A Day In Pacific Grove

"The butterfly counts not months, but days, and has time enough."

-Rabindranath Tagore

How I spent day one of the 13 Diabetic Days of Halloween...

One of my favorite days of the year, is when we make the long trek down HWY 101, to Pacific Grove, also known as, "Butterfly Town USA." The Pacific Grove Monarch Grove, is stunning in October, as the monarchs begin their over-wintering, in the groves of Eucalyptus, Cypress, and Pine trees. They cluster in the thousands, so at any given moment you will be able to see them literally dancing in the sky above you. I am always caught off guard by their beauty, and the magical way they move in and out of the shadows.

Yesterday, was quite warm, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so they were really active. Getting a good shot was not easily accomplished. Still, I was happy with what I accomplished early in the afternoon, and then I spend the remainder of the day, enjoying the magnificent coastline and parks of Pacific Grove. I took a nice long walk after lunch, which is now a part of my daily routine to fight my diabetes. Exercise is good way to bring my mg/dl numbers into a manageable range. All in all... it was a good day. Exercise... it does a body good. :)

There were 6- 9 deer, just across the road from me as I photographed the monarchs. :) It was amazing.

Point Pinos Lighthouse

-OndineMonet
"Flutterbys"
Pacific Grove Monarch Grove
Pacific Grove, California
October 18, 2007
Afternoon

The 13 Diabetic Days Of Halloween

"When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, 'tis near Halloween."

-Unknown

As of tomorrow, there are just 13 more days until my favorite holiday, Halloween. I am having so much fun with it this year, I am making some special nibbles for Alan and I to enjoy on the holiday. We have costumes all ready to go, and I have been working on the Elvis's costume, so it will fit just right. Today, we are spending the day on a photo jaunt in Pacific Grove. There is a lot of beauty there, especially in autumn. Hopefully, it will be warm enough today for the Monarch butterflies to be out playing. You usually can't see them if the temperature is under 55 degrees, so I am crossing my fingers for a warm day.

Later this week, I am going to do some entries featuring some autumn recipes I am creating, so I hope you will visit Ellipsis on those days, and give me some feedback. One word of warning however, they will be diabetic friendly recipes, but don't let that put you off, I am finding diabetic recipes not only delicious, but sometimes downright decadent. It's amazing how much I assumed about being a diabetic. I was wrong at almost every turn. From what I have been reading, this is the best time ever to find out I have diabetes. There are a lot of resources available, so that I won't miss out on anything during the holiday season. So, for the next 13 days, I will be celebrating the "13 Diabetic Days Of Halloween," including our next Round Robin Challenge, this Saturday, the theme of which will be, "Shadowland." So, let the fun begin! :)

Note: My pal Vicki has written a wonderful entry on her blog, "Maraca" which has some great links, and some information about a favorite spice used for cooking this time of year, cinnamon. Be sure to drop by her place and have a look see. :)

Sugar and Spice - Maraca

-OndineMonet
"Autumn Friends"
Lemo's Pumpkin Farm
Half Moon Bay, California
October 9th, 2007

My Flippin' Finger

"The world needs anger. The world often continues to allow evil, because it isn't angry enough."

-Bede Jarrett

Bother! I mean really, no one knows how to hurt themselves the way I do. LOL. Emotionally, physically, it's all good. LOL. Okay, so here's what happened. As you probably know, Alan doesn't like for me to watch the evening news while I eat dinner. We have learned that stress does bad things to my diabetes, and he worries about me, especially since the news sometimes infuriates me, and I get a little, well, emotional. He usually takes my tantrums with a grain of salt, and then there are times when he absolutely agrees with me and joins me in one or two conversations regarding current events, which usually calms me down, and to be fair, sometimes he gets a little passionate as well, especially when it comes to whatever stupid, embarrassing thing George Bush has done next. But last night, well, the emotions were all mine.

I was in the kitchen making dinner. Since Alan has been home on vacation, we have been experimenting with some new recipes we have always wanted to try, and last night it was Vegetable Beef Soup. I was cutting up some leftover pot roast to put into the soup, as ABC World News Tonight reported a story about how the military is having a difficult time recruiting chaplains. I can't believe just how very badly this country has treated it's military, particularly with George Bush in office. I see all these nifty little signs here and there with the slogan, "Support The Troops," which is a call to encourage America at large to to be supportive of their mission, regardless of what it is, and yet the very government that sent America's finest young men and women to war, has let them down at every turn. Everything from body armor... to military chaplains... to proper health care upon their return. It's shameful.

So, as I watched the report, I got madder and madder... and at one point, my emotion really just turned for anger to sorrow. The Bush administration loves to toss about the idea that we must support the troops or risk empowering our enemies. To not support the troops would send the "wrong message." And then they turn right around and justify the shabby way they have treated our own military. By now you know the laundry list of offenses, I won't go into that, but needless to say as my sorrow grew, my attention span waned, and quicker then you can say, "Cheney is an ASS," I cut my finger with a very sharp knife.

I can laugh now, but at the time I really thought I had done myself in. LOL. Blood squirted large and high. It kind of looked a little like that one comedy sketch on Saturday Night Live, where Dan Ackroyd, as Julia Child, cut his hand during a cooking demonstration, and suddenly there is five minutes of deep red blood squirting to infinity and beyond. Funny because of it's exaggeration. That couldn't really happen... could it? Yep, it can! I was watching the blood squirting up to the ceiling, and before I knew it, a long string of thinly masked obscenities came out of my mouth. "*&@@!!^&&**!!!"... and followed by "and the horse he tried to ride in on! The little jerk!" LOL. I knew as soon as those words came from from my mouth, Alan would be coming in to check on me. I hadn't even noticed at that point, that it wasn't any old finger I had just sliced open, it was my "flippin' finger." LOL. Although kind of appropriate I suppose.

Well, just so you know, we got the bleeding under control, so I am pretty sure no stitches are needed, and dinner was wonderful, as was the company. Alan didn't even lecture me about the "Bush Free Zone" agreement we had made, but he did laugh when he realized I had been wounded in the pointer. LOL. He put an Elmo bandage on my boo-boo and we moved on, but I think I have learned my lesson this time. No more evening news, news magazines or YouTube political follies during the dinner hour. Nope. Not me. Nope. I am kind of fond of my appendages. :) Live and learn... right?

"When angry count to four; when very angry... Swear."

-Mark Twain

Somebody's Got To Be There And Tell Them It's OK

-OndineMonet
"ELMO HELPS"
Berkeley, California
October 16th, 2007
Late Afternoon

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Lounging

"We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many worries about the morrow, for they snap our energies."

-Etty Hillesum

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Picture someone or something in the act of lounging about or slacking off. Naps, loitering, general loafing - it all works. Show yourself, show friends, show pets. All this shoot needs is to have them not doing much at all.

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

Elvis has learned the fine art of the afternoon nap. I took this picture of him a while back, but it is a pretty accurate illustration of how he looks every afternoon, especially during autumn. He loves to crawl into the blankets on our bed, but sometimes I beat him to it, and get the bed made before he gets in. On those days, I leave plenty of throws on the bed for him to cuddle into, and I open the shade on the window so he gets the warm afternoon sun. He makes me sleepy just looking at him. I love cuddling him during a nap, he has the best belly in the world, well, second best. ;) Alan knows how to take a pretty good nap too. Tee Hee.

-OndineMonet
"Elvis and the Nap"
Berkeley, California
Autumn, 2007
Afternoon

Anna's Hummingbird

Gentle day's flower
The hummingbird competes
With the stillness of the air

-Chogyam Trungpa


Last Thursday, we took a drive down south to Pacific Grove, and spend the day along the 17 Mile Drive. We visited all our favorite stops along the way, and had a picnic lunch at Bird Rock. Afterwards, we continued along to the Lone Cypress, and then finally, Pebble Beach. We usually stop in at the Pebble Beach market for an afternoon treat of fresh fruit or cheese, but lately we have been forgoing the late afternoon indulgences. It's better for my diabetes if I try not to snack between meals, and truthfully I wasn't particularly hungry, so we just stopped for a little while to enjoy the ocean, and the grounds of the Pebble Beach Golf Course.

While we were there, we found the most beautiful bush of purple flowers, which seemed to be the favorite afternoon snack of some gorgeous hummingbirds. I was amazed at how beautiful they were as the sun caught their colors, as they moved in and out of the flowers. My Audubon bird guide, lists them as "Anna's Hummingbirds." I don't remember seeing that variety up in the Bay Area. I will have to do some additional reading to see if they are mainly found along the central coast of California. I will be heading to the Pacific Grove either later this month or early next month to visit the Monarch grove, so hopefully I will get a chance to study them a little closer. :) They were fascinating to watch, as well as photograph, but then again, any new bird that I get to discover with my camera, always becomes my new favorite. :)

-OndineMonet
"Anna's Hummingbird"
Pebble Beach Golf Course
Pacific Grove, California
October 11th, 2007
Afternoon

An October Evening

Click on the photo to see the enlarged version.

"Night, the beloved. When words fade, and things come alive. When the destructive analysis of the day is done, and all that is truly important becomes whole and sound again. When man resembles his fragmentary self, and grows with the calm of the tree."

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

There was a gorgeous sunset last night, so naturally I just had to stop and photograph it. This is the view from Grizzly Peak Boulevard, here in Berkeley, looking out toward San Francisco. The weatherman says it will be nice for one more day, and then some rain will be coming in for most of next week. Sigh. I love the rain, but I love the clear days that lead to sunsets like this one. What's a girl to do?

-OndineMonet
"Berkeley Sunset"
October 13th, 2007
Berkeley, California
Twilight

17 Years Today! Happy Anniversay Alan :)

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."

-Mignon MacLaughlin, The Second Neurotics Notebook, 1966


Another reason to love October, it's the month our wedding anniversary falls in. :) Today we have plans to stay home, and watch spooky movies all day, then later in the afternoon, we have plans to go out to dinner. Something insanely expensive, and completely decadent I am sure. I have been taking really good care of myself and monitoring my diabetes closely, so I think one night of being nutritionally naughty will be fine. After we get home from dinner, we will probably cuddle up and watch our favorite movie, "So I Married An Axe Murderer." LOL. Yep, it's our movie! :)

17 years! I can't believe it's been that long, it has all gone by so quickly. Even the moments that seemed to move at a crawl, and the moments when I was out of my mind in pain, have gone by in a blink. Alan takes such good care of me, and most importantly, forgives my mistakes before I even make them. We have grown as a couple, and we have allowed each other to grow as people. And after all this time, he doesn't look a day older to me, then he did on our wedding day in 1990! LOL. He's still looks exactly the same. :) I kinda like that guy. ;) Happy Anniversary Alan!

Love, Carly

Autumn Most Fowl :)

"Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason horses and birds are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."

-Dale Carnegie

It was another good day with the camera yesterday. Lots, and lots of cloud cover, as the first big storm of the season was just off shore. I kind of like photographing birds, and flowers, when the sky is milky and overcast. The natural filtering tends to take the glare off of some types of birds, like this Blue Heron. I have been trying to photograph one just like it at the Palace of Fine Arts, for the last month or so. Each time under lots of sun, and a pretty blue, clear sky. And each time there was a tremendous amount of glare, which left the bird mostly washed out.

It was extremely frustrating. I tried multiple settings, no no avail. So I was thankful to find this one while I was in Golden Gate Park yesterday. I spent about 30 minutes, taking note of the differences in the small pond this one was in, as opposed to the larger one at the palace. Maybe in a week or so, I will go back to the palace, and give it another chance. Lots of terrain to work with over there, so maybe I just need to practice a little more patience, or perhaps study things a little deeper. We'll see. Either way, it's always good to have a goal to look forward to in my photography.

It was definitely a birding day yesterday. I spent a little time yesterday, down in Half Moon Bay, at Lemos Pumpkin farm, and there was a lot of critters following me around, especially the chickens and ducks. Neither one was particularly shy, which made it very enjoyable. I will revisit there again soon, hopefully before the end of the month. I love the little farms during this time of year, everything is so fresh and inviting. It just has a vibe that only comes along at Halloween. It's good for the soul, especially the weary soul. :)



-OndineMonet
Half Moon Bay, California
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
October 9th, 2007
Afternoon

Steven's Feline Friday: What Elvis Sees

"A dog will show his love by jumping on you at the front door. A cat will show his love by ignoring you, and then curling up next to you when you need it most."

-Danielle Asson

We had a lot of fun with Elvis yesterday. He was in a happy playful mood, and the weather was just right. A perfect autumn day. Alan, Elvis and I spent the first day of our vacation, in the backyard, doing a little maintenance, looking for flying creatures, and generally having fun. There were lots of small, brown skippers flying about, so I had a chance to get in some time with the camera, practicing some macro shots. Elvis loves the little skippers, he watches them dart in and out of the flower garden, as they pass under the awing were the table is.

It was a little difficult to keep his attention, as I tried to take his photo, so rather than annoy him, I just gave up and tried to follow his gaze, rather than work for a portrait of him. I ended up with a lot of nice candid shots of him. Lots of action and wonder. I was able to see in his eyes, what he sees. He is a happy little guy these days, and his over all heath seems to have improved a great deal. I think we might do a video soon, he likes the camera, which will make doing the video a breeze. :) Maybe we will do that this year for Halloween, weather permitting of course. We're off to a good start of the vacation season!

Have you played Feline Friday yet? It's a lot of fun. Just pay a visit to my friend Steven's blog, "(sometimes) photoblog" to meet his kitty Pickle, and find out all the details.

-OndineMonet
"What Elvis Sees"
Berkeley, California
October 8th, 2007
Afternoon

Flying Into The Glass

"A vacation is what you take, when you can no longer take what you have been taking."

-Earl Wilson

Vacation
By The Go-Go's

Can't seem to get my mind off you
Back here at home there's nothing to do
Now that I'm away
I wished I'd stayed
Tomorrow is a day of mine you won't be in...

Yay! It's finally here, well it will be at exactly 6 O' Clock this morning. See, that's when our vacation officially begins, and it can't come a moment too soon. :) Alan is taking his usual 3 weeks off, and we will probably do some of our usual traditions, like trips to San Luis Obispo, Reno, and Half Moon Bay, but we may actually do a couple new things as well. I will be taking some time off from the Internet intermittently all this month. In fact, I will be taking some time off later this week. I just don't have the energy to do long road trips, then come home late at night, and try to be clever here. Sigh. When I first started blogging I was unstoppable, not so much now. Sometimes it makes me sad, I kinda feel defective somehow. I mean Fibromyalgia and Diabetes? It's quite a combo that's for sure, and this is my first year of balancing both. I will find it. It will come. Like with everything else, it takes time. Right?

When you looked at me I should've have run
But I thought it was just for fun
I see I was wrong
And I'm not so strong
I should've known all along that time would tell...

So, in the mean time, I am going to try to do as much photography in October as possible. I am lucky, in I live in a part of California that is close to the best of all possible worlds. The Sierra foothills, and the beautiful Pacific are both just drive away. I love it here for that reason as well as many others. And now adventure awaits. Where will I go next? What will I photograph? Whatever it is, I know I will be anxious to come back here to write an entry and post a photo so I can share it with you. I hope you will enjoy what I find, because sometimes I find the strangest things. Tee Hee.

A week without you
Thought I'd forget
Two weeks without you and I
Still haven't gotten over you

Vacation
All I ever wanted
Vacation
Had to get away
Vacation
Meant to be spent alone

-Carly

NOTE: I will be taking, Thursday and Friday off this week. Details to follow!

Stay Tuned!

-OndineMonet
"Flying Into The Glass"
Conservatory of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
Autumn, 2006

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #186:Unexpected Gifts

"To give without any reward, or any notice, has a special quality of it's own."

-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Weekend Assignment #186: Talk about an unexpected gift that you've received. That gift could be anything big or small - just something that you didn't see coming, and/or from someone you would not have expected to get a gift from. Holiday/Birthday gifts can be included here, but gifts at unusual times are particularly good too.

Extra credit: Have you ever given an unexpected gift?

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

Recently, I got a nice surprise in the mail. My Mother-in-Law sent me some very special photos. All of Alan's school pictures, all 12 grades. It meant so much to me, because I only have a couple little treasures from his childhood. It wasn't my birthday, it wasn't my anniversary, she just sent them along because she loves me, and she understands the hopeless romantic in me. :) Photographs mean a lot to me, especially family photographs, and she understands that as well. She is a neat lady, and I am very lucky to have her in my life.

Extra Credit: I have a tradition. I like to go out in the world, on my birthday, and thank someone who has been especially nice to me at some point during the year. I give them a small thank you present, like a flower, and a little note just to say I appreciate how hard they work. Sometimes I do the same thing on or near New Year's Eve. It's just my way of giving back.

-OndineMonet
"First Kiss"
By Kim Anderson

Round Robin Challenge: Backyard Photography

"In my garden, there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful."

-Abram L. Urban

Finally, I get a chance to show off my autumn garden! In autumn! :) I started my garden a little later than usual this year, I don't know why, I think I was just taking my time, trying to decided if I really wanted one. I have complained enough about how challenging this year has been, so I won't go into detail, but all the crap was getting to me, and so, as a result, I could feel my drive to be creative slipping away with each day. Well, one day last June, in a mad attempt to break away from some of the issues I was going through, I just jumped in, feet first, and planted away. First I chose what corner of the yard to make my own, then I visited the store, and chose the seeds and plants, and then I made the vision come alive. I have one or two more touches to go, like the orange autumn lights, and then it will be complete. Pretty soon I will have to decide if I want to plant some bulbs for next spring, or if I want to just go with container pots again. I bet you can guess I am sitting on the fence a bit. Well, you will just have to stay tuned! :)

Bachelor Button

Pink Aster

Yellow Sunflower

Hot Pink Four O' Clock

Orange Cosmos

Yellow Cosmos and Skipper

A surprise visitor to my garden, a tomato plant from the neighbor's yard!

From Alan's garden; Variety Bell Peppers and Eggplant

Solid Black Sunflower

Burnt Orange/Red Sunflower

Nemesia

Violets

This Round Robin Challenge, was suggested by Tammie Jean, author of the blog, "Long Drives To Nowhere." Thank you Tammie Jean! :) Please be sure to drop by her blog, and say hello, then pay a visit to all the participating Robins, to view their entries as well. And remember Robins, we always need new suggestions for future Round Robin challenges, so please submit your ideas. Email your suggestions to Karen, Steven or myself, and who knows, we might choose your idea next!

Linking List

1. Steven... (sometimes photoblog)
POSTED!

2. Carly... Ellipsis
POSTED!

3. Tara... A Long Walk Home
POSTED!

4. Janet... Fond Of Photography
POSTED!

5. Suzanne R... New Suzanne R's Life
POSTED!

6. Vicki... Maraca
POSTED!

7. Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
POSTED!

8. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
POSTED!

9. Tammie... Long Drives to Nowhere
POSTED!

10. Julie... Julie's Web Journal
POSTED!

11. Teena... It's all about me!
POSTED!


-OndineMonet
Garden Photos
Autumn, 2007

Hey, What's That?

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

-Marcel Proust

Isn't that cool? Earlier this week, Alan and I decided to take a walk along the beach at Chrissy Field. We hadn't been to that pathway in many years, so it seemed like it would be a lot of fun. It's so strange, we go to Fort Point to have lunch all the time, but just never seem to visit the lovely grass area of Chrissy Field. Anyway, as we walked up around the corner from the Warming Hut, we saw the unusual rock formations at the edge of the bay. I haven't found out much information about it on the Internet, but I am going back next week, and I will try to stop in at the information center, and try to get some information at that time. Whatever it is, be it public art, or a monument to the effects of global warming on the bay, or something some mysterious person decided to do, I think it's great. We sat for about 30 minutes the other day, just discussing the different formations and enjoying the fabulous autumn weather. It was a nearly perfect day, and it was a lot of fun to make a new discovery. Have you figured out yet, that I am hopelessly in love with San Francisco?

Shaping The Bay: The Changing Bay Area Landscape

"Geologic forces have been shaping the San Francisco Bay Area landscape for 4 million years. The block of rock between the San Andreas and the Hayward faults, under the bay itself, is slowly sinking, and the mountains on both sides of the bay are being uplifted. Climate change and human activity here have further altered the bay. The filling of the wetlands has shrunk the bay's size, and human caused silting, has made it shallower. Only in narrows such as the Golden Gate, does tidal flow maintain deep channels."

Isn't that great?!

Bay sea creatures.

The view back toward the city.


-OndineMonet
"Forms"
The Beach At Chrissy Field
San Francisco, California
October 2, 2007
Late Afternoon

An Apple A Day

"He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything."

-Proverb

I can only imagine what it must have been like, for millions of American families who depended on the children's health care bill, to see President Bush veto it. The bill would have expanded coverage to allow over 4 million children into the program, which would have been paid for by increasing the federal cigarette tax. Which to me, increasing that tax, makes all the sense in the world. It is an indisputable fact, that smoking causes harm, both to the smoker and to those in their immediate environment, through second hand smoke, and yet, Americans continue to light up. For smokers to subject themselves, and their loved ones to the toxins emitted by their smoke, is inconceivable to me. I can't understand it. I probably never will understand it. In fact, I have never quite figured out why smoking around children has never been deemed a form of child abuse, considering the rise of asthma among the nations youth. So, to me, to pay for the program by taxing one of the most environmentally destructive habits we Americans engage in, makes perfect sense. But President Bush quietly vetoed the plan yesterday, and in doing so, may have sealed it for big changes to come in 08.

Bush cited concerns about the bill leading to socialized medicine, and he felt the bill was too costly, but I have my doubts about that being behind his true reasoning. Bush has always catered to big business, and lets face it, the Tobacco companies probably would not appreciate one more tax levied against their product. On the other hand, would Bush want one more thing taking possible funding away from his Iraq war project? Right now, America is spending 10 Billion in Iraq each month, the Children's Health Insurance Plan requested just 7 billion per year, and offered incentives for states to cover the children in the lowest income households first, while allowing children of some middle class households, which earned under a certain amount per year, coverage. So, what would cause the president to turn his back on the health and well being on our children, especially when it was a bi-partisan bill? Could it be... politics? His lame duckness? His love of big business? Does he simply not care about these children? Is it that he felt the bill gave the democrats too much glory?

Sometimes I think he does things like this, because he has never had to live through any catastrophic medical emergencies. He has never had to worry about where his next meal is coming from. He has never had to work two jobs, just so his children had health coverage, he has never had to struggle, and face having to decided between paying the bills and putting a decent meal on the table for his family. He has never had to face the sometimes overwhelming financial and emotional burden of caring for an aged parent. He has never had to face the kinds of hardships most folks go through. The loss of a loved one, who couldn't afford health coverage is devastating enough, now imagine the pain of losing a child this way.

Type 2 diabetes can strike at any age. Yesterday, I was waiting in line at my HMO's pharmacy, while I was watching coverage of the presidential veto. I was waiting for the first refill of my diabetic testing supplies, since I was diagnosed with Type 2 last July. At that time, I was given a OneTouch Ultra2 blood Glucose kit, which included the meter, the pencil lancing device, a 200 count box of lancets, and a 200 count box of test strips. The kit was free, I didn't even have to pay my usual co-payment, so I had no idea how much the refills were going to be. I was very pleasantly surprised to find out yesterday, that my refills are covered 100 percent under my plan. I didn't have to pay anything. But just out of curiosity, I asked for an itemized receipt just the same. I found out that my health care plan had saved me over $120. What would I do if Alan suddenly lost his job? I would have to face not being able to manage my diabetes, and the very real possibility of my eventual death from complications of diabetes.

OneTouch Ultra Test Strips - $99.00
OneTouch Ultra Ultra Soft Lancets - $22.00

I check my blood about 6 times per day. When I get up each morning, before and after each meal, and before I go to bed, but that's just me. It's different for each person, depending on their own individual diabetic needs, so can you imagine what it must be like for a family with a child with no health care coverage, to have to face paying full price for their diabetic supplies each month? I wonder how many children in America right now, are going to be with cancer, or diabetes or some other potentially devastating illness, because their parents can't afford to take them to the doctor for a routine physical. There are 43 million Americans living without health coverage, and of that number, 6 million are children. How long will we continue to let down the most vulnerable among us? Some republicans expressed concern that Bush's veto would make it more difficult for them in the 08 national election, you know what, they should be concerned! Does the path to doing the right thing, get any more clearer then this?

-OndineMonet
"An Apple A Day"
Berkeley, California
October 3, 2007
Late Afternoon

The First Monarch Of Autumn

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."

-Hans Christian Anderson

Tuesday was a perfect day with the camera. I went to San Francisco, to photograph the dahlias, which are now coming into the last few weeks of their season. It made me a bit sad to see them in decline, but at the same time, the garden was just full of life. I saw, and photographed, a large variety of butterflies yesterday, floating in and out of the dahlias. Then suddenly, she appeared. The first Monarch I have seen this year, and she was stunning! I think she was a young butterfly, because her wings showed no signs of wear at all. She took my breath away! I am really looking forward to my annual trip to Pacific Grove later this month, to visit the Monarch butterfly sanctuary. Last year, I stood in amazement, as I watched 10-15 thousand Monarchs, which were nestled in a grove of eucalyptus tress, turn to face the late afternoon sun. It was pure, life affirming magic. I need that escape more then ever this year.

When Shadows Fall (Haiku)
By Carly Gordon

When her shadow falls
The soul of autumn declines
She's left to wander

-OndineMonet
"The First Monarch"
Golden Gate Park
Dahlia Garden
San Francisco, California
Late Afternoon

Monday Photo Shoot: Personal Gifts

"I don't think my parents liked me. They put a live teddy bear in my crib."

-Woody Allen

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take a picture of something nice/fun/interesting that you recently bought for yourself. That means something you bought because you said to yourself "hey, that would be nice to have," as opposed to, say "hey, this is something I have to get." So, for example, that package of tube socks that you just bought would not qualify for photo shoot - but a pair of multicolored knee-high socks with kittens on them would. It's all about the delivery, you see.

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

This was a difficult Monday Photo Shoot for me. I haven't really indulged in anything recently, well, not since my last birthday in June, and I think I pretty much shared everything I have purchased since then. So, here are a couple items that I keep on my desk, which represent personal treasures to me. They were both purchased as a little something to pick up my spirits, neither qualifies as having been needed. So I hope it is ok to use these for the assignment.

The first picture is of my pal Arlo, which I named after singer, Arlo Guthrie. He is a member of my Boyd's Bears collection. I have an attachment to this fella, there is just something about him that makes me smile. :) I have a pretty big Boyd's collection, but this bear is very special. I hold him sometimes when I am feeling a little down. He helps.



This photo is of my lavender bracelet. It was really inexpensive, but it is fun and lovely. I wear it often, and feel really good when I do. :) It was only about $5.99, but it means a lot to me. I will always keep it close.

And there you have it, two examples of a recent indulgence. Just two little gifts to me, because, after all, I like me. Me is good. :) Go me!

-OndineMonet
"Arlo"
Berkeley, California
October 1, 2007
Late Evening

Watching The Tree

"People in suburbia see trees differently than foresters do. They cherish every one. It us useless to speak of the probability that a certain tree will die when the tree is in someones backyard. You are talking about a personal asset, a friend, a monument, not about board feet of lumber."

-Roger Swain

I think I have already fallen in love with this tree. It is so pretty. I found it in my new favorite haunt, Tilden Park, in the Padre picnic area. Last year I found an absolutely gorgeous tree in Cull Canyon, and I tracked it's progress through most of the winter. Autumn in California, didn't seem to end in December. The Cull Canyon tree had autumn leaves well into March. It was like autumn had somehow refused to give up. On one hand, I found it so soothing to be able to take a short drive to the canyon, and be instantly near my favorite season, especially just after the first of the year, when nothing seemed like it was going right. I went there often, to get away from my own thoughts, and to get lost in my photography. Before I knew it, spring had arrived, and the last of those autumn leaves had finally fallen.

I can't believe 2007 has moved as fast as it has, considering how January never seemed to end. I was really sad when 2007 began, and now, despite everything that has happened this year, I am feeling very nearly back to normal. Sometimes, when your heart is so broken it is in shards, you really do just need to stop looking at how long it is taking to heal, and just focus on each day just as it comes, with no expectations. Earlier this year I talked a little about how much I had hated this year, and how I wouldn't miss it when the new year comes, but now I can look back, and I see all that pain with such clarity. Like when you have cried and cried, and then when you are all cried out, and you take a deep breath, and suddenly... you just feel relieved. Yes, that is my mindset now. Relieved. Grief has 5 stages, Denial, Bargaining, Sadness, Anger, and finally... Acceptance. The nice thing about acceptance, is that it is what lasts forever, not the sadness.

My 2006 Trees

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity, and some see scarce see nature at ll. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself."

-William Blake, 1779, The Letters

-OndineMonet
Cull Canyon Park/Tilden Park
Castro Valley/Berkeley
Late Autumn/Early Winter 2006

Banned Books Week, 2007

"books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education."

-Alfred Whitney Griswold, Essays on Education



September 6 - October 6, 2007

I love to read, in fact, it was my first love in life. Even before my love of art, came my love of books. I think I inherited a passion for reading from my father. He had an impressive collection of books, some on travel, some autobiographies, he was a civil war buff, so he had many different books of historical reference, and he even had cookbooks, devoted to different regions of the United States. I don't remember a time when he wasn't reading one kind of publication or another, so now that I think about it, I am absolutely sure my love of reading came from my father.

When I was a little girl, around about the first grade or so, I hit a stumbling block in my ability to learn to read. I am not sure what it was, but thankfully, I was given an amazing teacher to help me through the struggle I was having. Mrs. "G". I think about her often, she was a a great lady. She made me feel good about myself, as she shared books with me that made me want to read. To her, nothing was off limits. While others were saying, "comic books will destroy your mind," Mrs. "G" was saying, "Good for you, you are reading." Between her help and encouragement, and my father's, by the time I was in the 4th grade I was reading books, well above my grade level, and thoroughly enjoying them. I was reading Time magazine, the New Yorker, and our evening newspaper. I looked forward to writing book reports, because not only did I get to read a book, but I could pretend I was a book reviewer for the New York Times. LOL. I had quite an imagination, and I have my love of reading to thank for that imagination.

But how different would the world seem to me now, if for some reason I had to endure living in a society that banned such classics as "Alice in Wonderland," or "The Canterbury Tales," "Gone With The Wind," or "Little House On The Prairie." Those are just a few of the book titles that have been banned or challenged in the last hundred years or so. Its obscene. I have never understood why someone would attempt to keep me from a book, that they find personally offensive, when all they have to do is exercise their right not to read it. But there is a scared, bitter heart born every minute I suppose.

It's a disturbing thought that one day, one of those bitter hearts might just get their way, and we will have to read in shadows, or locked closets, or worse yet, be completely dictated to about what's acceptable and what isn't in literature. It's not that far fetched an idea that it could happen, in that we have seen the Constitution trampled on so blatantly in recent years. The best example of the road to hell being paved with good intentions, is found in the attempt to ban books. Here is a partial list of some of my favorite books, which have somehow ended up at one time or another, on a list of banned or challenged books...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, by Jacob and Wilhelm K. Grimm
Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
The Bible
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl, By Anne Frank
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
1984, by George Orwell
Gone With The Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
It, by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
I know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
My Friend Flicka, by Mary O' Hara
The Odyssey, by Homer
The Stand, by Stephen King
Where's Waldo, by Martin Handford
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee


It's been years since I read some of those titles, so maybe I will buy a copy of, oh say, Stephen King's, The Stand, this week and enjoy the fact that, at least for now, I can read whatever I want, when I want, just because I have the right to. The gift of reading should never be taken for granted, so let's hope we don't all wake up one day to find our right to knowledge has been taken away from us. Can you imagine a world without the escape of Horton Hears A Who, or say, The 9/11 Commission Report?

If you would like to read the full list of the most challenged or banned books of 2006, click on the link below. It will re-direct you to the website of the American Library Association. So tell me, what book are you reading this week?

American Library Association

-OndineMonet
"Life In Shadows"
Berkeley, California
September 29th, 2007
Twilight

Sometimes They Do Come Back :)

"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say."

-Anais Nin

Recently, I got a nice surprise in my email box. It was an email from my pal Duane. It had been over a year since he took some time off from the Internet, and while one of the last things he told me was that he would be back when he could, it just seemed more like forever had gone by, rather then just a year. I had missed his friendship, and his sense of humor. I missed all the feedback he gave me about my photography, and the encouragement he gave me to say what was on my mind, by writing on my blog. He is a good friend, and he is an amazing writer. I first discovered his writing, when we were both blogging on AOL. At that time he had the journal, "Progressive Musings." It was one of best political blogs I have read, in the four years I have been blogging. At times funny, at times dead serious, he touched on the topics that were timely, with a strong blend of straight facts, and relevant opinion. I missed his writing very much.

But now he is back, and he is blogging at, "Life the Universe and Everything," where he still shares his signature astute political observations, but also his love of music, history, trivia, sports, family life, and photography. His current blog is a nice blend of all those subjects, that he takes on so well. I am never bored there, in fact, I always come away feeling just a little smarter. LOL. I hope you will drop by and welcome him back, or if you haven't had the opportunity to know him through one of his older blogs, or when he was a team member of The Blue Voice, maybe you will spend a little time this weekend, reading his new blog and getting to know him. I promise you will be glad you did. Welcome back Duane, I hope you will be with us for a long, long time. :)

Always, Carly

"Hovden Cannery"
Monterey, California
September 6th, 2007
Late Afternoon

Facing The Lizard

Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worms sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For charm of powerful trouble,
Like hell-broth boil and bubble,
Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

-Shakespeare, Macbeth

This lizard, is one of many I saw yesterday. He wasn't the biggest, or the scariest. The scariest was the size of a good baking potato, and hissed and clicked his tongue at me. YIKES! JUST YIKES! As you know, I am a girly-girl. I wear perfume, and lace. I like clothes that are comfy but stylish, and I rarely look forward to things that scare me. LOL. But in an effort to learn about what to fear and what not to fear, I decided yesterday was a good time to explore the Botanic Garden in Tilden, just a little more. There is a section of the garden devoted to the natural plants of the desert region on California. The sun was out, it was a fairly warm day, and I thought it would be a good time to see what might be afoot. Spiders, dragonflies, butterflies, even the occasional mountain critter could have crossed my path. But would they? Well, yes, all of those things appeared as I hiked along, but when the potato sized lizard decided to hiss and click at me, I decided that I was through being brave for one day. LOL. I would say my pace exiting the garden could be described as "moderate to immediate." LOL.

I kept thinking about a friend of ours, who once described taking her pants off, on the side of the road, on Hecker Pass, because a good sized lizard ran up her pant leg, as she was changing a flat tire on her car. Off came her pants, out came the lizard, it was as simple as that. Yep, I could see myself stripping, should the same fate befall me, but would that really be fair to the general public? Because I am pretty sure that a fair amount of shrieking and screaming would be accompanying my stripping, I am quite sure it would more than likely scare a year's growth out of the plant life. But tell me, what's a girl to do?

Well, here is what I have decided. I love walking through that garden, because for all my silly girlishness, I really do love trees, and leaves, and critters, so I have resigned myself to do some research this winter, if not sooner, and find out if I really need to be fearing this lizard. And if I find out it's perfectly safe to be around this one, is there one I better be aware of? A little knowledge goes a long way sometimes. After all, if I hadn't faced my fear of opossums, I never would have discovered what magnificent animals they really are. When I exited the park today, I checked my blood sugar, and it was 193 mg/dl, and that was after a light lunch and moderate exercise. 40 minutes later my reading was 131 mg/dl. That means it was the pure stress of the lizard encounter that sent my blood sugar up. How silly is that?

I am learning that stress is the number one reason that my blood sugar levels rise. I have been testing at different times of day, before and after meals, when I take different medications, after I eat different varieties of food, before and after exercising, and when I have been under stress. I have even found, thinking about certain people can be a factor in either raising or lowering my blood sugar. Because of all that testing, I am now understanding my diabetes so much better. Before I actually left the park, I decided to face the lizard, and take his mug shot, so I could identify him later, and tonight I did just that, I didn't wait for winter. What I found is that he is a Western Fence Lizard (swifts or bluebellies) Sceloporus occidentialis. There is no need to fear him, in fact, he comes from the most common type of lizards in California. Whew! It is safe to go back into the park! Now, if I can just get up the courage to research that icky spider I spider I saw yesterday, towing away a Volkswagen, I will once again be a much brave warrior girl! Somehow, I think that might have to wait until winter. LOL.

-OndineMonet
"Facing The Lizard"
Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
September 27th, 2007
Afternoon