Round Robin Photo Challenge: Lights! Camera! Action!

"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how faster travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."

~Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man

RRC: Lights, Camera Action

And yet another archived photo serves as my Round Robin Challenge photo, due to my computer crashing in November. It's going to take me a while to rebuild my files, so once again my apologies, but to be honest, I am a little happy to be sharing one of my favorite lighting mistakes. I took the picture above at the Tilden Park Carousel Christmas Fantasy, a few years back, and let me tell you, the lighting that night was not being kind. It was one of a very few times when I wished I was still using my 35mm film camera with all it's special lenses. Digital photography is worlds apart from film photography, in that I believe film is a lot more forgiving. But even in all my angst and hard work, I did get a shot I liked, and one that really kind of excited me! While the one photo at the top is clearer and more of a standard photo, the second photo almost seems magical to me. Like all the lights had come alive for a moment, and the star is racing up the tree! I don't know... the mistake photo is pleasing to my eye anyway!

What do you think?

Clear Photo...


Special Effect Photo By Mistake...


Thoughts?

 Now that you have seen my contribution to this edition of the Round Robin Photo Challenges, go see what other participants have posted. Just click the link at the top of this post to be redirected to the official Round Robin Challenge blog. I know Karen would love to see your post!


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Little Toaster Oven On College Avenue

"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch."

~Orson Wells

There it was. A lonely looking, discarded, but apparently much loved toaster oven, sitting on a nifty little stool, all alone. Is there anything sadder? Well yes, I suppose there is, but isn't it a little sad in it's own way? Or maybe it's a happy thing, maybe the door wide open is actually smile. Maybe the toaster oven is happy because it served it's owner for years and years, and now it is happily retired, and waiting for the big recycle bin in the sky. Or it could be that the little toaster oven is free to a good home! Or... maybe it's just a toaster oven. (Shrug) Who knows?

Thoughts?

Mood: Silly 

~Me :)

I Like To Call It Wednesday!

"For last years words belong to last year's language, and next years words await another voice."

~T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

Next Wednesday is New Year's Day, but I like to call it Wednesday! LOL. I must confess, I am a big excited about this New Year's Eve, as it is the first one in many years that I will get to spend with Alan, with no worries about getting up early the next day! It's going to be an amazing New Year's Eve! It will indeed usher us into a new year, and a new chance to begin again, but when you think about it, each new dawn brings that chance, so who cares about the clock striking midnight, on a Tuesday night? I am more excited about there only being 9 months to go till the autumn equinox! LOL. Yes, I absolutely do begin the countdown on January 1st! And let me tell you, I am already planning next October's vacation events! We have tickets to a comedy club and a cruise on the bay all lined up! :) I guess I am finally at the age where autumn leaves do indeed turn me on, but then again, so does a good back scratch! LOL. Yes, 2014 means I am YIKES another year older, and closer to the grave, but oh for the adventures that awaits us! I can't wait! :)

How about you? Are you looking forward to 2014?

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because of you are making mistakes then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before and more importantly you are DOING SOMETHING!
So, that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is" art, or love, or work or family or life. 
Whatever it is you're scared of doing, DO IT.
Make mistakes, next year and forever."

~Neil Gaiman

Mood: Excited

~Me :)

It's Boxing Day; But In Our House It's Panini Day!

 

"I felt overstuffed and dull and disappointed, the way I always do the day after Christmas, as if whatever it was the pine boughs, and the candles, and the silver and gilt ribboned presents, and the birch log-fires and the Christmas turkey and the carols at the piano promised never to come again."

~Silvia Plath

I am exhausted. We had a marvelous day of love, and gift giving and getting, and playing with a house full of cats, and one kitten, with way more energy than their human parents, or his feline siblings! I got a brand new panini grill and a pizza oven, plus several jars of different flavored gourmet mustards, so you know what I will be up to for the next few days or so! Don't worry, I will post pictures, and probably the recipes if I come up with something truly new or special! If nothing else, you will learn of my misadventures, because, as you probably already know, 2013 was all about the 

PLAN B in our house!

Stay Tuned!

Mood: Happy But Tired

~Me :)

Merry Christmas :)

"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace."

~Agnes M. Pahro

From Our House To Yours... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's Christmas Eve!

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don't clean it up too quickly."

~Andy Rooney

It's Christmas Eve. Finally. I shouldn't say finally, it is, after all, the shortest holiday season in many years, but it has been a strange time, between the end of Thanksgiving weekend, and now, but it has been a happy blur! Joey brings a whole new shot of life into the house, and a lot of smiles! So, I am still posting photos of the boys, but it will be later today, probably closer to midnight, so be sure to check back if you can! If you can't come by later, it's all good! The pictures of my little elves will be here forever! Right? For now, if you need a little holiday spirit, how about checking out my favorite Christmas Eve website... SANTA AT NORAD!

Stay Tuned!

Mood: Very Happy

~Me :)

It's Christmas Eve... Eve! And An Encore Performance By The Brothers Gordon!

"Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart... filled it too, with melody that would last forever."

~Bess Streeter Aldrich

Today is Christmas Eve... Eve... and I am wrapping packages, doing some last minute shopping, baking cookies, taking Christmas pictures of the boys, Dylan, Hendrix, and baby Joey. I will be doing laundry, and watching the very last home game of the San Francisco 49ers! After the game, Alan and I are going out to do some midnight Christmas shopping, and we may stop for midnight eggs! Who knows? But I do know it will be one long day that will be sliding into another. I love being this busy, and I love how happy we are right now! Growing up, I dreaded the holidays, but when I married Alan that all changed, and now I look forward to it, with all the enthusiasm I wish I could have felt as a child! Happiness... there is no better gift to give someone! :)





 And Now An Encore Performance From 
The Brothers Gordon...


Be sure to tune in tomorrow, Christmas Eve, to see the boy's portraits!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

At Christmas, All Roads Lead Home

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

~Lao Tzu


Joey And His Daddy
December 19th, 2013

Alan and I were musing last evening about how, for once, we haven't gotten a phone call about how December 10th has affected us. You remember about December 10th? That's a cursed day, usually financially, that Alan and I experience each year! Well, this year, the number one financial curse affecting millions is the Target breach, and for once, it doesn't affect us at all! In our over diligence and caution, we were very careful where we used our ATM/Debit cards, and this time the over caution worked out just fine. We won't be caught up in that mess! So, it seems we are free and clear this December 10th, unless you count, well, Joey.

If you would have told me a month ago, that we would be adopting another cat, considering the small place we live in, I would have laughed for two weeks straight! I would have told you JUST how full of beans you were and pretty much made fun of you each time I saw you, because clearly you are the most ridiculous person... EVER! Well, the joke would have been on me, because we have adopted a cat, and not just any cat, we have our very own Joey!

 
Dylan At The Help Desk

Things were going so well in our lives. Both Dylan and Hendrix were finally at the age where we could leave the house for extended periods of time, and not have to worry about coming back home to drama, like Hendrix getting into the pantry... he likes to snack... or Dylan driving the neighbors crazy with his early morning concerts, or his fascination with typing HELP on the computer! Also he likes to sing the Dilly Song, bright and early every morning, but a belly rub, and a nice brushing usually calms him down. Although, if I don't happen to be home, he doesn't sing at all! This was confirmed by leaving the webcam on overnight once. The singing is all about the attention! And we have figured that out, so, everything was fine. It was good. We had the perfect family... but you know how life is, it has one damn sense of humor!

 
Dylan, 2009 "Here's What I Think Of You, Mommy!"

I have known Joey for 3 weeks now. He came running into our lives on November 30th. He is our little holiday cat, and a more loving, agreeable cat there never was! He seems to understand that we saved him, kept him from harm, and yes... we love him! He can't possibly be a part of some financial curse, even if we have put out around $400.00 since we found him! He was injured. We got him his shots. He needed kitten chow. He needed toys. He needed blankets for his bed. He needed a collar. He needed his own grooming supplies. He needed a small cat box. He needed all those things any new baby needs, but most of all, he needs us.

 
Hendrix, 2009"I help you! Can I help? How can I help?":)

I can't even begin to explain the timing, except the universe, and God, and Elvis, all have a sense of humor! Over the years, as we got to know Hendrix and Dylan, it has seemed more and more likely that we didn't find them by a lucky chance of circumstances, I truly believe Elvis sent them both to us to ease the deep aching pain his loss left us with! Honestly, I died a little with that cat. He saw me through so much, and he loved me till he died. He was a huge presence in our lives, and he made a big impression on those he met. I had people tell me that, while they didn't particularly care for cats, Elvis had something special to him that made them feel instantly comfortable. He would bond with people almost instantly. I wish I had just a little of the charm he had.


Elvis, 2008

When he got cancer... it felt like a wide dull knife was stuck into my soul. And the day it was time to let go, and I started to leave the doctor's office, I looked back at Elvis, and our eyes met, and he had a look on his face that seemed... to say..." it's okay, it's time, don't worry." And I let go. But I really didn't. I think about him every day. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. And sometimes, I can feel him here with me. Laughing at me. Patting my tears like his used to do, and sometimes just reminding me of his playful nature. So, when we brought home Hendrix and Dylan, and they fit in like we had custom ordered them, it wasn't hard to believe that maybe Elvis had sometime to do with it. He was our caregiver on earth, and he never stopped working. Love transcends ethereal boundaries. I believe that completely.

So, here were are, with a cat none of us planned for, but he is so gentle, and smart and playful. He never complains about having to go into his box for bed time. He doesn't bother the other cats. He isn't super vocal. He is just the perfect cat for us in every way! He is exactly who and what we would have ordered, had we been able to summon the perfect cat! So whether Joey found us by way of God, or Elvis, or Santa for that matter, there is one thing I know for sure, it wasn't by coincidence. Joey, Alan and I were all on the same road that day, and now there is just a little more love in our little cottage. The best gifts don't always come from stores or are wrapped up in paper and bows when you get them! 

The best gift will always be the gift of love!

"At Christmas all roads lead home."

~Marjorie Holmes

Mood: Happy

~Me :)