Daily Pictures

I'm behind on my blog again! I'm behind on uploading my daily photos too. Something about two birthdays, Thanksgiving here, a football game and going out of town for the weekend to round out the week...and all of a sudden I'm behind. So...it's picture time.

One last flower blooming in my garden on my birthday, November 24th....the weather has been warmer than normal this month. It is warm one month, then colder than normal the next. December worries me.

Sunflowers before I made my Thanksgiving table top bouquet.

Thanksgiving Table.

More sunflowers. We had a lazy morning on Friday, then went to the championship football game in the evening. Our team lost...but 2nd in state can't be sneezed at!

Sunset by the farm on Saturday. I was in the pickup on my way to get hay...I pulled over when I saw the sunset, opened the window and took the picture over the heads of the dogs. Glad I got what I did!

A snowy surprise on Sunday morning. It didn't last long, but it sure was pretty.

Tonight's sunset. I only get bits and pieces of it from my yard and I didn't feel like driving...but I like the silhouettes of the trees and buildings....and the color of the sky!

So...mostly photos for today. Hopefully I'll get back into the blogging groove soon...I have pictures of Brian that I want to embarrass him with!! Soon.

My Boys Birthday

Today is Brian's birthday. 17 years ago today this handsome little man was born. Our lives were changed forever....in only good ways. I had planned on pulling together a group of photos of him to show how he has grown....but with the scurrying around to get ready for Thanksgiving Day I ran out of time. So for now, a little teaser.

This is Brian when he was about 6 months old, in the summer of 1993. Our wonderful oldest boy. Brian...thanks for your patience as you taught us how to be parents. You've grown into a young man that makes us more proud with each passing day. I'll embarrass you with your photos early next week.
Love you,
Mom

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I'm adding this after the fact....I had scrolled down and noticed my picture, probably taken at about 6 months like Brian's was....and thought that it might be interesting to see them side by side. I guess that I can't claim that he isn't mine. What do you think?

It's My Birthday

I don't particularly like the getting older part, but I sure do like having a birthday every year. I was born the day after Thanksgiving....several weeks past due. My Mom thinks that it was because she ate too much turkey....or it might have been all of the butter my grandma put in the stuffing. Being a Thanksgiving baby means that some years my birthday is before, sometimes it's after, and sometimes it's on the day....but where ever it falls, I've always shared my birthday with Thanksgiving. That's OK by me. Brian was born the day after my birthday...he was past due too. But that means he shares his birthday with me and Thanksgiving...I'm not sure if that's OK by him, but what do you do?

November 24, 1961

I grabbed some photos that I had scanned a few years ago for my parents anniversary to share here...because I wanted to since it is my birthday. This is my brother and I with flower wreaths in our hair. My brother doesn't appear to be very enthused about the whole thing. His eyes are as blue as mine are brown...oh how I wished I had pretty eyes with long dark lashes like his.

I was a deep thinker as a child....here I was thinking "why does my mom have me standing on this fence wearing a stupid dress." I don't look very enthused.

My mom usually had us point at something when she took our picture, I think it was to get us to look in the same direction. It looks like I just finished pointing at something here, didn't work so well that time!

Another shot of my brother and I. We had new bikes and a new kitten...life was so good. You can see that I am in deep thought again....no doublt thinking "why am I wearing this stupid dress to ride my cool new bike?" I didn't like dresses very much. This one was kind of OK because it was more like a shirt. I just realized that I am wearing a dress in all of the pictures so far....hmmm....

...oh there we go...this is more like it! My first horse, Sabre. I'm not going to wear a stinkin' dress to ride my horse! I love this picture of me riding with my dad looking on. The places you can go when you have your very own horse.

The next two pictures I'm back in a dress again...huh....must have been the only time we had our pictures taken. These are to show those awkward preteen and teenage years. The first one was right before my aunt and uncles wedding, in the early 70's. My mom looks hot! My dad so handsome. My brother looks like a Catholic school boy. Me...what a dork! A dork in a hot and itchy dress. And I followed the bride around to help her with her train. Big help I'm sure.

Does this just scream 1977 to you? Love the big collar and white shoes that my dad was sporting. My mom had well coiffed big hair. I must have been a flower child. And my brother...pretty cool with the blue glasses that matched his shirt. Don't you just want to sing the Partridge family theme song? "Hello world there's a song that we're singing....come on get happy!" Oye.

Now this is more like it. Sweet 16 with a sweet new horse. Oh how I loved that feisty girl...the horse.

It wasn't long after that last photo that I met this guy...just after his senior prom. It's OK, I asked him to my prom the following year. Yep...it's Eric. I think he liked me, braces and all!

And my senior picture. There are those darned braces again. I got them off 2 days after graduation. At my 5 year reunion everyone said, "oh, you got your braces off." Thank you Mr. "can't get you in a few days early" Orthodontist. I'm over it, really.

A little walk down memory lane for my birthday. Hope you aren't laughing too hard!

On a different note, every year on or around my birthday I like to find a quiet spot just to think and to re-evaluate and to figure out what I need to work on this next year. I'm feeling like the list will be longer than it has ever been this year. I'm not sure how much of the list I'll share when I do write it all down...but I will share this....

This is who I want to be again. Thinner, stronger, happier, more confident, tan and smiling. Well, the tan part isn't so important...but it never hurts.

It's my birthday...and it's time to cowgirl up.

Hunting Season

It's hunting season in my house. Not as in game hunting...hunting as in searching to find things. I am searching for the right recipes. I'm searching in this cupboard and on the internet.

And soon I'll be searching for the right ingredients. And trying to find the right utensils. Trying to find places to put things as I clean. Searching for the good table cloths and napkins. Searching for my boys who disappear when the words "time to clean your rooms" come across my lips. Searching for the energy and time to get it done and to do it right. What does all this mean anyways? It means that it is almost Thanksgiving and I'm not ready for it to be! And we are having it here. Sigh. Where has November gone? Thanksgiving and my birthday is this week and Brian's birthday this week. I am not ready....I guess I still have some hunting to do! Oye.

Finding Light

With busy days and early sunsets it's been sort of tough to remember to take my photo of the day before the sun goes down. The last few days I've had to go out and find some light. Friday night I found some Christmas lights. It's too early to turn lights on...let's celebrate Thanksgiving first. Thank you. Anyway, blue Christmas lights....before Thanksgiving.

Saturday was spent doing some work in the barn at my mom's place. We had to run and get some plywood...I grabbed the camera and caught the sun before it set. Not quite the same as a sunset over the ocean, but it will do.

Today was a lazy day. Church, football, yeah Vikes!!!...and umm...that's about all. Before I knew it the sun had set and I hadn't taken a picture. Hmm. Had to find some light again.

Candles in a couple of my grandma's Ball jars with blue marbles.....I like it...

...I like finding new uses for old things. My birthday is next week. Maybe someone can find a new use for old me. Any suggestions? :-P

Pelicans

I've been back from the girls weekend in Florida for a few days now, but it took until today to find the time to look through some of the pictures that I took. It is wonderful to get away, catching up when you get back isn't so easy!

One of the neat things about being in Florida were the birds. The sea gulls, the Heron, the little long legged birds on the beach, and the pelicans! The pelicans were cool.

The were big and gawky and graceful all at the same time. They sat on sand bars....

...they perched on posts....

....and they soared around looking for food.

When ever I see a pelican I think of the poem by Dixon Lanier Merritt...written in 1910. Have you heard it?

"A wonderful bird is the pelican....

His bill will hold more than his belican....

He can take in his beak....

Food enough for a week...

But I'm damned if I can see how the helican."

Pelicans...all I can say is that they are cool looking birds.

Painting Class

Earlier this Fall I signed up for a beginners water color class. I'm not sure why exactly, but I thought that it would be good for me to do something creative with my hands rather than just on the computer. The first week we were sent home with a supply list. Yikes! I didn't realize how expensive water color paints are. I decided that I had better like what I was doing...whether I really liked it or not. Our first project was this painting of poppies. After I was done I wished that I had taken more time with the drawing part. Oh well.

The next project was a painting of birch trees in the winter. We are learning new techniques with each painting. The bark on this one was done with a piece of a cut up credit card, sort of flicking the paint across the tree to show the bark. I think I'll stick to using a brush. Not having enough control of the paint is hard for me to get used to.

Our last painting was of the "split rock lighthouse" on lake Superior. Again, learning new techniques along the way. Funny how when you take a picture of something and shrink it down you can see all the mistakes! I thought that the water line was straight when I painted it!

This last painting was done simply to put a lot of paint on the paper quickly, using a lot of paint and not very much water. Lots to learn, lots of mistakes to make....

...but it's been fun. And without having a class to go to I don't think I'd find the time to take out my paints....so I'm thinking about signing up for part two.....besides, if I don't, what would I do with all that paint? Oye.

Florida Day 3

Day 3 of our girls weekend in Florida was just a little tiny bit busier than the first two...but not too much. We had another beautiful weather day...a perfect day for a boat tour in the bay that is between our island and the main land of Florida. This beautiful creature greeted us at the pier. Hello there.

This shack was in the harbor where we caught the boat. We were hoping to see birds, manatees, and dolphins.

We weren't disappointed. Here is a manatee. We saw quite a few...one with a calf. They were fun to see, but hard to take pictures of.

We went on Captain Kathe's boat...her first mate is this little sweety....Pup pup. Pup pup kept a look out for the Manatee.

She was a good look out....here is a manatee nose!

Pup pup has a new brother...Skipper. He was about 9 months old and cute as a button.

The manatee were swimming in a canal that was in between some fabulous homes. We got to see manatee and we got to see how rich people live!

There were lots of birds along the way. Here's one....

...and here are some Pelican's on "Bird Island".

We were out for about 2 hours, then we docked at a pier with a Fish Shack. This Heron swooped in and landed on the roof of the shack.

The Star Fish Company was a great spot for lunch.

Then it was time to head back to our beach and our cute familiar birds.

And our last sunset before we head back home.

I feel so blessed to be here in such a beautiful place with perfect weather and the relaxing days and evenings ....

....and it's all made even more special spending the time with some wonderful friends. Life is good, very, very good.