The First Monday

Christmas is just about all put away at our house. It used to make me sad, but not so much anymore. I love the holidays, but I also love a fresh new start and that's what it feels like to me. I hve several things I want to accomplish this year, but will keep them to myself. One thing though --- it's been a long time since I blogged. I have no excuses. No reasons. No explanations. Other than life just keeps moving faster and faster for all of us. This year I want to do better that way. I want to keep in touch with myself through writing. I've always loved it. Always. And I think it's not only good therapy but it encourages thoughtfulness and Lord knows we can all use that.

This last year has been full of loss. I've known a dozen or so people who have gone on to the great beyond --- Cheri, Betty, Jessie, Tanda, Randy, Debby, Diane, Jay, Don, Bertha, Mrs. Madsen, Rick, the Buckster. Some were young, some not; some were sick, some not. But loss like that makes one stop and think. And it makes us take each other less for granted. When Jessie died, it was and still is very surreal to me. It seems like I could expect to see her at the next family reunion, like she's not gone anywhere at all. But the tragic facts remain --- and I wish I had taken just a little more time to know both her and Cheri better.

This year has also been full of so much joy! I've been able to reconnect with old and new friends...Jer and his family are healthy and happy; my relationship with my daughter has almost recovered; Nate and Quincy were married and there is a possibility that he will be moving closer to home this next year; Sean and MD are closer to finishing school; Laura got a better paying job; Alex has a promising future with his job; Alan is edging closer to retirement and more time in the shop; and we are healthy. Life is as good as it can be.

And though I didn't do things last year that I really regret too much, I want 2015 to be a better year. So...this year, I'll do much better. I'll be

kinder,
more patient,
more appreciative,
more accepting,
more willing,
more generous.

I want to do MORE. I want to BE MORE. And since I really like taking photos, I'll be including some of those too!

Tales of Woe

We started posting pictures on Flickr of little roadside memorials that are erected by bereaving loved ones. It's surprising to me how many there are and that they are scattered everywhere. I've found them along busy freeways as well as in little obscure places that only a handful of people will ever see. Mostly they are built simply; with crosses and rocks, flowers, and favorite things like empty beer cans and angels. Some even have solar lights planted so as to shine on the crosses at night. In the set on Flickr, we have attached locations and obits we can find and links to blogs that tell about the victim's lives. It's an interesting little 'project'.

Here is one I took today. The kid was 18 years old. And the best dad, I guess.

Moving Day

Good afternoon....Today is Moving Day. I'm finishing my 30 Day Challenge on epiphanese.blogspot.com. It's my personal blog and since these posts are more about me, I'm moving there to complete what I started. I guess that seems fitting? I don't know. Anyway, you can see the remainder of the 30 Day Challenge on Epiphanese. Drop by!

TTFN

Day 12: Hands

I found a photo that really speaks to me. I didn't take this one either, but I would have. This NA woman has spent years in the sun, you can clearly see that there are thousands of experiences etched on her hands. She like her baubles and adornments and somehow it does NOT look overdone to me. I really like what this says to me and I believe that she has had an interesting and busy life. The photographer might be trying to downplay the busy content by choosing B&W, but he fails. I think this photo is merely enhanced by the shades of gray and silver and I SEE tons of color here. I really dig this one.

Day 11: Something Old

I'm late again...but only a day. I have weather to blame thank for that. I actually thought about this post for a few days and had it all planned...haha! But, I was not finding the photo I wanted to use. It is of an old woman, her name is Beth. She taught me to tat when I was 35 years old. Tatting is something that I had wanted to learn for several years because I watched my Grandma Woodland tat when I was young and it was so fascinating to see her nimble fingers knot and twist the thread into beautiful handmade lace. Sadly she died before she taught me how. But even now, I have several articles of baby clothing that she 'laced" for me when I was tiny.

Anyway...back to my idea for the photo...Beth. She was a wonderful kind woman and everyone loved her. She was so patient with me and giggled when I'd get it wrong and she'd say, "Honey, you're making this much too difficult." I can still see her sparkly blue eyes and her smile in my memories. I'll find that photo and post it. But until then, I have this photo which is almost as sweet to me. It is a photo of 2 antique tatting shuttles with a bit of lace that I made. I've had lots of shuttles over the last several years and made yards and yards of lace. The two shuttles shown were special gifts. The one with embossed flowers is one from my sisters, and the other with the barely visible name "Amy" on it (if you click on the photo, you can see it better), is from my youngest son -- his birthday gift to me, this year. Both shuttles are over 100 years old.

Day 10: Nature

Last summer, we went on a spontaneous little road trip to the hills around us and visited an old mining town. As we walked the dirt streets, we saw lots of interesting things. The photo below is one that I took as we climbed the hill to the cemetery. Did you know that a butterfly's diet is entirely liquid (of course!)? They take all their nutrition through their proboscis (you'll have to look that up). Butterfly food can be found in lots of places; shallow ponds, puddles, fruits, mud...anywhere there is a little moisture there is a meal. Say what you will, but nature is filled with miracles of life such as these, on every hand. We enjoyed watching these beauties flit around just a few feet from us. There were probably a hundred of them, but they wouldn't sit still for pictures so I settled for just one.

Day 9: Inspiring Person

Wow. Inspiring person. That's a toughie. And now it's super apparent to me that this challenge isn't meant to be one where you take a photo of the subject matter each day, but try to depict the daily challenge with some kind of photography.

Inspiring person. There is one person who has been an inspiration to me since I met her in 1985. She is my age and grew up near me, though we never met until we were women. I haven't seen or spoken to her in 5 or more years, but she is still an inspiration to me when I think of her. We called her Val. Through the years, I have watched her go after the things that are important to her as an individual and she has always kept 'others' as one of her main focuses. She is happily married to a great guy and they have 4 grown children, but she has suffered from bouts of deep depression often in her life. Early on, she told me about her brother's suicide and how her own mother shrunk from life for several years after that. Val's youngest son was born with a defect to his right arm due to a negligent obstetrician and laborious delivery.  Her daughter married an abusive man and endured an ugly divorce soon after. Some of her other family members stole money and land from each other causing a chasm that is irreparable. Being the person she was, these things affected her deeply. During those times, when she struggled with things, she would take a new path for a while. Val has always been devout in her faith and has donated thousands of hours in the service of others. She has researched and written the history of her hometown. She has learned Tagalog. She was active in our community volunteering on boards and committees and even ran for public office. To look at her you'd never expect that she had any of that inside her. She's a quiet, pale, slender woman with thin grey hair, deep brown eyes. But she has humble confidence. She is tenacious, she is loyal and she just never quits. Most people who know her, love her or want to be her.

Her name is Valerie and she is my inspiration.

I can't find a photo in my vast archive of un-filed photos and snapshots. But, there is this one that I found of their wedding announcement in the local paper from years ago.

Day 8: Favorite Color

Well, unless my favorite color is WHITE, today will be a challenge. Actually I have a couple of challenges today, I don't really have a favorite color, being one of them. My favorite color changes with the wind... ha! And depending on what we're talking about, I DO have favorites. For instance, my favorite color of food is GREEN (i like fresh stuff -- vegetables), my favorite colors of flower are YELLOW and ORANGE (cheery and bright blossoms), my favorite color of lipstain is a ROSEBROWN color (nothing too flashy, just a nice everyday color), my favorite HS team colors are GREEN and WHITE (GO BRONCOS!!), and my favorite college team colors are BLUE and ORANGE. So no. I don't really have a favorite color. But I love, love, love color. Here'a  photo of my closet. I like to hang things by color to make them easier to find. Also, hanging clothing on anything but colored hangars makes your closet look much more organized; I prefer wood.

Hmmmm, interesting, I guess I do have a favorite color. At least for winter months. And I guess I need to go shopping. Woohoo!!

Day 7: Something Funny

Funny is when you see something that takes you by surprise. It's usually something you don't expect and can encompass about anything. A few years ago, my daughter-in-law posted this photo on Facebook and I quickly hijacked it. It made me LOL and it still does. I put it in an album and when I stumble across it, I instantly get a smile across my face. Brock is our little surprise-meister; you just never know what he'll do next. I have a few of him that tickle me...this first one is what he looked like after eating a set of watercolors.

This next one is his halloween costume last year... Not sure which super hero he is supposed to be, but he is a super little man and always keeps us laughing.

LMBO right now.

Day 6: Books

My son visited the other day and as he was standing looking at our bookshelf, mentioned that the Danes really take offense to someone looking at their books. On their bookshelves. In their living rooms. Out in the open. He said that you can get yourself thrown out of someone's home by perusing their collections. Seems to me like that is kind of odd. If someone really didn't want you to know what they read, they'd hide it. Right? In any case, here is a collection of photos that make up a bookshelf of sorts. It contains everything from comics to classics and is displayed in our living room. We really enjoy our Kindles, but we LOVE our books. It's different to hold a book -- feel it's weight and smell it's musty pages. Some of ours are very old and some are quite new. I'd venture to say that we'll always have room for books in our home. I like what they contain and I like what they say to others about us.

Day 5: Morning Sun

First, I've been a little under the weather and slept like crap last night, so I missed most of the 'morning sun' this day. But as I came into my office, I noticed the sun pouring through the window across my file caddy. It made for an interesting photo. All I did was use the B&W filter and change the orientation...the lighting is true.

Day 4: Leaves

I took these photos of leaves on the SE side of the state a few years ago in the Spring. These photos show new life rising out of the rocks and cold hardness of winter. They sort of offer hope. 

Okay...so now I'm thinking 'leaves' the verb...but...well, I took this photo at Silver City and it's (the cemetery, not the city) where people go when they 'leave' this frail existence. Or at least it's where they stop for a bit. We really enjoyed the walk through these old stones. 

I love that all these photos figuratively depict a few phases of life. 

Day 3: Happiness

I'm fighting depression. Ok, there. I said it. It's something that plagues me pretty often and if I don't take good enough care of myself, it takes me over. There has been so much sadness and tragedy and hate and meanness all around us that I was being consumed by despair. But at the bottom of the abyss early this morning, a little revelation came to me (Thank you, God!). . . . simply to be the change I want to see (in the world). Instantly I was swept over with a feeling of pure Happiness. Peace. It's not THE answer, but it's MY answer and I'm able to breathe again. For now.

I know that I can't take a photo today to depict that feeling, plus it's dark outside...But I have some that are of a very happy time. Sharing.

My loves are the most precious things I have in my life. They truly bring me happiness!

Day 2: Smile

Okay, okay, I didn't take one with Instagram, but the Buckster wouldn't smile for me and I didn't want my mug up here. Problem is that I couldn't pick just one... but I didn't see a rule... *wink*

Now, I dare you NOT to smile!

Here goes...30 Days: Day 1: Fav Food

I saw something on Pinterest that sparked my interest and since I'm having a tough time getting goin this year, I thought this would be fun...30 days of Instagram. The photos are themed for each day, the first one being my favorite food...which is PIZZA. This pizza is especially lovely tasting for a few reasons. Number 1 being that Alan made it and he is a fabulous cook; and number 2 that it isn't loaded with a lot of meat; it is an authentic Chicago style stuffed pizza. The photo however isn't so great, but hey I'm learning the tool, so I hope I improve. You be the judge.

Oh, and this is yesterday's post...a day late. Of course. I'm pathetic. But here goes.