A bell, a song, and love to give

A bell’s not a bell ‘til you ring it, A song’s not a song ‘til you sing it, Love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay, Love isn’t love ‘til you give it away! – Oscar Hammerstein II

This morning as I walked past my mom's collection of bells, I started to wonder why she enjoyed them so.  Was it the sound, was it the shape, was it the memories of the moments when she received them?  I remember growing up and giving them to her as gifts and she always enjoyed them.  I remember too, having to dust them and then wondering why we had so many.  This morning when I looked at them, it made me wonder more about where one of them, in particular, came from.  For as long as I can remember it was always on display.  It must have been a special school bell for her.  Now that she's gone, I can't ask her where she got it from.   She probably told me at sometime, but I can't remember now.  I can however, hold on to it and the ones that represent the moments we shared together.  The mystery of why she had them can be something to ponder and reflect upon.  Most of all, it reminds me of the love she gave away every time she received one.  

Happy Thursday - enjoy your moments where you share a bell to ring, a song to sing and a love to give away!  Thanks for stopping by!

A treasured school bell,
I wonder how many people
heard this bell over the years...?

Look at things no one else bothers to

One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and look at things that no one else has bothered to look at.  This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity. – Edward de Bono

Today, pondering my long to-do list of tasks ahead of me, I needed a little boost of motivation.  At those moments, I know I need something different to look at.  I know I need to come at things from a different angle, otherwise, I'll get drained and just sit there staring at the computer or the task at hand.  That's nonproductive to say the least.

Thinking about warmer weather again...that's my obsession for the week.  I thought about when I carried my camera around with me this past summer and just took random pictures of everyday things, I did feel creative.  The pictures may not have turned out very interesting.  As I look back at them, I can definitely tell I was still at the stage of trying to figure out how the camera worked, not about the framing of the objects.  Simply thinking about the weather starting to get warmer, and the opportunity to revisit the landscape and take even better pictures just stirs the creativity juices in me.

What do you do when you feel your motivation is waning?  Do you look at the situation from a different angle or do you let your energy drain and get sucked down into low motivation?  Try to look at things from a different angle and see what happens!

Happy Wednesday - focus on the things you take for granted in a different way and see what happens!  Thanks for stopping by!

Look up to see a different view.

Look down to see what you miss
when you don't.

Look around at things
growing where you didn't plant them.

Notice the tenacity of nature.

A sleeping cat

You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense. – Jane Pauley

Our cat Tizzie is able to find very interesting spots to sleep.  She can sleep sitting up, she can claim a spot on the floor, she can curl up on a chair, and she can fit into any box she wants to.  No matter how rushed we are, and how stressed a situation may seem to us, she'll be off in her own world somewhere.  We can find her in a curled up position and feel relaxed just looking at her.  When we find her, she seems to sense the tension and she'll even give us the "leave me alone look" and go right back to her sleeping position.  Almost as though she's telling us to chill out and relax.

I think I have days like that where I'd rather stay curled up and sleep.  Lucky for the cats in our house, we the people know we have to move on from the naps and earn a buck or two to pay for the cat food.  Someone has to work and it's nothing to stress about!

Happy Tuesday!  Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy moments of tense free discovery!

Claiming her spot

Ah...

What, I fit in here, now leave me alone.

I said, leave me alone!  If I cover my
eyes, they'll go away.

She even smiles when she sleeps!

Capturing fleeting moments

To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality.  It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.  Henri Cartier-Bresson

When photographing a series of events, it is fun when you actually capture something in the photograph that represents emotion as well as the fleeting reality.  My amateur experience in photography has been to capture "Okay, now smile, or okay, sit still" pictures.  I'm attempting now to be more spontaneous and click as things are happening instead of trying to catch the perfect moment.

Yesterday, Sarah informed me that she was going to color her hair again with Henna.  If you've read my posts for a while, I captured the previous event and the mess it made before.  This time, she told me, "Don't worry mom, I'm going to do it all by myself, you don't have to help."  Needing a break from the computer, I was happy to tag along on the journey and photograph key moments just for the fun of it.  I was pretty sure that at some moment along the way, she'd need my help, but I was more than willing to wait for that moment. I was able to sit around and take pictures of odd little things and just wait for moments to capture.  

It was nice to watch her make a mess that she'd have to clean up, instead of me having messy hands....well, that's until she got to the back of her head and needed assistance.  Even though there were the "Mom, you're not going to win this by me admitting I couldn't do it all by myself" moments, I was there ready to help when the admission did come.  Instead of rubbing it in that I was right, I helped her rub in the Henna and get messy too.  It was teamwork and I couldn't wait until this morning to see how it all turned out.

Just taking a break from life, to hold your breath, to watch for fleeting moments really is physically and intellectually fun!  Happy Monday - enjoy the moments of your day!  Thanks for stopping by!

New technique, Henna in a bag to squeeze it on.

Yuck....

I'm just going to swirl it on top of my head and
make a helmet like thing...

It's going well, starting to get
heavy on her head!

Time for random shots.  She's going to redecorate
so here's the new mirror, reflection of the towel
catching the poo droppings as I called them.

What's this, Sailor Moon and
Sponge Bob Square Pants -
randomly situated in the crafts?!

Oh my...don't worry mom, it will all wash down
the drain...remember it's all natural!

This is my favorite fleeting moment.  I like how her
elbow is sitting on the poster and I caught the wrap
in a cool moment!

The helmet, all wrapped up ready for a cover
to sit...for hours, and hours, and hours...

The cover to hold it all in place.  Like how the
umbrellas are placed??  Well, it's a reach for a
great photo, other than her eyes make it
beautiful no matter what!

Running for play and renewal

There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life.  But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint.  So, too, are you.  Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be. – George Sheehan

This morning when I looked out, it wasn't snowing!  Then I took a little closer look at the driveway and it is showing signs of spring...it is finally clear in spots.  Soon, it will all be clear and I'll be hitting the road to run outside.  I've been a wimp this year and haven't run outside.  I remember last February, it was so warm and the roads were clear and running outside was awesome.  This year, we have had lots of snow and ice.  A combination I haven't taken the risk to run on.  My faithful treadmill has been there for me though.  I do admire those who continue running regardless of the weather.  I bet they are enjoying the drier roads today.  Running is my play and compulsion for renewal.

What do you do for self-renewal?  Hope you find opportunities today to play and renew!  Thanks for stopping by!

I'm dreaming of the sun shining,
the green grass showing, and
ice free roads!  They will
be here soon, I can just feel it!

Ordinary moments

There are no ordinary moments. – Dan Millman

Another groundhog day here in Wisconsin...snowing again.  I'm beginning to wonder if the ground hog's prediction for an early spring is right?  Does it mean that when an early spring is predicted, nature will bombard us with all the snow it can in shorter amount of time?  Who knows!  On the bright side, it is nice for all the kids and people who enjoy the outside activities to have a fresh coat of snow to venture out into.  An opportunity to experience winter moments.

So what about the quote above?  I guess if I think about it, there really aren't any ordinary moments if you're living in the moments along the way.  As I sit here typing, I can either be distracted and think about all the other things on my to do list.  I can be focused and watch the words carefully as I type them.  I can dream ahead on what I might say.  I can wish I was somewhere else...like the beach in Jamaica.  All of those thoughts represent moments I can honestly say are unique to me and definitely not ordinary.

As I was doing ordinary tasks this morning, I decided to take my camera along to catch a couple moments.  A fresh loaf of banana bread sliced is a moment of savory anticipation.  Just making our bed this morning offered not so ordinary expressions on Dessy's face as she helped me.

Yes, I think the quote is right.  Living in the moment, looking at each one as less than ordinary helps me appreciate them even more.

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your Saturday and all your "ordinary or not so ordinary" moments!

She saw something under the quilt...

She can make the craziest faces when she's
ready to pounce!

Ah, fresh banana bread!

Good thing there's more loaves!  Yummmm!!
Plus the house smells so nice when
we bake bread!

Another morning, another beginning

Life Begins Each Morning.  Whether one is twenty, forty or sixty; whether one has succeeded, failed or just muddled along; whether yesterday was full of sun or storm, or one of those dull days with no weather at all, Life Begins Each Morning!...Each night of life is a wall between today and the past.  Each morning is the open door to a new world – new vistas, new aims, new tryings. – Leigh Mitchell Hodges

Looking out at yet another day of snow coming down, I'm reminded of the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray.  Every morning he woke up to the same snow scene.  Yet he kept on going in the hope to see something different.  The quote above is a nice reminder that even if it looks the same as yesterday, or if it doesn't look the same, each day is a chance to begin life again.

I like that idea...Happy Friday - enjoy the new beginning to your life!  Thanks for stopping by!

I'm looking forward to the day
when the sun will be shining, and
I can sit outside and enjoy the
sunrise or sunset!  

Winter's promise

Winter is the time of promise because there is so little to do – or because you can now and then permit yourself the luxury of thinking so. – Stanley Crawford

When winter first begins, I welcome it.  I love to watch it snow, especially when I don't have to travel anywhere and I can simply enjoy the fresh look to the scenery.  After a period of months of it though...I'm ready for the spring.  I like to dream of the fresh green color of the grass, the budding of the trees, and the early spring flowers to arrive.

We're not there yet here in Wisconsin.  It's cold, really cold here today.  1 degree above 0.  Yikes...if I didn't have plans to go to work, then I would embrace the quote above.

I guess a day of dreaming of warmer weather and spring is in order.  I know it will be here soon!  Enjoy your Thursday and  the moments where you give yourself the permission to enjoy "so little to do."!  Thanks for stopping by!

When the weather looks like this outside...

I can dream about the flowers
sprouting up and warmer weather!

Wrinkles are us

"Wrinkles are painless and harmless.  They are us and we are them." - William H. Thomas, MD

Last night I was mentioning to my husband that I've been writing this blog for 200 days in a row.  That made me think about how time really flies.  If I try to think back to all that has happened in the last 200 days, it does seem like a blur.  Does that mean that I'm getting older and can't remember?  I'm sure the thought does cross my mind, especially after losing a parent to Dementia.  Maybe I'm extra sensitive to memory lapses or maybe it's just the admission that I'm getting older.

Time flying by...or getting older?  I glanced over to my shelf and saw this book that I haven't read yet.  After I read the quote above on the inside flap, I was curious to see how the author would grab the reader's attention.  I opened up to the first chapter and began to read about wrinkles.

I must say, it is a very clever first chapter.  The eye opener was his comparison of humans to elephants.  The author states that wrinkles are made by having the following ingredients.  I'll paraphrase the list:  a prolonged exposure of hairless skin to sunlight, a long enough life to experience age-related changes to skin collagen, and an exposure to free radicals that alter our skin proteins.  Humans, just like elephants share these characteristics.  He goes on to say..."We are elephant's dermatological first cousins.  We are human pachyderms."

Well, isn't that an interesting way to start your Wednesday?  I think I better read a bit further...and I better go put on some more hand lotion.  The winter weather, the hand washing, and aging the skin on my hands...they might just be looking like an elephant's skin...oh dear!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Wednesday - cover up so you don't expose your hairless skin to the sunlight!

At least my hand isn't shaped
like an elephant's foot!

Cats and concentration

Cats have an infallible understanding of total concentration – and get between you and it. – Arthur Bridges

I often wonder what our cats are thinking?  How they can concentrate on something so intently is really amazing to me.  I know it has something to do with their eyes, from the narrow slits to the wide eyed look, they process things through them.  Still pretty cool how intense they can be.  Our two can be extra intense when it is time to get up and they stare at you until you do.  Can be a bit intimidating.  Maybe that's what my youngest needs to help her get up in the morning?  Nah...for some reason, she's doing it all on her own this week!

If you have a cat...what is your favorite expression on their face?  Is it when they stare at you to wake you up?  Is it when they are intensely watching the toy or the birds?  Is it when they are sleeping?  They are interesting pets, that's for sure.  I wonder if they wonder what we're thinking at times?

Happy blustery Tuesday - Spring will be here soon...I'm positive of it!   Be cat like and enjoy your moments of concentration today!  Thanks for stopping!

Moments of nonsense

Forgive me my nonsense as I also forgive the nonsense of those who think they talk sense. – Robert Frost

It's Monday already.  This weekend really flew by.  I don't really have anything profound to say this morning.

So no sense in rambling a bunch of nonsense - just a simple wish for you to have a great Monday!  Enjoy looking around you for the the things that don't seem to make sense.  They'll make you think differently and you might just see something that makes sense after all!

Thanks for stopping by!

This is what happens when you don't have
flash on and you take a picture in the dark and move
too quickly.  I see a #4, how about you?

Why would you stay cuddled up with your
sister when she turns her blank at you??

Claiming this spot - she laid there all day!

Isn't that an interesting piece
of ice on the top of the light?

A lamp in the shadows

Why does Copper take his food out of
his bowl to eat?
Yep....just a bunch of nonsense!

The nocturnal deer tracks

People knew that animals were nocturnal but they didn’t really know what they did because they couldn’t see it. – David Attenborough

Yesterday morning when we opened the curtains and looked outside, we saw proof that something has been trimming our trees while we sleep.  We've always thought it was the rabbits, but these tracks are not rabbit tracks.  They must be deer tracks.  The deer made their way around the trees and then went back into the corn field.  I don't know for sure, but I would suspect that if the deer dug around in the corn field, they'd find more to eat than they do nibbling on our small little trees.

I did some reading up on when the deer move at night?  We rarely see them during the day.  Apparently, they come out in cycles from dusk to dawn.  More active from 10:00 pm to 12:00 am and 2:00 am to 4:00 am.  I'm definitely not awake at those times, therefore I won't be catching a photo.  I guess we could buy one of those deer cams.  I don't really need to see them doing what the tracks clearly show.  I just wish they'd choose the field of abundance over the little trees in our yard.  Maybe I'll need to research how to scare them away.  I know our cats are awake at those times.  Maybe they are watching the deer at night?  Apparently the cats watching the deer from the windows in our house isn't "scary" enough.

I'm thankful that spring is just around the corner!  I'm hopeful the deer will then find a different spot to graze!

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great day!

Look how the deer methodically walked
by each tree. 

No, not rabbits, definitely deer tracks!

Getting up on time is a learned behavior

You’ve got a lot of choices.  If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you’re not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice. – Steven D Woodhull

I've been thinking a lot lately about my readiness to have my baby go off to college this coming fall.  I go between wondering if I'm ready or if she's ready.  When our oldest went off to college, it was different, she was still in the same town and we could go "rescue" her within minutes.  Our youngest will be going hours away.  We've lived through letting our oldest child go off to live somewhere else and not knowing where she was the majority of the time. The missing her not checking in on a daily basis.  We have been through all those firsts once, and I know we'll be able to do it again.  Still it is not easy to imagine both kids gone.

So this begins my little series on, "Is she ready for college?"  The "she" is for me and for her.  (A little disclaimer...I have no idea how long the series will be, even if it will be regular posts...remember it is all about random thoughts!).

I think one of the prerequisites for being ready for college is that the young adult should be able to set an alarm, not sleep through it and be able to get up all on their own.  My husband and I have our doubts about the consistency of that task being accomplished without our assistance.  We know and have witnessed her ability to do so.  We are morning people and rarely need the alarm clock.  Our youngest, on the other hand, is a night owl and loves to sleep in.  To cut her some slack, I guess every person can attest to a time in their life when they slept through an alarm or two.  Unfortunately for her, we have enabled her to not fully learn the task.  We wait until the last minute to verify that she is "moving".  While I think she is getting better at the task, there have been days when she benefited from the reminder to get up.

My random thought for today...Lesson # 1....To succeed in school as well as to remain employed in the future requires the young adult to make the choice to learn the skill of getting up on their own and to do so often enough it becomes a learned behavior.  

As far as the rest of the quote above, I think she's well on her way...she always smile when she gets up and is "ready" to venture out the door.  She's learned the beauty of her smile has it's benefits to melt her parents hearts and to forgive the grumbles we receive when we "remind" her to get up!  She reminded me of the importance of the smile when she created the picture for me years ago.  I'm sure she'll be smiling this morning...I hear dad preparing her lunch for her as I type....

Remember to always smile...

Do care and do act

We won’t always know whose lives we touched and made better for having cared, because actions sometimes have unforeseen ramifications.  What’s important is that you do care and you act. – Charlotte Lunsford

This morning as I was eating my breakfast, I glanced to the counter and saw our daughter's lunch.  Every morning, her dear dad, prepares a delicious meal for her while she gets ready for school.  It is all ready for her to swoop into her lunch bag on her mad dash out of the house.

How many times in life as a parent, do we as parents do things for our children that we care about just because it is the right thing to do?  Their lives are better off because we took that time.  Some day in the future, well after the small acts of kindness, we'll hear how much they appreciated those acts.  That's the distant reward.  The immediate one is simply know that through osmosis, you're hopefully teaching them about caring, about being loved, and about growing up.  If nothing else, at least we don't feel guilty that we sent them off with a nutritious meal to help them make it through the day.  Who knows...maybe we're feeding them so that they can take care of us someday too!

Wishing you a day of caring and acting unconditionally.  Some day, you'll reap the rewards!  Thanks for stopping by!

This teaches, love, caring, balanced nutrition,
organization, and planning ahead.
Yep...someday all of those lessons will
be important and appreciated!
The hug and I love you as they race
out the door is proof so far!

Love is more than three words

But love, I’ve come to understand, is more than three words mumbled before bedtime.  Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day. – Nicholas Sparks

Valentine's Day, the day when the merchants who specialize in "having that perfect gift" to win your loved ones' heart, is upon us once again.  I remember back to when my husband and I first fell in love.  Valentine's Day is the day he gave me my engagement ring.  We had picked it out months before that, and he waited for the special day to give it to me.  I was elated of course, as I was "officially" marked as in love with someone special.  The next big day was our wedding day when the engagement ring was combined with the wedding band, and the ceremony made it official.

Those big moments are precious and I would never trade them for anything in the world.  But...if I think about what makes me love him the most, besides every "I love you's" said, is that his actions on a daily basis, show his devotion to me and our family.  Day in day out, he's there for us.  I've come to understand, that is true love in unspoken words.

As I sit here in the warm house, my husband is out there snow blowing so we can get out of the driveway and Copper can find his way in the yard, (Remember he's very short and a couple inches of snow is an obstruction to his doing his business.).  My husband doing that for a little dog...I think that's true love too...

What do you do for your loved ones?  Maybe you enjoy carrying on the "young love" traditions, dining, flowers, chocolate, or a bear or two?  Maybe you enjoy seeing a movie?  Maybe just taking a walk together?   The moments and the memories go on for ever.  I'm hoping to find a way to create a special memory everyday...it's all the every days that make up the I Love You's for a lifetime.

Happy Valentine's Day -

Snow blowing in the dark

Snow blowing a path for the dog

A lifetime of quiet moments
just holding hands
and enjoying time together!

 

  

Take your time, but be very quick

Think about the photo before and after, never during.  The secret is to take your time.  You mustn’t go too fast.  The subject must forget about you.  Then, however, you must be very quick.  Henri Cartier-Bresson

Oh boy, that's a difficult task to accomplish.  Take your time, but be very quick at the same time.  I think that's why they have designed cameras with the continuous capture mode.  Especially with moving targets.  I sure admire the photographers who have mastered the technique.  I'm happy to say, I'm not there yet and look forward to many more opportunities to discover the technique.

How about you?  What's your favorite technique?  Do you get lost in the "during" the moment of the picture?  Do you think about what might happen and wait too long?  Do you wait until the subject forgets about you or are you trying to catch their attention to get the best shot?

The subject must forget about you, and then at the precise moment after they forget about you, you catch the best shot.  Sounds fairly easy eh?   So I gave it a try.  I know that Dessy always "gears" up before she jumps.  She has a lot of extra fluff to carry on the journey, so she really makes sure she's ready before she jumps.  Once she's ready to go though, the moment is very quick.  I tried to capture the moment yesterday.  I didn't have my Nikon set on the sports mode, so I caught the moment in an awkward kind of way.  I guess I was quick, but not as effective as I hoped I would be.  I was ready to capture the moment though.

Well...again, like I said, I'm thankful for the continued opportunities to practice the technique!  Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Wednesday!

Gearing up - seems a bit concerned about
me trying to capture her flight.

Caught in flight...not a fun picture, but you can see
the extra fluff she carries along on the journey!