"Better to be strong than pretty and useless." ~Lilith Saintcrow, Strange Angels RRC: Pretty Paper I decided, since we are only a couple weeks shy of Christmas, to go with two of my favorite holiday papers... an advent calendar, and Christmas gift bags! Lets start with the advent calendar, shall we? In our house, it simply wouldn't be Christmas without the advent calendar! Alan had never had one as a child, and I hadn't had one either... well... except for the one we made for our classes in school. The way it worked then was the teacher would make the basic template, than each child was asked to draw a small picture for the door assigned to them for the calendar. So, if I drew December 1st from the Santa hat, than my drawing would appear behind that door, and I would get to stand in front of the class as the other children guessed what was behind the door for that day!
Whoever guessed correctly got a sticker star for their paper tree! The child who guessed correctly most often, got to serve as Head Elf at the Christmas Party. It was a fun time in my school life, and a part of me really missed it when I went onto Junior High... although I wouldn't admit it! LOL. So, when Alan and I first got married, and he said he had never had an advent calendar, we got one, and put a slight variation on what the prize is for guessing correctly most often! Usually, the winner chooses the holiday pie. Alan wins a lot more often than I do, but we have a lot of fun with it. Like I said, it just wouldn't be Christmas without it! So far I am 1 1/2 points ahead, but there is still time for him to come back from behind and knock me out of the lead! Wish me luck!
And Now For The Much Maligned Holiday Gift Bag...
Why do folks hate the holiday gift bag so much? I actually found a couple articles by folks who found them not only lame, but downright tacky and even peevish! Personally, I LOVE the bag! The holiday bag is just as pretty as the rolls of paper, and stores easier! Plus, it's fun to watch the cats dig into their bags to get their assorted gifts out! I have taught them to know when the holidays are coming, by when they see special bags with streamers and ribbons on them! Elvis was great about that also! He always knew when we brought out the hats, and the PRETTY PAPER bags, something special was about to happen! Plus, there is a lot less mess when the cats play with all the bags later in the day on Christmas, and this year that will be important with this being baby kitty Joey's first Christmas! Print Ads Can Be Pretty As Well...
I was in a coffee shop the other day, and someone had left behind a copy of a Wall Street Journal on the coffee table. I thumbed through it, and on the very last page was a full print Chanel ad that I found rather striking! That is the whole point... right? Ads that capture your attention, and your imagination, make a product more intriguing! I don't think I will ever own a Chanel watch in my lifetime, they are a bit out of my price range, but still a girl can dream! Just because I can't walk into Chanel and buy a gorgeous new suit, dress or watch, doesn't stop me from window shopping on Maiden Lane during the holidays! Chanel mannequins are some of the best dressed ladies of Union Square! LOL. I wouldn't miss it for the world!
My Favorite Year...
Okay, how could I participate in a Round Robin Challenge, when the subject is Pretty Paper, without including my favorite Pretty Paper of all time? This is the movie poster for the film Blue Jasmine, which was done by my favorite director of all time, Woody Allen! As you probably know, during August of 2012, Woody was in the Bay Area filming Blue Jasmine, and I got to watch the filming a couple times! I waited, and wondered, what the official movie poster would look like? I knew the beautiful Cate Blanchette would grace it, and more than likely the color blue, but when the two came together, it took my breath away! I had to have it! And look how gorgeous it looks on the wall of my office. It looks amazing against that cornflower blue wall! And it makes me smile. That August held a lot of good memories for me!
Sigh! Smile! Happiness! Okay, now that you have visited me, and saw my contribution to this round of the Round Robin Challenges, why don't you visit the other participants to see what they have all come up with? Better yet, join in the fun! Click the link at the top of this post, to be directed to the official Round Robin Challenge blog, where you can find the list of participants, and all the info you need to play along! Mood: Happy
"As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same." ~Donald E. Westlake
Christmas shopping... BLECH! For some strange reason, I don't enjoy Christmas/Holiday shopping as much as I used to! In my twenties, I could work a full 8 hour shift at work, and still close the malls shopping! In my thirties, I learned to be a bit more reasonable with my time. Just because I could close a mall, didn't mean I had to! That was an unanticipated side effect of marriage! LOL. Suddenly, budgets were a good thing, but what goes with a sound budget? Strictly planned shopping! Gone are the days of impulse buying, nope in my thirties I learned to be a coupon clipper, sales advertisement peeper, and a bargain shopper planner! Not very spontaneous, but definitely less nerve racking come January! Now, my forties came with the idea of purchasing gifts throughout the year, and putting them away in a special gift box for the holidays! That way everything got paid off a little at a time! Can you tell what I am leading up to? My fifties! My shopping energy is now almost nonexistent, and so is my patience! Nothing makes me more irritable than rudeness! But it's especially bad when it's coming from someone 30 years younger than me! The other day, while standing in line at Walmart, a young woman of about 20 or so, who was standing in front of me, backed into my cart at least four times within a span of about 2 minutes! Each time she bumped into me, she would stop yelling at her boyfriend, who apparently lives in her cell phone, to turn around and apologize profusely! The first couple times I accepted her apology, but by the third time I was just pissed off! On the fourth, "I'm Sorry" I said, "No you're not!" You should have seen the look on her face! "No really ma'am, I am sorry." I didn't have the energy to shop that day, but shop I had to! I didn't have the energy to stand in line at Walmart that day, but stand in line I had to. Walmart frowns on customers who take items from the store without doing the heavy lifting of actually standing in line! So I was pretty much at the mercy of whoever was standing along with me. When the young woman was so deep in her own life, that she couldn't just put a little thought into her actions, it just rubbed me the wrong way! Sigh. I let it go at that, because thankfully, the line began to move again, and she was going to be out of my life soon enough!
Whatever!
As of today, I am 90% finished with my Christmas shopping! I have one more trip to Walmart, to pick up a gift for the cats, and a small gift for Alan. Tonight he and I are going to pick out our annual Tilden Park Carousel ornaments. The Winter Wonderland at the Tilden Park Carousel is nothing short of magical, and when we are there it puts me in the holiday spirit like nothing else! We have bought each other an ornament every year for the last 7 years or so! They have about 14 Christmas trees, that have every kind of Christmas ornament theme you could come up with! Including a Hunter's Tree, Fairy Tales, Sea Creatures, and of course, some that are more traditional! It is gorgeous! One of my very favorite is the all Christmas candy tree! It consists of lovely plastic candies, and cupcakes. It's hard not to feel like a kid when looking at all the candy, and that makes this old lady feel really good! Shopping isn't actually a sport, but it does take skills and patience! ESPECIALLY PATIENCE! Mood: Happy ~Me :)
"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." ~Angela Schwindt Alan and I are Furbaby parents. Don't laugh... it's a thing! At least try to understand, because I am here to tell you how rewarding and life affirming it is! Little boy humans, little boy cats, same thing! You might not understand that unless you are a pet person! But here is the point... you teach your human children values, and manners, and most importantly all about love! You do the same thing with cats. Do you think sibling rivalry only goes on in human families? If you do, you would be wrong! We brought Hendrix home first, Dylan followed about a week or so later. Hendrix is a wonderful, loving, joyful cat, but blending the two personalities took some effort on our side and theirs! Within the first couple months Dylan was already showing signs that he truly loved Hendrix, and Hendrix had assumed the role of Dylan's, and our, caregiver! He watches over all of us! Dylan and Hendrix are a little over 5 years old now. They are adult cats, set in their routines, and ways! A couple weeks ago, along came baby Joey! Dylan is no longer, "the baby," and he seems a bit upset about that! Hendrix isn't sure he wants another brother who may not want to play with him. Dylan is a bit of a stick in the mud sometimes, so I am hoping as we break out the toys which the 3 boys share, we will find that important common ground. It is already going amazingly well. Patience, patience, patience! Dylan's favorite game is chasing a ball down the hall, and bringing it back! He loves fetch! Hendrix runs through the house, but never interferes with Dylan's game! Hendrix likes to play with stuffed animals. He can throw them really high in the air, and is excellent at catching them! While he plays, Dylan sits on the sidelines, and watches his brother play! They both enjoy the laser mouse game, and Zhu Zhu pets RULE! Joey is really enjoying the laser mouse game also, and today all three cats played, with zero drama! It was amazing! Now, I bet you are wondering about how you teach a cat values. Well, Elvis was the best example of that. He would put his toys away every night, when he saw Alan and I go to bed. He insisted that 10:00 PM was our bedtime, by coming into whatever room we were in, standing in front of us, and staring. HARD. And he would refuse to move, until we got up and went to bed! He was an amazing cat, and he was that once in a lifetime pet, that you never get over! He has been gone over 5 years, and I still think about him every single day. I know one day, hopefully 20 or 30 years from now, I will have to face losing one of my furbabies again, and honestly I don't know how I will survive it! I just don't! But I try not to waste a single moment thinking about it. We are all in the here and now. Families come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and fur, and I wouldn't change that for anything!
"But frost, like the crystallized dreams of autumn, began to coat the clearing with it's sugar glaze." ~Victoria Logue, Redemption It's so sad. What leaves the wind storm didn't steal from the autumn trees, the bitter frost did! Oh a few trees are enduring the early insistence of winter, but for the most part the mourning has begun! I know it's the season, it's the way things are, but I will chase down ever last autumn leaf I can find, and hold onto that warm feeling for the season I look forward to all year!
"I'm sorry I bit you mommy, Love Dylan" ~Dylan Andrew Gordon
Is there anything more fun than being woke up by your cat hissing... and biting... you? Dylan is a special cat. Dare I say it? Dylan is short bus special! All kidding aside, he is either nearsighted or autistic. Wait... is that a thing? Can cats be autistic? I will have to run that question past Dr Barrett, when we take Joey for his baby shots later today. Yes, I know, I said I wasn't going to engage in any financial transactions today, but really, what could go wrong? It's a visit to Dr. B! But anyway, on the subject of cat autism, I will probably do some Googling on the subject before running it past Dr. B! LOL. It sounds like a dumb question, but I have wondered if there are some cats that have autism, or similar problems, because Dylan is a little, well, dim.
Now before you jump on me, I don't consider autistic human individuals dim, but humans can communicate a lot better than felines. Humans speak the same language, and have medical testing available, felines don't. At least not that I know of. If Dylan could tell me what's wrong, I could help him out... but he can't. He is a great cat mind you. Gorgeous, loving, full of personality, but it's taken me 5 years to teach him how to brush his face. Elvis learned within 6 months! But it's probably not fair to compare the two cats. Cats, like no other animals, are individuals. And in that I have been compared to a cat by more than one boyfriend in my past, I think being individual is a good thing!
Go Dylan! Embrace your individuality, but please don't bit mommy again! LOL.
"To Do Today, 1/17/08 1. Sit and think 2. Reach enlightenment 3. Feed the cats" Mood: Happy ~Me :)
"Christmas is a time when everybody wants their pasts forgotten and their present remembered. What I don't like about Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day." Phyllis Diller Good grief! It's the Eve Of December 10th! What is December 10th? Well, that's our cursed day! Yes, Alan and I have our very own cursed day, and it's tomorrow, December 10th! Why is it cursed? Well, you see, it has been an annual occurrence since the year of our marriage, in 1990, that on December 10th something odd, usually something to do with finances, takes place on or very near the actual day of December 10th! If you are new to my blog, and this is all a new revelation about me, let me give you some examples of December 10th oddness, in random order... Our storage unit was burglarized. Someone claiming to be me, rented a car, on December 10th, had an accident, and I didn't find out until the following March when the claims adjuster called to ask additional details. That was the year we thought we had beat the curse! How this person got my name and phone number, I will never know. One of my favorite December 10th hilariousness, happened when Alan was nearly arrested for stalking a neighbor! What he was actually doing was checking the roof at my mother's house for lost shingles, due to a wind storm the previous night! LOL. Thank GOD mom was home to identify him! I was there, trust me, he was looking at the roof's shingles! In 2011, I decided to just completely ignore the day altogether, that DID NOT WORK OUT! I got a call at 3:30 in the morning, of December 10th, from the fraud division of my bank. It seems someone in Illonois was trying to purchase $1,000 worth of assorted items from a dollar store, using a copy of my ATM/Debit card! They had been approved for $100.00 worth earlier in the day! Thankfully, I wasn't held responsible! Last year, on December 10th, someone did the exact same thing to Alan! Exactly one year apart mind you! They made a copy of his ATM/Debit card and tried to purchase first $100.00 worth of merchandise, then $1,000.00 worth, only this time, they were in Georgia! Another personal favorite was the year Alan tried to order a garden hose, on December 10th, using a gift certificate he won at an office party, on December 10th the previous year! He ordered the hose, which was free, but when it came it wasn't one hose, it was 2 hoses! No problem, right? Yes... PROBLEM! Two weeks later, another 3 came! It was difficult to deal with, but they understood we didn't need 4 garden hoses! They told us to choose the one we wanted, and send the 3 remaining back. Alan hadn't opened them, so NO problem. It was however, when he opened the hose he decided to keep, the following spring, only to find it was damaged! And there are other assorted incidents. I won't share all of them. My friend Paul, of the blog, Aurora Walking Vacation, a kind and rational thinker if ever there was one, has challenged me at times to consider that December 10th isn't really cursed, but rather I am noticing a pattern where there isn't one. Like if I suddenly noticed that on October 22nd, leaves tend to fall from trees, or more in the abstract, every year during our vacation, Alan and I will spontaneously encounter a celebrity. It's happened a lot, and I used to think of it as magical, but in truth I live in the Bay Area, and we do get the ocassional celebrity in our midst. No magic, more just the way things work! If you leave the house, and even if you don't, random things happen! And I believed that for many years, but how many police reports does one have to fill out before you come to the realization, The Curse Of December 10th is a thing? But does it deserve the respect I give it? I wish I knew. But good, bad or otherwise, 24 hours from now Alan and I are going to watch old movies, pop popcorn, make some cinnamon frosted pecans, play with our new kitten Joey, watch as many Woody Allen movies as we can fit into 24 hours, dance to disco music, play scrabble, play, Quiddler, and NOT ANSWER THE DOOR! USE OUR CREDIT CARDS OR DEBIT CARDS! WE WILL ACCEPT NO CODS! AND THERE WILL BE NO CYBER SHOPPING! Or for that mater, engage in any transaction of commercialism what-so-ever! There... I said it! I am not afraid to admit to this probably unfounded fear! In fact, I am a bigger person for it! And Paul, if you are visiting my blog this week, I will say it right now... YOU ARE PROBABLY RIGHT! But Happy December 10th Day Anyway! Watch your wallet and bank accounts my friend! LOL! :) Mood: Uncertain :) ~Me :) Dear friends, I will update you later this week if anything happens, so stay tuned!
"December's wintry breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane, obscuring summer's memory..." ~John Geddes
It rained on Friday night! It also rained in the wee early hours of Saturday morning! Snow had been predicted on and off all day Friday, and I really got my hopes up, but alas, there was NO snow come early Saturday morning. Well, at least, not where I live. In fact, you had to drive all the way down to Mount Hamilton to find snow, and that was at the very top of the mountain, at the Lick Observatory. Oh well. At least it cleaned the air, and made for an absolutely beautiful Saturday! Crossing the Bay Bridge into San Francisco, you could see forever!
I was tempted to ask Alan if he wanted to head over to Marin County for the day, after we finished at the Embarcadero, but I was a bit tired, so we just made it an early afternoon and came home and cuddled. We don't get Saturdays together very often, but I talked him into playing hooky so we could play in the snow. When it didn't come, we decided to just go with Plan B. That's what this year has been all about you know, Plan B! LOL. But am I complaining? Well... yes... but I am also thanking my lucky stars! Life is just one long adventure! You just have to go with it! Saturday December 7th, 2013 It's Not Autumn Yet!
The Embacadero Center
Embarcadero Center Ice Rink
Art About Town: San Francisco... "The Tulip" By John C. Portman
I love this sculpture. I photograph it every chance I get! It can be seen from all over the Embarcadero, while on the ferry and from Treasure/Yerba Buena Island. It stands three stories tall, and at night makes a lovely appearance outlined in tiny, clear lights. I have done posts about this sculpture before, but each year I have to revisit it and photograph it especially for the holidays! I only wish my photographs of it did it any real justice! It's breathtaking!
It was a good day! A crisp, bright, beautiful day, and time with the love of your life, what more can a girl ask for? Mood: Very Happy! ~Me :)
"The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches." ~E.E. Cummings Wow... this month is moving along! We are busy with the new kitten, Joey, and this weekend we are putting up the Christmas tree. That's going to be fun! Just when we got to the point that we could leave the kids home alone... with a fully decorated Christmas tree... what happens? Along comes an unexpected bundle of joy! LOL. We could have sent little Joey to a shelter, or tried to pretend we didn't see him at all, but can you imagine that Karma? Turning away a little one with no place to stay! No, there was no other way to go, but it's working out wonderfully, we are all falling in love with him a little more every minute. Even Hendrix and Dylan have been cordial... so far! A year from now I will be wondering, what was I so worried about? Or... I will remember why it was a good idea to be worried! LOL.
By the way, YIKES, I have been so busy I completely forgot to post my annual warning about Krampas Day, or actually Krampas night! Apparently I have been a good enough girl, as no Krampas has jumped from the shadows to spank me! LOL. But snow is predicted for the lower hills and peaks around the bay tonight, and who knows, he might be lurking somewhere! So, I am taking no chances, I am in for the night, but come morning, if there is snow on the ground, I will be out in the soft cold snow, doing my best to pretend it doesn't hurt my ancient old bones! LOL. Anyway, here is a pretty nifty podcast I found on YouTube that tells the history of Krampas. Seriously, if you are already tired of all the early Christmas overload, the story of Krampas is a festive, and fun alternative!
"The only thing a cat worries about is what's happening right now. As we tell the kittens, you can only wash one paw at a time." ~Lloyd Alexander, Time Cat
Yesterday, Alan and I discovered a sore on our new house guest, Foster, that we hadn't noticed before. We have had him since last Saturday, and we both thought we had checked him over pretty good, but somehow a gash under his front left leg had gone unnoticed. Foster doesn't complain much, in fact, the only real sound he makes is a heavy purrrrrrr. He is an amazingly beautiful, gentle cat. Anyway, we decided that if we were going to do right by him, a trip to see Dr. Barrett would be the thing to do. So, off to see Dr. B. we went! Dr. Barrett confirmed a lot for us. The gash could have been done by the large crows Alan had seen circling Foster, when he first found him last Saturday. He also confirmed for me that Foster probably wasn't a feral cat at all! That kitten is way too gentle and agreeable to be a kitten that has had to hunt and care for himself for most of his young life. I can't be sure, but I think someone owned Foster, but when it became too inconvenient for them, they dropped him on the freeway, or nearby, and Foster couldn't care for himself as an outside, wild one.
We will never know what happened. And to be honest, I don't think I want to know. I know there are well meaning people in this world that sometimes make bone-headed decisions. And sometimes there are people who don't understand the difference between a domesticated kitty and a feral one, assuming Foster would have all the instinct and skills to survive on his own. But I also know that there is an ASSHOLE born every minute! W.C. Fields used to say... "There is a sucker born ever minute." He was right. But he forgot to mention that there are a lot of different people born every minute, and among them are the, ASSHOLES. It doesn't matter. Little by little over the past week, Alan and I have both fallen completely in love with that little cat, but we were still sitting on the fence about whether keeping him would be the right thing to do. We live in a small place, that is completely filled with love already. Dylan and Hendrix are larger than life characters, and they have settled in nicely to their routines, but after a good long talk with Dr. Barrett, we decided to keep the kitten. So, we are now a slightly larger family of a Dad, Mom and three little boys. Honestly, I am not sure how it's going to work. Who will get super jealous? Who will be completely welcoming? Will Foster be able to blend in? Will Hendrix or Dylan get hurt feelings?
Am I too old to even try this? God, I feel so old. My Fibromyalgia exhausts me. All valid considerations I think. But somehow, keeping the little boy... well... just all feels so right! The only thing that didn't feel right is his name. Foster? Banana's Foster? Foster Brooks? Foster Freeze? Foster Child? Nope. That would never do! So, after some consideration, Alan and I chose a name in keeping with our love of music and musicians. So, let me introduce to you... Joey (Ramone)
We are all going to be fine! We are a family! And like everything else, we are going to take life one paw at a time!
And Now, My Favorite Ramone's Song... "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker"
Joey And Me December 5th, 2013 Joey's Official Birth Date October 13th, 2013
"It's hard to believe in coincidence, but its's even harder to believe in anything else." ~John Green, Will Grayson, Will Grayson It's really cold tonight, so cold in fact that the local weather forecasters are predicting snow as low as 1,000 ft, which pretty much means, that Mt. Diablo, Mt. Hamilton and the Santa Cruz summit will definitely be getting a dusting of snow... and so will Grizzly Peak Blvd here in the Berkeley Hills. That probably won't be until Friday, but our little house guest, Foster, who I told you about in yesterday's post, had to come in tonight. I am not sure Dylan and Hendrix are ready to have company over, especially someone so wee, but ready or not, we are all going to have to make it work! Sometimes people come into our lives quite unexpectedly. Sometimes people leave our lives quite unexpectedly. We don't have much choice in these matters. All we can do is... our best! When I think about all the human friends I have lost, for one reason or another, I get so sad. I remember the day I drew a personal line in the sand and said... ENOUGH. When Mr. November, ran screaming from my life, I decided I would never put myself in that position ever again. NEVER. And then one day, you find yourself making a friend, and you forget why you decided to shut yourself off so completely? It's funny how some of the best things in life, are so rarely convenient. I still love Mr. November, but I don't think about him much anymore. A fact that occurred to me just the other day, when I was thinking about the fact that I rarely think about him anymore. LOL!
"Of course, that's how life is. A turn of events may seem very small at the time it's happening, but you never really know, do you? How can you."
~Tom Xavier, Dark Curses and Faerie Dreams Although I do smile when I remember how he used to make me laugh! And how everything was okay when we were around each other, and in the last little bit of time he was around, before he moved away, we were... well... understanding each other a lot better. I know, what I am saying doesn't make much sense, but it does to me. It's all good. But I really don't think of it much anymore, time passes, and feelings fade, and light replaces sad feelings.
Right now I have a feline house guest who needs me. His name is Foster, and he is already my friend. He was put on the same path Alan and I are on, and maybe he will stay with us forever, or maybe one day he will move on to a new family, and it's what's meant to be. Life is sometimes not convenient. Sometimes it hurts like HELL. Sometimes it's the work we have to put into things, that pays off the most. Time moves us along to each new adventure, whether we want to go or not, but moving forward with an open heart, makes any adventure more exciting! Serendipity: noun; the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable things not sought for; also: an instance of this.
"The ornaments of your house will be the guests that frequent it." ~Unknown
Meet Foster! Foster is a silver tabby that Alan found on a freeway off-ramp this past weekend. Despite how big he appears in this photo, Foster is quite tiny. He is about 5 to 6 weeks old, and about as lost a soul as could possibly be! He is also quite lovely... and cuddly... and every single day, I fall more and more in love! The trouble is, I already have 2 little boys. Dylan and Hendrix, who turned 5 years old this past September, and they have settled into their own routines. Hendrix would probably be happy to welcome Foster into our family, Dylan... not so much! He has always been insecure, and at times, jealous of Hendrix! Over time Dylan has come to realize that I am not cheating on him, by also loving Hendrix, and we all have an understanding, but it took a long time to get to this point, and I am not sure how it would work to officially blend Foster in. All I know is, it was out of the question to leave that tiny tabby on the side of the road! Period! Alan spotted him, saw some angry, hungry crows, chasing Foster down, and couldn't bear the thought of doing nothing! So, he and I gathered up a butterfly net, and captured him as gently as we could, and brought him home, where he has been staying in a box in our shed. We bought him two brand new blankets, a big catnip pillow, some kitten chow, and a couple small toys from IKEA. And there he is, with plenty of room to move, and sleep, and do his business, while he decompresses from all the stress of being a tiny kitten, in a big scary world. I don't know if we will keep him. I am not sure if this is meant to be. All I know is my broom kept falling down all last Saturday... and you know what that means!
"For the happiest life, rigorously plan your days, leave your nights open to chance." ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966 I thought it would be fun to do some night photography, so I grabbed my camera and headed down Grizzly Peak to one of the pullouts overlooking the bay. This angle faces the Bay Bridge, and the South Beach and Mission Bay areas of San Francisco, and that is Oakland in the forefront. December is one of my favorite months for this kind of photography! It's usually windy, and cold, but well worth the effort.This photos features a rather ominous looking cloud over the bay, and some wispy ones above it. The photo came out with more noise than I would have liked. I need a lot more practice, so I will be posting more nighttime photos as we inch closer to the New Year! Stay Tuned! ~Mood: Happy ~Me :)
"In the old
days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it
'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukkah' and went
to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing
each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or Happy
Hanukkah!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!" ~Dave Barry
Talk
about taking the focus off of the true meaning of the holidays! How
about stirring up a falsehood about the fictional war on Christmas?
Every year since that particular bee flew into Bill O'Reilly's bonnet,
we have the conservative right claiming to anyone who would listen, all 4
of them, that there is an all out war on Christmas! And now, because
she can't seem to come up with an original idea or observation of her
own, Sarah Palin has joined the pack of rabid elephants, sounding the
warning cry, just like Paul Revere did before her, "by ringing them bells
and firing those warning shots" and proclaiming, you'll never take our
Red Ryder BB Gun! In fact, here is an excerpt from Sarah Palin's book, regarding
guns, and her present to husband Todd on Christmas 2012... *"Last
year, however, I think I was able to pull off a good one for him. To
combat the anti-gun chatter coming from Washington, I surprised him with
a nice, needed, powerful gun. I then asked him for a metal gun holder
for my four-wheeler. Not only was this small act of civil disobedience
fun, it allowed me to finally live out one of my favorite lines from a
county song: "he's got the rifle, I got the rack."
~Sarah Palin, from her book, Good Tidings and Great Joy
Doesn't that just about say Merry Christmas in the most joyous of ways? She didn't pick out a gift that said, I love you. She didn't choose a gift that reminded Todd of their lives together, or their many blessings. She didn't even consider a gift that reminded him of the simple joys we all have in our lives, most of which can be found just be looking around us. No, she bought Todd a gift that said, FUCK YOU CHILDREN OF SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY, I FIND MY JOYS IN PANDERING TO THE SPECIAL INTERESTS OF THE NRA!
Jesus Is The Reason For The Season! Don't ya know?
I don't know about you, but after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, I didn't really feel in the Christmas spirit. I didn't feel in the holiday spirit... or New Year's spirit for that matter! I did do a lot of crying, and signing of petitions, to hopefully put an end to the gun craziness. I prayed that our president and vice president, would finally do something about the Assault Weapons ban. Both men promised to try, both men failed. And relatively speaking, I have heard very little, at least less than I would like, about it since the middle of the year. Poor President Obama... he can't get anything done! At least that's his traditional cop-out. There... I said it! Look, I am feeling better this year, and this week Alan and I are going to put up the Christmas tree and the yard decorations, life goes on. But for GOD'S sake, and that of the baby Jesus, while we are on the subject, can someone please shut Sarah Palin up for another 27 days or so? Nothing violent of course, just maybe the media could stop covering ever stupid syllable that falls randomly from her uneducated sour mouth. Maybe someone could explain to her that writing a book, about the joys of the holidays, and then fixating on everything that's wrong with people who embrace peace, is nothing more than shameless self promotion and commercialism at it's most vile. I don't actually believe that there is an accurate word for anyone who would put a FALSE IDOL like a gun, before the safety of a child, but if you can't think of one, feel free to share in this comment thread. All I ask is that it's a real word, and you back up why you believe it to be accurate. It's not enough to know how you feel, you must know why you feel it. Think it through... don't be a Sarah Palin! And whatever you do, embrace this time of year, in your own way, but please consider all the free and simple blessings available every day. There is NO war on Christmas. There is however people who will use the season to garner attention, and a buck, for themselves. And by the way, commercialism is exactly as commercial as you make it! You, and only you, have the power to control that! If you feel Sarah's book is the niftiest thing since the Bible, then by all means buy it, and give it to anyone and everyone. But, if buying presents annoys you, make gifts! Think for yourself!
Now... HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
NOTE: As of today, Sarah Palin's book is #615 and has 2 1/2 Stars from Amazon reviews. Mood: Weary ~Me :)
"It seems there is more interest in sunsets than the sunrises. Perhaps because we innately fear the dark." ~Richelle E. Goodrich, Eena, The Two Sisters This isn't the last sunset of November, it was almost the last sunset of November. It was taken on November 27th, Thanksgiving Eve, but it was so beautiful, and I was so happy and thankful just to be watching it, that I couldn't help but try and capture it's beauty forever! Unfortunately, this photo doesn't do it justice. It doesn't come close. But trust me, it was beautiful! I love November sunsets, I should really put them on my list of photography goals for 2014! I like sunrises also, and I am hoping to do one this week, with a little luck! I want to try and capture a photo of the Comet ISON. I have seen some photos of it, posted on Spaceweather.com, and it's amazing! ISON is an early riser, and I am not... lol... so we will have to wait and see!
UPDATE: Jeepers, before I even hit the publish button, came the alert that Comet ISON will not be visible to the naked eye as previously speculated. How sad. Well, that settles that! I guess I will just have to settle for the sunsets, and the next full moon on December 17th. December's full moon is called the Cold Moon, which makes perfect sense I think. So tell me, do you enjoy photographing the full moon, or other heavenly bodies? How about Comet ISON, did you manage to photograph it before it had it's close encounter with the Sun? There's more to come, so, STAY TUNED!
Dylan And Hendrix (Brothers) Home November, 2005 "Families are like fudge... mostly sweet with a few nuts!" ~Unknown RRC: Family I like this theme very much, and I wanted to capture some new photos that represent "family" but it has been a really hectic time, with the computer crash, and getting ready for Thanksgiving, so here are some long archived photos plus one brand new never before posted photo. I think the archived ones were posted back far enough that they may be new to some! I promise... ALL BRAND NEW photos for the next RRC! I really do~ :)
Family...
A Family Of Zombie Apocalypse Scarecrows... November 26th, 2013
A Swan Family Palace Of Fine Arts San Francisco, Ca 2005
A New Family Legion Of Honor San Francisco, Ca 2005
Okay, that's my post! Be sure to go see what the other Round Robin Challenge participants posted! Just click the link at the top of this post to be redirected to the official Round Robin Challenges blog! Mood: Happy ~Me :)
"No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds... November!"
~Thomas Hood
Another beautiful November has come and gone. I loved this past month! I found inspiration everywhere! I feel happy inside, and I have found my inner peace again! November... I love you!
And Now, The November Gallery...
November comes And November goes, With the last red berries And the first white snows.
With night coming early, And dawn coming late, And ice in the bucket And frost by the gate.
The fires burn And the kettles sing, And earth sinks to rest Until next spring.
~Elizabeth Coatsworth
It was a beautiful month... but I am ready for December!
