"The white towers and golden domes of the church gleamed in the sapphire sky. The luxuriant autumn asleep till morning. The silence of the earth seemed to merge with the silence of the heavens and the mystery of the earth touched the mystery of the stars."
Monday, November 04, 2024
Autumn Leaf Of The Day #44
"The white towers and golden domes of the church gleamed in the sapphire sky. The luxuriant autumn asleep till morning. The silence of the earth seemed to merge with the silence of the heavens and the mystery of the earth touched the mystery of the stars."
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Monday, September 26, 2022
Canada Geese, Late In The Day. Plus Leaf #5
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Life Paraphrased Part One
Friday, December 13, 2019
Mischieveous Autumn Love
Monday, November 11, 2019
Walking With Autumn Thoughts
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Raindrops On Safflower Clover
Thursday, December 13, 2018
A Year of Sumac And Red
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Happy St. Patrick's Day
~Me :)
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
A Preview Of Spring And Happy Hanukkah!
Friday, August 22, 2014
Come Into My Parlor, Said The Spider To The Fly...
~The Spider And The Fly: A Fable
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Oh, Okay, So That's Why That Happens!

I580 Angel
Spring 2005
"When you wake up with a song stuck in your head, it means an angel sang you to sleep."
~Denise Baer
I love music! Almost all genres of music, except country. I have never much cared for country, however there are some country songs I have always enjoyed, and certain country artists as well. So now that I think about it, do I really dislike country music, or is it just way down on the list of types of music I enjoy? Hmmm?
Sometimes music makes an otherwise sucky day, so much better! Who doesn't love turning up the music, super loud, and singing along with a song that makes you feel really good inside? I do it all the time! But usually only when I am in my car, because my singing usually scares the cats! Well, mostly Hendrix, who does his best to comfort me. Dylan merely stares at me in annoyance. It's a hazard of naming your cats after musicians.
The worst time spent with music is when you get a song stuck in your head, and can't get it to go away! I once spent 27 weeks of my life with Take The Long Way Home by Supertramp, going around and around in my head like it was hopelessly stuck on a turntable! Don't get me wrong, I love the song, but really, one can only take so much!
Hey, looking on the bright side, at least it was a song I really love! It could have very easily have been a song I loathe like MacArthur Park or My Ding-A-Ling. LOL. Yes, Take The Long Way Home was much better! A couple months ago I had This Old Man in my head... why? Shrug... I have NO idea, but there it was! And it was playing LOUDLY! What the HELL was that about?
But see, the quote above has finally solved the mystery! We are all at the mercy of angels, who apparently have very strange sense of what is soothing... or very strange sense of humor! Personally, I think mine has a strange sense of humor! That makes sense, I just know God, who also has a strange sense of humor, would pair me with a silly angel!
Not that I am complaining! It's better than an angel who only listens to country music! Or 1960's television theme songs. Can you imagine getting the theme to Petticoat Junction hopelessly stuck in your head?
No, lets not do that! At least Supertramp's Breakfast In America was my favorite album ever! :)
Take The Long Way Home...
Supertramp from the Breakfast In America album.
:)
Mood: Quiet But Content
Me :)
Saturday, February 01, 2014
Seeker Of Light

"No one lights a lamp in order to hide it behind the door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people's eyes, to reveal the marvels around."
~Paulo Coelho
I have been thinking about my friend Steven lately. I am not sure exactly why, maybe because we are in the middle of winter, and I know he would already be anxious for spring. He loved the color green, but he loved it when flowers burst forth with every color imaginable. He liked to photograph flowers, and butterflies, and he was amazing at it! His photos could absolutely take your breath away! I remember once, not long after we began our friendship, I told him that I was going to have to stop leaving comments on his blog, because I had ran out of adjectives.
He laughed.
And I, of course, continued to leave comments that never really conveyed just how impressed I was with his photography.
I can't quite believe that it's been nearly 2 years since I learned of his passing. He died in October of 2009, just a week or so after his birthday, but I hadn't learned about it until 3 years later. People on the Internet come and go out of your life for a million different reasons. Some get tired of blogging and one day find themselves with nothing more to say. Some have busy lives, and make the decision to let real life lead them. Some, like my friend, pass away.
I still think about Frank. What a force of nature he was. We didn't know each other long, but he made a big impression on me. He was so funny. So easy to talk to. Nice. He was a nice man. I still wish he would have listened to us and gone to the doctor! Pam. She died of lung cancer at 50. Well, she turned 50 just a week earlier. She was a great lady. She took time to help you if she needed it. She never made me feel unwelcome. She liked to cook, and she only used lower case i's because she said she didn't care enough to correct them! LOL. She had a way with the camera as well. Her death hit me hard, I think because we were close in age. Or maybe because she was my friend. Not sure which really. Maybe both.
Anyway, I don't mean to be maudlin. I am not sad really, in fact I was thinking the other day how much I have to thank Steven for, when it comes to my photography. His feedback and gentle guidance made me a much better photographer. I still have the hardest time remembering that he won't send me an email of encouragement out of the blue. He used to do that. Just out of the blue. I remember one day, back in the AOL Journals days, we in the community asked others to write a description of our blogs, from their point of view. Steven wrote mine.
"Through the lens of Carly; wordsmith, photographer, and seeker of light."
-Steven
I used that description on my AOL Journal header for a long time. Well, until AOL closed that service back in 2005. I used it here for a long time as well, and then one day I decided to change things up a bit. I know he would have wanted me to move on. Still, the other day I was thinking about how much closer I tend to look at the backgrounds on my photographs, and how attracted I am to the natural light. I know it was because of him. His love a light lives on when I see something softly illuminated, or I see movement in butterfly wings. Sometimes, all I have to do is see the color green, especially the first real green you see when the earth has begun to have enough of all the darkness winter demands we endure.
It's that first green that helps me seek the light.

Mood: Quiet But Grateful
~Me
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Why?

"I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose, I would always greet it in a garden."
~Ruth Stout

Ellipsis is going to be a bit flower and garden heavy for the next few days, except for an update I have planned about my adventures with Windows 8. It's been a little over a month, and I have figured some things out so I want to revisit some previous gripes I had. Good, bad or otherwise, I am immensely happy that I have been able to learn something new. Over all I am a happy girl, but there are still a ton of questions I would love to ask Microsoft! LOL.
Like maybe... WHY? LOL. That's all, just... WHY?
Stay Tuned!
"Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again."
~Gustav Mahler
Mood: Happy
~Me :)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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From For Ellipsis |
May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow,
And my trouble avoid you, wherever you go!
-Irish Blessing
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I am making a big Irish feast for dinner tonight, and I will post the photos tomorrow! :) Hope your St. Patty's day is filled with luck and love! Don't forget to wear green today! I have a beautiful green skirt and white sweater all picked out for the day. :) How about you? Do you wear green on St. Patrick's Day? Tell me how you celebrate! Better yet, why not participate in this week's Monday Photo Shoot assignment... "St. Patrick's Day!" You have until next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM to upload your photos, and leave me the link in the comment thread. Hope you can join us! Love for my entry tomorrow!!!
Have a wonderful holiday!
Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #81: St. Patrick's Day!
-Carly
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Round Robin Challenge: It's Not Easy Being Green

"The one had leaves of dark green, that beneath were shining silver, and from each of his countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadows of his fluttering leaves."
J.R.R. Tolkien
I have changed my mind, several times in my 46 years, about what my favorite color is. I love pink, especially if it is paired with yellow, and the funny thing about that is, I can't really wear either color successfully. Both colors, on me, look hideous. I like the color mauve, and I do a little better with it then pink, but if given a choice, I will simply take purple. Purple has been my favorite color for a while now, but the thing about purple is there is very little that can go with it, so I will tend to go back to the color I wear most often, which is black, because I can wear just a splash of any color I want. But even black gets old after a while. What to do? What to do? I know! I will go back to the color I always go back to when I feel like I am in some type of transition... Green.
I love the color green. It is one of those colors that put me at ease, no matter what turmoil might be going around. I like photographing different shades of green, and of course, what would and afternoon be, without my green tea fix? I hadn't realized how much green was actually in my life, until I began to do this entry. I have green sheets on my bed right now. My favorite autumn sweater is green. Life wouldn't be worth living, if I didn't have my nightly vegetable, especially a crisp green salad. When I set out to find the green in my life, I discovered it is absolutely everywhere in my world. Maybe that is why I have been feeling a little more centered lately. Heck, even the cover for my Yoga mat has a deep green background, with tiny multicolored (but mostly green) dragonflies on it.
The lighthouse you see above, is one of my very favorites. It is the Walton Lighthouse, which is in Santa Cruz, just a short hop from the boardwalk area. It had some controversy a while back, when there was a movement to paint the bands around the top red, and replace the lantern with a clear one. Public outcry saved the unique green colors of the lighthouse, and now you see it in all it's lovely green splendor!
Here are some more of my favorite green things...
Late summer in Berkeley, still a little green left to enjoy as the seasons prepare to hand off to each other.
The gorgeous green cliffs along Highway 1.
The Luna Moth. I think it kinda looks like a ballerina. What do you think?
Is there such a thing as a white/slightly green tarantula?
YES! Brussels Sprouts are a favorite vegetable of mine in autumn and winter.
Where did the idea for this challenge come from? Glad you asked. Our friend Julie, who can be found at the blog, Julie's Web Journal, submitted the idea of a green challenge for us. Be sure to go by her place and see what green things she posted for this challenge! And after you do, pay a visit to all the participating Robins! Let's be sure to show our support of one another, by paying each other a visit, and commenting. It's a great way to get to know one another! If you haven't played yet, there is still time. Just visit the official Round Robin blog for all the details!
Linking List
Julie... Julie's Web Journal
Posted!
Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!
Carly... Ellipsis
Posted!
Wammy... The Ellis Family Cincinnati
Posted!
Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!
Martha... Perception
Posted!
Maryt... Work of the Poet
Marie... Photographs & Memories
Posted!
And... Photographs & Memories Too
Posted!
Maria... Maria's Space **Welcome New Member**
Valerie... Soulfully Blond **Welcome New Member**
Posted!
Jennifer Robin... Robin's Woods
Posted!
Vicki... Maraca
Posted!
Erin... Life of a College Student **Welcome New Member**
Posted!
Gina... Gina's Space
Posted!
Momma... Sandcastle Momma
Posted!
Em Dy... Captured Beat
Posted!
Ourhomeschool... Our Home School in the Woods
Posted!
Kiva... Eclectic Granny
Posted!
Steven... (sometimes)blog
Posted!
Connie... Far Side Of Fifty
Posted! **Welcome New Member**
Greg... Photo Trek
Posted! 09/21/08
Jeni... Friendphotog
Posted! 09/21/08
Just a reminder, there is still time to play the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot. The week the topic is "Cheese." You have until 9:00 PM eastern time Sunday night to post your photo, and leave me the link.
-OndineMonet
Friday, March 21, 2008
New Monday Photo Shoot: Being Green

"Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
New Monday Photo Shoot #12: In honor of St. Patrick's Day, and in anticipation of spring, show us something green. If you want to photograph something that really is green, fine. If you want to photograph something that's definitely not green, and then edit it to look green, that's even better!
-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin
I thought this picture might fit the the theme of things nicely. This is a Green Ice rose, and it is one of my very favorite roses to grow. Some have a deeper green outer petal all around, and a softer pink inside. Some are double blossoms, so it has a real porcelain appearance, but don't let it's delicate appearance fool you, it is a very hearty rose, with a soft rose scent that is amazingly easy to grow. I love putting these roses on the table as a decoration for St. Patrick's Day, but doesn't it just say, "Welcome to Spring" as well? :)
-OndineMonet
"Green Ice Rose"
Berkeley, California
March 19th, 2008
Afternoon
Friday, August 31, 2007
John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #181: Two Truths One Lie

-William James
Weekend Assignment#181: Present three facts about yourself. Have two of them be true. Have one of them be false. Encourage people to guess which one is the false one. When do you reveal the false one? On Monday. In a new entry (I'll be linking to your original post). You'll get two visits for the price of one!
Extra Credit: Have you lied about something today (aside from the Weekend Assignment)? You don't have to say what the lie was. Just whether you've lied today. Little white lies count.
-John Scalzi (By The Way)
Jeepers, I have been blogging over four years John, there may not be anything new to learn about me. Hmmmmm. Scratching my head...Oh... I know...
Two Truths And A Lie
1. I am the youngest of three children, and my spouse is also the youngest of 3.
2. My favorite bird is the pelican.
3. My eyes are green with little flecks of purple.
Alrightly then readers, have you been paying attention? Do you know which ones are true and which one is a lie? Guesses anyone? As John instructed, comeback here to Ellipsis on Monday, to read the reveal. :)
Extra Credit: Nope, I cannot tell a lie, I did no lying yesterday. :) Nope, not me!
"Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. In the first, it is ridiculed, in the second it is opposed, in the third it is regarded as self-evident.
-Arthur Schopenhauer
Click here to read my follow-up entry. :)
-OndineMonet
"Pelican Cliff"
Pismo Beach, California
October 12, 2006
Late Afternoon
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Your Monday Photo Shoot: The Eyes Have It!

-Leonardo da Vinci
Your Monday Photo Shoot: Get a really, really, really, close shot of someone's eyes. Try not to use the flash. Or, you know, poke them with the camera. Some judicious cropping will do the job too.
-John Scalzi
It's kinda cool that Blogfather John Scalzi decided to devote the Monday Photo Shoot to the eyes, because I had my annual eye examine yesterday, so I happen to have a few photos available for the shoot. As you can see, I have green eyes, out of curiosity, what color are your eyes?
My Left Eye... See, I Have Green Eyes
A Digital Retinal Scan Of My Left Eye
Spooky Unnamed Eye Doctor's Machine-A-Ma-Gig
-OndineMonet
"Real Me"
Berkeley, California
Late Spring, 2006
Afternoon