain!

2011-10-14T11:19:00.000-04:00

My mother, when she was a few years younger than I am now, was home alone most of the time since my father continued to work waiting for full social security. He usually worked about 60 miles away from the farm. One autumn my mother was in the process of picking cherries from our three cherry trees out back by the chicken shed. She got a bee in her bonnet that using the ladder was not getting

Thursday 13 # 35 - More Free Advice - via Definitions (!)

2011-10-13T09:14:00.001-04:00

Yes, I have changed the mask of my blog. (Don't you love the jig this bird is doing?) Hope you like it. Photography. When photographers say the camera used does not matter, that is 50% true. A good capture can be made with a cheap point and shoot camera...but a good lens means you have a much better chance of getting that capture closer to what your eye is seeing. Gold. There is a BIG

Apologies

2011-10-12T19:05:00.000-04:00

My apologies to the strict and effective writers on my recent sloppy post where I tossed "person" or point of view back and forth like a football. I was just being out to lunch, I guess. Thanks for wading through the post!! I will try to be better. I promise. Please continue to drop by. If you didn't notice which post was so sloppy then you are my BEST reader!!!

Three Day Weekend

2011-10-08T07:46:00.001-04:00

What do you do on a three day weekend? Plan a BBQ with friends? Take in dinner and movie with your love? Sleep? Finish most of the stuff on that to-do list? Chauffeur children hither and yon to their well-programmed activities? Hit the outlet mall and spend a small fortune? Volunteer at the fair? Finish reading that best seller and watch fall creep in? Well, Tabor is going into the city

Ten+ Things I Learned

2011-10-04T08:03:00.000-04:00

Vacations are learning experiences. I learned that lighting, thunder, and hail will still turn me back from a high mountain hike to reach a silver lake even if I did see a moose dart into the distant underbrush. I learned that salami, crackers and fresh fruit are wonderful when eaten in the fresh air and beside a rushing river. I learned that the desert blooms year round in spite of

A Surprise

2011-10-01T11:38:00.000-04:00

Upon my return from my 2.5 week sojourn I re-entered my domain with new energies and new eyes. I saw that my windows truly needed some serious cleaning. I have LOTS of windows, so this is no idle undertaking. I started with the kitchen and living area since these are the ones with the views of the woods and water that I use the most. Three glass doors and 11 windows of casement or sash! (I

Now Do You Fell More Secure?

2011-09-27T16:16:00.000-04:00

According to a recent Newsweek article the U.S. currently spends over 628 billion dollars on security since the tragedy of 9-11. This money includes 3 billion for the airport body scanners and the necessary staffing for them over the years. My recent return from Denver required me to use one of these scanners for the first time as I went through airport security. This masterful technology

Still Spinning

2011-09-25T07:41:00.001-04:00

Trying to slow down now that I am back home. Bunch of deadline mailings, unpacking, laundry, shopping (since my fridge is still empty from the hurricane visit), emails, land line voice mails, fall stuff and I still have not found time to get outside and check the yard and potted plants. I hope sometime soon to look at a calendar!Also trying to get back into the rhythm of being at home. I

Wrong party!

2011-09-23T15:29:00.000-04:00

So I have returned and am getting ready to write a new post and find that I am getting a malware message on my site when I try to bring it up and then edit. I have been told that I have a bad link from imagineomit.blogspot.com". For some reason Google has flagged it and when I omitted my link to "Imagine" blog from Kenju, it seemed to work. At least I think it is now working and will only know

Solitary Creatures

2011-09-05T13:27:00.000-04:00

Alone, Hearing the sigh of air through the rooms of the house Feeling the fall of the dust through the sunbeams Creating the echo of a distant laugh from memory No other soul to share this faint laughter No other being to study my countenance No other person to worry about my sloth The day moves slowly with no rhythm Just the length of the shadows skirting the lawn To remind me of the

Planes, and Trains and Ferris Wheels

2011-09-05T03:16:00.001-04:00

I have no idea what the title of this post means...just sounded nice in my mind. Beginning travel in a few days and not sure if I will have Internet access. Might be good for me to just deal for a while.

At Last

2011-09-01T06:43:00.001-04:00

Power came back on yesterday. Almost 4 complete days without water and electricity and the loss of hundreds of dollars in food and I am still not complaining...although slowly becoming exhausted. We brought the Princess (my 4-year-old granddaughter) down here yesterday and she was forced to entertain herself much of the time while I washed out the refrigerator/ freezer and the chest freezer.

Two photos

2011-08-30T06:00:00.002-04:00

This old cherry was dying little by little and now with a push from the storm seems to have just missed that budget arbor we put in. Here are three of our neighbors who came by to help and get that big tree cut into movable pieces so that we could get out of the driveway!

Whoosh...

2011-08-28T21:28:00.000-04:00