Wordless Wednesday--Spring is Near!

Our First Wordless Wednesday!  Join Us and Leave Your Link Here:

Dogs and Men - are They Born to be Hunters?

The rainy season is upon us in California, and it has driven a few critters to our yard and home.  It's pretty creepy, to say the least, hearing mice scattering and gnawing in our attic.  But a few weeks ago, when I found our golden retriever playing with a dead gopher (which I first thought was a Zhu Zhu pet that my daughter got for Christmas) I was totally grossed out.  Our golden proudly displayed her fresh rodent kill.  She successfully snuffed out her first gopher, after years of staring, digging and breathing down gopher holes, she finally got one.  I was proud my dog actually retrieved a pest and at the same time disgusted!  I promptly sent her to PetSmart to get a thorough grooming and toothbrushing!  But my pooch was delighted, she caught her second rodent (the first being a rat last summer).

I thought we were done with the destruction in our yard, but a day after our dog's gopher slaying, we continued to see a few mounds of fresh dirt coming up.  There was another pest out there. So my husband was determined to get this one on his own.  He set up a trap by figuring out where its main highway was.  Believe it or not (for those of you who despise these yard wreckers) he caught a HUGE gopher within a day.  Now my husband was as proud and boastful as our golden.  They were both true hunters!  The success of catching a destructive gopher encouraged my husband to catch the rat(s) in our attic.  He looked around the perimeter of our house and figured out where they were coming in (through a hole in one of our air vents).  He purchased a few mouse traps, enticed them with peanut butter, and set them to spring for action.  Again, within 24 hours he caught a fat rat.  And then another - and another!

The score - 2 gophers and 3 rats (actually 4 if you count the one our dog got last summer).  We don't have any food, not even dog food, to attract the rats.  They just want a warm place to rest their bones and must be getting ready to nest.  We certainly don't want any of that taking place without rent, so their demise is our fortune.  I certainly hope this is the last of these critters.  But I have to say, my man and my dog are pretty proud and certain now of their hunting skills.  I feel safe and sound in my rodent-free home and yard.  Oh, and that's a photo of our golden.  I think she's ready to cook up some barbecue gopher for herself.....

Tone, Texture, Lines & Shape

My blogging partner and I are in week 4 of our photography class.  So far it has been a great experience and I've actually enjoyed our weekly assignments.   Last week our assignment was to capture photos that exemplified tone, texture, lines and shape.

Our trip to the beach provided me with wonderful opportunities to meet these requirements.    As I walked along the shore, I saw everyday objects in a new way......

Lines & tone.....

Texture......

Shape.....

I Confess, I'm a Pack Rat!

For months I've been meaning to organize my home office.  It is not a space that I enjoy working in--however my kids don't seem to mind playing on the computer --their cleanliness standards are not that high.

To give you an idea of how cluttered this room is imagine magazines stacked on the floor, backpacks strewn throughout, boxes full of miscellaneous paperwork from committees I have chaired sitting waiting to be put away and shelves filled with a variety of items including:  clay snails, paperback books, boxes of used checks, etc., etc..  Do you get the picture?

Well this past weekend, I finally tackled the chore of cutting through the clutter and what I realized is I am a total pack rat.  As I sorted through the shelves, I found binders that dated back to my work days from 10 years ago, stacks of Better Homes & Gardens magazines from 2006,  and instructional manuals to a circa '95 Gateway computer.

Why was I saving all of this crap?  The binders I was certain would come in handy as a reference tool one day and the magazines are full of great gardening tips, decorating ideas and recipes and surely I would need them again when I was wanting to get all Martha Stewarty.  The old books, well maybe I would reread them and for those I hadn't, I'm sure I'll crack them open soon open soon--just as soon as I finish this month's book club book (which of course never happens to be one of the many books I have).

The problem is as much as I'd like to hang on to all of this stuff, it is taking up (and cluttering up) prime real-estate in my office.  Plus I knew I need to let go to prove to myself that I was not on the slippery slope to becoming a hoarder.   So I decided that the work binders could get boxed up and go out in the garage. I'm not ready to get rid of them yet--there may come a day when this stuff could prove to be useful. And the magazines would have to go in the recycling bin--after all it is a little nutty to have magazines from 4 years ago lining my shelves.


Anyway, I spent the next few hours thumbing through throwing out the magazines, organizing the shelves, and clearing the way for my new "must haves" and "must saves."  And although the picture above may not look like something you'd find in the pages of Real Simple, I gotta say it is a huge improvement.  I have  transformed the office into a work space where I can find and store everything I need.   And I said good bye to the pack rat!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's wishing you a day filled with hugs, love & laughter (and maybe some candy too!)

Back to School--The Learning Continues

I've gone back to school.  Yes, I the word co-ed would aptly describe me these days.

Well, actually I'm only taking one class at my local community college but let's not split hairs.  Anyway, you can find me and my blogging partner/business partner/terrific friend,   toting our backpacks (full of camera equipment) at WVCC where we are working on fine tuning our photographic eye and skills.

Our assignment for this past week was to take pictures that reflected the meaning of composition.  Everyone had to submit two photos via Flickr and during class we reviewed each student's submissions.

It was a fun exercise that resulted in a variety of different photos and different views of what "composition" means.

The photo below was one that I submitted.  It's of a palm that I pass everyday in my neighbor's yard.  I liked the linear pattern and the way the setting sun put this geometric leaf in silhouette.  The jagged, flowing pattern reminded me of the lights on a ferris wheel or a partial starburst.

Our assignment for next week is to submit four photos--one on texture, tone, lines, and shape.  I'm excited to capture these details and to look at my surroundings in a new way.  To notice things that I might have missed before.

We invite you to join us on our photographic journey and submit a photo that you feel represents one of these categories.  Maybe it will inspire you (like it has us) to look at simple objects through a new lens.

I Double Dog Dare You

Yesterday my boys got into a little tiff over a bet.   It seemed that A. told N. that he would give him $5 if he ate a piece of our pup's dog food.  Yeah, I know GROSS!

Now you would think that a bright, reasonable, 9 year old boy would turn down this disgusting offer but guess what?  He didn't!  He popped that little bit of kibble into his mouth and swallowed it down.  Evidently $5 can really motivate a kid.

Well, N. wanted A. to pay up and I'm sure you know where I am headed, the bro didn't give up the dough! Not that he even had it to begin with.  So when N. came to me with tears in his eyes--I think more from embarrassment than frustration, I felt that I better do a partial payout.  After all the kid did eat a piece of Beneful.  Have you ever smelled that stuff?  Blech!

I had a quick chat with A. discussing the ethics of betting (did I just write that?) and told N. that he should make sure that the next time he chomps on a piece of his pooch's favorite chow, that he makes doubly sure that this brother  has got the goods!

The Christmas Lights Are Down!

Yes, it is February and I've been meaning to get the darn Christmas lights down now for over a month.  It was the white strand of lights that really made our lack of moving past Christmas obvious.

The subtle hints to my husband didn't seem to work.  So today before I took my pooch out for a walk, I took down the lights that made our front bushes look oh so festive during the holidays.

I'm sure the neighbors were thinking, FINALLY!

Solo Travel--I Love It!

I just got back from celebrating my grandmother’s 90^th birthday.  As much as I wanted my family to join me for this momentous occasion, I must admit that there was one benefit of being on my own--the travel.

I'm not a big fan of flying.  I get nervous as soon as I book my flight.  There actually was a time when I could fall asleep to the hum of the engine before the plane even took off.  Now, I sit there with my stomach churning and pits dripping, while giving myself pep talks like "God would never take you away from all of your children"  or "There are more deaths related to cars than planes." 

Anyway the travel experience is much more enjoyable from start to finish when you go it on your own.  

For example, checking into the airport is so much easier when you are not schlepping your kid's crap.  When you are not counting heads to make sure no one has been left behind.  When you are not loading 4 pairs of shoes, 4 backpacks, 4 jackets, etc. onto the security check conveyor belt and then reloading it all back on each kid.  

When you fly alone, you can actually be semi-productive.  I was able to enter addresses in my address book, read a little and type up a few blog posts (thank goodness for my laptop) and even take a little snooze.  Not to mention, I created a DVD already of all of the photos I took at my grandmother’s party!  Woo hoo!!  If I had the little hooligans cherubs with me, I'd be playing cards, tic-tac-toe, or coloring ponies.

The flight is more relaxing too.  You don’t have to separate fighting children and you don’t have to keep your tray table down the entire flight because someone doesn’t want to have their drink on their own tray.   Plus it is nice to sit in your seat with out a head in your lap hoping that your  legs will stop tingling or that your bladder won’t burst. 

And getting off the plane is a breeze!  Checking my seat pocket and area takes mere seconds.  When I travel with the kids I have to sift through all the candy wrappers, empty chip bags just to make sure a DS or book isn’t left behind.   And I always end up carrying someone’s backpack (or even a kid) because they are “too tired.”

Although traveling alone was a lot less hectic and even quite enjoyable there was one big downside--I missed my family.  

A 90th Birthday Celebration

My grandmother turned 90 this past weekend.  NINETY!! I can’t believe it.  She looks amazing and is a sharp as a tack.  How can this lovely woman, that I call Oma be 90?

My grandmother is extraordinary woman.  She is someone who exhibits kindness and grace at every stage of her life.  She is resilient and strong.  And a real go getter!  She is someone who we all should strive to be like.

Until just this year, she was driving her red Camry around her small town in Illinois.  She would take her friends to their doctor’s appointments, deliver meals on wheels to other seniors and occasionally pick up her great-grand children for cooking and knitting lessons at her home.

She has been through a lot in her long life.  She left her seven siblings behind in the Ukraine and along with her husband and three young children went in search for a better life in America.  It was not until the summer of 1992, 50 years later, that she was reunited with her siblings. I was fortunate enough to join her (along with my dad and aunt) on that amazing trip to visit her family in the Ukraine.

There are so many more details and stories to tell but it would take a book. 

Anyway, to commemorate her special day, my dad and his siblings threw her a lovely luncheon for family and friends.   In total 50 people came to help her celebrate--- including 14 of her 18 great-grandchildren (unfortunately mine were not there).

The party was wonderful.  You could tell that my grandmother was bursting with pride.  She was absolutely radiant.    

As I sat there, taking it all in, all I could think was that hopefully one day I too would be surrounded by loved ones celebrating my 90th birthday.  

Happy Birthday Oma!