Unhealthy To Breathe

"I don't know whose hand hung Hesperus in the sky, and fixed the Dog Star, and scattered the shining dust of Heaven, and fired the sun, and froze the darkness between the lonely worlds that spin in space."

-Gerald Kersh

As the California wildfires continue to burn, the air quality continues to drop. It has been difficult to breathe here lately, and there is a forecast for more dry lighting storms this weekend, which may spark even more fires. I don't remember a year as bad as this one is for fire. We are dealing with a drought, and that just makes it all ripe and ready for a long fire season. Not much good news, but doesn't all the smoke in the atmosphere make for a lovely photo?

-OndineMonet
"FireShy"
Grizzly Peak Boulevard
Berkeley, California
June 25th, 2008
Early Evening

Out Of The Ashes

"Each separate dying ember wrought it's ghost upon the floor."

-Edgar Allen Poe

It doesn't matter how many times we wash our cars here in the Bay Area, within a few hours they will once again be covered in tiny particles of fallen ash from the many wildfires currently burning in Northern California. It is of course not just the cars that tell the eerie tale, the sky is a thick smoky pink color, and there is nowhere to go to escape the smell of burning grass. Even Elvis seems particularly dusty, and just yesterday, as I was sitting in front of Lucky's, while waiting for Alan to finish picking up a few items for dinner, I saw this little bee land on the windshield of my car, and it too seemed to have a fine matted dusting of ash on it. And as it sat, clinging to the glass, it seemed to have trouble breathing.

I have mentioned before about a terrifying experience I had as a child with a house fire that happened in the neighborhood where I grew up. It haunts me to this day, but I admit that I have done very little over the years to deal with that fear. Lately, however, I have been paying pretty close attention to all the dry grass here in the hills, and wondering if I would be able to deal fire, if one should happen in my area. Would I freeze-up in fear? Would I run and keep running? Would I rise to the occasion? Would I hold up under the fear and memories?

I don't really know, but somehow I can't help but think that maybe I am getting a hint from above about learning to overcome my fear of fire. I am going to do some photographs of the affect the fires are having on my immediate environment, such as the ash which has settled on my roses, and that eerie glow in the sky that I mentioned earlier. Maybe do a little research to make sure the area around my cottage is as safe as possible. I can learn something from all this I think, at least I hope. We'll see. :( Isn't it strange that we learn our greatest lessons from the things that hurt and scare us the most? Just once I would like to laugh my ass off and learn something profound at the same time!

Lightening Sparks 800 plus California Fires (ABC Affiliate KGO)

-OndineMonet
"Out Of The Ashes"
Berkeley, California
June 24th, 2008
Afternoon

The Common Checkered Skipper

"Teaching a child not to step on a Caterpillar, is as valuable to the child as it is for the Caterpillar."

-Bradley Miller

Yesterday, was the first day this past week that wasn't way too hot to be outdoors here in the Bay Area. Well, at least it seemed that way to me! I am beginning to appreciate summer more and more, but learning to like hot weather will take a bit of doing. I can't think straight in warm weather, I tend to do a lot of idle daydreaming and memory visiting. That's not always a good thing, but sometimes it can be nice to visit those moments from way back when. Especially when I think about how brave I was as a little girl. I was a girly-girl, but I loved caterpillars and grasshoppers. I used to carry grasshoppers around, and show them off as my latest pet, as if I needed another, pets were the one thing I was never short of growing up.

Anyway, I would gently pick them up and carry them about, petting the back of their heads and naming them something weird like... Stuart. I have no idea why I found them so intriguing, but I did. Spiders were another story. I don't remember why I developed such a fear of spiders, but something certainly cemented that phobia in my psyche. LOL. AAACCCK! When it came to butterflies, I just let them float about, I never tried catching one. I don't think I ever quite believed that they actually came from caterpillars. LOL. Somehow it seemed to me that they must have been just a little bit angelic rather than something earthly.

One day, back in the mid 1990's I was in a toy shop, and found a butterfly kit. For a small price I could send away for the live caterpillars of Painted Lady butterflies. It took about a week to come by mail, and while I waited I put together the little habitat that came with the kit. I had so much fun with the first kit, that I bought several more after that. I haven't done that for a long time, but I think maybe I might start again. The company that makes the kits, Insect Lore, is on the Internet, which makes it all the more easier.

Anyway, back to yesterday. I went out in the backyard to look for Elvis, he had been out most of the afternoon, and I found him lying under the pear tree, watching something very tiny hopping and floating between the tree and the tip of his nose. As I got closer, I saw the teeny tiny butterfly, and it looked perfect. Like it was only a day old. I grabbed my camera, and waited patiently with my kitty for the butterfly to fully open it's wings. When it did, I was amazed. It was indeed perfect. It was a lot whiter then it appears in the photos, and it was probably the smallest butterfly I have ever seen. I didn't even realize at first that it was a skipper. It took a bit of research to find that out, although I should have known by the eyes that it was from the skipper family.

It has been a big year for Yellow/Black Swallowtails, which I haven't been lucky enough, so far, to be able capture with the camera, but I haven't seen very many Skippers at all, and I don't remember ever seeing a checkered one. It was a nice treat to be sure. I need to go and check on Elvis in a few minutes, but you can bet I will bring the camera along. You never know, maybe today will be the day I get a photo of a Swallowtail, but if not, I will be happy with whatever treasure I do find!


-OndineMonet
"Common Checkered Skipper" Pyrus communis
Berkeley, California
June 22, 2008
Late Afternoon

New Monday Photo Shoot# 24: Candles Or Something Like Them

"Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished."

-Michael Strassfeld

New Monday Photo Shoot #24: Nearly everyone has candles, for one purpose or another. Photograph one or more candles - real or otherwise.

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

I love this candle, it is my favorite. Alan gave it to me... oh... about... 25 years ago or so. Long before we were dating. It was a friendship gift for Valentine's Day. It is one of those little items I call a treasure. I have a fear of fire, but I ask Alan to light some from time to time around the house, you know, to set a mood. LOL. This candle, however, sits on my desk at all times. I love just looking at it. It provides a different kind of light for me. :)

-OndineMonet
Little Kitty Candle
Berkeley, California
June 21, 2008
Morning

UberAnts

"As a thinker, and planner, the ant is the equal of any savage race of men."

-Mark Twain

Meet the Uber-Ants! They first showed up in our little cottage, high in the Bay Area hills, in July of last year. Strange invader. We tried 14 different products in our attempts to eradicate them from our midst. No luck. It was an expensive project, I wish I had a dime for every ant stake we purchased, but in truth the dime spent last year, isn't worth a penny this year, but that's another story. Let's just talk about ANTS. Ok?

As I went from Home Depot to OSH to Longs, to Rite-Aid, looking for earth friendly poison, lol, I began to hold a dialog with the different helpful individuals working in those various stores. Each told me that last year was a big year for ANT spray, and traps. They even commiserated with me about their own negative adventures with the strange breed of ant, which also seems to be nocturnal! No one had any good ideas for what to do. Right about January, I was ready to give up and maybe concede that perhaps our little house was on a never before heard of Uber-ANT hill, proportions of which just might make either a great book for Stephen King, or nifty new movie for M.Night Shyamalan, when they suddenly got a big burst of winter, and went away. I was hoping it was to the afterlife, but I think it might have only been to a bear-like hibernation.

This new ant could be a product of Global Warming, or maybe a new type of Global Terrorism inflicted on us by our own government! LOL. I am not much for conspiracy theories, although I do have an open mind, and will listen for the case being made, but in this case, I think I believe that it could very well be a situation caused by, the lesser evil of, Global Warming. Stupid, weird stuff is happening everyday. Earthquakes in strange places, Iowa is under water, New Orleans was very nearly erased from the earth, we don't just have fires anymore, we have fire storms, new species are being discovered as the rain forest diminishes, and according to the back of my Haagen Dazs cup, the honey bees are disappearing and no one knows why!

So is it my fault I am being invaded with Uber-Ants? Was I a bad earthling and didn't recycle as much as I should have? Is this my payback for whatever shortcut or laziness I have taken or committed in the Global War on Global Warming?Is it maybe just a case of dumb luck? Who knows? Only the UberAnt knows for sure! Just in case, I think I will spend this weekend recycling some plastics and paper, and maybe sprinkle some cinnamon around, as it is a natural ant repellent. Ants... can't live with um' but somehow we must!

Ok, so tell me, what do you do about ANTS? Do you have ANTS now? What are some of your favorite earth friendly tips and tricks for doing away with unwanted household pests? Speak. Help a girl out.

;)

-OndineMonet

"UberAnt Morning"
Berkeley, California
June 21, 2008
Morning

Elvis Update: Beating The Heat And Enjoying A Treat

"I doubt whether the world holds for anyone, a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice-cream."

-Heywood Broun

Summer begins today at 4:59 PM Pacific Time. Spending the day in Santa Cruz would be one of the best ways to welcome summer, but Elvis tells me there is a much better way! Today, mostly at his suggestion, we are BBQing and then sharing a little bit of cold dessert together afterwards. Elvis was put on a new medication this week, to fight the infections in his nose, and Dr. B suggested giving it to him hidden in a big scoop of Vanilla flavored soy ice-cream. I sampled a little taste last night, and to my surprise, it is very pleasant. :) That makes me happy for him, he has been through so much in his little life, especially lately, so to see him lap up the treat and know it will be something he will enjoy, makes everything so much easier. While Elvis enjoys his ice-cream, I will be enjoying a little Haagen Dazs Orchard Peach Sorbet, while Alan has his favorite, Haagen Dazs Chocolate ice cream. We are happy campers right now!

So tell me, what's your favorite flavor of ice cream? Do you prefer ice cream to sorbet or the other way around? Do you have an alternate favorite "beat the heat treat" in summer?

-OndineMonet
"He Mews For Ice-Cream"
Berkeley, California
June 20th, 2008
Afternoon

Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge: "G" Is For Garlic

"What garlic is to food, insanity is to art."

-Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Time for the letter "G" in Martha's A-Z- Challenge! I have always wanted to photograph a bulb of garlic on it's own, I find them very photogenic, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity! I had a good time playing with lighting and shadows, and I even considered photographing the bulb of garlic in black and white, but in the end I thought the color mode gave the photo a more realistic and softer touch. Tonight it will used in Spaghetti ALA Carly! :)

If you would like to play along with the A-Z challenge, just drop by Martha's journal on AOL for all the details!

-OndineMonet
"Garlic"
Berkeley, California
June 19th, 2008
Early Morning

This Week's Dragonfly

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June."

-L. M. Montgomery

I was back walking along the shore of Lake Anza, in Tilden Park, yesterday. After finding so many different varieties of dragonflies on my visit last week, I knew it would be a big mistake not to bring my camera each time I plan to visit. I have set a goal for myself this summer, to photograph the tiny blue dragonfly, but yesterday, I noticed an even smaller thinner dragonfly which was almost a turquoise color. I am not sure if it is the same as the larger blue ones, but it seems like a bigger challenge to try for the tiniest ones as apposed to the easier large ones.

The dragonfly in the above photo is one of the largest ones I saw yesterday. It appears black and white in the picture, but the body of the dragonfly is actually a very pale blue color. I did a little investigation and found out from BugGuide that it is a Libellua pulchella, or the Twelve Spotted Skimmer. It is a fairly common dragonfly in the U.S., although I have never saw one before, so it was kind of fun to be able to see one. They are a summer dragonfly, so I suppose I will have lots of time to enjoy observing them. I like my summer dragonfly hunting.

:)

Note: Please click on the photo to see the picture in a larger version. The small size really doesn't do that beautiful creature justice.

-OndineMonet
"Twelve Spotted Skimmer"
Lake Anza
Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
June 17th, 2008
Afternoon

Weekend Assignment #220: Beautiful

"For every beauty, there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth, there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love, there is a heart somewhere to receive it.

-Ivan Panin

Weekend Assignment #220: Tell us about one person, place or thing you find particularly beautiful and why it affects you in this way. If you can demonstrate its beauty with photos, great but as always, the primary emphasis for the Weekend Assignment is words.

Extra Credit: Does something threaten to disturb or destroy that beauty?

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

There is so much to love about the Bay Area, and if you have been reading me for any length of time, you know I love nearly everything about it, but one thing in particular stands out as most important to me, when I think about it's beauty, and that is the amazing California coastline. I love the beaches, and the lighthouses that grace the coast, with equal passion. Since I got my current digital camera, in 2005, I have been as far north as Point Arena, and as far south as Santa Barbara, and on each little trek, I was swept off my feet by the beautiful coastal scenery.

The beauty of sunsets along the coast, always stop me in my tracks, but equally stunning to me are all the wildflowers that grow along the cliffs that look out over the Pacific. It would be difficult to narrow it all down to my favorite time of day, or a particular season, when I am out along the coast taking pictures, the different times of day and seasons make it look almost magical to me, no matter when I am there to see it. I suppose it all just speaks to my inner mermaid, but I always feel at home when I am near the ocean.

Sunset in Santa Barbara, California

Spring in Pacific Grove, California

Late Afternoon in January, Moss Beach, California

Summer in Monterey, California

February in Pacifica, California

October in Richardson Bay, Sausalito, California

October in Pescadero, California

Spring in Santa Cruz, California

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_8

:) You should come and see it for yourself. You would love it! It's... BEAUTIFUL!

Extra Credit: As a matter of fact, there are a number of environmental hazards to the California coastline. Not the least of which was the oil spill from the container ship, Cosco Buson, in San Francisco Bay last year. You can read news coverage about it here, and you can read my blog entries, which includes some photos, here and here. Just this past week, oil from the Cosco Buson washed ashore in Point Reyes, which is a few miles north of the Golden Gate. According to experts, we will more then likely be seeing residual oil from the spill washing up along the coast for many years. :(

-OndineMonet
"Dusk In Moss Beach"
Moss Beach California
2008

Summer Is Coming!

Summer Is Coming
By Dora Goodale

Summer is coming! the soft breezes whisper;
Summer is coming! the glad birdies sing,
Summer is coming! I hear her quick footsteps;

Take your last look at beautiful spring.

Lightly, she steps from her throne in the woodlands:
Summer is coming and I cannot stay;
Two of my children have crept from my bosom:
April has left me but lingering May.

What tho' bright summer is crowned with roses.
Deep in the forest Arbutus doth hide;
I am the herald of all the rejoicing me? She cried.

Down in the meadow she stoops to the daisies,
Plucks the first bloom from the apple tree's bough:
Autumn will rob of all the sweet apples;
I will take one from her store of them now.

Summer is coming! I hear the glad echo;
Clearly it rings o'er the mountain and plain.
Sorrowful spring leaves the beautiful woodlands,
Bright, happy summer begins her sweet reign.

Ok, I know, I know... summer is still a little over a week away, but it was a lovely nearly summer's day yesterday, and I just had to show you what I saw from my bike. :) I am seeing the most amazing things lately. I liked this scene very much. The angle, the color of the day... and oh the flowers. I turned a corner, and there they were in a small patch. They were tall and strong, and seemed to be reaching for the sun. Yeah... they were reaching for the sun!

;)

-OndineMonet
"Summer Is Coming"
Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
June 14, 2008
Afternoon

Round Robin Challenge: I Made That!

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon, or not at all."

-Harriet van Horne

For this edition of the RRC, Jennifer Robin, who authors, Robin's Woods, asks us to show off things we have made. How fun is that? I like doing crafts, but I haven't been doing as many this year as I have in the past. Photography, caring for Elvis and the same old, same old day to day pretty much eats my time. I even debated possibly sitting this one out, but in the end I reached into my archive and pulled out some photos of different projects I have done since blogging. As you probably know, I love to cook, and making up new recipes, so a few of those are featured below, and in the photo above you see what is probably my most interesting invention, her name is Clarice. Can you tell what she is made from? Well, if you look very close, you see yarn for hair, and her smile comes from a magic marker, her pretty blue earrings are made from beads, and in the upper right hand corner you see the shadow of a straw hat. But what is her face made out of?

Well, if you look even more closely, you will see a fake boob! Yep, that's right, Clarice is made from a fake boob, and has a nipple for a nose! One of a a box of 100 false boobages Alan found alongside the freeway, as he changed a tire one day! LOL. At one time I was making them and giving them away, and I even offered one to the winners of my MADLIBS game I sometimes featured on the AOL version of Ellipsis, but only one person, Phinney, ever requested it as their prize, so to date, only two people own an original Clarice... well, three if you include me. Personally, I think she is kinda cute. LOL. And she makes me smile, but that's just how my silly sense of humor goes. Life gets a little too serious sometimes, and Clarice reminds me to smile. :)

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Summer Salad, Beef Kabobs, Vegetable Lasagna, Summer Veggie Soup

Homemade Veggie Pizza, with Whole Wheat Honey Crust

A Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon for my blog's sidebar. I like making my own graphics whenever possible to help raise awareness to different charities and health concerns.


Thank you for the neat challenge Jennifer! :)

Follow the links below, to see what great entries the other Robins have submitted for this week.

Linking List (But There Is Always Room For More!)

1. Jennifer... Robin's Woods
POSTED!

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

3. Wammy...The Ellis Family
POSTED!

4. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
POSTED!

5. Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
POSTED!

6. Olive... Ur Olive
POSTED! 6/15/08

7. Ronda... Rookie Blogger


8. Jill... Letting Crazy Take A Spin
POSTED!

19. Jan... The Prytz Family
POSTED!

10. Jama Hameed... Sweet Memories


11. maryt/the teach... Answers to the Questions
POSTED!

12. Sandra... Strong Chemistry
POSTED!

13. Robinella... Not A Stepford Wife
POSTED!

14. Janet... Fond Of Snape
POSTED!

15. Carly... Ellipsis
POSTED!

16. Kiva... Eclectic Granny
POSTED!

17. Teena... It's All About Me!
POSTED!

18.


19.

-OndineMonet
"Meet Clarice"

Looking For The Barenaked Ladies

"Disappointments are to the soul, what the thunder-storm is to the air."

-Friedrich von Schiller

Some days are just disappointing. Yesterday, the Barenaked Ladies, were in San Mateo at Barnes and Noble, performing and signing copies of their latest CD, "Snack Time." The CD is a collection of songs for children, but I have already come to love the song 789. Have you heard it? The collection songs, while child friendly, can be enjoyed by adults, as opposed to an all Elmo or Barney type CD, which I think might drive me crazy! LOL. Anyway, needless to say I had been looking forward to seeing one of my favorite bands, and enjoying watching the crowd, not to mention coming home with a signed copy of some new tunes. Well, some days just don't work out the way you want them to, no matter how much planning you do.

Alan and I had discussed what would be our best route and time schedule for the day. We decided that it would be more practical if we took one car, for the trek across the bay, especially since we had just spent $100 to fill both of them with gas. To take one car, meant I had to wait for him to get off work, which was fine, because he gets off work at 2 and the CD signing was at 3:30. It would give us plenty of time to get across the bay, by way of the San Mateo bridge. There was one problem however, that being the guy that relieves Alan at work for the swing shift. A man who is habitually late, so he can finish his weekly golf game.

We talked about this possible problem, but Alan said that the guy hadn't been late in almost two weeks! A record for his being on time! That probably should have been a Murphy's Law clue, but naively I chose to ignore it and hope for the best. Running true to form, the guy was late by almost 10 minutes, which meant Alan had to spend an additional 25 minutes in traffic on the way home. In the Bay Area if you leave just 5 minutes sooner or later then you usually do, you can either shave or add 30 minutes to your commute. There are 5 freeways/highways between Alan's work and home. HWY 92, HWY 880, HWY 238, HWY 580, and HWY 13.

We finally got to Barnes and Noble at 3:20 PM, where we stood in line for 5 minutes before being told that the store had reached the maximum capacity and there was no more people being allowed in. Sigh. Alan and I just looked at each other, shook our heads in disappointment, and walked back to the car. Oh well, sometimes in life you are a 7 and sometimes you are a 9! LOL. Yesterday, we both felt like a 9, which wasn't a good thing at all. LOL.

Me: Hey Elvis, why was 6 afraid of 7?

Elvis: I don't know mommy, why?

Me: Because 7 8 (ate) 9!

Get a free download of the song, 789 here.

Official Barenaked Ladies Website

-OndineMonet

"Looking For The Barenaked Ladies"
Hillsdale Mall
San Mateo, California
June 12th, 2008
Late Afternoon

Oh Yeah, That's The Spot! An Elvis Update :)

"People that hate cats, will come back as mice in their next life."

-Unknown

Me: Hey Elvis, what do you call a person who steals cats?

Elvis: I don't know mommy, what do you call a person who steals cats?

Me: Glad you asked Elvis, you would call them a purrr-snatcher! LOL

Elvis: Uh Huh.

Me: Hey Elvis!

Elvis: Yes Mommy?

Me: Why did the kid try to feed pennies to the cat?

Elvis: I don't know, why?

Me: Because his mother told him to put the pennies in the kitty!

Elvis: (Rolling his eyes) Oh brother!

My cat Elvis puts up with a lot from me, he is especially patient with me when I tell him silly cat jokes! LOL. He and I have a ton of fun together, our most recent fun has come from a snippet of colorful ribbon, which he loves to chase and catch. He also received a brand new squeaky mouse from his daddy this past week, and we are enjoying that as well. I have attached it to the ring on my desk drawer, and several times a day Elvis tries to pull it away for some chewy fun. Unfortunately, it tends to snap back, but that's ok with my boy, he enjoys a good challenge! :)

Elvis had his second dose of chemotherapy last Thursday, and all seems to be going well. He is eating his meals, and is more playful now then he has been in months. When he was first diagnosed, he was so wee and weak, but he has perked up and is such a joy! Something even more encouraging has been happening the last week or so, he is now back to climbing up on the bed to sleep with us at night again. When he wasn't feeling well, he would isolate himself. That broke my heart. I am afraid I don't sleep as well without that little bundle at my feet watching over me. :)

It's difficult to remember sometimes that he is dying. I know about all the realities, but he is such a good cat. So funny, so happy, so sweet. I don't know if it is particualry helpful to dwell on things when he is enjoying life so much right now. That inevitable day will be here soon enough. Right now the three of us are embracing life. We do a lot of laughing. I think that makes all of us a little healthier. :) I am so thankful to Dr. B and his staff for making this time as positive as possible. I know I am living the miracle I hoped for right now, with Elvis, each time I hear his happy little giggle.

So tell me, does your cat giggle? What is the quirkiest habit your pet has? If you would like to read more cat jokes, just click the link below! :)

Cat Jokes

-OndineMonet
"Oh Yeah, That's The Spot"
Berkeley, California
June 12th, 2008
Morning

Happiness In A Medium Brown Brown Bag

"Manys the long night I've dreamed of cheese... toasted mostly."

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Tuesday, Alan came through the door with a medium brown bag, and a big smile on his face. "Guess what's in the bag Carly," he said. As I eyed the bag I considered what it might contain. From it's size it could have been anything from a can of motor oil, to a new puppy. LOL. "Nah, it couldn't be a puppy," I reasoned, it wasn't moving, and besides, Alan wouldn't bring me roadkill. LOL. My curiosity was definitely on high, so I decided to just take a look inside. Now if you have known me any time at all, you know the way to this girls heart is to present me with... cheese! I love cheese. All cheese. And as if the cheesy goodness weren't enough, Alan purchased a freshly baked marble rye to go along with it. :) Needless to say, we had a delicious afternoon. :)

So tell me, if someone presented you with a medium brown bag, which could contain anything, what would you wish to find it contained? In my brown bag was a 1/4 lb Cotswold, 1/4 lb Asiago and a marble rye bread. What three items would you like to see. Share. You know you want to!

-OndineMonet
"Happiness In A Medium Brown Bag"
June 10th
Berkeley, California
Afternoon

New Monday Photo Shoot # 24: Plastics!

"There is so much plastic in this culture that vinyl leopard skin is becoming an endangered synthetic."

-Lily Tomlin

New Monday Photo Shoot #24: Show us something made of plastic. If it's unusual in some way, so much the better.

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

When I read what this week's photo shoot topic was, I immediately looked around my desk for PLASTIC objects. To my dismay, I have already featured most of the items on my desk in previous entries. My blood glucose kit is almost exclusively PLASTIC, with the exception of the needle used for the lancets. But what a bummer as a photo subject. I have a PLASTIC bottle of Magic Bubbles on my desk, that could be used, but I kinda had that in mind for an upcoming update entry about Elvis. I have tons of pens, and pins, but nah... BORING! Hmmm... do I own anything PLASTIC that might be considered unusual? I probably do, but nothing was coming to my mind. With my inspiration standing in the blank position, I decided to break for lunch.

As I put the fixings for my noontime meal on a lovely PLASTIC floral tray, it hit me. An idea, not the tray. I realized that most of my Monday lunch was PLASTIC. I was eating a lovely, healthy salad, in a new PLASTIC salad/dessert dish I purchased a couple months ago. As a side dish to my lunch, I was going to have a Motts Strawberry Applesauce, which is served in a lovely PLASTIC container. LOL. Not included in the photo, but which also figured into my PLASTIC lunch were, a fork with a blue PLASTIC handle and PLASTIC bottle of Ocean Spray Cranberry juice. :) So, when you consider that I do check my blood before and after I eat, I would say that 90% of my lunchtime experience today was PLASTIC! I am not really sure if that is a good thing, or a bad thing! LOL. I do know I enjoyed the still life PLASTIC photo shoot experience. :)

"I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They're beautiful. Everybody is plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic."

-Andy Warhol

-OndineMonet
"Plastic Still Life At Lunch"
Berkeley, California
June 8th, 2008
Afternoon

The Red Dragonfly

"When in doubt, where red."

-Bill Blass

Isn't she beautiful? I happened upon this dragonfly, well, actually, there were several of them flying about, lining the shore of Lake Anza, in Tilden Park, as I took a long walk there one day last week. I was thrilled to see them, I haven't had the chance to get in really close to them before now. It also made me happy to see about 4 or 5 varieties that day as well as the red ones. There were bright blue ones and a really interesting stripped dragonfly. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get as close to them as I did this one.

I probably could have moved a little closer to the shoreline, but I really didn't have the right shoes on for the steep, rocky climb. I was really lucky in that this one kept flying up to the top of the hill where I was sitting, and came to rest on a rock just a couple feet from me. I swear it was posing for me! The dragonfly and I had a pretty good time that day. I am going to try to get back there soon, with the proper clothing on, so I can hopefully photograph as many dragonflies as possible. I think I might make this a summer goal for this year, like the bumble bees were last year. Wish me luck.

-OndineMonet
"Red Dragonfly"
Lake Anza
Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
June 6th, 2008
Afternoon

Weekend Assignment #219: Preferred Transportation

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking."

-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Weekend Assignment #219: What is your favorite form of transportation, and why? You can choose any means of traveling by land, sea or air, with just one catch: it has to currently exist in the real world, or have existed in the past. No TARDIS, no Star Trek transporter, no flying DeLoreans, all right?

Extra Credit: What's the most unusual form of transportation you've ever taken?

-Karen Funk Blocher, of the blog, Outpost Mavarin

I smiled when I saw this week's Weekend Assignment, because just this past week, Alan and I finally bought ourselves the bikes we have been looking at, and now I get to show them off! It was a good week. There is a lot to share, and I will over the next few days, so stay tuned for that. I want to keep on topic here.

Last week, George Bush sent us some stimulation, lol, so Alan and I sat down and decided where it should go. Elvis came first, and he is now taken care of. We don't have too many other needs, except for the same ones everyone does. When all was said and done, there was more then enough left over for this investment in recreation, health and just plain fun. :)

It was a hoot getting up on a bike, after having not ridden one for almost 25 years! I have a slight case of saddle sore, lol, but the legs feel great and the soul feels like dancing! I had forgotten how much fun it was to peddle along, just letting my thoughts run wild. And of course there is the added bonus of how exercise lowers my blood glucose levels. We have gone riding here in the hills, everyday this past week, and we will be going again today. I am looking forward to it. :)

An old flame told me about a year ago, that when I was a youngin' of about 22 or so, I looked really good on my bike. I didn't learn to drive until I was 23, so up until then, the bike, and walking, was how I made my way around. :) I was surprised that my old flame still had that thought in his mind. I know darned well that driving a car has made me a somewhat lazy girl, and as a result, things simply aren't where they used to be.

I love driving. I love going to far off places and seeing new things, but because there is a trade-off, driving has done very little for my legs and rear end. LOL. Thankfully, over the years, I haven't gone too far down hill too fast. :) I am ok for almost 46, but with the bike, I think I will soon be DARN GREAT for 46! The bike will be good for me, but I do have to say, I still love my car, Lilith, and she will always be my favorite way to see my world, so above you see my two great loves for traveling adventures near, and far. Lilith and Lil Lilith.

Gas prices are what they are, but it doesn't mean I have to give up having photo adventures, I just had to allow myself to try a new way of looking at things. And besides, the bike makes much more sense for doing errands around town. There is never enough parking in downtown Berkeley. In that it is a college town, you see bicycles everywhere. It just makes a lot more sense in this economy. I imagine a lot of folks will be considering a bike for at least some of their transportation.

Extra Credit: I once flew from Washington D.C. to Lynchburg, Virginia, in a Piedmont commuter plane, that had 4 propellers and made a lot of noise as it flew up and down between the 6 stops in-between! I know traveling by airplane isn't exactly new, but the propeller thing was definitely new to me! Loud and slightly scary. LOL. Sometime I will write about that whole adventure. Stay Tuned!

-OndineMonet
"My Two Rides"
Berkeley, California
June 6th, 2008
Late Afternoon

Yes, Please!

"All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."

-Lucy Van Pelt ( Peanuts ) By Charles Schulz

I had a really good time this past week with the camera. Yesterday was nothing short of perfect! I will be sharing more about things over the next few days, but for now, this was my favorite shot from my time with the camera on Thursday. It was a good day for a lot of reasons, but starting the day off with a hot chocolate, made just the way I like it, with a shot of raspberry syrup, was more then just pleasant... it was almost sinful. :)

It was nice to sit outside, at my favorite cafe here in Berkeley, and just enjoy the cool, clear air, the sweet, hot chocolate, and then find out 2 hours later that my blood glucose level was just 108 mg/dl! I am so glad I invested a little time in myself, after my diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, to educate myself and bring things in my life under control. How else would I have found out that a little dark chocolate once a day, has so many health benefits! :)

I like this photo. I like the colors and the lighting. There is just something about how it all comes together that seems pleasing to me somehow. I was really fascinated by the shadows cast by the sun, coming through the trees on the patio of the cafe, and I spent a lot of time just snapping at as many shadows as I could find. Overall I think I am happy with what I found through the lens. It was a good day!

-OndineMonet
"Delicious"
Caffe Strada
Berkeley, California
June 5th, 2007
Late Morning

Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge: "F" is for Fromage

"Worry is today's mice, nibbling on tomorrow's cheese."

-Unknown

I hope I'm not cheating here, by using the French word for cheese, Fromage. ;) But you see, I love cheese for not only it's wonderful flavor, but I also find it darned photogenic as well. Gouda, Cotswold, Cheddar, Swiss, Havarti, French Feta, it's all good! Parlez-vous Fromage?

Be sure to go see all the participants in the challenge for the letter "F.". Martha has the list posted and ready for jogging. It can be found here.

If you would like to play along, I bet Martha would love to have you. You can visit Martha's entry for the letter "E" by clicking the link to her journal, Perception.


-OndineMonet
"Cheeseheads"
Berkeley, California
January, 2005
Afternoon

Gone Fishing

"Oh, why can't we break away from all this, just you and I, and lodge with my fleas in the hills? I mean, flee to my lodge in the hills."

- S. J. Perelman, Will B. Johnstone, and Arthur Sheekman, Monkey Business


Time for a little time away from the computer and the Internet. Today is June 1st! Where has the year gone? Pretty soon it will be time to put up the Christmas tree again. Where did I put that thing? (Insert crossed eyes here). I'll be back in a few days with an Elvis update, new photos, and who knows what else. Look for me around Thursday.

-Carly

"Gone Fishing"
Livermore, California
May 28th, 2007
Morning