Change is in the air

 

  
    
Today I am back to the little pictures..it's the quickest and that is what I am planning to be today.   Change is in the air...I can feel it.... it's everywhere all around us.  The first real frosty freeze happened the other morning and it stayed around until about 10:30 am.  I took a break at work and snapped some photos of the little park by us.  The canadian geese were all laying around and then another smaller flock flew in while I was watching.   The white crystals on the benches seemed to be saying:  'Ha!  I'm here and here to stay for awhile!  Change is coming'.    I didn't sit down...nope it was not inviting to sit but it was inticing to look at and marvel at the mystery of snow crystals.   Changes are coming with the season.  It is said that change is good...it's natural..without it we wouldn't grow.   I do love the changing of the seasons and it is never boring even though it happens every few months.   Sometimes it just happens so fast and unexpectedly....I'm not prepared.  It's so much like when it rains and you don't have an umbrella.   Stress also comes with change if you let it.   Ha!  I knew there was a catch.   Remember that a full moon also means change and that happens every month.  Yes, change is in the air and everywhere.  So I say to myself:  'Self, stay in the moment and enjoy it... or let stress win.'  'Not I, said the fly'...;)  

John Scalzi's Monday shoot - the Letter G & more!

    Girl from South Park - me? Today I am doing both the John Scalzi Monday photo shoot:  see his site...it is on the letter 'G' http://journals.aol.com/johnmscalzi/bytheway/entries/5129 and his other entry for what you might look like as a cartoon from South Park..it's fun-to-see (or fantasy). http://journals.aol.com/johnmscalzi/bytheway/entries/5128 ..yep this would be me as a Girl from Southpark...;) Maria  

Waxing a little poetic

 

I seem to be waxing poetic right now..at 7:00am on a rainy, dark, Sunday morning.  

I have some scrabbooking software that allows me to play around with words on a photo.  I'm a great one for trying different things to make something work.  I was able to group the picture with the words and then copy and paste it into Powerpoint.  After that I saved the picture as a jpeg file from powerpoint which is a feature that works when you right click the picture in powerpoint.   I know there is probably something out there that works better...I will find that sooner or later...:)

A Christmas experiment

Hello all!     I have graduated to moving pictures!  It is a momentous occassion for me and I hope for you too!   This little dancing bear entry comes from a wonderful website where you can find lots of singalong songs.

                              http://www.the-north-pole.com/                                                         

                                                            Presents...:)

Nov 22 Anniversary of Kennedy's Assissination

As mentioned in a previous entry, I wanted to post something on John F. Kennedy.  Just wanted to pause for a moment and remember him.  My daughter went to a high school named after him (I understand there are many).  My husband's birthday, Nov. 22, is the anniversary of the shooting, so we never forget it each year...he still remembers the day as do I..we were both in different Grade Schools.  I didn't see any mention of it this year on TV or hear anything on the news.  I hope we don't forget him.  It is not easy to be a leader and especially a young one like he was.   He was one of the most eloquent Presidents we have ever had.  I have always loved the quote:  "...Ask not what your country can do for you...ask what you can do for your country"....the spirit of this quote has always stayed with me.    Here is a pretty good link from Wikipedia that gives more details...   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_assassination

Here is the link to his inaugaral address where he includes the famous lines:
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.
and the less publicized:
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

http://www.classbrain.com/artteenst/publish/printer_102.shtml

The Web in Full View

The web photo is 6 x 4.5 inches.   It's probably the largest I'd go...tomorrow I plan to do some moving gifs for fun.  New discoveries, what was once complicated is now simple....said the spider to the fly.

Red Sky in the morning valley

Red sky in the morning valley, rising over the hills.  Like all dawns breaking a new day...I have made the leap into FTP space.   Would have been nice if I would have seen somewhere that I needed to add the extension name of the file I was uploading there (i.e. .jpg)....I resized this photo to 5 x 3.75 inches.  

 

The previous entry with the pampas grass was 4 x 3 inches.  
A little progress for others, a big step for my journal and me. Now I can make photos with words and not be so limited to the little ones...although I will be using them it will be like christmas cookies...sprinkle here and sprinkle there.    

Pampas Grass

Blue skies and blowing wind in the feathery pampas grasses....a small entry this time.  

 

Musical Conundrums

 

John Scalzi's:  http://journals.aol.com/johnmscalzi/bytheway/entries/5113

Weekend Assignment #87: Answer one or more of the following musical conundrums:

1. Who let the dogs out? Their owners...some came in costume.

2. Why do fools fall in love?  Because Spring was in the air.

3. If birds can fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why, can't I?  Not having wings might have something to do with it....

4. Do you hear what I hear?  I really don't like gossip but if I need to know I need to know.  Let's talk it over a cup of coffee...;)

5. How do you solve a problem like Maria?  I am Maria and I see no problem.

6. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat? Easy,  put only pudding on the menu.

7. Listen, do you want to know a secret? Do you promise not to tell?  Maybe not unless it's about me.   Depends, promise not to tell who?

8. How long has this been going on? Why am I always the last to know?

9. I want to know, have you ever seen the rain? (Alternately: Why does it always rain on me?)  You're kidding, right?  In Seattle rain is the name of the game!  It rains on me because I sometimes forget my umbrella.

10. Does anybody really know what time it is?  Yes, but you need to wear more than one watch so you can synchronize to the work clock,  the spouse's watch and the kitchen clock.   Start a new fad and wear a few watches...be right on time with those who count!   This puts a whole new meaning to letting time wear on you.....:)

(Yes, you can have silly answers. In fact, I encourage them!)

Extra Credit: Pose your own musical question.

11.  What is Louie Louie?  Besides Washington's state song it is a pretty good salad...

The night of Thanksgiving....

  Someone sent me this via email and I just loved it....I would be happy to give credit to whomever put this together so if someone knows I will update this entry...enjoy:

 

          'Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep.
               I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.

                The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white,
                But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

                      Tossing and turning with anticipation,
                    The thought of a snack became infatuation.

                 So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
                 And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

                    I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
                     Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.

                  I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
                  'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

               I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
                 With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.

                But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees
              "Happy eating to all - Pass the cranberries, please!"

              May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump;
                   May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump;
            May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize;
              May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.

 

                                                

Birthday before Thanksgiving

 

    

                         
My husband's birthday falls on Nov. 22 every year (imagine that...same date each year?) and it's sometimes close to or on thanksgiving.   However, a not much advertised fact is that it also falls on the anniversary of  John F. Kennedy's assassination...a very sad moment in history.  He always remembers that and notices when it's not in the news media...I may have to do a special on that soon on my journal.    In the meantime, boy did he have smiles on his face...can't believe a kitchen tool would do that but this Kitchenaid mixer from Costco (professional model) really got him smiling...men and their tools...I especially chose the silver color because it looked like a power tool.  He made, yes made, me go to the store for real whipping cream so he could use the mixer to make it and then we put it on top of his favorite birthday celebration dessert...pumpkin pie - (compliments of our local grocer....Safeway!).   It was worth the smiles...he doesn't like me to post pics of him up here so you will have to use your imagination.  In addition, our daughter gave him much needed and very nice slippers...the kind with rubber soles so he can go out and pick up the paper in the grass in the mornings.  Smiles all around......:)  

Scalzi's Monday Photo shoot - Collection of something

   

   
John Scalzi's Monday photo shoot really struck a cord with me.. http://journals.aol.com/johnmscalzi/bytheway/entries/5099 I have a few different kinds of collections...   I think I need a part 1, part 2, part 3...ad infinitum!   I have eight drawers of rubber stamps that I can use to make cards or art projects.   Amazingly, I have become a recovering stampaholic.  Yes, I actually have to tell myself that I will survive not going into a stamp store I happen to be passing...that yes, that magnetic attraction will pass and that the all powerful force is nothing more than a temporary satiation.   I get such a kick out of the creativity in these places...but boy do they get such a lot of money out of me!   Still, it is sometimes worth the quick fix on rainy days and Sundays.  (In Seattle that is a bit of a problem for recovering stampaholics like myself...my only respite is that I sometimes need to buy a paper punch....unfortunately they too are like Lay's potato chips...you can eat just one...I can never buy just one....)   OH well, it's all in fun. 

Thanks, John!  I never would have taken a photo record of this collection without your incentive!    
  

       Maria    

Scalz's weekend assignment - Who I'll miss

   
     
Johns Scalzi's weekend assignment.....Who will we miss on Thanksgiving that we are most thankful for:  http://journals.aol.com/johnmscalzi/bytheway/entries/5084

....:) and extra credit if we answer about which we like best:  pumpkin or pecan pie!  Sorry it's gotta be pumpkin with whip cream!  Pecan is good but so sweet that I can only take a couple of bites.   I wonder what White pumpkin pie tastes and looks like....yes, it's real...:) 

 This year I will be having Thanksgiving with my sister in law and her family...my husbands side of the family.  We take turns each year and so I won't be having Turkey with my parents and will miss them.  We did spend the day on Saturday with them helping them replace part of their back deck.  ( A different kind of weekend assignment..we worked 'til sunset...well, I stayed inside).  Taking turns each thanksgiving has turned out to be a very fair solution.   Since I have four brothers and two sisters, some of which live out of town...I would be missing them also.  Thankfully they are still all alive.   Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving...

until I write again,  yours truly, Maria    

Webs in the mist

        The weather has been very foggy and misty here in Seattle lately.  So much mist in the air that I found these little sparkling cobwebs in the mist this morning on our front railing still with droplets of the foggy residue clinging to the patterns.   You may want to enlarge the pictures to get a good look.  Didn't spot the little creative spider anywhere but it looked like a small mosquito was caught in the web.  I left the webs there.   I wasn't working in the yard today so why destroy all that beautiful handiwork.   Times like these I'm glad I have a digital camera.  I marvel in the artwork that goes on just outside my house.  To think the webs are strong enough to hold all those little droplets of mist.   There were at least four of them attached to the railing.   Hmmm, come to think of it...where did those spiders go?  :)     The back yard is getting a little unruly.  The morning glory vines are creeping all over my flower garden in little scallopy designs.   I do like their heart shaped leaves and you have to admit they have guts....since I plan to pull them out as soon as I get around to it.   My little moon face clay art object is getting a little worn but it looked just right with the clover shaped leaves growing beneath it.  Don't remember where it came from but I really like it..... Maria      

Background themes

 
 
You can make almost any photo a background for your screen.  I vary them and find that sometimes I like them brighter and sometimes more like a very light watercolor and muted.  Here are some that work great depending on your icons and where they are situated.  You've probably got lots of photos and this is a great way to enjoy them by showcasing them on your  computer.  I love to take pictures of places I've been and things that evoke feeling.   It's a bit time consuming but worth the effort.  At year end I look back over my photos and that's what I use to put together a little synopsis of the year.   It's amazing what happens within a year.   Like the written journal the photo journal can take you right back to a moment in time and you get to reexperience the joy and emotions..hopefully all good ones.   I learn something new each time I look at my photos and not just about the photo itself but about myself.   It will soon be thanksgiving.  Being thankful is so important.  Even for the funny pictures we take and decide to make our background themes!  Happy themeing....oops a Maria word...;)   Signature is compliments of Ghost Graphics: http://members.fotki.com/Jess3Dragonfly3/      

Japanese Gardens Rock

 
   
My title may seem like an Oxymoron since Japanese gardens are all about peace and serenity but it really isn't.  There are a lot of rocks and natural things in a Japanese garden.  The Zen garden is very peaceful and yet it is also inspiring and thought provoking.  The order and structure of this little garden in Ellensburg at Central College was a pleasant surprise. Along with the statues and the bright red Japanese maple there were other little surprises like streams and babbling brooks.  Yes, Japanese gardens do indeed rock!  

Sunrise over the valley

       

Sunrise over the Rainier valley is so brilliant some mornings.  There are always surprises in my pictures...like the snow on the mountains and a small bird flying through the red clouds.  Each day brings something new and that is the promise it gives.   Viewing it as a wonder and a mystery is quite right!  How it unfolds and how you seize it is entirely up to each person.   There is a latin saying: Carpe Diem!   or  Seize the Day!   Waking up each morning saying these two latin words or three if in English should get us in the right frame of mind...even when the sun is behind grey and dripping clouds..it's still there.  The day is still ours.  :)