Let There Be Light

I'm really late today but hey,  I'm here.  I had so much fun with the light today, starting really early this morning..first time ever I just grabbed my boots, threw on my coat...the long one, grabbed Canon and hopped in the car.   Still had jammies on and no underwear, hadn't brushed my teeth or even had a cup of green tea yet..I did take one with me though...i have not been this excited about the light in months.

Last night we had the most amazing snow storm.  When I woke up this morning and lifted the shade it was dazzling in my backyard...diamonds in the trees.  I knew this early morning light would not last...I also knew when the sun got a bit higher I would lose all that beautiful sparkle that was sticking to everything...so off I went.   It felt so good to be out in the fresh air,  the only one in the woods except for the birds...It felt so good to be spontaneous and free.  It felt really good to be able to hear the quietness of life.   I haven't been out like this in many months...it just felt good to claim a piece of myself again..

As it turns out, my lesson for 2B this week was to find the light...capture it.   Find a spot in your house that provides good light for those days that you can't get out or for those wonderful still-life shots that you want to do...Today I did both.

I spent time outside..then I came inside..walking and waiting for the good light...early afternoon it entered my guest bedroom...and I got busy on my homework. Another thing I love...getting my Click magazine in the mail..I LOVE this magazine...it's such a treat...first I just look at the cover,  then I put it on my night stand for later. It is not a magazine to be rushed...one needs to have a date with it...I know it's there but I know in order to enjoy it I have to let the excitement build a bit...this is one of those magazines that you read cover to cover and devour the photo's and the tips...I mark it up with my marker...you know, for things to check out later. Oh Cllick is not just a magazine..it's an adventure. So I think about it,  then I warm my bed up with the electric blanket and I must have my cup of tea ready...and really I hate to say this but only Gracie and I are allowed in the bed when it's time to pick  this magazine up for reading...yup...no husband beside me trying to chit chat about "whatever"...this is defiantly ME time...

So today was a good day...a great day in the scheme of things...ah to feel the freedom of normalcy, even if it doesn't last into tomorrow, is a gift...just for today...I found the light and the light is good....

Just a Moment in Time

Happy Thursday my friends...can you believe how fast this week is moving....I'm excited that the weekend is almost here...Not sure why,  I don't have any big plans but then again,  you never know what might come up..

Just like my photo above..I didn't know when I went out to the park that I would find all these lovely birds...so I guess the point of this post today is just to say when we put ourselves out there we never know what we might find...I was so delighted to find this tree in the park with so many colorful birds in it...of course there was a feeder close by which attracted all these birds but I'll just pretend I was out in the wilds of nature and came across them..

Not everyday has to be big and exciting...some days it's really all about finding joy and pleasure in what life throws our way...and of course it helps to always have your camera in the car...how else will you catch those moments in time if your not ready..

The other moment in time today was having breakfast with a friend whom I have loved for many years and we used to see each other almost everyday but as things happen we "grew up" into Grandmother's,  one retired, one still working, so we don't gather as much as we used to...but this year we have promised ourselves to get together more frequently and today was our first day...lovely to say the least...and no hurry because we chose just to enjoy our special breakfast together...Ah, it felt good to be with her again and the words flowed between us like the honey on our yogurt parfaits...

So not much more than that..as part of my plan to FOCUS this year...I hope to be able to blog on Monday's and Thursdays...until I can find more time and more to talk about and so far so good...so I guess you could call this a Moment in Time also..

Enjoy your weekend ahead..and if possible...find a friend,  feathered or real..and create your own moment in time...doing something for yourself...

"There is beauty in simplicity."

“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” Karl Lagerfeld

The Language of Books

A holiday in New England...what to do, what to do...Actually I have plenty of things that need doing,  like cleaning out my cellar or clearing out a few cabinets but sure seems a shame to do tasks like that on a holiday don't you think...so I thought perhaps a better idea would be to share with you my love of books...I'm thinking I'll make it a regular feature here on my blog.   It would accomplish two things...One..I love to read and I know many of you do also, so this is something we could share with each other...and secondly,  if I'm going to make this a regular feature then I'm really going to have to stick to my reading,  which I would love.

Since I've been laid up a bit here and have limited "in chair" time,  to fill that space I have really persued my reading much more vigerously and it has been such a joy to get back in.   The surprising side note there is that I have found some wonderful books on my overflowing shelves.  I might not be a fast reader but I'm a master at buying books.   I was thinking of not buying anymore books until after Lent but I already broke that last night.   I went to Amazon bought three more...

So here we go...get in your comfy chair, hopefully you have a nice glass of wine or a great hot cup of tea on the sidetable and grab yourself an afghan.   It's cold and windy here today but the sun is shinning...the perfect afternoon for book reading.   My aunt once told me,  many years ago,  that you are never alone as long as you have a good book to read.   I have always remembered that and I find it to be true.   I can get so lost in my books that I feel like I'm sharing the experience with the character's.  I'm also at the age now that if by some chance I pick up a book and after 50-100 pages it's not grabbing me,  I have no problem letting it go...there are many more books on the bookshelf and I don't have a lot of time to waste on a book that doesn't hold my interest.

I was pleasantly surprised recently when I picked up the book, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.  I mean, I like flowers enough but a book about the language of flowers...hmmm.   Since I had bought it and since the cover was lovely and since I also had a lot of time on my hands,  I gave it a go.   I am so glad I did.  I couldn't put the book down.   Did you know that in Victorian times ( I would have loved to live in Victorian times), the language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions...now that right there drew me in.   The story though was about a childhood spent in the foster-care system and how the child was not able to become close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings...It was a compelling story and yes,  I did learn some very interesting things about flowers...and about people...how we are all effected by our circumstances,  and how we sometimes think we know how another feels and react accordingly without reaching out.

In the photo above of the the cover of this book...I chose a few stems of daffodils...the meaning of which is "new beginnings".  Daffodils are also know as the "cancer" flower...both apply to me in very different ways...my Mom and my younger brother both died of cancer...and at my nieces wedding large bouquets of daffodils were on a table in the back of the church in memory of them...And now for me..in this year of 2013 I feel like I'm at a new beginning..Knowing more clearly where I want to go in my life,  what I expect from myself and how I'm going to FOCUS my time...the book was a re-introduction to putting reading, my first love, back on the top of my priorty list,  right where it belongs...all the rest will come later.  With the reading will then come the writing...so check back when you can and see what's new on the book shelf...

"Moss is selected to be the emblem of maternal love, because, like love, it glads the heart when the winter of adversity overtakes us, and when summer friends have deserted us."  Henrietta Dumont.

From the Rockies to New England

Just a cute little treat for you all today...being that the weekend is here and we are once again having a light dusting of snow...not that we really need more but it does keep the white going instead of the grey which will come later..

Week 4 of Beyond...can you believe it...this weeks lesson was to take something from the inside...outside.  Took a bit of creative thinking for me as still life is not my strong suit...YET.   I am working on it and I do like it...My stronger suit would be nature photography only because I have a hugh love for the great outdoors...and I'm always inspired by the Gifts of nature...and the quietness of life in the woods...but learn I will.

I will say that I think, at least for me,  that still life stretches my imagination more,  builds confidence when I complete a task and I'm pleased with the way it comes out.   It also is a great teaching tool in that I use more creative processing which is hugh for me.   I'm learning so much and with the learning comes the love.  It also pays to have a creative and wise teacher with a lot of patience...thanks Kim Klassen  for always being there for me.  So about today's photo:  

I brought this little bear home from my trip to the Canadian Rockies last year..a reminder of that trip and all the wonderful places we got to photograph...I love that the Teddy was ready for winter and knew he would fit right in at my home in New England.  As I sat thinking of this lesson..something from the inside...out.   He caught my eye and as it was snowing out..I knew he would just love to get out in the backyard...Maybe he was missing though Rockie Mountains and his snow this time of year...So off I went to the basement to fetch him a nice sleigh for his adventure in the New England winter...that sleigh was made by my husband...gosh he's so handy....I added a little blanket in case he got cold, I made that.  I know they like blankets on their sleds in the rockies..a cowgirl showed me that and off we went to the yard and a beautiful dusting of snow.   

Needless to say it was a fun photo shot...he didn't talk back..he didn't run away...he just sat there like a good little Teddy should but at the very end of the session I think I saw a smile apear on his face...yes, it was a smile...I think he was saying thank you...thank you for bring me home and loving me... Thank you for a bit of time in the fresh air but mostly he was letting me know that even though his beloved Rockies were far away, the difference in our lives was not so wide...cold, snow, love of outdoors,  sleigh rides and good friends can happen easily even when the distance seems hugh...I have so many wonderful memories of that trip..one in particular where I met my Cowgirl Friend  and to this day I feel like she is right next door...her world in the Rockies,  my world in New England..distance does not separte us...I wonder what next week will bring...

Happy Weekend to all who are part of my World...

Love Is In The Air....

Not just today but everyday...Happy Valentines Day to all who visit.

For me Valentines Day isn't about chocolate, flowers or gifts of any kind...For me it's about the Love that I experience every day...not just on this one day of Red Roses and romantic verses...

You see my loves live in my heart every day...I've learned over many years that love doesn't come in a package, it comes in a hug or a warm fuzzy feeling and most often it comes with a lick on my face or paws at my feet...sitting under my desk...my constant companion is love.  It comes when my computer goes crazy and I'm not able to fix it.  I have my own in house techie who always "fixes" everything for me...Oh and my kids..they just fill me up...with Love.  Took awhile but we got there.

It came to me so strongly and clearly just a short time ago...validated you might say by little arms and a tiny little voice...I had the Noro virus and could not see my Grandchildren for almost 10 days...I missed my boys, especially my Liam who I have every week...I met him and his Mom for lunch the first day it was safe to be with them so that neither of them would get sick...Liam was sitting with his back to me when I walked into the restaurant, he did not know I was coming ,when he heard my voice and turned and saw me...oh my Gosh his face lit up like a Christmas tree..he got up on the chair and hugged me  so tight with those little arms and keep saying over and over again..."Nana,  Nana"...and he just held on...It was his first genuine expression of pure love,  given to me, so unexpected, in  that moment .We re-connected and I knew then that I was loved, really loved by this little boy.  I also knew that "he also got it". It was not Valentine's Day but it sure was a Red Letter Day in my book. Jaxson, well we know how much he loves us by the fact that he fought so hard to be here..and now he spreads joy in sharing his "raspberries and smiles".  Gotta love a boy who can make a good raspberry sound at just the right moment..and his smiles and giggles are so joyful.

Each day,  no matter how difficult or how beautiful, I am reminded that love is not ours to keep...to give love is to get love back...it doesn't just happen...it's work just like any other great gift or hard won accomplisment...time and effort and kind words...a small gesture, a hug, all of these simple gestures spread love...I'm convinced that Kindness and Goodness matter...Not just on Valentine's Day but every day..

So when you go out into the world and even in your own home...share the Love...it always comes back in ways you don't even know about yet..

For today...count your blessings and spread a little Red around...